What: Nike Women's Half Marathon – A Race to Benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

When: October 14, 2012

Where: San Francisco, CA

To Our Dearest Family, Friends and Supporters,

Some of you already know that I am at it again!! I signed up with Team In Training to train, fundraise and run the same marathon I ran in 2010 (http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf10/rknoblock) when Josh was going through his chemo treatments that whole year.

But as you know, it is emotionally much different this time around for me. When I did it in 2010 I had Josh and he supported me all the way until race day. Well, it is different now! My dearest, Josh (08/09/55 - 10/21/11), is forever physically gone...

So you ask why do it again? The answer is simple. Because this dreadful disease called Lymphoma took away my SOULMATE...THE ONE TRUE LOVE OF MY LIFE and many other lives. Because I can. And because a cure has not been found. And because I continue to want to be part of something bigger than myself. Because I am deeply hurting and hopefully as I continue to give back it will help me heal. Because JOSH passed away in October last year (10/21) only five short days after the Nike Marathon and running it again this year seems like a good way for me to remember him. Because I do not know what else to do with me.

As you know, all your donations will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We continue to raise funds to help find a cure for Leukemia, Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and Myeloma. Fundraising for me is more challenging than the training itself so I really hope that you support me once again with this cause. This time I need to meet the minimum fundraising goal of $2,150 but would love to be able to exceed it with your help. If you made a donation in 2010 then you know that my minimum then was $2,500 and I raised $5,698. All because of YOU!!!

It would mean so much to me (even more so) if you would join me again by making a donation to my 2012 campaign. I hope this does not get old for you as I am asking for your support once again. Please donate what you can (no donation is too small). I would love to be able to make it to $6,000 (if not more) before the deadline. Only you know what you can afford but the worst thing you could do is feel that your contributions are not significant and not donate at all.

In return for your donation(s), you will receive a purple and green ribbon (the colors of TNT) from me with your name on it.

EVERYTHING COUNTS! And your donation no matter what amount is SIGNIFICANT!

Please feel free to forward this link to your family, friends, and colleagues. And please check back often for updates! I will be keeping everyone updated with my training as much as I can. And of course, you can see how much I have raised to date.

§ All donations are 100% tax deductible.

§ Donations can be made directly with a credit card on my fundraising page (please see link below) by clicking on the DONATE NOW button.

§ If you prefer, you can also write a check payable to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and mail it to me at 245 Paula Court, Martinez, CA 94553. I will be keeping a record of all the checks that I receive and mail them in to the LLS. Upon receiving the checks, they will update my page to show your check donations.

§ Please make all donations (on-line or check) on or before Thursday, October 4, 2012.

If you have any questions/comments/suggestions, please do not hesitate and feel free to drop me a line at joshandrina@aol.com.

With much love and gratitude to you all,

Rina (always "Running for JOSH")

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf12/rknoblock

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About TNT: Team In Training is a non-profit organization that trains groups of people to do marathons, triathlons, bike rides and hikes and they raise money to help fight cancer.

Please visit their website at www.teamintraining.org for more information.

About the Race: The Nike Women's Marathon provides a spectacular racecourse that takes in some of the most breathtaking sites in San Francisco. The race kicks off in downtown Union Square, winds through the financial district past the Transamerica Pyramid building, then along San Francisco Bay, past Fisherman's Warf, Ghirardelli Square, Aquatic Park, Fort Mason and more. It then proceeds through the Presidio, along the shoreline, out the Richmond District to the Great Highway. The course continues through Golden Gate Park and then south for a circle around Lake Merced and back to the Great Highway, where it finishes at a spot overlooking the incredible Pacific Ocean.

Funding Facts:

§ $1000 supports one week’s salary for a medical researcher at UCSF, Stanford, or Berkeley who may discover key information to developing curative treatments for blood cancers.

§ $500 provides a blood cancer patient with financial assistance for one year and allows 10 patients to log on to a web cast and hear the latest information in treatment for their disease.

§ $200 provides a Family Support Group Program for one year for a patient and their family.

§ $150 allows 5 patients to make a First Connection with a trained peer volunteer.

§ $100 provides 3 patients access to an information teleconference.

$75 is the average cost of tissue typing to become a bone marrow donor.

