Water.Org

You can help me reach my fundraising goal here at The Merethon Shuffle Fundraiser!

The post-marathon post!

I'm now writing this blog as a CHICAGO MARATHON FINISHER!!!

It's still kinda hard to believe. Even the morning of, I really didn't think I'd finish, or even make it much further than halfway.

I had rested for most of the entire week before. I felt pretty decent overall that morning. The weather was phenomenal; cool and sunny. We truly could not have asked for a better day. I still felt terribly unprepared, though, in just about every other way possible. Luckily, I was in the company of an excellent little group of supporters - Matt, Darren, (even Andrew! :) - and all fell in to place quite miraculously.

The first half of the marathon was GREAT. I can't say that enough. It felt absolutely incredible. I didn't feel tired, I just. felt. awesome. Maybe it was the pre-race GU "Chomps" that Darren was kind enough to share with me. Maybe it was the wealth of good vibes from all the other excited runners. Maybe it was simply the fact it was cold enough that I couldn't quite feel my legs for a while... Either way, I can't say a run has ever felt better than those first several miles. I think I will relish the memory of that feeling for a very, very long time.

The second half was another story.

I remember passing the 14 mile-marker and feeling acutely aware that every subsequent step was one further than I'd ever run before. I still felt OK, though, so I thought, "Well, let's just see how far I can go!" So I kept running, and after a while we were 16 and 17 miles in! The back half of the course was less than picturesque. The supporters were a little more sparse. But on we ran! At on point I saw a guy with a homemade t-shirt, on the back of which was written "Go Royals!" I sped up to him to compliment his shirt. He said, "If they can do it, I can do this!" 

It was not long after this point that a knot started developing in my left calf...

Awesome photo credit to Matt!

The day before at the race expo, we all watched the awesome time-lapse video loop of the course. Admittedly, before this, I was pretty unfamiliar with where we'd actually be running. I knew about the downtown loop, and a couple other neighborhoods, but honestly, before this trip, I had no idea that Chicago even had a Chinatown! For whatever reason, after watching that video, "I gotta make it to Chinatown!" became my mantra. 

I seemed to have overlooked the fact that Chinatown wouldn't show up till mile 21...

My ignorance of the race course probably worked against me in some ways, but I think it was mostly a blessing in disguise. Not knowing what I'd see next, I was eager to keep going. To be honest, throughout the run I rarely knew where I was/through what neighborhood I was running, but there was no mistaking Chinatown. I just felt completely euphoric when I finally saw it and ran under the banner among the throngs of supporters. The euphoria, however, was quickly followed by some serious dread of the miles still remaining, and the steadily increasing pain in my left calf. 

I could have cried tears of joy when I heard Matt calling my name as he chased me down on the way out of Chinatown. The bottle of water, the emergency IcyHot and the beaming smile on his awesome, little face were almost too much to even comprehend at that point. He was a total race-saver! I hadn't seen him since the very first mile, and he could not have reappeared at a better time. It was also very encouraging to hear that he'd just seen Darren pass by not too long before me. 

After the much-needed, quick pit-stop with Matt, I tried to run on, but it got pretty desperate. I started alternating between running and walking, but walking didn't seem to offer a whole lot of relief at that point. When I finally wobbled in to mile 24, the spectators there kept reminding us that we were now a mere 2.2 miles away from that elusive finish-line. So, I ran.

And I ran. 

And it was easily the longest 2.2-mile run of my life. 

But I ran.

And then I ran across the finish line.

And then I felt probably as bad as I've ever felt (ever) in my entire life. 

The most accurate feeling to which I can relate it is some vague memory from childhood. Something about being out shopping or at some kind of all-day event as a small child, and your legs are just spent, and all you want to do is sit down and cry.

I'll be damned if I didn't do just about that. 

I at least wasn't like, sobbing uncontrollably or anything. Really, I held it together pretty well through the medal line, through the banana and water lines. I walked and I walked, seemingly forever, until I could find an empty patch of pavement on which to finally just sit down. There were tears, I know, but they may as well have been rain-water for as much as it actually registered with me. Seeing all of us strewn about, clutching our foil heat shields, it felt a little as though we'd just survived some major disaster.

I ate my banana, and stretched a little and eventually, very painfully, I stood up and began walking to the "Runner Reunite" area, way over to what appeared to be the exact opposite corner of Grant Park, to hopefully find everyone under the "M"sign. That I didn't punch anyone in the process was impressive. There were so many people, and every step was more or less excruciating. 

In any case, I found my people again, and I was so deliriously happy and disgustingly salty. 

In addition to being my first marathon, it may also be my last. But I am so very glad that I tried, and finished it. It was a truly awesome experience. 

