Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Happy Halloween to Event #6!
Now that we're halfway through our goal of 10 races, its time to pick our next one! There is a race in Nashville every year that has always looked fun to me, so we decided to make that our next event. So...(drumroll please)...race #6 will be the I Run For The Party Halloween 5k right here in Nashville. This will be the 5th year of the very popular race, and should be a pretty fun time for Team G Shock. The race will be held on Saturday, Oct 31st at 5:00pm. Since its Halloween, runners are encouraged to dress in costume and there are even prizes for the best costumes and a party after the race. So if you're in Nashville, come join us for the run! Suggestions for costume ideas are welcome! :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Event #5 - Pumpkins In The Park 5k
Well, we did it! We are halfway to our goal of 10 races for Team G Shock. Although, I have to tell you, there's a pretty good chance that we may continue well after the 10 races, so be sure to stay tuned!
Nate, myself, Mom and Dad arrived in Dunbar, WV on Friday afternoon. We were treated to some quality time with our sweet Lily before my brother Drew took me, Nate and Dad to pick up our race packets. As soon as we gave our names, I was very surprised (and pleased) to hear "oh, you're the Nashville people. I read the blog!". That was our first official random reader that we've come across and I was probably more excited than I should have been. :)
Once we got back to the house, we were treated to a delicious pasta dinner home-cooked by my sister-in-law, Jenny. We had a little more quality time with the family and then headed off to the hotel for some much needed rest. Unfortunately, my brother Geoff and his girlfriend Gabrielle couldn't leave until after work on Friday so they were driving into the early morning and we didn't see them until the morning of the big race.
The race took place in front of the Capitol building along Kanawha Boulevard in downtown Charleston. It had been raining the night before, but luckily it was just a little chilly on the morning of the race. The race began at 9:00AM and we all staggered into our own pace from the start. Gabrielle and Geoff were up front, with Dad in the middle, and me & Nate bringing up the rear (mainly because of me). The race was an up & back along the river and was a really nice course - very flat and a lot of scenery to check out. Along the way we had our cheerleaders (Drew & Mom) which was a nice motivation. Gabrielle finished first (with a new Team G Shock record!), followed by Geoff (also a new PR for Team G Shock). Next came me & Nate with our standard sprint to the finish and then my Dad finished it up for the team. Here are the official times for our racers. Thank you to Amanda with the Junior League of Charleston for getting me this info so quickly...
19th place - Gabrielle Kantrowitz - 24:18.10
23rd place - Geoff Ross - 25:02.30
74th place - Sara Ross - 31:31.74
75th place - Nate Towne - 31:31.85
82nd place - Joe Ross - 34:27.41
Oh, and just because I can, I would like to let everyone know that Gabrielle finished 1st in her age group! Our first official Team G Shock award winner! And I also just found out that Geoff placed 2nd in his, so way to go G&G!
I have to say that I am SO proud of my Dad for running the race with us. I know that it was just a 5k and he's done dozens of those, but he's never done one after 8 weeks of radiation treatment. And the fact that he was even out there with us was amazing! Also, I was pretty impressed with Geoff & Gabrielle - not only for running with us (and doing an awesome job), but for running after getting into town shortly after 3:00AM. Maybe that's what we need to do to break 30:00 - run on no sleep after a 6 hour car ride. Hmm...
Since we had our "official" photographers, I have a few more photos from the race, so enjoy!
our new Team G-Shock shirts that Mom & Dad got us!
dad, Nate & me pre-race
in front of the capitol pre-race
(Nate, me, Gabrielle, Geoff, Mom & Dad)
Nate (and me if you look close) starting out
Gabrielle crossing the finish line!
Geoff finishing up!
me & Nate (look - we're floating!)
Gabrielle, Geoff, me & Nate cheering on Dad!
take THAT prostate cancer
at the finish line :)
(Nate, me, Dad, Geoff & Gabrielle)
and of course..the birthday girl!
Katie On The Today Show!
As I mentioned earlier, my friend Katie is in need of a life-saving stem cell transplant. She got to talk to Al Roker this morning on the Today Show to try to encourage viewers to sign up to be donors! It's not too late to sign up! Please follow this link if you'd like to become a donor and help save Katie's (or someone else's) life.
Katie talks to Al Roker about her need for a donor - 10/15
(copyright The Today Show/NBC)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
To Charleston We Go!
Tomorrow morning we are off to Charleston, WV to help celebrate my niece Lily's 1st birthday! I can't wait to see the whole family, and especially Miss Lily! And while we are there, we will be running race #5 for Team G Shock. This time around its the Pumpkins In The Park 5k in downtown Charleston. Myself, Nate & my dad are running with (hopefully) a few more members of the family.
The race is at 9:00am (eastern this time) on Saturday morning so if you're thinking of it...send a cheer our way! I'll be sure to post pictures of the weekend and the race so keep an eye out! And for a little preview...here's a picture of the birthday girl with her first taste of birthday cake. :)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
A Request To Help A Friend...
