Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
I am a marathoner!
What an amazing, amazing weekend!!
Beginning on Friday afternoon, my family, from Ohio, descended on my house. The last of them arrived Saturday afternoon. My Mom and sisters Karin and Maureen were tackling the 1/2 marathon. My Dad, sisters Kristen and Margaret, brother-in-law Mark, nephew Joshua came to join my husband Chris, children Celeste, Steven and Logan to cheer us on.
Saturday afternoon my Mom, Karin, Mo and I headed downtown to pick up our race bibs at the Health Expo. That was really cool. We oogled all the fancy gear, collected all the freebies. I even got to meet Hal Higdon - the guys who's training books I had been reading during training! Then we made it to the pick up tables. All of us ended up in tears just picking up our bibs and shirts! I was feeling so anxious, excited, proud.
When we got back home after the Expo my Mom started working on a delicious spaghetti dinner for everyone. I even broke out the fine china! So, the 9 of us adults along with my 7 year old daughter Celeste sat down at the dining room table decked out with candles and fine Lenox china and had an awesome salad, spaghetti and garlic bread dinner! Dinner was followed up by some yummy chocolate cream pie and not too long after that we all hit the sack. For us competitors, breakfast was being served at 4am, and that was coming quick!
My alarm went off right at 4am - I dragged myself from my bed to the kitchen and hit go on the coffee pot. I then popped a few bagels in the toaster oven and headed back upstairs to make sure my Mom was up. Then I headed to the basement to wake up Mo. At 4:15 am, Mom, Mo and I were sipping on hot cups of coffee and enjoying our bagels with cream cheese. Maggie and Kristen joined us not too much later. At 5am I started the process of waking up my husband and kids.
By 5:45am, just 15 minutes later than I had hoped to leave, Mom, Dad, Kristen, Mo, Maggie, Chris, the kids and I were on our way downtown to park the cars then meet up with Karin, Mark and Shua (who very smartly decided to stay in a downtown hotel, right on marathon course). We made last minute potty stops in the hotel lobby then made our way the few blocks over to the start line. At roughly 7am, just 15 minutes before the start we parted ways with our fan support and got in line. The start was staggered this year, I was in group "J", Mom, Karin and Mo were in group "K". I heard the gun sound right at 7:15 but by the time my group made it to the start line and were allowed to start it was almost 7:35.
I started running and began repeating my mantra, "I'm healthy, I'm strong, I'm fast, I'll finish." And the words my father gave me the night before popped into my head... "remember the finish line doesn't move - every step you take brings you closer to it."
I was underway, I was running a marathon!
Somewhere near the start I ran right past Dad, Chris and the kids - it was just too congested at the start and as Chris said "you're too short! We never were gonna see you in a field of 5'10 runners." But not too much farther past them I did hears the cheers of the 26.2 pit crew leader, Maggie, and Kristen! What a first mile!
And the mile markers just kept coming! I remember mile 4 was just as we exited the bridge in Canada. Mile 8 was just outside the tunnel as were reappeared in the USA. And as I rounded the bend I heard cheers for me! There was Maggie and Kristen and just beyond them was Chris, the kids, my Dad and Mark and Shua. Next I remember where the 1/2 marathoners split from the rest of us, just before mile 13.
Somewhere between mile 16 and 17, as I was running through an old Detroit neighborhood with beautiful big homes - a man was playing polka music for the runners and handing out cups of beer! And people were taking it! Believe me I was tempted, but was able to pass. Next came mile 19, just before I ran onto the bridge to Belle Isle, there was Maggie and Kristen to cheer me on! I ran a 3 mile loop on the island and when I made it back over the bridge to the mainland, there was Mags and Kristen to cheer me on again! They, were on bikes by the way, and saw me again at miles 23 and 25. With about .4 miles to go - Karin came running from the crowd and took a few steps with me giving me encouragement and the low down on exactly what was left for me to run... 2 more bends and you're there! She went around the first bend with me and there was Mark, Shua and Logan. Just passed them, I heard more cheers for me, it was my Mom, Celeste and Steven! As they got out of earshot I heard my name again, this time my Dad! As he got out of earshot I heard Mo! Just passed Mo was the finish line!! I had juice left in the tank and was able to turn it up a little and cruised to the finish! Official time: 4 hours 45 minutes 43 seconds!
I was a few steps past the finish line and there was my Chris, waiting for me with a hug and a kiss!
I dit it! Four and 1/2 months of training for 4 hours and 45 mintues of running! I did it, I am a marathoner!
A marathon is neither insanity nor stupidity. It was a challenge, it was fun.
I am healthy, I am strong, I was fast and I finished!
Beginning on Friday afternoon, my family, from Ohio, descended on my house. The last of them arrived Saturday afternoon. My Mom and sisters Karin and Maureen were tackling the 1/2 marathon. My Dad, sisters Kristen and Margaret, brother-in-law Mark, nephew Joshua came to join my husband Chris, children Celeste, Steven and Logan to cheer us on.
Saturday afternoon my Mom, Karin, Mo and I headed downtown to pick up our race bibs at the Health Expo. That was really cool. We oogled all the fancy gear, collected all the freebies. I even got to meet Hal Higdon - the guys who's training books I had been reading during training! Then we made it to the pick up tables. All of us ended up in tears just picking up our bibs and shirts! I was feeling so anxious, excited, proud.