§ $50 is the cost of a CT scan

§ $40 is the cost of sending a comprehensive packet of information for children with cancer.

§ $35 pays for transportation expenses for a patient living in Northern California’s most rural areas to treatment at a comprehensive cancer center.

§ $25 covers a single prescription co-payment.

§ $5 is the cost of sending a newly diagnosed patient information about support and their disease.

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Tuesday, May 29

We had our first track workout tonight at 6:30pm. Same place...Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill near our house. I left work and made it there on time. Little did I know that driving to track would bring me to tears! It gave me this tremendous sad feeling cause I was thinking two years ago I was going to our first track workout and Josh was at home. And I read my post from two years ago and I even went home before track and had a piece of cake that Josh insisted I eat before I go. Well, no piece of cake this time around. And most painfully no Josh insisting I have it.

At track, we were given the option to run 4 times (1 mile) or 8 times (2 miles) around the track and I opted to run it 4 times. I clocked in at 9 1/2 minutes. I know I can do better but I have not been running so I cannot be too hard on myself. I sure hope my time will improve as we progress. Since I fractured my right foot in 2010, I will try my best to take it easier this time with training and not push myself too hard.

Wednesday, May 30

Cross-training day (yoga, swim, pilates, spinning, etc.) today so I rode my bike for half hour...that is what our training calendar said and that is what I did. No more, no less!

Thursday, May 31

Today I ran for 30 minutes during my lunch hour....ran to the bank from the office and back. Again, I did not want to do any more than what our training calendar required us to do. I have to be smart and protect my right foot so I do not fracture it again by doing too much too soon.

Friday, June 1

Rest day today and I am emotionally preparing myself for our first Mentor Led Run tomorrrow morning at Val Vista Park in Pleasanton. I do not know if I will find myself crying again in the car on the way there...

Saturday, June 2

Well, I unfortunately did not make it to our first Mentor Led Run this morning but I did make it up by running around the Lafayette Reservoir instead...and it was scorching hot!! But I made it around with no issues...

I also found out today that our team name is TEAM FURY!!!!!

Sunday, June 3

Since it is cross-training day today I rode my bike to my volunteer work at Cornucopia (http://www.cancersupportcommunity.net/shop.html). It took me half hour one way....

Tuesday, June 5

We had our strength circuit training today at Ygnacio Valley Park in Concord. Unlike in 2010 I felt it was easier this time around. But I still expect to be sore in a day or two. We ran around the park for 5 minutes then incorporated all sorts of exercises on our yoga mats. We alternated the running and the exercises for an hour and a half!! Great workout!!

I ALREADY HAVE RAISED $755 TO DATE.....THANKS EVER SOOO MUCH!!! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE....xoxoxoxo

Thursday, June 7

We have buddy runs every Thursday night at 6:30pm but just like in 2010, I will get my run in during my lunch hour around Lake Merritt so that I can go home after work and spend time with our kitties (Heckle, Jeckle and Freckle)...they sure need me, too! And I know that I have to make an effort to spend time with them since their Dad is gone. They are very important to me...and I sure am thankful that I have them in my life. It sure is comforting to know that there are other living and breathing creatures living with me.

Saturday, June 9

I ran on my own this morning from our house to the Contra Costa Canal trail....a little over 4 miles in the books! Felt good in the end especially after I did all the stretching.

Tuesday, June 12

Tonight we did hill repeats at Newhall Community Park in Concord on a loooong and steeeeeep hill...did it four times and it sure kicked by butt! Not to mention it was hot out!

Thursday, June 14

I ran around Lake Merritt during my lunch hour today. There was this woman walking and talking on her cellphone and wearing a bright yellow shirt. As I passed her I noticed a LADYBUG on her back..in a split second! So, I told her and grabbed it!!! What's cool is that I was telling Josh this morning...."I want to see a LADYBUG….show me more!!"...

Thanks, Honey!!!! I LOVE YOU SO! And I am training well with you in mind....all the time!

Saturday, June 16

It was hot but I made it!!! Ran for an hour this morning with the Summer Team's TEAM JOSH at Inspiration Point to show them my support since some of them are going to run their Mayor's Race in Anchorage, Alaska next weekend....GO TEAM JOSH!!!!

