Journey Fitness

Last year I ran the Seafair Marathon and while I really wanted to love it, I really didn’t. It was disorganized to the point of being dangerous. It was hot and hilly. It was a fantastic challenge, but it was one of the hardest races I’ve run. So when I heard that Elite Racing had taken over and was going to bring a Rock and Roll race to Seattle, I was thrilled! I registered the day it opened!

I also decided to hold a training for Rock and Roll. I have coached in the past through Seattle Fit, which is a great organization. However, I had to give it up when gas got so expensive it simply wasn’t sensible for me to drive to Seattle every weekend. I was tired of having to go elsewhere to find people to run with, so I decided to focus on my home town and start a program here. In July of last year I became a Certified Personal Trainer and started my first running group; a 5k training program that took us to the AFLAC Irongirl 5k.

So in January I started my first marathon/half marathon training group with a handful of people who were dedicated to running their first full or half marathon. The group grew to ten people, and stopped being a running group and turned into friends within weeks. We ran together every Saturday through rain, snow, more rain, cold cold cold, and in the end intense heat. We shared owies and stories on the run. We had our ever-present support, Roy, who marked the routes and ran water and snack stops. We learned about each other’s kids, childhoods, likes, and dislikes.

Finally it was time! The big day had come! Most of us met at the expo on Friday (some of us even went Thursday too, mainly to take advantage of the $50 registration for next year’s Seattle Rock and Roll). We shopped. We shopped some more. We talked running and gu and chafing and sports bras.

Then we headed to carbo load at Buca de Beppo. Dinner was fantastic, once we got it. It took over 90 minutes for them to serve us from our order being taken! I think next time Spaghetti Factory will be our destination…the food was great, the server was nice (it wasn’t his fault) but we were starting to gnaw on the table linens and we ALL had an early morning the next day!

The next morning dawned bright and early…well, dark and early. Roy and I stayed in a hotel in Seattle and got up WELL before dawn to make our way to Qwest field to catch a shuttle to the start. Not knowing how well organized it would be, we left early. I was VERY impressed with how quickly we were aboard a bus with lots of other runners chatting excitedly…runners of all shapes and sizes, with the same goal. We were all there to meet a personal challenge. I was there to see my runners run their first full or half marathon. Roy was there to prove that knee surgery wasn’t going to stop him from enjoying races. (He had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus 6 weeks prior to the race. Unfortunately it hasn’t helped diminish the pain at all. He also has bad arthritis in his knees, but it is what it is, and he’s still determined to do half marathons.)

Runners Ready to Rumble

I called Erin from the bus and found out she was already to the Athlete’s Village and in Starbucks (makes me feel so OFFICIAL). Once we got there I headed over to the porta potty line…just in case. As John Bingham advises…get in line, use it, then get in line again! It was CHILLY but sunny and I was wishing, aloud, that I’d brought a garbage bag when the lady next to me handed me one without a word. Runners are GREAT people. We all support and cheer each other.

Erin met up with us and we chatted excitedly. After awhile we headed to our corral. As soon as I got in I started finding people I knew! Joan and Brandy from last year’s half ironman training were there. We talked and high fived and took pictures. It wasn’t long…okay, it WAS long…before we were off. Okay, not OFF so much as we started shuffling and stopping and shuffling and stopping. Music was blaring, John Bingham was calling out well wishes (and warning people not to jump corrals). We were in corral 26, so it was a full 45 minutes before we actually crossed the start line!

We started out running from Tukwila towards Seattle. There were lots of silly costumes. The bands started right before mile one and every single one of them was fantastic. I was quieter than normal during the first few miles, which I think worried Erin at first. Unfortunately standing for so long just KILLS my back and I was waiting for it to relax and release. It was singing OPERA and I was having a hard time really getting into a running rhythm because of it. After awhile I realized it probably was going to just hurt the entire time, so I said to myself “It is what it is” and decided to stop thinking about it and start enjoying myself. (I have arthritis of the back and running usually helps ease the pain, but every now and again it doesn’t. This was one of those days. Oh well!)

By mile 5 I was feeling pretty good and was enjoying swapping stories with Erin. We were enjoying the bands (grumbling when they were on breaks…how DARE they!). I saw a LOT of people I knew and enjoyed calling out to them. At mile six we were greeted with a magical moment! We were running along Lake Washington, which is beautiful in its own right. Suddenly there was a slight hubbub and all around us runners were jetting to the side, grabbing cell phones and cameras. Why? Was the mountain out? Bigfoot? Nope, it was a beautiful bald eagle. Oh it was amazing…absolutely breathtaking. I stopped and took a picture, and whispered a prayer of thanks to the Lord for blessing us with this beautiful creature. He must have been there for quite some time because race reports I’ve read from people who finished before and after me, mentioned this eagle.

At mile nine we were treated to a run across the Lake Washington Bridge. I tell you, I never tire of crossing this bridge by bike or by foot. The scenes were fantastic. I also really enjoy the out and back. I was able to cheer on many friends who were faster than I am, and many friends who were behind me (at least at that point). LOTS of Marathon Maniacs were on the course that day!

Next we went into the tunnel. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about how loud it was (it was) and how hot it was (it was) but you know…I just go with the flow. Seldom do I find the need to complain about a transient experience because I know that it’s only a blink of time, so I just enjoyed it. /> I especially enjoyed this guy. Hee hee!

Before you know it we could see the Seattle skyline! Yay! The end was…okay the end wasn’t NEAR, but it was nearER, right? This was just before mile 13. Another welcome sight was this guy: . I had been worrying a LOT about how he was doing. It was SO nice to see him with only a few miles to go and still a smile on his face. Whew!

