Blue toe

I went to go get a pedicure for my brother, Rich's wedding this past weekend.  I knew that my big toe on my left foot was bruised, but the last time I checked, it was just a pale blue color.  I covered it up with some nail polish and went on my way.  Now, two weeks later, the pedicurist takes off the polish to reveal a very ugly, dark blue toenail.  Bwahahaha!  Hilariously disgusting.

The good: It gave me another excuse to tell someone that I ran a marathon.
The bad: the cute pink blush color I had picked wouldn't cover up the deep navy currently under my nail.

I just hope it doesn't fall off.  My battle wound.  =D

2011 Chicago Marathon - I made it!

So Marathon day arrived. I was freaking out! All weekend I was stressed, which Phil wasn't used to.  Hahah. I had trouble sleeping and I just wasn't talking very much.  But, everything worked out! I woke up as expected on Sunday, October 9at 4:15 AM and went downstairs to eat breakfast. The dogs just kept staring at me with a look of, "What are you doing? Don't you know what time it is?" They weren't even awake enough to want to eat: just confused. 

I went upstairs and put on my running clothes including my amazing shirt that Isaac designed for me and I ironed on.  Amazing! I absolutely love it! I remembered to take my water bottles out of the freezer, I was prepared with plenty of GU, I applied my anti-chafing cream to all of the necessary areas and waited for Anna to pick me up. 

We drove down to Chicago with Anna's Mom and Aunt in tow.  It was so much fun! they decided to teach me Korean and I learned how to say "Cold" and "Good"….although I think my foreign language memory cells were eaten away with the calories lost during the marathon, so I couldn't tell you what those words were.  Maybe one day it will come back to me.  Anyway, her mom and aunt were hilarious and super-sweet!

We got down to the start line, hugged Anna's mom and aunt goodbye and went in search for porta-potties, which suprpisingly had a decent line.  Finished up there and off to the corrals we went. 

Oh my goodness, my nerves were going crazy! I was so nervous! We waited for what felt like forever and then decided to say a little prayer before the race began.  We prayed that God would give us the strength to complete the race and thanked him for how far he has already brought us.  What an wonderful experience it was to train with such a good friend! I am so grateful. After our prayer, a woman from behind tapped us on the shoulder to tell us that she was praying with us, too.  It was very uplifting.  =)

Before I knew it, the race started and off went, the Kenyans in a blur, as we slowly began our 20 minute crawl to the start line.  At 7:50, we were on our way and I was in awe.

I could not believe how many people showed up to watch the race.  This was nothing like any of the half marathons I had done! there were so many more people!!!! Anna and I are normally very chatty, so we caught up on the ongoing in our lives from the previous few weks (Vegas, a wedding, moving…etc), but after that we became more quiet than usual.  I apologized for my lack of talking and told Anna that I was just in awe of the race itself and the fact that this moment was actually here after so long.  I took deep breaths and just tried to enjoy every minute of the race, and I really did.

We ran north towards Lincoln Park and I called my friends, Lori and Stacey, a couple miles in to find out where they were standing.  When we found them at around mile 6 (I think), they hopped into the race and started running with us.  I remember telling Stacey that this was so much more fun than I had imagined and that we had a good pace and I was feeling good.  I am so grateful for their support and it meant so much for these two (also marathoners) to run beside me for a short period of time.  Love you both so much!

At around mile 10 or 11, we met some other friends (Pretty, Connie and Niyati). Pretty is one of my biggest running supporters and has been to several of the races that I've run in Chicago, so I was so excited to have her along the course again.  I was so happy to see Connie with her: we never had the discussion about whether or not she was going to be able to make it, so it was a very happy surprise.  We stopped, took pictures and went on our way again. 

Lori and Stacey met us again a couple miles further in and somewhere in between there we ran trhough Boystown.  Oh my goodenss, how entertaining! There were two men on a stage dressed up and singing Lady Gaga.  Hilarious! On the other side was a group of 10-12 guys dressing in ROTC shirts and cargo pants doing a baton spinning routine with fake guns.  Amazing.  People were also outside of there homes with their own sterio systems blasting music, others brought out their hoses and were spraying the runners to cool off. Others were handing out food (oranges, pretzels..etc).  Anna told me I shouldn't take food from strangers, but I ate an orange anyway.  hahaha.

By this point we had turned around and were turning west West to go through the West loop.  I took some pictures of the Sears tower and ran ran ran.  This point had fewer spectators, but it was the two upcoming spectators that kept me going and got me excited to get to mile 13.  Before we knew it we were passing the half way mark and approaching by wonderful husband and his best friend Andres! First of all, that might have been the easiest 13 miles I have ever run! I felt like a million bucks at this point as I ran up to Phil and hugged him.  It was so good to see both of them waiting to snap pictures of us and cheer us on. We keept running West and eventually turned around to come back East and there they were again waiting for us at mile 16.5.  You two are the best!

