Inspiration
Keep the Green Wave Rolling!
It’s now been nearly 2 weeks since the Seattle Half Marathon 2011…
It’s kind of a nice place to be…you should be close to recovery… enjoying a little extra time…immersed in holiday cheer…and hopefully still floating on some of your big accomplishment high!
…and why not? Race day was an amazing day…from our gathering at 6:45am to take a team picture to the crowded energy and buzz of the start line to winding through the dreary…yet somehow adrenaline-pumping… streets of Seattle to celebrating with your teammates in the Victory Recovery Area to the spectacular post-race party where I got hear all about your experiences and plans for the upcoming year…It really was an awesome day!
And…while I was busy mingling at the party…trying to touch base with all of you….I found myself talking to one of our new members who was quick to tell me how much she enjoyed the training and the event and getting to know everyone…She said that she felt like she’d discovered a whole new kind of crazy! A kind of crazy that involves getting out of bed early on Saturday mornings to train; learning to tolerate Gatorade and Power Gels; allowing Thanksgiving weekend to be swallowed up not with a 20# bird, but by a 13.1 mile running/walking event that wound its way through some of the hilliest streets in Seattle on what was predictably a chilly, wet, dreary day.
But as crazy as all of that is…I think there’s yet another kind of crazy we should recognize here. It’s all of the crazy things that this team accomplishes every day….the unexpected…those things that take people by surprise and change the way they view the world…that people hear about and say…Crazy! I can’t believe it! Things like…you had a transplant? and you say you just did a half marathon? huuhh…It didn’t take you all day? your family joined you? you trained with other people who’d had transplants?? and you lost 10 pounds? your blood pressure improved? …excuse me…did you just say it was fun??! That’s CRAZY!!!
Honestly…the world could use more of that kind of crazy….more defying the odds..more working together…more believing in the power of teamwork…more encouragement…more appreciation…and more just getting out there to give it a try! Each one of you I’m sure has had some doubts about what you were doing at some point…if not this year…11 years ago…and it’s easy to think that you hung in there because you wanted to tell people that you ‘d done a half marathon…but really I think a big part of it was because you found that you were improving and getting stronger…. learning new things and feeling better about yourself….getting to know new people and investing in their lives….and being willing to step out and take those kinds of risks…well…it’s true…it’s just plain crazy!
And when it gets right down to it…we’ve got a lot of examples of crazy on our team…just take a look…
• Of the 20 UWMC transplant recipients participated in the 2011 Seattle Marathon events…3 had received their transplants in the last year: Gloria Roberts, Greg Eisen, and John Martinez
• Our top runner, Alvin Valencia who was on track to run the race with us, was called in for a kidney transplant 2 weeks before the event…so he sat this one out.
• All totalled, the 20 transplant recipients who joined us for our post-race festivities, had together completed over 140 half marathons!
• In the 11 years of Team Transplant, 80 transplant recipients and donors have participated on the team!
• The training is becoming a family affair with Rachel and Chaz (Chuck) Bauman, Patrick (Mark) Scott, and Corey (Pam Magnuson) Anderson all joining in along with us!
• Mark Rosinbum and Tami Sadusky have been doing this for eleven years!
• Carla Trulson Essenberg walked a 5k in Hawaii last month…while on VACATION!
• You want to stay involved with the team even when you have reasons that you can’t train…Jonathon Baird, Turner Prewitt, Ron Adkins, and Shari Jones!
• This thriving business…it’s not just about running and walking half marathons….IN ADDITION to running and walking half marathons….It may include baseball (Mari Jo Fraser) or hockey (Sam Patterson) or playing the accordion (Maggie Kim) or bowling (Allen Vary)!!
• You’ll even make the effort to travel to events and team practices…Dan Tenant (Tacoma); Jason Stahl (Olympia) and who could forget Lenard Yen and his long journey from Vashon Island!
• …and you’re making new friends and building a community of support around you that encourages your healthy lifestyle…Micah Gwinn, Lenore and Steve Miller; Vanessa Whitacre and Colin Rines; and TEAM HOPE!
Thanks to all of you…It was a wonderful season…an incredible year…and I think that what we’re doing really does make people step back and adjust their views on organ donation and diet and exercise…It’s pretty remarkable all that we’ve accomplished…and as one of the people who’s been around for the full 11 years of Team Transplant…I can tell you….it really is pretty crazy!
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And some more thank yous….
Everyone who volunteered at the expo…Sam Patterson, Marty Chakoian, Sam Patterson, Susan Marx, Shari Jones, Mary Meister, Allen Vary, Cindy Weber, Dan Tenant, and Jason Stahl!
Our Roanoke Cheerleaders…Mikki Dailey, Susan Bussell, and Luann Majeed!
Our Half Marathon Finisher Recovery Sepcialists who took charge of our table in the Victory Recovery Area….Ida Boecksteigel and Ron Adkins…
Our post-race party planners….Janette Morantes, Tami Sadusky, Susan Marx, and Jonathon Baird for his fabulous gluten-free desserts!
Homeland Security for their faithful Saturday morning support…Janette Morantes, Tamar Solomon, Susan Bussell, and Julie Sprinkle
Everyone else on our planning committe who have provided such incredible assistance throughout the years: Annie Otto, Ron Adkins, Ida Boecksteigel, Mikki Dailey, and Mark Rosinbum!
And finally…a really big thank you from me to all of you for the generous gift…The chair is absolutely beautiful and I look forward to finding the perfect place for it in my house! Thanks to all of you, my home has become a very warm and comfortable place…full of incredibly inspriring and wonderfully crazy memories!
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As I mentioned in my previous e-mail, I was just down in Texas last weekend…a friend, who is a Texas grad, and I, a Kansas State alum, thought it would be fun to make the trip to Austin for the UT-K-State football game. Austin is supposed to be a fun town…and the warm weather would be a nice reprieve from our dreariness. The trip and game became the topic of many our our discussions during the 2 months preceeding the trip…whose team won each weekend…which one was ranked….who played better against Oklahoma….our families even got involved in the little rivalry sending each of us apparel from the other’s school. In the beginning of the season, Texas had been the ranked team; mid-season, just as Texas fell out of the rankings, K-State rose to as high as 8th. At the time of the game, K-State was rated anywhere from 12-18 depending on the poll and Texas had once again dropped from the rankings but were still considered an 8.5 point favorite.
I was excited. Despite everything, I knew that my Wildcats were primed….they had shown their strength as a team during their previous 4 games…tenacious…tough…they fought to the end and they were poised to go out and crush a team…I just knew it…and I knew it would be Texas! As we toured the campus and strolled through the UT version of the U. District prior to the game, we laughed as people commented on our apparel…I was decked out head to toe in purple; my friend covered in burnt orange. “House divided,” they’d say. As we passed my fellow purple-clad comrades, they’d lift their arms, their fingers forming a “C”–for Cats— in a show of solidarity.
As the game neared and we approached the stadium…it’s a really, really huge stadium…I mean really huge (beforehand we’d looked something up that said that it’s the 6th largest one in the world)…the atmosphere was like a big festival— people milling around discussing the football season, throngs of tailgaiters, souvenir stands and food vendors (would you believe you can get sushi at a Texas Longhorn football game??!) and all of them dressed in burnt orange…Over 100,000 people were expected for the game…and from what I could see…maybe a thousand of them were wearing purple; everyone else, burnt orange….and if I was a fan of burnt orange, it would have been quite impressive!
The game started a little slowly, the teams tied at 3-3 at the end of the first quarter though K-State did manage to take a 10-3 lead into halftime…the plays leading to their points, however, had been met with a significant amount of disagreement from the Texas fans who were not afraid to share their opinions by booing. As I tried my best to make my voice heard…”GO CATS!” I screamed…a young woman next to us turned around and asked, “What’s wrong with you?” She then softened and smiled…”I feel kind of badly for you. When you’re in the stadium…just think of all of this as the Wall of Hate. When we all get out of here, we’ll be okay with you.”
Moving into the fourth quarter…the Longhorns managed to score again. I tried my best to show my dissatisfaction with the calls, but no one else seemed to agree or maybe they just couldn’t hear me…except for my friend, who just rolled his eyes. With the clock ticking, Texas moved into scoring position several times and threatened to pull through to victory, but in the end… my Mighty Wildcats prevailed 17-13.
The surprising thing is that in those last few minutes…while I was really nervous that we were going to lose….I wasn’t especially excited to win. After so many weeks of looking forward to the trip and the game, it felt like a let down…I didn’t really want an outcome…I just wanted to continue the friendly rivalry and speculation…and…as it turns out….winning isn’t really that much fun when you’re a mere fleck of purple in a sea of burnt orange and there are 100,000 people around you cheering for the other team. As we walked out of the stadium and onto campus, the crowd was pretty sedate with people stopping in at the tailgate encampents that had now moved on to watching the Oklahoma-Baylor game on their TVs. There were no festivities or hoopla…screaming or shouting or high fives…there were no big celebrations in the street. My friend looked at me and said, “I think I said that it would probably be a lot more fun if Texas won.”
This weekend…you will be participating in a big event with a lot of people. While it will “only” be 12,000…it may seem more like 100,000 compared to what you’re used to at practices. There will be lots of colors…our green in support of organ donation awareness; the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society’s purple to raise support for blood cancers; local running groups representing their teams: Club Northwest in orange; the Eastside Runners in red… While each group may seem to have its own agenda, I think you’ll instead feel a sense of solidarity… Whether you’re a runner or a walker; trying to win, improve your time or just finish; raising awareness for homeless pets or breast cancer survivors; an organ recipient or donor; an employee or a friend, you’ve worked hard to earn your place out there. There won’t be any Walls of Hate…just a long stream of people who are all on a journey with a similar mission…to make themselves better in some way.
When you cross the finishline, you may have some mixed emotions…you’ve put a lot of effort into this…it’s been the focus of the last 4 months of your life…and when it’s done, you may feel relieved or even a little lost or let down…now what? But I hope you’ll come around to being very excited…because what you’ve accomplished is nothing short of amazing…you’ll have just completed 13.1 miles…a feat that many never even consider…and you will be surrounded by people who are on your side….rooting for you…ready to give you a high-five… looking forward to sharing in the post-race festivities and hoopla…and..of course.. joining you as you continue the journey when training starts back up again in March!
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Whew!
You made it…the final workout of the season…now if you can just make it through to race day! It really has been quite a season…from the first practice session at Green Lake in August to our kick-off breakfast at Montlake to the Dawg Dash to the hills at Discovery Park to the long workouts at Leschi….It’s been an incredible journey…but it’s not over yet..you still have the race. And while the half marathon has been the focus of the past 4 months and the target that’s kept you going…what all of you have already accomplished may really be the bigger deal…
As former NYC marathon champion Juma Ikangaa said, “The will to win means nothing if you haven’t the will to prepare.” While race day is going to be a really big deal…a chance to show off how far you’ve come…keep in mind that the reason it will mean so much is that you’ve invested in it…you’ve made sacrifices…you’ve stuck to a training schedule for 16 weeks…you’ve gotten up early Saturday mornings to practice…you’ve developed new healthy lifestyle habits…you’ve reached out to new friends and become a part of a team…a team that couldn’t be more excited about sharing the experience with you next Sunday morning…
And yes…it’s true…it probably is possible to do a half marathon without all of this…but to be honest…it wouldn’t mean nearly as much!
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This is it…the last really long workout of the season! You all have probably heard of “The loneliness of the long-distance runner” Well…I just looked it up in Wikipedia and discovered that it’s actually a book about a troubled youth who takes up distance running after being sent to a prison school…Now I’m not sure how that applies to us…hopefully none of you are feeling imprisoned by this training program…but having done a few long runs myself, I can honestly say that these long training distances can get very, very lonely…and the longer you go…the longer it takes… and the more lonely it seems…and while we all know how good this exercise is for you…the truth is that it can be very hard to find someone who shares your enthusiasm for that kind of effort and time commitment.
But…on this Saturday morning when we do our longest of the long workouts of the season…you’re going to have a whole group of people who will show up to join you. A group that supports your fitness goals…a group that understands why being able to walk 10-12 miles (yes…in one day!) means so much…a group that shares your enthusiasm for healthy living…and a group that really…reallly…does want to be there with you!
So…before you hit the snooze button on Saturday morning…remember…there is a 10-12 mile run/walk on your agenda for the weekend no matter what time you get up. Think about how much more fun it will be to have the support of a team..YOUR team…rather than having to go out and do it alone!
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For those of you who missed it, we were treated to another beautiful day out at Alki last weekend. We an awesome turnout, and it was a lot of fun to see how much progress everyone has made! Rookie, Glenda Roberts, made it 10 plus miles (I’m sure she’d love to share the story about that!)…Allen Vary along with Vanessa Whitacre and Tami Sadusky continued to exceed expectations! And what can we say about John Martinez??…He just gets stronger and stronger every single weekend!
One question that did come up after the long 10+ mile workout involved nutrition…specifically, what is “good” to eat before your long runs and walks and before the race. While it’s very easy to get hung up on the idea that what you eat the night before and morning before your training will make or break the workout or race, keep in mind that trying to eat a balanced diet with plenty of complex carbohydrate, moderate protein, and limited fat each day throughout the training season is what will give you the energy you need to do the work…and being able to do the work is what will make you stronger and faster and fitter and prepare you for the race! What you choose to eat after you exercise can help speed up your recovery so that you’ll be ready to go back out to do the work that you need to do to get stronger and faster and fitter and prepare for the race!
Having said all that…what you choose to eat before an event or important training is still important. Keep in mind that what will work for you may be a very individual thing…What works for me…may not work for you. What works for your training partner…may not work for you. Our suggestions may give you a place to start…but ultimately its up to you to test out your plan for race day BEFORE you get to race day. Don’t just expect to do what someone else has said to do without trying it out first on yourself during training.
And while I can give you some basic guidelines…like choose high carbohydrate foods; limit the fat; moderate protein is okay….it’s up to you to take the next couple of weeks to figure out the best plan for you …to decide if you can tolerate a salad the night before a workout…if a bagel is enough the morning of a long walk or run…if you need a little caffeine before your half marathon….because even though what you choose to eat and drink is intended to fuel your body, it may also go a long way toward fueling your confidence by giving you one less thing to worry about on race day weekend!
I’ve attached a couple of handouts from the Seattle Marathon website if you’d like some tips and suggestions. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or additional concerns.
Bon apetit!
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I don’t know if how many of you have been following the World Series…but since my brother is from St. Louis, I’ve been acting like I’m interesetd this year….and after last night…who couldn’t be excited about today’s game??! In case you missed it, here’s the recap from Sports Illustrated…
If you missed Game 6 of the World Series Thursday night, and you didn’t see the five errors, or the Cardinals score six runs from the eighth inning on, or the Rangers come within one strike of winning the Series in both the ninth and 10th innings, or Josh Hamilton hit an apparent game-winning homer in the 10th inning despite barely being able to walk, or St. Louis native David Freese hit the game-winning home run for St. Louis in the bottom of the 11th … well, if you missed all that … uh … don’t worry. Nothing interesting happened.
Talk about drama…so many mistakes in the beginning…players competing with injuries…so many close calls for Cards fans…and so many near misses for the Rangers. It showcased everything that we love about sport…a come from behind victory…players who didn’t quit…players who instead rebounded from mistakes…continued to believe even when all odds were against them…and didn’t let errors get them down. It was a total team effort on both sides, and whomever wins tonight will certainly be deserving of the honor!
