brightroom event photography

brightroom event photography

Here are all my racing pictures!!

I did it!!

A little delayed, but I wanted to let anyone reading this know that training for a marathon is difficult, requires a lot of self-discipline (not to mention the giving up open-toed shoes), but is utterly worth it! This has been one of the best experiences of my entire life, and finishing that marathon has made me feel like, with enough hard work and perseverance, I can do anything.

Ben and I left for our trip very early in the morning; we had a 6:58 a.m. flight (ugh). Yet we arrived in San Francisco early as well--around noon their time. Even our bus ride to the hotel was exciting. Characteristically, I was a bit too excited; I kept thinking every suspension bridge I saw was the Golden Gate...hey, they all look similar!

Our first stop was to get some Thai food, something of a rarity here in Charleston, and then we headed to the Race Expo, where I got my bib number (4082!) and we listened to a less-than-inspiring talk about how to tackle the hills of San Francisco. I think the butterflies in my stomach grew an entire foot.

Nonetheless, I got my mind off of things when we joined Ben's second cousin, Diane, and her husband, Leslie, for dinner at a restaurant called the Cliff House, so called because of its precarious situation looking down on the ocean (they've had to rebuild it several times).

The next morning, we went to Alcatraz. Although I found the stories of escape interesting--why would you spend ten years sewing yourself an army uniform so that you could escape on a ship without finding out where said ship was headed?--the trip is what made this excursion worth it.

I'm going to try and attach some pics here:
Actually, it's easier for me to just give you all the link to my Picasa web album, where you can view these things: http://picasaweb.google.com/beresrogers/SanFrancisco#.

I tried, but this program is slow this morning!!

I really enjoyed the tourist thing but was getting more and more anxious about the race. Fast-forward to pre-race dinner. We (Team in Training) entered this huge auditorium- a convention center. To get in, we descended a long flight of stairs, alone which, everywhere, were coaches and mentors, cheering for us. Mardi gras beads, feathers, kazoos, the works. It was absolutely amazing. Then, after grabbing our requisite pasta and protein, we were treated with talks by Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 Olympic marathon champion, and John "the Penguin" Bingham, who writes a great column for Runner's World: http://www.johnbingham.com/. He was really inspiring and told us something that stayed in my head throughout the race. "What's the hurry?" he said. "Everyone gets that t-shirt, the same Tiffany's necklace. So why not just take your time and enjoy yourself?"

And that's what I did. I started out with a group of TNT people, but our paces didn't gell, so I ended up running most of the race "on my own," but not really. There were other TNT people, everywhere, so I met people from Alaska, New York, New Jersey, and Georgia. And the views were absolutely amazing!! We started downtown, ran along the pier, up through the Presidio district, past the Cliff House (again) and seal rocks (which were amazing!), down through Golden Gate Park, and then along the Great Highway, by the ocean, and around Lake Merced. I do have a few little pictures here -

And this one is my favorite:

I'll try to make a blog link to all of the pictures- we'll see how that works out.

Anyway, so I'm running along, and Ben was going to meet me at mile 13. I look for him but don't see him. Later in the race, I look but, again, don't see...I cross that finish line, and still no Ben. So I go over to the "friends and family meet-up" section (this place was a veritable village) and wait for an hour, shivering from cold by this time and feeling like my finish was anti-climactic. Finally, I borrow a cell phone and call him (brain doesn't work well when you've just run 26.2, by the way).

Ben was at the finish line. He missed me at 13 and thought I was behind my teammates, so he waited there, got to 16 too late, and got to the finish line 6 minutes after I did. It was utterly frustrating for him as well; he thought I had hurt myself or something and got worried when the "bigger people" were finishing and I was still nowhere.

Thankfully, we found each other, and then it hit me. I HAD RUN A MARATHON!!! Sanity not only intact, but self-confidence tripled. It's amazing. And I raised $4300 for blood cancer research. That, perhaps, was my even bigger challenge.

