4 weeks and 1 day to go!

Sundays in March are long run days: 15.4 miles on March 2nd, 17.6 miles on March 9th, 15 miles last Sunday and 20 miles today. Although my long runs have been a fair bit slower than those I did in preparation for the Chicago Marathon in 2012, I have been incorporating more hills. Today's 20-miler was quite challenging, from Mill Valley to Sausalito, up to and across the Golden Gate Bridge, down to Crissy Field and back, involving a cumulative elevation gain of 1,450 feet.

Although it's a bit discouraging for me to see an average pace of 10:28 today, when I had run 21 miles at an average 9:27 pace in September 2012 (3 weeks before Chicago), that speedy training pace did not result in a particularly speedy Marathon, and I only bettered my previous marathon finish time by a little over a minute in Chicago. So, hopefully, taking it slower but working the hills will better prepare me for Boston.

I am excited and a little nervous about the race, and also the fundraising part of it all! I've reached just about 70% of my fundraising goal, and will have to send a few more letters out this week. All in all, I feel I'm making good progress, but I have a feeling these last 4 weeks are going to fly by!! I am humbled by all the support and well wishes I have received, and sincerely appreciate every donation and kind word sent my way.

Today's Tribute: Dana Ann Gong

Natalie, Naomi and Dana

Dana Ann Gong

September 11, 1970 - March 2, 2009

Five years ago today, the world lost a beautiful person, inside and out, and the heavens gained a bright new star. 

Dana and I met in 2004 at an adoption agency meeting. Though we didn't know each other at the time, we had both attended UC Davis, where Dana had earned an M.S. in Food Science. When I met her she was a Food Technologist with the National Food Laboratory in Livermore. She and her husband Lester were preparing to adopt a child, and had selected the same agency as we had for our adoptions. We were in the same adoption travel group in 2005, and became good friends. Our girls’ birthdays are just 4 days apart. We both adopted again a couple of years later, and our second daughters are also the same age. 

 

Naomi and Dana, 2008

Sadly, several months after coming home with her second daughter, Naomi, Dana was diagnosed with lymphoma. She was in and out of the hospital through the whole winter holiday season, fighting courageously. But cancer won the battle, and Dana passed away just days before Naomi’s second birthday. The idea of that beautiful baby, who had already lost her birthmother, growing up without the mother who had traveled to the other side of the earth to get her, broke my heart. Even though it has been five years since Dana left us, I think of her frequently. 

I can still see her huge smile and hear her laughing voice. When I was accepted to run for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team, I knew that I wanted to honor Dana's memory. 

Dana and Natalie, 2006

Throughout her life, Dana's giving spirit had led her to volunteer in several different capacities, including selling daffodils each spring for the American Cancer Society as a Daffodil Days Coordinator. When I learned that the Boston Marathon route would be lined with daffodils, my eyes welled up with tears - I know that every time I see those yellow flowers as I'm running, I will be thinking about Dana.

If you knew Dana and would like to leave a remembrance of her, we welcome your Comments below.