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

Posts Tagged ‘interviews’

You’ve all come so far, and we continue to say how proud we are of you. Here’s a motivational commercial with marathoner Kara Goucher about believing – believing in yourself, believing in your run. Below is her interview before she takes on the Boston Marathon, and even though she’s an elite athlete, she still feels a little nervous, so if you are, it’s quite normal. Everyone, we mean everyone, will have the same feelings.

Name: Marcela Estrada
Team: Westside Marathon (Greater LA)
Number of TNT Seasons: 3 (participant, mentor, head mentor)
Last TNT Event: San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll 2008

Why did you join TNT?
I had just graduated from college, moved to LA, and felt a bit lost meeting people in such a big city. I desperately wanted a more fulfilling hobby than ‘professional TiVo watcher/ beach bum’, so signed up for an info session as soon as I received a flyer. The thrill of running a marathon was just what I was looking for! It challenged me physically, provided the team camaraderie I lived for, and gave me incredible motivation knowing it was for a philanthropic cause. The perfect way to start off 2007!

What was your best fundraiser?
I actually had a hard time fundraising through emails/ letters. In a last ditch effort before final funds, I wrote an email to friends/family with the joking statement “I’ll even write your name on my a$$ and run through the finish line with my booty in the breeze for a few bucks.” It ended up being a big hit and my ridiculous friends started a bidding war to get me to write funny things on different parts of my body to be worn during the race. In essence, my best fundraiser was becoming a running billboard for my friends antics.

Most memorable TNT moment?
Oh boy. I could go ON and ON. Serenading Coach Kevin at the Firehouse after a lost bet, making a participant recite an Ode to Stanford after we beat Arizona in college bball, the RIDICULOUS costume run during the last practice of Summer ‘08 (…and the pictures that ensued), mimosas and the world’s most expensive bagel at Shutters after our 20 mile run Winter ‘07, my first TNT Pasta Party (I think I cried… what a baby), EVERY race finish– even the painful ones, watching my participants cross the finish line as a mentor… then watching them become AMAZING mentors and captains the following seasons (Erin, Gretchen, Lauren, and Marvin… I love you all!), costume run in Agoura Hills (Heine’s lady bug costume?? Wow!), the entire Honolulu race weekend, SD MUD RUN with my mentor group, jumping in the ocean after long runs, Bachelor/Bachelorette auction, the first TNT Pub Crawl, the post-race celebration after my first marathon in SD (who knew some of the participants/ mentors from that night would become my DEAREST friends), watching Social Captain Dan become part of world record history by running the SD Marathon ‘08 dressed as Elvis, and the convos/ heckling that took place during our West Hollywood 6am midweek runs.

… but most memorable of all is running the Santa Barbara Half Marathon with TNT dressed as PREFONTAINE!! The mentors decided to show off our TNT spirit by dressing in costume (Halloween was the day before), which started my favorite TNT tradition of costume runs!! Not only were we quite a hit with the crowd, we actually made the front page of the Santa Barbara Newspaper!! I’d like to emphasize that our picture was larger and we were quoted more times than the winners of the race. What can I say? That’s how we do!

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
Planned a fundraiser early on instead of relying on letters/ emails. It’s a lot of work to plan, but has a much bigger pay out if planned well.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Rarely do you have an opportunity to be a part of a team, support a cause, and reach a physical goal AT THE SAME TIME. My advice is to soak it up while you have the chance! Life gets busy, but immersing yourself in the experience is worth the sacrifice. Whether you joined the team for the cause, the physical challenge, or both, don’t forget to maximize your return on investment by having an absolute blast! The more fun you have, the less you’ll think about pain/ fatigue during the race. GOOD LUCK and save a little energy for that finish line picture

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who have done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Carmen Reynaga
Team: Greater LA- Long Beach Team
Number of TNT Seasons: 2
Last TNT Event: Nike Women’s Marathon

Why did you join TNT?
I joined TNT because I thought it was the perfect way to give my time to a charitable organization and do something good for myself as well. I had been receiving the mailings for a while, and one day I received a call from a TNT alum asking if I wanted to sign on the for the Nike Women’s Marathon. I said “Sure, sign me up!” and I’ve never looked back

What was your best fundraiser?
The fundraiser that made the most money for my campaign was having a party at a local venue. We had an event production company put on the event and they donated proceeds from every ticket for a total of $1,000. All I had to do was promote the event and get people there.

Most memorable TNT moment?
Crossing the finish line at the 2008 Rock N Roll Arizona marathon. It was my first event, and my family drove from California to cheer me on. It was also the weekend I really got to know my teammates.

