Ten Moments on 10.10.10

In the spirit of 10.10.10 and from what my mom wrote a few days ago - I will stick with the number 10 as well.

Here are the ten moments during the marathon that stuck out to me the most:

1. 3:30 A.M.
Up and Ready to go. I was so ready to get this thing over with. I trained well and dedicated the last four months of my life to this day. I was hoping for a great performance for once...

2. Weather
It was warm already at 5:00 AM and I was starting to get a bit worried. But, I prayed and put all those evil thoughts away and told myself I got this. Whatever it takes, I am crossing that finish line.

3. Start Line
Nothing is like the start line at the marathon. If you never have ran in a race before, it is an incredible feeling. Your adrenaline starts pumping through your body. Music is blaring. People all around you are pumped. It is great, even if it does take 20 minutes to finally cross the start line...

4. Mile 11
Ugh. And here it comes. I started feeling pretty rough at this point already. But, I knew I had to keep going. But, I was just so discouraged already. All this work and this is what happens? I have bad luck with marathons. At that point, Joseph jumped in and stuck with me...

5. Pukes
My body can't handle the heat. Ever since I was a little girl, the way my body deals with overheating is vomiting. How attractive, huh? So, there is nothing I can do when it comes to heat. And at about mile 17, it started and continued all way to the finish. I must have been a great sight to see. And honestly, there was nothing I could do.

6. Joseph
One of the sweetest things on Sunday was the fact that Joseph ran and walked with me from mile 11/12 to about mile 25. Seriously, he did. And if he wasn't there, I am not sure I would have finished. I am so blessed to have a husband like him. He is my number one supporter and encourager.

7. Pride
When I realized I couldn't keep any fluids or substances in my body, I debated between pride and humility. Do I keep running, get a somewhat decent time, and possibly end up in the emergency room because of my pride? Or do I take it easy, walk most of it and just suck it up that I might finish in the high 5 hour mark? With much tears and much pain, I choose the humble path. Walking most of the last 7-8 miles. And what a challenge mentally and physically that was for me.

8. Phone Call
My mom called me at about mile 23. I was a disaster at that point. I kept throwing up, Joseph was still at my side and all I could think about was quitting and that I failed. Mentally- I wasn't in it anymore. But, when my mom called right after she finished and asked how I was - she was so proud that I didn't quit. And even though I wasn't running anymore and I was so ashamed of my time, she told me she was praying and to keep going. I cried through the whole phone conversation...

9. Nike+ Powersong Zone
At about mile 24 they have a Nike+ Powersong Zone. As I was walking through, chewing on ice chips because that was the only thing I was keeping down (my mom said it was getting me ready for labor) :) the guy giving the announcements at that point said, "It doesn't matter if you are running, walking or crawling - you are going to finish." With more tears, I agreed and marched on.

10. Finish Line
All I wanted to do was sit and drink a large cherry coke. That was my carrot. The finish line never looked so good. And while I was sooo discouraged with the weather and my performance, I hobbled my way across that finish line. I finished. Finally. And with more tears down my check, I got my medal and anxiously waited for my cherry coke at Cheesecake later that day...

It was rough, I can't lie. And these past few days have been hard on me. Hearing stories of how well people did and then there was me, who did awful. But, I know one thing - that through all of this the Lord got me through and I know He is teaching me something. Maybe about my pride? Maybe about my priorities? Not sure - but He will make it clear. And while this wasn't the performance I hoped for at 3:30 A.M. on Sunday, I finished.

So, I am taking a break from training - for awhile. I'll run here and there but my focus will be elsewhere for the next few years. Praying that I will be content and willing to go in whatever direction the Lord chooses...