I ran this marathon in memory of my father, of Jean Hamilton Rogers, of Ruth Campbell, and in honor if Ian, Eli, and Arnold Markley. These are the people who kept me going at mile 25! These are the people, in heaven and earth, hopefully smiling that cancer has been given yet another wallop. Hopefully some day, we can "defeat" it altogether. I won't stop trying.

Almost there...

It's 6 a.m. In 15 minutes, I leave to run my last "long" run with the team...except for the marathon, that is. I can't believe it's almost here! All of the work, the training, the getting up crazy early on Sunday mornings...you know, I think I'll really miss it.

Although I can't say I'll miss the fundraising, I am amazed that everyone was so generous, so giving, and I was able to pull it together. THANK YOU!!!!! I think of you all every time I run, and I know it will occupy my thoughts much over the marathon. Speaking of thinking of you, I got my singlet (the little race tops we wear). I'm going to use a sparkly fabric marker to write on it the names of everyone for whom I'm running. Hopefully, you'll be able to see this when I see this when I send my thank-you cards out.

It's been such a strange journey for me. It started with my mother's visit here, continued into our buying a new house, a new semester, and now, my grandfather is not doing very well. But through it all, I've had running, and (crazy me!) I plan to continue. Myrtle Beach 1/2, here I come!!! (I could't do another full marathon and maintain my marriage).

Lest I forget to say so, I am so very excited to go to San Francisco! I've never been there, and I can't wait to see the city (much of it on foot!). I have a list of restaurants ready to go, and, because you all helped me out so much with the fundraising, Ben can come too. We're hoping to get some light sightseeing in: to make it sort of a vacation. And I can't wait to read all of the inspiration quotes, and listen to the Gospel band, at the start of the marathon.

In one week at this time, I will be at that starting line. And from there, it's one step at a time to 26.2.

tapering down...

First of all, I'd like to report that I did the 20 two weeks ago! It actually felt okay. I did the last eight by myself, which was somewhat nice (I like the meditative aspect of running). I'm still nervous as hell about 26.2, especially since I felt like 20 was such a herculean effort. I got through to the end because I knew that my husband, Ben, would be there waiting for me. This really meant a lot, and I'm hoping it feels the same way at the race.

Our coach, Barbara, said it should feel like "we could easily run six more."

Umm, yeah.

It didn't.

I'm just hoping that all of my training, all of the mind games I learned, pay off at the marathon, which is in TWO WEEKS! I just received my jersey yesterday, and I'm already thinking about how I'll "decorate" it. Definitely with my name, my dad's name, the names of everyone sent to me by my generous donors...(that might just fill up this teensy weensy shirt. Jeez, I'm glad I didn't get a small. Where are these LLS people from, China?)

As for today, we're "only" running 12. I'm hoping to change things up and incorporate the Ravanel bridge which, for those of you who don't live here, is really the only hill in Charleston! Hopefully, this will prepare me a bit for San Francisco.

Speaking of San Fran, I've never been there, and I'm extremely excited! My husband's great-aunt lives out there, so we plan to explore the city with them! My goals being a) golden gate and alcatraz, b) the cliff restaurant, since my grandfather-in-law used to go there with his wife (who I'm honoring by running this thing), and c) LOTS of Asian food, definitely a scarce commodity here in Charleston. Oh, and to run this marathon, of course.

But that goes without saying.

I should go run right now, but I'll try and post more frequently during the final legs of race preparation.

9:23 p.m...getting ready to do 20!

So this is the first blog posting I've made at night (it tends to be my morning ritual). For all I know, I might write something tomorrow morning as well, but right now, I need to let out some nervous tension. I am running 20 miles tomorrow. 20. It sounds so intimidating, and it is.

We were supposed to run 20 last week; I had a cold, but I thought I could do it. Every time we got water, I blew my nose and thought I could keep going. Well, after about 14 miles, the cold went right into my chest, and I found it more and more difficult to breathe.

At mile 15, I gave up and walked back.

I felt like a failure: a huge wuss. I waiting for my teammates to make it through their twenty, gave them high 5's, watched them all celebrate, and felt like I had let myself down. I know that running with a cold is tough, and I know it was probably the right choice, but I've felt badly about it all week.

