All The Gory Details: My Nike Women's Marathon Race Report

Pre-Race
The wake up call from the front desk came at 5:00 am on Sunday morning. I (completely uncharacterisicly) hopped right out of bed and over to my massive pile of marathon stuff. I put on my marathon ensemble, posed for some pictures, and headed downstairs with Melissa to catch the Team in Training bus to Union Square. Well, we thought there was a bus, anyway. We got downstairs and realized that we were just walking down to the start with our teammates. At any rate, by 5:45 we were on our way. We arrived in Union Square, paid our first of many visits to the Porta Potties, and checked our gear. Then we shivered. For at least an hour, huddled together. It was freezing at the starting line.

It’s Go Time.
At 7:00, the gun went off. And we still stood there, huddled together, in our garbage bags, shivering. Finally, after about 15 minutes, they opened our corral and we began to walk towards the starting line. (No sense wasting those running miles before the actual start, right?) About 20 minutes after the gun went off, we crossed the starting line, and we were off! About a quarter mile in, we tore our garbage bags off and we were ready to take the race head on. We were all smiles, in utter disbelief that the marathon had actually started. How did this day come so soon? Wasn’t it just yesterday we were sitting in line at a concert, coming up with this crazy plan? And certainly training just started a week ago. Yet, here we were, running in San Francisco, ready to take on 26.2 miles. It was an energizing, happy feeling.

Bliss: Miles 1 – 6.
The run started off towards Fisherman’s Wharf. Miles 1 – 6 were a happy blur. We ran along the Wharf, past Ghiradelli Square, and saw the Golden Gate Bridge with a beautiful, mountainous backdrop. Melissa, Lauren, and I didn’t talk much during these miles. I spent my time concentrating on keeping a slower pace than I thought I needed, soaking up the moments, and coming to the realization that it was race day, and I was, in fact, running a marathon. We passed several clumps of spectators, including a church choir. I was feeling happy, calm, and confident.

Oh, Is That All The Hills Are?/Somebody Make the Half-Marathoners Go Away: Miles 6 – 11
Everyone tells you the big hills in San Francisco will be bad. Surprisingly, we didn’t mind these hills. I didn’t love them. They were steep, that’s for sure, but there was an end in sight. Somehow, a huge incline doesn’t seem too bad, if you can look up and see that it will end soon. We ran/walked up the hills as best we could. I was confident that even if the hills slowed us down, we could make up the time in the less hilly back half of the course.

During the hills, we did develop a strong dislike for the half marathon walkers. (Sorry if any of you are reading this!) Many of them walked in large groups, and as the hills narrowed the course, they seemed to line the enitre trail, making running without weaving nearly impossible. During miles 10 and 11, we were counting down the seconds until the half marathoners dissappeared. I was ready for a little breathing room.

Wait, Come Back, Halfers & I Hate Trees: Miles 11 – 15
Right around mile 11.5, the marathon and half marathon courses split. As soon as the half marathoners left, I regretted my disdain for them. I wanted them back. Did I mention we’re slow runners? Well, apparently some of the only people around us were the half marathon walkers. Suddenly, about 80% of the people around us dissappeared. The spectators all seemed to be cheering the halfers on to the finish. Nobody seemed to care that we had 10+ miles to go. We were surrounded by trees, flowers, and nature. It was deafeningly quiet. We could hear crickets chirping.

It was horrible. I cursed the trees. I cursed the slow, steady incline that had no end in sight. I said I never wanted to see another tree again. I blamed Jon (who had visited this part of the course, Golden Gate State Park, the day before) for telling me this part was beautiful. I cursed the spectators for not cheering for us. I wanted to hear noise, to see a familiar face of someone who wasn’t running alongside me, to see something other than nature. I couldn’t wait to get out of this part of the course, to see something different, to see other people – even if they were running towards the finish line. I was having a total mental meltdown.

Happy Again: Mile 15
Just before the 15 mile mark, we saw our husbands! It was one of my happiest moments on the course. They chatted with us, encouraged us, gave us Jolly Ranchers, and assured us that the forest was almost over. I felt energized. I was ready to take on the rest of the course. I was ready for a good time for this course. 6:30, perhaps?

Porta Potty Lady: Bad Times Around Mile 15.5 – 16.
Just after we left the boys, we got ready for yet another Porta Potty stop. As I was exiting the facilities, someone nearby glanced at her watch and said, “Ugh. We better get going if we’re going to make the cutoff.” Cutoff? What cutoff?
“Excuse me?”
“The cuttoff. You have to be at Mile 18 ¾ by noon, or you don’t get to finish the race.”
[Insert angry yelling, screaming, cursing, and angry discussions with Lauren and Melissa here.]
We knew nothing of a cutoff. We read every piece of literature given to us by Nike, TEAM, every e-mail, every packet, scoured the website. Nobody said anything about a cutoff. We were prepared to be off the course in 6.5 – 7 hours. We were NOT prepared to be to mile 18 ¾ by noon – especially because we didn’t get to start until 7:20. We were livid.

Run, Run, Run, As Fast As You Can: Mile 15 3/4ish – 18 ¾.
But, in our groggy, marathoning, frustrated state, we came up with a plan. We had 30 minutes to cover about 3 miles. There’s no way we come close to that at our normal pace. So, we did the only thing we could do. We “sprinted.” To those of you who are speedy or who run shorter distances, a 6:2 Run/Walk at an average pace of 10:00/mile doesn’t sound like a sprint. To the three of us, who had just run 15 miles on hills, and are used to a 6:2 Run/Walk at about a 13:00 – 14:00/mile pace? It was agony. We about doubled our run pace and walked as fast as we normally run.

A little bit into our spriting, we ran past a TNT coach. “Is it true that there’s a cutoff ahead?” I shouted. She shouted back that yes, there was a cutoff, and we better hurry if we were going to get there. Super. Just the encouragement we needed. We commenced sprinting and cursing, simulateously.

Any distance runner knows, and those of you who aren’t runners certainly could have guessed, that picking up the pace by 3 – 4 minutes per mile in the middle of a 26.2 mile run is not the best strategy. It was absolutely awful. A few hundred feet away from the cutoff, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I could see the blue chip timing mats waiting for me, but I just didn’t know how I was going to get there. That’s when my first angel of the day found me. I don’t even know his name. A TEAM coach in a green and purple jacket found me crying, speed walking towards the cutoff. He assued me that I had plenty of time, beautiful walking form, and that I would make the cutoff. In between sobs, I told him the story of my Chicago run last year, and how afraid I was that I wouldn’t make it in time. He walked me all the way to the cutoff, where I met up with Lauren and Melissa, who had run ahead.