Woo hoo! Halfway done!

We made our way along the freeway passing half marathoners with their eyes on the finish when I saw Torie ahead. I ran up to catch her and see how things were going. Sadly she was in a LOT of pain and rather down that she’d had to walk a lot of the race. She’d been having IT band pain for quite awhile and we were hoping that two weeks of rest, ice, and lots of massage/foam rolling would help. You just never CAN tell on race day what will happen! I walked with her for quite awhile until she had to turn off to her finish. Erin graciously went ahead and let me hang with Torie for awhile. I told her that we would have a WAY better experience on the next race! I said goodbye at the turnoff and sent up a quick prayer that she’d feel proud of her performance despite the walking.

It felt like a LONG time before I caught up with Erin again. I ran on my own for awhile and then came upon Joan. We walked and ran and talked quite a bit about how things were in our lives, and our goals to complete an ironman at some point. After a mile or so I ran on. In another mile I came upon Marie. I’d just passed Tim (her husband) who was doing his first full marathon on his 50th birthday. She anxiously asked if I’d seen him and I told her I had, that he was walking but looked good. She was quite relieved! About half mile later I made a quick pitstop and then zipped back out on the street. I saw Tim so slowed to walk with him for awhile. He was having knee pain, but was in good spirits. I really enjoy Tim and Marie (I’ve run a number of marathons with Marie) so it was great to see him! I felt like I needed to keep on moving, hoping to catch up with Erin.

About mile 16 I saw this: Yay! Erin! She was in good spirits, although we were on Highway 99 and it was getting H O T! It was a LONG out and back with very little shade. We saw each other on the other side of the street and she slowed to wait for me. I hurried as fast I could to join her so we could finish up together.

As the temperatures climbed our energy waned. We were both feeling it, although by that time I think it was hitting Erin a little harder than it was me, so I tried REALLY hard to keep up the chatter and keep things light and fun. I’ve run some hot marathons before, so I knew that the longer you’re out in the sun, the more it just saps you. We both took a lot of comfort from the shirts of others, like this one.

We started doing run/walk with more walking than running as the sun beat down harder. We tried to enjoy the beautiful views from the viaduct, and talked about how even though it was hard, we were blessed to have healthy bodies and be able to be out there doing this. Erin was starting to really tire and was telling me to go on without her. Of course I had NO desire to do that! After all, I had gotten her into this crazy venture! It was up to me to get her through it, if need be. At mile 24 we were walking and roasting and she started telling me that she was never going to do it again. I warned her to never ever make pronouncements while still on the marathon. Marathons are like childbirth…it’s a wonderful journey to get there, the day of is full of surprises, pain, and anticipation…there are points where you wish you could turn back but it is too late…and two days later you forget the pain and remember only the fun, the images, and are left with a wonderful sense of pride (and a baby, or so I’m told…personally I like being left with a medal). I encourage Erin to take another gu, even with only two miles to go, because I could tell her mood was NOT a happy one. She did so (I think) just to humor me. I think it helped.

Mile 25 was long as we traveled along the railroad tracks with not much to look at, although we did enjoy this graffiti art on a boxcar: Erin’s son is named Max, so we declared mile 26 for Max, and ran it in! As we ran down the ramp towards Qwest Field and could hear the music and see the indications that, at any moment, we’d glimpse the finish line, Erin’s Gu kicked in and she gave me a good hard run for my money! No fair! LOL! We ran in the last .2 miles hard and fast (fast being a relative term at the age of 44 after 26 miles in the heat and hills)! Finally we finished! Yay! It was hot, it was hard, but it was DONE! Woot! Woot!

We were spent, though! We grabbed water and a snack and wanted to immediately get to our cars and go HOME! Roy had texted me that he was going to be in the van, so I hadn’t noticed him cheering for me at the finish. (I’m sad I missed it, but I misread his text as I was running and reading it at the same time.) We tried to catch a girl with chocolate chip cookies, but she ran out so we just gave up and hugged and said goodbye.

I saw Linda on the way out and we both agreed that while it was fun, it was a HARD course. It wasn’t horrible, don’t get me wrong. It was hilly and hot, but the course itself wasn’t bad. I would change, if I could, the last six miles on 99. Being on the viaduct was nice, but being on 99 forever and ever and out near the trainyards was NO JOY.

I met Roy in the van. He was in a LOT of pain, but he did have cotton candy for me! Best husband EVER! We zipped home and straight to the funky Chinese buffet in town where you can get sesame balls, octopus, mashed potatoes, and little smokies wrapped in dough. (Huh???)

After I got home I emailed everyone and asked them how they did! Unfortunately I only did see Torie on the route, and missed seeing Cindy, Trista, Becky, and Tamie! Everyone had a GREAT time and were so excited. Trista told me she was thinking she wasn’t going to do another one, but found herself poring over flyers for upcoming races the next day. Hahaha! Yup! It’s a strange, sick addiction!

Incidentally, Erin signed up for the Portland Marathon today. She has also agreed to be my right hand gal on our Seattle Marathon training starting in July! Never say never!

We did go to the free Keb Mo and Ryan Shaw concert out at Marymoor that night. Oh my gosh they were both FANTASTIC! Great, mellow music that was just the right touch after a long hot day. While I was almost ready to say I was too tired to go, I thought “When do I get a free ticket to an outdoor concert on an evening when the weather is actually PERFECT?” The answer was never, so we went and I’m glad we did.

Tags: Journey Fitness, marathon, Races, Rock and Roll Seattle

Call of the Wild Marathon

This was my 23rd marathon. I ran it with my marathon/half marathon training group. We had a GREAT time on a beautiful day running along the Sammamish River.