As we resume our season tomorrow…keep in mind the efforts of the Cardinals and the Rangers…The Cardinals were 10-1/2 games out of the playoffs the end of August…the Rangers have never won a series in franchise history….that either team is where they are now may seem hard to believe. Similarly, it may seem highly unlikely that you’ll be able to finish a half marathon…the fact that you’ve never walked or run 13.1 miles…or that you had an organ transplant…or had to bounce back from injury…It may seem so improbable.
But…if you stay consistent with training, persevere through the tough days, and keep your eye on the ball, it is very likely that you….just like the Cardinals (er…or..the Rangers)…will find yourself accomplishing the unbelievable in the very near future!
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I hope the training is going well! We are now only 7 weekends away from the Seattle Half Marathon! Some of you may panic hearing this news…and some of you may be thinking…omigosh…will it ever end? The real reaction should probably be somewhere in between. Yes…there’s a sense of urgency as we head into the second half of the season…we are nearing the big day and that can be nerve wracking as you question whether or not you’ll be prepared….am I way behind?….have I done enough?….can I do it???….but you shouldn’t feel panicky. For those of you who really are behind in training…you may have to adjust your goals…you still have time to build up to the distance but may have to set your sights on a slower time or on walking more than running.
For those of you have been following the schedule faithfully, you’re doing just fine. Hopefully that panic will start to feel like more of a growing confidence…a curiosity about how your body will respond to the longer distances and hillier courses… and a desire to learn new things about yourself…like how you’ll handle the mental challenges of sticking to the remainder of the schedule… maintain your stride up the Galer Hill; stay focused during a 10-mile walk or run; or slog through a wet Saturday morning workout.
For those of you who are ready to get it over with…well…that’s not unusual either. It’s a sign that you’ve been investing in what you’re doing. You’ve been putting extra time into training…time that you may have normally spent doing other things… and making exercise a priority. It’s only natural to want to shift back to your old priorities especially as the weather changes and we head into the holidays. Remember…the training is a cycle. We’re not asking you maintain this level of commitment forever…just for a short time to prepare for a big event. After that…you’ll get a break…until March…when you’ll be all excited to start over again! Think of race day as a reward for all the hard work you’ve been doing…and for it to really mean something…it takes sticking to the training…spending time with your teammates…and making the commitment to completing 13.1 miles on Nov. 27th!
Go Team!
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I am back from my week in the Canadian Rockies, where my traveling friends…you might know them… Tamar Solomon and Jeremy Nettles, and I spent time hiking, exploring glacier fields, and looking for wildlife! Our adventures included trips to the alpine teahouses near Lake Louise where we enjoyed a $20 pot of tea at altitude; seeing grizzlies…a mother and 3 cubs who were taking up the entire opposite lane of a 2-lane road as they headed toward us…then passed by the car without incident (unfortunately, we were so flustered, we didn’t get a picture); hiking in the snow…including one trip where we were caught unexpectedly in a snow flurry in a larch meadow; and driving in awe along the Icefield Parkway…It was all quite spectacular…I’ve attached some pictures just in case you don’t believe me!
….but now….it’s back to business….
Believe it or not…we are at the halfway point of our season. That means that we’ve got 8 more weeks of training. Expect that the distances will get longer and the routes, hillier over the remaining weeks. Hopefully we won’t encounter snow flurries or bears…but chances are that the weather will make it more challenging to train and some of the practices may seem a little daunting….you may really feel like that proverbial bear has jumped on your back.
Just remember that you’ve already got a solid 2-month’s training base under your belt. You’ve laid the groundwork…you’re ready to for what’s next. You may not yet be a seasoned veteran, but you’re no longer a true beginner. At the halfway point, your end goal is in sight…it’s time to dig deep because you’re almost there…and a beautiful viewpoint awaits you…a new perspective.. a vista that will open your eyes to all of the opportunities that accomplishing this goal will open up for you!
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It’s been another exciting week here at Team Transplant headquarters! We’ve been busy, busy…oh so busy…. tabulating all of the registration forms…still working on it, in fact…so I don’t have any numbers to share right now…and I can only hope that I have all the right people on the e-mail list… but I can tell you that it’s looking like we’re going to have one of our strongest teams ever. We have an amazing recruiting class that includes blue-chip athletes like Greg Eisen (Seattle Times top defensive player in 2010), Glenda Roberts (who brings all of Team Hope with her in her trade deal), Turner Prewitt (who was an All-American last year), Don McNeil (recently called up from our farm team after an incredible summer season), Catherine Russell (a Tacoma Tribune all-area player last season) and John Martinez (another Seattle Times top recruiting pick who turned down offers from UCLA and Oregon to train with us)!
In addition, we have a very solid core of returning veterans, including Terry Way, Mark Rosinbum, Sam Patterson, Dick Fitzgerald, Lenard Yen, Mark Scott, Pam Magnuson, Allison Enstrom, Tami Sadusky, Charles Bauman, Jennifer Herlihy, Maggie Kim, Mari Jo Fraser, Dan Tennant, Ron Adkins, Colin Rines, Vanessa Whitacre, Allen Vary, Katie Folk-Way, Jonathon Baird, Jason Stahl, Alvin Valencia, Carla Trulson-Essenberg, Micah Gwinn, Dennis Cole, Shari Jones and Shirley Schultz who will be providing them with strong leadership this season.
That’s one of the big benefits of being around for 11 years….we’ve got depth! It allows some of our members to take a step back, enjoy a break, and help out with the team in other ways…Additionally, it’s exciting to see how our 5k and 10k corps have helped expand the participation and diversity of our group as we continually look for new ways to introduce more people to the world of Team Transplanting! Slowly but surely…our team is growing bigger and picking up momentum…and…for sure… the word is getting out….
In fact…it appears that the UW alumni association magazine, Columns (http://www.washington.edu/alumni/columns-magazine/), has been closely following all of our pre-season hype! They are very excited to do a feature story on our group for their December issue and will be dispatching a photographer and reporter to our practice tomorrow….Apparently they want to scoop the story before ESPN and Sports Illustrated have a chance at it!;-)
It’s going to be one BHAS (Big Hairy Audacious Season) so keep up all your good work…and GO TEAM!!!
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Wow!
Who could have predicted the streak of summer we’ve had these past few weeks!?? Amazing…and wonderful…isn’t it?! We spent all of June, July, and most of August lamenting our miserable summer. While the rest of the nation sweltered with temperatures routinely over 100 degrees, we hadn’t even tipped the 80 degree mark! Would it ever come this year? Or had Mother Nature just decided to use us a way to average out the rest of the country. With fall just around the corner, hoping for summer seemed an exercise in futility… but then…things changed. As my father pointed out yesterday…It was 78 in Manhattan, KS and 79, in Seattle…And I have to say…Summer is pulling off one heckuva finishing kick for us!
I don’t know how many of you watched the recent World Track and Field Championships, but in big championship races…it’s the finishing kick that often makes the race. It doesn’t matter if you’re the person with the fastest time going in…you need to be the person who can hang with a moderate, maybe even “slow” pace, starting out and then really dial it down over the last 1000-200 meters. When you look at the 400 or 1000m splits from these events, it’s incredible how the pace changes as the race wears on.
An excellent example is Jennie Simpson’s surprise gold medal in the 1500m …She wasn’t expected to place…making the final was a huge accomplishment for her….She’d had an amazing streak in college but had been injured all last year. This race was her opportunity to sharpen her competitive chops and gain experience for next year…an Olympic year. As the competitors toed the start line, she found herself elbow to elbow with defending World and Olympic Champions as well as a US team mate who had had a much more successful string of races this season. Even the times she ran during her banner year in college were several seconds off the best times of her competitors.
If you watch the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KZCvX40-MQ)…you’ll see that the pace at the outset was fairly pedestrian for these ladies…but as they dug deeper into the race, they really started to roll…the second and third laps were each about 3 seconds faster than the first. As they rounded the final turn, Jennie swung to the outside and surged from 7th place to clearly take the number one spot finishing at a a pace that was 6 seconds faster than the first lap! It’s pretty thrilling to watch..and a huge surprise…especially for Jennie Simpson!
So for those of you who are feeling a little slow right now….feeling like you’ll never get into shape, never be able to make it 13.1 miles and feel good…feeling like summer is never going to come…Remember it’s all about the finishing kick! It’s about hanging in there even when the pace seems slow….sticking to the routine when training feels like a grind….knowing that each day and each step is progress toward your goal….
…and believing that a beautiful September summer day awaits you on November 27!
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What an incredible day we had at the Seattle Rock’n Roll Half….The weather turned out to be perfect…the race was well-run and organized…and the music only helped elevate the energy level that can be generated when 25,000 highly motivated and enthusiastic people gather together in the middle of the street! We had 14 transplant recipients, 4 donors, and one of our pre-kidney transplants combined with 30 UWMC employees, friends, and family members mixing it up out there with the masses…and many others providing support along the way! It was a wonderful show of teamwork and team spirit!
But now…our big weekend has come and gone, and for most of us, life has moved on to vacation plans, enjoying long, sunny (?) days, and spending time with friends and family.
I hope that in the 2 weeks since the race, you’ve taken some time to really let the experiences of our past season sink in….let the memories simmer…and let them fill you with a sense of hope and purpose and confidence as you move forward into whatever great adventures you have planned for the summer and beyond….
It may be remembering how you persevered through a long workout in the rain and how wonderful it felt when you finished…when you’re feeling frustrated at work.
…or conjuring up a smile or giggle as you think back to some comment Lenard Yen or Mark Scott made during a warm-up routine… when you need to lighten up.
…or realizing how much progress you made over the course of 16 weeks (or for some of you the course of 10 years)….when it seems like you’re stuck in a holding pattern.
…or knowing that there is a group of truly wonderful people out there who care about you , look forward to seeing you on Saturday mornings…and eagerly await the start of our next season in August…when it feels like you’re going it alone.
As my summer swings into high gear, here are some of the memories that I will look back on for inspiration…
• Allen Vary’s amazing recovery and return to training
• Colin Rine’s comeback…It’s been what…?! 6 years since he’s completed a half marathon with us?
• Tami Sadusky is on the rebound!
• The incredible generosity of the 4 kidney donors who joined us for this year’s Rock’n Roll race: Katie Way, Erika Boysen, Deb Oliver, and Jennifer McDowell
• Newcomer and pre-kidney transplant, Alvin Valencia, showing us that it’s possible to be fit even while waiting for transplant (was that really a 1:57 that I saw on the official race clock??!)
• Watching Maggie Kim and Mari Jo Fraser run together at the RNR Half, all the while looking like 2 best friends who’ve know each other forever
• Lenard Yen’s ever increasing team spirit…Is there a limit to how much green this guy can exude??!
• Ron Adkins, Jon White, and Dick Fitzgerald who have all for some reason or other been limited in their training this past year but continue to come out and do what they can and support us in some way anyway.
• Jonathon Baird’s incredible smile and determination to be back in the fall!
• Micah Gwinn’s consistency and watchful concern for his team members
• Bob Oliver’s surprising debut!
• The return of Don McNeil….The man is back!
• The Rakitas reliable water station support this past spring…and how much they enjoyed checking out Mark Scott’s bakery recommendations!
• The traveling Big Backyard yard art gargoyle trophy (see attachment)—Thank you Pete Schille!
• Dixie Service finishing her first full marathon…and the text updates she provided along the way:-)
• How much fun Dixie, Bridget O’Connor, and Luann Majeed have chasing Marty Chakoian at practices!
• Running with Secretary Sebelius..I’m still flying high over that one!
• Jennifer Herlihy branching out to try new races and focus on her speed this summer…
• …and Sam Patterson’s bronze medal performance in the hockey arena!
• Jason Stahl’s growing confidence in his half marathon abilities!
• Dennis Cole’s patience and commitment to long-term progress!
• Carla Trulson Essenberg’s competitiveness and the joy she brings to every practice!
• Shari Jones dedication and desire to be a part of our group…driving from Bellingham to join us!
• Allison Enstrom’s enthusiasm and appreciation of her donor!
• Terry Way’s commitment to our team and to helping other transplant recipients
• Tess Brown and her camera!
• Mark Scott, & Co.…and how the company keeps growing!
• The commitment of our Team Transplant volunteers…what would we do without Janette Morantes, Susan Bussell, Julie Sprinkle, Tamar Solomon, Mikki Dailey, Mark Rosinbum, Ida and James Boeckstiegel????! ..as well as those folks who are available on a standby basis and willing to provide additional help when needed…like Shirley Schultz, Vanessa Whitacre, Laura Lewis, Lenore Miller, Kevin Lin, Cathy Seifert, Harch Ooi, and Ajit Limaye...
• …and finally…I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Seuss, Jack, Scooter, Abby, India, and Lucky….who are constant reminders of how joyful exercise can be when you make it about play!
And…as I look over the past year…I amazed at all that we’ve accomplished..
• We celebrated our 10th Seattle Half Marathon in November!
• We discovered a fun new way to bring team competition to our group and involve more people in an event with the First Ever UWMC Team Transplant Who Knows Their Fitness Big Backyard 5k Challenge!
• Jason Stahl’s profile in the UW Medicine Annual report
◦ http://uwmedicine.washington.edu/Patient-Care/Locations/UWMC/Community-Relations/Patient-Stories/Pages/Jason-Stahl.aspx
• Jennifer Herlihy’s interview on Patient Power
◦ http://www.patientpower.info/program/progress-in-liver-transplant-the-teams-perspective
• Jennifer, Allen Vary, Maggie Kim (and me) all featured in the new UW Medicine branding campaign
◦ http://www.uwmedicinestories.org/stories.html
• Lenard Yen featured in the Seattle Times
◦ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013545358_marathon29m.html
• Running with the Secretary—who could forget Kathleen Sebelius, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, actually showing up and running a workout with us??
◦ http://uwmedicine.washington.edu/Global/News/Items/2011/Pages/Team-transplant-runs-with-HHS-secretary.aspx
• Allison Enstrom’s big modeling debut in Tess Brown’s photo exhibit: Life 2.0, Second Chances, opening this week at Harborview Medical Center. (see attachment)
It’s been impressive…Thanks to each and everyone of you for the amazing part that you’ve played in making it all happen….I can only imagine what’s in store for next year!
Happy recovery, everyone….I’ll be in touch soon!
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I can hardly believe we’re here...the final few days before the race! It seems like the past few months have just flown by…So much has been happening…Honestly, it seems like a blur!
It’s crazy…trying to maintain balance while juggling work commitments, managing family and homes and yards and friends…and trying to squeeze in exercise! This past month I started taking an immersion yoga class. That means that I’ve been going to class from 6:15-7:30 in the morning MWF. And, yes, this is another commitment, but it’s been one that has been a wonderful addition to my schedule…I’m already noticing the benefits…flexibility…range of motion….more energy during the day…and I love the feeling of becoming more connected with body…realizing how parts of me are really supposed to move and discovering the difference between relaxing a muscle group and stretching it…..I also love the idea of just starting where you are…you may not be able to maintain (or even achieve) the perfect pose, but you can see real benefits over time by just starting with what you can do and doing it the right way.
