1/2 Marathon for Team Lifeline

How did it go?  I have been asked this question about a gazillion times since I ran my first half-marathon.   Here is an account of the journey from start to finish. 

Let's take a step back and go back five year to 2014.  My sister-in-law Devorah told me that she wanted to run the half of the half for Chai Lifeline in Las Vegas.  I had run several 5k's before and thought I could handle the 6 mile race.  I thought about it over Shabbos. I knew it was going to be a lot to raise the money for this race.  Stephen said "You really only need 100 people to please 36 dollars and you are set."  After hearing that, I thought I would be able to raise the money, run the race and accomplish this challenge. The 2014 Vegas Team Lifeline experience was extremely uplifting and powerful. I met so many awesome individuals.  Before the race there was a pre-race pasta party.  At this party we watched individuals who had been running the race for five years get their "5 year jacket."  My sister-in-law turned to me and said "I want that jacket."  I turned to her and said "See you in five years." I ran the race and finished it even though it was way harder than I had planned.  I knew that it was not going to be something that I could do every single year.  However, Devorah took on that challenge and I tried to support her each and every year as she raised money and trained for the half of the half.

2014- Half of the half race

Fast forward to June of 2018.  Team lifeline announces that registration is open for the Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon series. Both Devorah and I sign up again.  This year we decide to step up our game and run the half-marathon.  I had run a ten miler last year in preparation for running the half.  I still needed to put the time into training for this race.  Devorah never really liked running but followed the training schedule and ran farther and faster than she has ever run. 

Training was easy at first.  I would wake up before the sun during the summer and get five miles in easily. I  would swim laps at the pool on my off days.  Things were moving right along. I was raising money with each run I ran and the support group kept growing. Then things didn't go as planned.  

One day I woke up with intense leg pain.  The pain didn't go away at first and some days the pain made it so I could barely walk and going up and down stairs was near impossible. Of course I rested my legs.  As I watched others run the streets of West Orange, I started to get depressed. I had worked so hard and I didn't want to let myself or the fan club down.  

It took awhile to figure out the problem.  Lots of advice from Eliot and constant reassurance that I would get back out there helped me recover and solve my problems. One of my surgeries removed several lymph nodes in my body.  This makes it so the water doesn't circulate like it should.  I started to wear compression sleeves on my legs.  At first I would wear them to run. It helped a little bit but it was still a struggle to run.  After a while I started to wear them all day long. I noticed a huge difference.  The compression sleeves started to regulate the water in my legs and made the pain go away. Once I got the leg pain under control it was back to training like a rock star.  Of course the more miles I ran the more my feet hurt.  One of the many side effects from the Chemo is the neuropathy in my feet. Sometimes I can't feel some of my toes or parts of my feet as a run. I have grown accustomed to this feeling and just learned to run with it. 

wore these all the time--

Sometime over the summer I convinced Stephen to run the half marathon with me.  Even though he wouldn't be running it with me, he would take on the this challenge.  He would run occasionally but nothing more than 5 or 6 miles.   This summer we both took to the streets of West Orange to train for our first half-marathons. Together we raised over 7,000 for Chai Lifeline.  

Now let's talk about the actual marathon.

It truly took everything I had to finish the race.  I didn't walk once. It was a goal for me to run the entire race. I felt that if I started to walk I would not start running again. I also felt that if I walked I would be letting myself down.  I didn't want to walk because then I knew I would have to try again to run the entire 13.1 miles and prove to myself that I could do it.  At the time, I couldn't imagine running this particular race again. It took everything I had to keep on running.  Several times I recalled Eliot's words of wisdom "one foot in front of the other" and used this to get me through the rest of the mile. 

Before the race pictures:

 Just some of the many that ran the half for Team Lifeline

Taking on the world together!

Let's get to the mind of Rachel during the race.

Mile 1- not bad, I could do this

I got this....

Mile 2- ok, it is thinning out and people are starting to walk but I am still feeling good

Mile 3- I haven't even run a 5k yet????

Glad I am carrying the water bottle (Thanks Joe)- rinse out my mouth

Mile 4.5- met up with a fellow survivor and ran together 

Two survivors- proving cancer didn't win

Mile 6- I am not even half way there

Splashed water on my face and rinsed out my mouth

Mile 7- I see the Stratosphere, just make it to the Stratosphere

Mile 8- I feel like I have barely moved on the strip, I am no closer to the Stratosphere then before

Splash more water, rinse mouth, feels like I am eating sand as I run

Mile 9- when will I turn around and head towards the finish, this is taking forever

I can't believe people are waiting on line for the port-a-potties. 