We celebrated, and then continued hating the cutoff.

A Long, Cold Walk: Miles 19 – 21.
This was the part of the race that was supposed to be easier. The hills subsided for a while, and we just had to do a little loop around the Bay, back to the Pacific. Piece of cake, right? Yeah. Not if you just finished an all-out sprint. We cursed. Our feet hurt. Our hips hurt. Everything hurt. We’d just blown any chance of spending the last miles of the race happy… and we knew it. We were mad, mostly, that we had been caught off guard by the cutoff. Had we only known, we would have run a different race.

We walked slowly, agonizingly over these miles. We were mad. We talked about how mad we were. Melissa started jogging a few times, and I was afraid we were going to lose her. Turns out she just needed to do something different than walking to keep her muscles going. Lauren and I jogged up to her, and we thought we’d try to do a 2:6 Run/Walk. We decided against that during the 6 minute walk.

We got passed by the “end of race” cop car. We got to timing chip pads as they were tearing them down. We got to food/water stations to watch them clean up and to be handed the last few glasses of water or Gatorade. (They did have chocolate left at the Chocolate Mile, thank God.) There were no spectators to be seen. We were lonely, we were sore, and we were angry. It was miserable.

We did the only thing we could do. We found a Porta Potty and stopped for yet another bathroom break.

An Angel Named “Mama Lisa”: Miles 21 – 24.5.
In line for the Porta Potty, I noticed Melissa sitting down on the curb, stretching and crying. Seeing her tears made me cry again, too. A TNT Coach ran by with some of her team, and hugged us both tight after checking to make sure we were okay. At that point, I did the only thing I knew how to do. I prayed. I cried and prayed. I didn’t have a clue how we were going to do 5.2 more miles. We were really struggling, and it seemed like a long way.

And there she was. Mama Lisa. A coach for the TNT Bay Area, this woman saved us. I’m not sure we would have made it to the finish line without her. A spunky little woman, Lisa said, “Oh, baby, don’t cry. Come on, we’re going to do this thing. Let’s go. Come on.” She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She had us laughing. She told us stories about being cutoff from a 100-mile race, and stories of her 86 year old friend Helen, who is still running marathons. Somehow, Mama Lisa managed to do all these things without making our task or worries seem insignificant. She was the perfect, encouraging distraction.

Almost There: Miles 24.5 – 26.
Around mile 24.5, we caught up with my worried husband, who was thrilled to see us in one piece. We were hobbling along with Mama Lisa, still slightly annoyed, but in a better place overall. He walked and talked with us, as we made our way closer to Melissa’s husband, Jim, and Lauren’s fiance, Kenny. When we reached the other boys, Mama Lisa went on her merry way, back to usher in some more runners who needed an angel.

Late in mile 25, the giant blister taking over my baby toe decided to pop and I screamed in pain. I felt like my foot was on fire, and the finish line seemed a long way away. I grabbed on to Melissa for support, and as the finish line drew nearer, we kicked out the boys and decided to have our own finish.

Sweet Victory: The Last .2.
Our hands clasped together tightly, Melissa and I began to run. This was it. The finish line. Pink’s “So What” was blaring from speakers, a man with a microphone announced, “From the Land of Lincoln, it’s Lauren and Melissa, coming in at 7:15!” (Our clock time, not our chip time). I was sobbing. A marathon finish line – I was finally realzing a long-time goal. Along the sides of the finish line were tuxedo-clad fireman with silver platters of blue Tiffany & Co boxes. My heart surged with pride as I was handed a pretty blue box with a white bow. I’d done it. I had a medal. A real medal. Not a pity medal, a medal I earned.

I haven’t taken the medal off since.

The Calm Before the Storm

Saturday Night: October 18, 2008



Although this was my second Team in Training event, I’d never made it to the pre-race pasta party before. Since we were travelling to this race, and the pasta party has just two blocks away, this seemed like a great time to start. We walked in to crazy cheers and hollers from the TEAM Staff & Coaches, frantically looking for someone to give us a ticket for Melissa’s husband. It was a bit of a zoo until we finally got his ticket. But we finally found a kind person, grabbed our husbands, found a table, and got food. The pasta was actually really good. Maybe it only tasted good because I’d been warned so much about how bad it would be, I wasn’t expecting much… but I really enjoyed it.

More fabulous than the pasta was the speaking line-up they had. The first person to speak, and the one to introduce all the other speakers, was John Bingham. He was phenomenal. He was funny, motivating, inspiring. All of the runners were in hysterics when he was speaking. Next up – none other than Joan Benoit Samuelson. Wow. I still can’t believe I heard her speak. (For those of you who aren’t runners, or are too young to know who she is – Joan Benoit Samuelson was the first Women’s Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist.) Finally, a survivor/TNT participant told her story and had the room in tears. It was a good night, and got us even more pumped for race day.

We returned to the hotel room, and Melissa and I laid out everything we needed for race day. Shoes? Check. Singlet? Check. Garbage back to huddle under? Check. We each took over a good amount of floor space just making sure we had all we needed. Then, we kicked the boys out of the room, rented a girly movie, and climbed in our beds around 8:00. We needed all the rest we could get before the big day. It was hard to believe marathon day was almost here…

San Fran Pictures :)

Race report coming soon....

26.2

We did it.

One week to go...

One week from now, I'll (hopefully) be resting up by the Pacific Ocean, wearing my coveted Nike Marathon Finisher shirt and a Tiffany necklace. Marathon day seems so close, and yet a week seems like such a long time to wait to finally accomplish a goal that I've been waiting two years to achieve.

My emotions have been all over the place this week. One minute I'm excited, the next I'm petrified. On Thursday, I met up with Lauren to get my race packet. I opted out of the TEAM run last weekend in favor of my yard sale fundraiser, so I wasn't there for packet pick-up. Just having my packet in hand -- airline ticket to San Francisco, TNT singlet, course information, pasta party tickets, transportation wristband -- it started to become real. It's marathon time. I was thrilled, thinking about the work I'd put in, knowing I could make it. Chicago's 6.5 hour time goal seemed looming for a girl who is built for distance, not speed, but Nike's 8 hour time limit? Piece of cake.