That being said, very much thanks to Andrew for getting Darren hooked on to this idea in the first place, and for schleping us around town that first day! It was great to see you, and congratulations on a great run!!

Very much thanks to Darren for sharing the idea with me, and for convincing me that I could do it - or that I should at least try! Also, for telling me just before the start that each step was one more closer to the finish-line. That was surprisingly helpful in the thick of things! And congrats to you on finishing, too!! Also - just a big, sincere thank you in general, for encouraging me these past several years to keep up the running and the triathlon-ing and all the other things that I'd never before imagined I could actually do! (And thanks again for the Chomps!!)

And I said it above, but I'm glad to say it again - a big thank you to Matt for the clutch appearance with the water and the IcyHot, and for being just an all around fantastic race-day supporter. I may be a little biased, but I happen to think you're pretty much the best person in the whole world, ever.

A big shout-out to Ms. Kristina, too - thank you again for sharing your marathon-knowledge with me, and for all the encouragement all along the way. I totally get it now. Best of luck to you on qualifying for Bean-town!!!

Lastly, but far from least - thank you, thank you, thank you - each and every one of YOU, for all the encouragement and support. I felt so very well-loved on race-day. Thank you for putting up with all my whining and my "training." Sincerely, you are the best 'Framily' imaginable. 

And thank you SO MUCH for all your generosity in supporting my Water.org fundraiser!! 

Speaking of...

Again, I cannot thank you enough for supporting the cause!! Unfortunately, we didn't quite meet my total goal of clean water for 1 person per each mile of the marathon. But fret not! 

I'M RUNNING THE KANSAS HALF-MARATHON!

Yes, that's right. We've still got 20-some days left on this fundraiser to make up for those last 7-ish miles! 

Naturally, if you've already donated - first of all, THANK YOU again - please don't feel obligated in any way to contribute more. But if you happen to know someone who might like to pitch in, feel free to share the link - http://give.water.org/fundraiser/1991/

After the success of the first half of the Chicago Marathon, I thought I'd chance it again, here in town this time, with the Kansas Half-Marathon. I can't imagine it will go quite as swimmingly as that day in Chicago, but ya know, how often is it that you find yourself trained enough to run a half-marathon? Might as well go for it. And if it helps complete my fundraiser goal - so much the better!

Whew.

Chicago Marathon:  finished. 


GO ROYALS!!

The Running Total:

• October: 45.7
• 2014:  326.98

Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry...

Well, at this point, I think it's safe to say I've probably trained well enough for a half marathon, but probably nothing much more than that. It's a little disappointing, to say the least, but...maybe I'm just not masochistic enough to truly train for a marathon. Or maybe I'll actually finish the full marathon just fine (hahahahahahaha, probs not). 

Either way, it'll be over, and then I can go back to enjoying all the things I used to do before having to devote entire hours of the day to running. Don't get me wrong, I still love running. I have to say, I'm amazed how easy and enjoyable running can actually feel these days (on my good days, anyway). In my training, I've definitely now run distances I'd have never imagined possible for me just a few years, or even months ago. I mean, that fact that I feel prepared to even run a half-marathon at this point is pretty mind-blowing in itself. 

I will definitely enjoy having some more time on my hands, though. Not that I've actually spent as much time as I should have on training, but...Frankly, I think I had better things to do. We'll see what I have to say for myself on marathon-day. 

The Running Total:

• October: 4.5
• 2014:  285.78

Diamonds on the soles of her shoes...

Don't get me wrong - I definitely thought training for a marathon would be difficult. But I also thought that, if I put in the hours and ran the miles, eventually, I'd be able to do it.

I had no idea just how much my body would fight back. These past couple weeks, it gave me some VERY CLEAR signs that it was NOT OK with my current training regimen.

So, I gave it the long weekend off and I significantly scaled back my mileage. As in, I should have been running 16 miles yesterday instead of 8.15....

I have to say, though, those 8 miles may have been the best, most comfortable 8 miles anyone has ever run, ever. I think there's a LOT to be said for being well-rested. I also think at this point, I should at least take some consolation in that, hey, I can run 8 miles, now!

I'm having some trouble accepting that I ever thought this was a good idea, but it's really way too late to turn back. Baring some wicked as yet unforeseen injury, I'm going to Chicago, and I'm going to try to run as far as I can. I probably won't run the entire way, and that's going to have to be OK.

And if anyone would like to make a donation to my Water.org fundraiser to help make this feel like more of a worthwhile endeavor, that'd be really awesome!

The Running Total:

• September: 12.7
• 2014:  239.91

"Oh, fourteen! Oh, fourteen..."

