Rob's registered!

Robert LaFlamme is ready to go. Rob was Mark's best friend and helped take care of him until the very end. The strength that he showed in standing by Mark is amazing, and we're so glad to have him running with us! You can check out Rob's fundraising page at the link on the right.

Jennifer's on board!

Jennifer (Riddle) Patterson is on board for the race! Her fundraising link has been added to the sidebar to the right. As you can see from this picture, she's another woman to be reckoned with!

Did you know ...

Mark in said letter jacket with Stephanie.

Mark had a letter jacket in high school. I didn't think about it at first, but once I did, I found this strange since Mark wasn't exactly athletic. He didn't even like to sweat. The incredulous look on his face when I asked him how in the world he got a letter jacket was pure Mark. Well, it turns out, Mark lettered as a Freshman (I think, maybe Sophomore) in track. Who would have guessed?! I can't imagine Mark running for anything except his life, but there you have it.

Shoes and stuff

The first group run in DC was a week ago Saturday, and a running specialist came in from one of the local running stores to give us the basics in shoes, gear, hydration and nutrition. It was pretty enlightening. Here are a few nuggets I thought I'd pass on:

1. Get fitted for a pair of shoes at an actual running store, not just any sporting goods store. They should have you run on a treadmill to check your gait to make sure you get the right shoes. I learned the hard way that putting on a pair of shoes because they match my sweater can lead to rather large blisters. The shoes I got are Asics and feel like they are hugging my feet. I guarantee I would have bought the wrong shoes if I hadn't gone to Potomac River Running. Team In Training has worked out discounts for our chapter at a few different stores. Check with your local chapter to see what they have. I only paid $80 for a really good pair. I picked up a second pair at Dick's Sporting Goods that were on sale since I knew what I needed.
2. Get new socks. Thread-bare, worn out socks can make blisters bigger than the wrong shoes. (Please learn from my mistakes!) Fleetfeet are my friends!
3. This one is for the ladies: If you are well-endowed, get fitted for a sports bra by someone who knows what they're doing. Your back will thank you.
4. There is a lot of "gear" out there for running in cold weather. Some of it is really helpful. Some is highly overrated. Here's what I was told. Dress as if it's 20 degrees warmer outside than it actually is,  layer and remove all cotton from your wardrobe. You'll be cold when you start, but it's amazing how fast you get hot. I wear a base layer (fitted but not tight) made of some kind of cold weather fabric. Above is a pick of my newest acquisition. I run at night mostly, so I have to make sure the crazy drivers around here don't hit me. I put a short-sleeve shirt on top of this (LLS will give you one when you sign up) and cover up with a light windbreaker that I can tie around my waist when I get hot. If you're brave, running tights are very popular for winter running. No one needs to see my back side jiggling down the road, so I have a pair I wear under a light pair of running pants or shorts. I'm pretty sure Mark would applaud this, even if he's cringing at that orange thing above. I don't like running in gloves, which is another reason I like this kind of top. It has really long sleeves with a hole for my thumb to go through. I do run in a toboggan most of the time. Use your short runs to figure out what makes you comfortable.
5. Hydration is something you will hear a lot about. Someone is always telling me to drink more water. I'm not doing very well with it. I'm not used to taking in a lot of water, and trying to run, drink water and not throw up is not as easy as one might think. It's necessary to drink while you run though. There are a million kind of water bottles, hydration packs and belts. I still have not worked the kinks out of this. A water bottle doesn't work for me, and I don't like anything around my waist. Next weekend, I'm going to wear my Camelbak to see if I can work with it. You can drink water, Gatorade, Powerade, whatever. It looks like some kind of Gatorade will be at the water stations at the race. I'm even told eventually they'll tell us what flavor, so you can get used to drinking that while running. I've been running while chewing gum to help keep my mouth and throat from getting dry. It's been a huge help with my asthma. Please share your solutions to staying hydrated.
6. Nutrition while running is something I didn't really think about, but running or walking 13.1 miles is going to require taking in some calories and fuel during the race. This is another thing I haven't figure out yet. Talk to someone at a running store or maybe an REI about the options here. I'm trying out the gummies and jelly beans in fruit flavors. I'm hoping if I can convince my body I'm eating candy, I'll be able to get it down. There are options with caffeine and without. Try stuff out on short runs to see how they sit with your stomach. Again, please share anything you figure out on this front. Learning how to run long distances is one thing. Trying to eat while doing so is another.
7. Once you're running more than 4 or 5 miles at a time, chaffing will become an issue. (When you're choosing running apparel, think about seams!) I throw this out as a heads up since I'm not running far enough to speak from experience. There is some stuff called Body Glide that will apparently become your best friend. On the recovery front, I have found something that's really helped my legs so far and that's Epsom Lotion. It's got all the benefits of taking a bath in epsom salts (which reduces soreness significantly). I ran 6 miles in two days this weekend, and my muscles weren't sore after I used the lotion. Now, if I can find something to work on my joints!

