Chicago Marathon: Mission Accomplished

Saturday morning we left Mike's dad's house in Ft. Wayne (leaving the girls there for the entire weekend!) and headed northwest to Chicago. My nerves were at an all-time high, which made for a not-so-fun car ride through the traffic of the city to find the Expo at McCormick's Place. Once we FINALLY made it, here is what we walked into:

Literally thousands of runners and their friends/families to pick up their race packet and shop. Fortunately, Mike and I had been here before and knew what to expect Was a beautiful day and we entered the Expo with the sun shining and my heart beating FAST. It was very surreal being here, knowing in a few short hours I'd be running a marathon.

There was an enormous wall with all the marathoner's names on it...and it took a while to find mine
Made it very real & official; my name was in writing...guess I have to run this race after all!
Map of the course...and focusing on the FINISH line
After the Expo we drove to Jenny's house (thanks for letting us stay there while you were in Arizona!) and entered to a great sign! We got situated and then headed to cousin Steve & Amanda's (beautiful) apartment to hang out and eat with them for the evening. Just needed to carb-load and stay off my feet. Was very relaxing. Headed home and hit the sheets very early, as I had to wake at 5:30am.

Morning of race ritual: eat, drink, bathroom, Body Glide entire body, dress, get bag ready for race. A few new ones this year were Mary writing my name in permanent marker on my arm (so the crowd could cheer me on) and a tattoo of my split chart onto my arm! I had signed up to run with the Nike Pace Team and my goal was to finish in 4:15. I knew this was a lofty goal, as this was my first marathon and the heat was going to be in the 80's. Regardless, gotta have goals, right? I believe I was on track for a 4:15 finish up until mile 14-15 and then I fell WAY off track. The heat was in the upper 80's and it hit me like a wall. I know I trained in the heat of the summer; however, my long runs started at 6am...long before the sun came out.

Mike and I before the race

Just entering the starting corral and VERY nervous. I started to get choked up and teary-eyed and Mike told me to stop because I'd get dehydrated. Ha!

This is kind of hard to see, but in the distance are the runners crossing over the river at about mile 1

Think this is about mile 2-3 (don't bother looking for me, I'm not in these)

While I was busy running, my cheering crowd was busy going from point-to-point to track me down. Here are Amanda and Mary heading to mile 13

The Sears Tower...I have to admit I had some pretty beautiful scenery while I was running

Steve and Amanda waiting for me at 13

Taylor & Kim waiting

My cheering section

I was so very relieved to see everyone...I needed a mental break! The first 13 miles were great for me. Very relaxed and feeling good. I listened to the crowd for the first 10 miles and simply took it all in. Once I hit my groove and settled into my pace I put my earbuds in. I saw friends from high school and college in the crowd and at the volunteer stations. I loved reading all the signs the crowd had. A few favorites: "Beat Oprah", "Toenails are overrated" and "You've run over 500 miles this summer, what's 26.2 more?" Very entertaining.

I was in serious need of some chapstick at this point. Taylor joined me and ran miles 13-17 with me. She fought the crowds to get my gatorade and water and simply gave me company.

The crew was waiting for us at mile 17 to pick up Taylor...

...and get me some more chapstick! It was HOT and dry out, what can I say? Miles 17-23 were VERY lonely and extremely hot. It was so hot that the officials opened up fire extinguishers and were handing out wet sponges (from baby pools full of water). Runners were dropping like flies around me. Oxygen masks and ambulances were in abundance. I had to do some run-walking, as I was overheating and my quads were starting to cramp.

I just HAD to get my butt to mile 23, as I knew Erin was there waiting for me to run the last 3 miles with (and she is a big talker, so I knew I could count on her to take my mind off running). As I turned the corner and saw Erin with the biggest smile on her face (and a "GO KELLY GO" tank top, a water bottle and a fuel belt full of Gu and more chapstick) I simply melted into her arms sobbing. I saw the overhead cameras ahead, so I had to pull it together and start running so we could get our photo taken together :) Anyway, Erin had just barely made it in time to see me, so she explained her trial in getting to mile 23 (I told her it was a good thing my pace slowed down SIGNIFICANTLY because if it hadn't, she would have missed me). I was so thankful for her company and was ready for the next three miles listening and laughing (she wouldn't let me stop to potty but she would let me stop to get more vaseline for my pitts!). I told Erin how hot I was and how I was worried because I didn't put any SPF on...she told me it was October in the Midwest and that wasn't possible. I beg to differ. So does my sport bra tan line.