So tomorrow, I'm doing it. No if's, and's, or but's. No "I'm tired" or "I have cramps" or even "I have a blister." I can get through this! Just this week, I received some more donations, and it's looking pretty decent financially. Now I just have to get my butt into gear and do the miles.

26 miles is a lot, but I've learned that running is 90% effort, 10% conditioning. It's almost all mental, and it's my own insecurities that hold me back. I think that, in this way, running is also metaphorical for life. How many times have I stopped myself from submitting an article or applying for something, or even going to a party, because I'm insecure? Yet usually, all of these things are rewarding in the end, as I know 26.2 will be. And damnit, I'm gonna put one of those obnoxious 26.2 stickers on my car...because it is something to brag about!!

Hmmm...I killed 7 minutes. Ben, my husband, is in bed asleep, and it's a little early for bed, but I can't sit here and think about the run. I think I'll try and go watch something mindless on TV. I'll see you very early tomorrow morning!

baby it's cold (and dark) outside

When we started training this summer, we met at 7 a.m. At the time, it seemed absolutely brutal to get up at 6 on a Sunday. Yet at least the sun was up, and it felt like morning.

Fast-forward to today, September 6th, at 6:00 a.m.

We start running in a half an hour, and it's pitch black outside. I just let out Puck, my dog if you don't know me--is anyone reading this, by the way?--and had to turn the outdoor lights on to let him see. It's a little bit sad when I leave home for a run and see that everyone else's lights are out, that they are still snuggling into their beds preparing for a few more hours of sleep.

Not only that, but it's getting cooler in the mornings! This is generally a good thing, though, considering the South Carolina heat and humidity. At least cool mornings are better for runs (but not better for getting up).

Can you tell I'm grumpy about getting up today? I have a cold, and I can't stop coughing. 2 weeks of school and the students have already given me their first little "gift." Ha. But seriously, I feel it in my head and my chest, and I just hope I can make it through this run today.

Last week, Barbara (our coach) told us to come up with three goals for our race, and today seems a good morning to implement mine:

1) I will pick an interval and stick to it. Today, I'll try 6 and 1's (meaning, for those of you who don't follow Gallaway's training method ;), that I'll run 6 minutes and speed walk 1 for the entire race)

2) I will think of my father, my reason for doing this, as well as of our team heroes and the many people who suffer with blood and other cancers. Sometimes I get so caught up in bitching and/or feeling tired that I forget why I'm running in the first place.

3) This sounds cheesy, but I will remember to smile. Barbara suggested this so, tentatively, I smiled on one of my weekday early morning runs. I felt like a bit of a moron and wondered what the people driving to work thought of me, but it actually helped. By smiling, I elevated my mood a bit and was able to have a great run.

So that's all, folks. Time to head out into the dark abyss and run a little. Catch you later.

18 miles

So, I've been psychologically prepping myself all week for the challenge of running 18 miles today...I ran every single day except for Friday! Even on mornings when I had to teach, I woke up ridiculously early and ran. Yesterday, I prepped my graduate course, graded most of my essays, only drank water, and tried to get to sleep at a decent hour.

Then, I couldn't sleep.

I lay there, thinking about 18 miles, and I couldn't sleep. The more I tried not to thnk about running that far, the more scared I got. So I finally fell asleep around 2 and had to wake up at 5 because, for some reason unknown to man--at least to me--, my TNT group decided to begin our Sunday run at 6 instead of 6:30. Inhumane. I'm already not a morning person, and getting up this early on a Sunday is just brutal.

But, despite my sleeplessness and general grouchiness this morning (even my dog, who pretends a big yawn so that I'll let him out of his crate and then promptly falls asleep right outside the door, is annyoing me right now), I know I can do this. I've been training so hard, and I'm strong, physically and mentally.

More importantly, I'm not doing this for me -- I'm doing it in memory of my father and other cancer heroes and survivors. This, I think, will be my mantra for today, and it should be enough to get me through.