Then I got the bright idea to actually read my race information. As it turns out, Nike only "kind of" has an 8 hour time limit. Walkers who walk at a 15 minute/mile pace or slower get an early start time of 6:30 am. At this time, police escorts ensure that nobody goes faster than 15 min/mile. All early participants must walk. Everybody else starts at 8:00 and has 6.5 hours to finish the course. This sent me into panic mode for a while. Yes, I trained for Chicago last year. Yes, I trained to be off the course in 6.5 hours. But have you looked at the elevation map for the Nike Women's Marathon? When it looks something like this...

...it's nice to be able to say, "It's okay. We have 8 hours to finish this baby." Look at all those hills. Yikes.

I was anxious about what to do, and quite frankly, it's still running around in my mind at times (no pun intended). Do I e-mail Nike and say, "Oops, I wrote a faster time, but I really need those 8 hours"? It sounds like a good idea, except that part about missing the "real" start and having to walk for at least the first hour and a half of the race. That's not exactly the race experience I've been training for. But then, what if we don't do that? What if we say, "We're fine, we can do it," and we can't. What if I need 7 hours? 6 hours and 45 minutes? Look at those hills.

Most of the time, I'm confident that I can do 26.2 in 6:30:00. After Chicago 2007, though, I can't help but have nagging doubts. What if it's hot out? What if it's cold out? What if the hills are worse than everybody says they are? I'm trying my best to push those thoughts out of my mind. I've run. I've trained. And I can do this.

Today I volunteered at the Chicago Marathon. The volunteering part, to be honest, was awful. It involved waking up at 4:10 am, finding out the volunteer jackets wouldn't be there until we got back from our post, being cold, guiding spectators with little to no information to guide them with, and returning to a jacket two sizes larger than requested. Lame. Jon really likes his new Dry-Fit running jacket though.

It was nice to be around the crowds, feel the energy and excitement of race day, and get pumped. I was so energized by everyone around me, and excited to think about my race day. Blanka and Cal finished in a fabulous 5:01:58, and I enjoyed running with my favorite LadyBird for the last 5 or so miles. I'll let her give her own race report, though. :)

What I didn't expect was how emotional I would get on the course. After we finished volunteering, Melissa and I met up with Jon and his dad at mile 13. I immediately started tearing up. Mile 13 is where it started to get tough for me last year... just before the race was cancelled. I remembered walking a lot at that point, seeing my family and just being thrilled that they were there. I remembered my dad saying, "I just decided I'm doing a half marathon today. Want to join me?" I remembered the determination I felt to get to the finish line. And I remembered how crushed I was just a few miles later, being re-routed through the finish line... backwards... having only completed part of the race. I was surprised how difficult it was, at first, to be there again.

I quickly got caught up in the crowds and cheered things like, "go shirtless guy," "go TEAM," and "go (insert name here)." I loved cheering the runners along. We saw Blanka and Cal running away, and decided to go separate ways. Jon and his dad headed for the finish area, mile 26. Melissa and I hopped on the red line to Chinatown and settled ourselves just before the 35k mark. We camped out and cheered for quite some time before we saw Cal and Blanka heading by again. I ran over to the, water in hand, to check in and see how things were going. They were doing great! Cal was really upset (to put it mildly) that a spectator got in his way and he managed to lose his timing chip in the process. $30 and an official time down the drain -- not exactly a dream come true for a first marathon. Reguardless, they were looking tough.

We camped out some more until we saw Barb come by. We ran with her until mile 26... trying to lift spirits, make her laugh, and oh yeah, trying to keep my jeans from falling down. There's a reason nobody goes out to run in jeans. Next time I'm a spectator, I'm wearing running clothes! I also ran into a BP to buy a huge container of salt. :) It was a fun, emotional five miles. And once again, little twinges from last year came back to me. If I thought too much, my mind wandered to, "I never got to run this part last year. So, this is what the end of the race feels like." After all those nagging feelings today... there is no way I'm not running Chicago next year. Then again, maybe I should get through marathon #1 first.

When we got home tonight, Jon and I watched Spirit of the Marathon, a documentary about the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Between the movie and the day's events, I'm feeling pumped for next week. I'm trying to ignore any nagging doubts. My plan is just to hydrate all week, read up on San Francisco, stock up on SportBeans, Body Glide, and Gatorade, relax, and get ready to enjoy my very first marathon finish line.

I can't wait.

HUGE YARD SALE FUNDRAISER

Huge Yard Sale
Saturday noon - 5pm, and Sunday 10am - 4pm.
All proceeds benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Housewares, clothing, furniture, children’s items, sports gear, and so much more…

Highlights include:
· Couch
· Bar stools
· Radio Flyer wagon
· Foosball Table
· Lamps
· TV with remote
· Stereo
· Knock-off designer purses
· Framed prints
· Dry-fit running shirts
· Children’s & adult clothing in all sizes

1522 Crabtree Drive, Crystal Lake.
Less than 2 miles west of Randall Road.

Marathon training simply put...

http://wordle.net/

20 Miles. Perfect Weather. Excellent Training. What Could Go Wrong?

Everything. And no, I'm not being dramatic. Literally everything.

Last night was a fabulous lead-in. A fundraising, carbo-loading, pasta party. I had a great time surrounded by friends and family, and was really getting excited for my big twenty miler. Melissa and I agreed to try to get to the Lakefront by 5:00 am. Early? Yes. But it was supposed to get hot today, and we really wanted to beat the heat.

Around 3:30, I remember my alarm going off. I heard it, and thought, "Eh, I can hit snooze once. Twenty minutes and I'll be ready to go." The next thing I remember is Melissa knocking on my door at 4:10. Wake up call. Oops. That was the first thing to go wrong. I let Melissa in, and ran around the house getting ready as quickly as possible. Jon filled up my water bottles for my fuel belt last night, so I just had to grab them out of the fridge, grab my fuel belt, and I'd be ready to head out the door. Just one problem -- I couldn't find my fuel belt. I spent a good 45 minutes tearing my house apart before I decided I was just going to have to deal with losing last year's belt. (#2)

We finally make it to the Lakefront at 6:00, which was okay. We were still early, even if not quite as early. We did 3 miles before I had to ditch the old belt. It was rubbing, poking, and causing chafing after only three miles. No way was I going to risk dealing with that for 17 more miles. (#3) I reasoned that there are lots of water stations and water fountains along the course, and I'd take it easy and stop for water every single time. We realized it was getting close to 7:00 and we were still in the parking lot, so we did 2 more miles and joined the TEAM for our mission moment. We even got a prize (Melissa got a hat) for driving the farthest to get there. Things were starting to look up.

