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WE DID IT!

Running for Cameron

I'm training for the Honolulu Marathon in honor of my best friend, Cameron Huster, who is battling leukemia. (See photo of us with my boyfriend, David, above.) She is 21 years old, and has nearly completed a Master of Music in harp performance. In March, Cameron was accepted into a doctoral program in music, and in the same week, she was diagnosed with acute pre-b cell lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Even as she fights her cancer, she ofter talks of finishing her masters and starting her doctoral program. Her positive attitude and perserverance are a true inspiration to me. I hope that my training and our fundraising efforts will encourage her in the coming months of treatment.

If you know me, you'll know that I'm not the athletic type. For me, training for the marathon will be long and difficult. But it will be nothing compared to the daily struggle that Cameron faces in chemotherapy, radiation, physical therapy, hospital stays, and all of the other icky parts of blood cancer treatment. My personal wish is that, if nothing else, the funds we raise will help to make cancer treatment easier on patients.

As a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training, I will train (with coaches) to complete the marathon, aka, a 26.2 mile run. All of us in Team in Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives, and to improve the lives of patients.

Your donation will not only support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission, but it will also be an encouragement to Cameron and the Huster family, as they face this disease on a daily basis.

To join the race to the cure, please click on the link to the left and make a donation. If you prefer to send a check, please email me (eek317@yahoo.com) for the mailing address.

To read more of Cameron's story, please visit her blog http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cameronhuster.

Please check back frequently to see my progress (and contribute more :P). From me, the Husters, and other blood cancer patients, a heartfelt thank you for your support!

December 20, 2008

We did it! Last Sunday, I finished a marathon. Isn't that crazy? It's still a little bit hard to believe, even for me, but I have proof in pictures :) (Search me in the Race Results on www.honolulumarathon.org.)

I was so blessed during the race by all the support from my teammates and friends at home. Elizabeth, Marty, Dolly & Lindsey - thank you girls so much for running along side me in different parts of the race. Your encouragement was so helpful. And, to my friends in LA/FL who texted me the whole way through the race, THANK YOU! Even though a didn't respond (I was running a marathon...), I truly appreciated all of your messages. And to Coach Dave (how could I forget) - thanks for answering my millions of questions throughout the entire season. None of us would have crossed the finish line wihtout you.

Ok, ok. You probably want details :P For you athletic-types: I finished the marathon in 6 hours 33 minutes, or a 15:02 mile pace. I placed a little after the middle of my Category. But, then again, there were 80 year-old women who finished faster than me, so I'm still not making any claims about my athleticism. I was just so happy to finish. Honestly, when I saw the finish line from mile 25, I nearly cried. I told Lindsey not to let me cry, because I didn't have the energy and I'd probably fall over. (If you've run marathons, you'll understand what I mean.) But, I'm going out of order. Let me start back at the beginning.

3:30 am, Sunday morning, I woke up and starting getting ready. I had worked out my pre-race jitters the day before, so I felt pretty good. On socks, shorts, jersey, watch, water belt - all that stuff I described in the packing process a few days ago. I ate my usual breakfast of oatmeal & banana (sanza soy milk - couldn't find any), and headed down to the hotel lobby where I met the rest of my team. We all walked together over to the start line.

4:45 am, we are at the start line and listening to the race announcer. By the way, he's speaking Japanese. The fireworks go off, and people start moving. Cue to non-Japanese speakers: the race has started.

5:18 am, 18 minutes after the official start, I cross the start line! Woo, hoo! We're on our way. When we started, they announced that the Elite runners had just made the first loop - about 3 miles. Anyways, in this part of the race, we are running through downtown Honolulu and seeing all of the Christmas lights. Mele Kalikimaka! p.s. It's raining.