Before I knew it, mile 24 rolled around and we saw Mary & Taylor running towards us to join us for the final 2 miles. I mean, this is where I was the most weepy in the entire race; I had my niece and two best friends all running the final miles of my first marathon with me. I was laughing, crying, talking...I just couldn't have imagined a better way to spend the last few miles of my race. I was overwhelmed with all of their support. The girls dropped off and let me finish the last .4 miles alone...and I might add the finish was quite anticlimatic. I thought I would be a blubbering mess and I was not. I was just so darned relieved to be DONE. And looking forward to a beer and some flip flops.

Erin took these two pics on her phone, while running backwards. I swear I thought someone was going to yell at her. It was hilarious. Oh, and her "Go Kelly Go" tank top got more yells and cheers in those last 3 miles than my "Kelly" on my arm got me the entire race. I feel like my support system was amplified by her shirt...it was SO motivating.

I ran the first half in 2:07 and the second half in 2:32. I finished in 4:39 and although I didn't make my 4:15 goal...I FINISHED. Enough said.

Brent & Erin (and the famous tank)

All my girls: Taylor, Kim, Amanda, Erin & Mary

Taylor & Kim

Mikey

After the race (and an ice cold beer at the finish line!) we headed towards the JBar for a private marathon party (thanks for hooking us up Jenny!). After a quick costume change we enjoyed food and drinks and celebrated my finish.

After lunch we cleaned up and went out for a big dinner of King Crablegs at Half Shell. It was delicious and so fun to celebrate with the entire group (minus Kim & Taylor whom returned home via the train). We talked about the trials and tribulations of running a marathon...and how amazing it feels to have accomplished finishing.

I am so amazed that I did this and am so proud to be part of "the club" and can now call myself a marathoner. People keep asking me if I'm going to run another one. Not so sure about that anymore. The race was FAR more difficult than ANY long run I trained for. Not sure I could have trained any better than I did, as I followed my training schedule to the "T." For now, I'm going to take a few weeks off from running and enjoy not having any schedule to live by. Just going to bask in this glory and let my body recover from one of the most difficult feats in my life.

Chicago Marathon 2010: Mission Accomplished.

Can I get an AMEN?!?!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Izzy!

What a better way to start a birthday then with a homemade tutu?...

This year's birthday was all about fostering creativity...I made Izzy a very large and very pink tutu, a published photo book of her 3rd year of life, a homemade #3 t-shirt and lots of craft supplies.
I picked up Izzy from school today and she wanted to pose with her best bud Luke. So stinkin'.
Close-up of her #3 shirt. I have visions of getting a different shirt for each girls' birthdays and when they are 10 or 16 or off to college I'll put them all together into a quilt. Who knows...but right now it's just tradition for us.
Mommy & Iz (sorry this is blurry...I'm begging for a new fancy camera for xmas!)
We web-cammed with Grand Roo who had a cake with a #3 candle and sang Happy Birthday to Iz. So creative!

It felt like we opened presents all evening...and then Molly (Izzy says "Moddy") shows up to deliver some MORE fun presents for Iz: balloon, pool bucket, BOA, new sunnies, alphabet silly bands, necklaces, and IZZY magnets. Oh my, did Aunt Moddy spoil her Izzy girl!

Molly was determined to find every letter in the alphabet and show Iz that there will never be 2 "z"'s in any alphabet offering; however, an "n" can double as a "z". Thanks for the lesson, MC.

Of course daddy had to get Iz a tool box...and Izzy loved it. She kept on saying she was "working" and had to "get back to work." Love it. She SO wants to do everything her daddy does. And what better way to end a birthday than a helium balloon tied to a Spotted Cow beer? A big ole smooch from Izzy Lou after books in bed. Love.

Dear Izzy,

In your first three years, you’ve seen a lot of places and experienced lots of different things. We go to the park, we play with our friends, we visit our family. Sometimes we just sit on the couch reading a book, watch a movie, have a tea party, have a dance party or simply laugh at each other. All of these places, all of these experiences, all for you. (And to be perfectly honest, they make me happy, too!) All done so that you will have as much happiness as possible. So that when you wake up each morning you will wish for little. You may not remember all of these memories we’re making, but slowly, they are becoming part of you. (Plus, I’ve taken thousands of pictures to help jog your memory.) Three years since, you’ve lived a lifetime. But there are many more lifetimes to go. Places to visit. Friends to make. Dances to dance. And an endless number of happy memories to fill your dreams.

Happy 3rd Birthday Isabelle Marian...we love you,

Mommy, Daddy & Laney Bug

Gymnastics, Grandparents & Pumpkins

Gymnastics started back up for us this week; we took the summer off for swim lessons knowing we'd pick back up in the Fall. Izzy had a new teacher (sniff, sniff) but she went out for warm-ups without even a look back. She knew exactly where she was and what she was in for. Read: Iz was pumped to be back in the gym (and so was I).