As we headed out to run, Melissa found $10 on the ground. Sweet! A donation to my fundraising! (Melissa met her goal already.) Things were really starting to turn around. What I should have noticed at the time was that the good things were happening to Melissa. Things had not, in fact, started to look up for me.

As we started off our sixth mile, I overheard two fellow TNT'ers talking about how funny it was that their "kids" didn't understand that they couldn't, and weren't going to win the marathon. I chimed in, "My students ask me about that all the time!" Turns out they were both teachers. We seemed to be running at a similar pace as these ladies, although their ratio was 8:2 and ours 6:2. We passed eachother back and forth for a while, before they said, "We're just going to run with you." This was the one part of my day that went well. Miles 7 - 13, with our new friends Carly and Ann beside us, were a blast. We told funny stories, laughed, and enjoyed the company of new friends. We lost track of the miles. It was so much fun. We even found out that Carly and I went to the same high school, and Ann a high school in a neighboring district. We're trying to bully these ladies into running with the North Team... instead of the West Team next year. :)

I did, however, notice that I was constantly thirsty during these miles. I lived for waterstops and water fountains. (#4) I began stealing sips of water from Melissa and my new friend, Carly. (Carly's justification: we're both teachers. We have all the same germs.) And then, ever so slowly between mile 13 - 13.5, my legs began to get very heavy. (#5) Just before mile 14, my calves started to tighten worse than I've ever felt, in any run, ever. (#6) I tried walking with different strides to stretch them out, as it's not advised to stop and stretch during a run. When that didn't work, I tried to gently stretch my calves. I squatted to try to stretch, just a little. Bad idea. I felt the most intense tightening of muscles I've ever felt. (#7)

It was then that we ran into one of the West Team coaches. Melissa & Carly explained what was going on, and she said, "You have two choices. I wish I had cab money to give you, but I don't." Melissa chimed in, "We found $10 on the ground this morning. I have it." From then on, I apparently only had one choice. "Go get a cab. If your 18 miler was good, this is not worth it. Get in the cab. You are well trained. You need to get a cab. You need to take care of yourself. Pushing it could mean not making it to race day. Get a cab." When she found out I was training for Nike and not Chicago, she became even more persistent, because I do have the option for a 20 miler (or another long run) next weekend. Although I can be stubborn, I know when to listen to someone who knows more than I do. So I took my $10 and got a cab back to the parking lot. (#8)

I felt so defeated driving down Lake Shore Drive, looking at all the runners, following the route I should have been running. I knew I made the right choice, but I was heartbroken.

I got to the parking lot, where I was happy to see Athletico trainers. I got stretched out, drank lots of water, called my parents and Jon crying, got some pep talks, and started to feel a little better. A little over an hour later, I watched Melissa come running in, beaming. I'm so proud of her for knocking off her first twenty like it was nothing.

I felt okay driving home, but could feel my leg muscles tightening again. By the time I got home, I could feel myself going downhill again. I spent all day today bundled in way more layers of clothing than were appropriate in 80 degree weather, shivering. I couldn't get my heartrate to slow to a normal resting heartrate. I was exhausted, and my head would not stop pounding. My neck and back were throbbing. Apparently I was a lot more dehydrated than I thought. I'm finally doing better, sitting on the couch and resting up.

Despite the fact that 8 more things than should have gone wrong, did... I'm at peace with today. I made a good choice. And I suppose I can look on the bright side: feeling the pain in my legs today told me what pain to push through, and when to call it a day. Today, I needed to call it a day. All I can do is chalk this one up to experience.

29 days till the Nike Women's Marathon.

Rain, rain go away...

A runner should always train in all kinds of weather. You never know if race day will bring rain or sunshine, heat or cold. This morning, I ignored that good thinking. I woke up with a horrible cold... and I decided, with the 20 miler on the horizion for next Saturday, I wasn't doing myself any good if I got more sick.

Here's to orange juice and getting better soon!

18 is a lot of miles. But what a good reason to run.

It's weird to see how your thoughts change during the course of marathon training. At the beginning of the season, those big runs seem looming. 16, 18, 20 miles? Somehow an 18 or 20 mile training run seems a whole lot bigger than the 26.2 race day. At least on race day there are tons of people out there cheering. But doing 18 miles on a Saturday morning, just to prepare your body for an even bigger task? Sometimes it's still hard for me to fathom that I go out and run double-digit miles, only to feel achy the next day. There are no medals for training runs, no spectators cheering you on. And yet. We do it. We wake up at 4:00 am, just to be at the Lakefront Path by 5:30 so we can beat the afternoon heat. We fight out 18 miles, because we believe in a cause, and we believe that we can do 26.2.

The last few weeks of training, I've really been thinking about the reason that I run. Last weekend, at our cutback week 12-miler, my teammates and I listened to an especially powerful Mission Moment. (Misson Moments are given by cancer survivors, families of Patient Honorees, or those who have had their lives touched by our mission.) Two fellow TNT participants got up to share their story. A leukemia survivor, she was looking for a way to celebrate her recovery. 26.2 miles fit the bill, and what better way to do it than to fundraise for TNT? However, she didn't want to set out on her journey alone. After pestering everyone she knew to run with her, finally, her husband's good friend agreed. They ran their first marathon together, and a few years later, he is now undergoing chemotheraphy and radiation treatments. And yet I still see him out there, week after week, training for his event. After they spoke, my coach asked all the survivors we have training with us to raise their hands. Over half my team proudly raised their hands up high. I was taken aback. I always knew we had survivors out there with us, but I didn't realize just how many.

My dad and aunt ran 4 marathons with TNT almost a decade ago. In 2001, the first survivors started being able to come out and train for TEAM. Now, just seven years later, nearly half of the participants I see on a daily basis are survivors. The cure rates are soaring higher. It's really unbelieveable to see. I love being a part of something like this. And yet, there are still stories like several of our patient honorees this season. Yesterday, September 6, would have been Fabian's 12th birthday. At our training run, his mom sent up balloons and the team sang "Happy Birthday." We know he was looking down on us, proud of our accomplishments yesterday. We run because there are still stories like Fabian's, and Nicholas (another honoree who lost his fight). And TEAM will keep running until there are no more sad stories. Only happy ones.


Yesterday's 18 miles were full of emotion. When we hit the path at 5:45, all I could think was, "Why did I think that a burrito was a good dinner before a long run?" That thought played over and over in my head for about the first 4 miles. With two good friends beside me, though, we stopped counting every.single.mile and just chatted. It was a beautiful day to be out running, and there was so much to see at the Lakefront yesterday. We saw the setup for Flugtag, a UIC swimming and diving event, and ran part of the way tangled with runners from the 5k Lung Run. The many distractions helped us forget just how many miles we had to conquer.