Mile 10- ok- only a 5k left, I can do this

Finding every tenth of the mile is harder and harder to run

Feel just as bad as I look here- 

Mile 11- One more rinse of the mouth, try to get rid of the sand taste in my mouth, chuck the water bottle, I should be able to make it to the end

Mile 12- only one more mile but it feels like the end is no where in sight, just one palm tree after another, one tree, two tree, three tree, ok, forget this, counting trees is not helping

Mile 13- trying my hardest to push through but feel like I am barely moving

I finished the race- probably in shock that I actually finished it

Grab a medal, get water, a banana, chocolate milk and other snacks

Get a Mylar blanket- I had always wanted to run a race that deserves one of these

Asked a random person to open my chocolate milk because I couldn't get my fingers to work right

Stopped by several of the medical tent people and asked "Are you ok?"  Did I really look that bad? I knew I felt exhausted but I must have looked horrible.

Hobbled my way back to the Team Lifeline tent.  Sat for a few minutes and then met up with my brother Joe and sister-in-law Devorah who ran the race together. Where was Stephen?  Well...Stephen had enough time after he finished his race to walk back to the hotel (20 plus minutes), take a shower, and relax on the couch before I crossed the finish line. 

He makes it look so easy

Would I do it again?

I think it is like childbirth.  Right now my feet kill me and every step is painful but in time the pain will fade and I will forget all about eating sand while I run.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of this journey with me.  Thank you to everyone that checked in on me before the race and after the race to see how I was.  I couldn't have done it without you.  Thank you Stephen, Joe and Devorah for raising money and running with me.  Thank you mom and dad for holding down the fort so that I could participate in this experience. Thank you kids for being the best kids out there and making it possible to train for a half marathon.  It truly was a family journey.

Devorah got her 5 year jacket!

5 years later- bus picture- different shirts/same smiles

Kids welcome home notes- love them

Hard to read but these are our splits

nothing like taking a nap at your mom's house and trying to recover

One race- 3 medals, not bad

Last Picture:

This pictures says a lot

Sister/Brother

Family

Togetherness

Friends

Survivor

-(notice that my shirt is not like the others)

Love

Hard work

Doing for others

Sweet 16

Tomorrow July 28, 2018, Stephen and I will celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. We have been through a lot these past 16 years.  We have grown together as a couple and as a family, raising three beautiful children. We have traveled to various parts of the world, celebrated many occasions together and enjoyed many beautiful moments. At times, the road has not been easy.  Similar to my runs, there were hills to climb, some being steeper than others.

As our anniversary drew closer, I started to reflect on the past 16 years with Stephen.  I know I always say this but I truly won the jackpot with Stephen.

I was very young when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Our kids were still little. Stephen and I were young parents trying to raise our family. My diagnosis brought up many fears- my body was going to change, I was going to lose my hair, and I was going to get very sick from chemotherapy and radiation. I was afraid that all the parts that identified me as a woman were disappearing. I couldn't imagine what I would look like post surgery, or bald. My future seemed dark and scary. I was unsure of how I would be able to maintain being a mom. Would I be able to work and take care of my family? It was very overwhelming.

Shortly after I started treatment a friend gave me a book. In all fairness, I am not sure she read it before she gave it to me.  She saw the breast cancer symbol and thought it would be a nice supportive gesture. In the book a woman describes her breast cancer treatment.  I could relate to parts of her story. One point in particular was when she talks about her friends and her family members. She talks about the people that stay vs. the people that disappear when you get sick.  Her husband was one of the people that left. She talks about how you find out who your real friends are.

I have heard about a few women who were diagnosed with breast cancer whose family fell apart and in some cases, the husband left. Honestly, this was probably not the best book to read while I was going through treatment but, looking back all these years later, I am truly appreciative of my husband and my family, all of whom stayed by my side.  

Jackpot= Stephen.

Stephen was by my side throughout the entire process.  He was there with the doctors asking the hard questions, ones I was too scared to ask.  He made appointments for me and drove me to the appointments, making notes while the doctors spoke. He spent hours dealing with the insurance company. He took care of the kids.  He made sure that I was happy. He made me laugh and smile. He continued to show his love for me on a daily basis throughout the entire journey.

You know your love is true when you can experience a crisis like breast cancer and you still love each other like it was the first year of your marriage.

You know your love is true when your husband says yes when you ask, “Do you want to run a half-marathon with me?"  and the farthest he has run is the 5 mile Thanksgiving Day race.

You know your love is true when your husband agrees to run a half-marathon, even when it means he will have to raise funds for said marathon (anyone that knows Stephen knows that he is not the best at fundraising).

You know your love is true when you can tackle life’s hills together, even the steep ones.

Thank you Stephen for always loving me and for being my true love and soulmate!  Jackpot!

Where does the money go?