As the title might suggest, I attempted 14 miles last Sunday, and wow, it sure was brutal. The first half was miraculously comfortable, actually. So, maybe I'll just stay positive, and focus on the fact that running 7 miles is apparently now an activity that I can occasionally refer to as "comfortable." I mean, that's kind of awesome, right?

Not awesome was my attempt at running 4 measly miles on a treadmill last night. I thought running inside might be easier than running out in the extreme heat of yesterday evening, but I'm not sure it was any better. To be honest, it was just down right demoralizing. Between the second half of my 14 mile run and last night, I've been having a lot of moments of "What did I get myself in to," "WHY did I EVER think this was a good idea?!" and a whole big bunch of "WHAT is the POINT?!".

The point originally was to just prove to myself that I could do it; to set a goal and to work towards achieving it. (And maybe to enjoy a trip to Chicago in the process.) It also just sounded like a fun challenge that I could share in with my brother who first came up with the idea.

Unfortunately, lately, those things just aren't feeling like enough.

In fact, not only my training, but just the state of the world lately has got me really, really bummed out right now.

So here's my solution:

The Merethon Fundraiser - Water.Org

I really liked the idea of running the marathon for charity, but signing up for an official charity spot seemed like a surprising amount of pressure!! I'm really pleased to have found a way to still support a great organization while running the marathon. I may even snag one of their official Team.Water.org running shirts for marathon day.

So, yeah. Feel free to donate on my page if you feel so inclined! Or to any other worthy cause/organization of your choosing. Whatever helps!

The Running Total:

• August:  62.84
• 2014:  220.21

Let that raga drop...

So, I thought listening to Ravi Shankar while running might be the best idea I've had yet.

And it was, until about halfway through the second raga, when while dreamily staring up in to the giant clouds rolling in, my left foot caught the uneven ledge of a Kentucky St. sidewalk and I was unceremoniously splayed out on to the cement. I was left with a single scratch, but no blood spilled. However, my shoulders were sore for days, most likely from catching myself on the way to the ground.  Very luckily, it was no worse than that.

I attempted a 10-mile run last weekend, but having failed to review my planned route before leaving the house, I left out a couple turns here and there and ended up with only a 9.3 mile run. It was still my longest run ever up till that point, and near enough to 10 that I don't feel all that badly about it.

This past Saturday saw my first attempt at a 12 mile run. Luckily, I did not listen to the weather forecast, or I might still be at home waiting for all those thunderstorms... The first half of the run was cool and overcast. The second was just steeeeeeamy, and kinda awful. But I did it!

Next up...14 miles!

The Running Total:

• August:  44.84
• 2014:  202.21

(I've given up keeping track of cycling mileage - mostly because I've done little to none :( )

Running on...

Man, I am not great at updating this thing. I guess it doesn't really matter, but I think it will be neat to look back on all this, hopefully after completing the marathon...

I think I'm almost starting to figure this hip-thing out. I'm finding some stretches that seem to help. I also think getting some new shoes would help. The ones I bought most recently seem to be way too small. Not sure what I was thinking at the time -- probably that they were cheaper? I don't think they give my feet enough room to properly expand/absorb when they hit the ground. As an experiment, I used my old shoes for my last couple of runs. They are substantially wider underneath the balls of my feet, and I really think this makes a big difference. So, I'm going to spend the money and go back to Asics. Of all the tennis shoes I've worn, I don't think any have seemed as comfortable as Asics. Probably worth the money...

So, that's exciting. I also ran a 5K this past weekend that felt like it was more or less uphill the entire course. I finished with my usual time, though, and was quite pleased to do so, given all the hills. It was very encouraging.

I'm really going to try in the next week or so to get back on schedule with the training. On Monday night, in the gloriously merciful 80-degree weather, I managed 8 miles! Again, very encouraging. Last night, I managed 4 of the 5 I had planned on. This hip thing.... Also, it's hard to rationalize expending that much time on a week night, just to run. It's been good to finally get some miles in, though. Ideally, I'd really like to keep the longer runs to the weekends going forward, and hopefully I can get on track for another, longer run this coming weekend. Shooting for 10...

I've realized on the longer runs that time is such a factor for my mental state; having to remind myself that it's OK to take the time to do the run, or to stop and stretch if needed. With all the miles, I really have to be patient and accept that it's just going to take some time, no matter how fast I run. As much as anything, it really is just a big time commitment.

Whew.

Also, I've been reeeally bad at remembering to update my little mileage thing at the bottom here. I have been keeping track on my handy spreadsheet, though, so I will try to get that updated for the next post, which will hopefully be sooner than later, sometime this weekend.

Bye for now!