Too often my exercise routine has been about getting in the hardest workout I can…getting it done as fast as I can…and feeling good about how hard I worked and how fast I ran. And while this approach has served me fairly well, it unfortunately means that I’ve missed some of the other real benefits of exercise…The awareness of what my posture is like when I’m running…Learning how to control my form or breathing so that my running is more relaxed…Really noticing the efficiency gains from all of my intense work. In yoga…our instructor will tell us to find that place where the stretch is “just delicious” and hold it…and yes, that makes me smile…and giggle…but at the same time, I appreciate anyone who believes that finding that delicious stretch is a goal in and of itself and worthy of achieving.
It reminds me of our run out at Alki several weeks ago. We were nearing the end of practice so Janette and I had started back out along the course to retrieve the cones when we saw Allen Vary running toward us…and then he stopped and started walking. We pulled over to make sure he was okay. He had just reached the section where the sidewalk overlooks the water, and as we rolled down the car window, he looked at us increduously and said, “It’s so beautiful here…why am I rushing by it? I just want to be able to take it in and enjoy it. I’m so lucky to be alive.” For him…This was a delicious moment!
As we head into race day weekend…I hope you all are able to realize your goals and improve your times and beat that person who’s always ahead of you, but more importantly, I hope you’re able to really feel what it’s like to be out there…Feel the fitness you’ve gained over the past 4 months…feel the excitement and energy of a big race…feel the rhythm of the music and bands around you…and just find that delicious spot where you form feels smooth…your breathing is relaxed…and you’re able to just take it all in and enjoy the experience!
Have a great race, everyone! I’ll see you out along the course!
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Whew!
I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve been walking on a cloud ever since last weekend. What an amazing day we had on Saturday…and it all went so smoothly…the set up…the warm up…the workout. It’s really encouraging to know that the person chosen to manage our nation’s healthcare is in such great shape!
As many of you have already pointed out, it’s going to be a hard experience to top…but there are other experiences in life that are difficult to top…receiving the call to come in for transplant…making it to your first Team Transplant practice….finishing your first half marathon. The Secretary of HHS came to OUR practice! She trained with US! She said that it’s something she won’t forget…It’s incredible validation for what we’re doing…and the best thing for us to do?
Just keep doing what we’re doing. It’s the best way to help generate those unforgettable moments for the next guy!
Go TEAM!
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I just wanted to follow up after Saturday’s practice. I think everyone who made it will agree that it was an incredibly special experience! Secretary Sebelius was very impressed with our group. She actively participated in the warm up and stretching and then ran for about 4-5 miles with us. Both she and her assistant sent me e-mails later in the day to tell me how much they enjoyed the workout. In fact, according to her assistant, she’s still talking about it today!
Here is an excerpt from the e-mail she sent:
The gathering today was really inspirational. Thanks for asking me to join you….It is an experience I won’t forget, seeing all those folks determined to make the most of their second chances, and supported by caring health care providers, family, friends and even some pet dogs.
Keep up your good work!
I don’t know what else to say…This was a truly wonderful way for our team to be recognized!
In the words of the Secretary...keep up your good work!
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My goodness we’ve had an exciting week here at Team Transplant Headquarters….from the news that Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be joining us for practice on Saturday…to our cell phone service being restored….to my finally having all of the results and being able to announce the winner of the Big Backyard 5k Fitness challenge!
With all of the commotion…I’m going to keep this week’s message brief with a little overview of what to expect tomorrow…and a reminder to WEAR YOUR GREEN!!!!
A little background on Kathleen Sebelius…
Sebelius was sworn in as the 21st secretary of the department of Health and Human Services on April 28, 2009. She leads the principal agency charged with monitoring the health of the American public, ensuring that individuals get the health care they need and providing children, families, and seniors with essential human services. She also oversees one of the largest civilian departments in the federal government with nearly 80,000 employees. Sebelius was the second female governor of Kansas from 2003-2009 and was the first daughter of a governor to also be elected governor in American history. (from the UW Medicine media advisory)
For more information, go to: http://www.washington.edu/news/articles/hhs-secretary-kathleen-sebelius-to-speak-at-commencement
She will be speaking at UW commencement later in the day.
For those who missed her profile on Runnersworld…here’s the link again:
http://www.runnersworld.com:80/video/1,8052,s6-21-0-7,00.html?bcpid=780508498001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAABjSC4E~,YBF36HfcFnZRqSqNTRvSHkWu9hu7sczK&bclid=867848406001&bctid=921409490001
Some initiatives under the HHS:
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First ever HHS Prevention and Wellness month (THIS JUNE!!): http://www.healthcare.gov/news/blog/prevention06062011a.html
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Let’s Move! http://www.letsmove.gov/
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Food Safety: http://www.foodsafety.gov/
*
Insurance Coverage: http://www.healthcare.gov/
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Here we are! Three weeks to go and it’s been quite a season…full of all the roller coaster ups and downs that you hope won’t happen….I always start a season envisioning perfection…following the training schedule to a T; making it to every work out and having every workout and race reflect my improving fitness; managing my life..personal and work… so that I get the appropriate rest; eat right…every single meal of every single day; hydrate; stretch consistently; hit the weights on a regular basis…Everyone once in awhile (like every 10 years or so) it happens…but what I typically run into along the way is… life.
The weather doesn’t cooperate. I get stuck at work late and have to cut my run short…or I’m tired and rushed and don’t have the stamina to finish an interval workout successfully. I’m worn out by the time I get home and fall asleep on the couch rather than stretching. I don’t feel like fixing a meal….and I turn to caffeine to keep me going instead of drinking a nice big glass of water. I make plans to spend time with friends but feel guilty if it interferes with my run…and I feel guilty if I let the run interfere with my plans. The list goes on and on. It’s so easy to become fixated on how you want things to go…to the point that if it doesn’t go perfectly, you may wonder why try at all.
The truth is that life is going to happen. The weather is out of your control…family and work commitments are going to come up and interfere with your perfect training plan.. The thing to remember is that you are still so much better off if you can adjust your expectations so that you can manage some kind of exercise routine and include some semblance of a balanced, healthy diet throughout all of life’s disruptions. It may not be perfect, but it is certainly better than giving up and not even trying…and you never know…you might just surprise yourself with the progress you can make even when things don’t go as you’d hoped.
In fact…if you keep it up for 10 years….you might actually have a chance to experience that perfect season!
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Welll…here we are…The First Ever Team Transplant Who Knows Their Fitness Big Backyard 5k Challenge!!!
It’s going to be fun to test out a new event and see how this idea of a team competition works out. It’s totally opened a whole new set of opportunities for providing community and for expanding the type of events that we participate in… I’m sure there’ll be a few kinks we’ll need to work out…but that’s to be expected when you try something new. Believe me…we’ve become accustomed to working out kinks in the last 10 years of Team Transplant…but just look at where it’s gotten us and how far we’ve come! For all of you thinking that you were just driving out to do a little 5k out in Redmond…think again! You’re not just doing a race…you’re helping to create a whole new world of Team Transplanting!
Every great adventure has to start somewhere…I’m looking forward to seeing where this one leads!
Go TEAMs!!!!!
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I hope the training is going well! We had another fantastic turnout out at Discovery Park last Saturday…for those of you who missed it, it turned out that partly sunny/cloudy meant cloudy from 7:45-9:00 and then SUNNY the rest of the day! It kind of reminded me of how my running experience has changed as I’ve gotten older. When I was younger…I would go out hard, move right out into the lead, eager to establish my place at the start. That was sunny. By the end of the race or workout, however, I’d lose momentum, unable to sustain my fierce pacing. That…was cloudy.
As I’ve gotten older, however…it seems that I don’t quite have the ability to take off so quickly…it’s harder to get that snappy start out of the blocks…it’s easy to get a little frustrated…and sometimes even a challenge to get out the door…it all seems a bit cloudy…however, if I can just make it through the first few miles, I notice that my body starts to loosen up, and I’m able work into a better pace so that I actually end up finishing on a sunny note.
In both instances…I think patience is the key….having the patience to hold back when I’m feeling fresh and saving some of that enthusiastic energy for the finish; and as I’ve gotten older, having the patience to to work through all the kinks and stiffness to get to a place where running feels smooth again.
Similarly…when you’re starting a training program…it may seem that the beginning of the season is sunny…it’s all so fresh and new and exciting…but about mid season it starts to get kind of routine and you may start to lose some motivation. On the other hand, it can seem like a cloudy time… especially if you’ve lost some fitness during our long winter’s break…training doesn’t feel as comfortable…you’re not at the same level you were at for the Seattle Half Marathon in November..it’s frustrating to have to work your way back to where exercise feels warm and sunny again!
Just keep in mind that there are going to be sunny times and cloudy times when it comes to your training…Everybody has them…Even Olympic athletes! You just need to have the patience and long-term vision to not overdo it when you feel good…and to maintain a consistent routine when the path gets a little rough….all the while remembering that the real long-term goal is to develop a healthy lifestyle where exercise is a regular part of your day…no matter what the weather is like outside!
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Here we are, folks…
Our 8th Saturday practice. Halfway done…and halfway to go!
The midpoint of the season…a time to build on all the fitness you’ve gained over the past 2 months…to become more consistent with your training routine…not just on Saturdays, but during the week as well….to develop a sense of pacing… and to really start thinking about what you want to accomplish on race day.
On Saturday mornings, we’ll continue to increase the distance of our runs and walks, take on more challenging routes, and give you a chance to check out sections of the race course. During the week, you can use your shorter workouts to help guide your pace. Remember…the race does have a 4-hour time limit…so this is also a good point in the season to start monitoring your pace…a 4-hour half marathon means that you’re able to maintain an 18 minute mile pace for the entire 13.1miles!
Yes…in case you’d forgotten…13.1 miles! That’s a long ways…and a long time to be spend out running or walking. But…that’s not all it is. Finishing a 13.1 mile race…or a half marathon…is a very special accomplishment, and the Rock’n Roll Half Marathon is an exciting and fun event to be a part of…and it is even more special and exciting and fun if you’re prepared to do it!
We’re at the midpoint of the season…It’s time to get yourselves prepared!
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Hard to believe we’re midway through April…especially with this weather we’ve been having–it doesn’t seem very springlike, does it? To me, mid-April always seems to signify the end of a cycle. Today is tax day…the London Marathon is Sunday and the Boston Marathon is on Monday…and back in Kansas, my dad used to say that up until April 15th, you should still expect the possibility of snow and freezing temperatures.
All of these events represent the culmination of something…a financial cycle…a training cycle….a weather cycle. Each requires a great deal of planning and preparation…collecting all of the information to complete your taxes and then actually finishing the paperwork to file them…following an incredibly disciplined training routine to make sure that you’re ready to tackle a grueling 26.2 mile run…and remaining vigilant to the possibility of inclement weather.
But after this next week…there’s the chance to start over…to regroup and adjust your investments and tax deductions to improve your financial status for next year…to look forward to shorter races during the summer track season or reflect on how to better prepare for a fall marathon (many of us are still in the midst of this cycle)…and to finally get outside to plant that garden you’ve been thinking about all winter.
Yes…It’s a time to take a deep breath and come out of that cave you’ve been living in (whether it’s because of the weather or because you’ve been focused on some big commitment like your taxes or training for a marathon); to start looking to the future and re-energize your training routines; and to take heart that sunnier days are on the way!
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If you haven’t started training yet, it looks like today is the day to get up off the couch and get out there! The American Heart Association has designated today, April 6th, as National Start Walking Day! And…while the deadline for joining the spring season of Team Transplant was Monday, that doesn’t mean that it’s too late to start adopting healthy lifestyle habits…You can still start taking steps to making exercise a regular part of your life…and then you’ll be all set to join us in the fall!
For more information on how you can celebrate this big day, go to: http://www.startwalkingnow.org/
Have a wonderful Start Walking Day, y’all!
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Wow! Nothing like something new to rekindle the spirit, huh? This Big Backyard business has been overwhelming our circuits here at Team Transplant Corporate! We’ve got people coming from California, new people joining the team, and people I haven’t heard from in several years coming forward to be a part of this event!
I’m really excited to see where this new adventure takes us….Right now, we have 6 teams…there are rumors that a seventh team may be forming somewhere out there, but I can neither confirm nor deny anything at this time…and, amazingly, we are only 2 people away from having 8 participants in each group!
Now…if you do the math…that means that we are very close to having…let’s break this down…6 groups times 8 people…would be 48 people with the possibility of 8 more making it somewhere close to 56 participants! Incredible, don’t you think?! All for a 5k! Amazing what a little team spirit can do!
For those of you who missed my previous e-mail, the updated captain and team list includes:
Mark Scott The Bakery Buns
Gary Lanis The GREEN Team
Shirley Schultz The Spring Organ-izers (can I just say “groan” again??!)
Allison Enstrom The Replacements
Jonathon Baird
Team Spare Parts
Tami Sadusky
Team Fig Newtons
Potential Mystery Captain and Mystery Team
And…Congratulations to Mari Jo Fraser, who was noticeably absent from last weekend’s practice…That’s because it’s spring, and she had to squeeze in the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon on Sunday before baseball season kicks into high gear! Of her race, Mari-Jo says…
The race last weekend was really nice. Only 450 runners, only $60 to enter, and it was super easy to park at the finish line and get a ride to the start line. (They had shuttle buses too).
The course was as flat as a pancake with very nice views of Lake Sammamish and all of the nice houses…
….and they had M&M’s at the finish line! My time was 2:21. Not my best; but I am happy with it. 
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Check this out…In addition to her interview on Patient Power last fall, Jennifer was asked to submit pictures and video. They’ve now compiled everything into a 5 minute program posted on the Patient Power website. I think you’ll enjoy it…and find it very inspirational!
http://goo.gl/9erIf
Excellent job, Jen…
Thanks for being such an awesome example of healthy living!
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Today, I’m turning over the mike to Mr. Len Yen…I think this e-mail he sent me after his world-class effort at the Mercer Island Half Marathon last Sunday pretty much sums up the inspiration I have to share with all of you this week!
Hey Alysun,
I wanted to thank you and all my Team Transplant well wishers for all the support you guys give me week after week.
It does pay off to know that the routines we go through help me immeasurably towards achieving my intentionally simple goal of finishing a race with little or no injury. Mercer Island is an odd test of will over hill and I am constantly reminded of our practices and the way we take on Godz-hilla with gusto just because it makes us stronger. I took a page from Jennifer H’s training book and went out to have fun (what else) without regard to time until…well, the last two miles. Sound familiar? I managed to finish in a surprising 3:07:05, a great way to welcome spring.
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
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I’m looking forward to another amazing season of Team Transplanting!
Keep these guidelines in mind when choosing a schedule to follow:
• Advanced Runner For those used to running 6+miles, 3-4 times/week
• Intermediate Runner For those used to running 3-4 miles, 3-4 times/week
• Beginning Runner/Run-Walk For those running 2-3 miles, 3-4 times/week or transitioning from a walking to a running program
• Advanced Walker For those who’ve been walking 4-6miles/day, 3-4 times/week
• Beginning Walker For those who are up to the 3-mile walking requirement for joining the team
You don’t absolutely have to do everything on the day that’s listed, but try to stay true to the spirit of the schedule:
1. Choose the schedule that is right for you right now. Don’t be afraid to start with the beginning walker or runner schedule if you’re new to training or haven’t been out in awhile. All the schedules are designed to do the same thing…to get you to cover 13.1 miles successfully on June 25th! Doing more than you’re ready for will only increase your risk for injury and breakdown!
