Chicago Marathon...October 11, 2009

Numbers, numbers, numbers…they are everywhere….there are a part of our everyday lives….I LOVE numbers! Here are a few of my favorite numbers:

• 18…number of training weeks
• 5:15…time on the alarm to wake up to run
• 21…longest training run
• 475…number of OE marathon runners
• 538…number of training miles
• $3,813.40…amount of money raised for OE
• 33,701…number of Chicago marathon finishers
• 26.2…number of miles in a marathon
• 2:05:41…winning Chicago marathon time (Sammy Wanjiru)
• 3:30…time woke up morning of marathon
• 5,219…bib number
• 21…number of races run in 2009 prior to the marathon
• $216,000…overall dollars donated to OE
• 7:30…marathon start time
• 34…temperature morning of marathon
• 180…desired number of steps per minute
• 3…number of marathons run in 2008
• 8:35…desired marathon pace
• 3:45:59…Boston Marathon qualifying time for a 35-39 year old female

Although I trained smarter and harder this year I was not real confident that I’d make my goal of qualifying for the Boston marathon. My training runs were slower than I had hoped and I was running slower than last year. I was debating what my strategy would be….do I run with the 3:45 pace group or the 3:50 pace group where I’m more comfortable?!? I struggled with the decision until the last minute! You may ask, “did she make it?”…read on to find out!

Before I talk about the marathon, I'd like to give a little background on the days leading to the big day….

Thursday, October 8
I left work early to take Madalyn to Indy for the Taylor Swift concert. We had to resubmit our 7-year financial plan by the end of the day, plus it was month-end close, so I was a bit worried about leaving early. Mike was kind enough to leave work, go pick Madalyn up from home and bring her back to work so I could leave directly from there. Of course I was running behind schedule, but we made it to Indy in less than 3 hours. I parked in the garage right across from Conseco and we made it in time to hear a few Kellie Pickler songs...after a short break, Taylor Swift came on. She played for about 2 hours and Madalyn LOVED it!!! OMG, I had a great time seeing how much she enjoyed the concert. I have to say, this was one of the best concerts I’ve been to…Taylor ROCKS!!! She’s so young and sweet and a great performer…needless to say, by the time we got out of the concert and drove for an hour, bedtime was around midnight. We stayed at a Super 8 Motel (never doing that again) and got up around 5:30am Friday morning to get Madalyn to school (got there in the nick of time…right at 8am)!

Friday, October 9
I had a busy day planned (surprise)!! After dropping Madalyn off at school, I quickly went home to unpack and let the dog out (talked to Mel the whole time I was home)…made it to my 8:45am Chiropractor appointment…not sure how much good that did…I think I have the doctor a bit stumped about what to do with my back and hips. He gave me yet another stretch to do and sent me on my way. I then had a 9:45am massage with Denise…got there a bit early (thank goodness) and had the BEST massage ever! Denise suggested doing a “relaxation” massage and I thought that sounded perfect! She worked everything using lavender to ease my nerves and even used hot stones…ahhhh…now that I was all relaxed, I came home to my mom and dad standing in my garage waiting for me! My mom and I were to take the 11:12am train to Chicago and I pulled up in my driveway around 11am! I had to run inside to get some stuff which was making my dad very nervous…LOL!! He drove us to the train station (which is only a few minutes away) and dropped us off…we no more than walked through the building to the tracks and the train was pulling up! I love the Southshore, it’s always on time! We were on a brand new double decker train…how cool!!! I actually planned ahead and figured out our route to the Expo this year…get off on 11th Street, walk up to the Hilton on 8th and Michigan and take a free shuttle bus to McCormick Place. It worked out perfectly!!! I picked up my race packet, and then headed over to the Expo. It wasn’t nearly as exciting as last year, but I still managed to buy a bunch of stuff…a new Chicago Marathon Nike jacket, some Nike arm warmers, headband and some cute little stickers. We had to be back for the pasta dinner, so we took the 4pm train back to Indiana…it’s truly a miracle, but we were actually EARLY to the train station! I met some really nice people on the train (both directions) who were running the marathon…I sure do love talking about running!!! My dad picked us up at the train station and I even had enough time to shower before the dinner. The dinner was at a new reception hall this year and it was much nicer than last year’s place…the food was much better too! I had some pasta, salad and bread sticks. I passed on the dessert much to my dismay, but I was trying really hard to cut out the refined sugars the week before the marathon. It’s amazing how many OE runners there are and how many people I really don’t know! I saw a few fellow runners that I knew and I was sooo happy to see my girl Laura :) She drove all the way up from Chattanooga, TN. It was raining most of the day and she encountered many accidents on her trip up to Indiana…she even saw a girl hit the guardrail and flip several times. She’s so sweet that she helped the girl out of her car and stayed with her until help arrived. I was worried for Laura and gave her the motherly advice to “be careful” the rest of the way…after I talked to her, she got a speeding ticket (I think she talked her way out of it though)…anyway, I was so glad to see her Friday night. After dinner, the OE singers performed and I just beamed ear to ear watching these special people perform for us…they are truly amazing and was so happy they performed again this year. I received recognition for being the second highest fundraiser…I ended up raising $3,814.40…behind Michelle Hale who was well over $4,000! Overall, OE raised over $216,000!!! Whoohoo!!! I met Madalyn’s gymnastics coach, Kelly, who just ran the Twin Cities marathon the weekend before (she has my same birthday, as does Laura)…she knows Suzanne who had me running crazy fast on one of my long runs this summer….small world we live in! We were the last ones to leave the dinner…I stayed and chatted with Laura and her dad George (our Porter county OE coach)…I hit the sack early Friday night since I didn’t get much sleep the night before and was trying to get rested up!

Saturday, October 10
Not much was planned on Saturday…just spent the day getting prepped for Sunday. I went to the Duneland Resale shop, but first, Mike dropped me off and I went on a 2 mile run! OMG, I haven’t run that distance since the day before the marathon last year…it felt so weird! I ran back to the Resale shop and looked for a sweatshirt I could take with me to the race so I could throw it away…the only thing I found was a nice blue velour zip up hoodie…LOL!!! Oh well, it was warm and it would do…I also found a women’s Quintana Roo wet suit for $10!!! YAY, now I have every reason to start doing triathlons!!! We had a lot of fun trying on the suit…I felt like a seal, arh, arh, arh. Andrew and Madalyn also tried it on!!!! OMG, it was so funny, they ran around the house like crazy people…Andrew even got in the shower to see if he stayed dry (not so much)…LOL!!! Mike and I went to a movie and my parents got the kids pizza…when we got home from the movie, my mom helped me pack my bag for the marathon…I can’t believe how long it takes to get everything prepared, BUT, I was happy everything was in order so I didn’t have to stress about it Sunday morning! I went to bed early and fell asleep to the Spirit of the Marathon movie :)

Sunday, October 11
The alarm went off at 3:30am!!!!!! I was actually well rested and ready to go :) I got up, ate a Power Bar and a banana, then took a really long shower….ahhhhh, I LOVE the shower! Ooops, might have been a bit too long, because I was a little behind schedule…LOL! I got dressed, grabbed my stuff and was out the door by about 4:10. I got to the Chesterton Hilton by 4:25 and it was a balmy 34 degrees…brrrrr! The busses arrived right on time at 4:30 and I jumped on one which happened to be the same bus that Laura and George were on :) Oh, btw, Laura almost hit me when I turned into the Hilton parking lot so I had to razz her about that…LOL…she missed the 4:15 bus in Valpo, so she had to hurry over to Chesterton to catch the 4:30 bus!! I slept most of the way to Chicago and by the time we arrived, it was sometime after 6am and still dark. Since it had rained, the tents in Charity Village were a mess…people were handing out plastic grocery bags to put over our feet. I changed into my crocs, then slipped my feet into the bags and tied them around my ankles…it was sooo cold and wet I was chilled to the bone. I planned to run in my OE tank top and arm warmers and of course my favorite running skirt. I also had a lightweight headband I bought at the Expo (it says, “I know I run like a girl, try to keep up”). I had on a fleece, my new running jacket and my fancy velour hoodie and was still freezing. I wandered around, chatted with other runners, drank my Citomax drink, ate another Power Bar, put my pace tattoo on the inside of my left forearm, stretched, got the group picture taken, used the potty, changed into my running shoes and before I knew it, it was time to head to the starting line. I took off the fleece and jacket, put my hoodie back on and took my bag to gear check…as I was walking to the start, I saw that the starting corrals closed at 7:15…it was 7:05 and I was getting worried I may not make it! I still had to pee one more time and all the port-a-potties had ginormous lines…ruh roh! I decided to get to the starting area, and then worry about going to the bathroom later. It was packed getting into the area for the starting corrals…they had to check everyone’s bib # to ensure we were “allowed” in that area…OMG, it was a major bottleneck! I thought I was in the clear, so I was standing in line to use the bathroom, then I heard someone say they were closing the starting corrals, so I ran out of line to get to corral C…I thought the first entrance was closing at 7:15, not the actual area to get into each corral. It was also packed to get into corral C…packed like sardines...people were getting antsy and saying stupid mean things and were very pushy! Since there were so many people (body heat…LOL), I decided it was time to take off the hoodie and threw it on the ground…I knew it would get picked up and donated to a local homeless shelter…brrrrr, it was cold! I finally got into the starting area and saw to 2 other OE runners, Matt and Tom who were right next to the 3:45 pacers. I had already committed myself to running with the 3:45 pacers by putting the number on my back…thought I’d stick with them as long as possible, then slow down if need be. I was so pumped that I had someone to run with since I’m used to running with people! They were also planning to stick with the 3:45 pace group, so it was perfect! One problem…I hadn’t peed yet…I mentioned it and Tom said, “here, take this” (it was a black garbage bag)…I’m thinking, what, am I supposed to go right here…it was one minute before start…Tom said, just do it, we won’t cross for a few minutes…sooo, I grabbed the bag, went over to the curb…dropped trou, put the bag over my lap and went…the marathon started and all these people are running by me while I’m peeing….I just smiled and waved! As soon as I finished, I threw down the bag, quickly pulled up my bottoms and ran over and found Matt and Tom….whew that was a close one!

