Good News for Gavin!

After a really tough past few days, my friends Stacie & Jeff, received good news today about Gavin.
quote from their blog:
"God's Listening"
"We believe with all of our hearts that God is listening and responding to all of our prayer requests for Gavin. We received some good news from Gavin's oncologist and knew everyone would want to hear it. "....... "The fluid pulled from last week's round of chemo (after only one dose of chemo from the week before) revealed that there were NO CANCER CELLS in the fluid. We're not out of the woods, by any stretch of the imagination, but could tell that the doctor was highly surprised by the test result."
She is referring to the CSF, which originally had cancer cells detected. He still has the spots on his spine, but this is very good news that at least the fluid is clear after just one round of chemo.

Also, Stacie just posted a link for a fund where we can donate to his medical fund. I know a few of you asked me what we can do for them. Well, I think one of the biggest things we can do is raise money for them for all of these medical expenses.

I was planning on doing an Ironman in September, but now I would like to somehow honor little Gavin and maybe have a few fundraisers leading up to my event to raise a larger amount of money for them and then present it to them. So, I will keep you posted. For now, keep the prayers flowing for disappearance and healing from all of the cancer! And here is the link again for their blog if you want the info now, feel free to donate just directly to the fund: http://www.smithscooptexas.blogspot.com/

OKC Marathon 2008

OKC Marathon 2008!!

Wendy Hazelwood took these pics for me with her smokin' new camera! Thanks to Wendy for being My Head Sherpa, Curb Service Chauffeur in the rain, and for being the Best Cheerleader ever! As most of you have already heard, I had the race of my life this past Sunday in OKC! The weather was crazy chilly for April in OKC, but after our near death heatstroke in Chicago, I gladly accepted the gift from mother nature! The marathon started at 6:30 AM, so Wendy and I were up at 4:15Am, and my sweet mother in law and father in law, awoke with us, just to "see us off" and to make sure Wendy had a whole large thermos of coffee in tow for the journey. We headed South on I35 from Guthrie down into Oklahoma City. It was raining pretty steady so Wendy dropped me at the curb near the start line and she went off to park the car (What a great friend!) We met up with our Dallas buddy Biegel who would be running the Half! Even though temps were in the 40's and it was still raining, I stripped off my jacket, extra shirt and gave it all up at bag check. I tried to stay warm as it was still drizzling and pretty windy. Then, a nice opening ceremony began including 168 seconds of silence to remember those lost in the OKC bombing. Here is a blurb from the website that describes the the meaning behind this memorial marathon, and with the events of the past month in my life and friends of mine, I found it very fitting:
"On April 19, 1995, a great wrong was done in Oklahoma City. However, on this day in April the forces of fear and hate were beaten by love and compassion.The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is a race that is not about running—it is about life.168 banners line the marathon course, one for each victim. Those banners serve to remind us as we run that we have been given the gift of life and that it is too precious to waste. This is what the Memorial Marathon is about: realizing the preciousness of time, valuing one another, taking life as it comes and making something magic from it. Celebrating Life. You don’t have to be a runner to participate in the Memorial Marathon. All you have to do is change the world you live in one moment, one opportunity, one person at a time. It is not about running—it is about living."
I read this the night before I left town and it was very inspirational. As many of you know, my friends have a son, Gavin, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. In the past month their lives have been turned upside down and it has made all of us that know them really think about life, faith, family, friends, and making the very best of each and every moment. So, with Gavin in my mind and on my heart, I headed to the start line wanting to honor the battle he is fighting!

I tried to really stick to my plan this time of starting out slow... (only took me 11 marathons to learn that this really works!) I won't bore you with all the details of each mile, but I can't say I have ever felt better in a marathon. I trained really hard this time, thanks to lots of help from my coach, Stacy. Also, I have a developed a different sense of focus and determination since I turned 30, which has changed me in alot of ways. Anyway, the race really just flew by for me because for the most part I was feeling so great. Yes, there were some pretty hilly sections, some stiff winds occasionally, some periods of intense fatigue. But, the greatest thing about this marathon was that all of these negative aspects were just fleeting moments throughout the miles, none of them ever lingering or consuming me. Before I knew it, I was approaching mile 20, and there was Wendy cheering me on, coming up and running beside me! She and I both knew I had never run a race this well before, and she was so excited for me! She yelled out, "I talked to your mom, and she said to tell you Good Luck!" That just made me even happier. It just happened to be my mom's birthday for this fine race day. And, even though she could not be physically there, I was motivated to make her birthday a great day regardless! I looked at my watch at mile 20 and I knew that I would likely meet my goal to qualify for Boston unless something crazy happened. Then, I also realized that I had been holding back a little waiting to reach this point, and before I knew it I was speeding up focused on just a 10K to get me to the finish! I will always treasure the way I was able to finish this marathon, because you never know if you will ever feel that great at the end again. It is the first time in 11 tries for me, but I will savor every moment! I got close to the finish and I was even able to sprint a little and it felt so great, I got tears in my eyes and I just raised my hands up in the air and smiled up to the clouds and at the time clock :) Well, somehow I clocked a 3:33 on this fine day... 15 minutes less than my last PR (3:48). I still can't believe it! I have always secretly wanted to qualify for Boston, but in my 20's I wasn't always the kind of person to really focus and really go for it. I ran several marathons not trained well and several where things went pretty well, but not quite well enough. I have run some of the big marathons multiple times, some of the flattest marathons, and even hometown Whiterock 3 times. OKC is not a big marathon, not a glamorous marathon, and definitely not a flat marathon, but with the weather and the timing of many events in my life, it turned out to be The Best Marathon for me this April 2008!










