As I sit with my legs up against the wall at a 90 degree angle letting gravity force the lactic acid to flow through my legs, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to update my blog with my most recent race recaps!
One of my goals for 2013 was to run 13 13.1's during the year. The 1st two races are now officially in the books, and each included a PR!
13.1 #1:
On Sunday, March 17th I ran the March O' Madness half marathon in Cary, IL. This race comes with many challenges. Due to it's hills, it is the #1 Boston training race in our flat state of Illinois. Even more challenging than the hills though, is getting into the race before it fills up. Registration opens at 6:00 AM on New Years Eve, and this year it sold out in 38 minutes! Let's just say I was really glad I didn't give in to temptation and ignore my alarm clock that morning like I wanted too!
Race day temps were in the 30's, but the skies were sunny and there was very little wind. I always dedicate each race I run to someone special, and this one was co-dedicated to both my friend Joe "Bones" Thompson, who passed away on St. Patrick's Day in 2011 at the age of 50; as well as the father of a very good friend of mine, General Harry Cochran, who passed away suddenly a couple of days before the race. Both of these incredible men inspired me to tackle this hilly course head on, and I ended up running a 1:55:44, which was a half marathon PR in my book. Overall race rating:
1/2
Positives: Super friendly people, inexpensive registration fee ($43), close to home, easy race day packet pick-up, great pre-race & post-race atmosphere in a local high school with indoor bathrooms, awesome race hoodie, raffle (I won a coffee gift pack), fun medal, excellent volunteers, and the best post-race soft pretzels!
Negatives: The course is a road course that is not closed to vehicle traffic, making it a little dangerous at times.
13.1 #2
Today (3/30/13) my son, Bailey. & I ran the Egg Shell Shuffle in the beautiful Busse Woods forest preserve in Elk Grove Village, IL. I dedicated this race to my grandma who passed away in 2010, but would've celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday. As a bonus, my husband and son, Connor, volunteered at the race and presented Bailey & I with our medals at the finish line. Bailey ran the 5k with no training outside of soccer, and came in 98/418 runners with a time of 28:25. He thought he could've done better, but I was totally impressed!
I ran the half marathon, and from the start I could tell it was going to be a great race. My #1 goal with Boston coming up in 16 days, was to avoid injury. I ran my 1st mile at a pace of 8:11, and knew I had to slow down to prevent burning out. I settled into a pace of 8:35 and surprised myself by maintaining that pace throughout the race, taking 2+ minutes off of my PR from 2 weeks earlier with a chip time of 1:52:02. I thought my time might be good enough to place in the top 3 in my division, but I ended up in 5th, missing 3rd place by less than 2 minutes. Nonetheless very happy with my finish! Following the races, there was an Easter egg hunt for kids and adults. Totally fun and well done! Bailey even ended up winning a $20 gift card!
One of the highlights of the day was meeting a fellow runner who proved once again how amazing runners really are! We were taking turns passing each other during our 13.1 today, & finally I passed her up for good for the final four miles. We bumped into each other getting water afterwards & instead of being mad, she was full of compliments. It made my day, and was a perfect example of how running truly isn't about winning. It's about inspiring, and being inspired, by others who share the same passion! One of the countless reasons I ♥ runners & running!!
Overall race rating:
1/2
Positives: Beautiful scenic course with live elk (seriously!), reasonably priced ($54), great volunteers (especially the ones who share my last name), egg hunt, variety of races (5k & 13.1), parking, ease of same day packet pick up, fun medal for finishers of both races.
Negatives: Lack of porta potties & tp, would've preferred last year's race hoodie rather than the shorts we received, post-race food options were limited.
For me "running lucky" means that after 3 years, 3 months, and 29 races, I continue to be injury free. (Especially since according to my son, I am "so old," and I definitely don't stretch or foam roll like I should.) However, after wrapping up week 13 of my Boston training last weekend with a 20 miler on Saturday followed by an "easy 8" on Sunday, my luck seemed to have run out when I woke up Monday with alarming back pain. My 1st thought..."it's okay. It's a rest day anyway. Just ignore it, take lots of ibuprofen, and it will go away." Mind over matter.