We started out with the 3:45 pace group in corral C…there were tons of them in the group which was great…we stayed with pacers in front of pack for most of the way! Of course, I was feeling great the first few miles…unfortunately, we go through a couple tunnels at the beginning of the course and I forgot to take my Garmin off auto pause…grrrrr….it shut off (time stopped as did the distance), so I couldn’t rely on the Garmin during the race. All three of us had different times on our Garmin, but fortunately, Matt’s Garmin was fine, so he would tell us how we were doing. Tom would time us according to the mile marker clocks to make sure we were on pace too. I referred to my pace tattoo until mile 7, then it became more work than it was worth because I had to pull up my arm warmer to see it! I hardly looked at my watch the whole race…I relied on Matt and Tom to tell me how we were doing then I concentrated on the time clocks at the end. It was cold, but GREAT!!! It took about 2 miles before I could feel my feet…ahhhh, much better…I wore gloves until about mile 22, so my hands were pretty warm :) We saw a guy in a green jumpsuit (we referred to him as “Gumby”) early on in the race, later on (I think around mile 17), I saw Gumby take off the hat, then attempt to unzip the back of his suit, it looked like he was having trouble so he veered off to the left; perhaps to take off the entire suit (I’m surprised he made it that far in that skin tight full body suit…YUCK)! I had no idea where I was most of the time…not only am I directionally challenged (tried to picture the map in my head and figure out where we were, but couldn’t get it), I was focusing on staying on pace…BUT I did enjoy the ride the whole time! Fans and spectators are amazing in Chicago…I ironed my name on the front and back of my shirt and so many people cheered me on by name, I LOVED it (the guys said they liked running with me because so many people cheered me on)!!! I hardly looked at the spectator’s faces because I was so focused on staying on pace, but would either wave or smile to acknowledge their well wishes. The loud roar of cheers was absolutely amazing…I had my I-pod in one ear and couldn’t hear my music at times because the crowd was so loud… the pacers would blow a whistle when coming up on a large group of spectators and we’d raise our arms to get the crowd going…not only were the fans cheering, there were lots of people singing and entertainment along the way… I even high-fived Elvis at about mile 8 or so! Pilson and Chinatown are my favorite parts of the course…LOVE the big dragons in Chinatown (plus I know I’m nearing the end). At one point, I passed a group of people working a water stop and they all cheered my name really loud and were chanting, “Kristi, Kristi, Kristi…” it was great…LOVED it (I’m not sure when I became such an attention getter…LOL)!!! I ran the entire marathon…even through the aide stations…I’d alternate water and Gatorade and took Accelgel about every 4 miles or so starting at about mile 5…I also had 3 doses of electrolyte tabs (2 each time) about every hour (not sure if it helped with dehydration, but it certainly didn’t hurt)! I would get really annoyed when I had to eat a gel or take an electrolyte pill because it was such a hassle…I’d have to get the stuff out of my pack, sometimes take off my gloves, time it just perfectly so I’d had the stuff in my mouth at the right time, then grab some water to wash it all down…all without stopping…it was such a production! One time, I had the electrolytes in my mouth too long and they started to dissolve…ewwww, totally gross bitterness!!! My gloves were all wet and sticky from the gel and spilling water and Gatorade all over myself…LOL!!! The aide stations were very crowded and hard to maneuver through…I’d get behind, but would catch up with Matt & Tom (Tom carried a water bottle for about 10 miles so he didn’t have to get water at the aide stations). I’d find their bright orange/red shirts, run up to them and say, “I’m here” or “I’m right behind you”. It was great having someone to look for…we talked the first half or so, but as the miles progressed, our talking slowed… early on in the race, Matt & Tom kept reminding me to slow down…we got ahead of the 3:45 pacers a few times, then slowed down to stay with them. I ran with Matt & Tom until I lost them at about mile 22 (around Chinatown). I can’t remember exactly what happened, but I must have been gawking at the big dragon or something…they said I just kept going…I talked to Tom later and asked what happened…he said he was “just done running”…they weren’t sure if I was going to make it because I was dragging behind around mile 13-14 or so…that was when my hip pain became unbearable, then my right knee started to hurt around mile 17 or so which is so weird because my knees haven’t bothered me in a very long time…grrrrr…(may have something to do with the fact that I turned my right ankle a couple months ago). I saw the gas station I had to make a pit stop at around mile 23 last year…it was a BP gas station and was all blocked off with “caution” tape…they probably didn’t want people like me barging in again this year…LOL!! No need for pit stops this year (thank goodness) so I kept on running, but it did bring a smile to my face thinking about my experience last year. After I lost Matt and Tom, I tried to stay with pacer “Joe”…the pace groups were getting away from me with about 3 miles to go and the ones who were behind me most of the race were passing me…I was starting to get nervous, but I knew I had a 59 second cushion and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other (I think I may have even started talking to myself at this point…LOL...I had to run with my heart at this stage in the race). Some guy yelled to me at the very end, “You can do it Kristi, you’re almost there sweetheart”…I kept hearing his voice in my head; in fact, I heard so many other voices too…my mom saying “this is your year, I just know it”, Mike’s e-mail saying, “I hope our spirits will carry you through to the end”…so many others too…my kids posters and the card from mom & dad…Andrew’s little song he’s been practicing on his recorder…the OE singers…Jen Villarreal (the person who motivated me to run)…Jennie Hamilton…Cyndi and Mel (I remembered how you ran the last 6 miles with me in Indy)…all those who donated and sent me kind messages before the marathon…you all helped me through to the end! I was so much more mentally prepared this time around…I actually had the mental toughness to push through the pain and nausea. I felt sick at the end and wanted to quit, but knew I shouldn’t…my strategy was to run another marathon in a month if I didn’t qualify and I told myself I didn’t want to do this again so soon, so I kept pushing forward…I also knew people were tracking me and I didn’t want to let them down! It was very windy and cold on the last stretch down Michigan Avenue…longest 2 ½ miles ever! I couldn’t wait to turn on Roosevelt…I finally see runners ahead of me turning, and then I saw my family on the corner of Michigan Ave and “Mount Roosevelt” cheering me on!! YAY, it was GREAT to see them, especially at this point in the race. I ran up the hill then turned left on Columbus Avenue. All I could see were the seconds going tick, tick, tick on the clock…I ran as fast as my legs would carry me (under a 7 min pace)…I heard the announcer say, “here’s the 3:45 pacers” and I was behind them (oh no)! There were still so many people running and I almost knocked someone over…I was thinking, “Why are they running so slow, I have to get to the finish!?!”…then I heard the announcer call out my name as “Kristi Fogg”…LOL!! The clock showed 3:48:59 when I crossed the finish…I was really emotional…mad, happy, frustrated, angry, elated…I wasn’t sure if I made the BQ time…Matt told us early on that we were 3 minutes off the gun time at the start (that would give me a 3:45:59)…if I was even one second off, I would have missed the qualifying time. At that time, it didn’t matter, there was nothing I could have done differently and was proud of the time regardless of whether or not I made my goal. I was freezing at the finish…got my mylar blanket and medal, then got the chip clipped off my shoe…all I wanted was water but for some crazy reason it takes forever to get any…I grabbed some snacks and finally a water, got my picture taken and walked back to charity village (with no stops to the medical tent this year…YAY)!!

I walked over to the OE tent to meet up with my family…I saw Mike, Andrew, Madalyn, my mom and dad and Pat on my way there. Did I already mention that I was FREEZING?!? I signed in, got my bag and got in line for a massage…it was cold, but very nice to have a rubdown…Madalyn was so cute, she was helping the massage therapist. We stuck around for a while and I talked to many of my OE running buddies…it was a good day for running and many had a good race (much better than the heat from last year). People asked how I did and I said, I think I got a 3:46 and may have missed the qualifying time by a few seconds, but I didn’t know. I was so happy to see Laura…both her legs were taped from ankle to knee…she had really bad shin splints and had her legs taped around mile 17 or 18…she said it took about 5 minutes and she finished in 4:08! I’m so proud of her!!! We decided to head on home and walked over to the train station…since we were a bit early, I suggested warming up at a coffee shop on the corner…I had a hot tea and the kids had hot chocolate. We then walked over to the train station and got on the train…it was packed and had to walk back several cars before finding one that had open seats. We were all scattered about but the seats were at least close to one another…I saw Felicia and Dan on the train as we were looking for seats…I chatted for a bit, then went to sit down. I was in the bathroom on train and I heard my mom tell Madalyn that I made it…my mom looked up my time on her I-phone…I came out and they told me I got a 3:45:05!!! I was sooo excited I couldn’t even believe it! I had a few messages on my phone and I called my friends…I was talking to Jen and got all choked up…I thanked her for introducing me to running and that it’s changed my life…she’s going to train next year and hopefully qualify for the 2011 Boston marathon so we can run it together!!!! I can’t wait!!! When we got home, we celebrated with dinner at Papalano’s…one of my favorite restaurants…I had shrimp pasta, a hot tea and a huge hot chocolate chip cookie with melting ice cream and whipped cream on top…mmmm….glad to eat sugar again :) Sooo, needless to say, I MADE IT and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life…not only did I help other people through fundraising, but I made my goal…I’m used to achieving my goals and this one was much, much more difficult than I ever imagined.

Numbers, numbers, numbers…they are everywhere….there are a part of our everyday lives….I LOVE numbers! Here are a couple of my most favorite numbers:

• 3:45:05…finishing time in the 2009 Chicago Marathon
• 4…the number of times it took me to get to Boston

My split times compared to last year:

2009 vs 2008

• 2009: 5-K: 26:23; 8:31 pace; 2008: 5-K: 25:21; 8:11 pace
• 2009: 10-K: 52:19; 8:26 pace; 2008: 10-K: 51:35; 8:19 pace
• 2009: 15-K: 1:18:58; 8:29 pace; 2008: 15-K: 1:18:17; 8:25 pace
• 2009: 20-K: 1:45:58; 8:33 pace; 2008: 20-K: 1:45:33; 8:31 pace
• 2009: ½: 1:51:48; 8:32 pace; 2008: ½: 1:51:33; 8:31 pace
• 2009: 25-K: 2:12:30; 8:33 pace; 2008: 25-K: 2:12:48; 8:34 pace
• 2009: 30-K: 2:38:57; 8:33 pace; 2008: 30-K: 2:41:09; 8:40 pace
• 2009: 35-K: 3:06:01; 8:34 pace; 2008: 35-K: 3:12:23; 8:52 pace
• 2009: 40-K: 3:33:22; 8:36 pace; 2008: 40-K: 3:48:13; 9:12 pace
• 2009: Finish: 3:45:05; 8:35 pace; 2008: Finish: 4:01:08; 9:12 pace

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon...November 1, 2008

OMG, I'm pretty sure I've completely lost my mind!!! I just ran yet another marathon (2nd in 3 weeks). I was attempting to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time (3:45) since I was so close in Chicago (4:01). I figured, "why not", I'm already trained...I have plenty of time to rest and recover, plus I'd be in "taper" mode...my favorite part of training!! I ended up taking it easy during the weekly runs...ran 12.5 miles a couple weekends ago, then 8 miles last Sunday.

I was planning on going down to Indy solo and was a bit nervous...here's the cool thing...my girls Melissa and Cyndi juggled their schedules so they could come with me!!! We met up on Friday night after trick-or-treating....I picked up Cyndi at the office and we met Melissa in Rensselaer. We arrived in Indy around 11pm or so...I got my stuff organized and went to bed just after midnight EST...