It wasn't until miles 17 and 18 that we really started to wish it was over. And that's how training goes. You're really strong until you get to the longest distance you've run before. So those 16 were fabulous, but those last 2... well... we were able to keep running because we knew we had to. It didn't hurt to know there was the Patient Honoree Picnic at the end -- with more post-run goodies than I've ever seen.

And because it was such a good run, I won't even talk about the fact that when we were ready to go home, we were parked in by one car in the front, and two in the back. It was that good of a day.

12... in the sun

12 miles in the sun is so much better than 12 in the rain. It's insane how much easier it is to "step down" than "step up."

:o)

So it really was longer...

It's true! The race was too long... which means I probably had a sub-3 hour half marathon!

I don't know if I should be happy or disappointed. I'm happy that the extra length, making it about 13.27 miles instead of 13.1, would have tacked on about 2 minutes to my time. (About 1:23 per .1 mile) But I'm bummed that on paper the time is always going to be 3:01. Is that lame? Probably.

However, the Chicago Marathon was a mess last year. So, this, to date, is my longest official race. Kind of annoying that it still had issues.

San Fran better get their act together before we show up! ;)

Chicago Distance Classic: Race Report

On Sunday, I think I woke up earlier than I ever have. I'm pretty sure I've stayed awake later than 3:30 am, but never actually set my alarm to wake up at that time. To me, that says my dedication to running is starting to reach insane levels. In 30 minutes, I was set to go and hopped in the car with my hubby to head to the city.

We arrived in Chicago WAY earlier than we needed to be there, which was really nice. We made it down to the city around 5:20, were able to find cheap parking, and I sat in the car, lacing up my shoes and getting ready for a good race. We stopped for a bagel and then headed to the Hilton Chicago to sit in the lobby, relax, and get ready. Although it was an early start, I was really happy to have the time to just chill pre-race.

By the time 6:00 rolled around, I was ready to roll. I met my running buddy, Lauren, and we were off in search of the starting line. We found the 2:45 pace group and set ourselves somewhere around there. And then the waiting began. CDC did a "wave start" this year. So the first bunch of people were let out, and then we waited. And then another group, and we waited some more. You get the idea. Around 7:00, we finally began our race.

Miles 1 - 2 were stellar. I was loving the race, enjoying the city sites, and happy to be out there. Miles 3 -6 on Lake Shore Drive were kind of... well... annoying. Most races in Chicago are advertised as being "flat." It's why so many people use the Chicago Marathon to qualify for other races, like the Boston Marathon, and set records. Chicago is known for flat, fast courses. All of the miles on Lake Shore Drive were on highway entrance/exit ramps. Not really enough of an incline to be called hills, but just enough of an incline to be really annoying for the first several miles of the race. By the time we got off the highway, I'd had enough.

Warning: Too Much Information Ahead...
Another "special" part of the first half of our race was the porta potty stop. I've already mentally blocked out most of it, so I don't have any idea where it was along the course. All I have to say is, if you have to go, go... but please don't poop ON the seat. The idea is to get it in the toilet. *shudder* It was truly one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. This was, of course, after waiting in line for 10 minutes for this potty. So you know I had to suck it up, stay towards the front of the seat, and just go. The whole stop was annoying because there clearly were not enough bathrooms, so it added lots of minutes to our time. In a 13.1 mile race, a 10 minute potty break is nearly 1 minute per mile! This did not make me happy.

Miles 6 - 7 were fun. I was happy to be turning around and on the Lakefront Path. The breeze was wonderful and Lake Michigan was beautiful.

I like to call Miles 7 - 9 "Where is the mile marker?" During almost all of Mile 7, I was looking for the Mile 8 sign. Once I saw that, I think the running mantra in my head was, "Just make it to 9... just make it to 9..." For some reason, 5 miles still sounds like a huge chunk in my head. However, when Lauren and I made it to Mile 9, we celebrated. 4 miles left! Hooray. We decided that for some reason, there's a huge difference between 4 and 5 miles.

Mile 9 is about the time the tiny nagging pain on my baby toe started to get a little worse. I knew I was going to have a blister there. We kept on, though. At Mile 11ish, we saw our fabulous TNT Coach, nicknamed by my dad as "Fast Eddie." Ed ran with us for a while and really helped lift our spirits and keep our pace consistent. We were in good spirits to finish the race. We also saw my husband and Lauren's boyfriend at Mile 11 1/2 ish. They were waving "Go Lauren" signs and looking content.

The last mile was the best. We ran all out and were really looking forward to the end... and food. For some reason I was really hungry for the last 2 - 3 miles of this race. I didn't do anything different pre-race except the early wake up call. My guess is that my body needed more food since I'd been awake for longer.

As we rounded the corner to the finish line, we could hear the speakers blaring the "Rocky" theme. Lauren and I laughed out loud and ran hard the rest of the way in. It was a fun finish. And then... immediately to the bananas! Yum! I got my penguin medal, and was really pleased with the race we'd run. Lauren's watch said we'd finished in about 2:50. (She stopped the clock for about 3/4 of the brutally long potty break.) Official time was 3:01:35. I've heard rumblings that the course was .3 - .5 miles longer than it should have been, and I know our potty break slowed us up, so although it was slower than my goal... I'll take it.

3:30 am.

That's the time we're waking up tomorrow morning to make it to the CDC in time.

Ouch.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

I was so excited for my run this morning. I was going to get up and run before work, and my training schedule only had a 20 minute run listed! A perfect way to start the day. I did not, however, check the forecast before I went to bed last night.

Jon left as I was getting ready to get up and run. About 5 minutes later I got a phone call. "The sky is black, it's thundering and lightening, and the wind is really bad. You probably don't want to run in this." Now, I can do rain. We just did 12 miles in the rain! I can do wind. But I refuse to do thunderstorms. I'm not going out in that just for 20 minutes.

It's days like these that I wish I had a treadmill in the house. I was really looking forward to my little run to start the day. Now I just feel lazy.

:(

CDC.

I just gave in.

I'll be running the Chicago Distance Classing 1/2 Marathon next weekend.