By Tuesday the pain had lessened a little, but even as stubborn as I am, I knew my early AM run wasn't going to happen. (I could hear my mom reminding me that "there's a fine line between between stubborn and stupid" loud and clear.) Tuesday night I bargained with myself that I would try running slowly, and if it got painful I would quit. I survived the 5 miles, and woke up Wednesday to run 5 more. With a half-marathon coming up the following weekend, and Boston just over a month away, I was terrified to stray from my training.
The pain had dropped from a 9.5 to about a 6, but now I was starting to worry because I knew I had changed my normal running gait in order to accomodate the back pain. There was no ignoring the reality that if I didn't seek help, I was probably just making things worse rather than better. Of course my doctor had no convenient appointments available, but luck stepped in again when I stumbled upon a 6 year old gift certificate for a one hour massage given to me by Ethan; a sweet, curly-haired, former kindergartner of mine. The certificate had no expiration date (thank goodness) & I discovered that the founder/director of the massage therapy center happened to be Ethan's dad. He couldn't have been nicer, and went out of his way to schedule me for a deep tissue massage that would get me in shape to run my upcoming race.
I have had a few massages in the past, and I have loved every minute of each one. I quickly learned however, that a deep tissue massage, is NOT a regular, relaxing to the point of almost falling asleep, massage. John, who has been in the business or over 30 years, and has worked on numerous professional athletes, could not believe how contracted my muscle tissue was; not just in my back, but everywhere. It was 75 minutes of pain, but it was good pain, and it was exactly what I needed.
During my visit her are a few things I learned...
Good-bye Water Joe. Even though I drink 4-5 liters of H20 daily, I discovered that I was dehydrated. How can that be? I don't drink coffee, tea, or pop, but I do drink a liter of Water Joe (equivalent to two 8 oz cups of coffee) to wake me up each morning for my commute to work. John said it takes 4 cups of water to undo the dehydrating effects of one cup of coffee. I had no idea. Needless to say, no more Water Joe for me! (Except on race days!)
Sleep in a fetal position. While I already tend to sleep on my side, he said that by sleeping with one pillow behind me, and one between my legs, I should notice a big difference. He also recommended splurging on a therapeutic neck pillow. Sounds well worth the investment to me!
Unstable thyroid is nothing but trouble. I've had thyroid issues since high school, but for the past year my levels have been all over the place. (Pre-menopause?) Never did I think this would affect my back, but I was wrong. Hopefully my endocrinologist will have this stabilized sooner rather than later!
As luck would have it...
My back pain was NOT caused by running!
I WILL be able to run the March O' Madness 13.1 in Cary, IL tomorrow. (Considered in IL to be the best training run for Boston.)
Pain has gone from a 9 to a mere 1.5. (Hopefully to soon be non-existent!)
By shifting a couple of rest days around, I won't lose a single mile of training due to this little setback.
I discovered an amazing massage place & therapist! If you live anywhere near the north Chicago suburbs, check out the Message Therapy Center of Winnetka! Phenomenal!
Most importantly, by making a few small changes, I will be healthier & stronger than ever!
I feel so lucky to have discovered running just over 3 years ago, and even more lucky to have essentially remained injury free. I am determined to keep that streak going, and one of the ways I do this is by actively engaging with other runners to share advice, tips, and resources. (I will be visiting John, and breaking that foam roller out more regularly too!)
What do you do to "run lucky" & stay injury free? If you do happen to be sidelined from running with an injury, I highly recommend the book, The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanin. So inspiring!
When people ask me why I run, the short answer is always "because I feel so great afterwards." The truth is that running is my own personal cure for depression. Depression runs strong in my family. My mom has suffered from it for as long as I can remember. Growing up I can remember periods, usually around holidays, that my mom would seem sad for no reason. She struggled through suicide attempts, hospitalizations, alcoholism, lots of therapy, and divorce before finally finding the medication that worked for her. In addition, about 15-20 years ago, she also discovered the Nordic Track. She has faithfully used it almost daily ever since, including while recovering from three separate battles with breast cancer. She is truly the strongest, most amazing, person I know.