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
I would have done more fundraisers in the beginning and trained more midweek. There were times were I was lax about midweek runs but never missed long runs. Midweek runs are CRUCIAL to being ready for the long runs on the weekends.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Never forget why you are doing this. I’ve read in so many places that crossing the finish line will change your life, and it really did for me. When I was running Nike, I hit the wall around mile 21 and I was really feeling low. I was running with my fellow teammate and we just felt so tired. At that point, we came across a family of 3 spectators- a young couple and a little girl of no more than 4 years old. The little girl was wearing a TNT t-shirt that said “Honored Teammate.” My teammate and I looked at each other then back at her as we realized that this little girl was fighting for her health. Her parents looked straight at us and said “Thank you. You’re saving our daughters life.” It was surreal, and it was all it took to get us running again to the finish. I knew that no matter how I felt that I had to do it for the survivors out there because their battle is much harder.

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who has done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Sheila Estaniel
Team: Westside LA Marathon Team
Number of TNT Seasons: 2
Last TNT Event: 2008 Rock N Roll San Diego Full Marathon

Why did you join TNT?
Completing a marathon was something I wanted to cross off my life list. I joined TNT to help me prepare properly, and I also liked that they raised money for cancer research.

What was your best fundraiser?
We did a pub crawl, which was a lot of fun, but I had the most success with picking up the phone and personally letting family and friends know why I needed their support. Make sure to either get their credit card number on the spot or arrange a time to pick up their checks. The easier you make it for people, the more willing they’ll be to help.

Most memorable TNT moment?
Crossing the finish line at the 2008 Rock N Roll Arizona marathon. It was my first event, and my family drove from California to cheer me on. It was also the weekend I really got to know my teammates.

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
Definitely attend more hill training and Sunday practices. I skipped one too many, and I felt the burn on race day.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Start your fundraising efforts EARLY! You don’t want to make those frantic last minute phone calls hours before deadline. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. And get to know your teammates. Some of the most inspiring people you’ll meet are part of TNT!

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who has done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Marvin Tabangay
Team: Westside LA Marathon Team
Number of TNT Seasons: Currently on 4th
Last TNT Event:2008 Rock N Roll San Diego Full Marathon

Why did you join TNT?
Previous to my first marathon, I completed the Long Beach half marathon without training and I felt I could do a lot better if I had a structured training program. I’ve always heard about Team in Training, so I gave it a shot. I was supposed to join the South Bay Team, but I chose the Westside Team because I wanted Sunday morning practices. I joined not knowing one person, but since then it has changed my life.

What was your best fundraiser?
So far my current fundraiser has been my best one
http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/anchor09/mtabangay

It was an idea from my friend from the New York Chapter of TNT. I contacted friends who own businesses, blogs, and websites and had a “Sponsor A Mile” fundraiser. 27 slots (26 + 0.2), each at $50 or more in exchange for their website links on my fundraising page. I still plan to mass market my site, and with their links displayed, it could be all worth it. So far I’ve made over $1900 from it.

Most memorable TNT moment?
Last summer’s San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon was my most memorable. I beat my previous marathon (Arizona Rock N Roll) time by 40 minutes at 5:08! I’m not really sure how I did it, but it really helped running with a good friend of mine the majority of the way. It was a great finish not only because of the time, but my parents and sister was there at the finish line – it was their first marathon experience, and they loved it!

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
I definitely would have gone to more mid-week runs, and do more strength training on my own.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Make sure you have fun out there! Meet people outside of your pacegroup, meet people outside of your mentor group. Get involved in group fundraisers, support your teammates’ fundraisers. I believe the best part of TNT is the social aspect – take advantage of it.

Check out my running blog too
http://www.runningwithoutmusic.com

And follow me on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/sketch678

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who has done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Ross W. Prout
Team: Westside LA Marathon Team
Number of TNT Seasons: 3
Last TNT Event:Honolulu Marathon

Why did you join TNT?
I wanted to achieve a bunch of goals at the same time. They included 1) Running a marathon 2) Visiting Alaska (during the midnight sun) 3) Meeting new people and 4) Doing something charitable.

I knew I would do all those but didn’t know how many friends I would make or that I would end up being a mentor for two more seasons.

What was your best fundraiser?
I’m a big fan of the PubCrawls… They get everyone out of their running shoes and in a festive mood. They also can raise a lot of money for the cause without much overhead.

Most memorable TNT moment?
At the end of my first season as a mentor, I ran every step of RNR San Diego with three of the participants that questioned if they could finish. I took great pride their accomplishment and it was much more special than “my” marathon.

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
My first season I was reluctant to use a water belt. I thought they looked kind of goofy and uncomfortable. It turns out that a water belt can be your savior. I now find it more difficult or at least awkward to not run with one.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
When I started TNT, I mainly used it as a training program and rarely did any non-running events with the team. Towards the end of the season and beyond, I realized what a great core group of people I was getting to know. Now many of the people from my original season (and subsequent ones) are still my closest of friends. Get out to the events and have fun. The training is great, but but it’s only one component of TNT.

