"I'm not exactly the running type."

First of all, HELLLOOO BLOGGING WORLD.

My name is Francesca, and I am so excited to be here:)

Back in the Springtime, I was motivated by the 7 crazy-cool runners that you have been following on this website to sign up for and run the MARINE CORPS MARATHON in October! Not only that, but in exchange for Team in Training's (TNT's) expert coaching and support, I have made a committment to a raise at least $1800 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Considering I'm not exactly the "running" type, these next couple of months are sure to be tough and challenging. BUT I do love to have a good time (see picture on the right), and I'm hoping that's what I'll find in my experience with TNT. One thing is for certain, LLS's mission to try and find a cure for blood cancer, as well as provide patient services to those already afflicted with the disease, will be more than enough to keep me going!

I promise to keep this blog alive and entertaining for those of your who will join me every week. Check back for new updates (on my health) and future fundraising events!!

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Most importantly, I'd like to say:

CONGRATS to Chris, Brandon, Crystal, Jessie, Brian, Lena, and Ashwin!! Your hard-work and dedication truly inspired me to join TNT and follow in your training and fundraising footsteps. I am so proud of all of you, and I'm so happy that I'll be training with most of you by my side over the next 5 months. Thank you for letting me be a part of this madness!

Long Overdue Update

Long story short: When your body hurts for extended periods of time while you run, it's probably time to take it easy for a little bit.

I didn't heed this fairly obvious maxim and stubbornly battled through some longer runs with pain in my knee. After finally caving and visiting the doc, I found myself prescribed some arthritis medicine and 2 weeks away from running (with some skiing thrown in the mix, shhhh...)

After several months of training, almost everyone has suffered through a few aches and pains. I know Brandon was feeling a little banged up this past week. But this was the first time in a long athletic career where I'd been told to actually sit still for any period of time, where rest alone was the best antidote so I did my best to adhere.

So I put away two weeks on the sidelines and with just a pair of short test jogs during the week headed out to Reston for our 18 mile session on the W&OD trail. Wah la! With only a little dull pain in place of the sharpness I was feeling before the miles passed fairly easily until a wall hit between 15 and 17.

In the end, Brandon and I both finished everything pretty strongly although we'll be hoping our pace picks up a little bit in the weeks to come. Crystal and Jessie cleaned up their last group run before the National Marathon in couple days(!) with a now leisurely 6 miles. The rest of the crew put their miles in on their own this past weekend and from what I've heard all is moving along well.

So, back in good health I'm excited to be out on the move again with TNT and am looking forward to competing in the Shamrock Half Marathon this weekend in the company of my roommates.

I hope that everyone will be able to make it out and support Crystal, Jessie and the rest of the TNT crew this coming Saturday morning in DC for the National Marathon. You can take a peek at the course below and scout out your favorite breakfast spot (or AM pub???) to stake out and then look for the green visors as they make their way around the city and give them your loudest support!

Saturday Inspiration for Running Solo

Steve Prefontaine is one of the few names in running I'll probably ever recognize, and today, our second journey into a double digit mile run, is one of the first times I've encountered the "guts" he's talking about above.

I missed the TNT group run this morning to coach my U9 boys (to victory!) in their indoor soccer game and ended up running our scheduled 12 miles alone. During the week we've all been putting in time on our own with distances between 4 and 6 miles. But facing twelve miles, which is absolutely the farthest I've ever gone in one span, had me struggling toward the end.

The run took me from Arlington down to the White House, up the Reflecting Pool facing the Lincoln Memorial and back across the Memorial Bridge into Virginia. The last couple miles were all uphill and probably somewhere around mile 10 I started thinking about "guts."

Both feet and my left knee were getting sore and the possibility of slowing down or walking for a bit seemed a pretty reasonable option. Who would know?

But with all my teammates already completed their training in the morning, the generosity of all those who have supported our efforts so far, and the cause we're running for, raising money to support those suffering from life taking blood cancers in my head, my legs kept moving.

Among his amazing achievements, Pre was famous for pushing himself and other runners past their imagined limits. I certainly owe him a little thanks for helping me through the end on this one and I imagine we'll all need some considerable "guts" to go more than twice as far on April 25 in Nashville.

Look for updates and probably some pictures from the rest of the group later this weekend. And as always, please considering donating to our support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Inspiration? We Haz It

Going to try some new strategies to keep myself regularly updating this little guy... So, on any training day for myself (or any of the other contributors if they feel so inclined) I'm going to post a quick little something for inspiration. A quote, a video, or maybe just a picture. Maybe running related but most likely not. Just something that makes us keep going when it starts to hurt.

So for me, with only slight apologies to the Gunners of the group, here is something to start with:

"Give yourselves the chance to be heroes."