2. Focus on consistency. No weekend warriors! Try to train 5 days/week…even if you can’t do as much as the schedule says. Consistency will help you build the stamina and endurance you’ll need for the long workouts and for your race. It will also help prevent injury. And, besides, having a regular exercise routine is good for you!
3. Include one long work-out each week. We will gradually increase the distance of this workout over the next 16 weeks. Ultimately, you will all do at least one workout in the 10-12 mile range before the race. Some of you advanced folks will hit that distance during the first 6 weeks of the schedule.
4. Make cross-training part of your routine. Include at least one cross-training training day/week….helps build fitness, prevents injuries, and keeps you mentally fresh!
5. REST!! Rest days are an essential part of training! Don’t be afraid to take the rest days!
Please let me know if you have any questions…
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This snowy weather is making me feel nostalgic…It reminds me of the week before our last big race in November when we were hit with a big snowstorm! Funny how everything comes full circle, huh?
It also makes me think that this might be a good time to point out that our next big race will be in JUNE, a time when it is very unlikely to snow. Additionally, our training season will start on March 7th with our first group practice set for Saturday, March 12th. This is all notable because it means that with Daylight Savings the next day, we will only be gaining more daylight hours to train…and…with spring only one week away, sunnier days will be just right around the corner!
Sooo…what I’m saying is…along with Team Transplant’s spring season will come more daylight and better weather. And when you combine these two things with what you’ve already come to expect from a good season of Team Transplanting…wonderful friendships, improving health and fitness, fun times and lasting memories…how could you even think about spending your spring doing anything else?
That’s what I thought…
You can’t.
I look forward to seeing you on March 12th!
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I know it’s hard to believe, but the start of our spring season is only a month away which means that we’ve got to start getting all our business in order. I’ve added some new people to the list so I’m resending a bunch of information….Attached, you’ll find paperwork and forms as well as the recap from the Seattle Half Marathon for those of you feeling a bit nostalgic…or wondering what in the world you may be getting yourself into!:-)
But…before I get down to the business…let me begin with some kudos and inspiration….
Team Transplant mural…Next time you’re at UWMC, take a stroll through the Plaza Cafe…The Team Transplant picture that is part of the new UW Medicine marketing campaign is now up…and literally…larger than life! And…while it’s focus is on Jennifer Herlihy‘s story…I think you’ll recognize some other faces when you see the photo. In case you want to check it out before you go…just so you know what you’re looking for…go to www.uwmedicinestories.org and click on A Walk. A Revelation. A Run. Nice work Jennifer, Maggie, and Allen…You guys look awesome..and incredibly tough…and I’m honored to be a part of it with you!
Maria Hall Award…and then as you exit the cafeteria and continue along the hallway between the BB tower and the Pacific elevators, be sure to notice the display case on your righthand side…just before you get to the cafeteria. Yes…that’s a picture of Katy Folk-Way, another Team Transplanter, who was the recipient of the 2010 Maria Hall Award for her work promoting Patient and Family Centered Care at UWMC! She’s been doing a fabulous job…and I know she’s very excited about everything her group has been able to accomplish…so make sure you ask her about it…she just might have some ideas for how you could get involved if you’re interested!
UW Distinguished Staff Award….Congratulations to Patricia Ashley, Nurse Manager for the Center for Pain Relief and a Team Transplanter since 2001, and Julie Collier, Assistant Director of Community Outreach & Special Events—she’s the one who coordinates our booth at the Seattle Marathon Expo…Both were nominated for this year’s UW Distinguished Staff Awards. There will be a ceremony to recognize all nominees at the UW Tower on Feb. 9th. For more information and for a complete list of the nominees, go to: http://www.washington.edu/president/evp/dsa/
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Now that’s POWER!
All the hard work…the expectations…the build-up….the excitment…it’s all over. Isn’t that just the inspirational wrap up you were waiting for…?
I don’t know about you, but my life has already been consumed by the holidays…I had commitments every single night last week… the half marathon now seems like it was a month ago…but still, as I ran between work and all of my parties and social events, my thoughts continued to stray back to our race day weekend…what an amazing time it was…how smoothly everything went…the wonderful press we got…I was struggling to come up with the right words to truly capture what an incredible job you all did…what a source of inspiration you all are…and I was starting to feel at a loss…unable to find time to just sit down and think….until I read this comment posted by Maggie Kim on Facebook…
“The half marathon was fun! I think I’m hooked. Went to the Team Transplant celebration party that night where all the transplant recipients stood up & got introduced (there were 25-ish of us). They announced how many half marathons everyone had completed since transplant. I wish I’d added them all up—the grand total was well over a hundered…That’s power!”
And, I thought…That’s it! She’s got that right! That is power…It’s the power of possibility…the power of hope…the power of teamwork. The power of overcoming obstacles, tackling new challenges, and realizing that you can reach out to new goals …It’s the power of knowing that you’re not alone and that there’s so much more that can be accomplished by working together and supporting each other.
They say that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Well…you all took that step when you came to your first Team Transplant practice…and many of you have now travelled well beyond that initial 1,000 miles on your own…Collectively, as a group, we travelled close to a thousand miles on race day! Think about it…all of those miles…all of those steps…they all started with the first steps taken by 5 transplant recipients and 30 UWMC employees 10 years ago!
Talk about a ripple effect…their steps inspired others to take first steps…which then encouraged more people to step forward…which touched even more people …which meant even more first steps. It seems like such a simple gesture…to take a step…but from what I’ve seen…from what you’ve all shown me…it’s one of the most powerful things you can do!
Here are just a few of the my favorite memories from the weekend…all of them the result of someone being willing to take a first step…
• Hearing Jennifer Herlihy, our Transplant Games medalist, say that she was just going to do the race for fun this year…and then seeing her actually really truly enjoying herself out there!
• Witnessing Mari-Jo Fraser‘s amazing athletic skills…Is there anything this girl can’t do? She runs, she bats, she hoops…and it all seems to come so naturally!
• Having Shirley Schultz rally through some late season burnout to not just finish the race but score a big PR in the process!
• Reading that Maggie Kim is slowly but surely becoming a convert to this half-marathon business…and that she’s having fun out there, too!
• Celebrating 10 years of Team Transplant with Mark Rosinbum, Terry Way, and Gary Lanis…three of our original team members–You guys are awesome! Thanks for being willing to join in on that inaugural journey…and thanks for all you’ve done to keep us moving down the path!
• Watching Allison Enstrom and her sister, Jennifer, her donor, make their way up Galer together…
• Seeing how you all are inspiring others to join you…
◦ Mark Scott and son, Patrick
◦ Chuck Bauman and son, Chaz…
◦ Tami Sadusky and husband, Ed…er Mike!
◦ Pam Magnuson and son, Corey…
◦ Ron Adkins and daughter, Heather and now he’s got his grandkids joining him, too!
◦ Jonathon Baird and sister, Barbara, and niece, Shana…
◦ Carla Trulsen-Essenberg and husband, Dave…
• Being a part of Bill Furrer‘s amazing comeback at the age of 78…3:48! Talk about inspiration!
• Having Sam Patterson tell me about his HUGE PR…and I’m sure this is killing him right now…he is Sooooo close to that 4-hour barrier. His time…4:00:09! grrrrr!
• Cheering Micah Gwinn on to his 2nd half marathon under 4 hours; 1st time at Seattle!
• Rooting for Lenard Yen as he dipped under 3 hours for the first time on the hilly Seattle Half course…and then reading about him…and our team…the next day in The Seattle Times!
• Celebrating the return of Jon McLees...who made the very wise decision to begin his comeback with the 5k. Look forward to seeing him in a half very soon!
• Watching how comfortably Jason Stahl finished the 5k, with a time nearly 3 minutes faster than his first attempt at this distance in 2008!
Thanks for be willing to take the first step and all of the other ones required to train for the half marathon! It was a wonderful day..an amazing season….and it’s been an incredibly powerful 10 years…I feels so privileged to be a part of it!
Go Team!
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What a week, huh?
As if getting ready for Thanksgiving and thinking about the race wasn’t enough…you now have ice and snow and power outages and kids out of school and day cares closed and cars stuck on the side of the road and bus routes cancelled and people stranded at the airport. Things are not going the way they are supposed to…
This is supposed to be your week…your magical week…you’re supposed to be relaxing…resting up…not stressing about weather and roads and what to do with the kids…because Sunday is supposed to be the big celebration of your accomplishments…the culmination of 4 months of hard work…and it’s supposed to be that one incredibly balmy, clear-skied, sunny, completely not-Seattle day that is so out of place at the end of November…A day when the alarm clock goes off and you roll out of bed feeling amazingly fresh for 5 am and have no problems driving into downtown Seattle and finding parking…and a day when all of your friends and supporters are lined up along the race course cheering you on and commenting on how amazing you look….will anyone even be out there if this weather doesn’t shape up?
Doesn’t Mother Nature know that this is your time?? Sunday is your day! Did the e-mail go to her spam file??!
It’s an easy trap to fall into…working so hard for something that you think the only way for it to be successful is for everything to go just right…but the problem is that that rarely ever happens. The truth is…Sunday is just icing on the cake…. a cake that you’ve already baked…and that’s what we’re really celebrating. You’ve combined the most important ingredients…exercise, goals, friendship, community, support, fitness, health, positive energy, enthusiasm, inspiration…to make an incredibly rich, multi-layered cake…The icing is special, but it’s just the final touch… it wouldn’t be very exciting if you didn’t have the cake to put it on.
Who knows what we’ll end up with on Sunday…chances are that it will be somewhere in between Monday and your idea of the perfect dream day.
But whatever the day brings…it will still be big because it’s about the experience…it’s about the cake…the team that will be out there sharing the race with you.. the fitness you’ve gained this season…the coming together that evening to celebrate all that our team has accomplished…not just in the past 4 months but in the past 10 years…and feeling like you’d do it all over again…because…no matter what happens on Sunday, I’m guessing your experience will leave you wanting to come back for more…and we’ve got plenty of cake to go around!
Good luck, everyone! I’m looking forward to cheering you all on (in my usual spot on Galer)...
GO TEAM!
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Whew…
Can you believe it?…The last practice of the season.
I don’t know about you, but by this point, I am so filled with mixed emotions that I’m not even sure what I feel. I’m excited about all the progress we’ve made as a team and all of the new people I’ve gotten to know….I’m nervous about race day…If I were competing, I’d surely be stressed about backing off on my training and worrying about all of the unexpected things that come up over the course of 13.1 miles….I’m a little sad that our routine is winding down just as everyone is coming together and doing so well…but I’m also feeling a sense of relief that in 2 weeks I’ll be able to sleep in and have time to focus on friends and family for the holidays.
Opening yourself up to all of these things means being willing to take some risks…
…there’s the risk of getting up before 8 am on Saturday mornings to invest in a new group of people and become involved in their lives…the risk of committing to a training program and challenging yourself physically…….the risk of letting go of your training for a few days so that you can be rested and at your best on race day…and the risk of maintaining balance as you take a break when it’s all over…will you return to old habits, turn into a couch potato, and completely lose touch with the team??
It made me think of a quote by Deena Kastor…(For those of you not in the know…Deena is the American record holder in the women’s marathon and was a bronze medalist in the 2004 Olympic marathon…and a huge hero of yours truly’s)
“I’ve always taken the philosophy that you have to dream a little in this sport, if you stay in your comfort zone, you’re not going to do anything special.”
Thanks for be willing to dream…to step out of your comfort zones and take a few risks. Believe me…you don’t have to wait for race day to do something special…you’re already doing it!
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Well…this is it. Our last long workout of the season. Crazy, isn’t it? The season has flown by. It seems like we were just celebrating the beginning of training out at the Montlake Community Center…Remember what a beautiful day it was? It was sunny…warm…and there was so much excitement about the next 4 months. And now we’re just 2 weeks away from the big race…the longest workout of the season is coming up…It’s the time when all of your hard work comes together…and you realize (I hope) that it’s all been worth it!
For me…it’s definitely been worth it…You all have been wonderful to work with…I feel so fortunate to be able to see how all of you progress throughout the training and so privileged to be a part of the growing spirit of camaraderie that just deepens every year…but as is true with any season, its not just about the ups…it’s also about the downs. We’ve had some really good things and some incredibly sad things that have happened over the past few months. It can make it hard to figure out what it’s all about…Is it about the good things? Or is about the sad things?
I’ve come to realize that it’s about both because the truth is that what it’s really about is having a group of people who care about you and can be there for you during the hard times and share in the celebration and excitement with you when things are good. So keep on being the amazing group of caring people that you are! Because really…that is what it’s all about...
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I hope you’re all having a ghoul-ishly good week! With Halloween coming up this weekend, I think that it’s very appropriate that we have chosen to do a route with one of the biggest hills of the season on Saturday…no, not Godz-Hill-a….but this particular hill is every bit as monsterous…every bit as frightening…every bit as intimidating…In fact, the very mention of Franken-Stone Way can send chills up your spine… MMMmmmwwwWWWAAAaaaAAAaaa!!
Just know that everyone finds these hills scary…I even feel a little knot in my stomach when I start up one of them …but as our veterans have learned…it’s much better to confront and overcome these fears now rather than waiting until November 28th….Not that the hills ever become easy by any means….but you gain confidence knowing that you can do them. You CAN make it up a monstrosity of a hill…and keep going. For many of you…6 miles may have seemed pretty scary when you started training with us, but now you’ve gone that distance and, in many cases, have been able to keep on going further. And it’s not because you just magically can…it’s because you’ve been doing the work you need to do to improve and get stronger.
And even if these longer distances don’t feel easier, you at least know what to expect…how your legs will feel…what your breathing will be like…how you need to adjust your pace…these are no longer unknowns…monsters hiding in your closet or under your bed. Same with the hills…as we approach race day and take on hillier and more challenging courses…you’ll definitely become stronger…but you’ll also become more comfortable with the idea that you can do them…and more confident in the potential that all the hard work you’ve put in this season has created for you.
As for Saturday…If you can conquer Franken-Stone Way…you can be assured that you’ll be able to handle whatever race day throws at you…and when you reach the 8-mile mark of the half marathon…the spot where you find the ghastly Galer Hill looming in front of you…I think you’ll realize that you’re prepared to take it on. You may not exactly embrace it…but I’m guessing you won’t feel like just ”giving up the ghost!”
Happy HILL-O-WEEN, everyone!
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I hope your training is going well…and more importantly, I hope you’re all having fun and feeling good about what you’re doing! I know I’ve had fun this year, but then again…I always enjoy seeing how much you all improve during the season, and I love hearing your stories of progress! I feel very privileged to be a part of your journeys and incredibly encouraged by the spirit of community that has grown within our team over the last 10 years. It’s been amazing!
But I do sometimes find people who think I’m crazy…getting up early on Saturday mornings, writing these lengthy e-mails…They wonder why I do it…Why don’t I just tell people where to meet for practice…set out some water buckets…and go back to bed…
Well…It’s clear that they don’t understand…because if they did, they’d know exactly why I do it. I do it because…
• I might get an e-mail from Allison McDowell-Enstrom telling me how excited she is to be able to run 4 miles without stopping. And the next week, she might send me another one. This time she might want to let me know that she’s now up to 6 miles of running with only a one-minute break for walking.
• Jonathon Baird might thank me for sending out a link to some healthy soup recipes; and then mention that he plans to go home after our workout and make one of them because soup is one of his favorite meals.