The marathon was organized by Adrian Call, one of those CRAZY Marathon Maniacs! About 50 people ran just for the fun of it. He arranged a marathon, a half marathon, and a 20 miler for those who wanted to just do a training run. His wife made pancakes at the end, and let me tell you…pancakes taste AWESOME after 26.2 miles!

I started with Erin and Ron, but Erin and I were planning to do 5:1 run/walk, and Ron wanted to run it in. We lost him at the first walk, but were hoping to catch back up again. We never did as he was a speed demon!

Half marathoners from JF Runners were: Trista, Gloria, Shirley (and her hubby), Tamie, Becky, and Megan! They ALL finished their first half marathon and everyone felt relatively good at the end! We missed having Torie and Cindy with us, but Torie was in the Methow Valley running her first trail run, a 10k (she rocked it) and Cindy had finished her first half marathon the week before in Delaware!

I took video on this one, and here you go:

Run: Call of the Wild Marathon
Total Mileage: 26.79 (because I took a wrong turn so did extra credit)
Total time: 5:19 (although Garmin said closer to 5:05, but it did pause when I stopped at water stops)
Blessing: Running with Erin and seeing all my friends feeling so strong and powerful about themselves. Seeing my wonderful husband at four different places on the route. He ran a water stop for us. He’s the best!
Total Mileage for the Week: 77.92 my LONGEST week yet!

This was not my best run. I could tell within the first mile that my cold was settling into my chest. Fortunately it wasn’t bad enough to stop me, but it sure did sap my energy! I don’t know why, but I just could not get mojo going on. At mile 24 when I saw Roy for the last time I said, “Honey, this run is just sucking for me!” Of course at that point I couldn’t quit, but I honestly wanted to and that rarely happens. I know it was mostly mental, though. I was concerned that Erin was going to be okay. She had decided not to finish about mile 21, and I thought for sure we were just around the corner from Roy at that point. Of course every corner I turned, he wasn’t there. Three miles after I left her, I found him! Of course I knew she was fine in my head. She’s an adult, perfectly capable, was not ill or injured but was just tired. She’d hydrated and fueled just fine. But still, I felt bad leaving her. If I’d known Roy was 3 miles away, I wouldn’t have. My plan was to run to him (I thought he was within 1/4 mile…have I mentioned I have no sense of direction?) and let him know she was coming, possibly run back to her to make sure she was fine, then finish. So really I think it was the mental “Surely he’s just around THIS corner” thing along with “Should I go back to her? Should I go forward? Should I stop?” was over half the battle.

In fact, once I knew he was there, waiting for her, and she was fine, the last two miles were hard, but not nearly as hard as the previous three.

It was AWESOME to see Ron and Trista at the finish line. Ron looked tired, but happy. Trista looked fantastic, like she’d just climbed out of bed after a great rest! She didn’t look tired at all!

The breakfast was great…bananas, pancakes, cookies, etc. I had a pancake and a banana and a piece of lemon pound cake and a few almonds. Adrian’s wife and I swapped yogurt recipes and chatted. Finally Roy showed up with Erin. She looked great, tired, but really upbeat.

I am so proud of everyone! Erin ran her longest run (24.37 miles). Ron ran his first marathon. Trista, Gloria, Tamie, Becky, Shirley, and Megan all ran their first marathon. Way to go everyone!!!!

Tags: a year of running, marathon, runnings

Marathon 22 in the bag!

What a beautiful day for a beautiful race! I was running this race with my friend, Lisa, who made “Maniac” status today. Go Lisa! I had run 13.5 miles on Saturday so was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be a PR.

We decided to run 3:1 to see if we could take some time off. Of course in order for 3:1 to work to increase time, you have to really push it in the 3 component but well…we didn’t.

The race is very hilly and extremely beautiful! I had no idea how beatiful the Olympia area is! I’ve run two marathons in Olympia, prior, and had enjoyed them but this one is THE marathon to run if you’re going to Oly! It starts and ends right by the capital building, which is beautiful.

We both felt pretty good throughout the entire race. Really, I don’t think we slowed down at all. We were just about even throughout the race. We did stop and take pictures, and got to know a guy named Jim who is 67 and had run the Redmond Watershed 12 hour race yesterday. (!!)

Saw lots of stuff on the race…horses, cows, calves, foals, emus, lambs, goats, alpaca, and lots of roadkill…dats good eatin’ right der!

The hills were challenging, but not too bad. Did have a little calf pain at the end as did Lisa. I think it was due to some of the downhills!

The route in pictures

Mile 3 or so. The calves were 3 weeks old. Lisa asked the farmer who was rather amused that I was taking pictures of cows. They were really CUTE cows, though!

Seems to me about mile 7 and was trying to get a picture of the big a$$ hill ahead! Oy! I think that’s Mel McCreedy ahead.

Jim saw us both taking pictures of the hill, so he stopped and asked if we’d like a photo. Sure thing!

Look at how awesome Lisa looks! Do these ladies look 44 years old to you? No way! Running keeps you YOUNG!

Alpaca Alert!

This guy was so cute! He was fascinated by the runners and would run up ahead of each group and stop with his head stretched out as if to say, “Seriously? No one has an apple? Lump of sugar? Spare gu? Give a horse some sugar!”

Mile 11 or so…I think. The hill ahead made me cry and induced an amnesiac state.

We were running along and heard this LOUD croak. I thought we’d find a big toad…I think this little guy had short man’s syndrome!

Right at mile 13. What DOES one do with all those pesky leftover bowling balls?

Mr. Emu was struttin’ his stuff about mile 15!