Week of June 18

No training as I will be out-of-town in New York celebrating our 10th Year Wedding Anniversary on 6/22.

Tuesday, June 26

Back from my New York trip! I had a good time despite being solo. Josh sure was with me in SPIRIT all throuhout my trip!! I even had two consecutive days of ladybug encounters....on 6/21 (exactly eight months after his passing) and on 6/22 (our 10th year wedding anniversary)....He sure loves me!!!

Tonight we had another track workout and circuit training at the Diablo Valley College. It is good to be back since I did not really do any training while I was in New York. Although I walked a ton everyday and ran on the High Line (www.thehighline.org) on our anniversary.

GO TEAM FURY!!!!

Wednesday, June 27

Cross-training day = bike ride

Saturday, June 30

I slept in this morning and was not able to meet up with my team at the Lafayette Reservoir for a mentor led run but I made up for it by going there and running on my own.

Wednesday, July 4

Happy Fourth of July everyone!!!!

Went on a 5k run today on my own.....

Saturday, July 7

I ran almost 6 miles this morning in 78 degree heat with me, mysely and I...from our house all the way to the Contra Costa Canal trail in Pleasant Hill and back. I would like to think that being able to run in that kind of heat is an advantage and will help me run better in cooler SF weather on race day.

SO GREAT THAT I AM RECEIVING MORE DONATIONS....THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL OF OUR NEW DONORS!!!! xoxoxoxo

Monday, July 9

YOYO (You're On Your Own) Easy Run Day today...and I ran after work in and around our neighborhood.

Tuesday, July 10

Temperature too hot today for track workout so it was canceled all together. But we were not off the hook since Coach Tim sent us a video of what he would like us to do.

Each of these 5min. sets starts with a warm-up (the warm up is NOT part of the 5min.)

Gym Workout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3aOuZ51tHA&feature=youtu.be

No Gym Workout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVmRvE7F518&feature=channel&list=UL

Go Team Fury!

Wednesday, July 11

Cross-training day = stationery bike in our garage for 45 minutes

Thursday, July 12

Ran after work for about 40 minutes today!

Friday, July 13

Mandatory rest day today! Tonight I went to a "Campy Friday the 13th Party" with some friends at the Panhandle in SF. Glad I made an effort and went....fun times!

Thanks much to my "power running couple" friends, Justin and Yvoone....and also to Brent! Oh, I went as Mrs. Freddy Krueger, by the way.

Saturday, July 14

We had a mentor led run this morning at Hillcrest Park in Concord. I, unfortunately, was not able to run at all today since I had to get up early and clean our house for tomorrow's "TEAM JOSH End-Of-Season" Celebration. Our dearest friends, Kuya Arnel and Jim, came over around 11:00am and helped with backyard work....lots of tree trimming!

Thanks sooo much Kuya Arnel and Jim!!! Love you both!!!!

Sunday, July 15 (TEAM JOSH End-Of-Season Celebration)

A special day today!!! I got up early to get more things ready for today's celebration.

TEAM JOSH celebration will start at 1:00 o'clock today. My Mom is cooking up a storm! And we will make ladybug appetizers (as shown below).

No cross-training for me today...it will be "cross-entertaining" for TEAM JOSH!!!!

GO TEAM JOSH!!!! Even though I did not run your season you will always be my favorite team.

Monday, July 16

Mandatory rest day today, which I needed after all of yesterday's festivities....

Happy 60th Birthday to my Mom today!!!!

Tuesday, July 17

Tonight we did benchmarks around the track at the Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. We did this in the beginning of the season (around early June) and Coach Gary Landberg and Judy Keenan logged our times in. Basically we had the option to run around the track 4 times (1 mile) or 8 times (2 miles).

When we did it in June my time was 9:20 and last night was better at 8:23 (both at 1 mile). I sure am happy about that improvement and believe it or not I finished first and had the best time. Everyone on the team did very well and everyone also had improved times.

GO TEAM FURY!!!

Wednesday, July 18

Another cross-training day....I recently got myself a new Schwinn mountain bike (and it is purple!)...rides well and I love it!