Alarm was scheduled to go off at 5:30, but I was awake at 5am...ahhhh, less than 5 hours of sleep...not enough!! To follow tradition, I took the longest, hottest shower possible (of course I had to shave my legs)....oh, it felt so good!! I threw my hair up in 2 buns again, got dressed and headed over to pick up my race packet. I walked over from the hotel...was about a 10 minute walk there...I got my number, stuck around for a bit, stretched out, relaxed and focused...I had plenty of time, so I walked back to the hotel (found a short cut and it only took 5 minutes). I found Cyndi and Mel eating breakfast in the lobby...oh, I was so jealous...it looked so yummy! I snagged a bite of Cyndi's waffle...mmmm, good!! I had already eaten a Cliff bar (not so yummy) and a banana earlier. We all headed over to the starting area around 7:30am or so...of course I had to pee one last time and stood in line at the port-a-johns FOREVER!! What the heck takes people so long to use the freaking bathroom!?!? I had only a few minutes to spare, but made it to the starting line just in time. While waiting, I saw a couple of guys from OE (Steven and Jeff)...Steven was running the 1/2 marathon and Jeff the full....Jeff also cramped up in Chicago...seemed to have been a common theme, so he thought he'd redeem himself today in Indy (guess I'm not the only crazy one here)!! I didn't find a 3:45 pace group as planned...only saw a 3:30 and 4:00....too fast and too slow, so I decided to pace myself...LOL!!! We started at 8am EST...it was in the upper 40's and still dark...it was great running weather!!! Oh, it feels so good in the beginning...I can't help myself but to run fast even though I know I'll run out of steam in the end. I tried to refrain from running fast and attempted to slow down...first 3 miles were under an 8 minute mile...the course was good...I actually really enjoyed it!! I was afraid it might be a little desolate and boring (especially just after running in Chicago), but it wasn't...AND the spectators were GREAT!! I was pleasantly surprised...so, here's the deal...hips started to hurt at about mile 6...I tried really hard to push through the pain...even tried "exhaling" the pain out of my body!! I think it may have worked for a little while...at least it distracted me some. I ended up running behind a group of 3 runners (2 guys and a girl who looked about half my age). I decided I'd try to hang with this group for as long as I could...I was with them until about the half marathon mark and they stopped to use the bathroom...oh crap, now what?? There were a couple other people I kept my eye on, but by about mile 14, I was ready to be done!! I was starting to struggle a bit at this point, but was still running pretty strong...there was a long hill around mile 13 or 14 and that may have had something to with it (oh, I hate hills)! Quads were starting to burn which may have masked the hip pain I was having...I also had side stitches (cramps) pretty much the entire race and I tried to massage them out...I kind of got to the point where so much stuff hurt, I didn't worry about it anymore!! I saw a dead squirrel on the side of the road and thought at this point that I'd almost rather be him...LOL!!! I started to feel my calves tweak a bit around mile 18, but I wasn't concerned about it at this point...the fun started at mile 20...damn muscle spasms started in the calves, but I kept charging forward. I tried to continue at the same pace, but it became next to impossible...every time I'd speed up, my muscles would lock up...Cyndi and Mel were waiting for me with their yellow cow bells at around mile 21. They had the whole crowd cheer for me when I went by...I was pretty emotional at this point and started to cry...they jumped on the course the last 5 miles taking turns running with me...OMG, it was the best having them there!! One would run for a bit, switch, jump in the van and shout out the window while driving next to me...they'd park and run with me...then drive...etc...I think it may have hard for them to see me in so much pain...my legs would lock up, then I'd shout out loud...they kept telling me words of encouragement to get me through...THANK YOU Cyndi and Melissa...you have no idea how much it meant to me to have you there and I wouldn't have finished as strong without you!!!! Surprisingly, I was still on target for a 3:45 finish until about mile 24 (that is if I could have managed to run an 8:35/mile pace)...what a heartbreaker!! A guy in a red shirt who I'd been running by heard me moaning....he asked what was wrong...I told him about the spasms...he encouraged me to keep going...I know he heard me cry out in pain numerous times...poor people around me...I must have been so annoying....LOL!!! I have to say as much as I wanted to stop and walk, I didn't...I kept plugging away, even though it was sllllooooowww. I remembered to run the first 3rd of the race with my head (although I started out too fast), the second part with my personality (stubborn and determined) and the last part with my heart (I really wanted it bad). I actually ran through all water stops except for 2 or 3...I normally walk through all the water stations to catch my breath and to regroup, but not today! Okay, so with 1/2 mile to go, the legs totally locked up and I crumpled to the pavement...a police officer picked me up and a nice guy offered me either bottled water or sports drink. I chose the sports drink...I opened it, took a few sips, threw it on the ground, then took off again...OMG, it felt like I was running sideways at times...I willed my legs to keep moving even though they were stuck...I did anything I could to get to that finish line. I usually finish hard...run as fast as I can, but today, I was just trying to GET to the finish...no sprinting today....once I crossed the finish line, I collapsed to the ground. A fellow runner came over to me and told me to get up...I couldn't move...I think about 4 people came over to get me to my feet (I was crying the whole time...mostly in frustration). Two stayed with me and walked me over to the building where the medical staff was. I remember how they were holding me...guy on the left, girl on the right with their arms hooked under mine...my god they were strong, but I needed them to help me walk. I sat down on a cot and had my blood pressure and pulse taken...I just sat there drinking water feeling defeated, frustrated and upset...my god, I just finished another freaking marathon and slashed 11 minutes off my time from 3 weeks ago and 31 minutes from my first marathon in April...what is wrong with me?!?! I'm okay now, but it still stings a bit...my time was 3:50:25 (8:48 pace)...4 minutes & 26 seconds short of my 3:45:59 goal (but 10 minutes under my original goal of 4 hours). I ended up finishing 380 overall out of 1,109...13th out of 66 in my age group...first 1/2 marathon time was 1:46:28 (8:03 pace)...second 1/2 marathon was 2:04:51 (9:32 pace). I have decided to take a much needed break from marathon running (at least until I start training for Chicago next year)....I'm so glad I had to opportunity to run today...all I can ever ask of myself is to do the best I can and that's what I did today...I did the best I could and couldn't have changed anything...

Sooo, after the marathon, I was reunited with Cyndi and Mel...we went back to the hotel where I showered and changed...we then went out to lunch at Houlihan's downtown. We had a blast at lunch...Mel had a frozen margarita and filet mignon...Cyndi had a Coor's Light and an Asian chopped salad and I had a two Blue Moons and a 1/2 slab of ribs (mmmm, yummy)...I ordered oatmeal cookie shots for Mel and I (I had two) for dessert, oh so good!! I was feeling pretty good and wanted to continue the party...I offered to get a hotel for the night, but Cyndi was being rational and said we should go home (especially since she had a sick son at home)...now, we're all back at home and back to reality!! Thanks again Cyndi and Mel for coming with me....we have yet another great experience under our belts!!!

Chicago Marathon...October 12, 2008

The day is finally here!!!! I officially started training for the Chicago Marathon on June 9...18 weeks of running for ONE day! I have to say that this commitment kept my sanity through the busiest work schedule I've ever had. I often woke up at 5am to get my weekly runs in before work...sometimes I'd work out during lunch, or in the evenings...I squeezed in the runs/workouts whenever I could and rarely missed a training day. I may not have run all the miles recommended during the week (some days I'd run 3 miles instead of 5), but I got every long run in on the weekends. After most long runs, I'd stop off at the store to get a Nesquick chocolate milk (my favorite after a run....yummy) and a 22 lb bag of ice...I'd go home and sit in a 60 degree ice bath for 20 minutes....brrrrr, but my body was thankful!! I trained with the Opportunity Enterprises marathon team and raised about $1,500 for the charity...overall, the runners raised over $145k!!! They were the best group to run with...George Nietert, the Porter county coordinator would be there for us every Saturday and Sunday...he'd set out water/Gatorade for the runners so we wouldn't have to carry anything...he'd always give us encouraging words prior to each and every run...he's a GREAT guy...thanks George for all that you did!!! Between the Nashville and Chicago Marathons, I ran a few races...

• May 26: Trail Run Xtreme 12-K; Portage, IN
• July 12: Best Buddies 5-K; Provo, UT (5-K PR: 23:31; 7:35/mile pace)
• August 29: Nike + Human Race 10-K; Chicago, IL (10-K PR: 47:53; 7:43/mile pace)
• September 13: Tower Run 8-K Beach Run & 8-K Kayak Biathlon; Michigan City, IN
• September 22: Ready to Run 20 Miler; Chicago, IL
• September 28: Calumet City 1/2 Marathon; Calumet City, IL (1/2 Marathon PR: 1:44:50; 8:00/mile pace)

I was ready to run the marathon after the 18 weeks of training and racing...I was ready to rock-n-roll!!! BUT, before I get into race day details, I have to write about the Marathon Expo...this is pretty funny!!!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10: I took the day off to prep for the marathon...I had the most WONDERFUL massage at East Wind Acupuncture...thank you Denise!!! She really worked my legs, hips and butt using essential oils, hot stones and of course her hands...she has an amazing touch!!! After the massage, I ran around to get a few things done, then went home to pick up my mom as we were taking the Southshore train to Chicago to hit the Marathon Expo. I called home to ask my mom to make me a sandwich since I didn't have time to eat lunch...I ran in the house, quickly kissed my kids and dad, grabbed my confirmation ticket, went potty and off we went to the Dune Park train station. Luckily it's only about 3 minutes away because the train was scheduled to depart in about 5 minutes...we made it with a couple minutes to spare!! Sooo, we hop on the train and close to the end of the train trip, a group of girls asked if we were going to the Expo (I had on my Nike Plus race shirt) and they said to get off at Roosevelt...my plan was to get off at the McCormick stop, but apparently the train wasn't stopping there so we got off at Roosevelt with these girls....we were TOTALLY the blind leading the blind!!! After several miles (I swear we were walking in circles) and about an hour we finally made it to the McCormick Place....well, we thought we were there! We all happened to be in the "East" building, but needed to be in the "West" building...sounds pretty simple, right...OMG, this convention center is like it's own city...I swear it has it's own zip code!! After who knows how long, we figure out how to cross over Lake Shore Drive to get to the "West" building...FINALLY we see signs for the Expo...thank god! Fortunately, there was NO line to pick up the packet, so that only took a few minutes...then we went over to the Expo side...the fun was just beginning. We walk in and a video was showing the marathon course...I stood and watched the whole thing....it took forever to get through the course (it was a car driving in fast motion) and I started to wonder about my sanity...if it takes 20 minutes to watch this video in fast motion, it's gonna take forever to run this...of course I knew this already, but reality was starting to sink in. After the video, we visited several booths...tried on some Pearl Izumi shoes and got a free pair of socks....did a gait analysis at the Nike booth...they actually video tape you running on the treadmill and recommend shoes based on the way you run...pretty cool!! We met two Olympic gold medalists...got their autographs, picture and touched their gold medals...holy cow the medals were heavy!! Here's what I ended up buying: Nike Chicago Marathon jacket (LOVE it), Brooks running skirt to wear on Sunday and the "Spirit of the Marathon" DVD signed by some of the cast members. We ended up staying at the Expo until it closed at 8pm...my time management skills totally SUCK so we missed the early train...no big deal at this point because I knew there were more trains...the next one was at 8:50...we should be okay on time, right?!? One minor problem....we didn't know how to get back to the train station!!! I was starving (I should be carb loading 2 days prior and had little to eat at this point)...so I ordered a turkey panini "to go" at the Hyatt located inside the McCormick Place. This didn't take too much time, so I thought we'd still be okay as long as we took a cab to the train station. We jumped in a cab right outside the Hyatt and told the cabbie to take us to the Southshore train station on Roosevelt....well, he had NO idea what we were talking about...he was talking really fast and I couldn't understand a word he said...I kept telling him to take us to the Southshore train station on Roosevelt...the train that goes to Indiana...I actually think he was getting mad at us!! He dropped us off at a train station on Roosevelt, but it was a Metra station, not the Southshore! I was starting to get nervous because we had less than 10 minutes before the train was to arrive...a nice lady at the Metra stop told us to go up 2 blocks to the Southshore platform...we took off quickly and saw where the train dropped us off...whew...another dilemma....we couldn't figure out how to get down to the platform...there was construction and it was dark...OMG, the train pulled up..waited about 30 seconds, then took off...we had missed our train!!! The next one wasn't due until 11:20 (2 1/2 hours away)...I saw a Best Western across the street and suggested that we stay there...fortunately they had a room available...only non-smoking room had a king bed, but we took it!! Ahhhh, I was finally able to eat...it was about 9:30 by this time...so much for getting lots of rest Friday night. My poor mom was without her meds and breathing machine (she has sleep apnea)....lucky for me, I had my iPod and was able to crank up the tunes to drown out the snoring...it only kept me awake for about an hour from midnight to 1am....not too bad! We woke up early the next morning...showered, brushed our teeth (thank goodness for the hotel toothbrushes) and headed over to the train platform. It was much easier to find it in the daylight...it was right next to the HUGE iron leg statues...we had plenty of time to spare...our time management was much better than the night before...we were home by about 9:30am on Saturday....OMG, what an adventure!!!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11: Saturday was another busy day...my mom took a nap to catch up on lost sleep...I ran around town with Madalyn and the guys went out for haircuts. Andrew had a baseball game at 4pm...I organized all my race day stuff and met the family at the game a little late. Btw, Andrew hit a nice double at the end of the game...NICE work Andrew!! After the game, we headed over to the OE pasta dinner...I ate salad, 2 helpings of meatless spaghetti and 4 breadsticks...OMG I ate waaayy too much! We had a nice surprise from the OE singers...they performed 3 songs for us...I was so touched by their performance, I cried the whole time. I know they worked so hard for this night and they were all so proud of themselves...the looks on their faces was just priceless...I knew at this point I was running for a purpose. There were all kinds of motivating phrases on the tables...I actually took several with me so I could remember them on my run. I crawled in bed when we got home and watched the "Spirit of the Marathon" movie...I was so tired I couldn't make it through the whole movie, but it was the last thing on my mind as I drifted off to sleep....

