Post Race Reflection

Almost two months later, I finally finished writing a letter that I will send to all my donors who helped me exceed my fundraising goals. My minimum requirement was $2,400 and I raised $4, 335! I am so deeply grateful to everyone who made a donation so I wrote this letter to share the entire experience of the marathon, since I could not have made it without them.

Dear Family and Friends,

I came, I saw, I conquered 13.1 miles! I am proud to report that I successfully crossed the finish line at the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, on October 14. It is an experience I won’t soon forget. What started out as a way to give back to others and to try something new, ended up being a personal journey of sorts, and I emerged a better person.

In the early days of my training I realized it was going to be an emotional experience, which I honestly hadn’t anticipated.  As I shared in my fundraising letter, one of my motivations was to honor my mom who I lost to lymphoma in 2005. Every Saturday, on our long training days, I would find myself thinking about my mom and remembering her struggle the last 9 months of her life.  As I confronted these details again, I was saddened yet bolstered by these memories. I thought of the countless patients and their families going through the same struggle, and although I shed some tears as I covered those training miles, I became resolved to walk and run for those who cannot. Week by week, I covered more and more mileage and with the help of Team in Training, I achieved goals I never considered before.  And when I doubted myself and my ability, I thought of each and every one of you that sent me a donation and believed in me, and I pushed forward with renewed confidence.

The Nike Women’s Marathon benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and this year 25,000 women and a few good men (!) participated in the event.  As expected, the race course was scenic and spectacular as we wound our way through San Francisco. Aside from the natural beauty, there was no end to the supporters cheering us on throughout the course, brandishing funny signs, clanging cow bells and offering words of encouragement.  During the last mile and a half, I began “talking” to my mom in my head, telling her that this race, this effort, was so that her battle with lymphoma was not in vain. I am picking up where she left off, and continuing the fight against blood cancers, so that one day, there will be no need for this marathon. I hope she is proud of me and I hope I have made you proud as well.

To simply say this was a “good experience” doesn’t do it justice; there are simply too many layers. First and foremost, I raised $4,235.00 for LLS.  I am truly touched by every single donation I received, and in this economy, I don’t take that generosity for granted. Secondly, completing this marathon has spurred me to tap into my own potential. Now I think to myself “well, I never thought I’d complete a marathon but I did. So what else can I do?”  The possibilities are endless!  Lastly, I have found a sense of peace in my heart. In the words of Maya Angelou “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver”. Helping others in memory of my mother, has afforded me that liberation.

Once again, my sincerest thanks to you for your support and encouragement. I could not have made it across the finish line without you and it is with gratitude that I share this accomplishment with you.

                                                               

                                                                                                                                Warmest regards,

                                                                                                                                             Gigi

Who's Afraid of 10 Miles?

This week's training was an exciting one! It was the Nike Preview - when we get to preview part of the official course and train on it. I'm not gonna lie, when Coach Doug said we'd be doing 10 miles (after just doing 7 miles the weekend before), I was pretty nauseous. I was so intimidated by the idea of 10 miles and I thought to myself, "I can't do that." I spent all of last Thursday in a mild panic attack, worrying about how I would make it through. Luckily, I got some amazing pep talks from my seasoned marathon friends Uyen and April - they had so much confidence in me and kept telling me that I could do it, that I started to believe them. And then I thought about my mom and all the battles she fought...and all the patients out there fighting blood cancers every single day and I knew that these 10 miles were nothing compared to what they faced. After allowing myself a one-day-freak-out, I shook it off and got focused.

Saturday morning I was up at 4:45, got dressed, ate a light breakfast and drove down to Fairfield to meet my teammates. We caravaned to the Marin Headlands side of the Golden Gate Bridge where we met up with our Sonoma/Napa counterparts. Unlike most of the times I've visited the GG Bridge, it was a fairly clear morning, only light winds and beautiful shining sun...it was breathtaking! Being with the TNT group always fills me with positivity just to be around a group of people whose sole purpose is to raise as much money as possible for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society - it's awesome!

One of my walking buddies Gil and I set off and the course didn't disappoint. The changing scenery was so pretty and we had such great conversation the whole time that the 10 miles just flew by, and before we knew it, it was over. I still can't believe I did it, and now I feel so empowered!

