My Kind of Town - Chicago...

Enough of this marathon nonsense, lets talk about the rest of our trip! Here are a few photos of some of the highights.

We took a "Sea Dog" boat tour of the river. It wasn't quite the sophisticated Architectural tour that we've taken in the past - this one was more for families and people who aren't that interested in anything that's remotely historically accurate. After the river tour, the boat went through the lock and out onto the lake for a speed boat ride. It was pretty fun. I think Adam enjoyed it.

On the speedboat:

Posing for a family photo after our boat ride on Navy Pier. The weather was gorgeous on this day (much cooler than the day before when I had to run.... )

We went on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier - Adam always says he's afraid of heights, but the ride didnt seem to bother him. He was fascinated by the fact that they wheel never stops. In order to get off and on, you have to just jump in while its moving. Its moving pretty slow.

Here is Mr. Brown at the top of the John Hancock building. This was the first morning we were there. I was busy at the marathon Expo picking up my bib and packet while the boys went sightseeing.

On the last morning we were there, we met Cheryl and Alison for breakfast at a great little cafe called West Egg. Tim got this nice photo of me telling them goodbye after an eventful weekend. It was so nice to have them there.

Its not a trip to Chicago without some YUMMY Giordanos pizza. This stuff is crazy good....

GOOD BYE CHICAGO!

Reflections on a Marathon

Its been nearly 2 weeks since 10-10-10 and the big marathon weekend. I have to admit, the whole experience was much more emotional than I had thought it would be, and I have had lots of thoughts and feelings swirling around in my head since then. I am finding it difficult to sum it up in just a few words. It was exhilarating, exciting, daunting, hard, HOT, life-changing, painful, gratifying, disappointing and completely draining... all at the same time.

I will spare you too many details, but here's what happened in a nutshell. At 5:45 AM I walked to a neighboring hotel to meet Karol and Jenny who were running with me. I had a tank top on and was sweating on the way over.... this was NOT GOOD. Then, the hotel did not have breakfast out like they said they would, so I didn't eat as much as I normally would. NOT GOOD. I got to the start line and it was sooooo exciting. So many people. It took us almost 30 minutes to shuffle across the starting line after the gun went off.

The first few miles were great, but I noticed the heat as early as mile 8. At mile 13 I remember telling Cheryl (my sister) that I would love a cup of ice next time I see her. By mile 15, I began taking more walking breaks and the course all of the sudden became downright hot, with no shade. People were starting to get tired, lots of business owners had hoses on and would literally hose people off as they ran by. I stopped into a Subway on the route to fill my water bottle with ice! At mile 19, I picked up Ron, a friend of mine who was there to watch. I had decided by then that I needed to walk the rest. If I had kept running, I doubt I would have finished. The bank clock when I ran by read 86 degrees. No hope for those of us who are slower runners anyway..... I decided to chalk it up to a good experience, try to meet some new people and enjoy the finish, instead of pushing so hard that I would get sick or worse.... So, we walked. and we walked. and we walked. I really enjoyed it up until about mile 23 - then the blisters and the pain set in. I was tired and I wanted it to be over.

I ran the last .2 miles across the finish and it was very emotional. I am sad that the race didn't meet my expectations - all those hundreds of miles that I trained and not much of a result..... but so happy that I finished and I had so many wonderful people there to watch and greet me at the finish. I have no idea what my finishing time was, except that it was at least 1.5 hours slower than I thought I'd be (based on my 20-mile time).

I am sooooo glad its over, but am already planning my redemption. Apparently once you are bitten by the long-distance running bug, this tends to happen. What if I had fueled better that morning? What if it were cooler? What if I do two 20-mile training runs instead of one? ...... better give it another try so I can find out! I learned a lot this time and hopefully I can have the opportunity to do it again someday. Stay tuned to see where the next marathon will take me!

Team Holt

This morning 25+ runners and many more volunteers gathered at the Omaha Marathon. The runners ran for Team Holt and the others helped at the Holt Aid Station to give out water and gatorade to all the runners flying by. I ran the half marathon, and since I needed to do a 12 mile training run today anyway - it worked out great. The weather was gorgeous and the run went very well. I was able to shave 8 or 9 minutes off my best half marathon time (not sure of my official time yet). I am sooooo ready to take this thing on the road and get to Chicago!

Thanks to those of you who donated to support my run today - it was a fun day! Above is a photo of all the Holt runners. A lovely bunch, and the porta potties seem to add a little something, dont you think?

I did it!

Completed 20 miles on Sunday morning. I had to delay it a day due to rain, so that was sort of a bummer, but Sunday was 50 degrees with clouds and a light drizzle. Great weather for running. I went out with my neighbors (who are also training for Chicago) and we ran and ran and ran. I was surprised at how good I felt when it was done - it was easier for me than some of the shorter 13, 14, 15 mile runs I had been doing before. I hope that means my training is working and I will be ready! After Sunday's successful run, I am even more excited about the marathon!

I like to Run

Tomorrow I am going to run 20 miles.

I am training for the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 10th and its my last really long training run. So far during my training, I have run 358 miles. Left, right, left, right, left, right (thats what I say to myself when I am getting so tired and my legs dont want to move anymore... ).

Here's the kicker - I'm EXCITED about it! I can't wait to run 20 miles. This is the big run, the last hurdle before I start my 3-week rest before the race. Its the farthest I have ever run and when I finish it, I will know that 26.2 is within my reach.

You are probably thinking one of two things....

1) Good for you! Thats so exciting! or

2) You are insane, why would you do that to yourself. What about your knees?

I think there is a little truth in both of these thoughts. The idea of running 26.2 miles is exciting and challenging and something that I've wanted to do since I started running 3 years ago. My 40th birthday is looming (ok, ok, its 2 years away, but its still looming) and I wanted to do it before then. I love the idea of working hard on a goal and achieving it. And yes, it is a bit insane, but I find comfort in the fact that there are 40,000 other insane people running it with me. And my knees feel fine!

Ok, to be honest, I am tired and the time commitment has been huge. I am lucky to have such a great family to support me and Tim to take the kids away while I put my feet up. But, I wouldn't give up this experience for anything. I've learned about myself, my body, my mind, and pushed myself farther than ever. I feel strong and the long hours by myself while running has given me the time to think, chat with running partners, listen to music and sing (yes, I sing sometimes... hey - I have to pass the time somehow!) Did you know that during an average length long run, I can sometimes listen to 3 or more broadway musical soundtracks?! If you happened to run by me while I was singing and jamming out to Dancing Queen, I'm sorry!

The downside? I seem to want to EAT everything in sight! The one side effect I was hoping for was weight loss - oops... I think after the marathon, I will need to diet!

So tomorrow I will run 20 miles. It will take me 4 hours. Afterwards I will have a great sense of accomplishment and a giant burrito bowl from Chipotle! :o) (see previous paragraph on dieting).

Bring it on Chicago 10-10-10!