Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Halloween Party

I can't remember the last year that I dressed up to go trick-or-treating. This year we have been invited to a party, with costumes required! With little time and little money, WHAT SHOULD I BE?!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Life after the marathon

It has been a good week since the big day. I was lucky enough to have four days off after the race. I don't think I would have been worth very much Monday or Tuesday at work. Thankfully my dentist decided to take his family to Florida for the week! By the time I worked at the other office on Friday, I was feeling fine. I went for a short run Monday night and was surprised that my legs felt fine.

Craig and I were blessed to watch Rachel and Owen for Tammy and Nathan on Saturday. Tammy was able to "santa" shop, clean most of her house, and grocery shop while the kids were at our house! We were hoping to visit a pumkin farm, but Owen needed some extra sleep, so there was only about an hour or two when both kids were awake.


Rachel and I dug out some markers and colored pencils. I found some old stamper markers! I forgot how much fun those are. Rachel practiced writing her "R"s. I could tell she had been instructed before because as soon as she finished one R, she would say, "Again!" in a stern teacher voice!


Owen and I took a walk to the mailbox and picked some mums. He tried to play with our big pumpkin. Unfortunately he spotted that two of our neighbors have swing sets, but I wasn't comfortable letting him play on them. Our house just isn't prepared for a busy 1 1/2 year old!
We had a FEAST for dinner Monday night! Alaskan Salmon! One of our patients lives in Alaska and was in town visiting family and they were nice enough to bring some frozen salmon. After a quick call to Uncle Bill for his yummy recipe and advice about what to do with the skin, the salmon turned out great! Craig is staying busy with school. His schedule was crazy about 2 weeks ago with midterms, but it has calmed down since. He does have an exam tomorrow, but that's not why he is snarling. He doesn't feel good. (Put your lower lip out and say "awww!") I'm hoping it is just a scratchy throat and doesn't develop into something worse! or give it to me!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Chicago Marathon 2008

Saturday morning we finally left after I felt like everything had been packed. Thanks to Mike, we borrowed his GPS, we made it to our first destination without any problems.

We went to the expo to pick up my packet. But of course our very FIRST stop had to be Starbucks so that Craig could wake up! The expo area was packed with people! This is where I picked up my bib, timing chip, shirt, and info. There were tons of vendors there and it was pretty overwhelming! I bought a really cool shirt as a souvenir for the event.



We stopped at the American Cancer Society booth to check in with them. We put up an "In Memory Of" for Warren. Warren and Tana were truly my inspiration during the race. I thought of them and their pain and it helped me remember what I was enduring was only temporary.







The marathon had an Event Alert System to help communicate to the runners what the conditions were. This sign was at the expo, Saturday, already elevated to "Moderate: Less than ideal condition - Slow down/Be prepared for worsening conditions" About half way through the race on Sunday the conditions were elevated to "High: Potentially dangerous conditions - Slow down/Observe course changes/Follow event official instruction/Consider stopping."







Race Morning:

I knew when I stepped out of the hotel lobby and it wasn't even necessary for me to wear my long sleeve t-shirt over my race clothes, that it was going to be warm. I was able to meet up with Sarah and Eric before I got into my starting area with the 9:00/mile pace group. The starting area was SO packed with people. I was touching at least 3 other people at all times before the race started! It was horrible! There was definitely no room for stretching. (Not that I would, that is what the first 5 miles are for!)



The race started right on time and in the very first mile we went under a long underpass. Unfortunately, my watch lost satellite signal and was short by .30 for distance the whole race. I think the time also got delayed. So I was a little disappointed with that, but in all reality, I didn't use my watch a whole lot. I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be telling my body how fast to go, but it would be my body that determined my pace. It was just so warm. I stayed with the pace group the first couple miles but they moved very fast through the water stations. I skipped a water station just to try to catch up with them, but weaving in and around people takes a lot of energy. I wore my fuel belt which carried 32 ounces of water and by the end of the race I was trying to squeeze every drip out of them.



One of the best memories is meeting another ACS runner before the start. She was also running for a co-worker's spouse who had recently lost their battle with cancer. She seemed very nice and very nervous to try to keep up with the 4 hour pace group. We started together and then ran into each other several different times during the race. When we met up at mile 16 not even close to the pace group, I told her our average pace was around 9:40. We both agreed that our time was no longer our goal, but just finishing.