What a beautiful route!

Gorgeous river!

There were a lot of wooded areas, which was nice as the temperatures soared.

I love this yard art! I think we’re about mile 18 here!

There were a number of people with their own water stops set up for us. This little girl (about mile 21) was happily giving out free water, while her cat planned her demise.

We’re almost done! Mile 25!!

Running in the last mile past the capital!

What a beautiful day!

I didn’t think the end was much to talk about. Food was open so little kids had their grubby hands all over it. Shall I get up on my soapbox once again and remind parents…the food at the end is for the runners. It is not for your children. If you MUST feed your child (lest he die), then YOU get the food. I saw two kids go up, grab some watermelon, eat it, then throw the rinds back onto the pile of watermelon. Jerks. I’m sorry, both were old enough to know better. The teens who were volunteering were inhaling the pizza before runners could get any (I did not get a piece because as they opened a new box, three kids (two of whom had just thrown their watermelon rinds onto the cut fruit and each taken 3 donuts) and three teens completely cleaned out the box. Thanks for that!

No medal, which I didn’t like, but we DID get a jacket which is BETTER than a medal. There was also a little printed thingy with our race info in it that was kind of cool and framable. I think I’ll take it to school and put it on my currently blank wall. The volunteers were awesome. Course support was very good, although they only had gu at one station and Ultimaa sucks eggs. Sponges were an awesome touch. I particularly was happy I’d put one n the back of my shirt when, after the race, I couldn’t find a SINGLE portapotty with toilet paper.

Would I do this one again? Most likely. The beauty alone is worth it!

Next weekend, Call of the Wild on Saturday and is it truly insane I am considering Couer d’ Alene on Sunday?

Tags: a year of running, marathon, marathon maniacs, Olympia, running

Isn’t that just beautiful!?

Today was our longest run to date as our training group. Erin started early and met us about 10 miles into her run. Ron and Erin and I then ran out, with the half marathoners close on our tails. The halfers ran 9 the full ran 18. I wasn’t entirely sure how this was going to feel, as I ran a marathon last weekend, but I’m always game for a long run.

The run was gorgeous. It’s amazing how much this trail has changed in the few short months we’ve been running it. It’s also SO peaceful! There were lots of other runners, walkers, and cyclists out, but it didn’t feel crowded at all.

We talked and laughed the entire way. I really love coaching the marathoners. I do believe I’ll be doing a Seattle Marathon group starting in July!

Run: Centennial Trail
Distance: 18 miles
Time: 3:13:30
Blessing: Two HUGE bald eagles flew right over our heads…it was breathtaking!
Total mileage for the week: 62.2

Tags: a year of running, coaching, Fitness, marathon, running

Tacoma City Marathon!
Finished in 4:51:52

I will post a race report later, but today’s favorite picture is us lovely ladies!

Me
Lisa
Michelle

Michelle ran the half marathon and waited for Lisa and I at the end. We had a GLORIOUS day!

This is my 12th marathon in 12 months! I am now a THREE STAR Marathon Maniac!

Tags: a year of running, marathon

My marathon/half marathon peeps that I run with every Saturday!

We did TEN miles today, the longest yet for some of my folks. We were at the 8 mile turnaround.

Run: 10 miles around Marysville, LOTS of hills!
Mileage: 10.19 miles
Blessing: Running with these wonderful and beautiful people
Total mileage this week: 40.09
Weather: muggy and cool

Tags: a year of running, coaching, Fitness, marathon

Saturday April 18
Running on the Centennial Trail. It was cold, but ended up very pretty out. It’s amazing how much the trail changes week to week in the Spring.

Tags: a year of running, marathon, training

Seattle Marathon

So I decided, once again, to re-enter my abusive relationship with the Seattle Marathon. I’ve run the marathon once and the half marathon twice, as well as ran support last year (16 miles) for people I had coached. Every year I finished battered, bruised, and beaten. Every year I say never again.

And yet I keep going back. “It’ll be different this time” I try to tell myself. “It’ll be better. The marathon didn’t mean to abuse me last time. It’s sorry. I’m sure of it.”

Friday we went into Seattle for the yearly viewing of the parade and lighting of the Westlake Tree. Our “Black Friday” tradition is that Roy gets up and goes shopping because he is not bothered by the disgusting actions of a few of the people on that morning. In an effort to not befoul the beautiful season of Christmas, I stay in bed. He text messages me to let me know where he’s at and brag on some scores. I then run or walk (if I’m doing the marathon, I walk) to the local Starbucks where we meet, drink coffee, share the paper, and then head into Seattle for the parade.

We watch the parade and then spend the day wandering around downtown Seattle. We went to the expo at the Westin and picked up my packet. It was busy, but wasn’t yet a madhouse. Note to self: Expo on Friday next year, if I forgive the marathon and do it again. (Who am I kidding? I’ll do it again.)

Saturday about noon I started feeling a little wonky. I thought it might just be something I’d eaten. We went out to our carbo-load dinner early at the Spaghetti Factory. Unfortunately by 5:00 p.m. I was in full blown pancreatitis. Oh man I felt MISERABLE! I live in denial so I tried to pretend I wasn’t sick. We got to our hotel in Seattle and walked down to the expo to pick up a knee strap I’d bought the day before (but received only an empty box). Unfortunately on the way back to the hotel I was feverish and shaking. DARN IT! Stupid Hank! (Hank is the name of my pancreatic tumor I had excorcised in 2003. Unfortunately he returns to haunt me about 8-10 times a year.)

