Tag Archive | Team in Training

To get the award or not get the award

May31

The Love of Awards!

I have been getting a few of these age group placings lately and I always feel like they made a mistake. I feel really awkward about them. I say Thank You, I smile for the picture, but it all feels weird and fake to me.

They made a mistake!!!!!!!

Or:

Were all the fast women my age doing something more fun I wasn’t invited to?

Should I just leave it there in case it really was a mistake?

I am always afraid they are going to call me on it.

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Racing all Over Bermuda, part deux

Feb3

So, where did I leave it last week? Everyone did the mile and the 10k, but the best part was around the corner. And the most stressful. Not really stressful, I was stressed about it, which is different. The day before an event, we do what we call the Inspiration Dinner. If you’ve been to one, they can be pretty amazing. We celebrate all their training and fundraising, cancer survivors in the team tell their amazingly inspiring stories, we pump the team full of inspiration for the big event the day before. It’s a massive planning undertaking and I had done them before, but I had never MCd one. There were 8 pages of text I had to say outloud. I had just a few days to memorize it. It was really stressed about some of the words. And I tend to trip over numbers in English sometimes with my accent… Pffff, breathe in…

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—this was my view from the podium. We had decorated the tables and hotel put those super cute Bermuda-style houses as centerpieces. It was all ready to go. 

Luckily, we had a super special speaker… Bart Yasso!! He was going to be the first speaker as he had to go to the official marathon pasta party after! The problem was… the food wasn’t ready yet and we were running out of time before he had to leave… I was in knots!

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So, executive decision had to be made (well, we really had no choice!): we started the dinner speech, sat everyone down. I did my first paragraphs so I could let Bart talk and he could leave right after

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He was fantastic. As you can imagine. I was a bit worried and half the room were first time marathoners and seriously had no idea who he was, but after three seconds I realized I had been an idiot worrying about it, Bart had everyone laughing and it was amazing. Even without food.

As soon as we was gone, we broke for food, they got back seated, continued the program and all went fantastic. Everyone was happy. I was completely spent but happy it went well! By 10 we were done, I had to scarf down some food and make super I was up at 4:30. Half and Full were on Sunday morning!

It rained all morning and I was already feeling a bit sicky… Luckily we had a dandy team tent, were we hid for a bit…

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At some point they were calling my name over the loudspeakers, which I couldn’t hear from the tent, half a block away, so someone came to grab me. I rushed!!!

Bart and Sid were by the Finish and in the announcers tent. They just wanted me to give them some info on the team to announce. I was there for a bit as it was really fun to scream my friends’ names all over the loudspeakers in Bermuda. I am a bit loud to start with… and hyper.

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—Pure love!  PS: he called me his girlfriend for the weekend. (Laura Yasso, you know we’re joking obviously. PS: love you too!!)

A few hours later, the team was done, we all went back to the hotel… and I was feverish!!!! That night we had what we call the Victory Party. We celebrate the team’s spirit, racing and fundraising. Then they eat, and they all went dancing. I was a sweaty, hot, feverish mess.

I had 3.5 vacation days in Bermuda after work was done and I was a hot mess. And, FYI, you can’t buy any ibuprofen or anything (thanks, you know who you are who tried over the phone, from overseas) without a prescription. It was sucky. I still managed to get outside for food and fresh air. I had to, it’s frigging Bermuda!

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Bermuda is truly gorgeous. I am planning on going back soon, May or June. It is just 2 hours from NYC!!!!! I am not gonna hide that I had no idea where Bermuda was… but it’s soooo close and so worth it. People are ridiculously nice. I am not sure it’s the best running: it’s crazy hilly, you have to run on the road with the cars, though they’re super nice and move out of the way, but definitely worth the trip. The pink beaches are just wonderfully amazing. I say yes.

Racing all Over Bermuda, part deux

WNM11 (Nike Women’s Marathon) – Race Day Fun

Oct20

Sunday we got up really early (WHY, oh WHY, is always everything so early???? I am from south america people!!) and we basically had to meet up with the LA chapter to cheer at mile 9.5 and then, as soon as the last TNT runner went by, we’d drive over to mile 25, to cheer there by the beach, and then off to the Finish line to make sure every single one of our NYC TNT runners were accounted for. 
We set up to cheer at 7 am a@ mile 9.5 with coffee, some snacks, a couple of policemen, and lots of energy. I have to say, I had never worried to train my voice (and I do have lots of practice screaming at nyc drivers!) but after a couple of hours I would have loved some lemon green tea with honey (selfnote!!). 