• I might just run into Sam Patterson out walking by himself on the Interurban Trail on a Sunday afternoon. He’ll explain that he couldn’t make it to practice on Saturday but knew he still needed to do his workout even if he had to do it alone.
• And…Shirley Schultz might try to rally a group from the team to participate in the Black Cat Fun Run down in Tacoma…and even offer to pick up anyone who needs a ride at the transit station…
•
And that might even be just one week of good things that I get to see and be a part of…Just think…we’ve still got a month to go! There’s plenty of time for me to come up with a few more reasons to add to my list!
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Whew!
So much going on! It’s crazy trying to fit everything in…work…school…clinic appointments…traffic…family…soccer games…dinner…volunteering…and then…oh yeah! Crumbs…exercise!
You know…sadly…I think too often exercise trends toward the bottom of the priority list…It seems indulgent…to actually take time to make it to the gym or get out for a walk or train for an event. Everything else is more important!
But the truth is…If it’s so important that you do all of these other things…then it’s also important that you’re healthy enough and have the stamina to get them done. Even if you can’t keep up with the training schedule, get out and do something! Find creative ways to work exercise into your day…Multi-task! Maybe your run or walk is a time that you get to spend with a friend that you never seem to have time to do lunch with ; or perhaps its when you walk your dog–you know the exercise and fresh air is good for both of you; or you ask your son or daughter to ride his/her bike along with you–what a wonderful way to model a healthy lifestyle!
Think about coordinating your workout around daily tasks…walk to work, run home…when you drop off your car for an oil change, coordinate a ride into work and then walk or run back to the mechanic to pick it up when it’s ready…(I actually did this yesterday!) Not only are you making time for exercise, but you’re doing something good for the environment at the same time!
REMEMBER…Exercise is GOOD for you! It’s something your doctor would recommend, and,for those of you who are healthcare providers, it’s something you would recommend for others! It should not be an added stress to your life but should complement it in a way that helps to reduce stress…Relax and have fun with it! It may be your only chance to relax and have fun the entire day…and I’ll bet you’ll notice that you have a little extra energy and fresher mindset when you go to tackle all those other tasks!
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This week is all about inspiration! As we head into the 2nd half of our season, it’s nice to do a little refresh…Sooo to reignite your motivation and enthusiasm, here are some of the super amazing things your teammates have been up to this past month! And I’m certain that there are more stories out there… if I missed something, please share! We always love to hear about your good adventures!
Salmon Days Re-Cap
We had a small but spirited crew show up for this year’s Salmon Days Race…and I’m proud to say that each one was decked out in Gatorade Green. With the record number of entrants in this year’s race, it made it much easier to spot the Team Transplanters in the crowd! The weather was perfect. The conditions made for ideal racing— the promise of fast times was in the air!
Jennifer Herlihy and Allen Vary were our lone competitors in the 10k. Jen who has been on a hot streak ever since her wins at the Transplant Olympics had a superb race, averaging 8:12/mile to finish in 51:48, which I believe is close to a 5-minute PR. Allen continues his search for the right balance on race day, but despite his challenges, he persevered and finished the 6.2-mile race in just over an hour, running 1:01:06.
Meanwhile, Gary Lanis, Sam Patterson, and Janette Morantes all chose to test their wheels in the 5K race. Gary and Janette battled it out together over the entire distance, trading off the lead over the final 400meters, to eventually cross the line in a photo finish with the very fine times of 43:11, just under 14:00 pace. Sam Patterson also had a phenomenal race. He’s been working hard to bring his time down, and on Sunday, he managed one of his fastest times ever completing the 3.1 miles in 50:07 for 16:10/mile.
Big thanks to the folks who came out to support us…Todd McCoy, Vanessa Whitacre, Colin Rines, and Cathy Seifert! It’s always nice to have someone to share the experience with!
Tacoma Bank to Bay
Shirley Schultz, one of our liver recipients from Tacoma, opted to do her practice race a little early this year as she competed in the Bank to Bay 10k on Sept. 12th. She was very pleased with her effort as her time of 1:12:55, which was several minutes faster than she’d hoped for, is a sure sign that she is well on the way to recovery after sitting out last spring with an injury!
Skagit Flats Marathon
Bridget O’Connor, one of our 5E nurses, continues her quest to find the perfect marathon. She competed in the Skagit Flats Marathon, which was also the weekend of Sept. 12th. Her time of 3:57:03 was her second big PR of the year…she had previously run 3:59:44 in Eugene back in April. Of the race and the course, she says that it was an incredibly well-organized event and that it lived up to its marketing claims—It was definitely flat! “I’d definitely do this one again!” she raves.
You Go Girl Half Marathon
Lenore Miller along with her 2 daughters and 3 of her friends competed in the inaugural You Go Girl Half Marathon down in Tacoma on Sept. 26th. Despite a few first-time event kinks, some rainy weather, and small crowd of entrants, she managed to pull of an incredible performance! She reports that that the final 3 miles were really tough…she even considered dropping out…but her perserverance paid off as she finished with a huge PR of 3:42:39!!!
Of the race, she says…”It felt good to accomplish the walk in such a much better time—it was me and my I-pod. It was great to see all kinds of women running, walking, walk/running, supporting one another, and cheering each other on!”
Congratulations to all of you on your fine performances…and even more importantly…for taking the time and making the effort to train for these events! It’s the every day exercise routine and lifestyle habits that truly make the difference!
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I am back…I survived my travels in bear country! For those of you who don’t know, I took a little road trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons! I had a wonderful time, and it was a very fun way to break in my new car! We did lots of hiking…over 50 miles…and we did see bear–from a distance. Much scarier was the moose standing 40 feet off the trail (see attached) As we tried to walk past him, he looked up and started pawing the ground…..We weren’t sure what to do! Fortunately…he lost interest in us and wandered off in the other direction…
It had been a long time since I’d done much hiking. I’ve been so busy with running that it’s hard to find a time to fit it in, but it was nice to put the running goals on the shelf for a week, wander off the beaten path, enjoy the beauty of the wilderness (I also attached a photo of Old Faithful and a sunset in the Tetons) and get to know my non-running friends better.
It’s so easy to fall into a rut…sticking to the same training routes and activities because you know exactly what to expect…how far they are…what the traffic patterns are like…how long it should take…how your body should feel. Because you can be pretty sure there won’t be any surprises, it makes it less of a challenge to squeeze it into your schedule…and since you can compare your times and how you do against your regular training partners, it makes it easy to track your progress. There’s a comfort in knowing for certain that you’re performing consistently and improving.
But occasionally it’s nice to mix it up. Try a new route…a different activity (that’s what the cross-training days and off-seasons are for)…take a tour through the back country…open yourself up to the possibility of mountains and blind turns (for some of you, training for this half marathon may be a blind turn!)…invite a new friend to workout with you….When you return to the main road, I think you’ll be surprised at how fresh you’ll feel. You might even notice that you’ve made some huge progress…and I bet you’ll be surprised at all the new things you see along those well-worn routines of your’s.
As for me…I have noticed a little extra spring in my step since I’ve been back. My old running routes don’t seem so…well…old…I’m able to see things along the way that I haven’t ever noticed before. Fortunately…that doesn’t mean that I’ve come across any bears or moose…yet….but you just never know what might pop up in Cowen and Discovery Parks….I haven’t broken out the bear spray, but I am keeping my eyes open!
It’s great to have you all on board! It’s exciting to see so many people willing to make a commitment to exercise and healthy living. We’re still working on the address list…I know some of you have paperwork hung up in the mail or in a doctor’s office or thought the due date was Sept. 17th, not the 7th, but right now it looks like we’re going to be well over the 90-person mark this season!
And while the team is about promoting fitness, it’s also about being a part of a supportive community that encourages and supports your efforts…one that embraces a healthy lifestyle and looks forward to seeing you on rainy Saturday mornings. And, if you haven’t made it to a practice yet, it’s really quite an amazing way to kick-off your weekend!! There’s just so much positive energy…and it’s not just contained within our little group…it ripples out into the world as we disperse for our workouts. I’m telling you…People do notice…and it’s not just the flashy Gatorade green colored shirts…it’s the attitude…the sense of well-being, the genuine enthusiasm for training, and the true enjoyment of being part of the group.
For example…
Last Saturday after you’d all taken off, I headed up to Cafe Vita to get my coffee and squash bread. When I returned to Seward Park, I made a quick stop at our home base water station to make sure that everything was okay before going out along Lake Washington Blvd. As I approached, Steve Miller, caught my eye as he walked over to the curb. I could tell that he had something to tell me. I rolled down the passenger window and leaned over as I maneuvered my car closer to where he stood.
“A woman stopped by and asked if you were here, ” he said. He looked kind of serious.
“Hmmm…What did she look like? Did she tell you her name?”
“No…She just asked if you were around. She looked like she was about your age.”
Well…It turns out that this mystery woman was a friend of mine who was out for a 20-mile training run in preparation for the Chicago Marathon in October. She’s been sidelined with an injury the past couple of years and hasn’t run a marathon since 2007 so it’s really pretty cool to see her out running and thinking about racing again. For her last marathon, she rarely had to do a long run or workout alone….but 3 years is a long time….and things change.
Training partners move or simply move on to other goals, and it takes time to meet new people to run with. You may feel rusty, your confidence shaken, uncertain about committing to a pace or length of workout, and the fear that things won’t go well may make running with others feel risky. It may be better to test things out on your own before you find a another group to train with.
And so last weekend…for whatever reason….she was out running this long….long…very long run…all by herself. She started down at Madison Park, made her way along Leschi to Seward Park, took a couple laps around the perimeter of the park, and then looped back to Madison. She ran the whole long lonely way….by herself.
When I finally caught up with her several days later….her first words were, “Hey! I saw your team….and you know, they are sooo nice!” She started to describe the run to me…about how she’d been out there all alone…how challenging it was…and how the weather wasn’t great…but the bright spot was seeing our group out exercising too. She was very touched that as she passed people from our team, we would greet her and cheer her on. Your energy was contagious and made the whole run feel much less lonely.
So keep it up….You’re making a noticeable impact…and all the good work you’re doing….believe me…one way or another…it does make a difference!
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Boy…Time is flying! We’ve nearly finished our first month of training…and for those of you who’ve been on the team for several years, it’s amazing how these seasons all become part of the natural flow and rhythm of life….
At the end of June, I think you’d all agree that it was time for a break…a chance to cut back on training, take a vacation, sleep in on Saturday mornings, get up early for a hike in the mountains…But by the beginning of August, you were refreshed and ready to reconnect with your team members, catch up with their lives and have a focused goal, a reason to continue exercising as fall creeps in…all the while knowing that when November and the Seattle Half Marathon roll around, you’ll be ready for another break…to back off on mileage and spend time catching up on other life matters. And, really, it couldn’t come at a better time…the weather will only get sloppier and drearier and your schedule will fill with holiday events and traveling…
And then the hope of spring will call you out of hibernation when the cycle starts all over in March. Saturday mornings will again mean early morning training, Fig Newtons, and Gatorade….and it will feel good to have a goal to strive for as the Rock’n Roll Half Marathon waits for you at the end of June…but after that…it’ll be time for another break, a chance to ease up on the training, let your body recover, and give your batteries a chance to recharge…because you’ll want to be ready when August comes around again!
So…Embrace the rhythm, everyone! It’s what keeps things fresh and exciting…and it’s all part of the balance and discipline of a healthy lifestyle!
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Savor the Memories!
It all started when I showed up down at Safeco Field around 4:25 am. Shirley Schultz and Ida Boecksteigel were already there. I parked my car a couple of blocks away, and as I walked to greet them, I started to feel kind of guilty…really…was it necessary to have them get there so early?…I made a lame attempt at apologizing, saying something like, “you know…this might’ve been overkill. We’ll have to talk about if we really need to get here so early next time.”
To which they both energetically responded, “Oh…Dick’s already been here and signed in!”
I waited with them for the next hour seizing the opportunity to recharge my energy stores by plugging into the enthusiasm that Mark Scott, Micah Gwinn, Janette Morantes, Jason Stahl, James Boecksteigel , Dave and Carla Trulson Essenberg, Katherine MacDonald, Allen Vary, Jonathon Baird and his niece all brought with them as they chose to launch their journey down to Tukwila from our check-in station.
Leaving downtown around 5:30, I headed out to my post. I parked above I-90 with plans to run to Seward Park. It’d been a long time since I’d made it out to run that early…shocking how tight I am at that hour! Nonetheless, I timed everything just right so that I had enough time to run up the very long hill from Seward Park to the Colombia City Cafe Vita for coffee and a piece of squash bread before the first runners came through. Otherwise, I’m sure I would’ve collapsed on my couch much earlier in the day!
I positioned myself at my post just as the elite runners started to run by…and made small talk with the event official until our team members started to appear….
The first Team Transplanter on the scene was Jennifer Herlihy. Looking very fit and comfortable, she cruised down the hill with training partner Lynne Sloan, yelling, “We love you Alysun!“ To which I responded, “I love you more!” They looked awesome…like they were on an easy Sunday afternoon run. I know Jen was hoping for a big PR, but her time of 2:0:40 was still very respectable especially when you consider that she was injured most of last fall. Her performance on Saturday was a certain sign that she’s back and that she has a good training base to take along with her to the Transplant games later this month!
Next to arrive was Allen Vary. While Allen’s become a self-proclaimed aerobic training junkie since his transplant, he’s had all kinds of obstacles challenging his status as a super endurance athlete. The most recent was a stumble (something about admiring someone’s shoes??) that left him with a broken hand about 3 weeks before the race. While this curtailed his cycling, he managed to maintain enough of a running/walking regimen to finish the half marathon in a very fine 2:18:01…It’ll be exciting when he actually gets a day when all the pieces to fall into place…I hope to be there to see it happen!
Mari Jo Fraser once again squeezed us in between baseball games…I think I read somewhere on Sunday night that she had completed a half marathon and 3 baseball games over the weekend. Now…really….how many people can say they’ve done that in a lifetime let alone in 2 days?!! Her half marathon time was 2:33:45.
The next participants were a bit of surprise. Lenard Yen and Mark Scott somehow found each other during the first 5 miles of the race. And anyone who’s come to a practice knows that when you mix a little Lenard Yen with a little Mark Scott…well….you just have to hold your breath and hope for the best. And heaven forbid you should get a dose of an awful lot of either one of them! From all reports (well…this would be all of the reports from Mark and Lenard), they spent the entire race egging each other on and pushing each other. If you look at the race photos, you can’t find one shot that doesn’t have both of them in it…or one that doesn’t show the steely determined look of competition on each of their faces. When they flew by me going downhill to Seward Park…it was very clear they were on a mission…
In the final results…Mark, aka, the “coyote” or ”the sticky green guy,” prevailed with an official time 3 minutes faster (a reflection of the corral start) than Lenard, aka, “rock star” or ” cheerleader charmer,” although from the race photos, it’s obvious that in the head-to-head competition, Lenard wasn’t about to Mark an inch and just clipped him at the line. Both finished with incredible times with Mark finishing in 2:52:31, a near personal best, and Lenard, who has spent the last 2 years ringing on the 3 hour doorbell and who had apparently grown weary of waiting for someone to answer, deciding to just go ahead and bust the whole darn door down. He crossed the line in a mind-numbing 2:55:27!