What inspires you?

How Bout Those New Shoes

Over the past week we've met several more team members as well as heard from some of our holiday travelers.

Now it's my turn as I'm off to Boston this evening for a few days to celebrate passing into the New Year (woooooo party). My ratty old running shoes are long gone and my new pair is taking up valuable carry on luggage space.



I'm hoping to get two training sessions in since I'll be missing our group run this coming Saturday although I'm thinking it may be a bit ambitious.

Last weekend a number of us got brand spankin new kicks but I've been hearing mixed reviews thus far. I took mine for a longer run over about 6 miles as a trial and while about halfway my feet were feeling a bit foreign, by the end things were pretty comfy.

Others haven't been so lucky. Both Brandon and Ashwin have come up against tight leg muscles and shin splints they weren't experiencing with their older shoes. We have varying theories on what might be the cause but I imagine a few more miles to break them in is all that's needed.

So aside from the obvious trial of running a marathon and the purging of aging running equipment, there a few smaller running related goals I have for the coming year.

One will actually be finishing well in my first competition of the year, as I'm joining my roommates in the half-marathon portion of the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach this March. To make a strong time, I'm learning better pace myself during training. Also, as I'm writing this in Reagan airport staring at a McDonald's, I'm hoping that training for the marathon will help me eat better (Taco Bell excepted).

So, any goals for the New Year? Tips on breaking in new shoes? Eating tips? Feel free to share them below.

I'll try to update with some photos from running in Boston - in the meantime check out some of the photos from last weekend on our Flickr page - and I hope that everyone has a happy New Year!

Jessie Checks In

I personally disapprove of the video while driving. However, here's Jessie checking in from her Saturday run while the rest of us were out in Georgetown:




*You may have noticed that clicking on the video takes you to its posting on YouTube. This is our new YouTube channel! In the future, you can follow us, watch this video, and many more to come by following the YouTube link over on the sidebar.

This is Marathon Running... There are Rules

There are several rules Team in Training institutes during their group running sessions. No iPods (tough break), no baby joggers (not a problem), and a required water bottle.

I'm wondering if the problem of finding a comfortable water carrying device could be solved by the Can Grenade.

Things got hectic this week but there is much more to come shortly including more bios, a potential Pre hair growing competition, our Saturday morning session in Georgetown and hopefully some info on our first fundraising event. Stay tuned and enjoy the stache.

Off We Go - First Saturday Team in Training Session

First of all, welcome. This is post number one to the "If Diddy Did It..." blog that will tell the story of seven friends (Ashwin, Brandon, Jessie, Brian, Lena, Crystal and Chris) training and fundraising for our first marathon.

What you'll find will hopefully be a regularly updated account of our training, fundraising efforts and thoughts along the way as we prepare for the Nashville Country Music Marathon on April 25, 2009t with a group from Team in Training.

For those that don't know, Team in Training is "the world's largest endurance sports training program" that raises funds in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The roots of Team in Training were established in 1988 when 38 runners raised $322,000 for the Westchester/Hudson Valley LLS Chapter.

So while we prepare our bodies to complete the marathon, we'll also each be working toward a fundraising goal of $3,000 (and hopefully more!) in support of an important cause. Team in Training provides a nice breakdown of where the funds for our running will go in the LLS's efforts to cure blood cancer.



Saturday morning at 8 AM, our group of seven fearless individuals turned out in Arlington for the first DC area Team in Training session for the spring marathon season. It was not warm. Six out of seven participants were late to the meeting. Most of us were very hungry.

Despite the adverse conditions, all of us finished our 5K timed run in under 30 minutes, with results ranging between 22 to 28 minutes. All in all, some strong first steps down the long road to 26.2 miles in April.

Training day number one taught us a few things:

The early wake up calls on Saturday are going to take some getting used to as well as more than a little self control on Friday nights usually reserved for some stress busting beverages after a long week of work or school. As the training gets more intense, a rested body is going to be crucial.

Grabbing a snack before a long run is vital. Banana, toast, something. For me, it ended up being some chocolate and caramel Chex Mix from the vending machine after I ran out the door empty handed. Being low on fuel or thinking about a growling stomach is going to make some already tough running that much more difficult.

We're going to make some great friends along the way. The group of strangers jogging through Arlington hours before we'd usually be awake on a Saturday were all enthusiastic, friendly and supportive.

That's all for now. Look for personal profiles on our runners in the coming weeks. Note: There are links to the fundraising pages for each of us on the sidebar of this site. If you're feeling inspired after reading about our training please contribute to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through one of our donation pages.

Hopefully after runs we'll start seeing less of this




and more of this