Park to Park

Mediterranean Gateway, Country Club Neighborhood

Training Triads

The group run today started in southeast Denver at the landscaped intersection of Colorado Boulevard and the Cherry Creek Bike Path. Now, eleven weeks before the marathon, our mileage is going up remarkably and today was the longest run yet. We base our training on time rather than mileage and the running time today was two hours. Coach Rick encouraged everyone to run with someone, in part for safety, but also to further motivation and performance. I joined up with Bryan, an engineer whose wife, Katie, is also a member of Team In Training, and Tom, a chiropractor whose 14 year-old daughter, Allison, has lived with leukemia since she was two. Allison is our team hero, a patient from whom we draw inspiration and honor as we run. We started down the bike path at a steady pace that still allowed us to converse and get to know each other. The discussion quickly turned to fundraising and I was reminded how fortunate I’ve been to have reached my goals. Bryan is training for the Nike Womens Marathon (which men can run in too) and is still working hard to reach his fundraising commitment. He’s got some great ideas to get it done and if you’d like to support his (and Katie’s) goals and learn about why they’ve decided to run click here. We followed along Cherry Creek as it meandered west and abandoned the path where it detours around the meticulously-tended grounds of the Denver Country Club. The private golf club is reputed to be the oldest country club west of the Mississippi- it formed in 1887 and provides members the opportunity to swim, golf, play tennis, ice skate, lawn bowl, and play croquet. The homes in the area are also well-tended and historic, and the tree-shaded sidewalks led us to Cheesman Park where the group planned to complete a few laps on the perimeter loop. We’d split earlier from Dr. Tom, so Bryan and I ran a lap together and when we reached the team’s water station decided to go off the reservation and run to Washington Park. Another Team In Training participant, Lauren, joined in at this point and the three of us stuck together for the remainder of the run. Lauren, a biostatistician, turned to running after her competitive bike racing career left her with too many broken bones and too much scar tissue to be sustainable. Both of us share a goal for the marathon that makes our efforts unique: we both want to qualify to race in the Boston Marathon this coming April. Many non-runners may not realize how social running can be. With little else to do but talk and a setting that encourages open communication, even if it comes in gasping bursts, you get to know your running partners quickly and I was glad to share the day with Bryan and Lauren. After our linkup with Washington Park, lively with runners, walkers, and bikers this Saturday morning, we turned back towards our starting point and regrouped with our teammates and coaches to eat and rehydrate; two hours of running done and the day just beginning…