Texas Marathon Countdown - 10 days

If it's possible for a marathon to sneak up on you, this one certainly has. In the future I'm going to make a specific effort to no longer schedule marathons so closely to final exam week! Well, ready or not- here it comes! From a running standpoint, I'm pretty happy with the recovery I've managed to make post H1N1. It wasn't an easy process, but I did manage to do several long runs while I was visiting Arizona and they actually felt pretty good. One of my runs was around the IronMan Arizona Course so I could spectate the race that day. WOW!! I'll admit that the idea of competing in a triathalon has never appealed to me. (Biking and swimming are not my favorite activities). But seeing those athletes complete such an event was incredible!! It makes completing a marathon look like a warm up jog.

For the past few days I've been back in Dallas and enjoying the cool weather (it even snowed yesterday) to run in again. Last night I entertained myself by running through Dallas' upscale neighborhoods ooohing and aaaahing at the Christmas light displays.

It's a little too early to start obsessing about potential race day weather forecasts-- but if the forecast stays similar to what it has been this week... race day is going to ROCK!!!!

Texas Marathon Mile 7 Sponsor

Bryan Crabb

What is your hometown? Dallas, TX

Where do you live now? Dallas, TX

What is the farthest distance you've ever run? 26.2 miles

What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday morning? Running at the lake with friends.

What is your favorite workout song? Business by Eminem

What is the first thing you think of when you think of Texas? Home.

What is the bravest thing you've ever done? Served in the Navy for 4 years.

What is your favorite candy? NECO wafers

What is the biggest goal you're currently working toward? Trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Where is your next vacation destination? Aberdeen Scotland

What movie inspires you the most? Bravehart

In which state would you like to see Anna run her next marathon? Florida

Why did you choose to sponsor mile 7? First, it's my favorite number, but it was the only one left, so lucky me!

What did you want to become a marathon mile sponsor to support the Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation? I think it's a cool way to raise money for a great cause, and being done by a wonderful person.

We did it!!

Thanks to all of you generous sponsors out there, each of the 26.2 miles of the December 13th Texas Marathon have been adopted. That makes three marathons of mile donations which will go to benefit those fighting cancer through the Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation. Don't forget there is still time to get involved. Through December 13th, you can still become a pre-race sponsor by making a donation of any size...just click on the Donate link at the top of the blog, or email me with any questions.

Keep checking back in with the blog to read more about the amazing Texas Marathon race sponsors, and to read more last minute training updates through race day.

Texas Marathon Mile 12 Sponsor

Veronica Mayer

What is your hometown? Chicago

Where do you live now? DFW

What is the farthest distance you've ever run or walked? 13.1 miles

What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday morning? Curled up on the couch will pillow and blankie watching infomercials.

What is your favorite workout song or song that gets you up and moving? Miracle by Donald Lawrence

What is the first thing you think of when you think of Texas? Everything's bigger!

What is the bravest thing you've ever done? Becoming a blood donor ('cause I hate needles)

What is your favorite candy? Chocolate covered peanuts or almonds

What is the biggest goal you're current working toward? Sprint triathalon

What is your next vacation destination? Montana

Why did you chose to sponsor mile 12? It was the greatest of the miles left

Why did you choose to become a marathon mile sponsor to support the Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation? I support any cause that helps people get medical care, which preserves their right to dignity.

Rock and Roll San Antonio

Last weekend was an amazing road trip to run the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in San Antonio. This trip was a blast!! I'm still waiting on a lot of the pictures of that weekend, so I'll post the fun details later-- but in the meantime this is a picture of Danielle and I that our friend Sherry Magnus took. Thanks Sherry! Danielle and I agreed it pretty well sums up how much fun we had that whole weekend. :-)
I made it through running the whole 13.1 miles, which is definitely progress from a month ago-- but the race was still slow and difficult from a pacing perspective. I'm still pushing toward being able to complete the marathon in just a few short weeks.

Just 2 miles left to sponsor!! :-)

Texas Marathon Mile 19 Sponsors

Hari, Nirisha, Jay & Roxanne (the dog) Garimella

What is your hometown? Hari- Good question. Right now it is Allen, TX. I grew up in Tanzania, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Fiji Islands and now have lived in the U.S. for more than 17 years. Nirisha- Grew up in Madras (Chennai) India, now it is Hyderabad, India.

Where do you live now? Allen, TX

What is the furthest distance you've ever run or walked? Hari- 26.2 miles Nirisha- 14 miles (Just completed my first half-marathon: Heels and Hills)

What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday morning? Hari- running with my DRC group. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than helping fellow runners attain their goals. I have made so many friends through DRC. I always look forward to my Saturday runs. Nirisha- Early morning DRC run with Jay in the stroller, brunch and nap. Perfect.

What is your favorite workout song, or song that gets you up and moving? Hari- AC/DC-- Who Made Who Nirisha- Don't listen to music when running, but love chatting about food with my friends. That keeps us going.

What is the first thing you think of when you think of Texas? Hari- Now big it is. My God, I forgot how long it takes to drive out of Texas (took 12 hours on the way to Phoenix, via El Paso). Nirisha- Flat.

