Dig Deep, Run Fast

The Boston Marathon

2010-04-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

Quick Background: Qualified with a 3:50 in February of 2009 at the Myrtle Beach Marathon. Flat course, cool weather really helped. This race was good for Boston 2010. Ran the Marine Corps Marathon in October of 2009 in hopes of bettering my time. Ran a miserable race- total crash and burn with stomach cramps the whole way.

Training for Boston 2010: Let's just say it could have been better. No excuses, but we did have 3 feet of snow over the winter, which greatly inhibits long runs, in my book. So many times I said to my husband, "I'm not going to Boston. I do not want to run it on poor training. That's just not fun." But, he encouraged me. And in late February and March, I was able to get 2- 20 milers in. So, the plans were made. Sometimes I have to remind myself, "I am not a professional runner. No one really cares about your finishing time but you. "

Race weekend: I was super excited!! Total goofball and newbie. In the airport, I started chatting with other runners that were headed there. One guy recognized me from my running group. I said , "You're going to Boston?" Yes, I can be ditzy at times. We were all going to Boston. Just the word, Boston got me really excited. Greg was laughing at me. The airline employee: We're about ready to board the flight to Boston. Me; They said Boston! We're going to Boston!! " Glad to know that at age 40, I can still act like a goofball kid.

We stayed at the Hyatt Harborside, which was beautiful, but a little too far away from the action in downtown Boston. Saturday night, I didn't sleep well. I guess there was a wedding party on our floor? I was more than a little mad Sunday morning and prepared to switch rooms, but we didn't.

Sunday, instead of resting all day, we went to the New England Aquarium. That was great. A little crowded and plenty of time on my feet, but again, "I am not a professional athlete. " And then we headed over to the EXPO. At the EXPO, I got my jacket!!! I have seen members of my running group wearing this jacket and I knew I had to have one. It's like I'm in the jacket club. I saw so many people wearing them. Another goofball thing for me to get really excited about.

After the EXPO, we went back to the hotel and then out again to see the Blue Man group. Unbelievable show. If you've not seen them, I highly recommend it. So much for resting. After the show, we headed to a grocery store to buy my breakfast food, then back to the hotel for room service dinner at 8:00 pm, which is way too late, but everything was taking longer than I expected.

Happily, I was able to be asleep by 10:00- no crazy partiers in the hallway on Sunday night.

Race morning: Woke up around 5:00 a.m.- just so I wouldn't have to rush. Didn't want to wake up the family, so I moved around the room, using my cell phone as a mini flashlight. Got myself together and headed to the lobby for a cab ride over to Boston Common. It takes a lot of work to get 25,000 runners to the Athlete's Village out in Hopkinton. Friends who had run previous Bostons, told me to find the shorter lines for the busses and I did. Hopped on a bus in about 10 minutes. So cool, because I saw the around the block lines as we drove off. Hung out in Athlete's Village for about an hour and a half. Saw lots of people laying down on the ground waiting for the start. I tried, but I was too antsy and excited. Two times in line for the porta-potty. Met up with Holly and Susan, who had similar goals as me, and then it was time to head to the start. You'd think that with all that time to hang out, I would be completely ready to go, but I felt like I was scrambling. It was chilly, windy, so I had outer layers on. I checked my bag and started the trek to the start. Then, I realized I didn't have my IPOD shuffle. I had thought music might be needed as a backup in case I lost them or I was struggling. Oh well. I figured they better not lose me.

I had decided to not wear my fuel belt this time, which meant I was going to have to slow down at the water stops. I was OK with that. The biggest goal today was to have fun. That meant, not going out too fast and if I'm lucky, run a 3:59.

Fashion report: Decided to go with an orange/peach shirt (easier for the family to spot) and black race ready shorts. White 26.2 visor. It was a little cool at the start, but it was supposed to be sunny and warm as the race went on. I also wore tube socks on my arms as warmers. They look kinda funny, but are super convenient.

The race!! : After hustling to the start corralls (1/2 mile walk), Susan and Holly and I were ready to go! 4 minutes after, we were crossing the start line. From the very beginning, the crowd was amazing. I had on a pace band that allowed for a slow start. But, I could tell almost immediately, that I just wanted to run by feel and have fun... whatever pace that may be. So, we just chatted like it was any other long run, but with some crazy people on the sides that were cheering. Susan had her name on her shirt and people were cheering for her like mad. I have done this before, but this time, I didn't get it done. At the village, I asked a volunteer to write my name on my arm. funny thing is, I had her do this while wearing my sweat shirt still, so we didn't quite get the letters in the right place. So, the "K" was covered up by my sleeve and all you could see was "IM" That made me laugh.

The race starts in the little town of Hopkinton. The first 5 miles of the race go through Hopkinton and Ashland. It's mostly downhill and I had heard that the biggest mistake people make is to go out too fast. So, any time, it felt like we were running too fast, we dialed it back. I kept saying" Easy, easy".

The crowds through here were great. People were having parties in their yard and you could smell the hamburgers on the grill. People drinking beer and smoking, tough bikers that looked like ZZ top, just really interesting types of people to look at while you're running by. Holly, Susan and I continued to chat and we even laughed at one point, because we couldn't hear each other because of the crowds. "Hey people, can you keep it down? We're trying to talk here." Still, the goal was to have fun..... fun, fun, fun.

Mile 1- 8:54 - pretty controlled when we wanted to fly Mile 2- 8:52 Mile 3- 8:53 5K- 27:41- 8:55 pace per mile

Mile 4- 8:50 Mile 5- 8:57

At times, we thought that still might be too fast, but we knew we had to save the energy for the hills. I thought the effort felt easy and we were OK. No crashing and burning, please! This was the first time I had carried my cell phone with me in a race. Right around here, I started to think I needed to call Greg and ask him to bring me some Advil. They were going to be at mile 16. (which would have been too late for Advil, anyway) I felt my calf just a little and I started to worry that it was going to get worse. Holly said that she had some, which saved me, even if it was only in my mind. I decided I wouldn't take it until halfway, which would make me stay with her. The plan was gels every 4 miles and alternate water and gatorade at the aid stations. I probably lost some time at the stations, but I don't know how to drink and run. So, I walked for 15-20 seconds every station and Holly and Susan were nice enough to slow down and wait for me.

Miles 6-12 take you through the towns of Framingham and Natick. Never boring, and super quaint. We lost Susan somewhere around mile 10 or so. I still kept repeating, "Easy, easy" Holly was wearing a Marathon Maniac shirt and got lots of cheers. Poor me, no one cheered for IM. Occasionally, I'd pull up my sleeve and see if I could get some cheers for KIM.

Mile 6- 8:49 10K- 55:35- 8:57 pace per mile

Mile 7- 8:55 Mile 8- 9:07 Mile 9- 9:02 15K- 1:23:48- 9:00 pace per mile

Mile 10- 9:07 Mile 11- 9:22 Mile 12- 9:19 20K- 1:52:55- 9:06 pace per mile

Took out my phone around mile 10 a couple of times to check what Greg had texted about where they would be. Having the phone probably slowed me down some, but overall, it was really nice to know exactly where they would be, especially with 500,000 spectators and 25,000 runners. I liked knowing that at mile 16.8, they would be under the tangerine Power gel flag. He even sent me a picture. I also took Holly's Advil around here. Still feeling really good, just a precaution.