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12: The alarm went off at 3:35am Sunday morning (my clock is 10 minutes fast, so the clock showed 3:45am)...I hit snooze as I always do hoping to get a few more winks of sleep....funny thing is that my work phone starting ringing at 3:38am...who in the heck is calling at this hour?!?! The call actually got me out of bed...and it wasn't a number I recognized...it was probably some crazy drunk person who dialed the wrong number! I went to the kitchen and made something to eat...two pieces of Brownberry wheat toast (with extra protein), slapped on some peanut butter and threw in a banana for good measure. I ate it like a sandwich...mmmm good!! For the record, I ate first so I could take care of business before I left the house (you'll know why I say this later). I jumped in the shower (as I like to do before a race to loosen up the muscles)...probably took too long...even shaved my legs...gotta have smooth legs when running!! I was glad to have all my stuff laid out and ready to go...I smothered on the Body Glide, got dressed and put my wet hair up in two Princess Leah type buns (gotta have crazy hair on race day)!! Okay, I wanted to leave by 4am...I ended up leaving around 4:15ish...was a bit behind schedule, but not too bad. I got to the Hilton Garden hotel in Chesterton by the toll road around 4:30am or so...bus was to leave at 4:45am...I waited in the dark in my car for a bit...tried to organize my backpack some, then waited by the front of the hotel where I saw my friend Chad....buses showed up right on time....Chad and I board and sit in the front row (we both have a bit of motion sickness issues). We chatted the whole way to Chicago and arrived sometime around 6am...we felt like we were with a posse or something because all the OE runners were dropped off by multiple busses who were mostly dressed in matching bright orange shirts!!! It's still dark (and already in the low-mid 60's) as we walk over to the OE tent in Charity Village. What a setup...we had our own tent, own bathrooms (no lines to wait in), food, water, sports drinks, chairs, tables, gear check...the works!! I saw my friends Chris and Maureen and others....we talked, stretched and got our gear checked in...we had a group photo taken at 7am, then I took off to the starting line. I get a bit nervous before running in a race and always want to make sure I have an empty bladder...I'd already gone pee a few times at the OE tent, but I had to go ONE more time...found a bank of port-a-johns and waited for at least 20-30 minutes...still had about 20 minutes until the start! I found where the runners were lining up and walked through the mob of people. I wanted to be at the front of the "open" corral so I could hook up with a 3:45 pace group in either corral "D" or "C" (these were the seeded corrals). I wormed my way all the way to the front of the open corral and had to wait for the gun to go off before I could get in the chute. I waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity...my iPod was playing Chris Brown "Wall to Wall" and I played it over and over and over...I danced and bopped around to the song in anticipation of starting, then off we went!!! YEAH, it's "GO TIME"!!! I was behind the 4 hour pace group in the "open" corral...when I started running, I weaved in and out of people like crazy....I had my eye on those pacers (the guys running with the little sticks with finishing times on them). I caught up with the 4 hour pacers in the "open" corral...then the 3:55's in corral "D"...then the 3:50's in corral "D", then the 3:45's in corral "D"...I felt so good that I kept on passing runners! Okay, so then I saw the pacers in corral "C"…passed the 3:55’s, 3:50’s and almost caught up with the 3:45's in this corral...they were within sight, but I never did run with the group. I was feeling REALLY good at this point (of course I was, it was early on in the race)...I looked down at my Garmin at about the 3 mile point and it said I had gone 4.7 miles...WTF?!? At times, my pace was 5:25/mile or 17:00/mile (yeah right, obviously the Garmin wasn't working right)!!! I had put my name on the front and back of my shirt in black electrical tape...LOVE the spectators...they'd shout out my name as I'd run by...what a great feeling...unfortunately I sweat so much and ran through so much water that the letters were falling off...the "K" and "r" started to stick together, so I just ripped the entire name off at one point (maybe around mile 10). I was feeling great until about mile 8 when my hips started to bother me...I expected this to happen, so I pushed through the pain. I walked through every water stop and took water and/or Gatorade...as the race progressed, the more time I spent walking through the stops. I saw Wendy (a running buddy of mine) at one of the water stations around mile 5. I passed Elvis early on in the race...he was running soooo slow!! My favorite places to run through were Pilson (they were handing out their own drinks...I think it was beer)...it was very Latin and festive...the other fun neighborhood was Chinatown...there were big dragons and lots of cool stuff to look at! Along the way, people set up little tables with snacks on them, like pretzels, candy and drinks...others had sticks with vaseline on them for those with chafing issues (thank goodness I didn't need any)!! At one point, I grabbed a packet of Smarties candies...I threw a few in my mouth, then pitched the rest on the side of the road...I came up on Greg, one of the OE runners (he said it was past the halfway point...I can't remember). I called him Arnie at first (I met Arnie and Greg at the same time and got their names mixed up)....he said, "my name isn't Arnie"...I said, "Oh, I'm sorry Greg" (my brain doesn't function properly after running several miles)....we chatted for a minute or so, he asked me what my goal was and I told him I was shooting for a 3:45 then took off. I was actually on target for a 3:45 marathon and had about a 2 minute cushion until about mile 15...then I started to eat into the cushion, but was still on target until about mile 18...this is when things went downhill. Okay, for those of you who know me this won't be a surprise...I'm not too shy about talking about this either...I packed a few Imodium chewable tabs just in case....I had the urge to go the bathroom and popped a tablet...I was determined NOT to stop...I had the urge again...took another tablet...was okay for a while, then the urge hit again....sooo, I ate the 3rd and last tablet. This was probably the dumbest thing I could have done....I totally dehydrated my body and it was getter hotter and hotter as the morning progressed. Even though I drank at every water stop, it was NOT enough...the result of this madness was severe muscle spasms and cramping in my calves. It caught me off guard and was so bad that I almost fell to the ground the first time it happened...I'd shout out loudly in pain & frustration and started talking to myself (out loud at times)...I must have looked like a total crazy person!!!! The spasms started at mile 18…I had 8 miles to go. I had to change my stride…every time I tried to speed up, my legs would cramp up, so I had to shorten my stride and run with my feet mostly flexed…the temps were rising...good thing there were plenty of “misting” stations, people with hoses, sponges in big freezing cold kiddie pools…I’d grab extra water and splash it on my face and head to stay cool…whatever it took to get through those last 8 miles. At this point, I knew it wasn’t going to be the day for me to qualify for Boston, but surprisingly, I was okay with it. My strategy was to finish in 4 hours…with about 5 miles to go, I didn't want to run anymore, but I remembered to run with my heart...I even pounded my chest to remind me (there I go acting all crazy again)!! Unfortunately right before mile 24 I stopped to stretch the calves on a curb and the urge to "go" hit me one more time (I will NEVER eat two helpings of spaghetti and 4 breadsticks the night before a marathon again)…fortunately I was right next to a gas station…I ran over as fast as I could (and I was NOT interested in getting gasoline…too bad ‘cause some premium may have given me a boost)…the store looked as if it may be closed…it was dark inside and one of the doors had a big “X” taped on it, but I had to take a chance. I burst through the door (thank god it opened) and frantically asked if there was a bathroom…some guy pointed in the direction of the bathroom and I ran to it as fast as I could….whew, that was a close one!!! Of course there was NO toilet paper, but I had some extra tissues in my pack…I must have been a sight because as I ran out of the bathroom, a lady with her young daughter asked if I was okay…I responded with a feeble “yes” and announced there was no TP…LOL!!! This little escapade was a 5 minute setback…I went in at 3:33 and came out at 3:38 and I still had about 2.4 miles to go…I was now shooting for a 4:02. I have to say there was ample water and Gatorade this year...the temps rose to about 85 degrees...not as bad as last year, but was still really hot...I remember how sticky the road was at the end of the race, probably from the spilled Gatorade...the last several water stops had lots of bananas and people handing out baggies of cut up orange slices...mmmm, good! The last couple miles were a complete blur and the last mile seemed like the looongest mile of my life! I kept waiting to turn right from Michigan Avenue to Roosevelt and it took FOREVER!!! Finally the turn, up the hill over the bridge and left on to Columbus…what a relief it was to see the finish…I ran as hard as my body would allow!!! I MADE IT!!!! 4:01:08….not bad considering the circumstances! I was so happy I finished….once I crossed that finish line, I started feeling sick, thirsty, nauseous, dizzy and had horrible leg cramps to top it off. Got my mylar blanket, cold wet cloth for my head, finishing medal and timing chip clipped off my shoe…it was a very long walk to get water…I needed to sit down but a volunteer told me to keep moving. I walked a short distance then laid down on my mylar blanket on the pavement…I had the cold cloth over my face and attempted to stretch out my legs…another volunteer came over to help me stretch, but it didn’t do much good…I laid there a while longer until I felt good enough to get up…I attempted to walk over to charity village to the OE tent…I ran out of water and was really not feeling well at this point. As I was walking, the police had to stop walkers to allow an ambulance into the medical tent. I rested my head on the gate as the ambulance went by and the police officer asked if I was okay. I said I needed water and he instructed me to go into the med test…let’s just say I wasn’t in the mood to argue with anyone, so I shuffled into the tent. I was logged in and they led me to a cot where I proceeded to lay down. 4 people were working on me at once…two asking me questions and taking my vitals and 2 massage therapists working on my legs and feet…they basically gave me water and Gatorade and a cold cloth for my head….after about 20 minutes I felt well enough to get up. As I tried to get off the cot, my right foot locked up and I couldn’t get it to move…my foot would not go down on the ground..it was stuck in a flexed position…my brain told it to move, but it wouldn’t budge!!! I was finally able to get up and hobbled over to the OE tent in charity village in my socks…I went down the back way…I had to go down a hill and OMG that hurt…had to go down sideways…going down is so much worse than going up!!! I saw my family and tried to shout to my mom since I was moving so slow…I yelled as loud as I could several times until my mom heard me…they were wondering where I was! I had to keep moving or my legs would cramp up again….I kept walking while my family got me some food…eventually I was able to sit down and stretch out. I waited at the tent until I knew my friends were done…it was a hard day for many…we decided to take off and walk back to the car….what I didn’t know was that the car was about 3 miles away!!! I walked the whole way back to the car…it wasn’t pretty, but I did it!!! Actually, it was probably the best thing for me. We headed over to Angela’s (Mike’s sister) house where I was able to shower, eat and drink a beer. What a day…one I will never forget!!!