Two of my sons were also diagnosed with depression in grade school. The oldest, now in college, was on medication for 10 years. Interestingly, the medication that works so well for my mom, had very negative side effects for my son. For him, a completely different medication seemed to work well. In high school, he felt like he wanted to wean off the meds though, and was able to do so with great success.
When Ryan was first diagnosed at age 8, he drew the picture above titled, "Side Effects." He did not like feeling like there was something "wrong" with him that he needed medication for, but he made the best of it by imagining that one of the side effects of taking the meds was that it would help him to become an amazing athlete.
Last fall, Ryan began his freshman year at St. Mary's University as a starter for their soccer team. I honestly believe that being active, in conjunction with being lucky enough to have had two incredible coaches growing up that understood his diagnosis, yet did not let it define him, is the reason he is so happy and healthy today. (Thank you Coach Mark and Coach P!)
My other son continues to struggle with his depression, and taking his medication is an ongoing battle. The drug that works best for him, is the same drug that works so well for my mom. The key being that he needs to take it consistently, which is where the problem comes in. He tends to go through periods where he seems fine, and then for no obvious reason falls into a slump where he has little energy or motivation to do the things he typically enjoys.
Being in middle school, and going through all the typical hormone changes that are common at that age, make it harder to manage his depression. Unlike my older son, he is also not as verbal about how he is feeling. The one thing that does help pretty consistently though, is when he is playing sports. His first love is baseball, but we see the depression abate for him regardless of if he's playing baseball, soccer, basketball, etc... The key for him is to stay active.
I too was diagnosed with depression after the birth of my 3rd son. At first we had believed it was post-partum, but eventually it was evident that it was more than that. For many years I was prescribed the same medication as my mom and my younger son with moderate success. For whatever reason though, like my boys, I just didn't like the idea of taking pills each day. I tried several times weaning myself off of them, only to have the depression return after a few months of being medication free. Then I discovered running.
Just over 3 years ago, I started running and have pretty much run 75-125 miles per month pretty consistently ever since. When I was about 6 months into it, I was feeling so good that with my doctor's consent I once again weaned myself off of my anti-depressants. I am happy to say, I haven't needed to go back on them since. There have been a few months when my mileage has dropped and each time, the signs of depression would come creeping back.
I knew I had to make a choice. It is highly likely that depression will always be a part of my life. However, I now know that I can choose whether to fight it with running and maintaining a healthy life style, or I can go back on my medication. I choose running.
I am not a doctor, nor an expert, but I do know that depression works differently for everyone, and there is no one right answer or cure. What works for one person, may have just the opposite effect for another. (As it did for my mom and my son.) There is no stigma attached to needing an Rx, attending therapy, etc..., as long as it helps. However, based on my family's experience alone, it is clear that daily physical activity as at least one component in the battle against depression, is capable of delivering a pretty strong and lasting punch.
I love looking back at my son's drawing now because of course, the side effects of the medication did not make him an amazing athlete. Ironically though, one of the side effects of being an amazing athlete, was treating his depression. On those days when I don't feel like lacing up, that drawing is all the inspiration I need!
I'd love to hear why you run & what positive side effects keep you motivated to continue day after day, mile after mile!
So February has come and gone, and as March begins my thoughts are now turning to spring, outdoor runs, and the beginning of a busy race season! February is always a strange month for me. I always look forward to it as myself, and two of my son's, all celebrate our birthdays between the 10th-21st. On top of this, there are also usually a couple of long weekends, not to mention Valentine's Day. You would think the month would be one big, long party, right?
While that may be true, by the end of February, I can honestly say that I cannot wait to tear the page off the calendar! The guilt has set in about the fact that I have spent most of the month eating poorly (thanks to all that birthday celebrating,) plus the cold, gray weather has taken it's toll on my mood and energy level. Here is a photo of my completed February RPF Calendar page.