Saturday, July 21 (COACHED RUN and HONOREE PICNIC)

Well, it is exactly nine months today since Josh passed....:-(

Important day today for it is also our Honoree picnic at the beautiful Redwood Regional Park in Oakland....who knew that place existed? Certainly not me! But now that I know where it is I will certainly go back for more running...and hiking as well. I have never been there before and thought that it was just an Oakland gem. That run was much harder than running at Inspiration Point or any other training run I have done. It made Inspiration Point and Land's End a walk in the park.

It was mostly dirt trails and the Redwood trees are majestic. It is no doubt a great place for running and hiking...the hills are really quite steep. By far the most challenging run I have ever done (as far as hills go) and I did not want to stop when I hit that one long steep hill (and there was a "NO WIMPS" sign right at that spot) but there was no way. So I stopped and walked parts of it. And I really hate having to stop and walk when I am out for a run. Oh, well…

So we started off our morning with the (coached) run. I got there around 7:30am and after some announcements and our team cheer, we went out around 8:15am. The full marathoners went out before 8:00am. When everyone was back from their run we started our Honoree picnic, which was sometime around 10:00 o' clock.

Josh is once again one of our team Honorees (IN MEMORIAM) this season. All of our Honorees who were in attendance this morning gave a very heartfelt speech. Leanne Furman, our Honoree Captain, asked if I wanted to say anything to the team but I let her do the talking, which she did. I shed some tears but probably would have been worse if I did the talking myself.

I thought it was ironic that it is nine months today and that our team Honoree picnic fell on the same day...

Tuesday, July 24 (CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION)

No DVC track workout tonight due to the TNT Cause for Celebration Event in San Francisco, which I am planning on attending.

Tuesday, July 31

Tonight we tackled tempo running at our DVC track workout.

Tempo run is a speedwork drill where the runner will begin the workout with approximately one mile of warm up time at or near an easy run pace, then accelerate to approximately half a minute faster for a set number of miles or minutes.

To start, everyone did 10-15 minutes of easy warm-up jog around the track. For half marathoners like myself, we ran for 3 minutes at about a 10k-pace then cooled down for 1.5 minutes. We did this 3 times. After this drill, we ran again for about 10-15 minutes to cool down then followed by stretching...felt great!

Wednesday, August 1

Hard to believe it is already August! I cross-trained on our Schwinn recumbent bike for an hour tonight.

Thursday, August 2

I ran around the beautiful Lafayette Reservoir tonight after work....it is truly a special place for Josh and I as we both have ran there together many times.

No doubt I miss running around there with him.....

Friday, August 3

Thank God for rest days....I need to recuperate and rejuvenate for tomorrow's long run.

Saturday, August 4

I got up early this morning to run with TEAM FURY at Briones Regional Park. The runners from the Bayside Team joined us. We met at the Bear Creek Staging Area in Orinda and it was my first time ever going there...another beautiful place indeed here in the Bay Area. So great that I am discovering all of these wonderful places for running, hiking and camping.

I ran a total of 8 miles this morning and felt great in the end....GO TEAM FURY!

Sunday, August 5

Another hour of cross-training in the books! This morning I also did major work out in our front yard and back yard...no doubt I will be sleeping like a baby tonight.

Here I am channeling Josh out there...wearing all of the protective gear he used to wear while mowing the lawn.

Tuesday, August 7

Team Fury tackled more hill repeats tonight at the Las Trampas Regional Park and here we are showing our Bolt-ing skills....

Thursday, August 9 (JOSH'S 57th BIRTHDAY!!!)

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Happy birthday to you!¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Happy birthday to you!¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Happy birthday, Dear Josh!¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Happy birthday to you!¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

I decided to run barefoot on Stinson Beach today for an hour to celebrate Josh's day. Going to Stinson Beach and running and having a picnic there was definitely something that we often did especially during the summer season. The weather today was perfect...in the high 70's with light breeze. I brought a couple balloons with me (red and black = ladybug colors) and wrote several messages for Josh on the red balloon and together with the black balloon released them both into the clear blue sky. I took photos before releasing them and when they were up in the air. Up, up and up they went! And I watched them until I could no longer see.

Monday, August 13

I ran around Lake Merritt today during my lunch hour...a little over 3 miles done!