Here are some of the sayings I remember seeing along the way that helped get me through...

• Pain is weakness leaving the body
• Pain is only temporary, pride is a lifetime
• It's okay, it's normal to hurt
• You may wonder why you're doing this at mile 18...at mile 26.2, you'll know why

Here are my split times...too bad I can’t run negative splits!?!?

• 5-K: 25:21; 8:11 pace
• 10-K: 51:35; 8:19 pace; estimated finish 3:37:36
• 15-K: 1:18:17; 8:25 pace
• 20-K: 1:45:33; 8:31 pace
• ½: 1:51:33; 8:31 pace; estimated finish 3:42:51
• 25-K: 2:12:48; 8:34 pace
• 30-K: 2:41:09; 8:40 pace; estimated finish 3:45:20
• 35-K: 3:12:23; 8:52 pace
• 40-K: 3:48:13; 9:12 pace
• Finish: 4:01:08; 9:12 pace
  

Sky Dive Chicago!! September 26, 2008

Whooo hooo!!! OMG, what an amazing experience! On Friday, September 26, 2008, I joined a few friends in Ottawa, IL to sky dive. Melissa, Chris, Cyndi (Happy Birthday girl) and I met in the morning at our work parking lot so we could ride together...it was so much more fun driving to work that morning knowing I didn't actually have to go in the building, but was meeting my good friends to do something fun and exciting that day! It was a perfect warm sunny day....mid-70's to low-80's. The drive was fun...we cranked up some loud tunes in the old pimp mobile (my mini-van) and sang and danced the whole way there! We were soooo PUMPED!! We arrived about an hour early (amazing b/c I'm never early for anything), so we chilled out a while and waited for the rest of our party to join us. Ryan, Mandi, Mary and Tyler showed up...we completed our paperwork (signed our lives away....pages and pages...Sky Dive Chicago has no liability for INJURY or DEATH) and paid our dues. Mandi was so kind to give us all an ear tack...she put it in a calming point to keep us focused and calm....ooooh, was that a good idea! Thanks Mandi!!! We then went downstairs to take our "class"....we first watched a video by a guy that looked like ZZ Top's grandpa...he had a huge long rectangular beard....he again reiterated that Sky Dive Chicago is NOT responsible for INJURY or DEATH...hmmmm, we were starting to wonder if we should actually go through with the jump!?! After the video, our instructor Sparky (yes, his name is Sparky) showed us what to do. He spent about 5-10 minutes showing us the drill....basically arch our back...look to the horizon, check our altimeter, then pull the chute at 5,500 feet "55 stay alive".....the good thing is that our Jump Masters went through the drill several more times before jumping out of the plane, but I pretty much forgot everything they taught us once I was flying through the sky!! Soooo, after "class" we went into the hangar. Ryan, Mandi, Mary and Tyler were in the first group. They couldn't fit us all in one group, so we split up into two...we watched them load the plane and then they came floating back to Earth...they started out looking soooo small and drifted back to the ground so peacefully....how cool!!! We suited up...my Jump Master's name was Chad...he had big wild dread locks, bandanna, ink and piercings everywhere! He was a GREAT guy...great instructor...got me all set up in my gear, then guided me to the plane...he had a hold of the straps on my back and totally controlled me! We were one of the first on the plane...this plane had NO seats....just a big open space! We go all the way to the back...had to sit in two rows...we were all lined up as if we were riding in a toboggan. Chad was behind me and my video guy, Steve, was in front of me...Chris and her two guys were to my left. Cyndi and Mel were in front of us and a few guys going solo were in front of them. There wasn't enough room on our side of the plane, so they had me ride up front with the pilot...how cool!!! I'm sooo glad because I would have had to ride backwards and with my issues with motion sickness, it was a good thing I was able to face forwards. I watched the altimeter on the plane and the one on my wrist and they DIDN'T match...they were off about 1,000 feet...I figured the plane's altimeter was more accurate, but was a bit concerned that they weren't the same...whatever, I figured Chad knew what he was doing so I didn't worry about it....it was soooo loud in the plane, could hardly hear anything...Chad again went through the drill...okay, arch back...arms out like a "W"...."horizon", "altimeter", "pull the cord"...easy, right?!?! Chris and I played rock, paper, scissors to determine who went last....I won...Chris was to go last....one by one, the jumpers were exiting the plane in front of us...I climbed out of the cockpit into the cargo area...Chad hooked me up to him....we get on our knees...then start scooching forward toward the opening....Steve, the camera guy gets out and is hanging on the side of the plane (crazy man!!) and Chad pushes me toward the door...I felt like I was going to fall out (I had one split second of fear)...he did his thing (not sure if he counted) and out we went!!! OMG, I lost my stomach for just a nano-second...we flipped over (somersault) and were falling soooo fast (120 mph)!!! It was soooo loud and hard to control anything. I was trying to act all crazy for the camera guy, but couldn't move too much...forgot everything the instructor and Chad taught me..."arms out like a W...ooops, forgot to do that"...."horizon....what horizon??"..."altimeter...attempted to look at it, but couldn't tell what altitude we were at"...."pull the cord...hand was on the ball, but for some reason, I hesitated and didn't pull"....we spun around and around and Steve grabbed my hand and we spun some more....YEAH!!! Now that's what I'm talking about!!! After Chad deployed the chute, there was a big jerk, then complete silence....WOW!! It didn't even seem like we were falling....we just floated gently down...ahhhh, very peaceful and calm...I took in all the surrounding sights. Chad maneuvered the chute to turn sharply to the right....OMG, my stomach did NOT like that!! I told him that was cool, but it made me sick...he said, "Ok, we don't need to do it again"...I said, "Ok, but let's do it one more time!!!" Soooo, he did it much gentler the second time and veered off to the left....still made my stomach do flip flops, but it was totally worth it!!! Chad had me stand on his feet as he unhooked the bottom two clips so we'd have some mobility during the landing. We briefly practiced the landing while in mid air...those instructions were much easier to follow....lift my feet and slide...I can totally handle that!!! The landing was smooth and went without a hitch! WOW...I made it!!! What an exhilarating, amazing experience!!! Mary and Tyler enjoyed the jump so much that they decided to go again!!! We hung around for a while...the girls drank a beer and I drank a smoothie...we watched other jumpers while waiting for our videos be be edited...when the videos were done, we took off to go to Cyndi's camper in Sublette, IL....it was hard to leave...if my stomach was not so upset, I would have considered another jump, but it will have to wait for another day!

Soooo, I'm training for the Chicago Marathon and needed to get some miles in...I only managed to squeeze in a 3 mile run that morning and wanted to get in 8 miles...that meant I either had to run another 5 on Friday, or do it on Saturday...I knew I wouldn't be up for running on Saturday, so I opted to have the girls drop me off about 5 miles from town...we didn't eat lunch that day and we were all pretty hungry...the girls wanted to get some pizza, so they dropped me off and headed over to the bar...it was pretty freaking hot...about 82 degrees and I was on a high from the jump...I had to change into my running clothes and did so on the side of the road!!! I grabbed my iPod, Garmin and cell phone and started running down the road. Cyndi said it was a straight shot into town, so I didn't have to worry about getting lost. There was a huge windmill off in the distance that I kept my eye on...I held a pretty steady pace...just over 8 minute mile for 4.8 miles...then, just like Cyndi said, I saw my van on the right side of the road at the bar....I was a sweaty mess!! I grabbed a shirt, went in the bar and headed straight for the bathroom to dry off! Perfect timing too....pizza just arrived and there was a pitcher of beer on the table! Mmmmm, yummy...perfect combo...and I was starving!! We finished off the yummiest thin crust pizza ever...still had about 1/3 pitcher of beer left....Cyndi paid Mel $5 to chug it down and she doesn't even like beer!!?!? This was the start of a crazy night!! After the beer chugging, we drove over to Cyndi's camper...we immediately put in our videos and watched them over and over...we totally enjoyed reliving our sky diving experience and couldn't seem to get enough!! We also had a camp fire in the back...imagine 4 girls with no families to worry about...we had a GREAT time!! Cyndi's mom and dad stopped over at about midnight...we watched the videos AGAIN! Then off to bed we went! I woke to snoring and heaving breathing at about 6:30am...OMG, I did NOT feel well...too many margaritas and Michelob Ultras...finally got up, but went back to bed around 8am for about an hour...we all got around, packed up and headed out...on our way home, we stopped back over to Sky Dive Chicago b/c Cyndi needed to get another CD of her still photos since hers wouldn't open...we stayed to watch some jumpers and I actually paid for my next jump! I have one year to use it...I purchased it so I'd come back for my second jump...no excuses!!! The ride home on Saturday was a bit more subdued than the ride to Ottawa the day before....back to reality, but it was fun while it lasted!!! Thanks everyone for sharing such an amazing experience with me!!!! Remember my favorite part...."free falling"...'till next time girls...

Family Union - Provo, UT July 2008

Here's the story about my mom....