Right around the halfway point, is the famous Wellsley Scream Tunnel. I thought this section was just OK. I wasn't too impressed. Those girls totally ignored us!! I realize the thing is getting the attention from the guys, but they could have at least CHEERED for us girls. Still, a very fun section.

Miles 14-16- I don't remember much... only thinking about seeing my family soon. Holly needed to stop for the porta potty. So did I, but I didn't want a line, so I pressed on and hoped that she caught up with me soon.

Mile 13-9:14 1st half- 1:59:08- 9:06 pace per mile- one of my slower 1st halves in a marathon (that's good)

Mile 14- 9:12 Mile 15- 9:18 25K- 2:21:43- 9:08 pace per mile

Mile 16- 9:06 (1st big hill)

Greg had said that they would be at 16.8. The crowds were loud here!! I started scanning like crazy... saw them and almost bowled Darby over in a huge hug. Then, stopped for a little bit for hugs and kisses all around. Greg gave me a squirt bottle of Gatorade. It had really gotten warm by now. Greg said, "You still have your socks on." He meant my arm socks, I kept thinking he meant my feet. I thanked them and asked if they thought they would be at mile 25. Greg said he'd try. That's the longest I've ever stopped in a marathon, but it was probably only 2 minutes at the most. I figured since the goal was to have fun, then why not stop? Plus, I was hoping Holly would catch up to me.

After I left my family, I dashed into a porta potty with no line.... very quick in and out. Toss my socks here.

Miles 17-21- this is where the rest of the Newton hills are, including the famous Heartbreak hill. Again, I can' get over the crowds. I'm not missing my IPOD at all, and I think it would have been a shame to miss the crazy cheering. I am able to pass a lot of people in this section. Decided to toss my gatorade bottle here, almost took off a girl's head on the side of the road. I yell" Sorry!!" as I run past. Oops!

Mile 17- 9:28 Mile 18- 9:13 30K- 2:51:41- 9:13 pace per mile

Mile 19- 8:54 Mile 20- 9:10 Mile 21- 9:47 (heartbreak hill) 35K- 3:20:25- 9:13 pace per mile

It was really getting warm at this point... sun was intense One of the coolest things I saw was some kids on the side of the road jumping on trampolines. I also LOVED the Boston College kids. They were intense. I actually kept looking around to see if I was running next to someone famous. I couldn't believe the volume.

I am pleased that I didn't slow down too much in this section. Right around mile 20, I think, there was the Masters group... I had to yell , LOU!!!" for him to see me. I think he got some pictures of the back of my head.

Right after this, I recognized Fortunate One for the Masters group. Yay!! He REALLY helped me up Heartbreak. . I probably would have slowed down more if it wasn't for him. But, overall, I felt pretty strong. I kept attempting to see the splits on my pace band. Too much sweat... the clear tape wasn't helping much... but again, the goal was to HAVE FUN. But it sure would be fun to run a sub 4:00.... He said, "Now we need to make up the time on the downhills." At this point, I ran ahead... thinking i could surge. I should have stayed with him.

Miles 22-24- Now we're in Brookline area... going mostly downhill and feeling like I am flying. Beautiful homes.

I pulled out my phone and Greg has sent me msg that says they will be at mile 24 on the right side near the First Aid station. There are huge crowds here too. I slow down at mile 24, right at the First Aid station and I don't see them. I was so bothered by this. I thought I had missed them. I pulled out my phone, left a sad message " I guess I missed you." I was so sad and distracted but I kept running.

Mile 22- 8:39 - downhill!! Mile 23-8:49 Mile 24- 9:02- Where are they?? I definitely lost some time here looking for them. 40K- 3:49:07- 9:14 pace per mile

Mile 25- I am looking at my watch and trying to figure out if a 3:59 is possible, when I hear "KIM!!!" There is Greg and the girls, next to an aid station, but a mile further down than I thought. (Turns out, a cop had told Greg they were at mile 24) I went nuts!! I screamed and yelled at them, waving like crazy. SO HAPPY TO SEE THEM!! Greg got some funny pictures. But I didn't stop... partially because they caught me off guard and also I was felt like I was on a mission, now. I thought I could pull off a 3:59. I saw the famous CITGO sign.

Mile 25- 9:32 - getting tired

Mile 26- Where's the finish?? I feel like I am flying through here (which is all relative, I suppose) , passing people, hoping to still make it... not sure if my watch is correct. I see Fortunate One again here. Yay!!

I look at my watch 3:58... I see the finish.... maybe, maybe, push, push.... sprint, sprint.... pump your arms. 3:59, push, push- fly through the finish, look down at the watch, just turned over to 4:00. AH!! Did I do it?

Last mile split- 8:51- with the last 1/2 mile at an 8:25 pace. I ran 26.44 miles that day, not so great at running the tangents. I hold out a glimmer of hope that I started my watch late or something. Maybe, just maybe I eeked in under 4 hours, but I really didn't care. The goal was to have fun.

I turned to a woman after we crossed the finish and said, "Now that was fun!" We just chatted and bonded as we got our bags.

Greg called and they were waiting for me at the Arlington Street church. I find out from my Mom, who was tracking me, that I ran a 4:01:20. AH!!! , So close! My watch said 4:00:16... I finally figure out that my watch stopped when I stopped at the bathroom and to see my family at mile 16 (it has an auto pause that I forgot to turn off) Totally worth it to see my family, and it's very likely that I wouldn't have run a 3:59 without those stops, anyway. I had a blast and completely enjoyed and appreciated running with Susan, Holly and Fortunate One. Susan finished right in front of me, (I think a minute) and Holly finished about 3 minutes after me.

Post Race: We went to Lou's place to celebrate and hang out with more RA people. I got to hear how Holly's race ended and how Erika smashed her PR. Tuesday, more than just a little sore. Probably a combination of less than ideal training and the hills in Boston. I had thought that I would hold off on marathons for awhile. Now, I'm not so sure. This was a blast.

FInal stats: 1st half- 1:59:08 2nd half- 2:02:12 positive split, but not by much.

I feel humbled, blessed and honored to have been a part of the whole experience.

The past 8 months in review

2009-10-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

Quick recap of the past 8 months of my running career.

March : The National Half Marathon in Washington D.C. I've run this before and it's fun. A lesson learned from this race; don't run a race if you have a cold. You need to be able to breathe through your mouth AND your nose. The pictures are funny.

April: The Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I can't think of a better way to see the cherry blossoms than running underneath them.

Also in April, I ran a 200 mile relay. Such a fun and monumental event that I will write a separate post on it.

May: Cascades 10K. Outback steaks afterwards, need I say more? Sometimes, the best reason to run a race is the post race food.

June: Twilight 4 miler. One word: awesome! My church, Gateway, ran this as a group. AWESOME!

Summer- October: Marathon training once again. The Marine Corps Marathon is October 25th, where I hope to get a PR. (personal record) Anything faster than a 3:50 would be fabulous. It's almost time to dig deep, run fast.

"They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
-- Isaiah 40:31

Myrtle Beach Marathon

2009-02-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I finally qualified for Boston. After hoping for years to make this dream a reality, Valentines Day is when it actually happened.