Forward roll
Floor time

Balance beam (sorry the undies were out...she did receive a deduction from the judges :)

Bars

Friday afternoon my dad & step-mom arrived in town and picked the girls up from school. They said both girls were napping and had to be woken...what a fun way to wake up - to your grandparents! Dad & Anna were able to hang with the girls (read, play, take a walk) for a few hours before Mike and I got home. We had a pizza party and quality family time Friday night. Saturday I met Meggie for a very early morning run (my final taper run was only 8 miles) and then came back to have a yummy breakfast out. It rained ALL day Saturday (hadn't rained in almost 60 days in Indy!) so we did indoor activities: baked cupcakes and had a dance party.

Izzy helped bake and decorate

Then we had a little party for the Iz. She sang happy birthday "to me" and blew out her 3 candles.

Laney Bug watching

Dance party! Laney loves that silly recorder. I told her she'll loathe it in 4th grade. She still rocks out with it anyway.

This is a new fun activity we have at home...one of the girls gets in the little Radio Fly.er and we push them back and forth and back and forth across the kitchen floor. They just giggle and squeal with delight. So fun. Below the girls tried this together! I just love how much they play together now. Laney is walking as her primary form of transportation now, which has given her lots more freedom in her play and yet annoys her sister when Izzy wants to play alone (or not share).

Sunday we hunkered down at home (only leaving to buy groceries and pumpkins)...we haven't had a weekend at home with NO PLANS in a long time. Cozied in and had lots of quality family time. What did we do? Well...

We read lots of books in the tent

We watched movies

We wrestled

We painted pumpkins

We carved pumpkins

I separated the seeds from the muck while they drew & carved (YUMMY!)

And we lit up the final scary product

Happy October!!!

The Spirit of Running: My Journey

I'm not a natural born athlete. Far from it, in fact. I grew up with ballet, swimming, soccer, cheerleading and gymnastics as my sports of choice. None of which was I an all-star, all-state, or even collegiate performer. I simply participated because these sports brought me enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment as I kept excelling to the next level.

These sports kept me in moderately good shape and out of (most) trouble growing up. The ONLY running that was required in these sports were for warm-up purposes: laps around the field or laps around the gym. Soccer was an exception, as there was a lot of running required during the games; however, nothing more than a few miles.

I tried track and field in junior high and was always at the back of the pack for the mile (if I was even IN a pack after the 3rd lap!). I dreaded the annual Presidential Physical Fitness time of year in gym class because that meant we had to run a mile in gym class. I have no memory of my time, but I DO know that I always received the prestigious award because of my flexibility in the "sit & reach" being off the charts and I could "hang" on a chin-up bar longer than most. But the mile run was NOT what earned me that award year after year.
My dad has always been a runner and has (as far as memory serves) run in races each summer I spent with him. I was a spectator at these races until post-college, when my running kick started. But I entered my first 5k when I was a Senior in college (the race was on IU's campus and ended on the football field called "Run For the End Zone") and I ran quite slowly with my boyfriend and roommate. This roommate has since finished marathons in the 3:00 time frame!!! Anyway, I only ran in college because my cycling coach made us cross-train on our off days. Running seemed right for my body, as it helped elongate my bulky cycling quads. But it still didn't come naturally.

My first year out of college (1999) I entered my first 10 mile race in Minneapolis (The Twin Cities Ten Mile) to give me a reason to hit the gym in between hitting the clubs (I had a full time job at Target - money to spend and dancing to do!). I remember going to the Expo the night before the race and buying my very first pair of running tights and running gloves...the weather was a balmy 45 degrees for my very first long race. Not sure what my time was, but I know I felt like I had conquered the world once I finished. Plus, I had a race t-shirt that said I had run 10 miles! I signed up for that one again the next year and believe this is when I caught the running "bug."

2001 was the very first year I lived in Indy and I signed up for the coveted Mini Marathon (13.1 miles) that I'd heard about all through college. Friends would drive up to Indy to run the race every year and I was always so curious about the largest half marathon in the country. So I trained with my bulldog and ran the race alone. Believe my time was somewhere around 2:20. Had no idea about pacing, splits, chaffing, speed workouts, Body Glide - nothing. I just found a training program online and ran through my neighborhood with my dog's leash wrapped around my waste.

I continued to sign up for these races every single year since 2001. I have run them with girlfriends, run alone, walked with girlfriends (twice) and even started this last year with my husband for a whopping 2 miles. This is my hometown race and one I will run for as long as my body allows. I envision running with my girls by my side one day, us sharing in this passion I have.