When we got back home after the Expo my Mom started working on a delicious spaghetti dinner for everyone. I even broke out the fine china! So, the 9 of us adults along with my 7 year old daughter Celeste sat down at the dining room table decked out with candles and fine Lenox china and had an awesome salad, spaghetti and garlic bread dinner! Dinner was followed up by some yummy chocolate cream pie and not too long after that we all hit the sack. For us competitors, breakfast was being served at 4am, and that was coming quick!
My alarm went off right at 4am - I dragged myself from my bed to the kitchen and hit go on the coffee pot. I then popped a few bagels in the toaster oven and headed back upstairs to make sure my Mom was up. Then I headed to the basement to wake up Mo. At 4:15 am, Mom, Mo and I were sipping on hot cups of coffee and enjoying our bagels with cream cheese. Maggie and Kristen joined us not too much later. At 5am I started the process of waking up my husband and kids.
By 5:45am, just 15 minutes later than I had hoped to leave, Mom, Dad, Kristen, Mo, Maggie, Chris, the kids and I were on our way downtown to park the cars then meet up with Karin, Mark and Shua (who very smartly decided to stay in a downtown hotel, right on marathon course). We made last minute potty stops in the hotel lobby then made our way the few blocks over to the start line. At roughly 7am, just 15 minutes before the start we parted ways with our fan support and got in line. The start was staggered this year, I was in group "J", Mom, Karin and Mo were in group "K". I heard the gun sound right at 7:15 but by the time my group made it to the start line and were allowed to start it was almost 7:35.
I started running and began repeating my mantra, "I'm healthy, I'm strong, I'm fast, I'll finish." And the words my father gave me the night before popped into my head... "remember the finish line doesn't move - every step you take brings you closer to it."
I was underway, I was running a marathon!
Somewhere near the start I ran right past Dad, Chris and the kids - it was just too congested at the start and as Chris said "you're too short! We never were gonna see you in a field of 5'10 runners." But not too much farther past them I did hears the cheers of the 26.2 pit crew leader, Maggie, and Kristen! What a first mile!
And the mile markers just kept coming! I remember mile 4 was just as we exited the bridge in Canada. Mile 8 was just outside the tunnel as were reappeared in the USA. And as I rounded the bend I heard cheers for me! There was Maggie and Kristen and just beyond them was Chris, the kids, my Dad and Mark and Shua. Next I remember where the 1/2 marathoners split from the rest of us, just before mile 13.
Somewhere between mile 16 and 17, as I was running through an old Detroit neighborhood with beautiful big homes - a man was playing polka music for the runners and handing out cups of beer! And people were taking it! Believe me I was tempted, but was able to pass. Next came mile 19, just before I ran onto the bridge to Belle Isle, there was Maggie and Kristen to cheer me on! I ran a 3 mile loop on the island and when I made it back over the bridge to the mainland, there was Mags and Kristen to cheer me on again! They, were on bikes by the way, and saw me again at miles 23 and 25. With about .4 miles to go - Karin came running from the crowd and took a few steps with me giving me encouragement and the low down on exactly what was left for me to run... 2 more bends and you're there! She went around the first bend with me and there was Mark, Shua and Logan. Just passed them, I heard more cheers for me, it was my Mom, Celeste and Steven! As they got out of earshot I heard my name again, this time my Dad! As he got out of earshot I heard Mo! Just passed Mo was the finish line!! I had juice left in the tank and was able to turn it up a little and cruised to the finish! Official time: 4 hours 45 minutes 43 seconds!
I was a few steps past the finish line and there was my Chris, waiting for me with a hug and a kiss!
I dit it! Four and 1/2 months of training for 4 hours and 45 mintues of running! I did it, I am a marathoner!
A marathon is neither insanity nor stupidity. It was a challenge, it was fun.
I am healthy, I am strong, I was fast and I finished!
Monday, October 12, 2009
6 days
I just finished watching a movie on hulu.com called "Spirit of the Marathon". My sister, Kim, mentioned it to me the other day, and finally, I had the time this morning to watch it. Amazing. Worth checking out, for sure.
Just 6 days left. I am nervous and excited. The whole famn damily is coming up from Ohio, some to cheer, my Mom and sister Karin to participate in the half marathon... What an unbelievable adventure this has been. And the near culmination after months of training... I can't describe.
The next post you will see from me will be in one week... with a completion time... my very own marathon PR!!
In one week, I will be a marathoner!
Just 6 days left. I am nervous and excited. The whole famn damily is coming up from Ohio, some to cheer, my Mom and sister Karin to participate in the half marathon... What an unbelievable adventure this has been. And the near culmination after months of training... I can't describe.
The next post you will see from me will be in one week... with a completion time... my very own marathon PR!!
In one week, I will be a marathoner!
Monday, October 5, 2009
2 weeks to go
The taper has begun.
I was supposed to run just 9 miles yesterday (funny that I say only 9 miles).
I was supposed to run just 9 miles yesterday (funny that I say only 9 miles).
I was in North Olmsted, Ohio again. Chris and I headed into town for the surprise birthday party of a friend.
It was a perfectly cloudy and cool Sunday morning and I was really looking forward to my run.
However, a mere 2 or so miles into my run my left foot started bothering me. It was a little sore - pulled muscle feeling after my 8 mile run during the week - but hadn't bothered my since then... what the heck???
So, with only 2 weeks to race day I turned myself around and headed back home.
I iced and elevated it... and today I swam instead of running.
I'll play it by ear this week... I'm not due to log all that many miles anyway...
I just want my foot back in top shape for the 18th!
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