In the years that I started keeping fit, my routine only consisted of going to the gym to lift weights and maybe a pickup basketball game every other week as cardio. My roommate decided to run the LA marathon back in 2006 and I would run on the shorter routes with him while he trained. Back then, 3 mile runs were way too difficult for me and I even considered myself as not the running type. After my roommate completed his marathon and my cousins ran the Las Vegas Rock N Roll marathon, I figured, if these guys can do it, why can’t I? So I trained and completed my first marathon this past June. I even said that I don’t think I’d run another event because of the training and possible injury involved but here I am running next month and possibly running in Las Vegas this December.

I’ve thought about it and I choose to run these events, and run in general, because there’s a sense of accomplishment in getting ready for and completing any event. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 5K, half marathon or a full marathon, just knowing that you set yourself a goal and completed it gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. I also do these events because they’re fun. You try to get all your friends and family to do these events with you. You end up training with them and completing them together and you both get to enjoy your accomplishment together. I’ve been training with my friend Jill for our marathons next month (she’s running the Long Beach half) and I can definitely say through this training period, I’ve had longer conversations with her than I’ve ever had before. When I ran the San Diego marathon, my friend Nolan and I both raised money for Team In Training and literally ran the marathon together. I can honestly say that choosing to do that marathon and raising money for a good cause, is part of the reason why we hang out a lot more.

And finally, the experience of running the actual event is something that’s hard to describe. The night before the event, there’s butterflies, nervousness and anxiety. At the beginning right before the race, there’s so much adrenaline pulsing that many people end up running too fast and it screws up their pace for the rest of the event. But once you get to the final stretch and you can see the finish line, no matter how much pain you’re feeling or how tired your body feels, the roar of the crowd makes you forget all that.

That is why I run.

Since I participated with Team in Training all of our accommodations in San Diego were taken care of. If you have a chance, I HIGHLY recommend at least doing one event with TNT. The experience is a very rewarding one and you are doing it all for a great cause. I met a lot of great people along the way. My only regret is that I wished I participated in more practices. My knee kept me from running the majority of this spring season.

The morning of the marathon started when some people are calling it a night. We met at the lobby of our hotel at 3:45 AM. I’ve had nights end later than that. From the hotel they shuttled us over to the starting area where we waited for about 2 hours before the race started. Once we lined up, it seemed like forever before our corral was let loose. Once we were let go it was on! The first 3-5 miles I was worried about my knee. I could feel it tighten up ever so slightly but once I got the jitters out of me and got warmed up, it felt fine. From miles 6 to about 9 or 10, Nolan and I hit a pretty good groove. We had a nice steady pace going and we spaced out a couple of walking breaks. Once the course took us on to the 163 freeway, trouble started. Part of the course took us from downtown San Diego to Mission Valley along the 163. If you’re familiar with this stretch of freeway it is all uphill for about 4 miles and goes downhill from Washington St. all the way to Friars Rd. Not only that but the freeway is banked so you’re also trying to compensate for the slope of the freeway. This, along with weather that was hotter and more humid than usual, contributed to severe cramping in my legs. I’ve never felt cramping like that since my days of playing high school basketball. So from about mile 11 until the end of the marathon, I had to alternate between running, walking and stretching out my cramping legs.

Once we crossed 20 miles, I totally felt like I wanted to chop off my legs because they were hurting so bad. No amount of sports drink, water, GU or salt could take the pain away so we just had to finish. Once we made the final turn toward the finish line, the sound of the crowd made me forget all about the pain in my legs. I knew I had friends and family waiting for me at the finish line and I couldn’t wait to see them. I still don’t think it’s fully hit me that I’ve completed a full marathon.

After running my first marathon, I can definitely say I will remember the experience the rest of my life, especially with my involvement with Team In Training. I thanked everyone in a previous post but I’ll do it again because I don’t think I was able to do it with all of your support. I’m already thinking about doing my next event, the inaugural LA Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I brought my camera along with me and you can check out the pictures here.