The crowd was amazing! There was 26.2 miles of people on both sides of the street and sometimes in the median shouting, cheering, blowing horns, ringing cow bells, holding signs, anything to cheer us on. I got the biggest boost when someone would yell, "Go ACS!" It would make me smile and I would wave or throw an arm in the air. Many runners put their name on the front of their shirt so they could be cheered for specifically. I ran next to a Jose for several miles and he definitely got a lot of cheers.



The volunteers were amazing as well. There was supposed to be 20 aid stations, but I think more might have been added due to the heat. At just about every aid station I drank a cup of Gatorade, sipped some water and dumped the rest on my head. We got sponges soaked in cold water and they were helpful in cooling off. A couple of stations offered cups of ice cubes. It felt so great to put one in my mouth! I put a cube in my shirt and the rest in my hat. I don't think it took very long for them to melt.



Craig, Sarah, and Eric were able to see me at mile 2, 12, and 26. The only time I saw them was at mile 26. There is a gradual hill right before the 26 mile mark and once I made it to the top I heard my name! I saw Craig, Sarah, and Eric and I was SO happy! They were basically standing on the last corner before the finish line. Once I turned that corner and saw the finish, I was very emotional. So much went into that moment. Not only was I finally able to be DONE with this race, but all the training, all the reasons I was running just hit me. It was great.



I looked at my unofficial times for the race. Total time was 4:38:00. I was very surprised to see that my time at 13.1 miles was 2:05. This is only 5 minutes off pace. My body really felt pretty bad the whole race. I didn't realize that I wasn't too far off pace for the first half. However, after the half way point my mile splits got longer and longer. Once I saw the conditions had worsened and people all around me were walking more frequently, I knew that I needed to run a smart race. I started walking through the water stations. I had to get off on the side once to stretch my quad. My right quad really started cramping and it surprised me because I have never had a problem like that before. Usually if anything cramps, it is my calves. I knew I needed to listen to my body, but it was saying that I was thirsty the whole time!



After the race I met up with Sarah, Eric, and Craig at the ACS tent. Craig greeted me with a rose! Craig was very happy to see me, he had been so worried. When he saw me at mile 12 he knew that I didn't look good. Sarah said that it looked like I was just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. So for the next 14 miles Craig was worried that I would over-exert myself or get hurt. I was able to get changed out of my clothes and get some more water and shade at the ACS tent. My stomach was very upset. I think I just had too much Gatorade and Gu on my stomach without any real food to offset the sugar. My body from the waist down hurt to touch, like a bruise for the first 12 hours. The greatest pain came about 36 hours after the race and even ibuprofen didn't help. By Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling MUCH better! Overall, I can't really complain about how my body endured the race. I had two tiny chafe marks in my armpits and only one purple toenail. My body has a while to completely repair from all the micro-tears and I am happy to have at least 26 days of resting.

The question has been asked, "Will you run another marathon?" and the answer is..."No...at this point." If you asked me during the race I would have screamed NO!! But I have a tiny bit of competitiveness with myself and I KNOW that I could have run a better race in cooler conditions. I might not have made my goal of 4 hours, but I know I would have been able to enjoy the race. I wasn't going slow so that I could enjoy the race, I was going the fastest pace my body would allow me to go in the heat. My biggest disappointment is that I was in pain and not achieving my main goal of having fun.

A few hours ago I realized that Craig's commencement and the Indianapolis Mini-marathon are on two different weekends in May, so I will be able to give the mini another shot a third year in a row! Only 6 months away!


Saturday, October 11, 2008

On the Road

We are hitting the road and I'm excited. Hopefully everything has been thought of and packed. One last check of the weather, and it should be nice.

Thank you to all who have wished me luck. I know I have several people praying for me! I appreciate that so much.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Update

The wait is finally over for Warren. Please keep the rest of the family in your prayers.

From the Brokering's blog.....