But my marathon story starts in 2005, the year Mike ran his first marathon in Chicago. We had just wed in 2004 and moved into our Carmel house in November of that same year. Mike and I learned that we were pregnant and due to have a baby in August of 2005. We were overjoyed to tell our families at Christmas of our news, only to be devastated in February that we had lost the baby. A very long story short, the next 3 months were nothing short of scary and full of anger at how the (now-no-longer-practicing) OBGYN handled our miscarriage. Let's just say we could have had a malpractice suit on our hands but I just had to let it all go. Mike dove head-first into running and signed up for the Chicago Marathon that Fall while I focused on nursing my wounded body back to health.

The Fall of 2005 I was witness to the most amazing athletic event I have ever seen: the Chicago Marathon. My 10 year high school reunion was the night before and I was extremely hungover as we had to wake at 6am to make it to the starting line. But as SOON as I saw my husband leave to get into the starting shute, I was stone sober. I could not believe what I was about to bear witness to. My husband was about to do what less than 1% of the entire world's population has accomplished! After the start, I jogged to the 13 mile marker (a few miles away, stopping first at a Dunkin' Donuts for some hangover food!) to wait for the friends and family that were running. My college roommate was at the beginning of the pack, running with the elite, then came Mike, then Karen (college buddy), then Steve (cousin). I was so excited ringing my cowbell and blowing my whistle cheering them on. I then ran to the finish line and watched my husband through my tears as he finished 26.2 miles.

It was then that I professed I would one day run the very same race. However, I just knew my first goal was to start a family. It took two more years for that dream to become a reality, as fertility treatments were a constant up and down battle. Money. Emotions. Hopes. Fears. And no working out. My fertility specialist told me it was one or the other: baby or marathon. We obviously chose baby and are now blessed with two amazingly healthy little girls. Wouldn't trade them for anything. Ever.

So fast forward to 2008...we find out we're pregnant with Delaney (nothing short of a miracle, as the doctor told us we'd never conceive on our own! Plus, we were completely ok with having an "only child."). We were over the moon. And quickly started planning out how 2009 would look. Would be taking Izzy out of childcare and bring her home with a nanny. Would have to start another college savings plan. Would have to cancel my annual Mini Marathon registration. You get the idea.

When I told my bestie that we were pregnant she soon tells me she is running a marathon that year. Bummer! I wanted to run my one and only marathon with her. But it was my time to be pregnant...and I had in my mind's eye that I would be running Chicago in 2010. I even told my nurses in Labor & Delivery that I was going to run a marathon in 2010. I wanted everyone to know that was my goal. And therefore wanted everyone to hold me accountable for signing up, training, and finishing the marathon.

Registration for the Chicago Marathon opened on my birthday this year, February 1st. So as a birthday gift to myself (ha!) I signed myself and my niece up. Taylor has recently dropped out, as it conflicts with her Cross Country rules (but she's still running long distances at some sub-8:00 paces!). So here I am, running the race alone. In just 10 days. Oh my.

The journey has been a very long one since I signed up in February. I trained for 12 weeks for the Mini Marathon in May and PR'd with a 1:55, took 4 weeks off, then started my 18 week marathon training in June. The good majority of this year I've been training. Just in the past 17 weeks I've run 453 miles!!! I've had some pretty amazing running partners with Jaime and Meggie giving me their marathon advice along the way. I've had good runs, bad runs, soggy runs, and HOT runs in 97 degrees. I've run on the treadmill less than 5 times in the past 4 months and run around my office complex over 150 times!

I'm sure my friends and family are about tired of listening to me talk about running, watching me run or waiting for me to get BACK from a run...but for some reason it just never gets old to me. Now on the other hand, the songs on my iPod DO get old. So does my Monon Trail run and having to pack a gym bag for work every day (and then showering AT work during lunch). But the high I endure after a run never does.

There's just something about putting my shoes on and hitting the pavement mile after mile, alone with my own thoughts. I've heard other runners refer to their time spent running as their own personal "church." And I can completely relate. I do not worship or meditate inside four walls called a church, rather, I have 2-3 hours on a Saturday morning during my run to work out what's been bothering me. To blow off steam from a marital fight (I'm not perfect). Think about how to handle a situation at work. To appreciate all that I have in my life of health & family. I have internal debates and leave a long run with answers. It's my alone time to work things out in my head. It's for me and no one else. And that, to me, is meditation.

This has been a long journey to get me to the starting line of the Chicago Marathon on 10.10.10 but every single mile has been worth it. My marriage. My children. My family. My friends. I couldn't have gotten here without any of you. Thank you for putting up with me and supporting me. This has been a lifetime in the making and I couldn't imagine it going any differently.

PS-Sorry for the long post. Consider this part of my "Taper Madness."

PPS-What do you think my husband would say if I told him I wanted to do this AGAIN next year?!