Tuesday, August 14

We did more tempo running tonight at Ygnacio Valley Park.

Wednesday, August 15

Another hour-long cross-training day on our Schwinn recumbent bike....

Saturday, August 18 (NIKE PREVIEW RUN)

We had our Nike Preview Run this morning in San Francisco. My teammate, Nancy Sato, picked me up at 5:30am. I only got 4.5 hours sleep last night so it was tough getting out of bed this morning. There was no traffic so we got to the city pretty quickly. We met TEAM FURY in the parking lot of Lake Merced. It sure was chilly and a little windy when we got there.

The halfers started our run at 7:30am from the parking lot out to the Great Highway for 3 miles (first waterstop is the mark) and back to the parking lot for a total of 6 miles. Then out around Lake Merced for 1 mile and back to the parking lot for a total of 2 miles. Overall total of 8 miles. That was the direction only I improvised.

When I was running along the Great Highway I decided to pass the 3-mile (first waterstop) marker and kept going up the hill to the Cliff House. I was in the zone and did not want to stop and did not realize that my teammate, Hannah Burgess, was following me. She soon realized that I was going to run up the hill so she decided to turn around and saw Coach Brandon Laurie at the waterstop and told him that I went further.

When I was running up the hill I heard someone scream my name and I turnaround to see who it was. Of course it was Coach Brandon asking me to run back down. I did not have a choice so I came running down the hill only to tell him that I wanted to run up the hill to the Cliff House and was going to run back down. That I was not running past the Cliff House. I just figured maybe to make the run a little more exciting by going up the hill. He thought I did not know that we were supposed to turn around at the waterstop. My bad! I should have told someone at the waterstop that I was going to run further. I ended up running a total of 9 miles and felt great in the end.

Race day is less than two months away! I hope all of my hardwork pays off…

Saturday, September 1

This morning I drove to Stinson Beach and went for a run....it always challenges me when I run on sand. Beach running isn’t easy. And I read that it is good reason to use the sand as training to run faster. It feels like running with weights on your ankles. With or without shoes, it’s harder to get your foot planted into the ground and it’s harder to get your foot up off the ground. According to the article I read, running on sand requires 1.6 times the energy that running on a hard surface requires and your body has to work harder to respond to “external modifications”. Our muscles perform more mechanical work when running or walking on sand than on a hard surface. Your foot works harder to displace sand and the muscles cannot work as efficiently.

Saturday, September 8

I slept in this morning and was not able to meet and run with TEAM FURY at 7:00am at the Moraga Commons....BUT....I went out on my own and drove to Lafayette. And it was hot..hot...hot!!!! So thankful that I survived the 80 degree weather. I parked my car on Mt. Diablo Boulevard outside the Lafayette Hotel and ran all the way to the Lafayette Reservoir (ran it twice) then back to the Lafayette Hotel. 10 miles done!!!!

It was definitely challenging in that kind of heat!! As soon as I got back to my car I gulped down a 64 oz. Gatorade. That sure helped!!!

Tuesday, September 11

Tonight we had our track workout at the Dublin Hills Regional Park located off of Dublin Boulevard in Dublin. We ran from the Donlan Point Staging Area and made our way up the hills. The park covers around 660 acres of land in the hills above Dublin.

The view was spectacular I thought!

Friday, September 14

I feel very much humbled, indebted and thankful to everyone who have previously donated. Over the course of the past two years, I have raised over $10,000 for the LLS all because of your kindness and generosity. I hope that you feel good about your donations, whatever amount, and know that it is helping many lives out there.

Saturday, September 15

1.25 hours of running complete! Ran along Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette and up to the Lafayette Reservoir (ran the loop twice) and back down to Mt. Diablo Boulevard where I parked Josh's car.

Exactly 1.25 hours, that is!!! How did that happen that I ran exactly 1.25 hours from Point A to Point B?

Monday, September 17

Ran half hour today after work at an easy pace....

Tuesday, September 18

One year ago today we checked Josh back into UCSF. I remember driving him there that night as he was feeling very ill. Who would have thought that he will never come home again? Gahhh! I do not know why I remember this difficult day...but I do.

Wednesday, September 19

Cross-trained again for one hour on our recumbent bike.