Allow me to back up a bit. Last August, my family was hanging out at our family reunion when m cousin, Dan, mentioned that he planned to run the Myrtle Beach Marathon, held on Valentines Day, also his 35th birthday. Quite impulsively, I said "I'll run it with you."

Two months later, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon and finished in 3:56. Three weeks later, I started training for the Myrtle Beach Marathon. Training in November and December went pretty well. I ran a 16, 18 and 21 miler by the time 2008 finished.

But then it all started to fall apart in the month of January, which should have been my highest mileage month. I came down with bronchitis, only I didn't know it for a couple of weeks. It went like this... go out to run, come back, cough badly, take two days off and feel better, then go out to run , cough badly, take two days off feel better. You get the idea. I ended up missing a good bit of training as a result. I went to the doctor to get antibiotics and she told me to take 10 days off from running. This was happening at the worst possible time. But I didn't want to get sicker, so I took 5 days off... hey, I'm happy I took any time off... then slowly came back on the treadmill for another week.

A lovely snowstorm prevented me from getting the last long run in. I didn't run more than 14 miles in that entire month and my longest run was 7 weeks prior to the marathon. That's not the way you train for a marathon. I still decided that I was going to shoot for the Boston qualifying time of 3:50 for my age group. I figured that I might crash and burn, but I just had to go for it.

My family drove down to Myrtle Beach on Thursday and just had a blast Thursday and Friday. I was a little worried because on Friday I had a very bad sinus headache. But I just popped Airborne and tried to stay calm.

Race morning: 5:55 a.m. my cousin Dan knocks on my door... the weather was good. low 50s and cloudy. We get to the start at 6:15 and I feel the urgent need to visit the porta potty- no time. We wished each other luck and the race started. Dan ran with his friend Jeff and was hoping for a 4:45.

I knew that if I was going to run a 3:50, that every mile needed to be dead on or close to it. My new marathon strategy was to find someone to chit chat with in the beginning in order to stay relaxed. Some people like to talk in marathons, some people don't. I very rarely talk in shorter races, but I've now realized that this is what I need in a marathon to keep me from running too fast in the beginning. I struck up a conversation with Joel and Kerry. They were running the half and Kerry was struggling at mile 3, that's not good.

Mile splits: 1-8:44 2-8:25 3-8:25

I need to be maintaining an 8:48... a little too fast in the beginning.

My next victim, uh.. I mean running partner, was a man named James, who had Flat Stanley pinned to his back. If you're not familiar with Flat Stanley, read this http://www.flatstanley.com/ Turned out to be a perfect conversation starter. We ran miles 4-12 talking about the pancake houses, beach stores, and funny things we observed.

Mile splits: 4-8:24 5- 7:46 (I don't know why this mile was so fast) 6-8:34 7-8:32 8- 8:31
9- 8:30 10-8:38 11-8:46 12-8:39

And then disaster struck, my shoe came untied and yes, I double knotted it. OK, maybe your shoe coming untied is not a disaster, but I felt like I had no time to give up. After I stopped to tie it, I decided now would be the time to VERY QUICKLY go in to the porta potty with no line (yay! small marathons) Mile 13- 9:20.... ok, not too bad.

I lost Flat Stanley guy and told myself not to try to catch up... Nice and steady. After this, began the countdown in my head to see my family at mile 18.
Mile 14- 8:36 Mile 15- 8:45 Mile 16- 8:58 Mile 17- 8:44

I knew I was about a minute ahead of pace for a 3:50. Side note: One thing that saved me was a piece of paper on which I wrote what my elapsed time should be for every mile. Usually, people wear a pace band. I didn't have one and I thought I could get one at the EXPO, but they didn't have them. I talked to Greg the night before and said " I can just do the math." He said- " no just write it down, put in a ziploc and take it out every so often. " totally saved me. I cannot do math when I'm at mile 18 of a marathon.

Mile 18 is approaching and I could see our hotel up ahead and I was so excited because I was fairly sure that I was going to make the 3:50. I still felt strong and I was 1 minute ahead of pace. I saw Greg and the girls in their bright tie dyed jackets. :) I didn't slow down AT ALL... (which i now feel a little guilty about) I started yelling to them as I approached that I was 1 minute ahead, that I loved them and that I needed to see them at mile 21 and the finish. I think my girls were a little stunned. I tossed my fuel belt to Greg to refill and they were going to go 2 blocks over and see me at mile 21. I yelled back as I passed them that I loved them... Ok, I do love them, but I was also a little delirious.
Mile 18-8:34

Seeing them charged me up and I decided to put my IPOD on for a little while. Around mile 19, I passed Flat Stanley guy and waved to him. The weather is still nice and cool and we've seen the beach a few times.

Mile 19- 8:34 Mile 20- 8:48

Mile 21, I can see my family up ahead. I'm still about one minute ahead of pace. I thought I just needed to hold on. I'm starting to get a little tired and running harder just to maintain pace. Greg had refilled my fuel belt and Piper was holding it. Again, I didn't feel like I could slow down AT ALL, I swiped the belt out of Piper's hands and looked at Greg and started to tear up. I told myself to hold it together... I said, "Please, please, please go to the finish.... I'm going to do it!" Greg yelled "We will!"

I went to put my fuel belt back on and it felt like it weighed a ton. I have worn my fuel belt for most of my marathons because I've never figured out the run and drink thing... fuel belts have squirt bottles and I think that the extra weight of the belt is off set by time gained on not having to walk through the water stations. Well, I couldn't even make myself wear it at this point... plus, it was falling off and leaking on me. So, I tossed it underneath a beach store sign. I spent the next two minutes wondering if it would be there when the race was over. Weird what you obsess about when you're getting tired.

Mile 22- 9:12 (fuel belt fiasco) then, my family drives by and yells and cheers out the window to me. I knew they were headed to the finish and I put my head down and ran.

Mile 23- 8:51 I see my cousin's wife and their kids cheering for me here. another huge boost that lasts about half a mile. :)

Mile 24- 9:12- getting tired... it's raining now... must keep moving as fast as possible. I know it's going to be close. There is a song playing on my IPOD.... "Let it Rock" the lyrics are "When I arrive, I bring the fire..." Oh my gosh, I was running to the max of my ability and willing the finish line to show up.

Mile 25- 8:55 My watch says 3:42... oh my goodness, I don't think I can do this. I am making lovely noises now as I try to keep speeding up. People are cheering in the rain. I'm sure I'm making quite a spectacle. It seemed surreal to me... almost slow motion-like.
My chest is exploding... where is the finish??? My watch says 26 miles at this point..

Mile 26- 8:43... with the last half mile at an 8 minute pace.

We FINALLY turn a corner and there is the finish... I see the clock ticking... 3:50... push, push, push.... My family is there screaming for me... and I sprint across the line and stumble a bit. 3:50:45 gun time... 3:50:27 chip time... made it by 30 seconds.

I was spent... totally and completely... and it was raining and I started crying... hard crying for about one minute and then I was done. People asked me if I was ok... I just smiled and nodded...

What an unbelievable day.

We hung out a little... did the massage thing and then waited around for my cousin and didn't see him. Turns out, he had some bad cramps and finished in 5:14, which is a huge bummer.

We ended up staying in Myrtle Beach for 2 more days. I'm so thankful for my family and friends who are always so supportive and listen to my endless running stories.

