Celebration of Life

Celebration of Life

Grace “Amazing Grace”

The size of your heart is immeasurable. There will always be a “special place in my heart just for you for eternity”.

You were like a mother to me and a grandmother to Chantelle and Christopher. You helped us through some of the toughest times in our lives, and that we will never forget.

You truly are the most positive and most stubborn person I’ve ever met. When you put your mind to it, you complete amazing tasks, and changed the lives of many.

I thank God for being blessed with wonderful grandparents when I was young, and double blessed when I met you when Chantelle was 10 and Christopher was 7. They too were blessed by having you in their lives.

Love,

Francesca

Clothing

I recommend the proper attire for training as well as racing. Do not use cotton. It’s best to use fit dry loose clothing. This type of material will prevent your body from overheating. I’ll always remember being asked to go into the Ladies room and take my cotton shirt off and replace it with a fit dry one which someone was nice enough to loan me for my first race. I never experience overheating, but I saw many male participants get rid of their cotton shirts along the route. I was thankful and still think about how that fit dry shirt saved me.

My favorite socks are Wright Sock Double-Layered. Before I started using them, I would get blisters. I’ve been using this type of sock since 2005, and if I do get a blister it’s because I laced up incorrectly, or my toe covers were not properly positioned.

Shoes are the most important piece of you attire. I always make sure that the material which surrounds the area around my toes is a mesh material. The reason for this is that when you run your entire body swells, and of course your feet are the most venerable.
Leather or any other type of material will not allow your feet room to expand.

I ran with a pair which had leather material surrounding my forefoot. I ran (5) miles and my feet felt like they were on fire. I lost circulation and was in extreme pain. This happened approximately (5) years ago. I spent over $100 on the shoes, and had to buy another pair. I never made that mistake again.

I now get my shoes from Road Runner Sports. They have a policy, by which if you have a problem with the shoe you purchased, no matter how many miles you’ve traveled in them they will exchange them for a new pair at no charge. You have (60) to test run your shoes.

I always wear a hat. The hat keeps me cool during the hot summer days, and keeps me warm during the chilly winter.

Wear the best and you will perform your best.

Be True to Your Training

Before I started my training, I placed a great deal of time on a Conditioning and Strength training program. I later combined them with a Weight Management Program. The programs combination taught me how to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight for life. The best part was that the healthy foods just gave me much more energy and strength.

Once I developed strong, regular conditioning and strength training habits, I applied the system to my ultimate desire to complete another Marathon. Training to complete a Marathon requires about (6) months preparation.

My goal during the week is to complete the exact or as close to as possible to the amount of miles I’ll be running on Saturdays when I do my endurance training.

I continued my conditioning and strength program during the week, but increased distance for my Saturday runs gradually. The distance increases from (1) mile the first week of training to (22) miles two weeks before the marathon. It is very important to increase the distance gradually to avoid injuries and set backs. It is also important to be true to the distance requirements on Saturdays. Although the preparation does not call for you to complete 26.2 miles the actual marathon distance during training, it’s only 4.2 additional miles on the day of the marathon which you have to go.

I remember finishing my first Marathon which “changed my life forever”, I immediately anxious to start training for the next event. I thought it would be easy. I thought “I just ran a Marathon; the next one will be much easier”.

But, it was not that simple. First my body had to recover from the event. In order to recover properly, I had to take it easy, somewhat like the beginning of the training. It takes (1) week per hour of the duration the event. If it takes someone (4) hours to complete a Marathon, their recovery time is (4) weeks. After these weeks, the Saturday endurance runs can be challenging again.

Remember be true to your training to guarantee an exciting finish, and a rewarding life changing event.