I spent the next three hours crawling between the bed and the bathtub soaking in as hot a tub as I could to deal with the chills. About 10:30 or so I woke up feeling slightly better, decided I’d lay out my gear and get ready, just in case. I had called my friend, Marie, though to tell her that I probably wouldn’t make it.

Sunday I woke up and was ready to go when Roy stumbled out of the bedroom. “Are you sure you’re okay to do this?”

I looked at him confused. Why would he ask me that?

It was only then I remembered that I’d been so sick the night before.

Why would anyone question that I wasn’t perfectly fine?

I was totally fine. At least Hank had better things to do on Sunday. (Curse you, Hank!)

I gave Marie a call and let her know that I was a-okay and would meet her downtown for the race!

The day was heavy with fog and a mist hung in the air.  You couldn’t even see the top of the Space Needle as you stood right under it. The weather forecast was for a warm November day, though. We figured the mist would lift and we’d have gorgeous views of the Sound, Lake Washington, Mt. Rainier, and Lake Union as we ran. Alas, the fog never did lift, but the weather could NOT have been more perfect for a run.

Marie and I started out together. We chatted with a few maniacs on the run. As we got closer to mile two I was looking forward to two things: Roy and Water (in that order). I was pretty dehydrated from being so sick the night before, and of course who doesn’t want to see the handsomest guy in the world on a marathon!

But alas! No water! There were NO CUPS! They had run out of cups before the marathoners even arrived. Apparently all the walkers and half marathoners were amazing cup hogs…or someone doesn’t know how to count. I mean they do COUNT the number entries, right?

Oh well. I got a hug and a kiss from Roy and he took this picture, and we ran on:

I had worn a long sleeve shirt under my Marathon Maniacs tank top, leggings, a running skirt, and a Santa Hat that said “Ho Ho Ho” on it. About mile four I could no longer handle the shirt. I stepped over near the side of the tunnel and Marie helped me quickly disrobe and re-robe, tying the shirt around my waist. Whew! What a relief! Who would have thought it would feel BETTER to run in a tank top in November in Seattle?

It was so funky running around Lake Washington. You literally could NOT see the lake. We ran across the I-90 floating bridge, which normally affords a fantastic view of Rainier (on a clear day) but all we could see was mist. From there we headed down to Seward park alongside the mist covered lake. You couldn’t see the water unless you really looked, and then it was gunmetal grey. It was an eerie kind of beautiful, though. Not the brilliant blue we’re used to, but shades of misty monochromatic bluish grey as far as the eye could see.

As we were coming into Seward Park we were nearly knocked off our feet by a “whoooooosh” as the front runner flew by us running in the other direction. Um. Wow. He was FAST! Seattle is NOT a fast marathon! Not by a long-shot! We cheered him on and then started counting. We saw (and recognized) Annie Theissen (yay Annie) who was the front woman and cheered her on. Sad to say the man was finished before we hit the halfway point, and she finished not long after.

Marie and I kept up running Mile:1 (mile long run, 1 minute rest) but with every run she would pull just slightly ahead of me. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with her so at one point I told her that if she needed to, she was more than welcome to go on without me. I would survive! I had my iPod!

We met some fun people on the route. TONS of maniacs! I tell you, being a maniac is fun. Every maniac you pass you high five or thumbs up or yell “Hey Maniac!” It just feels like you’re running with 100 good friends! We struck up conversations with a number of people, including one of my personal heroes Bob Dolphin. He rocks! I want to be him when I grow up! Roy will have to be Lenore, of course.

At about mile 17 Marie could no longer hold back. She was rearing to go and I was hitting a kind of bad spot. I’m not really sure, but my back was tight and my hip flexors were hurting. I just couldn’t keep up with her stride. (Of course the fact that she’s eleventy feet tall doesn’t help, since I am in fact, a midget.) She ran on ahead of me and finished a full 20 minutes before I did! Go Marie! You rock!

I ran along and came up on Lee, a fellow coach from Seattle Fit. This was the first time he was doing two marathons in a pretty short period, and he was hurting. So I stopped to talk and we walked and talked for quite awhile. It was nice catching up as I hadn’t been able to coach this year. Pretty soon Janet, one of my “Red Team” from Seattle Fit last year, joined us and we had a great time walking and talking.

After about mile 19 Janet and I were ready to run, so we bid farewell to Lee and I joined Janet for awhile in her 5:1s. The walk was enough to renew my strength and I was feeling good, despite the fact that we were heading into the nasty part of the route. As you run up Lakeshore Drive you suddenly hit this wicked little hill called Galer. It is straight up.

No. Really. It is.

So we scaled Galer and then you go onto Magnolia. It’s not really straight up, but it is up for a long way. A long long way. It’s one of those long unrelenting hills. It’s long. Really long.

No. Really. It is.

So we walked/ran up Magnolia.

Fortunately after the Wicked Hill and the Unrelenting Hill, there are the Twisty Hills of Interlaken that take you through the Washington Arboretum. The one thing this area has going for it is the fact that it is absolutely beautiful. Rain, shine, snow, sleet, dark of night it is just beautiful. You’re surrounded by this surreal faerie forest in the middle of the city. Janet wasn’t up to one more hill run, so I went ahead on without her. I was, at this point, feeling great and didn’t really want to walk any more.

So I went up and up and up. Then I went up some more. FINALLY came out on a level surface! I proclaimed to my recorder (I was recording the entire thing) that now it was all downhill.

Why did I say that? Because I have Marathon Amnesia. I have run this route five times (2 marathons 3 halves, or maybe it’s 4 times), and I know that it is NOT all downhill from mile 22. It is not all downhill from anywhere on this marathon!

We crossed I-5 and I was all “Woo hoo! We’re heading back into the city.” So we ran and ran and ran some more.