Warren Brokering, husband, father, pastor, and friend went home to be with his Lord this afternoon, October 10, 2008, at 2:55 p.m. (ET). He was surrounded by his wife, Tana, his family, and dear friends. He is no longer in pain, and he is now face to face with Christ his Savior. Although his passing is painful, we are rejoicing with him as he enters a new, eternal life with Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:7-8“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

Excited, but sad

Today I have mixed emotions. Today I should be soooo excited for the marathon. and I am. But I am also so sad for Tana, Warren and their family. The last update I heard is that "Warren was in the final stage, and to pray that he be taken quickly." It so hard to imagine what the family is going through and to know that Warren is suffering.

Today has been a lazy day. I slept till 9 and haven't really gotten out of bed. I almost don't feel guilty about it. I definitely need to make a list and get started on getting prepared for the weekend! The projected temperature keeps rising. At this point, I am planning on wearing my American Cancer Society singlet that I have worn for just about all my long runs.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Prayer request

Please pray for my co-worker Tana and her husband, Warren. Warren has been fighting multiple organ cancer for over 2 1/2 years. He is at home and hospice has come in to help take care of him. My heart and prayers go out to them.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Great video

I found another video that is pretty good at pumping me up for the whole race experience. This video gave me a much bigger picture of the crowd size and the noise level to expect! WOW!

I have failed this week so far at relaxing or getting extra sleep. I have done very well at eating carbs. I made fettuccine alfredo and pumpkin cinnamon rolls both from scratch. This is amazing that they turned out since I can't even make deviled eggs, which I tried to do over the weekend.

Tonight I was supposed to run 3 miles, but it was raining. This run will probably just get skipped. I won't lose any training at this point.

Huge thanks for another donation to the America Cancer Society!!

Monday, October 6, 2008

MaRaThOn WeEk!!!

Yay! This is marathon week. It is really weird to look at the last line of my training schedule and realize I am almost finished!

I ran 8 miles on Sunday afternoon by myself. This is a very hectic week for Craig and he is very busy studying for 2 exams and writing a huge paper. I came home Sunday after church and took a much needed 4 hour nap. I got up and took off before the sun went down. I guess I wasn't fully awake because I didn't take any water or Gu with me. You would think I wouldn't do something so dumb this late in my training. However, I really felt fine until I got the dreaded dehydrated headache after the run.

I purchased my last few items for the race. I bought a long sleeve under armour shirt in case it is cold, a new pair of socks, and some more Gu. So...as long as I have thought of everything, I should be prepared for the race.

I checked the weather for Chicago today 3 different times. For race day it said 30% chance of rain, then it changed to cloudy with cool temps. The last time I checked, the temperature had raised almost 4 degrees for the high and the low. UGG!! I guess there is no sense in really looking at it this far out. Sunday morning will tell!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Changing season

Tonight was a quick 30 minute run. I was surprised at how early it is getting dark! After work, we ran a few errands, put the groceries away, and I took off. By the the end of my run - it was dark! It felt like I had a lot of extra energy, but I guess that is common during tapering.

This weekend, my long run is 8 miles. It will hopefully happen Sunday morning, before church, because I have to work Saturday morning. I only work 1 Saturday a month, October through April, but I was disappointed to give up part of my Saturday tomorrow. It should be a really nice weekend. What could be more fun than the Hill Climb parade, food, and fireworks!?

Thursday, October 2, 2008

2nd Taper Week

Tuesday was a fun fall run. It is really nice to come home from work and go right out for a run instead of waiting until it cools off. Usually I would be so hungry for dinner that I would have a "snack" to hold me over and then I would regret it during the run. I am definitely enjoying the nice cool weather. It was fun to do some crunching across leaves during the 40 minute run.

Wednesday's goal was 5 miles at race pace: 9:00 minute/mile. It was another great evening and the run went really well. However, I was pretty sure at one point that I was going to be bitten by a pit bull. It came toward us and then I heard it pick up the pace and I took off. Luckily at the same time, Craig turned his bike toward it and yelled at it and it stopped. Luckily we haven't had too many problems with dogs. I don't understand how an owner would leave a pit bull unleashed. On one other occasion we couldn't get a dog to stop barking and chasing us.. It was an ugly, mean little dog that just about got kicked.

I went to bed early twice this week. I love waking up feeling good rather than totally exhausted. I know I need to be well rested and I have a busy weekend ahead.