And…what of that other walker??….the one that would not be named…the mystery Team Transplanter of Lenard’s e-mail…the one who was sneaking along the course disguised in a hot pink skort… Well….Far be it for me to ruin the intrigue or blow her cover…but I believe it’s important to give credit where credit is due…and while I have yet to get a formal confirmation…I believe that that elusive walker…the one who managed to overtake the cat’n mouse game just ahead of her… was none other than lung transplant, Anne Hagerty! Anne completely ripped up the course, finishing in a super spectacular PR of 2:45:13!!! Coming so close on the heels of her big race down in Oregon where she set finished in 2:46:30, it’s obvious she was able to ride that thin line between recovery and preparation in the months leading up to the Rock’n Roll Half…not an easy thing to do! Nice work, hot-pink-skirted mystery transplant walker! We’re proud to call you one of us!
Jonathan Baird once again had an impressive day that showcased his incredible consistency. While he got off to a slow start this season, he rallied his training over the last few months, and was bouyed by the support of his niece, who has become a regular at TT events, on race day. As they passed me, they flashed big grins and laughed…Who laughs in the middle of a half marathon?? People who are having a good time, that’s who…It’s awesome to be in the kind of shape that you can go out and do 13.1 miles and enjoy it! Jonathon, wearing his floppy safari hat to the end, finished in just over 3 hours, as his chip time was a very fine 3:01:54.
Next…was newcomer, Maggie Kim. Hard to believe this Team Transplanter is just 6 months out from her surgery as she coasted through the course, running every other mile. It was a lot of fun to see her cruising downhill to Seward Park…headphones in place…dressed in a brown tank top with her foliage green TT shirt wrapped around her waist…and huge smile on her face! hmmmm… seems to be a theme here! Maggie finished in a stellar debut of 3:04:35!
Dan Tennant made his second appearance in the Team Transplant green…and make no doubt about it…we love seeing him in that color! Another recent transplant, it’s amazing to see the progress he’s made in the past year! He was someone who got right into training after his surgery which probably explains why he looked so comfortable as he walked by. He and his wife finished in fine form with a very respectable 3:22:11.
And then…came Dennis Cole…What an incredible story this is! Dennis received his 2nd heart transplant about 2 years ago…His first one lasted 18+ years. I can’t tell you what a thrill it was to see him running down that hill. Also dressed in his best TT green, he was flashing one of those amazing smiles as he paused to give me a report on the first half of the race…and make some editorial comments about the water. I know he slowed down a bit at the end…his final time was 3:27:05…but you know…that just means he’s got a good goal for next time!
Now…about this point, you’re probably thinking…STOP!! Stop it with all the good stuff, Alysun…I can’t take anymore, but…I can’t do that…because you see…there’s still more good stuff to share! And…rememeber…I’ve had all this marinating and simmering inside of me for a WEEK so I’ve got to go somewhere with it…
The next wave included our kidney transplants, Micah Gwinn and Jason Stahl. Micah was in a group with James Boecksteigel that was commandeered by Janette Morantes. They were all business as they marched by…Janette was determined to keep everyone moving and on task. Incredibly….they all fell in line and the extra focus paid off as Micah who has really been making great strides with his training this past year, finished along with Janette in an unbelievable 45-minute PR, completing the 13.1 miles in 3:28:45….James, who’s also overcome some incredible obstacles to be there on Saturday, finished in 3:10:04 (obviously he used the corral start to his advantage)…
Jason Stahl, biding his time back in the chase pack…was soaking it all in…the crowds…the music….the scenery…the cheering squads….He had waited one very long year for this moment and he wasn’t going to miss out on any part of it! He cruised by looking incredibly at ease and relaxed…With this approach, it was obvious that he was in for a big day…and a big day it was! He chopped an astounding 30 minutes off his time in Seattle last fall crossing the line in….3:48:11!
Also sneaking in with this group was Carla Trulson-Essenberg. Walking her second half marathon as a Team Transplanter, she once again showed us that gritty determination and competetiveness that we’ve come to expect and love. Despite a foot issue that popped up during the week leading up to the race, she hung on to finish in a time that was just 5 minutes off of her impressive debut in last year’s event. I know it was big race for her as as both her husband and son walked along with her this year. Carla’s official time was 3:47:11.
Dick Fitzgerald and Ron Adkins, two of our seasoned veterans, rounded out the squad. Both steady and focused, they wisely avoided the quick early pace and patiently made their way along the course as they waited to make their big strategic moves up the hill to I-90. When the dust had cleared, Ron, together with his daughter, Heather, managed to edge out Dick at the end, crossing the line in 4:24:14. Dick still pulled off an excellent finish, winding up the 13.1 mile race in 4:24:30!
Once everyone had cleared the Seward Park area, I started to make my way back to I-90 and my car…darting in and out of the competitors and stopping to walk with team members…whew…it had been 5 hours since I’d last journeyed along this path. Shocking how stiff I can get when I stand around for 5 hours in between runs! As I approached I-90, our cheering section was still going strong. The Millers and Laura Lewis were still every bit as excited to see people come by then as I’m sure they were earlier in the day. I stayed with them until everyone had passed the 9 –mile mark….
I retrieved my car….headed back to QWEST Field…enjoyed the music and reverie of the finish area…and then once everyone was in, headed back home where I had 45 minute break until the fabulous celebration started back up again in my backyard.
It was a wonderful day…and a wonderful celebration. Thanks to all of you who helped make it possible…especially those of you working behind the scenes and on the sidelines! The day would never have happened with out you….
• Sign in /Sign Out…
Shirley Schultz, Ida Boecksteigel, Jeannie Reynolds, Suzann Stahl, Cindy Weber, Colin Rines, and Vanessa Whitacre
• Mile 9 Hoopla Station!
Lenore Miller, Steve Miller, and Laura Lewis
• BBQ
Kris Hendricks, Steve Miller, Dennis Cole, Janette Morantes, and Susan Bussell…and everyone else who contributed to the potluck! It was unbelievable!
And… I need to give an extra big helping of thanks to Steve and Lenore Miller…Steve was at my house on Friday afternoon ready and eager to report for yardwork duty; both of them were out at the Mile 9 Hoopla Station all morning on Saturday; and then they showed up early to help with the BBQ set up and ran the grill for all of us. They definitely earned their Hollywood stars last weekend!
That’s all for now…I’ll be sending updates on our fall season very, very soon. Tenative plan is to start up training again the week of August 9th!
Have a wonderful summer…and savor the memories!
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This is it!
The Second Annual Seattle Rock’n Roll Half Marathon…a wonderful celebration of everything you’ve accomplished over the past 16 weeks! The whole process of getting to this point can seem so mundane…going out for your daily walk or run…eating right…stretching…hydrating…pacing. Just looking at any one individual day, it may not seem like much…but when you add them all up…each day that you followed through on your commitment to exercise; all of the time you shared with your teammates….or enjoyed the solitude of a walk or run in the rain…or spent reading one of Alysun’s lengthy e-mails; every healthy lifestyle behavior that has now become routine…it all becomes something incredibly special!
It becomes the bundle of memories, learning experiences, relationships, improved health, and sense of peace that makes all of the hard work and early mornings worth it. It redefines how you see yourself…adjusts what you see as your limitations…and expands how you see your role in this world. Finishing a half marathon is a big deal…there’s no doubt about that…but even bigger is the ripple effect that accomplishing such a feat can create. If you can walk or run 13.1 miles…what other things are out there waiting for you to conquer?
Yes…training can be a grind…but having the discipline to stick to a plan…to set a goal that you actually reach…to put yourself out on the start line on race day…well…those are mighty powerful things! And they’re the things that you can take with you to your next great endeavor…
But…let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before we solve the problems of the world…and yes…I believe this group could make some great strides toward doing that…let’s not overlook the specialness of this Saturday morning. You’ve worked hard to get to this point, and it’s going to be an amazing day….an incredible reward for sticking to the daily grind. So soak it up! Enjoy the bands…enjoy your teammates and all of the people around you…and enjoy the fact that you truly belong out there…It’s going to be a wonderful celebration!
Go Team!
A few final tips…
It may be warm tomorrow…
Remember to hydrate! Both during the race…and before. If you have a long wait at the start, be sure to bring (or seek out) water to sip on.
Dress appropriately! If it seems chilly at the start, remember that it (and you) will warm up! Layer your clothing for easy removal later in the race when you may not want all of it.
As the sun comes up, try to run and walk on the shady side of the road…
…and remember SUNSCREEN!!!!
For those of you not participating in the race, consider meeting up with Lenore Miller and Laura Lewis out on Lake Washington Blvd where the racers connect with I-90. They’re planning to show up around 8:00am.
That’s all for now…Take it easy today…Get some good rest tonight.
I’ll see ya at O’Dark Thirty tomorrow morning!
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Well….here we are. The last practice of the spring season…and what a spring season it’s been! “Spring season?!” you may be asking…”What exactly has been spring about this season??!” …Well…despite this exceptionally glum weather we’ve been having, there actually have been some springtime moments.
In fact…and brace yourself….I’m about to go all Webster dictionary on you…there are several other ways to think of the word spring, and interestingly, I think some of them do apply very nicely to our team…For example the word “spring” could be mean..
• To be resilient…
Jennifer Herlihy is “springing” back to form and seems to be totally recovered from injury. She’s looking very strong for the Rock’n Roll Half and even has plans to compete in this year’s Transplant Olympics in July.
• To issue with speed or force
Sam Patterson‘s definitely been “springing”out of the starting blocks by working on his speed and tackling a series of shorter races the past few months…He’s been picking up some big PR’s, and I expect he’ll come back as an even bigger force in August!
• To grow…
It was just last year that Jason Stahl was reluctantly sitting on the sidelines wondering if he could really walk 13.1 miles…and now…he’s about to do it for the 2nd time! He’s shown incredible growth over the past year and has really “sprung” up as leader on the team!
• To make a leap…
How about Dennis Cole??…This guy is now out from his 2nd heart transplant and he’s RUNNING!! That’s an incredible leap and “spring” forward from where he was a year ago!
• To stretch out in height…
Has anybody noticed Micah Gwinn lately?…I think he’s been stretching out his training a bit…And with this improved fitness, comes the ability to “spring” up and reach toward new goals! Can’t wait to see where that takes him next Saturday!
• To leap over…
You should have seen Lucky and Seuss playing last Saturday! When tiny Seuss stepped forward and offered the challenge, and the much larger Lucky gleefully accepted….well…you couldn’t have found a better example of leaping over and “springing”…What at a joy to watch such genuine, unbridled fun!…Of course…Seuss probably would have been much happier if someone had “sprung” him from his leash!:-)
…you know…when you think about…it really has been a pretty good spring season!
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Wow! Amazing…Wonderous…Warming…Radiating…Satisfying…Inspiring…Perspiring…Sweatspiring…Transforming…Photosynthesizing…Vegetable garden nourishing…Flower blooming…Red face coloring…Stay on top of hydrating….Awesome…Vitamin D repleting…Invigorating …Energizing …Mood brightening…Shining…Yellow… Glowing… Awakening….Basking…Gotta get out and do something…Time to go shades shopping…What’s the latest on spf rating…lazy days are coming…Oh yeah! there is a summer season…reassuring…
Last Saturday morning….Ssssunshiiiiine.
Sounds like we could be in for another bright Saturday morning….Even if you’re not doing the race or not up to 12 miles, don’t miss out on a chance to enjoy a beautiful day…and the good company of your fellow Team Transplanters!
SAMMY WINS IN A WALK !!!!!!!!!!!!
PORT ANGELES,WA- Although officially finishing third in the 60-69 age division, Sam Patterson of Seattle’s University of Washington Medical Center Team Transplant was the first walker in that category to cross the finishline in the Olympic Discovery Marathon 5K, placing behind 2 runners. His time of 51:29, averaged out to a 16.42 pace, on a course that routed participants along the shores of the Strait of Juan de Fuca Water Front Park. His nearest competitor was 1:00 behind.
The course was downright muddy in two sections from an all-night rain, which finally let up around 7:00AM, two hours before the beginning of the 5K. The start was a shoulder-to-shoulder affair with both 5 and 10K competitors mixed together in a narrow gate behind the Red Lion hotel parking lot.
“Once that all got sorted out, it was fine,” said Patterson. “Ennis Hill was pretty steep, but at home I train on a steep one, referring to the hill along 100th St. NW, although it’s shorter than this one was. Once I crested the top, I just wanted to get out of there.”
Sam half-sprinted downhill finding his rhythm in the straightaway and looking smooth all the way into the finishline.
After shaving 9 seconds off his personal best for the 8k down in Olympia last month, Sam was ecstatic to cap off his spring season with another big PR for the 5k. He plans to return for the Seattle Half Marathon training next fall.
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OLYMPIA,WA (May 17, 2010)- Standing tall amidst a packed Washington Park here downtown, stood the statue of two-time elected Governor John Rogers from the turn of the 20th century. His face seemed to smile at all the commotion around him. About five or so yards from His Honor gathered six participants in extraordinary green jersies. Their eyes had a sly smile about them. Who swallowed the canary here ? …And what or who on earth is Team Transplant?
Once more… they check cell phone numbers and directions to the post-race brunch…Got it? GOT IT!! NOW GET IT!!!
A horn blasts at the start. A record number of 5-mile participants rally through the first and second turns of the course. The climb up Capital Way begins. STEVE MILLER and his daughter JACQUE are leading the walking pack and setting a brisk pace. SAM PATTERSON, joined by native Olympian, JASON STAHL, is close behind. They will stay neck and neck for two and half miles. LENORE MILLER and MICAH GWINN are settling in to a comfortable pace.
Linda, the sole Team Transplant representative in the half marathon, closes the day finishing her 13.1 mile race in 2:06:42. Despite struggling through miles 7-11, she holds on strong to place 2nd in her age group. Looking toward the future, she says, “Now it’s on to Rock’n Roll…WOOHOO!”
Shortly afterwards, an absolutely scrumptious brunch was had at the waterfront Bud Bay restaurant by the known finishers. Smiles of satisfaction were noted all the way around the table. No one may know who swallowed the canary this morning, but we definitely known who topped off their meal with Chocolate Mousse decadence…to the victors truly go the spoils !!!
I know it’s easy to fall into a little lull at about this point in the season. The novelty is wearing off and the race is still soooo far away! That’s why I really recommend you get out and participate in one of the events listed below! It’ll add a little variety to your routine and give you a chance to see how much progress you’ve made in the last 2 months…
And in fact…I speak from personal experience. My running had been getting a little dull the past few weeks so I decided to spice things up a bit and entered the Top Pot Doughnut 5k last Sunday. And, yes…I did receive more than a few raised eyebrows when I mentioned my plans. After all…how could a dietitian support an event that champions doughnuts!?
Well…for me, it wasn’t about doughnuts….it wasn’t even about the official charity. It was more about the pursuit of childhood exuberance. You see…my dad was a high school track and cross-country coach; and during the summer, he’d encourage his runners to meet at our house early in the morning so that they could get their training in before it got really hot (This was Kansas remember), and often, I’d join them. As an extra incentive, he’d occasionally organize a doughnut run. We had a 2-mile loop from our house and Daylight Donuts was at the 1-1/2 mile mark. We would run as hard as we could to the doughnuts, sit in the parking lot eating them, and then, of course, have to walk the remaining 1/2 mile home.