...hey... the registration fee is a small price to pay for running with one of my running buddies... :)

Just an Hour

It's amazing how the journey of marathon training makes you more than a little nuts. Yesterday's long run was only an hour -- a cutback week. Before training, if you told me to run an hour, it would have sounded horrible. Now, we actually cheer at training because our long run is "just" an hour. It's crazy how quickly it changes.

But ah, this week will be a doozy once it gets going. 14 miles this Saturday, and my training buddies will both be gone! Melissa is leaving me for Texas and Lauren's running the Chicago Distance Classic on Sunday, which takes care of her long run for the weekend. Lauren is supposed to still do 20 minutes on Saturday, so I'm trying to talk her into joining me for the last mile or two. I might need her!

Other than that, I'm just running along... fundraising like crazy to try to reach my $4k goal.

This Post Has Nothing to Do With Running

But I wanted to share some wedding pictures!

Hope you enjoy them :)

And credit where credit is due...
Hair: Jenn, Valentines Hair Salon
Makeup: Liz Quesnelle
Flowers: Colin Collette
Photography: Becky Hill

A Good Way to Start the Day

Sometimes, I'll admit, I get in slumps and don't do my weekday training. I know I shouldn't, but sometimes it feels really good to sleep in for an extra 30 - 40 minutes. On days like today, I think I must be crazy to ever miss a morning run.

I forgot how nice it feels to start the day with a run, instead of tack one on the end of a long day. It was a quiet, gray morning, and a nice little run. It was so energizing... I only needed a medium Diet Coke instead of a large on my way to work! Haha. :)

12 down.

I woke up this morning after four hours of sleep, looked outside, and saw pouring rain. No part of me wanted to get up and run 12 miles. Who would? But despite my incessant calling, the TNT North Team Hotline still let me know that we did have training today. Rats.

So, I suited up and got ready to face the rain. Despite my hesitation, it wasn't that bad! Certainly better than 90 degrees with humidity. The only real downside was when the rain slowed to a drizzle and the mosquitoes came out to feed on us.

Other than that? 12 miles down in about 3 hours. Slow? Yes. On pace for us? Yes.

Life is good.

I'm Back... and Married!

Yeah, I haven't posted in over a month. But I'm back and ready to go. Sorry for the lack of posting! Let's re-cap what's been going on that may have resulted in inattention to this blog.





June 7: Last day of my first year of teaching
June 17: My then fiance, now husband, had an emergency appendectomy
June 21: I got hitched!
June 25 - July 8: Honeymoon!
July 8: Rescued a 1.5 year old lab/collie mix, who may be the cutest dog ever.
July 10: Schaumburg Flyers Fundraiser

Yeah... it's been busy. But I've got 10 miles in the morning... on hills... and I'm ready to go!

Sinus Infection + Marathon Training =

Me being a total slacker.


But it's okay if the doctor told me to take it easy... right?



*sigh*

Do you like baseball? Read on...

Who: You, of course! (And anyone you'd like to bring!)

What: A Schaumburg Flyers game to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

When: July 10, 2008 at 7:05 pm

Where: Alexian Field, 1999 Springinsguth Rd, SchaumburgWhy: You pay face value for your tickets -- $10 each -- and all you have to do is show up and enjoy the game! $2 of each ticket purchased goes directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! What do you have to lose?

I'm heading up this fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training North Team. All of the LLS proceeds will go straight into our fundraising accounts for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, California! Please let me know if you'd like to attend and how many tickets you'd like. The Flyers are taking the money straight from my credit card... so you can just give me cash or check for your tickets. Hope to see all of you there! Feel free to pass this along to anyone you think might be interested.

If you have any questions or want to reserve your tickets, e-mail lauren.erbach@gmail.com

Reason #3,476 Why I Need TNT

On Saturday, it didn't fit into my schedule to make it out for the TEAM run. It was far away, and I had to be at my friend's house at 11:15 to get on a train to Chicago for my Bachelorette party. That doesn't mean I didn't run. What it does mean is I didn't run very well.

Melissa and I met up around 8:00 for our 1 hour run. I was so distracted it's a wonder we even finished. I was thinking about what I was going to wear later that day, whether everyone would be there on time, fundraising, anything but running. I just could not focus on what I was doing, and couldn't get in to that appropriately distracted mode where the miles just fly by. I missed running with my gaggle of girls and I missed running with the team.

I can't wait to hit the pavement on Saturday...

Cross-Training On Demand & Learning How to Stretch

Tuesday's workout this week called for 45 minutes of cross-training. I didn't feel like biking and I didn't know what else to do... so I turned on the TV and found something new: On Demand Fitness. I found a few Pilates workouts that added up to about 45 minutes and gave it a go. It was actually a pretty decent workout.

However, it got me thinking. How weird would it be to be someone who makes workout videos? They weren't even your typical workout videos, where it's like an instructor is leading a class and a camera crew just happened to show up. This was one lady, on a mat, spouting encouraging words to some camera guy. I find myself getting really irritated with their encouraging words. "You can do it!" "You're almost there!" "You're doing great!" How do you know I'm doing great? For all you know, I'm sitting on the couch, eating a Big Mac & fries, and watching you work out. But I digress...

Today's track workout was a blast. I'm glad I'm able to start all this stuff right away this season. I'm picking up on things I missed early in the season last year, like proper ways to stretch. Wow, I can already feel a difference from stretching today. Ran with two lovely TNT ladies tonight and loved every minute of it.

Patting Myself on the Back & Ditching the iPod for Saturdays...

First things first. I have to pat myself on the back. I am not a morning person by any means, and I forced myself out of bed for a solo morning run on Friday! No one to answer to but myself and I did it. Hooray! (I couldn't do an evening run because Dad and I went to see Jersey Boys, which by the way, was excellent.) I wasn't quite as even keel by myself... but I was pretty good. The dips are walking (I was run/walking at a 6:2 ratio), and most of my runs are even, but I have no idea what that spike at the beginning is. Perhaps I was feeling speedy?

Today was a 5 mile training run with TNT. Can I just say that I love my teammates? I ran with Melissa, Lauren, and an alumni, Miss Sue. Jennifer was with us for some of the time too. It's so nice to run with a group! And we rocked a 6:2 ratio with an overall 11:52 pace. Total time for 5 miles was 59:22. I'll take it. I didn't take the iPod/Nike+ out with me today, and I have to say, I really enjoyed chatting with the girls as we ran. As much as I'm addicted to the instant feedback of the Nike+, it was nice to just ignore everything and run. That is probably going to become my new Saturday mantra.

Ahhh. I know there will be setbacks, but I hope most of the season feels this good.

This is MY season.