7amish. At this point, time is getting less meaningful. We are running up Diamond Head, around our mile 8. The sun is rising over the Pacific, which is really pretty. The Elite runners are coming back down Diamond Head on their mile 23-24. I think - I'll be back here in HOURS, but, the Elites are missing out on the beautiful vista you get on the way up. We cheer on the elites as they come down, since we're within spitting distance and there aren't many true spectators up at this hour. Besides, yelling keeps up your energy, which is good when you're going uphill. Sometime going up Diamond Head, it stops raining.

Miles 10-13. (Time has now become miles. I no longer have any idea what time it is.) Some of you may find me reserved. But, today I am not. Every time I see someone in a TNT Jersey, I yell, "Go Team!" There are TNT runners from accross the country. I remember HI, TX, IL, MI, IN, and I know there were others. Not everyone yells back. (Actually, I think only the other teams from LA yelled.) But I still think they appreciated it. Or, they thought I was an obnoxious girl from LA - oh, well. At mile 13, I get all 3 girls I running with to yell, "Go Team!" as we cross the mile marker :)

Mile 13.1 Halfway there. Two girls I'm with are injured, and have started walking longer intervals. Around the halfway point, I set off to run the rest of the race on my own.

Mile 15ish-18. Elizabeth catches up to me!! I'm so excited to have a friend to run with. At mile 16, I bump up to 3:1 intervals, and around this point I'm running my fastest miles, around 13.5 minutes. I ditch my sweater, which has been around my waist since mile 2 anyhow. It's getting heavy. Also, it's about 80 degrees and 94% humidity, so I really don't need it anymore. We're running through a very pretty part of Honolulu with lots of houses, and turn back towards downtown at a pretty park. Elizabeth takes a lot of pictures - she usually runs faster than me, so she can catch up easily.

Mile 18-21. "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:30-31. Anya T. sends me a reminder of this verse. It takes on new meaning. God really knows what he's talking about, and he really does renew me to finish the race. With God, there are no "walls." Running along the highway, and it's getting hot. I'm taking a sponge at every aid station. I also try putting ice in my hat.

Mile 21-24. Coach Dave is at 21! Nice to see a friendly face. I comment, "This part of the race comes from someplace deep." Still running with Elizabeth, I learn that her favorite cartoon as a kid was Strawberry Shortcake. Talking takes your mind off :) Around mile 22, my toenail starts hurting. I guess my toenail's going to fall off, but that's not going to stop me from the last 4.6 miles. Off the highway and in a res. neighborhood, locals are spraying us with hoses as we pass. No - it's not a protest. It's a blessing! Cooling down, we're almost at the end of the race.

Mile 24-25. More friendly faces! Tiffany, Lindsey and Bev are on the sidelines cheering us on. Asked, "How do you feel?", I respond, "I feel like I'm running a marathon!" Perhaps not the nicest reply... but, well, it was true. Lindsey starts running with me, and Elizabeth turns back to run with the others.

In sight of the Finish Line. This is where I feel like crying. Lindsey tells me to soak it all in as I run the last 1.2. She leaves me just before 26. I turn off my watch and run in the last .2 miles. As I cross the finish line, I lift up my hands and try to smile for the cameras! We made it! Cameron's name is on a band around my wrist, so that she could cross the finish line with me. She's the first person I call at the finish.

Then starts all the recovery. I won't blog about this part, because I don't want to discourage anyone from running a marathon. But, I will say that it's 6 days later, and I feel great. I walked 3 miles this morning as part of my recovery, and I'll start easy excercises again next week.

To all who supported me, financially & otherwise, thank you again so much. I can't tell you often enough how much your support has meant, both to me and to Cameron. I am so blessed.

A Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

December 12, 2008

Hawaii is beautiful. I'm relaxed in my lovely hotel room after a long day of travel and a visit to the Honolulu Race Expo. This morning was a little bit harrowing as I nearly missed my flight due to traffic on the 105 (when I move out of LA, I will not miss the traffic), but it's all worthwhile because I'm here and everything turned out fine.

54 people from Greater Los Angeles are in Honolulu with me for TNT this weekend. There are also teams from San Francisco, Texas, Massachuetts, Illinois, and of course, Hawaii. It's fun to meet people who have been training with other teams and see the breadth of TNT's reach.