Thursday, September 20

Last night I dreamt of Josh and in my dream he was in remission....and alive and well. He was soooo alive! Gosh! I woke up and felt I wanted to just stay asleep.

Saturday, September 22

Ran four laps around the Lafayette Reservoir this morning in 88 degree heat....11 miles total!

Saturday, September 29

Ran close to 8 miles (with some hills) this morning by myself up and down Paso Nogal Road and around our neighborhood. Felt good in the end!

Tuesday, October 2

Another track workout at DVC with TEAM FURY tonight...warmed up for 8 minutes then ran four laps around followed by a 10 minute cool down. We are now in taper mode....so less is somewhat more....

Wow! Thanks soooo much to all of our supporters this season. It looks like I am the TOP FUNDRAISER on our team (out of 86 participants)...So proud that I set this goal and actually saw it come to fruition.

All for my dearest, JOSH!!! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SOOOOO, HONEY!!!!

Wednesday, October 3

Cross-trained for an hour on our recumbent bike tonight...

Thursday, October 4

Ran 5 miles after work in Walnut Creek (route in yellow shown below) right before my grief counseling on Lennon Lane.

Talk about hitting two birds with one stone!!!

Saturday, October 6 (Last Coached Run and Nike Send-Off)

We had our last Saturday workout at the Lafayette Reservoir this morning (ran around it twice). Afterwards we received our race day information packet and jersey. Our coaches and two of our team honorees (Josh Barron and David Bevilacqua) gave inspirational speeches. David (shown with me below) passed out his usual inspirational CD to everyone on the team. Something that he has been doing every season. So sweet!

This season I have decided to pass out these cute tiny glass ladybugs (pictured below). I put them in a pretty purple organza bag with the little card included. Of course everyone loved it! I gave out 56 of them since Josh was 56 when he passed. Hopefully this little token will bring everyone much luck on race day.

Hard to believe the race is next Sunday. I am definitely ready for those San Francisco hills!!! I am so happy (and proud) that I have accomplished two out of three of my goals this season. First one was to raise $6,000 (I am so close to $7,000)...check! Second was to be the Top Fundraiser on our team...check! I am looking forward to celebrating this one tomorrow night at Harry Denton's Starlight Room (http://www.harrydenton.com) in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. At the end of the season and right before race day, LLS throws out a party as a token of their appreciation for all of the Top Fundraisers, which means that it will be participants from all different chapters of LLS from all over the country. It would be nice to meet the other Top Fundraisers for sure. I am taking my teammate and now a friend, Nancy Sato, with me.

Tomorrow is my 38th Birthday!!!! Gah!! I will exactly be 38 and 7 days old when I run my second half marathon next Sunday. Now I gotta accomplish my third and last goal...beat 2:19 from my 2010 race. I am going to Stinson Beach tomorrow to celebrate. I have asked our friends to help me celebrate this one sans Josh. It will be difficult...first birthday without my dearest, Josh. But I am really thankful that most of our friends have agreed to meet me there and spend the day with me.

Anyways, wish me luck on my third and final goal this season!!! GO TEAM FURY!!!!

Tueday, October 9

We warmed up for 10 minutes then Coach Gary Landberg asked that we pair up in teams of two. I partnered up with Ellen Lewin. The challenge was a relay run (run 1 mile = 4 times each person around the track) and whichever team was closest to their added total race pace time will get a prize. Every team had to come up with a team name...Of course it was TEAM LADYBUG for us.

Well, Ellen and I predicted a total combined pace of 21 minutes but ended up losing to everyone else. We were close to two minutes faster and won a prize...losers prize, that is! Coach Brandon Laurie brought his old, stinky running shoes for us. He even put them in a nice Nike box...Oh, well! I realized that I ran one mile in 8:33...not too shabby I guess.

Wednesday, October 10

No training tonight! I went to a jersey decorating party at my teammate's house right after my one-on-one grief counseling in Walnut Creek. Fun times! It does not really take much these days to make me happy. And I sure can appreciate the little things now more than ever. The more joy that I can have and let in my life the better...especially now.

Photos to follow...

Sunday, October 14 (RACE DAY)

Today is the day! Wish me luck everyone!