I am already ten times the runner I was the last time I trained for a marathon. I can say that with utmost certainty. There are two huge differences this season that I think account for the change in my running. First, I'm making it out for ALL of my weekday training runs. I don't let myself make excuses anymore. I know I will be so much better prepared for my event if I train consistently. It also helps that I'm a mentor for TNT. If I'm laying the guilt on other people to train, I better be sticking to it myself, right?

The other noteable difference between the seasons? Training buddies. I feel like there are a lot more TNT'ers around my pace this year, and I'm taking full advantage of running with other people. Today I hit the pavement with Lauren, one of my mentees. I'm pretty sure we run at the exact same pace. We did a 6:2 run/walk ratio today and it was absolutely perfect. The running was at about an 11:00 pace and the walking at about a 14:00 pace. Overall pace of 11:46. I'll take it. Even a 12:00 pace would have us finishing 26.2 in 5:30. That would be amazing, as far as I'm concerned.

The run today was wonderful. 30 minutes flew by. After this season, I may never train for a marathon alone again.

You can even see how much more consistent the pace was... there are more straight lines today! Even pace, with the dips being our 2 minute walks. I'm so happy right now.

Exploring the new 'hood

Went for a 30 minute run in my new neighborhood today... but I forgot to attach the Nike+ to my new kicks before I left this morning. Boo! No voice telling me, "5 minutes completed... 10 minutes completed... 15 minutes completed, halfway point... 10 minutes remaining... 5 minutes remaining... 4... 3... 2... 1... you have reached your goal."

I am so addicted to my Nike+. That may not be a good thing, seeing as I'm planning on running on Saturdays without it for as long as I can manage. TNT discourages it, and I'm trying to be all mentor-ly. I don't know how long I'll last without it though - ha! I'm addicted to the feedback. I like the music, but I love the voice in my head that counts the minutes/miles. It makes me less compulsive about checking my watch, too, which I like. Without Nike+ I literally check my watch every 1 - 2 minutes. It gets really annoying when the minutes aren't flying by.

Anyway, the run today was alright. I was pretty distracted by the massive amounts of cleaning I needed to do when I finished. But I got out there and ran, for what it's worth.

This is What Makes Getting up at 5:30 am on Saturdays Worth It...

It's been so long, I almost forgot how much I love Saturday runs with TNT. It is so nice to see everybody all pumped and ready to run at 7:00 am!

Today was our first training run and "Getting Started" clinic for the North Team. I had an awesome time. :) Our run was supposed to be 4 miles, but got cut back to 40 minutes so that everyone would finish at the same time for the clinic. I thought I'd started my Nike+ (sans headphones), but when I went to turn it off at the end, I realized I hadn't even started it. So, I have no idea how far I ran or what my pace was. It felt kind of quick at the beginning, but I settled into a good pace.

Melissa and I decided that next week, at our 5 miler, we're officially going to become Run/Walkers. It's not that we couldn't be runners for a mere 5 miles, but we've decided to get our Run/Walk groove on early so that we're used to it. I'm thinking about an 8:1 or 8:2 ratio will be perfect this season.

Today I also picked up a new pair of running shoes. I've been having a lot of pain in the arches of my feet, and I suspected it was my shoes. The shoe gurus at Running Unlimited confirmed that they think it could be due to the lack of support offered by my Newtons. I was finally SUPER picky about my running shoes. I nit-picked like crazy, wanting to make sure that this time, I made the right choice. I landed in Asics Gel-Nimbus 9s, in a pretty blue color. (Although now I've looked for the picture online and I see they also come in green... I'm a little jealous of the green ones and may have to order those later this season, if these shoes work out!)

I'm still planning on using the Newtons sometimes. They're a good challenge for my feet & legs. They make me a different kind of runner. But I think I'll use them once or twice a week and stick to the Asics the rest of the time.

Hoorah for new shoes!

Melissa is Speedy

Today I finally got to run with Melissa! It is so nice having someone to train with this time around. As I was pulling into the neighborhood after work this evening, I got a call from Melissa. It went something like this:
L: What are you doing?
M: Watching TV, sitting on the couch.
L: I don't feel like running.
M: I just told Jim that I don't feel like it, but I have to anyway because of the marathon.
L: I guess we should.
M: Yeah.
Followed by a long back-and-forth about where we should run (aka stalling). I told her I'd change into my running gear and then be over. It took me about 30 minutes to change into my running gear, I was so unmotivated.

Still, I finally made it into my car and over to her house. We attempted to run with her dog, but she didn't really like our pace ;) so we kept going without her.

All I have to say after that run is... Melissa is speedy. Picking up the pace a bit from the rest of the week, we ran at an overall 11:01 pace. However, most of the run was between 10:30 - 10:50. The pace got skewed because of stopping to drop of the dog and tie shoes! Either way, wtih Melissa by my side this season... it's time to set some records, baby!

Off Day

I'm not sure that when the training schedule says "Rest/Stretch" on Thursday, they mean go to the movies, pig out on popcorn, rest your body and stretch your stomach.

But that's what I'm going to do. :)

A Little Run, A Little Rain

Monday's run was awesome. I ran with my dad, who encouraged me to be a beginner this week after my "knee injury" last week. Since it was getting close to dinner time, I caved. I did a nice 30 minute run through the neighborhood. May I just say that I love my Nike+ iPod? It is hands down, one of the best gifts I've ever been given. (Thanks, Jon!) Thanks to that glorious piece of running equipment, I know that I was running at an average pace of 11:35.

That little dip right before mile 2 was a pit stop to say hello to the neighbors. :) Obviously, I felt guilty, because you can see how fast I ended the run.

Today's run had a lame average pace according to the Nike+. I'm clocking in at a 12:02 average mile. I'm going to blame it on the potty stop I had to make, and not being able to figure out how to pause the run while I used the facilities. I'm guessing it was closer to an 11:30 - 11:45 pace. I finished my first mile in 11:44 and my fastest rate today was 9:24 min/mile. I think if I keep training hard, I can get closer to 10:00 - 11:00 minute miles. I have way too much energy left over when I run at an 11:30 pace. Of course, that's also doing little 30 minute training runs, so we'll see.

Despite how lame it looks in graph form, today's run was wonderful. Normally, I'd head home around 4:45 on a Wednesday and fight traffic until about 6:00. Today, I changed into my running gear at work and drove out to a bike path to run and then watch two of my students play baseball. I found a fun new trail with some decent hills (perfect for San Francisco training), and then walked over to the game. It started to downpour after the top of the first inning, and sadly, little league was rained out. Thank goodness I got the run in before the game, because it was cold rain, too!