Marine Corps Marathon October 2008

2009-02-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm way behind on posting to this blog. It's now February 2009, but I must back up and write about the Marine Corps Marathon last October.
I've cut and pasted this report from a running website that I frequent.

Quick background- 1st Marathon was here in 04- ran a 4:12, since then 4 more marathons: 4:03, 4:30. 4:08 and 5:00 last year at Chicago. I figured out that I had a bad case of anemia last year and got that fixed this year. The training went pretty well- weekly mileage in the 30-45 range, but only 2 20 milers. Was this the time that I would finally get under 4?

We lined up near the 4 hour pacer- my two friends and I- and the gun goes off, the pacer takes off and is definitely moving through the crowd quickly. This race is so crowded that I realize it might be tough to get a pace going. I'm wondering how the pacer has moved through the crowd so well.

Being the analytical type, I will give you my splits and what was happening. I met some really neat people while running today. I knew my goal was to stay easy so that I didn't blow up too bad and one way to do that was to talk so that I could relax and pay attention to my breathing... can't talk in mile 8? You're in trouble.

Mile 1- 9:14... not bad and I'm not too worried about being with the pacer. Here is where I meet Pablo, first timer.

Mile 2- 10:55- don't know why this is so slow- I think the hill or the crowds- or maybe my watch was off. At any rate, I'm staying relaxed. My friends are weaving through the crowd and I told them they were expending too much energy. Just relax... something I kept saying all morning.

Mile 3- 8:40- still hanging with Pablo- super nice guy from Columbia.

I told myself NO MILES UNDER 9 in the first half, but I can't help it. Plus I am not so good at pacing, that is why I wanted to run with a pacer. She's still up ahead.

Mile 4- 8:15 - too fast again

Mile 5- 8:50- this where my friends drop back. I met Mark who is running for Team in Training in honor of his sister who recently passed. He is awesome. I tell them that I think I've lost my friends, so now he will be my friend. I am so weird. I also say that I am so excited that we're going to run under 4 today. Smile

Mile 6- 8:42

Mile 7- 9:19- we finally catch up to the 4 hour pacer only to pass her after less than 1/2 mile. that was weird but I just couldn't slow down enough. I met Susan and chatted with her briefly but then lost her soon after.

Mile 8- 8:32- major hills over- I don't remember much other than chatting with Mark and the others around me. There were Marines who were yelling cadences/ songs. Also, a guy who yelled, "No shame, drain the vein." every time we passed men who were peeing on the side. I laughed and said something about how many times he had said it and he said, " If you're getting tired of it, you should run faster."

Mile 9- 8:36- Mark pulls away from me now. I yell encouragement to him. I meet Clay. It is also his 6th marathon. He said he wants to go under 4 but that he always says that and never does. I said, me too! and today's the day. I seemed more positive than him.

Mile 10- 8:30-

Mile 11- 8:42

Mile 12- 8:51 - i leave Clay at this point. He's struggling. I really like getting Hains Point over with earlier with this new course.

Mile 13- 8:44- I think my half split was 1:57... I really was hoping that I hadn't had too many fast miles. i felt good though. I meet Anne and I told her that we were going to go sub 4 today. She said, " How do you know?" I said, " I just know."

Mile 14- 8:42

Mile 15- 8:43- I leave Anne and continue to pass people.

Mile 16- 8:43- every time I pass someone, I say something to them. Some people seemed appreciative, others seem to think I was weird..

Mile 17- 8:30

Mile 18- 8:49- I feel really good and never feel like I'm struggling. My only issue is I need to use the potty but every one has a line... no way- moving on.

Mile 19- 8:47

Mile 20- 8:49- nobody really wants to chat anymore. Smile This starts the dreaded bridge ... I hate this bridge. But I know that my running club is going to be there.

Mile 21- 8:52- I see my friends in the group and ask my friend Matt if he wants to jump in with me. He does! yea! He carries a squirt bottle of gatorade for me. Saved me. It was getting quite warm.

Mile 22- 9:16- fading a little bit

Mile 23- 8:33- ok, so this where I think that I can "kick it in"

Mile 24- 11:00- ok, this is where my body laughed at the attempt to kick it in.

Mile 25- 9:23- recovered a little- know that under 4 is in the bag.

Mile 26- 9:12- that hill at the end sucks.

I saw the 4:00 on the clock and knew that it had taken us 4-5 minutes to cross the start. I was thrilled!

I didn't walk and I stay relaxed until the very end. exactly what I wanted.

final time: 3:56

Marathon Training

2008-07-29T08:35:00.001-07:00

Well, the plan is to do it again.
I have signed up to run the Marine Corps Marathon in October.

So far, training has gone pretty well. I have been averaging around 30-35 miles a week.
Sunday I ran 18 miles at fairly decent pace. so, I feel pretty good. Hopefully I can keep up the volume, train smart, run hard and qualify for Boston this time around.

Couch to 5K plan

2008-07-29T08:22:00.001-07:00

In April, I decided to mix up my personal training business with my love of running. I launched a 10 week program called the Couch to 5K plan. It's designed to help new runners get to the point where they can run continuously for 3.1 miles (5 K). Our goal race was the Potomac River Running Twilight 4 miler in late June, so the runners had a little bit more of a challenge ahead of them.
Two days a week I ran with the members of the group and they ran the third day on their own. We progressed from mostly walking to mostly running. What a wonderful experience it was for me to see running through their eyes. Each mile was a sense of accomplishment.
And when race arrived, they were ready. Debbie and Traci were averaging about a 10:30 pace on the runs leading up to the race, so my plan was to stay with them and pace them until the end and then go back and meet up with Donita who was going to need to take some walk breaks.
It was a hot day and they all did such an awesome job. I tried to keep them as relaxed as possible and keep them on pace. It was such a great feeling to cross the finish line with them.
They were both so pleased that they finished in around 41 minutes. I went back and found Donita and she was doing great... hanging in there.

The race was a success and know I can say that I have converted more people to running. :)
I gave the girls a magnet for the back of their cars that says Runner Girl on it. :)
I love it when I see it. They're hooked!

LAWS Half Marathon

2008-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post a race report on this one, but when I saw the results, I just had to.

I ran the LAWS Half Marathon yesterday in Leesburg, Va. Weather: 50s- total downpour the entire race.

I wrote in another thread that I was hoping to run a sub 1:50. My last half was 4 weeks ago at the National in DC where I ran a 1:57:25. I ran a negative split there and I think I determined that I started out too easy.
Yesterday I wanted to start out "comfortably hard" I didn't run a negative split... but I didn't lose as much as steam as I thought I would and I came awfully close to my goal. My time was 1:51:57 I started out too fast, which is why I've been starting easy at the recent halfs and 10 milers I've been doing. By mile 9, I was in the 9 min. range per mile, instead of 8s. I was a little toasted but I worked as hard as I could to still get under 1:50. And I didn't totally crash and burn.

What a different feeling it is to run the whole thing hard. I could barely talk at the halfway point. Afterwards, my running group and I shivered under an overhang and ate some cheese pizza- we debated: Does running in torrential downpour, lightning and thunder, make you go faster?

And to get home and see that I placed 2nd in my age group was big surprise. Yes, it is a small race and no, my time isn't really that fast, but it's still a PR and I'm happy. I was especially happy to see that it wasn't 2nd out of 2. I think there were around 30 women in the age group. They also gave out medals to the first 100 finishers. I was #95. If I can't brag a little here, then where can I ?