Moral of the story: fighting cancer is hard, walking 10 miles is EASY!

Now I know I'm going to be ready on October 14 and not only will I be ready, but I'm going to rock those 13.1 miles!

My Mission Moment

This week at training I shared my mom's story during our team "mission moment" - when we honor someone who has been affected by blood cancer or LLS in some way. It's a chance to remind us all, the reasons we are out there training, fundraising and working hard. It's the inspiration that drives us.

I requested to dedicate this week's training to my mom because it was held at Mare Island, a place that I frequented as a child growing up, and fittingly, it was almost always with my mom. She loved to exercise at this Vallejo waterfront, early in the morning, walking the length of it several times as we talked about anything and everything.

Here's what I shared with my team today:

I lost my mother Carina to lymphoma 7 years ago. She was diagnosed one month before my wedding day and I had no idea if she would be there to see me walk down the aisle on the most important day of my life. Thankfully, the universe gave me a break and she was released from the hospital less than a week to my wedding, after having undergone several weeks of aggressive chemotherapy. Her hair was very thin and she lost so much weight her dress had to be taken in at the last minute, but all that mattered was that she was there. And although she fought her hardest, she passed away 8 months later. When I became a mother for the first time, I found myself grieving all over again, for the grandmother my son would never have. It was at that point I knew that the best way for my son to know who she was, was to pass on the life lessons she taught me.

The most valuable lesson my mom taught me was to always lend a hand and help those less fortunate than ourselves; and that if you give to others, your reward will be tenfold. From a very early age I accompanied her as she volunteered at our church, soup kitchens, food banks, the library, and the hospital. I learned that giving was so much more rewarding than receiving, and that true integrity came not from what you do for yourself, but what you do for others.

I joined Team in Training to continue her legacy of giving, especially to those patients and families who have been affected by blood cancers. I hope that my efforts will give them the resources and support to continue fighting where my mom left off. I also hope that walking those 13 miles will honor my mother’s life, and that my two sons will now learn from my example, just as I learned from hers.

In addition to dedicating this week's training to my mom, all my teammates wore her picture pinned to their hat or shirt as they trained. 

It was an emotional but rewarding day. A big thank you to my Solano Team for the love and support!

P.S. I walked 7 miles today and had my fastest time yet - 15.4 mins/mile. Yay me!!

A Marathon? Who, me?

Believe it or not, I have signed up for a half marathon! Yes, you read that right. I know, I know, I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, an athlete but it's something I have always wanted to do. Blame the bucket list. After years of hearing about Team in Training and their fundraising efforts for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I decided to make the leap. I figured that since Randy is done with residency and will have a more regular, predictable schedule, I can actually commit to something. So here's the lowdown: I'll be walking 13.1 miles in the Big Sur Half Marathon on November 18, 2012. As a member of Team in Training (TNT)I also commit to raising $2500. I am equally terrified and excited by the whole thing. I have never trained for anything ever before (heck, I haven't even exercised regularly in over a year!) nor have I ever fundraised for any large dollar amount. And while this whole thing freaks me out a little bit, it also gives me a sense of purpose and challenge. What's life if you don't push yourself, right? As part of my fundraising campaign, I've sent out about 125 emails and am working on sending out about 50 letters. Here's an excerpt from my donation request email: I also have two personal reasons motivating me. First and foremost, I lost my own mother, Carina Calpe to lymphoma in February 2005. For those of you who knew her, she was a warm, vibrant, caring woman who loved to cook, dance and travel. She taught me at an early age to have compassion for others, and to always give to those less fortunate than myself. This is my way of honoring her and continuing her legacy of giving. Secondly, over the last 7 years, I have been focused on supporting my husband Randy as he completed medical school, and subsequently his Internal Medicine residency. During that time we were also blessed with the birth of our sons, Cruz (4 years old) and Lucas (10 months). Needless to say I haven’t had much “extra” time. Now that Randy is done, I can take a little time and do something for myself and not kid-related! So far I've raised $350! I am so thankful that I have people in my life who believe in me and who are generous enough to donate to such a worthy cause. I am still not sure I can complete the marathon, but I am going to give it my all and do whatever it takes to get across that finish line. Follow my progress on my TNT webpage! Go TEAM!