Although today, I walked at least 4 miles. Tomorrow is a strict rest day. I plan to sit out on Waikiki with a magazine and save up energy for the big day. On Sunday, I'll be up around 3:30 AM to get ready for the race. I'm excited but I'm still a little nervous. You can be praying that the rains pass and the flash flood warnings are lifted before Sunday morning. Although it's not raining in Waikiki, other parts of Oahu have been getting drenched.

Thank you all again so much for your prayers and support. When I cross the finish line, I'll be taking you with me in spirit. Be sure to check the blog again after the marathon.

(Transcribed by David Chang).

December 7, 2008

It's been far too long since I posted anything...

Before you ask, the answer is YES, I'm ready for the race. This week is all about mental preparation. My muscles are trained. My body is in as good of shape as it's going to be. I have (almost) all the stuff I need: body glide, hat, sunglasses, socks, shoes, shorts, jersey (SOON), sun block, Power Gel (tastes better than GU), and like a zillion other things. So this week, I'm focussing on telling myself the exact thing that I really need to hear: I'm ready to run.

It's been an amazing journey. I would have never dreamed that I, Elizabeth Erin King, would ever in my life run a marathon. And now that it's finally here, it's still a little hard to believe that in 5 days I'll be getting on a plane to Honolulu.

Even as amazing as it is, I have been so unexpectedly blessed through this experience. When training is tough (which it has been this past week), I start praising God. It goes something like this: "Thank you God, that I can run, because lots of people aren't healthy enough to. Thank you God, that we've raised about $7,500 to fight leukemia. Thank you God, that I have a job, because in this economy, lots of people don't. Thank you God for David. Thank you for my coaches, for my roommate/live-in PT, for my athlete friends/family, for everyone who's helped me more than they can fathom. Thank you God for Cameron, and for her health. Thank you God for healing Aislyn. Thank you for pain, that we can better enjoy being pain-free. Thank you God for weakness, that we can know your strength." Counting all the blessings in my life has gotten me through the toughest runs of my life.

I'm told that this week I'll be really emotional, so I hope you'll indulge me :)

On Sunday, you can visit www.honolulumarathon.org to see the results of the race. I'll likely finish around 12:00 pm HI time, which is 2:00 pm Pacific & 5:00 pm Eastern.

November 8, 2008

I just took my first ice bath. I've learned that the mindset I've developed in marathon training is applicable to many things. This morning, when I got to my halfway point of 6 miles, I thought, "Ok, halway there. If I can do 6, then I can do 6 more." Similarly, after 7.5 minutes of sitting in ice water, I thought, "Ok, halfway there. If I can do 7.5 minutes, I can do 7.5 more." And the second half is always better than the first. The last 5 minutes were almost enjoyable :)

Anyways, I took the ice bath because I actually wasn't in the pool today! I got to run 12 miles on land :)) And, if my feet stay ok and don't start hurting, I can get back on pace with the team. Very exciting.

Cameron is also doing great, from what I've heard. All the icky poisons that stream through her veins are doing their jobs, and she is getting ready to start her DMA program in January. In a few more months, this whole chemo thing will be like a bad dream.

October 26, 2008

We met the initial fundraising goal of $6,000, so I bumped it up to $7,000 with about a month of online fundraising to go. I'm so appreciative of all your support. Honestly - it just amazes me.

The training continues, although I'm still spending more time aqua jogging than I'd like to be. (Read down if you don't know about aqua jogging.) I did run 6 miles on land yesterday :), before getting in the pool for two hours. I am grateful that we have coaches that really do care about seeing us finish, and that have the therapy alternatives in place when we need them. In addition to the aqua jogging, I spend lots of time writing the alphabet with my big toes. (Try it with your left foot - it's harder than you'd think.)

This morning, we also had a small garage sale fundraiser. When I left around 10am, we'd made $185 selling junk, and all the proceeds go to LLS. Every little bit counts.

