Getting Ready for the great NWM 2011 Run!

JUST TO FILL YOU ALL IN

Two years (2009) ago my good friend and coworker Shannyn who had been nagging me for a couple of years to run another marathon with her exclaimed "I heard about this marathon in San Francisco and at the finish line you get a Tiffany necklace!"  After working with me for 17 years, she knew I was in. We applied as a team and our names were drawn via the raffle.  5 months before the run, Shannyn developed a severe pain in her groin and after an exhaustive battery of tests it was discovered she had a clot in her iliac artery.  During surgery she almost lost her life due to complications.  We didn't know until 1 month prior if we would be able to go to the race but decided to go and make the best of it.  Knowing she was in no shape physically to even walk 26.2 miles we were able to change our entry to the half at the expo and had a great time.  We vowed to go at it again for 2010!

Shannyn & her prize!

Enter 2010!

Since we so easily got in for 2009 we confidently  made flight & lodging reservations, sent in our application as a team only to find out that we did not get drawn (declined).  We were devastated, but learned that Nike would be sponsoring a competition to earn our way in through their Nike Plus Challenge nikerunning.nike.com.  After reading the rules carefully we developed a training schedule and plan.  Being very disciplined and routine people we knew we could rack up some major miles by breaking up the day into sections (had support of bosses who allowed us to take jogging breaks).   Shannyn blew the competition away and I was second.

 The blog on the challenge was brutal, we were accused of cheating, steroid use and just completely defamed.  2 passes  came via email and we both gave one away to gals who didn't read the fine print rules of the challenge but finished in top 10.  We also received two more passes and gave them away as well.  We still keep in touch with a couple of the ladies  via Facebook.  After working our butts off for the challenge there were some nagging injuries and also personal  commitments that kept us from really training for the remainder of time before marathon.  We did run the full and finished with a respectable 4:30. 

AND HERE WE ARE 2011!

After a busy summer (son's wedding) and another busy winter (another son's wedding) we are ready to roll for 2011.  We have been accepted into the marathon and made our flight and hotel reservation for Nikko http://www.hotelnikkosf.com/.  After much discussion we decided we would enter the Nike Plus challenge as a way to get in great shape & once again be able to help out the other top 10 should they not win an entry.  The same negative woman is back on the blog again with her defamatory slurs.  Oh well, what do you expect from a "Hockeymom".   Shannyn is slaughtering her competition and I'm taking a slower approach so I have some pep left in me for the next 5 months.  I developed a horrible case of plantar fascitis last year and it is still hampering me today!  Shannyn and I are so excited and look forward to sharing our experience the next 5 months!