The fun stuff…





I saw Kara Goucher run by, very very closely followed by Joanie Benoit Samuelson, and I screamed at both (but got no pictures!). And then, guess who spotted me (how on earth did she? I had like 60 pounds of outfit on me), yeah, Jenn, who was doing wonderfully with her friend!

Police officers were letting cars go when it thinned out, but this guy had to sit there for over an hour, hilarious (to me at least!).
Poor woman had her bra snap off and we were trying to assist, which was not easy given the sweat, layers and stuff, but we were on a mission and got it done!
Crazy maniac… yeah me!

We then drove over to mile 25.3, right on the beach by the Dutch Windmill, though we got a bit lost on our way there??? (ooops). All that matters is that we made it, right?




After we checked in at the finish line, got everyone accounted for (every single one of them finished!!!), we headed back to the city. Traffic was insane though and we hadn’t eaten much yet. It was 3 pm and all I had was coffee, a banana, and some crackers, eeeek! After a fast lunch and a shower we scooted over to the victory party, just a few blocks down the street (Thank God it was close!!).
We cleaned up super fast-


I was beat after so I never made it to the post-party party (yes, lots of celebration has to be done) and I passed out as soon as I saw my bed, as we had to be up early Monday to catch the flight back.
The Good:

  • San Francisco, as a city, rocks. A close second to NYC.
  • On the other hand, SF hills trump hills in any other big city. I shall NOT forget this ever again.
  • All of our participants finished. Some had a bit of pain, some were really tired, but they all finished.
  • Coffee Bean cawfee tops Starbucks any day. Cako cupcakes rock.
  • I learned a lot. I have a few mental notes. But mostly, the weekend went perfectly.
  • I enjoyed some serious girl power this weekend, even from all the men everywhere, who were equally involved and/or supportive.
  • Running to cure cancer is really moving. I cried a lot of the weekend, got chills, and was really inspired to make a difference.­­­
  • Running and travelling with a team to a race seems like a lot of fun. There’s a lot to be said about the power in numbers!

I might want to have a fireman give me one of these Tiffany necklaces next year. I might even run for it. The course looks pretty amazing (pfff the hills!!).