October 10, 2008

Can you say, "plantar fasciitis"? Roughly translated, my feet hurt. Probable cause: shoe issues. My treatment is to write the alphabet with my toes, stretch my lower calves/feet with a curb exercise, and massage my feet with ice. The curb thing is the strangest. Standing on a curb with your feet on the edge and moving your body up and down, you get some pretty funny looks. At least it's amusing to someone, I suppose.

So, due to the feet issue, today I had the pleasure or aqua jogging for 2 1/2 hours. Going into this, I thought it would be absolutely terrible. (Sorry Coach Pete!) But it actually wasn't as bad as anticipated. If you've never aqua jogged, you basically strap a floaty to your waste, jump in the water, and run from one end to the other while suspended in the water. It is the least efficient way to cross the pool. You could float faster. Since I'm about 5'6" 115 lbs., the worst part was the belt. The first one I tried wouldn't sinch my waste, and the second one kept creeping up onto my ribs, which resulted in my chin being in the water most of the time. But I am happy that I could keep up my training - I would have been running 14 miles today, and if 2 1/2 hours in the pool is my equivalent, that's pretty sweet.

No worries, though, dear friends. I will be back on land in time for Honolulu, even if in the short term it means funny stares and odd aquatic exercises. And, hey - at least I don't need an ice bath after being in the pool :)

October 4, 2008

It seems that my goal isn't high enough. Including unprocessed checks, we've raised $5,990.55 of the $6,000 goal. That's less than a $10 difference! We still have two full months of fundraising to go, so it looks like I'll be setting a higher goal for us very soon.

Today was a 12-miler. I am so appreciative of having teammates, as we distract each other from thinking about running. (If you think that running is a solo sport, you should really try a running group.) Today, we were talking/panting about our "bucket lists." Being only 23, I don't have a bucket list yet. I'm the type to put something on a list for the satisfaction of crossing it off, though, so I think the first item on my list will be "run a marathon." I will happily cross it off on December 14 :)

p.s. My little cousin is in the process of being diagnosed for what they are almost certain is cancer. Please add Aiselyn to your prayers. She's 2 years old.

September 28, 2008

I'm all better. Yesterday was a "step-back" week, and I ran my three miles with ease. No aches. No pains. I'm not even sore today. It's funny how three miles feels like nothing after you've run ten!

Two children with leukemia are our "honored teammates". Both of them could use your prayers right now. Natalie just had a bone marrow transplant, and needs to eat more. (This will sound familiar to those who've spent time with Cameron.) Tyler may need a bone marrow transplant, too. Since he doesn't have any siblings, and they haven't found a match in the registry, they are seeking a second opinion for how to proceed with his treatment. Both of these are really cute kids - I wish you could see their photos. It's such a reminder of how much the funding is needed, so that kids like Tyler will someday have more and better options for treatment.

September 21, 2008

I'm injured. Yesterday I ran 10 miles, and today my knee hurts. I know that this won't keep me from finishing the marathon, but it still kind of stinks. I'm not a very patient "patient" - my version of "resting" my knee was walking around Target to find an ice pack. (The ice cube-filled Ziplocs I used yesterday are just too much trouble.) Now, I'm a bit bored, lying on the loveseat, trying to keep my knee above my heart, and waiting for the ice pack to cool down enough to use; it takes an hour. I am mostly bummed out because I have once again been forced to acknowledge my humanity. I am not a robot -- I can get hurt. But thankfully, we are designed to heal with TLC & time. Again I remind myself - even a knee injury is not as bad as cancer treatment.

I did do something exciting yesterday, well, other than running 10 miles. I registered on the National Bone Marrow Registry. It was super easy. You just fill out a form and swipe your cheek with some cotton swabs. The swabs go to a lab, the lab results are entered into a database, and then doctors check their patients' info. against the database. 1 in 200 people is a match. If I were actually asked to donate bone marrow, this would be incredibly painful. But Cameron did it with local anesthetic only the first time, and she's still here. So, I think I could do it, too.