Here is a link if you want to see some other pics from the marathon:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kristina.mrtn1/OKCMARATHON

A Fun & Crazy Weekend in March!!

Sat. 5:15 AM - Meet Heather & Tonya, Drive to Aledo TX

Ride Bicycles 100 miles through the rolling hills in the Ride for the Heroes Rally

1:30 PM Eat A Nice Burger, Head back to Dallas

3:30 PM Shower and get ready for a Double Party night

6:30 PM Buy Wine at World Market for Tonya's Stock the Bar
(Kristina forgot to eat, no time, she's gonna be starving!!)

7:30 PM Let the Party begin at Tonya's new Casa! It was great catching up with the work crew from Baylor!
(sorry for the orange top with nasty tan lines, ouch!)

10:00 PM Head to Party 2 - Andrea's 30th B-day Soiree is in Full Swing at
the Schweitzer House...

12:30 AM Leave the Schweitzer's, Kristina is still giddy from all that riding, Ted wants to go home!

Sun. 6:30 AM - Kristina Runs 11 miles with her dog Marty at Whiterock Lake

Sun. 12:00 PM - Eat family lunch with mom & Bro. after church

Sun. 3:00 PM - Kristina runs 9 more miles to make her needed total of 20!

**** disclaimer**** Intense Triathlon training mixed with a double party night can be hazardous to your health, but thank goodness Kristina is training so much, her energy level is just now coming down to a level that others can manage with all of her fatigue from the workouts

A Fun Night!

We had a great night at Tommy & Anna's wedding! We took pictures as if it was our "Second Chance Prom." Kerri finally got us all arranged on the stairs properly. Check out my nasty running and biking tan lines...lookin' so sexy with my strapless dress... Yikes...Maybe I could at least invest in a cheap spray on tan for my next night out... Well, it was a beautiful wedding at the Old Red Courthouse. All of us girlies had some fun dancing the night away. Good thing Ted drug me home before I got too crazy... As graceful as I am, it was a little dangerous dancing in my high heels a week before my marathon! Home Safe and Sound Thank Goodness!!

MS150

Well, I survived my second year of the MS150!! It was great fun and I was again amazed as I rode my bike through different towns to see MS patients in wheel chairs sitting on the side of the rode cheering and saying "Thank You!" Being the sap that I am, it brought tears to my eyes a few times... With that being said, I am so glad that this is such a huge well-run event. My mom's sister has MS, and I have a friend at church with MS. It is great that they can raise so much money for such a great cause!!

Well, to even get to the start line from Dallas, it is a bit of a logistical nightmare. Friday, I drove to Austin parked my car at UT, took a bus to Houston, then I crashed with my old high school soccer buddies. I had fun catching up with Becky & Jorge and adorable little Maddy. We all went out for pasta so Brian and I could "carbo load." Linda & Brian hosted my Friday night stay...and we all woke up at the insane hour of about 4AM then headed out to start two day trek from Houston to Austin. I of course rode with the Brewery team again, "St. Arnold's." Take a look at the crazy colored jerseys! They took good care of me, fed me well, and made sure that I had plenty of choice replacement beverages on tap in La Grange. I stuck with tradition since things went pretty well last year (about 3-4 beverages and a good massage, and I was good to go for the next day). Brian and I had a good day of riding the first day, we covered 80 miles with some nice hills as you get closer to La Grange. Things got pretty nutty at the second half with a stiff headwind...but we survived and headed into camp. I showered in a shower trailer and staked out my sleeping bag on a nice patch of grass. I then headed over to visit friends on the Sun & Ski Team. We all compared and embellished stories from the grueling ride, and before you know it, I was off to sleep.

DAY 2: Woke up about 4:45 AM, only to repeat the same routine all over again!! Except this time you have to line up for about 1 1/2 hours just waiting for them to release all 13,000 riders at once from the gate... It was a pretty chilly morning, as we slowly pedaled off waiting for the crowds to thin. The rider in front of me turned back and said to me, "I can hear your teeth chattering, are you okay??" After about 20 miles, I finally warmed up a bit, although my toes stayed numb for another hour or so. I headed into my favorite part of the ride into Bueshner state park in Bastrop. It is beautiful with tree covered winding roads with some pretty crazy hills to climb. After the park, I stopped for lunch and then headed into Austin. I was lucky to jump on with a fun pace line and cruise at a nice speed drafting into Austin. Just like last year it was a great feeling riding into Austin knowing I had covered 160 miles or so on my bike! I had a celebration beverage at the St. Arnold's tent and vowed to make this my last beverage until after my upcoming marathon. Yikes in two weeks, running OKC marathon! So, I headed back to Dallas to recover and see if I could recooperate my body and prepare mentally for an upcoming Marathon! What was I thinking??!!

Relaxing Sunday

Today was a nice relaxing Sunday! I am on an easier "rest" week from training, so I did not have to spend as many hours riding and running. But, I did get some nice riding in the Tour of Dallas yesterday morning. Today I did a short ride before dropping my bike off at the Bike Shop for a final tune up before heading off to Houston for the MS150 next weekend. I had a shorter run up a whiterock lake this afternoon and enjoyed the great sunny weather! I had the nice surprise of running into my good friend Andrea as I was running along.

Ted is on his way back from his fishing adventures, and I will have him write a summary to capture all of his exciting moments! He did really well and had a great time!

I love when I get time on Sunday just to relax. I have had time to think about friends in need of prayer, the blessings I have, and many other peaceful thoughts. I am in a settled routine lately, and it is good right now. Even though I am working and training quite a bit. I enjoy all the fun I get to have along with these activities. I had a nice lunch with my mom today before heading out to the Lake. I feel truly blessed to have my Mom and a great circle of friends here in Dallas.