WNM11 (Nike Women’s Marathon) – Race Day Fun

WNM11 (Nike Women’s Marathon) – As seen on the Run

Oct19

We (two more Team in Training staffers, a bunch of coaches, and around 150 runners) left towards SanFran Friday early for the Nike Women’s Marathon. I had planned to do my long run on Friday afternoon, as soon as we landed, as there was going to be no time over the weekend for it. I was not the coordinator for this event so I was coming as support staff, but we still had assignments for the whole weekend. So, as we flew there early and spent most of the day on a plane, we had to eat first: it was 5 pm on my internal clock when I got some food!!  So, right after lunch, we went to the expo for a little walk; there was no way I could have run right after the insane (and heavy) catch up food I had…  The expo was a big tent in Union Square, right in the middle of town, and luckily very close to our hotel.      Soon it was time to run before it got very dark and very late!! My legs were still stiff from the plane sitting, I was completely dehydrated, and still had an enormous pork slab sandwich, onion rings and french fries in my tummy: it was going to be a tough run.  Oh, add San Francisco’s hills to the equation… If I had known what I was getting into, I probably would not have gone… but, as you know, there’s no better (and more efficient) way to enjoy a city than on a run, so I am glad I powered through my laziness. And though it was not my first time there, I saw many amazing things that renewed my love for this city. Nothing like a run to experience a place and also to reset your body! My plan was to run from our hotel in Union Square, by the bay, all the way to the Golden Bridge and back. The other option was to run through Golden Gate Park, which I love too… Ah, I wish I had had time for two runs! Here’s us running UP on Powell. Just TWO letters for “up” is a major understatement!                   By the time we got to the bridge, we had run 6 (very slow) miles and I was starting to feel it. Actually, I was feeling it since I left the hotel on those super steep streets! I wasn’t even sweating I was so dehydrated. Still, we couldn’t find anywhere to buy a drink until we got to around 9 miles, and I was running on fumes. Climbing back up the streets to Union Square was impossible, I had to walk them up. Even had to walk some of the downhills as they were so steep. I was so tired when I got to the hotel that I was dreaming of a fireman waiting in the lobby with a Tiffany necklace (or any kind of medal, or a botte of water, anything, please!). Tough, still amazing, run!! Early saturday we had a staff meeting, to go over logistics and stuff. I had a bit of time after that, so we walked by the expo again!  And then Niketown, which was complete mayhem!!  (I want all of these shirts —> christmas list!)  True-dat! Do english-speakers even know what “barefoot” means???????????  Then I worked at the expo a bit. And guess who I ran into as I was leaving…! JensterNC!  A couple of hours later, we had our TNT inspiration dinner… and though we had around 160 runners from NYC, if you counted all the other US chapters, there was 3700 TNT participants! We set up an enourmous pasta party and when our participants come in, all the staff, coaches, and mentors cheer them on. It is very lound. And really chill-inducing. You can’t not be moved, or cry. I dare you!       
Loved this team’s shirt!
Then, we got super inspired. I am not sure a lot of people can say that they cry at their job every day and that that is good thing. I do. I might have to switch from contacts to glasses soon.John Bingham (the Penguin) was the MC and he was quite funny, and also super inspiring.



Then Kara talked. Yeah, Kara Goucher was there!!! She was amazing, and talked about the TNT runners were so inspiring to her. Soon we had to rest and get ready for some serious race day work: cheering! 😉

WNM11 (Nike Women’s Marathon) – As seen on the Run

Could I be one of those “too busy to run” people?

Sep20

Definitely a bit too crazy here to stay on top of emails/blogging/etc… It’s been an insanely busy week/weekend/month, hence the no time to write at all. (help!!!!, can I keep going like this???!!). 

 I need some of this ASAP!!

I can’t believe I haven’t even blogged about the mega event of all times. 
Get ready.

I think I hadn’t been so exited for like… ages…

I was just chatting with a friend, on Fashion Night Out, on a corner in Madison Avenue, and then… Bill Cunningham took my picture!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is Bill Cunningham, you might ask? (some did already!)
 
William J. Cunningham (born 1929) is a fashion photographer for The New York Times, known for his candid street photography.

Cunningham photographs people and the passing scene in the streets of Manhattan every day. Most of his pictures, he has said, are never published. Designer Oscar de la Renta has said, “ It’s the total scope of fashion in the life of New York.” Anna Wintour (Vogue’s Editor in Chief) said “We all get dressed for Bill”.

We were both stunned, in ubersicktothestomach shock; before we even said something, he had vanished. I guess I’ll be checking out his On the Street New York Times’ Style column with a bit more interest now!!

I’ve been quite busy though; working a lot, attending a few (or a lot) work-related events, and coaching many hours too! I attended a Corporate event @ twitter which was kindareally cool.


I’ll be volunteering as the 10K VIP area captain at Light the Night, in case anyone is interested (in walking across the Brooklyn bridge for charity or volunteering with me!). I did the event 3 years ago and it’s super fun. Also, change of plans, I won’t be coordinating Madrid or NJ. Instead, I’ll be managing the triathlon seasons next year, which includes Lavaman in Hawaii, St Anthony and the NYC Nautica Triahtlon!

Funny note: I coached two runners yesterday morning, and shocker, both were wearing the same running shoes: NB’s minimus trail. I thought that was ridiculously funny, given they didn’t know each other.

I am really liking how things are shaping up! I get to help people (runners!!) with their biomechanics, and I get to help the other people start running by telling them about Team in Training!! For example: Saturday I chopped like 5 inches of my hair and meanwhile I convinced my hairstylist that she could train with us. She was so excited she didn’t want to charge me!! How insane is that? A win-win: my ponytail is way lighter now so she enhanced my running too!!

Could I be one of those “too busy to run” people?