From The Book

As this year promises one the world's toughest events, I think a verse helps to set the feet ablaze. Let me know if you have a good one.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

Hebrews 12:1, NLT

Graphs, Charts, and Photos

The only thing that is missing is a pie chart. See if you can tell which photo was taken last in the running of the race.

1593rd Place

I came in 1593rd place in the Houston Marathon. 1260th place in the male division. My goal next year is to make the paper. The Houston Chronicle lists the top 1000 finishers in both the male and female division. 1000th place was around 3:53:00 this year.

Whenever I think about making the paper, falling short of my goal this year, the first thing that comes to mind is the Tebow press conference.

A Minute 56 Seconds Late

It is painful to come up short of a goal. I know by a shade under 2 minutes. The same 2 minutes, only 2 hours earlier, that the Houston Marathon winner was short of his goal, setting the fastest marathon time on U.S. soil. While Merga set the course record and I set a personal record, and that is where the similarities pretty much end, I do like his quote:

"I really tried to get the record," Merga said through a translator of his attempt to run under 2:05:42, "I can run better next year."

The Elevator

As Katherine and I got on the hotel elevator at 5 a.m. to head down to the race start, the elevator stopped on a floor below. A small African runner got on. He was about 6 inches shorter than me, looked a bit like he was made of toothpicks and was wearing a Kenya national track suit.

"Are you going to win?" I asked.

"Maybe." He shyly said tugging on his skull cap.

Needless to say, we didn't see him after that - at the start, during or at the finish of the race. He placed 4th. Unfortunately for him, Ethiopia’s Deriba Merga broke the 20-year-old Chevron Houston Marathon course record by more than two minutes.

I don't have my official results, but I think the course record is safe at 2:07:52.

The Prize Fighter

The day before any big race spectacular is very interesting. I think of a boxer and wonder how can they sleep before a fight, basically knowing you can call the hospital today and check yourself in for tomorrow. The similarity is that in both you have absolute certainty that tomorrow will be painful. The fascination in race day is that if you run long enough, far and past the pain, elation lies just ahead.

Believe It

Common sense tells me I shouldn't run the marathon in these foot gloves.

Pace Car

I need to run a mile in 9 minutes and 9 seconds. Then, I need to do that 25 more times.

New Year's Resolution

I am perhaps 15 days late, but today I joined a group of people with arguably the most popular of New Year's resolutions.

You could say for those that don't ever follow through, I am perhaps fulfilling my New Year's resolution early.

Though, the first step really doesn't count toward your resolution.

Riddle me that.

Hours

At the end of every long distance endurance event I can barely remember anything I was thinking about during those hours that have past.

Here is a good forum to read what some think about during the time.

Revenge

Team in Training is a great training group and an even better experience. Motivation is really inspired by a Killer. They don't use the word revenge, but that is what I like to associate the group with. A number of people have had their lives interrupted by a disease and they are doing what they can to fight back. It is pretty cool. I am glad I don't have a real strong reason to lead the pack in the fight, I am glad to do what I can, I just know I want a cure to be found so I might not have to face what some have.

I received this email today from a girl in the group:

Dear all,

It's hard to believe this season has almost come to an end. I imagine most of you are feeling the combination of excitement and nerves that I am feeling. I still have trouble wrapping my head around 13.1 miles, much less the 26.2 that some of you all are doing! However, when I start to feel wary about Sunday, I stop to remind myself of how far we've all come.

I'm sure some of you all entered Team in Training as experienced runners. Others of you might have been in good shape, had some experience running short distances, but no real long distance experience. Others of you may have been like me -- complete novices. I used to claim I'd only run if someone was chasing me. Clearly it had to take something monumental to change my mind!

During this experience, when I have felt frustration at how difficult running has been for me, I've often reflected on my very first day at M.D. Anderson. I was a newly diagnosed cancer patient, and I was terrified. I had no idea what to expect, I had no idea what chemo was going to be like, and I didn't know how this fight was going to end. The first day I was there I underwent a battery of painful tests, ranging from a CATscan and a PETscan to a bone marrow biopsy. I whimpered, teared up, and sobbed at various points throughout the day. I honestly didn't know how I would make it through another day of tests, much less 6 months worth of treatment and the fight of my life. After 10 hours at M.D. Anderson, my family finally pushed me out the doors in a wheelchair. I remember glancing up at my fiance (then boyfriend) and telling him "Kelli- 1, Cancer-0". I scored several more victories over cancer during the next few months, including the ultimate victory of going into remission.

I view this event the same way. It's another victory against cancer that we are ALL scoring. Every dollar we have raised undermines the power that cancer has. We are all going to keep fighting until we ELIMINATE BLOOD CANCERS ENTIRELY! I'm ready to put the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society out of business. :)

They call me an "honored teammate", but the TRUE honor has been training with such an amazing group of people this season. I see you all out there, week after week, early on Saturday mornings, sweating through run after run, aches and pains, and not giving up. This group is one of the most amazing I've encountered in my life, and I cannot thank you all enough for all the hard work you have put in and the sacrifices that you have made. It's been an incredible season, and I know we are all going to do wonderfully this weekend.

I wish everyone the best of luck, and I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday night!

Go Team!

Kelli Lilienstern

--
http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/houston09/klilienstern

Motivation

If there is one thing that I know will be different this marathon time around it is extra motivation. This is easily the most important element in running a ridiculous amount of miles.

I will be wearing a purple Team in Training singlet that, while raising awareness, lets everyone know I am running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Add to the thousands of regular supporters and volunteers of the marathon a cheerleading army of cancer patients and survivors recognizing your effort in a fight to cure a killer disease and you have a powerfully running element.

On a tragic note, for whatever reason, Nike is no longer a presenting sponsor of TNT and thus my singlet is a generic brand. Sadly, this was one of the main reason I was drawn to TNT in the first place about 2 years ago.

One Week

One week until the Houston Marathon. I ran this race two years ago. It was my first marathon and I ran it in 4 hours and 18 minutes. I have run another marathon, an ultra marathon and a half ironman in the time between my reunion with this race. I am in the best shape of my life and yet I am wondering if I can beat my original marathon time.

Marathons are difficult to predict, other than you know a course of 26.2 miles is laid out for you.

The Sickness

Of all the events and races I have run, I can only think of one where I didn't overly care to the point where nerves never played a part. Ironically, it was the most recent event in which I went the furthest I have ever gone, a 30 miler. I also signed up less than a month before the event and didn't have a real goal, just didn't want to die.

While 'not dying' is a good goal for basically any race, the events that bring out the most worry are the ones you know well in advance that you are competing in. So much can happen, and time to prepare also becomes time to destruct. Funny, that this upcoming IRONMAN in mid 09, I mailed an entry form in a full year in advance.

I have a marathon less than 10 days away and there is sickness all around. It might be the weather, time of year, economy or global warming, but somehow lot of people around me are sick.

I must not become sick.

New Year's Resolution Jump Starter

I need 8-11 people who are looking to get in shape.

Think bird learning to fly.