Westside LA Team In Training - Summer 2009 Marathon & Half Marathon Team

Name: John Lebardo
Team: Westside Marathon (Greater LA)
Number of TNT Seasons: 2
Last TNT Event: 2008 San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon

Why did you join TNT?
I decided to join TNT because of Marvin Tabangay, one of our current captains. He was in a previous season and seeing his progress and how much fun he was having, I wanted to experience this as well. Plus, I was wanting to do something for charity in 2008. I figured that TNT would be an excellent opportunity to take on to satisfy both. Also, shortly after I made the decision to join, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and by the start of the training, she was finishing her chemo treatment. So my commitment to TNT definitely had more meaning to it.

What was your best fundraiser?
My best fundraiser turned out to be a group effort. Byong Bark, Sheila Estaniel, Warren Perdon, Marvin Tabangay and myself decided to host a pub crawl along 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica called “So You Think You Can Drink.” We decided on hosting the event after our marathon event during the extra month we had to fundraise. It worked out very well because after all of that training, spending a lot of time together with everyone, people are eager to still see each other and hang out. We had an excellent turnout and had an awesome time running the show. It was such a success that people were anxious for our next pub crawl event which turned out to be America’s Best Pub Crawl (ABPC) which happened during our current season! Great times!

Most memorable TNT moment?
I would have to say that my most memorable TNT moment must have been the final 0.2 mile of race day. I definitely felt the pain from my calf injury and I just needed to push through to finish. During that last stretch… I swear… I felt the whole season flash before my eyes. All of the hard work I put into training, the effort I put into meeting my fundraising goal, the awesome people I got to meet, attending fun fundraisers, the helpful advice given to us by our loyal mentors, captains and coaches… As I was approaching the finish line, Coach Chris and Coach Kevin must have seen the agony of pain on my face and knew I would need the extra push to finish. “THE FINISH LINE IS RIGHT THERE! KEEP YOUR EYES ON IT! YOU CAN DO IT JOHN!” Thanks again coaches! I definitely needed that! Crossing that finish line brought the utmost feeling of accomplishment, something that would be difficult to match.

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
If I could start the season over, I definitely would have started my fundraising earlier. With the efforts of fundraising I ended up putting in, it was difficult to balance out the effort I needed to put into training. So if my fundraising was at a better pace, I feel my training would have been better too. Another thing I would have done differently is to have attended more of the mid-week workouts. I know now that they definitely help prepare you for race day. There is a reason why they are in the schedule folks.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Wise words of wisdom… Definitely listen to your coaches, especially when it comes to the preparation before race day. No joke. All season long, as long as you listen to your coaches and follow the schedule, your training will definitely pay off. It will even make the long distance runs easier to tackle.

Also, try your best not to have alcohol the night before running! You are supposed to be hydrating! Not dehydrating!

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