I just want to keep racing so I can figure out... how fast is fast enough to run well, but not so fast that I slow down some at the end.

And I consider this a PR, since my fastest half is 1:47 back in 2004 on a course that was known to be 1/2 mile short.

Thanks for reading...

Happy running everyone!

How does your Garden Grow?

2008-04-07T07:13:00.003-07:00

Here's another article from my church's website.

Spring is just around the corner and after a long, cold, hard winter, thoughts of spring remind us of new life, energy and new beginnings. Spring is the perfect time to plant a garden and if you’ve made your New Year’s resolution to become healthier, let’s talk about what you need to plant in your GARDEN.

First you’ll need to plant 3 rows of "SQUASH"

"Squash" your fear
"Squash" those feelings of failure
"Squash" low self-esteem

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

Armed with this promise from God, plant 5 rows of "Peas".

1. PLAN:

In order to start on the journey off the couch, you need a plan. "Of course!" you’re saying, but you would be surprised how many people just "know" that they need to do something but don’t have a plan. Just wanting to do it is not enough.

First, you need to determine realistic and yet challenging goals for yourself. Next, you need to decide WHEN you’re going to exercise and WHAT you’re going to do. Don’t just leave it to chance and hope that you can somehow fit some exercise in. My clients probably got tired of hearing me say, "Knowledge is power. " But, it’s true. Spend some time researching the basics of exercise or consult a personal trainer who can help you construct a plan that’s right for you.

After you’ve decided on a basic plan, get even more specific.

Ask yourself these questions on Sunday:

How many days am I going to work out this week?
How long am I going to be working out in each session?
Will you be at the gym? outside? In your basement?

A sample plan might look like this: Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Walk for 30 minutes and do 30 minutes of strength training. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday walk for 30 minutes. Your plan might need to be different. That’s OK. The point is; you need to find the plan that will work for YOU. The latest workout DVD or book will do you no good if it’s not something you can or will follow. A safe, realistic plan will give you the results you’re looking for and help safeguard against discouragement and injury.

2. PARTNER:

The next "P" is to have a partner in your workout plan for the week. Many people say that they can’t find a partner for exercise, but you might be surprised if you asked a neighbor. You’d be amazed at how much your motivation can increase when you combine socializing and exercising.

While training for my first marathon, I joined a running group that helped me tremendously. A warm bed is easier to get out of when you know that someone is waiting for you. Some people find this same kind of motivation from participating in group sports or fitness classes. Just don’t try to go it alone. That’s a recipe for discouragement. A partner can gently push you and hold you accountable. And don’t tell yourself that you’ll wait until you get into better shape and then you’ll workout with someone else. Do it now.

Building on our first "P" the PLAN and now our second "P" a PARTNER your workout plan could look like this:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday - Walking with neighbor
Tuesday, Thursday - Strength train with personal trainer
Saturday, Sunday - Rest or allow walking the dog to be my exercise for the day

3. PATIENCE:

One of the main reasons that people drop out of an exercise plan is that they get impatient. We all know the benefits of working out; both physically and mentally, so, why do we give up too easily? Well, for one thing, we forget that it took a little while for the weight to come on. It’s hard to swallow our pride and accept where we are in regards to our fitness. We focus on the past and not on the present. "I used to be a size 8!" "I used to be able to run a 7 minute mile in high school." We get so impatient to get back what we used to have, that we burn out too quickly.

The advertising industry knows that it’s tough for most people to be patient. Just look at any fitness magazine and you will see on the cover things like "Perfect Abs without doing any Work!" "Lose 10 pounds in three days!" The "quick fix" exercise plan is usually dangerous, definitely unhealthy and many times ineffective. Just remember, you didn’t put this weight on overnight: If you haven’t been exercising on a regular basis for a while, then I can guarantee that it will be hard in the beginning. But, be patient. You will get stronger and you will see results if you stick with it. It may be cliché but it’s true: "slow and steady wins the race.

4. PERSISTENCE:

The dictionary defines being persistent as refusing to give up in spite of opposition, obstacles, and discouragement; even to the point of being obstinate. I love this. In this highly sedentary world, we need to be so persistent in our efforts to stay healthy that some would call us obstinate. I tell my clients all the time that they just need to be consistent and stick with it. If working out five times a week is going to cause you to burn out and then do nothing the next week, then it’s better for you to work out only three times a week and do that consistently.

It is said that the marathon is just the final victory lap of all of the hard training and preparation. This is where you see results: stay with it; week after week. Make exercise a habit and a priority.

5. POSITIVE:

This brings us to our last P: Be Positive. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:14 " Do everything without complaining"

Believe it or not, even exercise can be done without complaining! :) Try to have fun with it and know that you are doing something worthwhile for your body.

Exercise improves your mood, helps you lose weight, helps combat depression and chronic illnesses and helps you sleep better. Need more reasons to do it? Come talk to me, I’ve got lots. We all know how important it is to exercise and be healthy. So, the question is, what’s in your garden? Do you have plenty of P’eas ?

Ten Ways to boost your Motivation

2008-04-07T07:13:00.001-07:00

I wrote this article for my church's website and thought I'd cross post here.

Top Ten Ways to Boost your Motivation

Written by Kim Ogorek

The Link - Spring 2008

Having a hard time staying motivated to exercise? Check out these tips!

1. GOALS

Set goals for yourself: both long term and short term. When you reach a short-term goal, you should reward yourself with something; but not food.

2. HIT THE ROAD JACK!

Sign up for a race. Before you protest too much, races are fun and non competitive. People of all abilities and levels participate in races. Choose a 5K that’s three months away and send in the entry fee. If running or walking is not your thing, check out cycling or swimming races.

3. THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM.

Studies show that people who exercise early in the morning stick with it more than people who exercise at different times of the day. It might have something to do with the fact that there usually aren’t too many conflicts in your schedule at 6:00 a.m. If you wait until later in the day, you might not get to it. Lay your clothes out the night before, set your alarm, heed your alarm. And enjoy the whole rest of your day knowing that you did something great for your body.

4. LET’S MAKE A DEAL!

Ok, now this one is going to sound weird, but sometimes I have to make a deal with myself in order to get some exercise in. If I REALLY don’t feel exercising, I tell myself something like this. "Self, I don’t really want to do this today. So, how about we just walk instead of run?" Or something like this: "Self, if you just run to the end of this block, you can be done." And almost every time, I end up doing more than I thought I would. Just getting out there and getting started is enough to get me going.

5. LOG IT

Keep a workout log. There are a lot of websites that help you track your workouts. Just seeing it in print helps me to go back and see my progress. Plus, I HATE to see lots of blanks in my logs.

6. BECOME A KID AGAIN

Workouts don’t always have to be "official". If I don’t feel like running or I can’t get to it, I need to get creative. For those of us who have kids, just playing tag or Red Rover in the backyard can be exercise. If you don’t have kids, borrow some from the neighborhood. OR You can make a game out of doing the housework. How quickly can you run up and down the stairs while doing laundry? OR How far away can I park? It’s not good to ALWAYS do your workouts this way, but it’s OK every once in awhile.

7. VISUALIZE IT

Find an inspirational quote and place it on your computer. Or, see if you can find a picture of an athlete that inspires you. Visual cues like this can really increase motivation.

