Friday, June 29, 2012

Hellenic American Leadership Council

The Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) with its current president, Mr. Endy Zemenides, plays a crucial role in promoting Hellenism in the United States and worldwide, through its support of civic leadership that bolsters human rights and democratic values.  


For these reasons, I am honored to be recognized, along with three other 2012 Olympians, by the organization with financial support towards my preparation for the Olympics.  Thank you!






Sunday, June 24, 2012

Planting Seeds...

The other day I was invited to speak at the 1st Elementary School of Karpenisi.  It was such an honor to be presented to the class of young, but very bright, kids to talk about becoming an Olympian.  The groundskeeper of the athletic facilities,Serafeim Lerogiannis, arranged the visit.  Serafeim, my coach, Dimitris Theodoridis, and I showed up to the auditorium filled with the kids eager to learn about running - something that is needed in Greece as soccer gets most of the attention and potential stars!  The best part of the morning was feeling that if I could reach out to just one or two kids out of the entire group, there would be a future star in the making and that would be a success.  Competing in the Olympics gives the opportunity to plant those kinds of seeds - yet another amazing stop along the way!

Me with some of the kids.  I know it is hard to pick me out of the crowd -
but I'm the one in the middle with the grey shirt! :)

Me, Coach Dimitris, and Mister Serafeim
On another note, I am amazed at how many people have visited my blog - and literally from all over the world!! My "stats" include over 800 visitors, representing the United States, Greece, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Malta, Canada, Congo, Indonesia, and Trinidad & Tobago!!!  I seriously can't believe it.  Thank you to all for helping spread the word!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Carpe Diem...Karpenisi

I am continuing my pre-Olympic training in Karpenisi - beautiful mountain village located in central Greece about three and a half hours northwest of Athens.  I have been coming here since 2005 and it is the place I love most in Greece.  The weather is much cooler than in Athens, the air is cleaner and the food is spectacular!!  The beauty of Karpenisi, though, really reminds me to live in the moment and enjoy the journey.  I just try to focus on getting each day's training done...and if it doesn't go well, there is always tomorrow!

We stay at the "ka-ta-fee-YEE-o" or lodge, which is located at the ski resort on Mount Trimfistos, also known as Velouxi.  The lodge is somewhat bare bones with one large bedroom with bunks that sleeps up to 20 people and one other smaller room with bunks that sleeps 4.  There is a men's and women's toilet, two shower stalls, a dining room and a living room.  There is also an industrial type kitchen but we don't cook there because the stove is operated by gas tanks and figure it is best not to burn the place down!
Our House on the Hill

View from our "House on the Hill"
Alekos is the man in charge.  He is awesome and always takes care to meet any and all of our needs.  In the winter he skis and does mountaineering and in the summer he runs.  He even ran his first marathon last year!  His mom, Kuria Maria (Mrs. Maria), cooks for us daily whatever we request.  Her cooking is delicious, traditional Greek homemade delights but we do refrain from some of the heavier dishes like pastitsio - Greek tight of lasagna with pasta, meat sauce, and bechamel cream on top!
Alekos

Today's lunch:  boiled potatoes, carrots, zucchini,
greens from the field, and boiled eggs.  Liver and rice
for dinner...!!

We, (Coach Dimitris, my dog Bonnie, and a few other athletes who will join us every so often over the next month) will be here until around July 26 and then head straight to London!  The rest of my entries will be from up here a 1840m altitude...stay tuned!
Bonnie the Beagle

Thursday, June 14, 2012

It's a Family Affair

Before diving into the routine of my daily life and training, none of this would have any meaning without first mentioning my family.  They are responsible for my "nature" and my "nurture."  They are my pillars of support and without them the dream becoming reality would never have been possible.

First, there is my mom, Kathy.  She is truly amazing.  She raised my sister and I on her own since we were young.  Things were difficult, but she always tried to show us a brighter side to things.  One of the most valuable lessons I learned from her was to do my best and try my hardest.  She didn't teach this to me necessarily with words, but as I've matured over the years I realized that is exactly what she did in her life.  She did what she could with what she had and I truly am in awe of her.  There isn't a word that can fully describe my appreciation towards her.

Next is my sister, Agapi.  Another beautiful woman who I admire, respect, and love with all of my being.  She has supported my running career in every way imaginable since I was in high school and has backed me like no other.  Even when I doubted myself and would think about giving up she would be there to pick me up.  She has made me feel like her home is my own and the security of knowing that I always have a place to go to is invaluable.  She's made me believe that I can conquer the world and has given me the wings to fly!

Although these two people are incredible, my blessings don't stop there.  My brother-in-law, Bruce, is remarkable. I can open up to him and talk about everything, literally.  It is great to actually feel like he is my real brother; but since he isn't technically, I must say that his ability to put up with the three Kefalas women for so many years, probably qualifies him for saint status!  In one particular area he has gone above and beyond what anyone would expect, he has helped me financially over the years to get through injuries and rehab so I can be healthy and strong to compete at the level I need to to make it to London.