July 13, 2008

My mom, Linda, was born on April 23, 1949 in Wisconsin. She was immediately taken from her mother and was cared for by the nuns in the hospital. Shortly after, my mom was taken in by Williard and June Wolfe and was a foster child for over a year. At that time, Williard and June adopted my mom (because she was such a good little girl and so beautiful with "sweeping" eyelashes). In addition to my mom, Williard and June had a daughter, Nancy, who was their birth child and was ten years older than my mom. They grew up together as a family, but deep down she didn’t feel like she “fit” in and has longed to find her birth family. Growing up, my mom didn’t talk about being adopted and it didn’t seem like a big deal to us kids. I never really knew how she felt about being adopted until recently. Since her parents passed away a few years ago, my dad, David, has been researching my mom’s birth family. He’s very interested in genealogy and knew my mom’s birth name (Barbara Lynn Valliere). He found a book that was written by one of the Valliere’s and had to work through his local library to have it sent from a library in Wisconsin. My dad learned a lot about the Valliere family through this book and actually was able to contact one of the Valliere family members. I’m not exactly sure how all the details go (my dad is better to explain), but eventually my dad started to communicate with my mom’s cousin Leon (Boise). Leon was very accepting of the situation, but was trying to help my mom & dad figure out the best way to go about contacting my mom’s mother. My mom’s family is Native American and their culture is quite a bit different than our own…my mom didn’t want to disrespect anyone, so she patiently waited. One day, she got enough courage up to ask Leon for all the possible phone numbers that her mother could be reached at. She called and asked for “Doris”. Doris asked who was calling and my mom again asked if Doris was there. Doris responded and said, “Yes this is Doris, who is calling?” My mom said, “This is your daughter Linda from 1949.”

This was on May 14, 2008. Since that time, my mom and dad have made a trip up to Lac Du Flambeau, Wisconsin to visit with some of her aunts and uncles and other family. They are a traditional Native American family and are committed to continuing the Ojibwe culture and even teach the language. The family welcomed my mom into their family…my mom was even accepted into the Oneida Nation tribe!

My mom said she was planning a trip out to Utah to meet her mother….me, my brother and dad all asked if we could come too (well...I'm not sure that I actually asked...just invited myself). We were all able to rearrange our schedules to come out on a Thursday (July 10, 2008) and come back on Sunday, July 13. My mom, dad and brother all flew out Thursday morning and arrived in Salt Lake City, UT around noon. I had to work and wasn’t expected to arrive in SLC until 9:30 pm that night. They decided to go exploring while waiting for my flight to land. They went over to Park City and visited the Great Salt Lake….Brian (my brother) showed me pictures of the hundreds of spiders that were around the Great Salt Lake…I can’t believe he actually took pictures because he absolutely HATES spiders!!! They were really creepy looking too. They said it was an interesting walk to the lake…kind of mucky, stinky and dead birds all over. The lake itself was nice though and very shallow…I guess you have to walk out really far to get into deeper water. Anyway, I boarded the plane for an on-time departure and the pilot comes on the intercom…said air traffic control was holding all flights due to bad storms in the West. It looked fine to me, but I guess I’d rather wait than risk crashing in a major thunderstorm! We had to first wait for the storm to come, then pass over…we ended up waiting on the tarmac for 3 hours!!! So much for a 9:30 arrival….I called my dad and they went back to the hotel in Provo…Brian was beat tired since he didn't get much sleep the night before so he stayed at the hotel to get some sleep…my parents ended up picking me up at around 12:30am and got to the hotel around 1:30am. At this time, I was a bit wired and not tired since I snoozed on the plane. I took my bags in the bathroom so I wouldn’t wake my brother (we were sharing a room) and unpacked a bit…took out the laptop and went online. I ended up staying up until about 3:00am Utah time (4:00am CDT time). I woke up at 6:30am and couldn’t sleep anymore, so decided to get up!?!? We were meeting my grandma at her house at 1pm, so we had some time to kill. I asked my brother if he’d like to go for a run…we went downstairs and grabbed some breakfast, took our time getting ready, then met up with our parents. We heard of a nice place in the valley called “Bridal Veil Falls” and wanted to check it out. My parents dropped Brian and I off at the falls and we ran up a trail about 3 miles (completely uphill the whole way), then we turned around and met my parents about 1.5 miles down the way from the falls. It was sooo beautiful …mountains on both sides of the trail with a river flowing alongside it. Bridal Veil Falls looked like a wedding veil (hence the name) and was pretty amazing….the water was freezing cold…lots of kids were splashing around in the water completely unfazed by the temperature of the water. It was a good stopping point for us to hydrate and catch our breath. We splashed ice cold water on ourselves…wow did that feel good!!! Brian and I ended up running about 7.5 miles at about an 8:30/mile pace…I’m pretty impressed by Brian’s running….a year ago, he would have never gone running that far with me, especially at this pace!!! The altitude was a factor for us….we’re used to being right about sea level at home and we were about 1 mile above sea level (about 5,000 feet). We experienced about a 500 foot elevation change too!!!

We went back to the hotel after our run and got ready for the big meeting!! We showed up at my grandma’s house right at 1pm. My mom rang the doorbell and we’re thinking, “are we at the right house?”….my grandma finally answered the door after what felt like an eternity. She was sooo stinking cute I couldn’t stand it (standing tall at 4’9”). The initial meeting was a bit anti-climatic, like, “hi, how are you…I haven’t seen you in a while” (only 59 years!!!). I guess I wasn’t sure what it would be like to meet someone for the first time like this. She invited us all into her home (she lives with her granddaughter, Tina and her family). She had the kitchen table all set up for us to have lunch. We all gave hugs and took pictures…went in and sat at the table. We ate sandwiches and chips with the yummiest chip dip (made with Ranch and cottage cheese) and had lemon cream pie for dessert. She told us she likes to be called Dorie, not Doris, so I now call her Grandma Dorie!! We all sat at the kitchen table for a couple of hours. My mom had her adoption papers and my brother was reading through the documents asking Grandma Dorie questions. She confirmed a lot of the information in the papers and shared many, many stories with us. Wow, Grandma Dorie is an AMAZING person. She’s gone through so much in her lifetime and yet she is still so youthful and so full of life. She looks much younger than her 79 years and has such a quick wit to her. Grandma Dorie has a wonderful sense of humor and often cracks up when telling a story. She’s had open heart surgery, cancer, has diabetes, gone through the death of two children & two husbands, yet you’d never know all that she’s gone through. She has such a positive outlook on life and keeps incredibly busy. She loves to cook and won’t let anyone help her do dishes…she’s raised not only her children, but some grandchildren and other children as well. I see so many similarities to my mom….not only do they look alike, but they chose the same career path (nursing), they are hard-working individuals who value their relationship with their family, both of their dentists have told them they have small mouths (although none of us believe it), they are both full of life and quite a bit of mischief, they both love the color red…I know there are more similarities, but I can’t think of them right now.

As we were chatting at the table, my mom’s brother, Dennis came over to check in on his mom. He was surprised to see us here already…he stayed a bit, but had to get back to work. Later in the afternoon, Tina and her kids came home. We got to know Tina, Brad (Tina’s son), Kenzie (Tina’s daughter) and Bella (Tina’s youngest daughter). I had so much fun talking with and playing with the kids…their dog just had puppies and they brought them up for us to see…they were so small, they looked like little gerbils…so cute!! After about 4 hours of visiting, we headed back to the hotel to change, etc….we came back to the neighborhood (about 6 houses away) to my mom’s brother’s (Greg) house for a barbeque. We met sooo many new people!!! We sat in the front yard visiting and getting acquainted with everyone. They were all so hospitable…very welcoming and accommodating and had lots of food!!! I was only working on about 3.5 hours of sleep and after running 7.5 miles and the adrenaline of the day, I ran out of steam!! We went back to the hotel around 10pm or so to get some sleep.

Let me take a stab at laying out the family tree...we met most everyone at the barbeque on Friday night and a few others on Saturday....

Grandma Dorie

Linda & husband David
Brian & wife Rosarita
Logan
Jordan
Kristi & husband Michael
Andrew
Madalyn

Dennis
Sarah
Michael
Charles
Ashley

Pat
Tracy & husband Scott
Tyler
Nick
Dax

Carol
Tina & husband Chris

Brad
McKenzie
Isabelle
Jason & wife Ashley
Alyssa
Zack
Justin

Greg & wife Vicky
Derrick (Greg’s son)
Tiffany (Vicky’s daughter)
Patrick (Vicky’s son)

Mary

Michael

A picnic was planned for Saturday at 4pm, so we had some time in the morning. I talked my mom and brother into running a 5-K race in Orum (city right next to Provo) located at the high school benefiting an organization called “Best Buddies”. I mentioned it to my cousin Patrick (Pac) and told him that if he showed up I’d pay for his entry fee. We shook on it, but I thought since most teenagers sleep in past noon, there was no way he’d show up for an 8am race. Sure enough, he and my other cousin Brad show up at about 7:30am!!! I was sooo excited I couldn’t even stand it! It was a small race (about 80 runners or so), but a pretty nice turn out considering it was the first race and was not well advertised. I found it on a local SLC running website. So, the race starts and Brian was way, way ahead of me, Patrick and Brad. I guess Patrick and Brad were trying to talk to me, but I was listening to my IPod so I couldn’t hear them…they decided to go on ahead too. I’m thinking, “these guys are crazy…this is a bit faster than I’m comfortable with”. My first mile was a 7:20…whoa, my fastest time by far…no way I was going to keep this up. I could still see Brian, Patrick and Brad in my sites, but I didn’t want to burn out early. Brad and Patrick soon passed Brian, then I caught up and passed him too….I was behind Patrick and Brad, then at some point (maybe past mile 2 or so) I caught up with the boys…I said “good job guys!!” then went past them. We had to go around a park, then on into the high school stadium around the track one time. No way was I going to back down now!! I ran as hard as my body would allow and ended up finishing in 23:33 (7:35/mile pace). Brad, Patrick and Brian were right behind (no more than 1 minute after me). It was an awesome run!!! I saw my cousin Vicky along the way and it was such a nice surprise to see her cheering us on!!! My other cousin Chris showed up later (after we finished), but he was there to support us too!! Vicky and I went back to find my mom and I ran my mom in for the last lap…she finished in under 37 minutes!!! You go mom!!! She ended up getting a medal for being the oldest runner at the race…plus she placed in the top 3 of her age group!! Unfortunately, the first 9 runners (the elites) were misdirected on the course and ended up running an extra mile or so, so the race director couldn’t tabulate the scores. We’ll have to check out the website for the final results to see how we placed in our age group. We sat around a bit, drank water, and ate bananas & the best whole grain bread with honey…mmmm!!!