8. BECOME A "MODEL" OF FITNESS

Call the fashion police! If you’re still in any ONE of the following items it may be time to rethink your wardrobe: 1.black socks 2. baggy sweatpants. 3. leg warmers Don’t do it! Get yourself some high quality technical clothing and the right shoes. Now, before you start thinking that I am WAY too high maintenance, think this through. If you dress in good exercise gear, you feel better while you’re exercising and therefore you are more likely to stick with it, not to mention the fact that good shoes are a must to safeguard your feet. Make sense? Now, get shopping!

9. LOSE THE EXCUSES

We’ve all made excuses not to work out from time to time. What about this one? "I’m already in shape. Round is a shape."

Think of what you commonly use as an excuse, and then come up with a good answer for it. For example, if your excuse is that you don’t have time, then rework your schedule. It could be that you are too busy. Work through your objections and find what will work for you to get out the door.

And the # 10 way to stay motivated is.....

10. FLIP THE SWITCH

Get creative! Do something different. If you’ve always been a runner, then start cycling. If you’ve always used free weights, then try machines. Mix it up! Try kickboxing! Go crazy!

Whatever you do, don’t give up. If you feel your motivation lacking, give one of these tips a try. What have you got to lose?

National Half Marathon

2008-04-07T07:12:00.004-07:00

This race is in Washington D.C. I have run many races there before. I live about 35 miles west of DC and my friend Jeanne and I left home around 5:30. One quick stop to get coffee and we were on our way. The race started at 7:00 and we thought that we had plenty of time. Two wrong turns later and we find ourselves in downtown DC at about 6:45. To complicate matters, I had the bib # and chip of Jeanne's friend, Tatiana, who was running the full. ( her 2nd marathon) So, we're trying our darnest to get there, DC cops are yelling at us to get off the roads that are closed, totally crazy. At 7:05, Jeanne ends up pulling up alongside the start, totally illegal, and I just jump out, Tatiana's bib and chip in hand. Jeanne goes off to try to park somewhere. I realize that I don't even know what this girl looks like. I'm weaving through runners trying to get to the other side and screaming "TATIANA!!!" She turns around and says " Here I am!"
So, after she gets her stuff on, we just start running. I felt kind of guilty for her rough start, so I stayed with her for the first 5 miles. I then sped up and was able to run another negative split race. It was a very fun race. What other time are you going to see this section of DC? There was a group of high school dancers that were so great. They yelled my name and even put it in their rap. At the finish, which is all up hill, I set my sights on a woman to pass. I came up alongside her and she turned and saw me and poured it on. That was awesome, even though I couldn't catch her. I love pretending that it really matters whether I finish in 1:57 or 1:58. True sprinting at the finish. :) Which is always great after you've run 13 miles.

What a morning.... Jeanne ended up having to park a great distance aways and jumped in at mile 17 to run the last 9 miles with Tatiana. Next time, we'll METRO it in.

Here are my stats:
Mile 1- 9:00
m 2- 9:09
M3- 9:05
M4- 9:13
M5- 8:55
M6- 9:33
M7-8:48
M8-8:42
M9-8:35
M10- 8:26
M11-9:33 (taking my jacket off- really slowed me down)
M12- 8:17
M13-8:07

Final time: 1:57

Next up... . the LAWS Half Marathon on April 20th where I'll target a sub 1:50!

Stupid Little 10 miler

2008-04-07T07:12:00.003-07:00

Yes, that really is the name for this race and not me venting. :) I LOVED THIS RACE!!

This is a small race about 30 miles west of me. I had never heard of it before, came across in an article online and thought, why not? My main goal race is the National Half Marathon this weekend, so I thought I would just go to this 10 miler and take it easy; have fun with it.

And it was fun. The race is held in a campground, along the Shenandoah River. The people there were so nice... runners and volunteers. Most of the time runners are nice, but it seemed extremely so at this race.

The race director said that IPODS would disqualify you. I had never seen such compliance with this rule. And I didn't even miss it. I actually think that this enhanced the race because runners were able to talk and encourage each other.

but let me back up to before the race started, the funniest thing happened in the porta potty line. I was talking to the girl in front of me. ( I like to talk, can you tell? ) And this man turned around and said very loudly, " I KNOW YOU!" " You were in front of me the whole time during the Reston 10 miler and I could never catch you. " " I'm going to be running with you."

I was like, Ok. ? I loved his boldness. So, Johnson (that's his name) and I chatted and started the race together. I kept it at a nice and easy pace for the first three miles. And after that, Johnson, dropped back a bit. The race course is out and back and even though I felt good, I kept holding back. We turned around at mile 5, of course, and then, finally at mile 8, I gave myself permission to pour it on. That was fun. I was able to pass people for the final 2 miles.

Final time was 1:31. So, the first half of the race was 46:00 and the second half was 44:00. Miles 7 -9 were in the 8:45 range and the last mile was 8:00 That shocked me. I think this means that I went out a little easy, don't you think?
But again, my goal race is this weekend, so I didn't want to "race" the whole thing. And passing people at the end is awesome.

I highly recommend this race if you ever find yourself in Berryville, Va. Afterwards, they had Krispy Kreme donuts and Coke. They gave out random awards ( the 32nd finisher) and funny trophies ( beauty queens and jockeys)

Six Months Later

2008-04-07T07:12:00.001-07:00

I don't actually know how people keep these things up to date. I am just now writing again after 6 months or so. I have been running about 20 miles a week through the winter.
Spring has finally sprung though and everyone feels happier to be outside.

In January, i had a procedure called NovaSure done. ( you can google it for more info) This has greatly helped my running. I'm still not getting too much faster but I feel MUCH better. Just more energy in general.
I decided that I would set my sights on the National Half Marathon on March 30th.

Before I ran that I ran two 10 milers.

The first one was the Reston 10 miler.

Here is the report on that one...

I decided to run this race at the very last minute- like Friday. This is a small local race- there were probably 200 runners there at the most today. I'm preparing for the National Half Marathon in a couple of weeks and my weekly mileage has been lower than it should be. I thought that this race might be a good kick in the pants to get me going these last couple of weeks.

The night before my husband and I had a rare date night. We went to Benihana's and I ate eel and drank not one but two cosmos: not my typical night before a race food and drink.

But race day dawned, and I felt OK. It was raining and dreary, windy and just a little cold. We were all huddled inside the high school before the start. My friends went to warm up but I was having none of it. I didn't want to get out there until the last minute. The race starts and I realize I have no plan whatsoever. I thought it might be fun to see how long I could maintain the pace of my friends. They started out at about an 8 minute pace which I knew I couldn't keep. That lasted about 3 miles for me and then they sped up. All the while it's raining, not pouring, but just nice, solid precipitation. One of those races where you keep taking your gloves off and putting them back on. I then just went with what felt good, up and down the hills. At the end, I was able to speed up some to back around an 8 minute mile to finish in 1:28. I'm surprised I had fun with this one even with the cold rain. A 10 miler is the perfect distance. Not too short, not too long.