Everyone is connected to someone who had cancer or currently has cancer.  Cancer is all around us. I got sick at the start of summer break and did treatment over the summer and into the fall.  One of the hardest things for me was to watch everyone have a great summer. I remember being bitter and upset that I was stuck on a couch while others were out enjoying the weather and vacationing.  As an adult I found this hard, I can’t imagine what a child feels.

One reason I am running and raising money for chalilifeline is to allow one of these sick children a chance to enjoy just a few moments of their summer.  I run and raise money to give them a brief break from the illness. Watch the video that is on my page.

 https://youtu.be/nXCEklsFgDk

Kids are truly amazing.  I see it all the time as a teacher.  Watching these children in the video gives me the chills.  The song is on my running playlist. I have used this song myself to get through parts of my journey.  Look at the video and see the smiles of these children. Your donation will help put a smile on one of their faces. Your donation will help them forget their illness for a brief moment.

https://www.teamlifeline.org/team-lifeline-vegas/rachelisler

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day-

What does this day mean to me?  It really is a typical Sunday for the Isler household.  We run around and try and get done as many errands as we can.  We clean the house and do loads of laundry. We hit up the soccer field (unless the game gets canceled due to rain) and watch S run around and try and use up some of his energy.

Today, I woke up with a smile.  I listened and didn’t hear rain hitting the roof of the house.  This meant that I could run outside. Last night I checked the forecast and it showed rain all day.  I dressed quickly and went for a run. The weather was perfect and I was able to complete a 7.2 mile run. During my run I spent time reflecting on the people that sponsored me right away.  It was such a great feeling to get an email notifying me that I had been sponsored. So thank you to the Brown Family, Erica, Jill, Devorah, and Suzy for starting me off on the right foot. (see what I did there…..)

Mom, Mommy, Ima, Mother are some of the names that my children or students call me.  Yes, I get called mom in class on occasion. Yes, I do answer because, well….I am a mom, not their mom, but I am a mom. Being a mom is an important job.  It is not an easy job but it is an important job. I feel that I have learned how to be a mom from my mom and my grandmother. I had a great relationship with my mom’s mom.  I would talk with her often. I learned a lot of the games that I play from her. She was kind and was one of my biggest supporters. She taught me how to be patient with our elders and how to cherish every moment and to enjoy the little things in life. I also have a great relationship with my mom.  We talk daily. She is my number one fan and always supports me on my challenges. When an obstacle arose my mom would figure out a way to overcome it. Watching my mom solve these challenges has helped me be the mom that I am today. I try to be the best mom to my three children. I try to make sure to spend equal time with each of them. I try to encourage them to take risks. I try to teach them to be kind to everyone. I have tried to teach them to love one another and to be there for one another.  Watching my kids work together and help out with the laundry or making the lunches for the week has shown me that even though today is a typical Sunday, it is also a special day- Mother’s Day.

I love how they have so much fun together! 

I run because of my grandmothers who lost their battles to cancer.  

I run for my mom who never lost faith in me and encourages me to remain strong.

I run for my daughters to show them I am strong.

I run for myself to remind myself how far I have come.

I run for you.

Thank you for your support!

https://www.teamlifeline.org/team-lifeline-vegas/rachelisler

The last time we were all together.

Why I run....

Why do I run?

I used to run all the time as a teen. Throughout high school and college I could be found running through the streets of my town on a regular basis. I got married and had a few kids.  I got away from the running for a bit. Then I got sick and yearned to run again. There was something about being able to go outside and push my limits with a run.

I am turning 40 in about a month.  I decided that I am going to check running a half marathon off my bucket list.

It is not going to be just any half marathon.

Five years ago I ran a half of a half marathon in Las Vegas with my sister-in-law Devorah.  Together we raised over 8,000 dollars for Chai Lifeline. Five years ago running 6 miles was extremely hard for me.  Those were post chemo and radiation days. My feet hurt me all the time. Training for 6 miles was a painful experience.  

Five years later-  I am going back but this year I will run the half marathon.  My feet don’t hurt me nearly as much as they did five years ago.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still side effects from the chemo and radiation that I will live with forever. But I will not let them slow me down!

This race will be a true challenge for me.  I have been thinking about running this race for over a year now.  I go back and forth on wanting to sign up. I will have to train for this race.  The training is on me and I will not let you down.

I am aiming to raise $5,000.  I did it once before and I am counting on you to help me do it again.  Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to write a few blogs. In these blogs, I will explain why I am running for Chai Lifeline.  I will explain why this organization is so important and how it connects to my life. I hope that I can convince you to be a part of this journey with me.

So what do you say? Are you in?

https://www.teamlifeline.org/team-lifeline-vegas/rachelisler

I have this to hang my half marathon medal on.