I Did It!- Runner Completes 13.1 Miles in NYC

Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} I DID IT!!!!! ?13.1 miles….DONE and it was amazing!! The crowds, the cheering, the entertainment and most importantly my late father, Walter A. Dobbeck, Moon Vahradian and all of your best wishes and support pushed me through to the finish line. ?Quick recap – I was at the park at 5:45am, full of energy from all the carbs I ate at the pasta party with the team the night before. It was pouring, lighting and thunderstorms were in the air. Luckily, when the race started at 7am, it all ended and the sun came shining out. The horns blew and we were off. For some reason I was assigned #300, which to my surprise I was lined up at the front with the speed marathoners who had plans to complete the race in 1 hour (yikes!). When the race started, I was terrified because they flew past, leaving me in their dust. Once, I got on my own nice, steady pace, I ran 7 miles in Central Park, which was an enormous obstacle with all the hills. We ran out at 7th Avenue and down to 42nd street which felt like pure paradise to finally be out of the park. Fans, including my mom and close friends, were on the sidelines yelling, screaming and cheering us on. There was live music, bands and DJs adding to the excitement and energy. Once we hit the West Side Highway, there was a Brazilian dancing band at the corner. If you caught channel 7 news, you could see me from behind doing a little dance for the cameras : ) We continued, down the Westside Highway and at mile 10, I was breaking down and didnt think I would make it. Out of nowhere, one of my team-in-training trainers ran over to me and coached me through it. He gave me some tips which motivated me to the end. Once I got to mile 12, I put on the Eye of the Tiger, Rocky song on my iPod and ran like the wind, finishing in 2:22:37 (Not too shabby for my first marathon). It was the most unbelievable, incredible accomplishment and I am so proud of myself for reaching my goal! I want to thank you so much for all your support and contributions. We together have made positive difference that will only help make a change. Team in Training has raised $295,531.45 and I know the families who receive the benefits of your donation will be eternally grateful.