Afterwards, I "raced" home to take a quick shower and then head to church. No time to cool down and stretch. :)

The Chicago Marathon

2007-10-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

Well, I thought it was about time to write about the marathon. Let me back up a bit:
My last 5 weeks of training went really well. I ran a 21 miler and a 23 miler. I felt great both times and took it nice and easy. I also ran a half marathon on Sept.23rd- only 2 weeks away from the marathon. My running coach advised me to just run it easy and I did- finishing in 2:05. My PR is 1:47 for a half- so this was easy for me. I mostly ran it to practice drinking on the run: something I've never been good at. I decided during this race that I would plan to wear my Fuel Belt at Chicago. I like having it on me at all times. You can drink while you run and it doesn't weigh that much.

The week before the marathon, the usual obsessive weather checking began. The initial long term forecast was for rain and high of 60. Ugh- But as the days passed, the forecast changed to "record breaking heat- high of 88 and humid" What??? this was Chicago in October. I couldn't believe it was going to be that bad. Last year, they ran the marathon on the 22nd of October and they had some snow! So, even though I was reading the weather, I still wasn't thinking it would be that bad. I figured there would at least be a breeze from the lake and all.

Our whole family flew to Chicago on Thursday before the marathon (Oct. 4th) I had been having some sinus issues, I was feeling pretty bad by the time we got to my sister's house in Naperville. So, I needed to lay down and rest and Greg took the girls to the park with my brother in law, Chris.

We spent the next couple of days hanging with friends and family. Greg's parents came up and stayed with his sister and her family. My parents came up from Georgia and the entire group of us ate Italian Friday night. I felt OK. My sinuses bothered me some, but it could have been worse.

Saturday, Greg and I went to the EXPO while my parents babysat. My sister was strangely absent. I kept asking about her and I was told that she was just tired, which is not like her. (more on that later.)

If you've never been to an EXPO, it's totally awesome. I always love expos, I don't know why. There was a huge screen playing a video of the course. Picture a fast moving car driving the streets of Chicago. There was also a segment of the marathon from last year: the elite race as well as the regular runners. I'm telling you, that video got me. I even caught Greg tearing up. It was really well done- complete with slow motion footage- very "Chariots of fire-like."

My stomach was bothering me some along with my sinus issues. All I can think is, I know it's hard to run a marathon when you're feeling %100 healthy and the weather is perfect. What am I going to do? I chalked up the stomach issues to nerves. I don't know why I would be nervous for my fifth marathon but I guess it just adds a different element when you have family members coming to watch you; my own self-imposed pressure to do well, I guess.

After the expo, we went to Lou Malnati's for dinner with Team CdLs. I was so excited to meet these people! We've been emailing some and keeping up with each other's training that you feel like you know them. We ate deep dish pizza, chatted, got our Team shirts. By 6:00, we head back to Naperville and I started to lay everything out for the morning.

Ok, I am what I call a high maintenance runner. It takes me awhile to get everything "just so". I put my name on the front of my shirt as well as Hebrews 12:2. On the back, I wrote the names of all the people who donated to CdLs. Thanks to their support, I was able to raise over a $1,000!

Finally bedtime- around 10:00 and I feel Ok. I've set the alarm for 4:15- yes a.m. The race starts at 8:00- but we were meeting in the team tent at 6:30- it's a 40 minute drive and I just didn't want to chance it.
Wouldn't you know at 3:45 my eyes pop open. This happens to me every marathon. I think I'm afraid that I will oversleep.

So, we're on the road. We make it in plenty of time and I get to hang with Team Cdls while Greg goes to find his tent. His family would be arriving in a little bit. My parents were in Naperville watching Darby and Piper which was a huge help. It's too hard to move fast around a city with little ones. When they're older, if I'm still running races, they may want to come cheer Mom on.

We take pictures, stretch a little and then move to the start. I'm so afraid of getting boxed in like I did in New York that I moved to the very front of the open corral. And I just sit down and starting talking to a very nice girl, Vicky. We were both commenting on how warm it was at 7:00. Not a good sign- when you're sweating a little just standing around that doesn't bode well for when you're going to be running. (there's a reason they don't hold marathons in the summer)

The marathon starts with an unbelievable rendition of the National Anthem sung by JoDee Messina. Other huge marathons I've run you can never hear what's going on way up there- but this one you could hear everything.
The gun went off and we started slowly moving while listening to Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get it Started" Many people were singing along- I was laughing because I voted for that song (online poll) I exchanged a smile with the guy next to me as we sang at the top of our lungs. :) 4 minutes later we were running.... not too bad- in New York it took me almost 20 minutes to get to the start.

Soon, everyone took off. I could tell right away that it was going to be rough. I usually take a few miles to warm up but this time, I was sweating right away at mile 2. I decided on a plan of every 15 min. about 3 ounces of gatorade. every 30 min. 3 ounces of gatorade, a gel, and a salt tablet. I knew that in this heat your body is working very hard just to cool itself, so you have to give it even more than you would normally.

My pace felt good though. I loved the crowds and spent most of the time just looking at the spectators.

The course starts in Grant Park and we actually ran underneath the river. That was cool.
My first 5 K split was 29:30. (9:30 pace) My GPS watch was not getting a signal with all the buildings. I needed to be running by feel anyways with the heat. The crowds are spectacular through this section. The course goes up to Wrigley Field, where we heard a band playing the Rocky theme. My next 10K split was 1:00 (9:45 pace) I felt fine but I was slowing down gradually- already at mile 7!

the course then loops down through Lincoln Park and Old Town. There were tons of people everywhere! I loved seeing the cheerleaders and bands. And people cheered for me. I saw one of the same spectators over and over. And Team Cdls had their own cheering squad with a Casper mylar ballon. That was cool.

The heat was getting worse; no more shade. It was somewhere around here that I saw a bank thermometer that read 98! What? It certainly felt that way.

I was still paying attention to my fueling strategy and waiting to see my family at mile 13.
15K split- 1:32 (9:57 pace) (9.3 miles) I still think I can somehow recover this pace. 20K -2:05 (10:07 pace) 13.1 miles- 2:13 (10:11 pace) my slowest half ever.... That's Ok, keep moving.

At this point, I am scanning the crowd looking for Greg and the fam. He said that they would be at mile 13.5 so I was watching. When I saw him, I was ecstatic. I ran straight into his arms. Bruce, Georgiana, Melissa, Travis and Bryan were all there and they were wearing shirts that said RUN KIM RUN in huge letters on the front.

I actually was done with my fuel belt at that point, so I handed it off to him. My plan was then to use the water stations. I immediately missed my fuel belt. It got so much hotter at this point. 25K split- 2:40 (10:20 pace) (15.5 miles) Ok, really slow- still feel good but can't seem to do anything about the speed.

I saw my family again at mile 16.5- I was happy to see them. Greg had a donut for me. I didn't want it. I was feeling a bit nauseous. Could have over done it on the gatorade, not sure. It was at this point that I told Greg that I was throwing all time goals out the window and just wanted to finish. I was starting to see more and more people walking, people yelling out that there were runners down, med staff attending to runners. I've never seen anything like it. Greg's brother Bryan, was going to meet me at mile 20 to run the end with me. I could tell I would need his help.

At mile 20, I flew right by Bryan but he jumped in. It was great to have him there. I am so thankful that he was able to run me in. At this point, I'm barely moving forward but I refuse to take more than a few 30 second walk breaks here and there mostly just through the water stations.