The Top Pot Doughnut 5k…it was hardly about the doughnuts…It was about recapturing a time when I ran just because I could…it wasn’t about trying to be healthy…or about pacing or official vs. chip times or maintaining weekly mileage…it didn’t have to be scheduled in between work and other commitments…and it certainly wasn’t something that I HAD to do…it was about doing what came naturally…running as hard as I could for as long as I could…and then celebrating the experience with good friends…over doughnuts and a carton of ice cold chocolate milk….and heading home to take a nap because there was nothing else to do.
…which is exactly what I did on Sunday!
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In case you were wondering…Jennifer Herlihy, who was sidelined by injury last fall, is back! Even though we haven’t seen much of her this past season, she is running and is nearing, if not exceeding, last season’s form when she broke 2 hours for the Rock’n Roll Half Marathon. She competed in the Seahawk Team Spirit 12k on April 11and finished with an incredible time of 1:04 (that’s 8:50 pace!) I know she’s got big plans for this year’s RnR race and it looks like her steady progress which included taking the time needed to heal, cross training, and a gradual return to running has her right on track to meet her expectations! We look forward to seeing more of her in May!Sam Patterson, competed in the Walk for the Water 5k on Sunday. From the sounds of things, he was having an incredible race up until about 4k when he had to stop for a few minutes and dropped from 3rd to last in his age group. Despite this disappointment, Sam was able to take a philosophical look back on his performance…”This puts a lot in perspective. Its called Team Transplant. We battle adversity. There are a lot of people who have had it a lot worse and stayed the course. Sunday was such a beautiful day to be down on the waterfront…the water…the mountains…the fresh air. It was a great day to be alive!”Perhaps an even bigger highlight for Sam is that being alive means that he gets to skate another day. In his Monday night hockey game, he scored a goal on a break away and then followed it up by setting up two more goals. A pretty successful weekend, I’d say!
Off to the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon!
Some words of inspiration from Shirley Schultz. Shirley, a new liver recipient, joined us for the first time last fall. This excerpt is from an article she contributed to her work newsletter as she reflects upon her race and her first season as a Team Transplanter…
And me? I participated with the UW Medical Center’s Team Transplant for a couple of reasons. Partly this was because the coach started recruiting me about two days after I received a new liver last March. I was a bit dubious – not only because at that time it was impossible to walk across the room, let alone a whole mile – but also because I have never in my life set a fitness goal and actually worked toward it in a consistent manner. Forget actually accomplishing a goal… I had always had one excuse or another.I was finally able to join the training sessions in September and quickly realized I had completely underestimated the motivational power of a team! . There was something about knowing that the 65-year-old heart/lung recipient would be out there slogging through the course that really killed any excuses I might have had for skipping practice. There was also the encouragement from meeting and getting to know folks who are 20-year recipients, and watching the hard work of one teammate who was a month behind me. This overpowered lazy Saturday mornings to inspire cold or soggy or long runs and walks around Seattle. It overpowered muddy trails and steep hills and sore knees. It overpowered any sense of “I can’t” that I had.Best of all, though, at some point on a muddy run through Discovery Park, I realized I was really, truly, having fun. I plan to continue and actually run the half marathon with Team Transplant this June… because I can for the first time in my life, it’s good for me, it’s a stress release, it’s a way to support friends, but mostly because it’s fun. I think that’s probably what my colleagues would say, too. Wish us luck (and good knees)!
Seattle Half Marathon Wrap Up—Another Amazing Team Transplant Weekend!
It’s almost been a week now…the dust has settled…your muscles are starting to limber up…the spring is returning to your step…and hopefully what you’ve just accomplished has started to sink in…because what you’ve just accomplished is a Big Deal.
For you rookies, simply finishing your first 5k or half marathon is a Big Deal. It may have been something that seemed unimaginable just 4 months ago and now…it’s a reality! For those of you who’ve done this race nine times now…the training, the course, the build-up may all seem a bit routine, but think back to where you started. To have 13.1 miles…on this challenging course…seem routine…That is a Big Deal!
While all of you followed the same path on race day, each of your journeys was different. Your reasons for starting the training…for keeping it up…for actually making it to the starting line…All different. And each year you do it, your reasons will probably change. Next time your goal may be to not just finish, but to improve your time…or perhaps to use it as a way to encourage a family member or friend to exercise along with you… maybe you’ll try to run it…or at least some more of it. And while your motivations keep changing…they keep bringing you back…Back to the team where some things will stay the same. You’ll continue to get stronger and healthier… to make lasting friendships…and to show the whole world that organ transplant recipients can and do live active, healthy lives!
And those things…well… those are the things that are the Biggest Deals of all!
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Highlights from the Big Weekend….Recapping a few memorable moments…
• Watching our 5kers on Saturday morning…We had 11 participants entered in Saturday morning’s race including Vanessa Whitacre, Colin Rines, Carla Trulson-Essenberg, Reggie White, Jennifer Herlihy, and Frank Irigon. They did an amazing job and showed that the continuum of training sometimes involves backing off and starting slowly…but not giving up completely!
• Just as exciting was the support crew that showed up to cheer them on! Believe me…when you’ve got Sam Patterson, Ron Adkins, Jason Stahl, Terry Way, Steve Reynolds, Lenard Yen, and Andy Deckert all rooting for you, you will pick up the pace!
• Listening to Jennifer Herlihy and Jason Stahl tell their stories at the pre-race pasta dinner on Saturday night! They did an incredible job and left everyone inspired for the next day’s events!
• Hearing Janette Morantes say that she couldn’t believe how much better our team members looked coming up the hill on Galer compared to everyone else!
• Mari-Jo Fraser‘s stealth appearance as she squeezed us in between baseball seasons!
• Looking up to see Mark Rosinbum running up Galer Hill…and then watching Mark Scott, Lenard Yen, and Jonathon Baird (who, by the way, is totally a public speaker whether he thinks he is or not!) all follow suit!
• Anne Hagerty‘s big course PR! She clipped 5 minutes off last year’s time and broke 3 hours in the process!
• Dan Tennant’s and Shirley Schultz‘s incredible Team Transplant debuts! Expect to seem them dipping below the 3-hour barrier very, very soon!
• Terry Way and son, Jeff, finishing the race together; and Ron Adkins and daughter, Heather, doing the same! It’s wonderful to see exercise becoming a family tradition!
• Tami Sadusky…actually this is a missed memorable moment…I missed seeing the gap Tami gained on Mike coming up the hill. Next time, Michael….I’ll be there! You can count it! And Tami…you go, girl!
• Sam Patterson‘s course record of 4:11:06…Sam is now an HOUR faster than he was 5 years ago when he started with us. Turns out he also negative splitted the race on Sunday (meaning he did the second half of the race faster than the first!)…an amazing feat in any race…but especially notable with the hills in the final half of this one.
• Jason Stahl…Talk about continuum of training! This guy has it down! Last year he was just too fresh out of transplant to make 13.1 miles, but he still came up to do the 5k. And this year…Look at him? He’s a half-marathoner!
• Having Dick Fitzgerald back! He hasn’t sported a Team Transplant jersey for this race since 2006. Good to know he’s returning to form!
• Micah Gwinn…proving that commitment , dedication, and teamwork is what it’s all about as he finished along with good friend and training partner, Lenore Miller!
• And last, but certainly not least….Allen Vary‘s debut marathon performance. He learned the hard lesson that even when you do your best to train, things don’t have to go your way….But he also showed us that even though things don’t go your way, you can still feel pretty good about how you did!
Thanks for an amazing day, everyone! It truly was a privilege to be out there on Sunday to cheer you all on!
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Wow! Can you believe it? Have you taken a look at the
training schedule?…You only have to go 6 miles on Saturday! Six
miles…Think about the last time you saw a 6-mile workout on your
schedule. It may have seemed daunting at the time. Could you
really run or walk that far? Now…crazy enough…you might be
wondering…Is it even worth the drive to Green Lake for such a piddly
workout? Six miles is something that you could do on any
ordinary day, but the difference is that doing it with Team Transplant is
anything but ordinary. What you all have been doing over the past 4 months
has been nothing short of extra-ordinary.
For whatever reason…you decided back in August to make a commitment to do this race, the Seattle Half Marathon. Maybe you wanted to lose weight…Maybe you wanted to meet new people or reconnect with old friends…Maybe you wanted to show everyone that even at 40 or 50 or 60, you’ve still got kick in you!…Maybe you wanted to celebrate the fact that you’ve started a new journey in life, one that includes second chances and a new lifestyle… Whatever your reason…You’ve now discovered that Gatorade isn’t terrible, and that you love Fig Newtons…Your training turf ranges from Redmond to Discovery Park…You know that you can manage 10-12 miles, even when hills are involved…And…you’ve got a whole bunch of friends who expect to see you on Saturday mornings…including this Saturday morning when you’re ONLY going 6 miles…
There’s nothing piddly about that….nothing piddly at all.
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Wow…that was blustery day out at Kirkland on Saturday! I’m sure many of you heard the wind and rain and opted to stay at home under the covers….an understandable decision. Yet we had a crew of about 20 who chose to show up. Unbelievably, one of them was Mark Scott, who drove alll the way from Magnolia to join us and who hasn’t been as visible this season because of his son’s soccer season. Crazy that he picked Saturday to ramp up his training! As he got out his car to greet me, he said, “Soccer season is over. The team went 7-1…My son had a happy season.”
Mmmm…the Happy Season! Who doesn’t love a happy season!? In my more competitive days, the happy season meant running fast times; winning races;competing for state and league championships; qualifying for big races; placing at nationals; eating pre-race dinners at Valentino’s all-you-can-eat Italian buffet and celebrating with lunch at the Sirloin Stockade after important meets. But now that I’m older, I’m hoping that a happy season doesn’t have to depend on a win-loss record or a stopwatch. I want happy to have a deeper meaning…but how then do you measure one season against another? Mark’s comment made me wonder…When I look back on this past season, what are the things that are going to make it happy for me?
• Patrick Green‘s neon orange shoelaces (how can you not smile when you see his feet??)
• Rachel Lyon‘s and Jeff Edelman‘s marathon PR’s
• Jason Stahl‘s 6 minute PR in the 5k and the anticipation of his debut half marathon
• Terry Way’s son, Jefferson, joining our team!
• Jennifer Herlihy and Bridget O’Connor taking an interest in interval running
• Seeing Allen Vary running along Juanita Way as I drove to practice on Saturday…and realizing later that he had NOT just run from Ballard!
• TT Homeland Security‘s incredible commitment…Would you believe they went searching for our lost cone in last Saturday’s blustery weather?
• Thursday night hill workouts with Seth Hennessey, Sam Patterson, Micah Gwinn, Jonathon Baird, and the Millers
• Random encounters with Mark Rosinbum…recently seen walking across the Fremont Bridge on Thursday afternoon.
• Mari Jo Fraser‘s butterfly balloon at Issaquah
• Watching our rookies, Dan Tenant and Shirley Schultz, mix it up with our veterans
• Lenard Yen’s incredible web design talent!
• Sam Niles loving her water station duties on race day!
• Having James Boeckstiegel be able to participate in practices and getting to cheer him on in the 5k on Nov. 28th!
I hope that you too can look back upon the past few months and find things that will make this a happy season for you!
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Amazing to think that we only have 2 more long workouts to go! It’s been quite a year, and we’ve had some amazing breakthroughs in the past few weeks. Our newly transplanted members, Shirley Schultz and Dan Tennant, are performing at an incredible level; Allen Vary completed his 20-mile run on Saturday and has his sights set on the whole marathon on Nov. 29th; Jason Stahl clipped 6 minutes off his 5k time last weekend; and Jonathon Baird and Dick Fitzgerald just continue to get stronger and stronger.
But just as exciting as a breakthrough season is the comeback. For some of you, this year has just proven to have too many challenges…from health concerns to injuries to family and work commitments, all of which can make training for a half marathon seem like a dream. The important thing to remember is that these setbacks aren’t the final answer. Quite often, setbacks are followed by comebacks which result in breakthroughs. I don’t know if any of you watched the New York City Marathon last weekend, but it showcased an amazing comeback. Meb Keflezighi became the first American to win the race in 27 years! It was an incredible comeback and breakthrough for a truly amazing person who’s had his share of setbacks over the past few years. (for more on Meb’s journey, go to: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2009/11/meb-keflezighi.html#Replay)
As Dick Fitzgerald so aptly put it on Saturday, the breakthrough is when you feel that all of the “pieces fall into place,” training gets easier, and it becomes less of a struggle and you feel like you’re getting faster. And, as Meb would advise, it’s a time that you need to “Cherish…it’s a beautiful thing, when you can click the miles along. It’s a beautiful thing, and you better cherish it.”
Setbacks are inevitable. They’re a part of sport…and definitely a part of life. But remember…the dream of the breakthrough is what gets you through those setbacks and drives your comeback. So if you’re someone who’s experiencing a breakthrough year, follow Meb’s words of wisdom and cherish it. If you’re someone struggling through setbacks this season…Don’t give up. Your turn is coming!
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We were certainly treated to a beautiful day out at Alki last Saturday morning…much different than our last little adventure out there! Once again Ron pulled off a phenomenal course including the additional Endolyne Joe loop to make sure the mileage was accurate (we had a few complaints last year from people who felt short-changed after their Garmins showed that their total mileage was only 9 vs. the 10 miles they were expecting)
To fulfill my coaching duties, I decided to drive out to Lincoln Park to see how everyone was doing. I planted myself in the upper parking lot of the park where I could catch all of you as you came up the trail back onto the street. If you remember, this was the critical juncture where you chose to take the Endolyne Joe loop or head back to Alki. The first person I saw pop out of the park was Steve Miller, aka, the greatest downhill runner ever. He didn’t stop long to chat because close behind him were Jonathon Baird and Mark Rosinbum…He greeted me quickly and then charged downhill to the ferry terminal. As Jonathon and Mark approached me, they indicated that they would be going separate directions. Jonathon, to Endolyne Joe’s. Mark, back to Alki. Strange, I thought…They seemed to be having such a lovely time together.
As they parted ways, Mark turned to me and said, “I’m going back. I find that leg down to Endolyne Joe’s offensive.” When he saw the funny look on my face, he explained, “It disrupts the flow. I really like the way this course flows and that little leg just doesn’t fit.”
Wow…I get that. Sure, it feels good to know that I’ve gone exactly the 12 miles I intended to do, but it’s never as exciting as the times I’ve experienced a run with good flow. There’s nothing more exhilarating than feeling like everything is in synch…my stride is smooth…breathing comes easily…the twists and curves of the course feel natural…and, mentally, it feels like I can keep going forever…no one can beat me…I can only run faster. It doesn’t happen very often…so when it does, I can certainly appreciate the importance of protecting it. Don’t get me wrong…I can be just as much of a mileage cruncher as the next person…In fact, I caught myself doing this just the other day…I was running to the Park’n Ride to pick up my car. I was under kind of a tight schedule, and in getting to my destination, I had settled into a pretty nice rhythm…probably the best I could hope for with a pack on my back…but when I got there, I was 5 minutes short of my 45-minute running goal. Since I didn’t want to take time to wait at stoplights, I opted to spend the next 5 minutes running around the Park’n Ride parking lot. It was awful…clunky…my rhythm was gone. And to use Mark’s words…It was offensive!