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who have done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Marie Schneider
Team: Westside Iron Man Team
Number of TNT Seasons: 5
Last TNT Event:Currently on the IronTeam

Why did you join TNT?
I am not going to lie, when I first join the TNT Marathon Team in July 2006 I was doing it for selfish reasons, I was lucky enough not to have any connection to cancer; I just wanted to get in shape, I had never ran more than 6 miles and wanted to complete a marathon. I fell in love with the cause and more importantly with the people I met through my first season, I totally got hooked and did 2 more seasons with the marathon team, one as a mentor and one as a team captain.

In 2008 I took on another challenge and joined the Triathlon team, I did not know how to swim and bike so it was a totally different ball game. Once again I got addicted to the sport and I am now the Fundraising/Mission Captain of the Ironteam! Trust me when I first joined TNT I never thought I could do a marathon and especially not one at the end of an Ironman… anything is possible people!!!

What was your best fundraiser?
During my 5 seasons with Team in Training I have participated, organized and attended many fundraisers…
I would say my favorite one to organize is the Bachelor Auction, it’s a blast each year, but my more lucrative and fun was the pub crawl I did in march 2008

Most memorable TNT moment?
too many to list… each event I did with Team in Training was a blast, it is always emotional to cross that finishing line because you worked/trained so hard for it..
but I would have to say that finishing my first marathon was one of the best feeling ever

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
to be honest nothing, I met the most amazing people ever, completed races I never thought I could do and I am currently working on my lifetime dream to become an Ironman… I don’t think it can get any better!

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
HAVE FUN!!!!! do not go for a time, each time I did that I had a horrible experience, hit the wall or was disappointed… just enjoy each race, especially if it’s is your first marathon, finishing is all that matters, if you have no expectations you will end up doing better than you even thought you could!

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who has done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Emily Conlon
Team: Westside LA Marathon
Number of TNT Seasons: 5
Last TNT Event: Santa Barbara Half Marathon

Why did you join TNT?
I was new to Los Angeles and wanted to try running a marathon. The Team in Training program seemed like a great way to train while doing some good in the world.

What was your best fundraiser?
The highest one-time donation I earned was working as a committee member for the Bachelor Auction during the Summer ‘07 season. It was organized by our fundraising captain, and it was really successful.

Most memorable TNT moment?
Running through the Alaskan wilderness as fast I could during the Mayor’s Marathon in Anchorage, AK. Perfect weather, beautiful scenery (two moose!), and an amazing group of coaches, teammates and staff to share the experience with.

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
Attend more social events! Our team is as committed to curing cancer as we are to meeting for happy hour!

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Completing endurance events with Team in Training is about so much more than crossing that finish line. From the first practice and your first donation received, to the final taper week and fundraising above and beyond what you thought you could do, TNT is such a powerful experience.

And I can’t think of a better way to spend my Sunday mornings than jogging at the beach and spending time with my teammates, people who are taking action to change others’ lives.

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who has done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Leslie Ryan
Team: Suncoast (Tampa Bay, FL) Marathon
Number of TNT Seasons: 4
Last TNT Event: RnR San Antonio

Why did you join TNT?
I joined TNT for a variety of reasons… finding a cure for blood cancers, folks to run with, and making tons of great friends.

What was your best fundraiser?
A fun one… raising $$ at work… folks cutting down on soda during the day and then having them give me the money they would normally spend.

Most memorable TNT moment?
Crossing the finish line in team purple at RnR San Antonio

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
Gone to more weekly trainings with the team

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Keep training, keep believing that you can complete the event, and know that what you are doing is a fraction of what the folks going through treatment.

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who has done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).

Name: Javier Rivera
Team: Westside LA Marathon
Number of TNT Seasons: 5
Last TNT Event: 2009 Walt Disney World Full Marathon

Why did you join TNT?
I joined TNT to help find a cure for blood cancers and to meet some exciting new people.

What was your best fundraiser?
My best fundraiser has always been letters and emails. After that, I am a big fan of karaoke fundraisers.

Most memorable TNT moment?
Finishing my first marathon and having my mother and family at the finish line.

What would you have done differently during the season if you could start over?
I would definitely attend all of the mid-week trainings and happy hours.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for our participants?
Focus on your fundraising early and try to meet (and surpass) your minimum as soon as you can. After that you can turn your focus to training. =)

Also, if you are looking for those awesome TNT track jackets you can purchase one at www.shopit.com/tntgear.

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This will be an ongoing series, where we will feature an alumni so you, our readers, can learn some new things from people who has done it before. If you’re a Team in Training Alumni, please fill out this form (or please spread the word).