2013 Goofy Challenge: The day before the Race(s)
Wow. The day finally here. 6 months of training, a little over 500 miles and it all comes down to this weekend. It’s a race weekend!! I’m here sitting at the poolside of my resort, and having an emotional moment when I look back from the beginning of the time when I committed myself to do this race. The health challenge that I have to endure in the past six months, the outpouring support that I have from everybody and the determination that I have to get here are so huge and meant a lot to me. I won. Whatever happen tomorrow and Sunday, I have won. THAT meant the world to me.
39.3 miles. Bring it on!
I get even emotional when I look a bit further when I decided to buy a pair of running shoes and did my first run. It was August 2, 2011. By the end of that first miles when I went out and run for the first time, I become a runner. 18 months later — I finished 3 (three) 10K races, 4 (four) Half-marathon and 1 (one) full marathon. By Sunday, I (hopefully) will finish another half AND full marathon.
I have many people asked me “Are you ready”? Well, I am as ready as I can be. My last long run is 22 miles and I felt great. I did my training the best I can, despite of the health challenge, awful treatment that I have to endure, injury and illness — I made it here. I am ready.
I have a long list of people to thank you. A very, very long list. It start with my husband, John, who constantly support me and challenge me. He rode his bike with me during my training run, in cold and rain, heat and sunshine and drove me to every single one of my team practice run and wait patiently until I was done. He kept me focus during my treatment to my goal and constantly reminded me that I am bigger than my challenge. He’s my biggest supporter and I love him dearly. My two daughters, who are my biggest cheerleaders and waited for me on the finish line of my races with the biggest smile (I miss them dearly this weekend as they are not coming with me to the race weekend) and my friends, from the Team and Training runners, coaches and mentors, to my SQLFamily, a technical community that I am so proudly belong to, who kept me on my toes and held me accountable with my commitment when I really, really don’t want to go out and running.
Special thank you for those who believe in my cause and donate to my fundraising. Your donation made a different. I am a living proof of what the Leukemia and Lymphoma Socienty can do. They funded research for clinical trial for future cure and one of those medicine is the one that made it possible for me to do all this challenge.
My corporate sponsor, LobsterPot Solutions and InfoAdvisors, for Rob Farley and Karen Lopez for generously sponsor me for this run. You both are not only my corporate sponsor, but my great friends and I appreciate your generosity very much. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
My purple jersey!
For those who want to get a live tracking of my race, you can register your email/phone number via the runner tracking tools here. Just put my name and it will pull my registration. My bib number is 25892. The other way to support me during the race is by following me at Twitter (@YanniRobel) or if you are my Facebook friends, you can keep an eye of my wall status. I will run with my phone that will have both runmeter and runtastic app with me. Runmeter app will post my mileage every 2 miles and every tweet and facebook message you send me will be read to me via my phone. So tweet me, message me, tell me I’m awesome and I kick some butt, and tell me especially after mile 18 or so that I can do this. That I have done so much and so far that I will finish this race(s) because I probably will question myself. Runtastic app will give you a live map of my course, and the exact position of where I will be. You have to watch out for that link on my twitter stream though to see it.
Prayers are always welcome as I will always need it for my strength and injury-free race.
This is it, people. It’s game time.
Love you! Knock them dead! I am so excited for you!
Yanni,
Good luck this weekend! I will be thinking about you as you run. I will pray for no injuries, and for strength for you. As everything hurts, and those last miles become more difficult, remind yourself what you said here, “No matter what happens, I still won.” Yes you have!!! 🙂