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Finally... the Marathon Update!!!

Race day was a smashing success and the weekend that surrounded it was full of such fun memories.

The weekend began on a gorgeous sunny afternoon in Union Square where thousands of marathoners met to pick up our race day bibs and partake in some of the fun!

Here I am with my friend Diane Smith. We pedaled as fast as we could to blend those smoothies...

they were delicious!

We got to check out the course map...which looked a little daunting but also took us through some beautiful areas of San Francisco. We started in Union Square, ran along fisherman's wharf, got a couple great views in and after a loop around lake Merced, headed in via the Great Highway. There were SEVEN hills, three of them were over 300 ft. climbs!

Niketown cleared the way for the Nike Women's Marathon. Every participants name was listed on the outside of the building and they had shirts you could personalize.

This years theme was, "I run to be" so Candice wrote, "Finished" and I used one of my favorite quotes from the season, appropriate for San Francisco... "It's a hill, GET OVER IT!"

The inspiration dinner was a gathering of 5,000 Team In Training participants who were greeted by hundreds of coaches and captains. We loaded up on carbs, heard from a few famous marathoners and then it was off to bed for an early morning marathon!

At this point I hadn't been able to run for six weeks because of my calf injury so going into the race I was just hoping to finish!

Team Kasey

The buzz in Union Square before dawn was incredible. It was so exciting to line up with 30,000

other runners, listen to the national anthem and wonder what the next four hours held! The weather was perfect and I was feeling good!

Union Square 7 am

The first half of the race was gorgeous...hilly, but gorgeous. At the 5k mark I rejoiced at having completed my first 5k ever! The same feeling passed through my mind at the 10k, 15k and half marathon marks. I saw dad along the sidelines at mile 16 which was awesome. I blew him a kiss and kept on running! He said I looked like I was in another world...and I was. I was running super strong, super consistent and was paced at a 10 minute mile.

The second half wasn't nearly as much fun. It started raining around mile 12 and continued to get worse. There were several miles along the ocean which would have been beautiful, but instead meant freezing ocean wind blowing the rain sideways. I was thankful to have my visor on, to keep the rain out of my eyes! Needless to say I got a bit cold in my tank top and shorts. I started thinking more about the blanket waiting for me at the end than the Tiffany's necklace!

Still smiling at mile 25...even running in the rain!

I finished in 4:24, a great time considering my injury, those San Francisco hills and the terrible weather! You can see me right on top of the blue mat with my arms raised over head! I finished just as strong as I started...26.2 miles later.

It was SO nice to have dad (and three layers of warm clothing) waiting for me at the finish line... oh, and don't forget those cute firemen with the blue boxes!

Then it was time for my final ice bath of the season and I finally realized just how helpful those handles can be in the shower!

I was SORE for weeks!!!!!

Before I left California I just had to make one more stop!

In N Out!

With your help I raised $3,385 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Our chapter of Team In Training raised $356,000 and the event itself raised 13 million.

In it's seventh year, the Nike Women's Marathon has raised over $105 million dollars to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Thank you SO much for helping me accomplish this huge life goal and for becoming part of something so much bigger than ourselves! I have officially joined that crazy 1% of people who have run a marathon in their life and I would gladly do it again. The experience taught me so much about what the human body is capable of achieving with determination, amazing support and a positive mindset!

If you've been meaning to donate but haven't had the chance to yet, it's not too late but this really is your last chance!

www.chelseacarlsson.com

Go Team!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

So, with just 12 hours left to donate I am only $336 away from my fundraising goal of a whopping $3200!!!!

Watching the donations pour in has been one of the most exciting parts of the season and, as the race nears, it's an amazing feeling to have the support of so many. I have received donations from England, Atlanta, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Washington and Oregon.

Your encouragement has helped me heal over the past two weeks and now I'm headed off to the gym for one more boring session of elliptical before I can finally hit the pavement again Saturday.

In just 17 days I'll be flying through the streets of San Francisco running towards that Tiffany's necklace waiting for me at the finish line! All the while, powered by my race day tea... Monkey Picked Oolong!

Thank you for supporting me and for giving so generously to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They take care of families battling blood cancers so well.

It's an honor to run with Team in Training!

GOOOOOO Team!

Chelsea

Season Update

So far this season I have covered 400 miles of pavement.

With your tremendous and generous support I have also raised $2400 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Amazing!

I am currently resting a calf injury so that I can be in tip top shape for the 26.2 miles through the hills of San Francisco in just THREE WEEKS!

I am SO excited that the culmination of the past four months is just around the corner and I SO appreciate each and every one of you and your encouragement!

I have just $800 left to raise by the end of September so if you haven't had the chance to donate yet, now's the time!

"The longest journey begins with a single step."

New Artwork By Dr. Greg:

Beautiful Artwork Dr. Greg

 

No running for a week! What a bummer! But that won't stop me from finishing strong in San Francisco in just 25 days! Getting down to the wire on fundraising...half way there! Such a blessing to be able to use the physical body to raise money for such a great cause. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society does a fabulous job of caring for those battling blood cancers and supporting their whole family! Research is also helping other fields of study!

My calve was screaming after 21 miles on Saturday...can anyone sponsor my calves??? They need it!

So far I've got my shoes, quads, ankels and hips sponsored but still need calves, knees, lungs, hamstrings, gluts and feet!

Ice Bath!

 

First ice bath after an excellent 18 mile run!

Saturday Morning Run

This morning I was reminded of what the 5 o'clock hour looks like as we started our 12 mile run a little earlier. We hit the streets at 6:30 and got plenty of practice running hills in preparation for the San Francisco marathon. I was tearin' them up! We completed 12.34 miles in an astonishing 1:40:47 which is my best time...8:10 pace! It was a gorgeous morning, warm but gorgeous.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me achieve 25% of my $3,200 fundraising goal. Still a ways to go so SHOW ME WHAT YA GOT!! So far I have run 236 miles in my 2 1/2 months of training and am just 63 days from race day! To put that in perspective that's like running from Portland to Canada!... or to the border of California for all you Cali folks.

Here's a mid-week shot from track practice! Thanks for following! Until next week!

16 Miles Strong

This morning I had my longest run to date and my fastest time ever! I ran 16 miles in 2:26:58 for a 9:04 pace. At that pace I can finish the marathon in 3:57!!! It was the perfect morning for a run and I got to enjoy it with fabulous people.

This week it has been encouraging to see many of you come alongside me to support me in my fundraising goal of $3200. So far I have run 209 miles and raised $395 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

Thank you Kevin and Teri, Dad, Caroline, Dr. Landers, Joan and Brian, Micah and Grandma. You guys are awesome!!!

Tremendous Support

Just got home from 10 HILL SPRINTS with my TNT family and couldn't resist stopping in to the gym for a couple of miles on the way home. I got home not only to a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream, but also to TWO generous donations from amazing friends. I appreciate all of you who are chipping in. If I'm feeling this supported I can only imagine how the recipients of the funds will feel!

Keep on giving and we all win!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Donations Received

Thank you so much Aunt Teri, Uncle Kevin, Dad and Caroline for your donations of a total of $170 in just a few days!

I still have $580 to raise by this Friday.

So far I have run 188 training miles!!!!

Please donate at www.ChelseaCarlsson.com or tell your friends and family where they can make a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Thanks so much!