L---O---N---G

blog neglect again.

i have been busy, promise.

how do i summarize august and september marathon training in one word? long.

long1    /lɔŋ, lɒŋ/ Show Spelled
[lawng, long]
, noun, adverb
–adjective

1. having considerable duration in time: a long conversation; a long while.
2. extending, lasting, or totaling a number of specified units: eight miles long; eight hours long.
3. requiring a considerable time to relate, read, etc.: a long story.
4. extending relatively far

august and september are the months were training increases beyond the "semi-decent distance" line. we are talking like 20, 21, 22, 23, etc. however, i have to say, we had quite the cool september, which made training MUCH easier. but, these runs were L---O---N---G.

if you asked me four weeks ago how training was going i would have said, "i am ready for it to just be done." training is a lot of wear and tear on your body. plus, every monday i would be a walking zombie. that type of milage just kills me.

however, i am beyond grateful that the Lord has blessed me with the ability to push myself that extra step. because let me tell you, i am NOT a natural runner. however, i have been taught to persevere and press through ... in life ... with my relationship with Christ... and even running. crazy how they all intertwine and teach you that.

so, the marathon is in less than a week. feeling excited, exhausted and quite frankly, ready for this to be done. it has been a L---O---N---G four months.

to all my chicago marathon runners- here we go. weather predictions look excellent and well, what's better than running a marathon on 10.10.10. so cool.

10.10.10: First Month: Check.

Well - the first month of marathon training is officially done. Yikes. I am almost half way there in my mileage. The "twenties" still seem so daunting and far . . .

I just did 12 miles with my mom downtown on the lakefront on Saturday. Running on the lakefront is a piece of cake compared to running my long runs near my house on hilly roads. Yes, there are "hills" in the outer suburbs of Chicago. I am not crazy, come out to Cary.

Training is going well - and the sunrise at 5:00 A.M. helps me get my butt out of bed to go run. Convincing myself to get up is getting harder and harder but the little voice in my head tells me that I will feel so much better when I am done. And, I do - but I just love the comfort of my bed.

Challenges Ahead: More miles. Hotter days. Lack of time/desire. I am slow. Need new running shoes but lack of funds.

Welp - I am feeling pretty good about my training so far - 12 miles doesn't seem like a lot to me but then again, it is only July.

I'll let you know how July goes in a bit. And any other new information along the way.

my running partner is a rockstar

26.2... "no biggie" - for a mother of five, a grandma, a wife, employee x 2, and the other million things my incredible mother has on her plate....

Yesterday, I was able to witness the 2009 Chicago Marathon as a spectator - I decided to take the year off and cheer on my mom. While, I won't type her age, when you become a grandma and can run a marathon, well, that is something else. She is one incredible, strong, determined and dedicated woman and most importantly, I am glad to have her as someone I look up to. This is my mom's third consecutive and fifth marathon total. Not many women her age can do that. So, three cheers for you, mom.

Watching from the start line was bittersweet for me. I really did enjoy taking the year off (wedding, new husband, new job, new house... ;) ). However, being a part of something like that and understanding what those 45,000 runners were going through made me tear up. I played "Amazing Race" by myself for the majority of the morning and I finally got to LaSalle near Moody, only to miss my mom by like 2 minutes. She was runnin' like a cheetah...

I risked my life, actually the lives of the marathon runners, and crossed the street to get to Wells (the other side of Moody) to meet my mom there. Once I was there, our plan was for me to finish the last 14.5 miles with my mom. While waiting for her to come, Candace, Madeline, Kerry and Ethan met up with me. It was FREEZING and not much fun for an 11 month old... poor guy.

Finally, the running star appeared and I joined the fun....I told my mom while we were running, "So, this is what the last half of the marathon is suppose to look like..." [Note: 2007 and 2008 were two of the hottest marathons in the history of the 32 Chicago Marathons on record & I don't do so well in heat....]

It was a great, easy and chilly run with my mom. Perfect weather for a marathon. I enjoyed finishing the marathon and getting a medal at the end so I didn't look too suspicious....

So, congratulations mom. You are incredible. Another Chicago Marathon checked off. Now that she is taking 2010 off, anyone interested in training for next year's marathon with me? 10.10.10? Neat, huh?