For the most part I would consider February 2013 to be a success as far as sticking to my goals, but there are definitely some areas I'm hoping to improve on with the arrival of March. My youngest two sons are bringing home their 2nd trimester report cards tomorrow. If I was to receive one for February I think it might look something like this...
Running: A+ Comments: All training runs completed, maintaining 8 minute mile pace, attitude beginning to shift from dreading long runs to embracing them, completing shorter runs before work rather than in the evening...huge improvement! Upcoming March races:
March 9th: Nike Women's Marathon virtual 10k
March 17th: "March O'Madness" 13.1, Cary, IL
March 30th: "Egg Shell Shuffle" 13.1, Schaumberg, IL (while my son Bailey runs the 5k)
April 15th; Boston Marathon!!!
Eating: D (Disastrous for the diet, but delicious!) Comments: Seriously ridiculous! See proof below!
2/10 Dave and Busters for lunch...huge chicken caesar salad
2/14 chocolate all day
2/15 dinner at The Stage Stop, Wilmot, WI...steak, lobster & baked potato with literally a whole stick of butter
2/16 Ribs and au gratin potatoes from Carson's Ribs, followed by Bakers Square pie
2/17 Dinner at The Lake House...soup, pasta and the biggest ice cream sundae ever
2/18 Birthday french toast made by my son Nick, Chinese food for dinner, followed by ice cream cake
2/21Chicago deep dish pizza
2/22 Opening day for Dairy Queen!
Anyone feeling sick yet?
Dieting: C- Comments: Thankfully the other 20 days of the month I made good choices (and ran my butt off,) so I still managed to lose 2.2 more pounds for a total of 8.2 for the year. I even won my first Dietbet by losing 4% of my body weight! Whoo hoo!
Blogging: D- Comments: So many ideas in my brain, but no time or maybe just no energy at the end of the day to transfer them from my brain to this blog! Not a complete fail, as I have kept up with my "Been there, read that" page, so the blog hasn't been completely stagnant. One of my March goals is to write a new post at least once a week. Writing shorter posts more often will hopefully help me reach this goal!
Motherhood: A- Comments: For the moment all four of my boys are happy and healthy! I feel blessed to say that other than being crazy busy, February has been pretty much drama free! (A birthday gift in itself!) When my kids are happy, I feel like I must have done something right. My lack of time spent cooking and cleaning for my sweet children however, lost me a few points.. :) Assessment: Speaking of gifts, each year for my birthday my boys write me a letter in their individual "mom" journals. Reading the words that come straight from their heart each year is the most meaningful gift I have ever received. My oldest even remembered to send the book from college. He earned major bonus points for that one! Reading: C+ Comments: In January I read and reviewed 23 books. In February, that number dropped to a sad 13. It's hard to find time to read when you're training for a marathon and celebrating birthdays! :( Life in the Library: B Comments: I completed reading the 20 Monarch nominees to my k-2 kids for the Illinois Reader's Choice award. We cannot WAIT to vote for our favorites next week and find out which book young students across Illinois like best! My fingers are crossed for Lulu and the Brontosaurus, by Judith Viorst! Some other highlights this month included our 5th graders preparing and presenting skits based on Jan Brett's books for our k/1 kids, and a return author visit from Peter Lerangis. Take a minute to enjoy the video below of Frank, one of our 5th grade students, interviewing Mr. Lerangis during his visit. It is guaranteed to make you smile!
What brought this grade down to a B was a project that our 4th graders have been working hard on to create video book talks for a national contest called, Storytubes. Unfortunately, we just never had enough time during library to do all that we wanted to do, and the project did not go as well as planned. We did have a few that turned out great including the one below created by Emma, Serena, Katia and Lexy.
Fun Factor: A- Comments: Outside of work stress, not having my oldest home for his birthday for the 1st time ever, and some absolutely awful commute times due to weather, February was pretty much filled with fun! In addition to all of the above, my beloved IU Hoosiers continue killing it on the basketball court, and I finally painted and almost finished redecorating my bedroom which I've been wanting to do for quite a while.