What is the bravest thing you've ever done? Hari- Taking charge of my health, making no excuse for not keeping fit. I was weighing 250 lbs, having a pulse rate above 100. I knew I had to do something to change this, because I felt I owe it to my family to be there for them. I am 65 lbs lighter and much happier. Nirisha- Marrying a 250 lb Hari. :-))))))))

What is your favorite candy? Hari- stopped eating candy.....sigh. Does a Sprinkles cupcake count? Nirisha- Rittersport Hazelnut

What is the biggest goal you're currently working toward? Hari- Dallas White Rock Marathon. Finished OKC full and St. George Marathon this year. I would love to do an ultra- marathon, if I can figure out the answer of how to stop cramping later in the race. :-) Nirisha- healing from IT Band injury during Heels and Hills.

Where is your next vacation destination? Hari- Good question. It would be a marathon destination. The best way to see a city! I would like to do the 50 states too. I have Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Utah under my belt. I have thought about Big Sur, Grandma's Marathon (Duluth, MN). Nirisha- Going to India next week for 10 days for my close friend's wedding. No hubby, no kid. Vacation- here I come!

What movie inspires you the most? Hari- Chariots of Fire, Spirit of the Marathon. Nirisha- Remember the Titans (Hari is sick of this movie since it has been played way to much at our house).

In which state would you like to see Anna run her next marathon (after Texas)? Hari- Anna, how about St. George, UT. I was impressed with the course, crowd support, and and organization. Nirisha- Utah- St. George (loved the vacation).

Why did you choose to sponsor mile 19? Hari- Most of my favorite miles (22 onward) were already sponsored. :-) Usually by mile 19 I can tell if I am going to finish strong in the marathon. Nirisha- most were taken. But sponsoring any mile is good for this cause. :-)

Why did you want to become a marathon mile sponsor to support the Susan Mortensen Turley Foundation? Hari- I am impressed with the dedication you have shown to keeping Susan's memory alive. She is somewhere in heaven knowing that she has a family member who is striving to make a difference in helping to fund cancer research and finding a cure for this terrible disease. Nirisha- I think it is great that the family has turned a tragedy into a great cause. This is like a Susan G Komen cause in the making! Great job Anna.

Note from Anna: The Garimella Family is without a doubt one of my favorites in DRC! Hari and Nirisha were also Oklahoma Marathon mile sponsors, and I always look forward to seeing both of them at DRC group runs!! Their son, Jay, is without question one of the cutest kids I know, and is our youngest Team Sprinkles Member. In addition to raising a great family, both Hari and Nirisha are continually training for new races and goals throughout the year, and still find time to be incredibly supportive of each of their fellow runners. Thank you Garimella family!! :)

The Comeback and Candy Corn Bribes

I'm still working at the running comeback, hoping to be ready for 26.2 miles of the White Rock Marathon in just FIVE weeks. YIKES!! Mentally I'm keeping the positive mindset that I will be able to participate in five weeks, but runs have been REALLY slow going this week. I tried for a 15 mile run on Katy Trail Saturday. I actually never knew I was capable of running that slowly for that amount of time-- it's quite impressive actually. lol. Typically if you try to run at a pace that much slower than you're used to it is actually very difficult to maintain. However at no point did I feel I could have gone faster, so apparently my new running pace is nearly 2 minutes slower than the pre-H1N1 pace. Hopefully that won't last forever...

I completed one lap on the trail, and then made a quick stop by my house to pick up some fuel-- candy corns! (a fun fall running snack inspired by one of my mile sponsors, Nelson Prater. Thanks Nelson!). The run continued to be really difficult and I was quickly losing motivation to keep moving forward. So, thankfully I love candy corn, and in desperation decided to use it more as motivation than running fuel. Running with plastic baggy in hand, every quarter mile I completed earned myself one candy corn. :) It seems crazy, but it worked. Using my candy bribe I talked my body into running 11 miles straight that morning. A little after 11, my back started to hurt enough I was worried it wouldn't be smart to continue, so I walked the last 4 miles.

Another nice surprise to keep me going that run was running into a lot of the DRC half-marathon groups doing their training runs that morning. So great to get so many encouraging shout outs from friends! :)

Sunday was a 6 mile recovery run, that felt only slightly better than the previous day's run. I got a boost of motivation getting to see the participants of the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk all greeting their families on Knox Street that morning. 60 miles in 3 days I think they walk... very impressive!

Today's 6 mile run was another rough one. It's hard to believe that just a month ago I used to 'zone out' on runs and would lose track of time or distance. Today I was painfully aware of every step and every breath. But I kept going. It takes all kinds of different mental tricks to keep myself going on these runs these days. What keeps me going most is thinking about my sponsors and the cause I'm running for. To be honest, whether I'll be able to complete 26.2 miles in five weeks is still up in the air right now. If, in the end, I don't think I'll be able to participate in the race safely then I'll find another Texas marathon later in the year. But for now, this all just feels like the necessary pain of getting my body back in shape all over again. I'm not ready to give up yet! Let's just hope my candy corn stash holds out.... lol.