I needed to get in another 10 miles for my marathon training, so I convinced Brian to join me in another run. The plan was to have our parents drop us off at the top of the trail where we ran on Friday and run 10 miles…we were going to call my dad to pick us up after the 10 miles. So, we start running, it’s relatively cool (there’s almost no humidity in Utah…love it!) and we’re going at a pretty nice pace, considering we just ran really hard in a 5-K race less than an hour earlier. We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls to enjoy the scenery, fuel up, etc….we kept on going with a few water & walk breaks. We ran 10+ miles in about 90 minutes…whoo hoo!! It was so nice out that we decided to walk back to the hotel (it ended up being about 3.5 miles back to the hotel), but was nice to walk it out. We stopped at a 7-11 store and got Nesquick Chocolate Milk and ice cold waters….boy did that hit the spot!!! At one point, we were about to cross the street…Brian had just pushed the crosswalk button and he’s kind of doubled over and says, “A little help here!!!”. I look over and am thinking, what do you want me to do?!?! I figure out he has a cramp in his calf, so I go over and start rubbing it…little did I know that I was making the spasms worse!!! His calf finally relaxed a bit and we finished our walk back. I called my dad when we were in the elevator going up to our room to ask him to pick us up at Bridal Veil Falls (we had been gone about 2.5 hours at that time)…as I’m hanging up with him, he opened the door and we’re right there!!! We totally got him….LOL!!! Brian grabbed a bag of ice for his leg, iced it, went into the cold pool, then finished off at the hot tub. I took a little dip in the cold pool too (almost as good as an ice bath), then resorted to the hot tub for a bit. While Brian and I were torturing ourselves on our run, my mom spent the afternoon with her mom preparing food for our picnic…. I think they really enjoyed each other's company….Grandma Dorie actually allowed my mom to help out too!!!

We arrived at grandma’s house at 4:00, loaded up the vehicles and headed over to the picnic pavilion area. Another group was in our area and my cousin Vicky nicely asked them to leave because we reserved the area…they had streamers hanging up and other decorations for a birthday party…oh well, they moved to another area...besides, we had a huge group and needed all the space we could get. Our new family really knows how to have fun…they brought a karaoke machine, badminton net, footballs, volley balls, horseshoes and all kinds of fun things to do. We set up the tables and had enough food to feed an army. Everything was soooo yummy and Brian and I were absolutely starving since we didn’t eat lunch…we ate a power bar before our run and that’s it! We had spiral ham, baked beans, Grandma Dorie’s famous Indian fried chicken, pasta salad, potato salad, noodles with pork, chips with the yummy dip, fresh fruit and veggies….there were little cheesecakes and Texas sheet cake for dessert. I tried everything and it was totally awesome so I had to go back for seconds…ooohh, I was a little overstuffed!!! After eating, some of the family members performed…Kenzie and Bella did a choreographed dance, Brad played guitar and sang (played a song he wrote the night before and sang Hallelujah), Patrick played guitar, Derrick danced (he's as smooth as Chris Brown), Tiffany sang (she's sung the national anthem for the Seattle Mariners and is trying out for American Idol), Grandma Dorie recited a poem about getting old and even strummed Brad’s guitar….we took tons and tons of pictures of the entire family, of each individual family, of just my mom and her siblings (and grandma), just the grandkids and great-grandkids….we busted out the music and danced and acted silly. I even got Grandma Dorie to dance to hip hop music with me. I showed her some of my moves (not that I have any real moves) and she followed right along!! I was bumping with my cousin Chris....I have to say that our new family is totally awesome…every single person is absolutely great…they all value the importance of family all the way from the youngest to the oldest. I’m impressed at how close the family members are with one another and how respectful the children are…I thought most teenagers wanted nothing to do with adults, but not these guys!! I think they had as much fun hanging out as I did....I even tossed around a football with Derrick and Tyler...told them I throw like a girl, but they didn't seem to mind. Bella enjoyed taking pictures with my camera...I even kept several pictures she took...she may even be a photographer someday! Grandma Dorie called me over and gave me a beautiful beaded necklace that her mother made...it has a Kachina doll on it and is supposed to bring good luck (I can always use good luck)!! She also gave my mom some beaded jewelry and other items that were made by Grandma Dorie's mom. I feel honored that Grandma Dorie gave me a part of our family history....We called it a night when it got dark and the mosquitoes came out, but planned on meeting in the morning for breakfast before our trip back to the Midwest.

x

We all met at IHOP on Sunday morning...almost the whole clan showed up!!! We enjoyed each other's company for another couple hours. My new best friend Bella sat next to me and I told her she'd have to come back to Chicago with me if she didn't eat her breakfast...well...that bribe didn't work!!! In fact, not only did she NOT eat her breakfast, but she proceeded to tell everyone that she was coming home with me that day!! Bella (age 7) and Madalyn (age 6) would be quite a pair together...they both have mischievous personalities and are so freaking funny (just like Grandma Dorie)! They are very persistent and usually get what they want...I really would have taken Bella if home wasn't so far away! We said our goodbyes, gave hugs to everyone, but it totally didn't feel like goodbye. We're already making plans for our next visit and my home is open if anyone wants to come out this way to visit...we went to the airport, waited in the Delta Lounge...relaxed a bit then parted ways. My flight arrived 20 minutes early, so I was able to take an earlier bus back to Indiana...my bus also arrived 20 minutes early, so I ended up getting home about 2 hours before I planned!!! I was wearing my lucky Kachina necklace, so I have to attribute it to that!!! I had one of the BEST weekends ever...We went out to meet Grandma Dorie and ended up meeting 20+ new family members...what a wonderful experience. I'll never forget my trip out to Utah and am so thankful and blessed that I have such an awesome family. This truly is the start of a new chapter in life....

Nashville....

I normally don’t do this, but I wanted to document my first marathon in Nashville. Madalyn and I flew down to Nashville from Chicago on Thursday, April 24, 2008. I picked her up from school early and we rode the bus to Midway…we had some good daughter mother bonding time. Our flight to Nashville was a little bumpy, but overall a good flight. We sat next to the nicest man (a former tri-athlete) who helped Madalyn read the Spanish on the seat back and held on to her drink while she worked on her 1st/2nd grade workbook. I was mortified when she took off her Crocs and her feet were black! She was waving her feet all around and wouldn’t put her shoes back on. This guy was dressed in business attire and I was so afraid Madalyn’s filthy feet were going to touch him! Anyway, we picked up our luggage, took the shuttle to the Embassy Suites hotel and arrived around 8pm or so. My parents flew in from Michigan and arrived at the hotel around 9pm. I was starving, so we went down to the hotel restaurant and ate a late dinner. After dinner, we went to bed.

Friday, we got up and ate a huge breakfast…I ate a made to order omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, ham, black olives and cheese with a side of bacon and hash brown potatoes. I also ate a bowl of southern grits (yummy) and some honeydew melon (I wanted to get fueled up for the race). After breakfast, we headed over to the Marathon Expo. I picked up my race packet and changed my starting corral from a 4:30 finish time to a 4:00 finish time (corral 12 to corral 9). Then we walked through all the different vendors. OMG, I couldn’t believe how many people were there! I bought some Pure Fit power bars, a really cool fanny pack, called a “Spipack” to carry my small items during the race and an awesome MuscleTrac roller thing to loosen up my muscles. I also bought my mom and I key chains and magnets/stickers (13.1 and 26.2) so we can be reminded of our experience. My dad and Madalyn were getting tired, so they waited upstairs while we wandered around…we all called it quits after about 3 hours. After the Expo, we went to a free museum downtown. The security guard looked like Elvis, with huge lamb chop side burns!! There was a lot of cool stuff there…I actually enjoyed this museum and was fascinated by the way the early explorers lived and we even saw a 3,000 year old mummy! We made it back to the hotel in time for Happy Hour (which my dad needed after hanging out at the Expo and museum all day)! My parents enjoyed Happy Hour while I sat in the hot tub and watched Madalyn swim. I ate a late dinner of Lasagna and bread at the hotel, and after 7 seven hours on the road, Mike and Andrew joined us at the hotel around 9pm. After dinner, my mom and I organized our things for the race; I took a quick shower to shave my legs and hit the sack a little after 11pm.

The alarm went off at 4am on Saturday morning….it’s “go time”! I was already wearing my sports bra, so all I had to do was lube up with Body Glide, brush my teeth, wash my face and get dressed. I did all that & quickly ate a banana, but for some reason, we didn’t leave the hotel until around 4:40am. The plan was for my mom & me to drive the van and park at LP Field (where the Tennessee Titans play football) and take the free shuttle to the starting line. Mike, Andrew, Madalyn and my dad would take a cab later so they didn’t have to wake up so early. The drive from the hotel to the parking area should have taken 15 minutes, but it took an hour and 15 minutes. I drank a bottle of Gatorade and was working on a bottle of water not knowing I’d be in the car for over an hour. I had to pee so bad I couldn’t stand it and I was getting nervous that we’d miss the shuttle to the starting line (which was scheduled to stop running at 6am). We finally parked at 5:55am and ran over to the bus area…no time to use the port-a-potties!! I thought we’d have plenty of time by leaving so early and at this time I was afraid that we’d actually be late. We hopped on the bus (thank goodness because it was raining) and took what felt like the longest bus ride ever to the starting area. I ate an almond Pure Fit bar on the bus to top off breakfast and drank a few sips of water to wash down the dense and sticky power bar. My mission was to find a bathroom!! We got off the bus and followed the other runners toward the starting area. There was a huge row of port-a-potties (thank goodness)!!!! What I didn’t see at first was the crowd of about 2,000 people waiting to use them! I thought I was going to die…I even considered going in the bushes, but that was almost as crowded as the potty line. We waited and waited and this guy in front of us found a shorter line, so we quickly followed him. I was a bit relieved, but our line wasn’t moving very fast. Come to find out, one of the johns didn’t have TP. A girl behind me found someone with their own roll and asked for a little. She doled out a few squares to a couple of us. I ended up going in the potty with no TP and finally was able to pee (what a relief)….the only bad thing is that I also had to take care of business. The few squares of TP this nice girl gave me weren’t cutting it, so I had to tap into the stock of four tissues I had in my pocket. I ended up using all four tissues right off the bat hoping I didn’t need them later! Okay, now the bathroom mission was complete, the next thing on the agenda was to get to the starting line…it’s now about 6:55am and the race was scheduled to start at 7am! I’m practically knocking people over trying to get to corral 9. I made it just in the nick of time…I gave my mom hugs and kisses, handed her my hoodie and rain jacket and lined up behind the 4:00 hour pace group. I didn’t have time to get a good stretch in earlier, so I was trying to get my stretches in while waiting for our corral release.

