It takes a village...

Well, my last night in Karpenisi has come.  It is the night of the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and although I won't be walking into the Olympic Stadium as I had imagined I will be enjoying it on television with great company - Coach, Alekos, his mom, Kuria (Mrs.) Maria, and his girlfriend, Fotini, on a beautiful terrace overlooking Karpenisi.  

The people here have been great, from the manager, George, at the Hotel Montana who lets me hydromassage for free, to the reflexologist, Kurios Spyros, who has taken great care of my feet, the ladies at the local coffee shops who know my order by heart, and in general everybody who has wished me well along the way.  Today a sweet, old grandpa took the time to wish me luck as I was passing in front of him - just like that, out of the blue!  It has been a long road with good days and hard days, super tired days, and "I can conquer the world" days.  All in all it has been another great training period filled with experiences that I'll remember forever.  I've even considered moving to Karpenisi and spending 6 months here during the summer and another 6 months back home in San Francisco, but those are thoughts I'll think about on another day.

For now, I'll take my fond memories with me knowing I have an entire village who's got my back!

Kuria Maria

Fotini

Aleko's freshly caught river fish served with potato
salad, beets, and broad beans.
I sure am going to miss Kuria Maria's cooking!

Me filling up drinking water at the local spring

Me and the Cricket

This is one of my favorite videos that Coach Dimitris captured of me running on one of my longer runs here in Karpenisi.  It is quintessential of my marathon training and the lonely road that marathoners all over the world and of all levels have.  Getting out for the long run and feeling like its just you...and the cricket.  Despite the loneliness, it is a nice time to think about the day, your goals, to tell yourself positive affirmations, or just to let your mind quiet down and your body run free.

Watching this video reminds me of my best friend Rose.  We have been friends since my freshman year at USC in 1995.  We ran track and cross-country together, and although neither of us was particularly fast we enjoyed the training and camaraderie that running with the team brought.  After she graduated (she was a year older than me), she started training for and running marathons, while working as a teacher and attending grad school.  I remember thinking she was "crazy"!  Her dedication with her training, waking up at the crack of dawn to get her workouts done, and her passion to pursue her goals while balancing everything was awe-inspiring.  I am so proud and happy to say I was at her first marathon (even though I slept in the car after the 7am start) and saw her cross the line, and despite the tiredness that comes with any marathon she looked like a million bucks.  It was really a defining moment for me to see how her dedication and passion paid off.

As time has passed she turned her focus to having a family and in the process I have since become the "crazy" one!  Now she is the one cheering me on.  She's even flown out twice to Greece to see me train and we had the chance to enjoy the 2004 Athens Olympics together.  Although she won't be able to make it to London, I know she will be by the TV watching me with her little girls and rooting for me every step of the way.

Rosie, thank you for your friendship over the years and for all of your support!

And Here They Are...

Tina's New Shoes!!

These are the Adidas Hagio, the shoe I will be wearing on race day in exactly one month!!! Well, these are the training version and I will get another pair that is only slightly worn one or two times for race day.  We want to make sure the treads on these babies are as new as possible!  So far I've worn the shoe a couple of times in practice and I love it.  You feel fast just by looking at 'em!

And this truly would not have been possible without the very generous support of all of the people who have rallied to support my cause.  It is overwhelming how many people have read my blog, forwarded it to friends around the world, and donated.  Thanks to all of the individuals who have donated, along with the support of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, and Nike Greece (I just received some gear today), I am in a position now to make it to the starting line without worrying about paying for shoes, for massages and therapy, for gas to make it up and down the mountain, for the healthy delicious meals that are prepared for me, getting my blood work checked regularly (by the way the month that I have been here in Karpenisi has really paid off with my hemoglobin levels reaching 13.9!), among other expenses.  Essentially because of your support, I am in a position to enjoy the rest of the journey and focus on my training, and on race day I can give my best without distraction.  And of course, a special and separate thank you to Stamatis Astra of Astra Ventures, who originally had the idea that I start a blog.

But this isn't the end of my blog.  I will continue to keep posting here and I just activated a Twitter account for more frequent postings @TinaKefalas.  So please stay tuned and keep following!

In an update on my blog "stas" I am just shy of 1100 visitors to my blog and from many new countries including Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Portugal, and France!! Thank you all for checking in!!