Being Interviewed by Coach Liz

Since starting my 2009 Nashville Cancer Kickin’ Campaign, I have tried to draw comparisons between the truly big campaigns that were going on at the time (McCain – Obama, remember that one?) and my own campaign. And I think you will agree that my campaign has a lot in common with that massive 2008 event. Each of the presidential contenders kicked off their campaign with an announcement; I had my own big Kick-off campaign announcement as I threw my hat in the ring. They had press conferences; I had a press conference. Both Obama and McCain routinely were attacked with negative ads; my campaign also was attacked with an incredibly vicious attack ad! There were plenty of Obama and McCain campaign buttons; I had my own even nicer campaign buttons. And just like the big boys, I even did my share of flip-flopping and waffling (half or full marathon? Run or walk?). And then of course, there was my recent opinion poll.

At one point, I had so much in common with the national tickets that many direct comparisons were made between me and McCain, Obama, Palin, and Biden. At this point in my campaign, there are only two things I was missing: the fundraising success of the presidential tickets and a big-name interview. Well, I will never raise $600 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (oh, to have access to President Obama’s fund-raising team for one week). Hey, if you did fundraising for the president and are reading this – give me a call! I need help reaching my goal!

But the interview is now in the bag. Below is my interview by Coach Liz of Texas: coach, TNTer, triathlete, marathoner, and “Ironwoman”. And to boot, she is one heck of an interviewer. It is a little known fact that several years ago, Larry King suffered from interviewer block and spent a couple of days working with Coach Liz – now look at him! Look at the great questions she came up with!

And now, without further ado, here is Coach Liz’s interview of Racn4acure!

Coach Liz: If I could only visit one National Park, which one would you recommend to me? Explain. How should I plan for my trip? (P.S., I have not been to the ones you highlighted but I would love to go to them all).
Racn4acure: There are so many great National Parks out there that I have been to, although there are still many more I would love to see. Picking just one is the problem, but since that is the question, I would respond with Yellowstone. Why that one? Because it has it all, other than deserts. There are thermal features of so many kinds that it boggles the mind – geysers, fumaroles, hot springs, paint pots – and in incredible forms and colors. There are huge canyons and gigantic waterfalls. There are quiet trout streams, scenic mountains, forested landscapes, and picturesque vistas galore! And the wildlife is amazing – in just a few days there we saw so many elk and bison that it became almost routine. We saw bighorn sheep so close you could almost touch them (see below), pronghorn, mountain goats, timber wolves, a grizzly bear, mule deer, and a weasel. You can stay in a resort hotel, a motel type lodge, a campground, or camp in the backcountry. Plus you can lose yourself in the backcountry on the many trails, and you can also access all the variety I spoke of on roads with maybe a very short hike thrown in now and then. Some of my other favorite parks (Glacier, Zion, Isle Royale) have very limited road access. As far as planning your trip, I would start with a map and how much time you have, then decide what you most want to see in that time and whether you want the backcountry or highway experience – or a blend. But no matter what, you must see these: the “Old Faithful” area, the Mammoth Springs area, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the Lamar Valley.

No butts about it - Yellowstone National Park is an amazing place!


CL: What has been the funniest, craziest, or wackiest thing that you have seen during a marathon that you have done? Explain.
RAC: This was really hard for me to come up with, Coach Liz, despite the fact that I am always looking for humor in things. In my three marathons, I haven’t seen too many crazy things that I can remember, believe it or not. In fact, I have heard much funnier stories from others from their events – usually involving portapotties or lack thereof. And actually, those stories are probably not so funny if you are the one that is the protagonist of the tale. So I would have to say, the wackiest thing I remember seeing were the cheerleaders all dressed up like “Kiss” in last year’s Arizona Marathon. It was just a totally unexpected sight, and very creative!


CL: What is the one essential piece of training gear or clothing that you could not live without? Explain.
RAC: First let me say I will assume the following are givens, in order of importance (1) socks and good pair of running shoes (2) shorts or pants so that I don’t become everyone’s funniest racing memory (3) a watch so I can keep approximate track of when to switch between my run and walk intervals. So if we can assume that these are givens, then the one thing I always carry during training and races is one of my guardian angel medallions. They remind me of the circumstances I came from – being so ill when I got the first angel that I could barely leave a hospital bed for four days, and the replacements remind me of the power of friendship. I don’t really think that a little medallion will keep me safe from harm, but the memories of overcoming hard times and remembering the power of friends who care might just keep me going during tough moments during training and during a race.


CL: If you had a spare day to take in a tray of cookies and a thank you note to the hospital where you received your treatment, who would you give them to? Why are they the most deserving of this gift? Explain.
RAC: This is actually something I once did, and it was fun. I took in enough for people getting chemo that day, those who had the stomach for a cookie anyway. But I digress. These people literally saved my life seven years ago, and I am grateful for it nearly every day. For six months, I saw them 16 out of every 20 work days. One of the downsides about more and more time in remission is that the people who helped save your life have moved on. Now that it has been seven years, my doctor, Dr. Riddick, has retired. Most of the nurses have moved on. The last time I visited the oncology center was two years ago for my five year check – yes, I should make an appointment for a routine check-up with a new doctor. Only 2-3 of my nurses were still there. The nurses I remember are Cheryl, Margaret, Vernette, Hillary, and Liz, but I know I am missing one or two. I would share the cookies and the note equally with whoever is still there. And if Hillary is there, I would give her an extra cookie because she is a huge Steelers fan, so I know that she was celebrating after the Super Bowl.

CL: You have been given an all expense paid trip for a week to any where in the world for you and a guest. Where would you go and who would go with you? What would you want to do or see when you got there? Explain.
RAC: Oh, another really difficult question, because there are so many places I would still love to see. But I think it would have to be Africa, to see some of the rich wildlife in the parks while it is still there. I would have to research the exact locations, but I would guess some of the parks in Eastern Africa or Southern Africa. I would invite my wife, Mary. Now she could potentially decline, since her idea of roughing it is a Motel 6 where the cable TV is out. But since the trip is all expenses paid, I bet I could find photo safaris that are pretty deluxe that she would also enjoy with relative comfort. I would want to see the large herds of hoofed animals, lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, giraffe, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and rhinos. I would want to be out each day with the guides searching for these animals, including maybe a few treks at night. I would throw in a balloon ride over the savannah. And at the end, I would do a trek to see the extremely rare and endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda. A week would probably not give me enough time, so I would pay for that part myself. And if it became necessary to go to other parts of Africa to see all the other animals when my week was up, I'd pay for that as well. When should I start packing?

Want me to interview you? To play along:

1. Leave me a comment saying, Interview me".
2. I will respond by giving you five questions (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions and include these five statements.