Now…I’m not saying that getting in your mileage isn’t important…and I’m not saying that I think that the Endolyne Joe’s loop was offensive. Flow is a very personal thing. There will, of course, be times that you’ll have to press through the clunkiness to get in the proper training…but when you do get that rare opportunity to enjoy the sensation of flow…go with it!. It can definitely give your workout a lift and transform the idea of training into a magical experience!
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For those of you who missed it, last Saturday’s practice was a lot of fun! We had a smaller turnout…probably the weather?… but it was a very spirited group that showed up. As we started the warm-up, one of our members made a comment that I appreciated very much. “I figured I could go out and do my run alone or show up and do it with someone else. I decided that it’s much better to have someone else to run with.” It’s true…it’s much more fun to have someone to talk to and to hold you accountable to running or walking the entire workout…but not only that…it’s nice to know that there’s someone else out there who understands and gets why you had to drive all the way to Discovery Park early on a rainy Saturday morning…to exercise.
When I first started back to running competitively after moving to Seattle, I joined a group that did track workouts at the dirt track at Green Lake. You can only imagine what that track looked like after a week like we’ve had. Mud…Puddles…goo! Yet, 20-30 people would show up every Wednesday to run intervals around that track. Afterwards, I’d have mud caked on my legs; flecks of mud on my face; clumps of mud in my hair; industrial strength mudstains running up the back of my shirt that no laundry detergent could ever remove. On one especially wet, dreary, rainy, muddy night, I stopped at 7-11 on my way home to buy some Gatorade. As I walked up to the counter to purchase my drink, the clerk looked at me and said, “It looks like someone’s been having some fun.” It’s only when I caught a glance at my reflection in the window that I realized that the way I’d chosen to spend my evening..It probably wasn’t normal…Nor was it apparently normal to meet friends for a long marathon training run at 5:30am on a Friday morning before work. From a scheduling standpoint, it all worked out…I was done running by 8:00; into work by 9:00, but later on when someone asked why I looked tired, and I’d have to explain that I’d gotten up super early so that I could run 20-ish miles…the look on their faces…well…It’s then that I realized that what I’d done..it probably wasn’t considered normal either. But, I have to say..it was nice to know that I had those 20-30 other people who understood why on a muddy Wednesday night I had to go run intervals…even if the track was sloppy and that I had those friends who knew why, of course, it made sense to squeeze a long run in before work when I already had a busy weekend planned. It was good to know that there were others out there who got it…almost like a secret or inside joke we all shared and no one else was privileged to it.
So for all of you who stopped for coffee after Saturday’s practice despite the mud caked on your legs…or returned home to greet family members who were completely turned off by your rain-drenched, sweaty presence…or had to explain why you really deserved that nap on Saturday afternoon…know that you aren’t alone. You have a group of friends in Team Transplant who completely understand and get it…and were happy to share the experience with you!
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I hope the training’s going well. Amazing to think that we are just 6 weeks away from the big race! Between now and then, we’ll be venturing onto some hillier courses and continuing to increase our long workouts on Saturdays in preparation for the 13.1 miles on November 29th. And the irony of it all? Just as we’re getting down to the nitty gritty with our training, the weather starts to change and the days grow shorter, making it even more of a challenge! While it may be easier now to come up with reasons to avoid your workouts, it’s important to remember that there are still many more reasons for why you should stick with your training routine…Reasons that don’t depend on the weather or the time the sun sets. You can still get stronger and fitter and improve your overall health; you can still enjoy the camaraderie of good friends and teammates; and you can still help bring attention to donor awareness and the impact of transplantation.
It may mean you have to stray from your usual routine a bit by adjusting your schedule or planning to do more of your workouts on a treadmill or by adding an extra layer to your usual training attire, but the benefits? Without a doubt…they’re worth the extra effort!
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Wow! Can you believe we are already closing in on the halfway point for our training?! As a means of evaluating our progress, I thought this might be a good time to recap some of the season’s highlights:
1.) We’re getting hoodies!
2.) It turns out that foliage green is a very pleasant color!
3.) We’ve found a couple of great new training locations at Montlake Community Center, Lower Woodlands, and Volunteer Park!
4.) Wow! We’ve had amazing weather!!
5.) And now rain is now considered a refreshing alternative!
6.) I’ve been able to come up with some new training tips!! (Be sure to check out this week’s!)
7.) Our vounteer support has been incredible! People are stepping up to help out with water stations and our TT Department of Homeland Security continues to make practices run oh so smoothly!
8) All of you…Once again our roster is topping the 80-member mark which includes 25 members who are transplant recipients or donors! The fact that you’re all out there working to improve your fitness, showing off the benefits of transplantation, and supporting each other along the way is the biggest highlight of all!
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Kudos to everyone who ventured out to try our new course last weekend! We had another phenomenal turnout…and I’ve gotten nothing put positive feeback about the new route. Not knowing the Capital Hill area well myself, I was a little hesitant to go there, but it turned out to be a very scenic, residential, urban alternative to our wilderness jaunts out at Discovery Park and Redmond Town Center. We’ve also been trying out something different with our Thursday night workouts by mixing up the terrain a bit with our practices in Lower Woodlands….I’m still trying to sort out the best way to coordinate these practices so there’s a bit of a learning curve and the appearance of some disorganization ( though I do think the cones work better than the whistle so I think we’re making progress!), but it’s so refreshing to try something new.
I’ve also been finding this with my own running. As a competitive runner, it’s easy to get locked into certain routines. You know exactly how far a course is and exactly how long it should take you to finish it; and you can fixate on having a consistent measure. However, lately, its been weighing me down. I need to focus on enjoying my runs…not on using them as tools for comparison. So I too have been looking for new routes; adding new twists to my old ones; and trying to do a better job of coordinating with friends to make my outings more social.
For those of you who are a little uncertain about training with the group or not sure if you want to drive alll the way out to West Seattle or are locked into measuring your progress on one particular route…why not come out and at least give a Saturday practice a try? We’ve got a beautiful course planned for you out at Alki this weekend—it’s tried and true so no learning curves or disorganization involved—and we’ve got great people for you to train with. I guarantee it’ll be a refreshing alternative—you won’t have any choice but to focus on enjoying your walk or run!
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Wow! I don’t know about you, but I woke up around 5:30 last Saturday morning, heard the rain, and thought…ughhh…I can’t believe I’m going to have to drive down to Seward Park. Who is going to show up?…It’s pouring out! And, if they do show…They’re not going to be happy! Then I thought…I’m sure it’ll stop by the time I have to get out of bed….It almost always does…and rolled over and went back to sleep…until Janette called at 6:30…It was still raining….and hard… to tell me that Susan Bussell had called her requesting that she bring the canopy (a sure sign that the weather wasn’t any better down south). Since Janette was out with a cold…she wondered if perhaps I could swing by her house to get the canopy on my way down to Seward Park. Wow…Now I was responsible for bringing something. I laid in bed…thinking that I’d get up when the rain stopped…but it didn’t. The rain just kept falling…and, as far as I could tell, it hadn’t let up since 5:30. Finally…I dragged myself out of bed. It was 7:10…so much for leaving my house by 7:00. I made it out the door, into the car, to Janette’s…all the time thinking…This is just goofy! Who in their right mind is going to show up? It’s miserable out here!…Who is the crazy person who thought this was a good idea anyway? I mean really…every Saturday!?! Even when it’s raining?!
As I neared Seward Park, my spirits lifted…no, it hadn’t stopped raining, not even close…but I saw our very cheerful yellow cones already set up to mark our practice route. Rachel Lyons ran by. She was getting in her extra marathon-training mileage before the rest of the group showed up. Harch and Susan Bussell were waiting eagerly for me at the park entrance, ready to assemble the canopy. Obviously they were looking forward to a little shelter. Team in Training was camped out across the street, their water station person huddled in a car, eyeing our canopy with envy I’m sure! Terry Way and his son pulled into the parking lot next to me, and then Lenard drifted in…Thankfully people who could lead stretches! Allen Vary rolled in on his bike. He had ridden from Ballard….and had the soaking wet cycling attire to prove it! Mark Scott and Co…Tami and Mike…Lenore, Steve, and Micah…Shirley Schultz, making her debut appearance….people just kept coming! Mark Rosinbum popped up on the scene…right on time…to report for water station duty while Nancy Colobong Smith and husband Tim slid in, per their usual routine, just at the last minute, to catch everyone as they headed out onto the course…All totalled, we had a crew of about 30 people show up!
What can I say? Thanks for being a part of the goofiness! Your commitment and dedication continues to amaze me, and your positive attitudes are always an inspiration (I didn’t hear one complaint about the morning!) And, believe it or not…it did actually finally stop raining just as we headed out to walk and run.
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I don’t know if you’ve been paying any attention to it…but I’ve been totally caught up in watching the World Championships for Track and Field this week. Held every 2 years, the World Championships are a chance for the best athletes in the world to come together in head-to-head competition during the non-Olympic years. Since the sprinting races are always favorites to show on TV, you can often hear the commentators discussing an athlete’s ability to get off to a good start. It can completely make or break a race for them…so much so that the athletes spend hours just practicing this particular aspect of their race. The start determines their role in the race…will they be the one who has control of the race or will they be the one playing catch up?…and a good start can give them an extra edge on their opponents. Even though it may be as little as .01 second, it can be huge in a race like the 100m.
Well…last weekend’s practice may have been the beginning of something a little longer than the 9.58 seconds it now takes to run the 100m dash, but I think it still carries a lot of meaning. As the official start to our season, Saturday made it clear that we are off to one incredible time! From the beautiful weather to the phenomenal turnout to the amazing breakfast spread to the warm camaraderie and team spirit that all of you brought with you, it’s certain that we aren’t in this to play catch up. In our case…it’s not about crossing the line in first place or in record time. It’s about making healthy lifestyle choices and being a part of a community that supports those choices. There may be no finishline tape waiting for us, but it’s the ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle that determines who’s the winner here. And it’s clear…in this race…we have the edge! The gun has gone off…and we are out of the blocks running (and walking!) Let’s keep that momentum going!
Team Transplant’s Rock ‘h Roll Season:
With our season entering its second month, we continue to blow out our previous spring training turnout records!!Believe it or not, we are averaging 50 people each Saturday morning! And, this isn’t 50 people choosing to roll out of bed at 10:00 in the morning or 50 people choosing to come out if the weather looks okay. This is 50 people who are making the decision to get an early active uplifting start to their weekends even if it means going to be a little early on Friday night or having to set an alarm on their day off, and more importantly, this is 50 people who are making the commitment to reach their training goals no matter what the day may bring. And don’t think it’s not being noticed…Your enthusiasm has been contagious! I keep getting e-mails from people who would like to join us. The race is still 3 months away, my friends…I can’t wait to see where all of this excitement and energy is going to take us!
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Such a beautiful time of year (at least for today it seems so!)…I think this is the fun part of starting our training in March and going through June. We get to see how Mother Nature transforms herself from the barren grayness of winter to the bursting with color of spring! And, as I think about it some more, this idea of transformation is a theme that’s been carried throughout UWMC this entire week. Our Dr. Baktha was awarded the Service Excellence award for his efforts to make a kidney transplant happen during the December snowstorm; we celebrated the unveiling of the organ transplant tribute wall on Tuesday; and the hospital will celebrate its 50th anniversary this weekend. Each of these events recognizes in some way the impact and transformational nature of organ donation and transplantation.
It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of these celebrations, but for me, I feel even more blessed to be able to witness this transformation on a personal level every single Saturday morning. To watch so many of you, who may have never dreamed of doing anything active before, suddenly realize that yes, you can do a half marathon (or a 5k or a full marathon), is pretty amazing! And it’s not just the progression over the course of 16 weeks. It’s amazing to see the progression of those who’ve been involved for the past 8 years. The transformation just continues. It doesn’t end once you’ve crossed the finishline. Each race…in fact, each step starting with your very first Team Transplant practice…is a building block for your next great adventure…whatever that might be. This transformation..this process of training…is a such an amazing journey…a bright, beautiful, bursting with color journey. And I can’t wait to see where it takes each one of you!
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Hey, everyone..
It’s about this point in the season where I feel like I’m turning into a broken record… You guys are so amazing that you don’t give me much else to say other than “Wow! What an incredible turnout! You’re all doing awesome! Can’t wait for race day! Our team is going to rock! Keep up the good work!” And, that may be how some of you feel about training right now…You know it’s going great, but you’re a little tired of your training routes; looking forward to another way to spend a Saturday morning; ready to think about something else….All of that is normal. I do it, too, but the important thing to remember is that what you all are doing is making a huge impact…in fact, I was at a party a couple of weekends ago and a friend told me that she had become an organ donor for the first time because of our team…That’s amazing! And, it’s not just about doing the race. It’s about taking the time and making the effort to prepare for it…to make the event something special by making exercise and fitness a part of your regular lifestyle habits… The race is going to be huge and exciting…but it’s what happens along the way that makes it possible. That’s what gets people’s attention.
So all I have for you today is…”Wow! What an incredible turnout! You’re all doing awesome! Can’t wait for race day! Our team is going to rock! Keep up the good work!” And while you’re all doing that good work…I’m going to go look for a thesaurus!:-)
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…a Running (and Walking) Nirvana…That’s what they’re calling this weekend. Using my new love of looking things up in the dictionary and thesaurus, it’s interesting to note that one of the definitions for nirvana is “oblivion to pain, worry, and the external world.” Now I’m not sure if that exactly applies to what most of us have experienced during a half marathon or marathon, and I have to admit my episodes of runners high have been few and far between. But I do think it’s a great way to approach the race…Everyone does best when they’re feeling relaxed, and this race is going to be A LOT of fun…So go out and enjoy the experience! Enjoy the music! Enjoy the course! Let the wave of 25,000 people carry you along…What will be will be (that was just on the radio:-). You’ve done the training…Some of you have even dialed it up a notch or two over the last few months. I couldn’t be more proud of how the season has gone. If you don’t quite manage a Nirvana experience…at least go out and have a rockin’ good time!
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Wow! That was fun! I don’t think we could have asked for a more beautiful day…While it might have been a touch on the warm side for racing, it was pretty much perfect for spectating. And, in my role as the Queen Bee Spectator, I can’t believe how many of you I was able to see during the race…I mean there were like 24,925 people I had to sort through to find you…And what I saw when I saw you was so darn cool…You all were having so much fun!….no cares in the world…trekking along “oblivious to pain, worry, and the external world”……Nirvana? Only you can be the judge of that. A rockin’ good time? You made me a believer!
But what was most impressive was how much you all enjoyed looking out for each other and seeing each other before, during, and after the race. That kind of camaraderie is a special thing…not all teams have it. But you guys…you guys…I think you do. According to Wikipedia (I’m branching out here), the most effective team is produced when “all the individuals involved harmonize their contributions and work towards a common goal.”
Now, I know I tend to be the competitive one of the bunch so I always think this means winning, but truly, you all understand that there is a goal bigger than winning a race or championship. It’s overcoming obstacles…and not letting little things drag you down. It’s striving to get the most out of life…and enjoying every single moment of the day. It’s embracing a healthy, active lifestyle…and showing that transplant recipients and donors can live that way too. It’s surrounding yourself with people who support and encourage you…and to whom you can return the favor once in awhile.
A band at every mile? Who needs that? With UWMC Team Transplant in the mix, there is bound to be plenty of good harmony all along the way!