My dear friend Rachel's best friend Katie has been battling Hodgkin Lymphoma for the past year and a half. I had the privilege of meeting Katie before her battle started and was thrilled to see her fight her way through it like we all knew she could. She went into remission last year, but last week was given the awful news that her cancer is back. Katie was able to donate her own stem cells to herself last year, but now is in need of stem cells from donors. Unfortunately, of the 12 million donors in the database, none are a match. We need your help! All it takes is a minute to sign up and then another minute to take a Q-tip to the inside of your cheek. Its free to sign up and you could be saving a persons life.
While Team G Shock is raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, we are hopeful that someday ALL cancers will be gone so that no family has to go through what our family, and Katie's family and everyone else's family has had to go through.
So please, follow this link and become a donor: http://join.marrow.org/lifesource
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Event #4 - Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k
I don't know about the rest of you, but us Nashvillians had been getting soaked with rain for the last couple of weeks. And Saturday, when we ran the Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k, was no exception. We woke up to thunder & lightning and TONS of rain. But we decided to head on down to the race to see if it was still on, flash flood warnings and all. And lucky for us...it was! :) We made our way to join the rest of the participants all huddled under the picnic shelter closest to the starting line. Once again a few of our very sweet friends joined us (even in the terrible weather) and made it another event to remember for Team G Shock.
The race began at 7:30AM, and I was very excited because this was our first chip-timed event. Not that we've ever been so far back from the starting line that it would make much difference, but it was just fun to know that our time would be EXACT. The race was on the Shelby greenway and ended with a loop around the lake. Our friend Joe led the pack out front, followed by Nate, and then myself & our friend Jonathan bringing up the rear. It was an interesting first mile since there were multiple ankle-deep puddles to navigate through (and no real way to avoid them). But it also made it a little more fun to try to high-step it through the water. After the first mile, I caught up to Nate and we ran the rest of the race together. We came up to the finish line with Joe cheering us on along with Elizabeth who was too sick to join us for the run. She was a trooper for sticking it out in the rain the whole time we were out there. Once again, Nate & I sprinted to the finish line and set ANOTHER PR!! We were so excited, and are getting closer and closer to our newest goal of breaking 30:00. So here are the official results for Team G Shock Nashville...
28th place - Joe Kirschbaum - 27:23
53rd place - Sara Ross - 30:53
54th place - Nate Towne - 30:53
79th place - Jonathan Insogna - 34:47
Once again, I want to thank my wonderful friends for coming out to run & support Team G Shock! It turns out that Joe, myself & Nate would have gotten age group awards (2nd, 3rd and 3rd place respectively) if we had bothered to stick around for the awards part of the race! Never thought that would happen. Note to self: stay for the awards ceremony from now on just in case. :) One more quick (but BIG) thank you to Nate's best friend Walzer & his wife Kim for their very generous donation to Team G Shock since we performed so well in the race!
And of course, in the tradition of Team G Shock, I forced my friends to pose for pictures, even in the pouring rain.
Joe, me & Nate pre-race (and already soaked)
post-race with the boys
(Jonathan, me, Nate & Joe)
acting silly in the rain...because we can
Elizabeth (our cheerleader & photographer) & Jonathan
Jonathan & Joe..I think the rain was getting to us..
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Big Day!
Well, folks, today is the day. Today is the LAST day of radiation for my Dad! :) I am so proud of him, and I know he's excited to be done! The staff at the hospital was WONDERFUL and I know he was very thankful for them and for all that they do everyday. So now he will move on to more hormone treatments and of course, more check-ins with the doctor. I will be sure to keep you all posted on how it all continues to go!
We are also excited because race #4 (The Shelby Bottoms Boogie 5k) is this Saturday! A couple of our friends will be joining us, and we're very excited for that! Be sure to send out good vibes not only for me & Nate, but also for Joe Kirschbaum and Jonathan & Elizabeth Insogna! And if you live in Nashville and like to wake up early on Saturdays, come cheer us on at 7:30am at Shelby Bottoms park!
To add a fun twist to this weekend's race, Nate's best friend has sent us a challenge. Walzer (known to some as Matt Walzer) will be donating to Team G Shock, but based on how we perform at Saturday's race. For example, in the last race, we both ran it in 32 minutes and a few seconds. A combined time of about 64 minutes. Walzer has said that for every minute under 70 that our combined times come to, he will donate $10. So he would have donated $60 since we were six minutes under 70 last time. But if we speed it up a bit and both run it in 30 minutes, Walzer will be ponying up $100 to the cause and we'll set a new PR. There's some motivation if I've ever seen it. And, now that its on the internet, he can't back out of it, no matter how fast we finish! :) So cheer loud, and send lots of good thoughts our way..its all in the name of TEAM G SHOCK!!
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