The crowds never let up. They were amazing. It was at mile 21, I think, that someone who was running said to us, "Did you hear that they called the race?" I had never heard of anything like that before. then a water station volunteer told us that the race had been cancelled. They were now calling it a fun run and we should either get on a bus or walk to the finish. Well, I just didn't want to hear that. I didn't understand why people were telling us to walk. The cops were everywhere and you could hear all of the sirens. Overhead there was a helicopter that was announcing to us the news and that we should walk. Almost everyone around us was walking, but i just kept going. I still took the walk breaks through the aid stations.

At one point, someone told us to get on the bus and all I could think was " Why would I get on a bus if I'm running a marathon?" And I know that I wasn't delirious from the heat because Bryan didn't understand either and he had just started running. I just wasn't sure what was happening. no walking, no walking. I felt bad for Bryan, who was probably expecting a much better experience for the end of a marathon.

Right around here was chinatown- the crowd was so loud! I loved it! I told Bryan to get the crowd going by raising your arms up and down- He did and they went crazy and yelled my name. Very cool and I used the energy from the crowd to pick up my pace for maybe 50 yards. Of course that little "sprint" cost me.

The last 5 miles were filled with just determination to finish. Sometimes I kept my head down, other times I looked straight ahead. A few times I even had a smile on my face. There was a well meaning volunteer who dumped an entire jug of water on my head; which I didn't want her to do. especially finding out later that others didn't have water. But she meant well.

And the only significant hill in the entire marathon comes at mile 25.5. Oh my goodness, I told Bryan that he had to help me get up that hill. Bryan was a great help even though I think he did tell me that he could walk faster than I was running. :) 30K split- 3:20 (10:47 pace) 35K- 3:59 (11:02 pace) 40K- 4:42 (11:23 pace) At this point, I'm not even looking at my watch. I've already run 30 minutes slower than my first marathon. After the big hill, you turn a corner and there is the finish. I knew I could run the rest of the way, even though I was exhausted. I kept saying "It's right there. it's right there." I think Bryan thought I was a little loopy. I ran through to the finish with my arms raised. Even at the finish, there was an official who was yelling at people to slow down. My final time- 5:01- although I like to say 4:55. That's what my watch said and it's a little less painful. Almost everyone I know was at least one hour off their goal time. This was 52 minutes slower than last year's Philly marathon, but I honestly didn't care; especially given the fact that so many people suffered heat exhaustion and I felt fine.

After crossing the line, I got my medal and my picture taken. I actually smiled.
Then I went to the Team Cdls tent, where I shed a few tears- I think of relief to be done. I got some food and water and then met up with the family. Greg brought me some gorgeous roses. We had to say goodbye to his parents and Melissa and Bryan. Greg and I then went and got MORE food at a restaurant nearby. I don't think you can eat enough after a marathon.

We went back to Naperville and relayed the story to my parents and sister. It was all over the news... a major world marathon was cancelled, over 300 went to the hospital, thousands were forced to either walk, get on a bus or take a short cut or forced to drop out sooner because of the heat. I feel very fortunate to be feeling so great.

That night, we went to eat some MORE food- deep dish pizza. And Karen let me know that she was absent all day Sat. because she had a stomach virus. She didn't want to get me sick or freak me out; which was quite nice of her, I think. :)

As for me and the only physical aftermath? Major blisters underneath my toes. I think from the water on my feet or the fact that I've never run for 5 hours before. I had to go to a doctor to get the toenails removed. That was not fun. But they're all healed up now.

One week later and it's all over now. What an experience. Hopefully, people will not blame the race director for cancelling the marathon. He did it to save lives. They're being criticized for running out of water and gatorade, but thankfully, I never experience any of that. It's hard to say whether I will come back and run this one again. It's truly amazing to me that my slowest marathon to date will probably also be the most memorable.

Thanks for reading this LONG post. Thanks to all of my family and friends who supported me in so many ways. Thanks to Karen, Chris, Anna Grace and Haddon for hosting us. Thanks to my parents for babysitting. Thanks to Georgiana, Bruce, Melissa, Travis and Bryan for making the trip, wearing the cute but goofy T-shirts and being an awesome cheering section.

Thanks, especially, to Bryan, for helping me finish. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't have been able to do it without him. I know I was delirious at the end.

And of course, thanks to my family for their unending love and support. My girls, Darby and
Piper and my wonderful husband, Greg, who made all of the training possible.

Pictures are online at http://picasaweb.google.com/ogorek/ChicagoMarathon2007

Summer of Firsts

2007-09-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since I've last wrote. It's now Sept. 1st and I'm 5 weeks away from the marathon. The summer has flown by. Darby swam on swim team for the first time this summer- We all enjoyed watching her improve. She went from not knowing how to back stroke at all to doing it in around 45 seconds. That girl inspires me! There were times when you could see how tired she was, but she didn't give up. I love that attitude and it helps me to not give up when I want to be done with a long run.

We also had our first camping experience as a family. If I ever get super organized, I'll post pictures- the camping was fun- we even spotted a few bears!

And recently we were able to go to the Outer Banks for the first time. We now see why so many people around here travel down there for a vacation. The beach was beautiful and the girls loved being able to ride the waves on their boards.

My running has been going well. There are always good ones and bad ones. But you hope the good outweighs the bad. Piper and Darby went to our church's Sports Camp this summer and the theme was Game Plan- focusing on how we need to trust God's plan and follow His plan.
Well, I couldn't help thinking of how this applies to training for a marathon. There are times when you don't want to trust the "plan". You think, i just finished 16 miles and I'm toast- how could I possibly do 10 more? But experience has shown that if you just trust the plan, and more importantly, follow the plan than it will all payoff in the end.

How true this is for life too!

2007-07-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ran 4 miles this morning on the trail and did 45 second intervals of increasing speed. It was so hot and muggy at 6:30 a.m. I couldn't believe it. After only 4 miles, I was literally pouring in sweat. But our running coaches tell us that all of this training will pay off in the Fall when the temperatures cool. Plus, I love the way that running wakes me up in the morning. It's seems to help the O2 reach my brain or something.
Happy trails everyone.

2007-07-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well, fast is relative. I like to THINK I'm fast- even though I know I'm not. And I definitely want to continue to try to dig deep.... no letting up or wimping out.

Training is going well. I'm on week 9 of a 21 week training program for Chicago. So far, I've been averaging about 30 miles a week with this week topping out at 42 miles a week. I've run two short races: the Cascades 10K (May 26th) where I ran my slowest 10K time ever: 56:00- just wasn't my day. too hot and too early on in the training to take advantage of improving fitness.

I also ran the Twilight 4 miler (june 23rd) in 34:14- an 8:30 average pace. I knew I was in trouble as I was chatting with someone who is MUCH faster than me and mile 1 came in at 7:12- no way could I maintain that- not even for just 4 miles. Who knew that the death march that is typically reserved for the last 3 miles of a marathon could also happen in a race that's just 4 miles? :)

My long runs have been between 10-14 miles. Yesterday, I ran 16 miles and it felt like an accomplishment. I think it was 90 degrees when we finished at 9:30 a.m. Doesn't seem to matter how many marathons you've run- when you hit the longer distances, it still feels like a big deal. Or at least it feels that way to me. :) Today I have what runners call a badge of honor- which is just a weird way to say that I have a purple toe. Ahh... the pain that we runners inflict on ourselves.... but it's all worth it in the end.