And finally, Agapi and Bruce have given me the greatest joy of all with my two nephews, Dane (6) and West (2).  What can I say?  They are absolutely adorable and I love them like my own.  Just because they exist, I want to be a better person, to do something great, to leave a legacy for them.  Knowing that Dane can start his dream of competing in the Olympics as I am living out mine fills me with an indescribable pride and joy.


Somewhere I've read, "I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."  This could not be further from the truth.  Wrapping up now, though, as it turns out that typing as happy tears fill your eyes is actually pretty hard!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Tedx Academy, Athens

In 2010, after the Athens Classic Marathon, I was invited to speak at the Tedx Academy conference that was held to highlight inspiring women.  It was truly an honor and surprise to be considered along with the other women speakers.  Niki Siropoulou organized a great event and it was inspiring to hear what women in Greece were doing to improve our country.  I am attaching a link to my speech as well as to the event overall.  I hope you enjoy!

Link to my speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evrmk8wjU8k

Link to all of the speeches from that day:  http://www.tedxacademy.com/community/talks.aspx?page=3&talk=TEDx%20Women%202010

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Tina's New Shoes and...Olympic Dream

For starters, I should explain the title of the blog and how it all got started...I am a marathon runner.  I run for Greece - although I am Greek-American.  I have been living in Greece since August of 2003 - I can't believe its been almost 9 years!!  Since moving to Athens I have been running and racing on the local circuit and as one thing led to another and I became more successful, pursuing my childhood dream of competing in the Olympics started to come back to me as a real possibility.  Along the way, though, various injuries and setbacks made it a challenge that seemed evermore enticing yet also one that demanded all of my dedication and patience to accomplish.  In 2010, I ran my first marathon - the Athens Classic Marathon and a celebration of 2500 years from the Battle of Marathon where the underdog Greeks beat the mighty and powerful Persians in an epic battle that allowed the idea of democracy to flourish to this day.

On October 31, 2010, as I battled through the grueling hills of the classic marathon course I managed to finish in 2:40:33!  It is the second best time ever run by a Greek woman on the course and coincidentally an Olympic 'B' Standard...except for that it was not run during the eligible period which started January 1, 2011.  With that effort, though, my coach and I were enthused as we thought, "Great, on a flat course and as a more experienced marathoner, I surely will be able qualify for the 2012 Olympics!"  Once again, however, setbacks came with over training and injury throughout 2011, and in an effort that came down to the wire, I ran the Enschede Marathon in the Netherlands on April 22, 2012.  That day I wasn't at my best and neither was the weather - we faced a headwind for about 18km - but I did manage to squeeze out another 'B' standard with 2:41:00!!

To be honest, instead of feeling ecstatic, I felt more relieved.  It had been a long, hard road to that point and I didn't thoroughly appreciate the fruits of my labor.  Looking back now I wish I was able to enjoy the moment more but as I look ahead to London I am doing my best to enjoy the journey - whatever it may bring - and when I toe the line on August 5th I will relish in the moment while I make my family, friends, supporters and compatriots proud.  

Now, to the title of my blog...After the Athens marathon and again after my qualifying effort in Enschede, Stamatis Astra and Ted Dimitriades from a Greek-American radio show in Boston called me for an interview.  They have been great in encouraging me and giving me publicity to make my efforts more widely supported.  During the interview in April, Ted asked me about the economic situation in Greece and how athletes are managing economically.  I gave him an honest answer and explained that things truly are dire.  Any financial support that we are supposed to receive from the Greek Athletics Federation or our club teams is unreliable at best and typically our expenses are out of our own pockets, relying on support from friends and family when things get truly tight.  Ted then says, "So you don't have money to buy sneakers??" (By the way, I love the fact that he calls my running shoes 'sneakers'.)  I answer, "Well I have to buy 2 pair unexpectedly because my sponsor has been unresponsive for the past year, so it is a crunch."  Stamati then says, "Go out and buy your sneakers.  We'll cover them!"  Shortly after we wrapped up the phone interview, Stamatis texts me to tell me that a couple of truly amazing listeners called and wanted to donate to my effort to buy shoes and to cover other costs such as training camps, medical expenses, massages, vitamins, travel expenses, etc.  So we thought it would be a nice idea to create a blog to post my progress as we head to London - race day is in just under 2 months - and let people follow along with me and see where their generous donations are going

And so the journey continues...

Donations

For those of you interested in donating, please click on the "Donate" button to be connected to PayPal.  Thank you!


Much appreciation to my generous supporters:

ELEFTHERIA KOULOULIAS
THE MILOSLAVICH FAMILY
ROSE & ERIC MOE
REGAN & DAVID HARRINGTON
ARIELLE T CRAWFORD
VERREOS INSURANCE AGENCY
SURJA DEHN
THE GEORGE SALLES FAMILY
GEORGE ANTONOPOULOS
TAKI PANTAZOPOULOS
ANDREW CAUDELL
LEFKOTHEA KALTSAS
SOTO MARESKES
NIKOLAOS SOUKOS
ASTRA VENTURES