I’m now less than $1000 away from my fundraising goal and I’m thankful for all who have donated so far. After the initial round of donations, I hit a bit of a wall but a bunch of you donated in the past couple of weeks and I thank you for getting me motivated again. I’ve got a little over a month to make my goal and I’m working with a fellow TNT participant to organize a fundraiser that will hopefully put us over our goals. Please stay tuned for that.

It’s the final home stretch for my training and fundraising. If you haven’t checked out my fundraising page, take a look at the progress I’ve made and all the people who have donated. I hope to see you all at the finish line on June 6th.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m running the San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll marathon coming up this June. Two weeks ago, we had our summer season kick off meeting. I had no idea how big of a deal this was until I walked into the gym. Just the OC/IE marathon group was almost 90 people. There were probably almost 200 people combined doing different events. And all of us are training to raise money for LLS.

Our first official training was this past Saturday and if you remember, it was raining that morning. Marathons are held rain or shine and so are our practices. It was only 2 miles so it wasn’t too bad but I was soaked by the end of the run. The thing that struck me about Team in Training is how friendly everyone is. I joined not only to complete a marathon but I figured this would be a good opportunity to meet people. TNT makes it very easy to meet people who are not only really friendly, but they are also into running and being in, or getting into, good shape. I finally got to meet my assigned mentor, Paul, who is planning to run SIX marathons this year! I also met John who is training for his third marathon overall. This coming weekend is our 3 mile run and also our shoe clinic where we have the option of getting properly fitted for shoes. Even though the practices are early on Saturdays and it keeps my from going out on Fridays, I know that once I cross that finish line, it’ll all be worth it.

I’m up to almost $300 in my fundraising efforts and I’d like to thank everyone who has already donated. I need a long way to go before I reach my goal. As an incentive to get you all to donate, I came up with a way that might motivate you to donate. I’ve decided to put up my body for sale as advertising. Similar to NASCAR, depending on how much you donate, I’ll write your name on a part of my body. Here’s how I decided to break it down.

• $50: Name placement on my leg
• $100: Name placement on my arm
• $250: Name placement on my cheek (On my face!)
• $500: Name placement on my forehead
• $1000: I’ll shave my head and place your name on my head (!)

I’ll use Sharpie, nothing permanent, but I thought it would be a great way to recognize my donors. And for those that have donated already, I’ll grandfather you in. If you haven’t donated, please go to my fundraising page and help out however you can. I’d like to meet my goal and concentrate on training. Thanks for checking in and I’ll post more updates and pictures soon!

While I was researching on how to properly train for a marathon, I ran into The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. TNT is the world’s first, largest and best charity sports program. They provide very structured marathon preparation and expert training all for free. In exchange for this, I have agreed to raise funds for LLS.

My personal goal is to raise $2,620, (a marathon is 26.2 miles, $100 per mile) by March 12th. When I decided to run this marathon, I was doing it to fulfill a personal goal of mine. But now that I’m involved with TNT, I’m running to help thousands of people who are suffering from leukemia or other forms of cancer and to raise funds for blood cancer research and patient aid. I am also running in honor of my Mom, who is a breast cancer survivor and in memory of her sister, my Auntie Alice Jamero. You can help me in this cause by donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The EASIEST way to donate is through my fundraising website. My SDRNR Fundraising Page is set up to make it easy to make your tax-deductible donation. I have also added a badge in the sidebar showing my progress and it also includes a link to my fundraising site. Once you click “Donate Now” you’ll receive email confirmation and a tax receipt.

Thanks for visiting my blog and reading this post. It’s not often that I reach out and ask for this type of feedback and support on my blog, but this is something that I truly believe in. There is no minimum to donate, you can donate whatever you’re comfortable with. If you can’t, no worries. I know times are tough but they can’t be any more difficult than what people who are suffering from these diseases are going through. If you have questions, you can leave a comment or email me at jaytorres at gmail dot com.

Thank you all for your support.