Overall, I'd say February 2013 a pretty good month, but now it's time to bring on March Madness! What would your February report card look like?
Before I begin this post, I want to wish my sweet son, Connor James, a very happy 14th birthday! :)
Boston training part II
Finishing today's 7 miler marked the end of the 1st 9 weeks of my training for the 2013 Boston Marathon. I am proud to say that I have not missed a run, and my pace is faster than ever. The 1st 9 weeks were what I'd call a "comfortable challenge." 264 miles completed, which was not too much more than the weekly mileage I run on a regular basis. During the next 9 weeks my mileage will jump to 346 total miles, followed by 26.2 in Beantown on April 15th!
This is the part of marathon training that usually puts doubts in my head, and makes me start to question why I once again committed to something so huge. I have decided that this marathon is going to be different. Now that I am into my 3rd year of running, and am preparing for my 4th marathon, I truly understand what a blessing it is to be be runner. I am making a choice to do this, so no more dreading it & doubting myself! For the next 9 weeks my goal is to celebrate every training run including the good, the bad, and the ugly! Bring on Heartbreak Hill because in 9 weeks I'm going to be ready to kick some butt in Boston!
Here's a look at what Boston training part II has in store...
Wondering what to do with all those race shirts?
Over the last three years I have collected many race shirts that I really don't wear, but that I can't seem to part with. I had seen others create t-shirt quilts (which I love,) but I don't sew, and I wanted to create something that would allow me to add to more shirts as I earned them. Here is what I came up with:
Want to create your own race shirt wall art, here's what I did...
You'll need: 12X12 canvas boards, tee-shirts, glue gun, binder clips, tulle ribbon, some sort of clip to hang the shirts (I found mine on clearance at a local craft store) & a little super glue.
Step 1: Cut apart the front and/or back panel of each shirt, and cut off sleeves.
Step 2: Stretch shirt over the board and use hot glue to secure shirt to back of board. (Make sure design is centered, straight, & stretched tight.) Some of you may prefer to iron shirts first. In addition to not sewing, I also do not iron. I found as long as I stretched the shirts tightly, the wrinkles disappeared. :)
(This is what the back will look like before you strech tight and glue.)
Step 3: Repeat with additional shirts.
Step 4: Nail large clip to top of wall. (I used super glue to glue each clip closed as I did not feel that these clips would've supported the tulle.)
Step 5: Thread approx. 15 feet of tulle ribbon through clip until you have an equal length hanging from center.
Step 6: Use 2 binder clips to attach each board to the ribbon on both sides of the square. I found it was easiest if I hang one near the bottom 1st to pull the tulle taught. Then I started from the top and created 5 rows of 5 squares. Re-adjust squares as needed.
Get creative! You can substitute different ribbon, clips, styrofoam or thin plywood squares for the canvas, etc... I contemplated using the squares to create a border around the room, and a few other designs, but one of my goals was to put as few holes in the wall as possible (only 5 so far!) should my college age son want to re-claim the wall space when he returns home for the summer. Thanks to the binder clips, I can easily take these down, move them around, and put them back up! I also considered mixing in more canvas boards with my medals displayed on them, but an inside source told me that a certain son just might be creating something special to display my medals for my birthday next week. ;) So excited!
While it broke my heart to cut some of these shirts, I am so happy with the result, and I can't wait to watch my race wall grow! This was such a simple project! I now have a fantastic reminder of my running journey, and an entire wall of inspiration during those long treadmill runs when I need it most!
2013 is off to a great start! All new year goals (I don't like the word "resolutions") are still on track, and I've had lots of time to do the 3 things I love most: hang out with my boys, run, and read! (Granted it's never as much time as I'd LIKE thanks to all those pesky responsibilities that always get in the way like work, paying bills, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc..., but overall I can't complain!)
