Location: Above California
Beverage: Strong Starbucks cuppa joe with ample steamed half 'n' half
Playlist: David Holmes / U2 / Coldplay / Cake
Playlist: David Holmes / U2 / Coldplay / Cake
Company: TNT peeps extraordinaire with more to come on the following flight. Family at home waking up to get ready for school. Thinking about them often.
Today: fly, arrive, coffee, marathon expo, high tea at the Empress, marathon expo, dinner, sleep. It's a day without stress. A day of getting ready to get ready.
Tomorrow: strategy session with Wolf-Pac and its honorary members. It's a Running Den of 5 (plus others) who have been training together on long runs for this marathon weekend . Strategizing with charts, graphs, pace charts, an airing of the "what ifs" to prepare for all possible outcomes. Knowledge is power. Only later do you free the mind, so the feet will follow.
Dateline: Monday, 10/11/10 -- Day after the marathon
Beverage: water
Playlist: One Tree Hill, U2...and others
Marathon #3...done. 5:05:21 (PR by 52 minutes)
Marathon Day Re-Cap
The Wolf-Pac starts out scouting the grounds and, by mile 1, converged into full Wolf-Pac-Five formation running together high in spirits, working in rhythm, pumping each other up mentally to boost the physical while sticking to the 8 min run/ 1 min walk.

Coach Tim comes upon us while in positive form, smiles, laughs, encouragement. I hope we gave to him, what he gave to us.
As the miles pass the words between us become sparse. I wasn't expecting this to happen this early on in the race. By mile 14ish, I sense each of us beginning to retreat into our own heads. 
I know this course from last year and call out to our Wolf-Pac Den of Five -- "We continue straight for a bit, and make a left. There's a water stop -- then we turn around and make our way back." Okay. Get my water bottle ready, refill, recap, make my u-turn. I know Ilya is right behind/beside me. And yet, upon my return, I see Jen...and Juana slightly further back..... Marc following even further back. My heart sinks, feels broken. We had set ourselves up to run together as a Pac of Five up to mile 20. It isn't happening. As Ilya and I continue, the others fall further behind. I can't look back to see who was behind -- I ask Ilya to take a glance and I see disappointment on his face. I think to myself, "We all agreed - if one stops, if one slows down, the others.....continue. It's race day. It's what you do."

A few moments later I take a 15 sec. walk break and Ilya continues. Why, WHY am I walking?!? I pick it back up....400 meters...Z and Coach leave me as I make my way through the final shoot for finishers only. I hear Ilya's being announced as he finishes ahead of me. Then...the Announcer's words pace me through the final approach which lifts my spirits and my arms to and carry me to the final finish...."Janine Penney....from San Jose....running with Team in Training....has finished her marathon....in 5 hours.....and 5 minutes." I crushed that marathon....we all did.