Then we crossed I-5 again. Oops, I “woo hooed” too soon, so I was all “Woo hoo! NOW we’re heading back into the city!” So we ran and ran and ran some more and I waved at the cars on the freeway and thanked the few spectators as we rounded a corner.

And then we went up and up and up some more. Again I had premature woo hooage. Dang!

FINALLY we crossed I-5 for a third time and I was all “Woo hoo! NOW we’re FINALLY heading back into the city!! Right?”

Fortunately this time we were.

Isn’t that little squiggly line cute? Yeah, I think so too. Precious.

As I ran along I-5 I took out my Blackberry and snapped a picture. Hee hee, the lady behind me is looking at me like “What a loser! She’s wearing a santa hat and she’s taking pictures on her cell phone. Doesn’t she know that I’m in pain!”

I sent the picture to my sister and my friend Wendie! Still smiling at mile 24!

Then I called Roybee to let him know where I was and that I was, indeed, still smiling at mile 24!

No. Really. I was.

See!

The lady behind me, not still smiling at mile 24.

Finally some DOWN action! Woo hoo! Mile 24 takes you down for awhile along a lot of traffic, so you do get the down, but you also get a snootful of fumes. Ahhhh…who doesn’t love gas fumes on a lovely Saturday morning? I know I do! Yum!

Mile 25, however, more up. Oh yeah, the people who chose this course have a family tree that includes the Marquis de Sade, Vlad the Impaler, and I’m pretty sure the guy who wrote the Hamster Dance song. So up up up, then a little down…just to tease you, then Mercer Street. Mercer goes down then it goes straight up, because it is Galer’s twin sister. But at the top of Mercer, it’s the most wonderful site in the world (sing along with me now)!

The Number 26.

Angels sang, the skies parted (so we could hear the angels sing). I ran ran ran as hard as I could passing limping old men and little old ladies, feeling all “I am super runner, see how fast I pass that guy 20 years my senior! I ROCK!”

I could hear the music playing in the Memorial Stadium and I ran with a HUGE grin on my face. They called my name. I thanked JEsus for allowing me to run that day. I am so thankful that I have the body that allows me to pursue these crazy adventures. What a true true blessing!

As I crossed the finish line, they snapped my picture, then I saw right ahead of me my bestest friend from Pony Estates when I was 4 years old, Kathy! Her husband, Bashar, finished his first marathon just about a minute before I did! Woo Bashar! I hope he goes on to run more! Then I saw the bestest husband ever. He took a picture of Bashar and I both feeling completely triumphant!

What a day! I really did not think I would be able to do it. And you know what? This time the Seattle Marathon WAS better! Yes, it was hilly. Yes, it was hard. Yeah, it was a form of torture that would impress the Huns, but it was Seattle. It was MY marathon and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

Because next year, I’m sure it will be better. Right?

Tags: marathon, Seattle Marathon

Chicago Marathon
2008-10-12
Chicago, Illinois
United States
LeSalle Bank
85F / 29C
Sunny

Run – Marathon
Total Time = 5h 25m 42s
Overall Rank = 24220/31355
Age Group = 40-45
Age Group Rank = 1254/

Pre-race routine:

We got up at 5 a.m. after next to no sleep. At least I had no sleep. I just never can manage to get a decent nights sleep before a big marathon. I had myself a breakfast cookie, but skipped the coffee this morning. Roy and I took the el from Cumberland right to Grant Park. I met Laura and Linda in front of the park and we made our way to the start line. I actually felt really good going into this race. I had tapered pretty well, and had definitely trained enough. In fact I’d run four marathons in the last four months, so I knew I could go the distance.

Event warmup:

While waiting for the stretched and chatted. Linda and I were in our Marathon Maniac shirts with our race nails of gold with yellow and black tiger stripes. We found another maniac and chatted. It was fun.

Before long Lady Antebellum sang The National Anthem and the elites were off. Of course they were WAY ahead of us, so we didn’t see them. Five minutes later the wheelchairs took off, and finally we started walking towards the start.
Run

05:25:42 | 26 miles | 12m 32s min/mile

Age Group: 1254/

Overall: 24220/31355

Performance: Below average

My heart rate was abnormally high, for me, during this entire race. I’m not sure if it was the heat, or what. Normally I average about 140 over a long distance run with 5:1 intervals, but this time my average was 160! As you can see by the picture, I just continually slowed as I ran. My shoes started bothering me at mile five, but I tried to put it out of my mind. So my knees started in singing at mile 13 along WITH my shoes. My feet joined in soon thereafter. Energy-wise, I was great. Could have gone all day. (I practically DID go all day! LOL!) But my legs just would not move any faster! My back even chimed in for a few choruses, and I rarely have back pain in runs!

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Course: The course was a circular course through 29 Chicago Neighborhoods. We started in Grant Park and wound it’s way around the sights of Chicago. It was a GREAT course. It was extremely flat, and was (in my opinion) scenic enough so that I always felt like there was something interesting to look at. We started out on Columbus Drive and ran over the Chicago River into the city. One of the first meaningful sights was the Chicago sign on the Chicago Theater. I snapped a picture of it and enjoyed being in familiar territory as Roy and I had walked all through that area on Saturday before we saw the play, “Wicked”. (It was fantastic…just amazing.)

Mile two brought an unexpected treat. Roy and Jim were there cheering us on already! Yay! I love seeing my honey on the route! Right at about mile three we crossed back over the river again. I love the Chicago River and the bridges. It’s so beautiful to have this great waterway running right through the city.