Boys: (One of my February goals is to finally start adding content to my "Boy oh Boy" page including tips on juggling running, teaching, reading, and raising 4 boys. In the meantime, here's a brief introduction to my guys...)
Ryan, my oldest started semester 2 of his freshman year at St. Mary's University in MN. I didn't think it was possible, but it was even harder to say good-bye to him after winter break, than it was last fall. I know he is where he should be, and I am honestly so grateful that he is simply a happy, healthy, soccer playing, college student, BUT I MISS THE KID LIKE CRAZY!!!!
Nick, my 17 year old, is now thinking college too. The pressure on kids to decide what they want to do with their lives seems to increase every year. I hate it! On Monday of last week Nick surprised me by announcing out of the blue that he was thinking about being a pediatrician. By Wednesday, he had decided on becoming a high school teacher and coach. My advice...slow down, breathe, and don't get so caught up in the future that you miss out on the present. In other words, savor your "Cardinal Crazy" days kid!
Connor, my 8th grader, is growing like crazy! He may be the one and only tall Geidner in existence! January brought the return of baseball practice, and a huge project to help his dad finally finish our basement. He loves helping with projects, so overall this makes him a pretty happy guy.
Bailey, my youngest, has pretty much left me speechless most of the month. (Which I think is his goal.) He is amusing in the most random ways & speaking of goals, scored a beautiful one in during his indoor soccer game last week. You have to love middle schoolers, right? Right? He also happens to be my #1 favorite fan of my #1 Indiana Hoosiers! GO IU!
Despite the outfit, he claims he is still going to Michigan to major in architecture. (See full story in previous post "Dream a Little Dream.")
Races:
By Connor using ipod app :)
No races this month outside of Mommy Run Fast's "5 by the 5th" virtual race series. However, I did run 138 miles in January, all but 4 of which were on the treadmill. Here's my January page of my awesome running calendar from Jenn at Run Pretty Far. (Absolutely love every single one of her products! If you aren't familiar with her stuff check out her site! Everything comes super quick, and even the packaging is cute!) I was thrilled to meet & even exceed all of my monthly goals this month & this calendar was a great motivator! Bring on February!
It's still almost impossible to believe that 10 weeks from today I will be running the Boston marathon! I keep thinking I'm going to open my email one day to find one from the BAA that says, "just kidding!"
Sometimes I wonder about when I started truly feeling like I was a runner. After 3 years I still don't feel like I LOOK like a runner, but I finally believe that I truly AM a runner. I will even go so far as to say that I am a pretty decent runner. However, I just still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I am a good enough runner to be running the Boston marathon. When I get frustrated that I'm not losing the weight I want or don't look nearly as cute in my new running outfit as the model at the store did, I pull out my BAA acceptance letter and smile. It is a constant reminder that being a runner is an attitude and a mindset, NOT a look or a number. I am proud to say that I AM a runner!
Books:
One of the best things that has come out of blogging so far (besides all of the fabulous connections I have made with other bloggers,) is that I finally created a Goodreads (user name: susan_geidner) account and am logging my reading. Not only have I discovered countless great books, but I love going back and reflecting on what I've read. As a librarian, I've been having my students do this for years but never created the time to do it myself. I am LOVING it! the only negative is now my "to read" pile is 10 times larger than it ever was, and it was never all that manageable in the 1st place! My husband and sons don't enjoy reading. I just don't get it. How can anyone NOT love reading??? It's pure craziness! Click on "Been There Read That" above to see what I've been reading lately, and let me know if you've got other titles that I should add to my list!
Feedback please!
So after a month of blogging I'd love some feedback, ideas, advice! I think my biggest struggle has been finding the time to blog as much as I'd like too. How do all of you experienced bloggers find the time? Do you have a schedule of what types of posts you add and how often you create them? Outside of posting to social media, what are some of your best tips for connecting with others through your blog? Perhaps adding "find a balance" to my February goals would be a good place to start! :)
One of my favorite races of all time is the Nike Women's Marathon/half-marathon in San Francisco. The beautifully scenic course, the energy of so many female runners (no offense guys), and of course the gorgeous Tiffany finishers necklace makes it the one race I hope to repeat year after year. (Granted, I only do the half. Those hills are crazy!)