I'm hoping at the next game, I get to see some baseball after my run! Aren't the April Showers supposed to be over by now?

Team in Training Kicks Off!

I was getting worried at the end of last week that my training might not start out too well. I got seriously injured on Wednesday night... at the dinner table! A visit to the doctor on Friday afternoon proved that if I would only "sit like a grown-up" and not "crisscross applesauce like a first grader" at the dinner table, I should recover just fine. I guess that's why my mom always told me to sit like a lady. At any rate, I'm fully recovered now and ready for my favorite season to start: marathon training season!

After completing a full season of marathon training, it's refreshing to see the schedule at the beginning of the season. The long runs look so... short. I know it's only a matter of time until 3 miles turns into 15, 18, and eventually 26.2, but I'm enjoying the short runs in this beautiful weather while I can.

Although I said in an earlier post that I was going to become a morning runner, I've decided that what I need instead is a running buddy. Since Melissa and I are running the Nike Women's Marathon together in October, and training together with TNT, it seemed only natural that we run together during the week as well. When she mentioned that she'd have to run at 3:00 am to still get out the door on time for work, I quickly resigned myself to being an evening runner once again.

So tonight it begins. I'm going to lace up my trusty Newtons and hit the trails. I'm still deciding about whether I'm a "beginner" or an "intermediate" runner on our training schedule. Since the difference tonight is only 10 minutes, I'll probably pretend I'm an intermediate runner and go out for 40 minutes. We'll see if I'm still feeling intermediate as the season gets underway.

Just 24 weeks of training until 26.2 miles in sunny California! California, here we come...

Starting at 5:00 am tomorrow...

I'm going to be a "morning run" girl. This whole I'm-too-tired-to-run-in-the-morning-so-I-wait-until-after-work-but-I'm-even-more-exhausted-then thing isn't cute anymore. I'm sick of not having, or making the time to run. I'm sick of my pretty running shoes sitting in the closet. Enough is enough. My iPod is charging. My alarm is set.

And I'm going to bed. Because 5 am is really early.

This Counts as Cross-training, Right?

I'm moving. Again. My fiance and I just closed on our first house, so I'm in a kind of limbo. I'm not moving in to the house until after the wedding in June, but I've started to move stuff over, paint rooms, clean, etc. etc. Where on earth is the time to run? And it's a bummer, really. The weather has been so beautiful that all I want to do is be outside and run. Instead, I've cross-trained in the following ways:
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: Clean, clean, clean. Scrub floors, clean bathrooms, vacuum, wipe out cabinets, scour countertops, clean out oven... the list goes on and on.
Thursday: Break
Friday: Move lots of heavy boxes. Choose paint colors. Move paint cans.
Saturday: Dance my butt off at a friend's wedding.
Sunday: Paint. Rake. Paint again.

I'm spent. There just aren't enough hours in the day. However, the sun's shining again today, and I'm not going over to the house. Hopefully that will leave time for a nice long run. My sneakers have been calling.

More Shuffle Silliness

I seriously need to get more competitive. I start every single race with the same goal: to finish it and have fun. Those are good goals, right? Yes, yes, they are. I know that. But I'd love to run across the start line with some serious ambition. Like... "I'm going to PR today!" or "I'm going to get all 10 minute miles today!" or "I'm going to have a sub-55 8k!" None of these things crossed my mind at the Shuffle today. But I did finish and have fun.

I spotted Barb and her hubby in the Corral (did I mention my corral start?) and proceeded to spaz out about how cool it was to be in Corral D. I told them about my dad's wise advice before I left the house this morning. "Move to the side, so you don't get trampled," he said. I took in my surroundings. It was so cool to be in Corral D. I felt like a total VIP. Perhaps the most exciting part was when I realized we were moving forward and the open corral wasn't. They weren't allowed to go anywhere until we all crossed the start line! Now, normally, I'd be at the back of the open corral... so to look behind me and see an 8 min/mile pace group? Well, let's just say I was enjoying the only corral start I'll likely EVER see.

My corral! Corral D. :)

The 8 min/mile pace group. Behind the fence. Behind us!

You can't really tell from the picture, but that's us moving forward and open corral waiting.

The run itself was good. I ran, I took in the city, and I had fun. 58:31. Not too shabby for the awful joke of training I did beforehand, and a good kickstart to the spring racing season. But when the race was over, I still had lots of energy. I had the energy to full out sprint at the end. All that tells me that if I tried just a little bit harder... I could set some serious PRs this season.

Some Shuffle Silliness, Thanks to the Chicago Marathon

My "official" Chicago Marathon finish time in 2007 was 4:06:31. "Official" means they closed the course, put up barricades where I was, and demanded that we go through the finish area backwards to recieve our medals. So, I stomped on the finish mat. And got a time.

That time got me this...

Yes, that's right. A corral start. I'll be taking lots of pictures with my race number tomorrow... because this will most likely never, ever happen again. :)

I'm in love.

It's official. I'm in love. After 9 committed weeks, I think I can say the "l" word. I am in love with kickboxing.

It's seriously the best cross-training workout I have ever had. I've been taking a "Kick 'n' Krunch" class on Saturday mornings, which is exactly what it sounds like. It's an hour long class. 40 minutes of kickboxing, and 20 minutes of crunches/back strengthening exercise. I am smitten. Obviously Saturday mornings aren't going to work when marathon training gets going in May, but I am going to have to find some weekday kickboxing.

It is such a fun way to get some cardio & strengthening going on. And the best part? I can see the people behind me in the mirror. I'm not the dumbest looking one in the class! I look half-way coordinated when I do most of the moves.

Score.

It Begins

The Chicago Marathon was hard last year. Very hard. After training so hard for my first marathon, it was a huge disspointment when they cancelled the race. I started this blog to start fresh. Because this October, it's not about the Chicago Marathon. It's all about San Francisco!

My friend Melissa and I are gearing up to start training with TNT. I'm looking forward to sunny skies, hills that only San Francisco can offer, and an incredible race with other women. I am so excited to start the journey. It should be a fun journey this year. I am going to be a mentor for TNT, and I look forward to helping others through their first marathon like my mentor helped me. Although, I suppose technically, this is my first marathon too -- at least the first one I'll be allowed to finish.

At any rate, the start of my '08 training season will be Sunday, March 30, when I tackle the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. I'm looking forward to the long journey ahead.