During mile five we ran through Lincoln Park. It was beautiful! What a neat place! The first thing we saw was this pond full of ducks and geese. As we got further in, we passed the Family Farm. The divergence of the farm setting shadowed by giant skyscrapers is an interesting sight. We could hear some of the animals and it reminded me of the Disneyworld marathon when we ran through Animal Kingdom and could hear monkeys. Marathons just don’t have enough monkeys, I always say!

Between six and eight we were able to run near Lakeshore Drive. I’d been hoping we’d run ON Lakeshore, but when I did so the next day I realized that there is no way there was enough room to fit a potential 45,000 runners. It was neat to see Lake Michigan on this race since on Grandma’s marathon I ran along Lake Superior, so it was like seeing a family friend. I also got to see Roy again! Sadly it was from afar. He was behind a lot of people, so I couldn’t get a race hug. I needed one, too. I was already starting to feel pain in my feet. My shoes felt like they were pinching and I was sure I was going to have tons of blisters. I’ve only gotten a blister once on a marathon, and it was insignificant. So this was a new experience.

Mile 8 took us to Broadway and OMG they were AWESOME! This was the “gay” part of town and it was colorful and fun! Men in women’s swimsuits served us water, there was a gay gun brigade who had the precision of the most stringent Rifle Corps.

Another favorite area was Mexico. The people there were SO wonderful, handing out oranges, candy, water, and waving flags at us. There were long lines of kids with their hands out hoping for high fives from the runners. High fives are good luck, so every chance I could I’d make my way to the kids. I figure you never know…maybe one of them will get a high five from a runner and think “Some day I want to do that!” It was about this point that we lost Linda. With so many people it was easy to misplace someone! We’d always kind of split up at each water station, and then get back together at the end. This time we got back together, but she was a bit behind Laura and I. We ran for awhile and then turned back to look, thinking she was with us, but she wasn’t. We felt REALLY bad!

Somewhere in miles nine and ten we went through some neat neighborhoods with wonderful brownstones and even more wonderful people. It felt like the entire city of Chicago turned out. It was really getting warm so lots of people had hoses out for us, and their own water stops as well as music and the MUCH needed “lucky high fives”. We ran into Old Town, which is REALLY cute in areas. Laura and I were still together but each time we’d split at a water stop, I had to work a little harder to catch up with her. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but my legs and glutes were really tight and felt very “heavy”. I just tried to put it out of my mind, since there’s not a whole lot I can do on the race. But I could feel my pace slowing just a tiny bit. I hoped it would be temporary, and we both talked about probably being able to break 5 hours. My PR is better than Laura’s and we normally run at the same pace, but she was on fire today, and I was apparently dipped in cement!

Back over the river again at mile 12! It was REALLY getting warm at this point and we were in many places where we were running into the sun. I didn’t think it was bothering me much until I started looking every now and again at my heart rate monitor. Wow! I was REALLY maintaining a high heart rate! I didn’t feel out of breath or anything, but obviously I was working harder than I normally do on a long run!

Mile 13 was when I lost Laura. We did cross the halfway point together, and I was really hoping for negative splits. Within about half a mile, though, it was obvious that something was going on. My legs just felt like every step was pulling the rubber bands on the backs of my legs tighter and tighter. We were headed back downtown and I was trying to keep up with Laura. Finally I realized that she needed to feel okay running her own race, and since mine had changed, I needed to be okay running mine. At this point I needed motivation and to regain my focus, so I popped in one ear bud. Yes, I know that MP3 players are forbidden, but I’m a revolutionary! The music helped take my mind off the pain, as did the people on the sidelines.

Miles 14-16 saw us around the downtown “loop” area. It was fun to run through just THRONGS of people screaming and yelling! There were water stops, at this point, about every mile so there was never a time when I felt like I needed more water. It was great. We also had a few sponge stops, and some open fire hydrants to run through. At one spot they had a sponge stop and right past it an open hydrant, so all the dropped sponges were full of water. We had to run over those and it was SUCH a funky feeling to run through and over squishy sponges fat with water, Gatorade, and sweat.

At mile 16 we ran through the UIC and then into Little Italy. Oh man everything smelled SO good in Little Italy! I’d have liked to stop for a spaghetti lunch, but somehow I thought that might be counter productive to the whole “finishing” concept, so I decided to wait for later. Normally I don’t do a lot of counting of miles during the marathon because I usually don’t want it to end until about mile 24…then I start thinking about the finish line. On this one, though, I found myself over focused on the mileage, often hoping I was further than I really was. I’d try to push out even the THOUGHTS of how far I had to go, but couldn’t seem to block that noise.

Mile 21 took us into Chinatown. We were greeted with dragon dancers and then turned the corner and ran through a big Torii Gate. At this point I was TRULY counting down, so it was GREAT to have the curiosities of Chinatown to distract me. It made me think of my friend, Shirley, who told me to look for Chinatown…so my Chinatown pictures are for you, Shirley! I tried to shake things up a bit the last five miles. I stopped doing 5:1 and started doing 11:1 (running through the first walk break) to see if maybe my muscles were tightening more at the walk breaks. It seemed to help a bit, but my knees were still really tight. I found someone I’d started with and chatted with her for awhile in mile 22, but she was SO negative that I let her go ahead. I just didn’t need that at this point.,

Plus, no matter how much pain I’m in, I always remind myself that this is a CHOICE and I am blessed to be able to do this even when it hurts. Besides, this race was for Todd. He had no option to get out of bed on a Sunday morning and run a race because he was still in a coma. I will be damned if I was going to even let myself THINK a negative thought! Every time I’d start to head to that point in my mind, I’d think of Todd…my student who was in a serious accident on Sept 26. I was running this race in his honor, so maybe in a way it was good that it was difficult for me. My hard, on that Sunday morning, was nothing like his hard. I’d remind myself that every time my brain would consider complaining.