Corral 9 took off around 7:15am…it’s now or never and with the craziness of the morning, I wasn’t sure my head was totally in it! I started out running with the pacer (I don’t know how those guys run for 26.2 miles carrying a little stick) and was feeling pretty good. We were right on pace for the first mile (8:59). We were running in the rain to start, but it didn’t matter because of all the built up excitement and adrenaline…the “rolling hills” didn’t even seem so bad at this point. I’m not sure when it stopped raining; I’m guessing round mile 2 or so…it was overcast and somewhat cool (50’s or 60’s)….good running weather. I wore my name on the front and back of my shirt and it was exhilarating hearing so many people cheering for me! A runner behind me commented on how popular I was and I said with a big smile, “I wonder why?” There was a college student passing out Country Music Marathon wrist bands shouting that he’d been up the last 48 hours studying (yeah right). Others were handing out tambourines and everyone rang red cow bells. At some point in the race, a group of people sitting in lawn chairs outside their house cheering everyone on had a huge sign with my name on it! It was even spelled the right way…even though it wasn’t meant for me, it was at that moment. I stayed with the 4:00 hour pack for about 4 miles, and then at the 4 mile mark, I felt really good (especially since I was going downhill). I struggle going up hills, so I was hoping that if I gained some ground, that I’d be able to keep up with them at the end. I was actually ahead of the pack (mile 5 - 8:44, mile 6 - 8:59). I kept hearing Ron Plantz’s voice saying “stick to your plan” and I thought I was doing so well that my plan was to put one foot in front of the other and keep running under a 9 minute mile….I even had visions of Boston in my head (I wasn’t really thinking straight). Well, that didn’t last long and at mile 7 I slowed down to a 9:15 pace and the pacer caught up to me (Mr. Steady Eddie). I hung with the group until about mile 12. Then the real fun began!
The ½ and full marathon courses split at about mile 11. The ½ marathoners went off to the right and the full marathoners went straight up a hill…oh the hills! I was starting to loathe them…they probably weren’t all that big, but my legs were getting really tired and the slightest incline was killing me! At this point I even thought that I’d turn right, go with the ½ marathoners and be done with the madness, but I kept on plugging along. The 4 hour group was getting farther and farther away, but according to my Garmin, my chances of a 4 hour marathon were still good. I wore a bracelet that gave me the time at each mile to accomplish a 4 hour finishing time. I also had the same information tattooed on my left arm and as a back-up a 4:15 finishing time table on my right arm. I was actually on target until about mile 16. The spectators had thinned out and it seemed like more than a mile would go by when I’d see the next band. Some bands were really good, some were bad (too loud and too much rock). I actually enjoyed the country bands even though I’m not a big country music fan. I think somewhere around mile 12 I saw the runners from corral 1 running by me (in the opposite direction). I marked the time (1:43) and remembered a building (some Packaging company) and 1 hour and 6 minutes later I passed the same building (around mile 18)! Whoa, they were running fast! The high school cheer leaders were awesome…I loved them. They’d cheer real loud and even ran with some of the runners. A lot of them would shout out my name real loud all at the same time. There was even a group of nuns cheering us on, then a “holy water” station right after (of course at the top of a hill). I needed all the help I could get at that point! I saw a blind guy running the full marathon with a guide. The guide was in the front and held onto two horizontal white poles while the blind guy held the poles behind him. How amazing is that! Sometime before mile 16 we went off the road and onto a paved trail…it was really desolate at that point…just runners and volunteers and a couple spectators here and there. Some lady tried talking to me and she said this was her 5th marathon; her personal best was something like a 4:26 and said she wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace. I didn’t feel much like talking, but I told her this is my first marathon…she gave me some encouraging words and I wished her well and started to walk. Shortly after that, I was getting the feeling that I was going to have the “runner’s trots”. I had eaten 2 chewable Imodium tablets before the race started and I had two more in my pack. Fortunately, there was a row of port-a-potties right when we came out of the trail (someone was looking out for me)! I ran to the nearest one and took care of business and thank goodness there was ample TP!! This is the first time I stopped moving for about 2 ½ hours…even with this minor break, I ran an 11:28 mile. I ate the remaining two Imodium tablets in hopes that they’d cover me for the last 10 miles….I was out of tissue and now out of Imodium! The next four miles were a blur and after the potty stop, my hope of a 4 hour marathon was gone. I started referring to my right arm which had the 4:15 finishing table on it. I tried to think of so many positive things, like my family (Mike, the kids, my parents), my friends and co-workers (you know who you are) and even asked for Jennie Hamilton’s help. I trained with my friend Tracy (who just ran the Boston Marathon in 3:49) and I was really missing her company. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get rid of the pain and I really wanted to be done! I knew I had blisters on my feet, my left leg hurt from my ankle up to my knee (I’ve been contending with plantar fasciitis, shin splints and knee problems), then my pelvic bone felt like it was splitting in half and the outside of my hips bones hurt so bad I could hardly run. Going around a corner at around mile 18, the nicest lady spectator cheered me on and said, “You’re almost there Kristi, you’ll be so happy when you cross the finish line”. I acknowledged what she said and started to cry, although no tears came out...those words carried me a while and kept me going. A little bit after that, I actually ate a packet of salt! It wasn’t even that bad especially since I chased it down with some water…what the heck, while in Rome, do what the Romans do….I then saw Mike, Andrew, Madalyn and my dad right before mile 20. I gave them high fives and I got all choked up again.

Okay, so everyone says the first half of the marathon is the 1st 20 miles and the second half is the last 6 miles. This couldn’t be more true!!! To make things even more challenging, the sun decided to come out to raise the temperatures (I could have used a little rain at this stage in the game). The last six miles looped around some park. We ran to the park, ran around a lake or pond, then back out of the park to LP Field. Going in and out of the park, the runners passed one another, so when I was at mile 22, I could see the 25 mile marker on the other side and boy I couldn’t wait to get to that other side! At one point when I started to walk, another nice lady runner said, “Come on Kristi, I know you can do this. I’ve been watching you for a long time.” I tried to pick it back up when I could and I’d pass her, then I’d walk, then I’d pass her, then I’d walk and so forth. She also helped keep me going. At another point during the last six miles, there was a Hispanic couple running by me speaking Spanish and jingling tambourine bells. At this point, everything was getting on my nerves and I couldn’t take it any longer…I finally stopped and walked to get away from the noise (although this was probably an excuse for me to walk). Some cheerleaders were handing out candy and I grabbed a piece of Double Bubble…I popped it in my mouth, chewed about 3 times and realized it was too much of an effort to chew the hardest gum in the world, so I immediately spit it out toward the lake. I was actually getting pretty hungry at this stage in the race, and I had already eaten all four of my Clif Shot energy gels…all I wanted were some orange slices and there were none to be seen! After going around the lake, some volunteers were handing out apple slices and Jolly Ranchers…this would have to do, so I grabbed an apple slice and a green apple Jolly Rancher. The candy gave me something to distract me a little, but I still took walk breaks every few minutes. Even with all the walking I did, I was in good shape for a 4:15 marathon until mile 25, then all of a sudden the 4:15 pacer and her group went flying by me….my new mission was to finish, whether I walked, crawled or rolled across that finish line. When I passed the 25 mile marker, I got all emotional again, even though I only had just over a mile left, I didn’t think I could do it anymore, my eyes welled up, but no tears would come out. Some people were handing out beer at around mile 25…I seriously considered taking one, but passed up the offer…no amount of beer was going to numb my pain and I was too close to the end anyway…I think they were also passing out coffee at the end too….kind of weird! I was getting ready to walk again when some guy shouted out, “You only have 0.6 miles to go, you can do it!” I thought, there’s no way I’m walking now…I can’t cross that finish line walking, so I picked up the pace and gave it my all the last 0.6 miles. The crowd was yelling and cheering so loud. I ran so hard that I couldn’t feel anything anymore…as I crossed the finish line, a guy announced my name….wow, what an amazing feeling after all the craziness that just happened; it was just amazing. I’ll have to say that this was a very humbling experience for me because I am an overachiever and thrive on success, on meeting and exceeding my goals. I had my heart set for finishing in 4 hours (if you couldn’t tell from my narrative), but I’ll have to say that I’m very happy that I finished my first marathon in 4:21:12.

My family (Mike, Andrew, Madalyn, and my mom & dad) were there at the finish. They looked a little confused when I saw them and I think it was because I wasn’t jumping for joy. They asked if I was okay and I probably said no. My body hurt and I was starving! I needed something to eat, so I walked over to the tents to get some food. All I wanted were some orange slices and there were none to be seen…I guess I’ll need to bring my own oranges next time since that’s all I wanted to eat. Mike joined me while I ate a bagel and two little containers of peaches. I also found a little patch of grass so I could stretch. After a few minutes, I got up, grabbed a bottled water, had my picture taken with my finishing medal and walked over to my family. Before we left, I stopped over at the medical tent to have my blisters and knee taken care of. Thank goodness I had my Crocs because my feet were a mess…two really nice girls took care of my feet and wrapped an ice pack around my left knee. I grabbed my free beer as I hobbled over to the car.

My mom ran the half marathon. This was her first ½ marathon and she did awesome! She enjoyed every second of the race and I’m so proud that she accomplished her goal. In fact, she beat her time goal by about 15 minutes! She wanted to finish in 3 hours and she finished in 2:46:38. She was grinning ear to ear the whole day and she was celebrating in all of her pictures during and after the race. I’m so thankful that I was there with my mom for her first big race. She even carried her 13.1 mile keychain (the one I got her at the Expo on Friday) the whole way! She was able to survive on eating only one package of Jelly Belly Sport Beans and also avoided drinking the horrible tasting Accelerade. My mom now wants to run a full marathon….this running thing sure is addicting! I’m so very proud of you Mom!!

After we got back to the hotel, my mom and I relaxed on lounge chairs and iced our legs while Andrew and Madalyn swam. I debated on taking an ice bath, but I couldn’t bring myself to sit in ice cold water. After the kids were tired of swimming, we got around and went to Darfon’s Restaurant for dinner. I ordered grilled salmon…mmm, it was so good! Mike, my mom and I enjoyed a glass of Crane Lake Merlot and decided to have another, so I said, what the heck, I just ran a marathon, let’s order a bottle! At home, we can buy a bottle of Crane Lake wine for $3...it was so weird to see “cheap” wine on the menu of a nice restaurant for $20/bottle! After we finished dinner, we actually made it back to the hotel in time for Happy Hour! I had one more drink…what the heck; I just ran a marathon, right? That was my excuse and I was going with it for the rest of the night….it’s not every day that I run 26.2 miles and burn over 4,500 calories; I figured I deserved a treat! We went up to the hotel room; I played a game with the kids, and then went to bed relatively early.

My parents left at 4am on Sunday morning to catch their flight back to Michigan. Mike, the kids and I took our time getting around in the morning…we took advantage of the complimentary breakfast one more time, and then hit the road. We stopped in Kentucky on the way back to Indiana and took a cave tour at Mammoth Cave. It was a nice little side trip and we all enjoyed the sights of the caves. We arrived home at about 8pm Sunday night…back to reality and back to work on Monday. I’ve already been asked if I’m doing another marathon….without question, the answer is “YES”! I just need some time for my shin splints to heal and I’ll be back at it again. Now I know what it feels like to run a full marathon so my goal next time around is to figure out how to quarantine the pain and not allow it to beat me down. I will get a 4:00 hour marathon before I leave this planet…it may not be the next one, but with time and experience, I know I can do it!

Before I close, I want to thank everyone for your support. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people. I also have to thank my family for supporting my running...this is something I do for myself and it takes me away from you, but in the end it makes me a better person. I love you all more than you'll ever know....Mike, thanks for holding things together the last several months while I was working and running. Finishing this marathon really means a lot to me and again, I appreciate everyone's support, prayers, cheers and well wishes. "Don't follow your dreams; chase them" (quote by Richard Dumb).