There are two very important members of my marathon training village I forgot to mention in my last list.

First is Gabriel Brooks.  He is an amazing PT and my body mechanic.  Any time my body breaks, Gabriel is the one to pick up the pieces and put me back together.  When I was running 15 miles a couple of months ago, I heard a “pop” and felt a horrible pain in my right knee at about mile 13.  I walked then ran it in.  Then, was in pain after finishing 3 miles.  I emailed Gabriel.  He fit me into his busy schedule and did a video analysis of my running gait.  I knew my gait was less than perfect, and the video showed it was worse than I thought.  Gabriel gave me a few exercises, made a shoe suggestion, and things to watch when I run.  Like Tonja, Gabriel knows my body.  He is also an athlete and understands what I’m trying to accomplish.  I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be running in Paris if it weren’t for Gabriel.  Gabriel works in the Sports Medicine clinic at Texas Childrens Hospital.

The other member I forgot is Trigger Point.  I guess this isn’t a member, but a tool.  I use their tools after my long runs to help speed recovery.  A day doesn’t go by that I’m not using one or more of their tools right now.  They are helping my body recover from the last run and be ready for the next.  For example, one area Gabriel identified as a problem is the knots in my calves.  I use the Trigger Point tools to really get in there and work them out.  The balls are much better than tennis balls and the rollers much better than foam rollers because they have solid cores.  That means the outside gives a bit, but the core is there to allow you to really get into a knot and work it out.

The more I think about all the people it takes to get me to a marathon, the more I am glad to be surrounded by them and the tools they provide.  I can’t do it alone because . . .it takes a village.