So what does this have to do with my 3rd marathon? Well, the entry for the NWM is a lottery, and I knew that I was lucky to get in on my 1st attempt in 2011. I also knew that I wanted to run one last marathon in my very own Sweet home Chicago so my mom could be at the finish line. Consequently I made myself a deal that if I didn't get into the 2012 NWM 1/2, that I would run the Chicago full in the fall of 2012. In the Spring of 2012, I found out that I did not get chosen for the lottery, so I joined Team DetermiNation and started training for my 3rd, and final, full marathon in Chicago.
My training went really, really well although I still don't know exactly why it felt so different. I probably shouldn't say this, and I'm certainly not recommending it, but while I always follow the daily miles in my training plan religiously, I have never paid attention to pace runs, stretching, fartleks, splits, cross training, etc... I simply lace up my shoes and run. I don't mean to make it sound like it's a piece of cake, because it's not. Besides lacing up your shoes you're going to need to believe in yourself, never give up, and be willing to work hard even on the days when you'd rather stay in bed curled up with a good book! For whatever reason though, my pace improved substantially, and one Saturday after a long run I realized that I was completing my training miles at a Boston Qualifying pace. I tried not to think about it, because the idea of running Boston has honestly never crossed my mind. It was never a goal or even a dream of mine. However once the thought entered my mind, there was no blocking it out.
The timing of the marathon became my biggest challenge. My mom, who I was running this "last" marathon for, ironically wasn't going to be able to attend, as the non-profit she works for was hosting their 5k the very same day. We were each sad not to be able to support each other in person, but we were together in spirit! Next I discovered that my oldest son's first college family weekend at SMU in Minnesota fell on the same weekend of the marathon. Of course I wasn't going to miss that, so we headed to MN on Friday and left late in the afternoon on Saturday. Luckily my husband offered to drive the 6 hours back to Chicago. I went to bed around midnight and woke up a few hours later to join 45,000 other runners on the start line.
The conditions for the race were perfect, and I was amazed to see my family cheering me on at several points along the route. The energy, enthusiasm, and motivation from the fans was indescribable. Boston flashed in my mind a few times, but mainly I focused on the crowd, my music, and running one mile at a time. I felt strong until around mile 22. At that point I knew that Boston was in reach, but I kept telling myself that this was my "last" marathon anyway, so why should I worry about Boston? My stubborn, never say quit, attitude took over and I ignored the temptation to walk and just kept going. When I crossed the finish line I knew it would depend on my chip time, but I felt pretty confident. While I was certainly exhausted, I have never felt so strong after running 26.2 miles! It truly was an incredible feeling!
The time I needed to qualify was 3:55:00. My chip time ended up being 3:54:12. I BQ'd by 48 seconds and took 40 minutes off my PR!!! I am now just under 11 weeks away from running the 117th Boston Marathon, and am still pinching myself to believe it's really happening. Once again, I believe I will be hanging up my marathon shoes and sticking to 13.1's after April. (Of course, you all know how well that's worked for me up till now! I am adding a clause though, that if any of my sons want to eventually run 26.2 with me, my new marathon shoes would be ordered tomorrow!) I have learned that while there is countless sources available for fabulous running advice, there really is no magic recipe for running. Running simply IS magic, and I feel so fortunate to be a part of it!
Oh, and remember that 2012 NWM in SF that I didn't get into that led me to signing up for the Chicago marathon in the first place? I ended up getting accepted in the early fall in a surprise 2nd chance entry opportunity! I ran that half and picked up my 2nd Tiffany's necklace two weeks after the Chicago marathon. Celebrating my BQ by running my favorite race, was the perfect finish to an unforgettable race season! So perfect in fact, that two weeks after Boston I'll be running the inaugural NWM half in DC and collecting a little more Tiffany bling from yet another firefighter in a tux! All I can say is hurry up Spring!
Posts