Do you want to register? Visit http://www.marrow.org/ for information.

September 13, 2008

I shed tears of joy over $10 donations. Many people in mine and Cameron's home church are supporting me, and oftentimes I receive small denomination checks in the scrawled handwriting of the elderly. With the poor economic times, and knowing that some of these donors are on fixed incomes, it is heart-warming to receive these checks. I can only surmise that these contributors are so eager to be a part of this effort that they will give up something to join in the race to the cure. Thank you.

Training Notes:

As I write, I'm eating two smart dogs. Drilled into my head is the following advice from our coaches: "Before running, eat carbs. Within an hour of running, eat protein." I ran 5 miles this morning, so now I am chowing down on "veggie protein links," as the package says. I also ate my first goo today (Thank you, Morgan!) Goo is some type of alien food substance containing carbs and electrolytes that sports-people eat. It only tastes good while you're running, trust me. Oh, and I'm drinking water, because (coaches quote again), "Hydration happens slowly. Dehydration happens quickly."

Cool thing about running with your name on your shirt, random strangers yell out, "Go Liz!" I think I'll keep wearing my training jersey after the marathon, just for the encouragement.

That's all for now. Have a good week, everyone!

September 9, 2008

Good evening, my dear supporters. My early letter stated that I needed funds in early September to keep my spot in the race. This is true! With all of your gracious support, I have secured my spot in the race.

You can still donate! I'm not in this to run a marathon - I'm running for a cure. So, please continue to contribute right up until December 2, 2008. And if you want to donate later, then you can do that, too! Another of Cameron's good friends, Amanda Young, has just decided to join TNT to run the Disney Marathon. I'm sure her fundraising deadline will be later than mine, so please continue to spread the word and tell everyone you know about this great cause. You can even decide to run, yourself. Email me, and I'll give you a shout out on my blog.

Going for the cure! Go Team!

September 7, 2008

I'm truly amazed by all of your generous support. Including checks that haven't posted online yet, we have raised over $4000, and are 2/3 of the way to my goal. Thank you all so very much for your support and love.

The title of today's posting is: "8 miles is further than you think". It's farther than a 10k, but not as long as a half marathon. (The fun thing is - from this point forward - I get to say "I ran farther than I have in my life" pretty frequently.) At the first 45 minutes of running, I was thinking, "Is this really 8 miles? It doesn't feel that far", but by the last 30 minutes, my legs were saying, "Why are you doing this to me?" Still. Not as bad as chemo. The last 5 minutes I kept saying, "Keep running... keep running... keep running." My athletic wisdom - go just further than you think you can, then come home and take a nice hot shower :)

A fun note: On my Mom's 60th b-day trip to Alaska, I kept up my training. I ran in a little tiny town called Skagway, AK. I literally ran from one end to the other in 15 minutes. And that was running slowly! But the views were just amazing. Running in the clean, crisp Alaskan air in the view of snowy mountains. What is better than that? (Maybe a marathon in Honolulu - I'll keep you posted.)

Thanks again!

August 22, 2008

Thank you all for your support! Including checks that haven't yet processed officially, we are 28% there! Keep going everyone, and thank you oh so much!

August 10, 2008

Yesterday was my first official practice with the Team. For those of you who are curious, I ran/walked 3.1 miles in 38:48. Today, I can't image running nearly nine times that distance, but, people who have done it tell me it's possible. They are also talking to me about ice baths. (Ice???)

So, if you haven't donated yet, please make a donation! This training for a marathon thing is harder than it seems. I'll just put it out there - I could use some encouragement.

August 8, 2008

This week, I started my marathon training. I have to admit, I'm a little bit sore. But as I run, I pray, and I believe that my prayers are helping Cameron. Good news! She is walking again this week. And we thank God for that.

Tomorrow is my first official day of running with the team. During the week, we run on our own, and then we do longer runs as a group on the weekend. I'm sure I'll be tired, but it's well worth it.