Mile 23 took us shopping! Okay, I didn’t stop, but I do love Michigan Ave. It looks a LOT different with thousands of people lining it, though! Everyone was yelling and screaming. More high fives. It was GREAT! What a homecoming. Finally I saw my second favorite number…25! I stopped and snapped a picture and couldn’t WAIT to see Roy at the finish line. The last mile actually went pretty well. I was running awfully slow (I think it was a 13 min+ mile) but I was running! (Kinda) I searched the sides for Roy and didn’t see him. I crossed the finish line, hands held high, saying my 100th prayer for Todd and thanking him for running with me.

Comments:

This was probably one of the more challenging marathons I’ve run. It wasn’t the course, although I was wishing for some hills at a few points. I do think that I do better with some hills because it allows me to use a different set of muscles or my muscles in a different way for awhile. My suspicion is my shoes. I didn’t like them from the first, but I didn’t want to be a hassle and return them. I should have because I couldn’t afford another pair. I hoped I’d just get used to them. (Of course if anyone had told me that they were suffering in their shoes, I’d say “Take them back!”) I had run one other marathon in them and was pretty sore for DAYS afterwards, which isn’t normal for me.
What would you do differently?:

I’m going back to my old Brooks. I’ve also decided that in destination marathons, I’m going to run alone. I really love getting to know new people on the route and talking while I run, but neither of my partners were in the mood to talk much. Or maybe they thought I wasn’t. It isn’t that I don’t like running with them, I do! But I think we all felt guilty when we lost each other, but at the same time probably felt relieved when we realized that we were alone. Laura could surge on. Linda could relax into her head where she was dealing with a lot of emotion. I could retreat into my head and really focus on my reason for running.
Post race

Warm down:

After I made it through the finish area and got my medal I gave Roy a call. I’m so glad I had my cell phone. It was SO good to hear his voice! As soon as I heard him I started to cry. I told him it was hard and I was in a lot of pain. Pretty soon I could feel my chest tightening. I didn’t have my inhaler because I’d had to call in sick Friday and it was in m classroom. I realized I had to stop with the emotion or I’d need the medical tent. I was able to relax and talk to him again to find out where he was. He was over in the 27th Mile area at the letter Z (we’d agreed to meet there) with Jim, Laura and her parents and in-laws and her friend, Karen. Linda wasn’t in yet. It was a LONG walk to the 27th mile. So long, in fact, that I think it truly WAS the 27th mile! I stretched and drank some water and inhaled a banana and granola bar on my way.
What limited your ability to perform faster:

My legs that were, apparently, made of lead.

Event comments:

Absolutely a wonderful race all the way around. I know they had problems last year, and to be honest I got REALLY tired of hearing podcasters and reading blogs blasting the Chicago Marathon organizers. Mistakes were made that shouldn’t have been made, but it got old. This year they appeared to fix it all. Not only was there more than enough water at every stop, but they even had emergency trucks pulling up with MORE water (in bottles) between stops when the Danger Level went from yellow to red. Every water stop (there were 21) had water and gatorade, some first aid options (some more than other), and a flag that indicated the danger level. We started at yellow, “Moderate” and it went up to red, but after mile 20 I noticed it had gone back down as a breeze was coming through and it did cool down a bit.

I don’t know if I want to repeat this marathon because it was SO far away, but if I were able to I definitely would. I love Chicago, in fact I love it so much that on Monday we walked ten miles (I mapped it) soaking in the city. I thought this was one of the most well organized races I’ve been on. The expo was good, the race was great, and the support was out of this world.

And most importantly, my prayers for Todd must have worked. He’s been steadily doing better every single day! That alone was worth the pain. But as the man says, “Pain is temporary, victory is forever.”

Keeping cool Below average

Drinking Just right

Overall: Good

Mental exertion [1-5] 2

Physical exertion [1-5] 2

Good race? Yes

Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

All my photos from our Chicago Trip

Tags: chicago, marathon, race report, Races, running

Sunday I will be running the Chicago Marathon with my friends, Linda and Laura. We’ll be leaving tomorrow and will come back on Tuesday.

Numbers:

• 14–the number marathon this will be for me. That’s 14 since May 7, 2005.
• 9–the number state. I am trying to run a marathon in every state and this is number nine.
• 45,000–The number of people registered to run this marathon.
• 1–The number of wonderful husbands who will be supporting me on the course. He’s all set to take the el all over Chicago to meet me in many places and give me love.
• 593.64–The number of miles I’ve run training for this marathon
• 4–The number of marathons I’ve run while training for this marathon
• 1–The number of people who this marathon is dedicated to.

Went out for a nice easy run with Dash and met my friends on the way. I said “Hey, we need to arrange to run in the same direction at some point! So we started running and talking. They’re faster than I am so that meant I came in with a great time.

Marathon is Sunday…yes, I am very stressed. However, to prep I have been listening to the music from Spirit of the Marathon all day and have listened to the movie a few times as well. Wonderful  movie! I bought it off iTunes last night. I’ll watch it on the plane on the way to Chicago tomorrow night.

45,000 people will be running this marathon…and I’ll be just one of the stories out there. I am running this in honor of one of my favorite students (if teachers had favorites), Todd. Todd was in a very serious auto accident three weeks ago. He is still in a coma. He is a “tigger” like kid who enters a room and fills it up, and leaves it empty when he’s gone. I miss him this year (he graduated in June) but was looking forward to many visits. So Todd, this marathon is for you.

Tags: dedication, marathon, Races, running