Tuesday, October 16 (RACE DAY RECAP)

To Our Dearest Family, Friends and TNT/LLS Supporters,

It’s in the books! Another Nike Half Marathon 2012, that is!

TEAM FURY started this past Sunday morning by meeting in the lobby of the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel (where some of us stayed) around 6:00am for some announcements from our TNT Coaches. And of course it would not be complete without our usual team cheer and Honoree shoutouts. Afterwards we all walked down to Union Square and into our respective corrals. I waited with some of my TNT teammates in the 10 minute corral until the gun went off right at 7:00am. And off we went running to cross the start line!!

The weather in San Francisco was close to perfect! It was misty and the roads were a bit slippery. I felt strong running the first few miles with my teammate and roommate, Michele Macauley. And it sure was nice to see my friend, Justin Mikecz, waiting for me around mile 7 just like he did two years ago. By mile 8 I needed some kind of energy burst. This was my second time on the same course but I sure had forgotten how tough those San Francisco hills were. I made sure I drank Gatorade and not just plain water like I did in 2010 and also took some salt packets with me. Justin also gave me a Gu energy gel. He was so encouraging especially when we were on that one long steep hill, which felt like forever. Thanks again, Justin, so much for being there and running with me!

I was wearing my Nike+ SportBand (watch) that tracks time and mileage but did not look at it once since I did not want to put too much pressure on myself. I just wanted to run well and get to the finish line as fast as possible. I had three goals this season….First was to raise $6,000 and I am so happy to say that I am at $7,000. Whoohoo! Second goal was to be the Top Fundraiser on our team and with all of your donations, you made that possible. And because of that I got to go to the Top Fundraisers Event at the Harry Denton’s Starlight Room in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco last Friday. Whoohoo! The last and final goal was to beat my 2010 race time of 2 hours 19 minutes, which I did at 2 hours and 6 minutes. Whoohoo! I cannot even begin to tell all of you how incredibly thankful and happy I am that I saw all of my three goals come to fruition. Blood, sweat and tears were definitely involved in both my fundraising and running efforts.

I cannot exactly remember which mile it was but it was another steep hill that curved to the left and immediately to the right. Justin was with me so he saw it happen. And I suppose a bunch of other people…embarrassing! I was running on the sidewalk next to this building and was making the sharp left turn and next thing I know I was down on the ground. The sidewalk was slippery and I lost my footing and fell flat on my left side. But it could have been a lot worse if it was on a downhill since I imagine that I could have easily taken people down with me. That would be bad! I also could have hit my head but fortunately I was able to react fast enough and immediately recovered back on my feet and continued on running. But still so embarrassing to be seen by so many people! Gahh!! I even joked to Justin…”Did you get that on camera?”. Would have been a funny sight I guess. Well, I scraped my left arm but was not sure how bad the damage was on my left leg. Good thing I was wearing long running tights cause the damage as I came to find out was just on my left knee.

For the entire race I tried my best not to run with the huge crowd. No easy feat as there were 25,000 runners. I also tried to run on dirt or grass or the sidewalk if at all possible. I remember one of our Coaches told us to run smart. To try to cut down mileage if you can so that is what I tried to do. I looked at the crowd that was running way ahead of me and figured out which way they were running and how I can cut the route shorter for myself. When I crossed the finish line my Nike+ Sportband displayed 12 miles so I thought maybe…just maybe I was able to shave off 1.1 miles. Hmmmm? Anyways, I would like to think that I did somehow. Justin and I separated I think around mile 10 cause he wanted to run to the finish line to see me cross it. What a supportive friend he is, huh? This guy has run a half marathon in 1 hour and 18 minutes! When I saw that finish line I felt a burst of energy so I sprinted in all my might.

I could not have done this race without the support of Team in Training. Those SF hills were tough but whenever it got tough for me I started to think about my dearest, Josh, and all of you and your support. I sure am feeling really proud and Josh, I know, would have been, too! I sure felt him with me throughout the entire race.

Once again I would like to thank you all so much for your significant donations to fight blood cancers. I truly believe that we are saving and changing many people’s lives…one mile at a time.

Much love, gratitude and blessings to you all,

Rina (in loving memory of Josh)

ps

Here is a shot of me kissing Josh at the finish line......