OK, I don't like even numbers so I'm going to stop now. Please share your nuggets of wisdom as we move along. Good luck and happy running!

Long live the King!
-R.

Training schedule posted

The Spring Season Kickoff for DC was Saturday, December 3, and it was an inspiring event. One of my coaches is a 13-year lymphoma survivor. He had his "boys" frozen before he started treatment all those years ago, before he even met his wife, and we got to meet his 7-week-old daughter Lilly. Unbelievable.

Other than being wildly out of place amongst all those morning people, the atmosphere is warm, supportive and enthusiastic about the spring season. I sat with a group doing the CCM. We are all newbies! None of us have ever done anything like this before. The coaches and mentors all introduced themselves, and they're an amazing group of people who do this because they love it and believe in the mission of curing cancer.

The national director for the TNT program said one thing I found especially comforting and wanted to share with everyone on Team Mark: "Congratulations on taking the first step to completing your goal. It's a big step, and let me assure you that it is the last step you will take alone on your journey." Having met these people, and knowing most of you, I really believe that.

Because I'm an OCD, over achiever, busy body, I put the entire training schedule in my day planner and created an online calendar for everyone, too. There is a tab in the main navigation for a new page with every minute and mile of training logged from today, Day 1, to Race Day. Be sure to read the message the top of that page for a few details.

As everyone who's running gets signed up, please send me your fundraising page link, so I can add it to the site. For the cheerleaders out there, feel free to send us messages on chilling mornings when you know we're probably fighting ourselves to get out of the house to group runs (that are at insanely early hours as far as I'm concerned!).

We're having an athletes' clinic next week after our group run, and I'll share any tips, tricks, etc. that I learn. I hope you all will, too.

Big love.
-R.

Get registered

If you are planning to race, you need to register with LLS. Everyone is Tennessee should call the state chapter at 615-331-2980. The Northern and Central Florida chapter can be reached at 407-898-0733. Be sure to tell them you are racing as part of a multi-state team that will be running the Country Music HALF Marathon. My contact here is contacting each of the chapters to give them a heads up on our plan.

For those of us who need hotel accommodations, they'll help get us in the same hotel. The dinner the night before is generally seated by chapter, but the nice woman in Nashville said she'd work with us to get us at one table. At the race, we can run together in our timed groups. People with faster times can start with a slower group, but not vice versa. There is a party the night after the race, and we can all go together to that without any arrangements needed.

Please contact me if you have questions or need anything. So excited to be doing this!

What would he say

We can all imagine what Mark would say if we told him we wanted to run 13.1 miles for him. Even funnier would be his reaction if we asked him to run it!

The Country Music Half Marathon is ironically a part of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. A couple of us thought we could do the race and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It's really just a reason to get together again, remember Mark and support each other.

Anyone who wants to join us is welcome. There are lots of ways to participate if you don't want to run or walk the actual race. Click on the tabs across the top for more information about the race and use the short form on the "Join Us!" page to tell us how you want to help.