My handsome and loving husband and biggest supporter

Andres Aya cheering us on from the sidelines

Nikki (left) and Anna (right) as we ran over to greet Andres and Phil

At this point I think I am finished seeing my friends, but I have a surprise waiting for me at mile 17.5 in Little Italy.  I had run past my college (UIC) and was approaching the street where I used to live when I hear my name being called from the sidelines.  Phil's dad came down to cheer me on, too! What a great surprise to see him along the course. 

Me and my father-in-law. I am so happy you were able to make it, Dad! I love you! 

After snapping a few photos, we went on our way. We ran through Pilsen, which was one of my favorite areas.  The cheering was just incredible! there were so many people out blasting music, spraying water, handing out oranges and snacks, and I got a great picture standing next to a guy in a HUGE costume.  Next we ran past some areas that seems desolate before listening to Elvis serenade us and then entering Chinatown.  The dragons were really cool!

Nikki in Pilsen

The dragons in China town

Anna reaching out to Elvis (I knew he was still alive!)

It was at this point that I had made my mistake.  I was concerned about taking my third GU because of the way the second one affected me (it felt like it sat on top f my stomach for 20 minutes and I swore off the possibility of ever eating chocolate again), so I skipped it.  At this point I was still feeling good, but my hip was starting to bother me, so I took my tylenol that I brought along.  It wasn't until mile 23 that I felt the consequences of Gu-less-ness.  I hit the wall.  Although I kept telling myself that I only had a 5K to go, my legs did not want to do it.  So, I sucked it up and tried the last GU and ended up inhaling it.  It was the little bit of energy that I needed to finish the race, although it was still VERY hard.  We had to stop and take walking breaks, we hung out at a medical station and rubbed biofreeze everywhere and we refilled on water at every station.  We were just dragging….

Then we made a turn and started up Michigan avenue towards the finish line.  We had 2 miles left and I started to feel the adrenaline rushing through my body.  It took everything I had in me to not throw up from excitement of the upcoming finish.  I grabbed Anna's hand at mile 24 and started crying. I thanked her for running with me all these times and being such an amazing friend and I meant it. 

We hit mile 25 and I started repeating to myself, "Its just a regular Saturday morning run.  Nothing special about this run.  Just a regular run."  And I was able to convince myself of it for a millisecond between hearing people cheer, "You're almost there! One mile to go!" My legs were on fire, my hip was killing me, I felt sick to my stomach but all I could think about was the fact that I was about to finish a marathon.  Who would have thought that a girl with asthma could run 25 miles?!?

The marathon course takes another turn and we are headed up hill at mile 26 (how kind of them).  I thought about all of the hills that I had done during training and I killed it.  One final turn and it’s a straight dash into the finish.  Don't throw up. don't throw up. Don't throw up.  And then I was done.  I tried to lift my arms in triumph, but had little energy. I remember bending over in amazement and crying. I remember having a woman put a medal around my neck rather than just having it handed to me.  I remember seeing people putting on mylar blankets and saying, "how the heck are they able to wear those right now?!" in an almost angry voice.  I was warm and emotional. 

The next 10 or 15 minutes were spent taking pictures and navigating my way past the snacks and water and towards the post-race party where my friends and family were waiting for me at letter R.  "OK," I replied, "Argh, Like the pirate. Arrrrrrrrr."

The walk to the party was soooo long.  I remember thinking, "Why the heck is this so far away." I finally made it, though, and when I got there, I collapsed into my husband's arms and began to cry tears of our happiness. I couldn't believe I just finished. After all of the training, the pain, the fun times (and scary, lost times) with Anna, the physical therapy and the resting....I was done.  

The slow walk to meet my family and friends. 

my biggest support before, during and after the race. 

I am so grateful to all of my supporters.  Thank you all so much for being there for me and cheering me on through my training and the race itself.  I don't know how I can repay you, but it meant the world to have you there. 

From the left: Connie, Phil, Andres, Lori, Nikki, Stacey and Pretty

This truly was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything. 

Fall Final 20

On September, 18, 2011, I ran a 20 mile race with none other than the beautiful Anna Steeves!!!!  It was so much fun and I am so grateful to her sister, Lisa, for letting me run with her bib number.  Hmmm…maybe I shouldn't announce that publicly.  The race police might get me. 

Anna and I had a great time.  It was rainy and cold, but we had some more great conversation (as always!) and goofed off a bit, too.  When we started getting up in miles, our muscles began to yell at us….profanely.  There were several 4 letter words that were no uttered from our lips, but our muscles apparently were not very happy.

We chewed GU (ewwww….), stopped for emergency bathroom breaks, hobbled along due to hip pain, talked about how heavy our butts felt, and when we thought we couldn't go any longer, our bodies always started back up after a short walking break similarly to an old car engine in the winter-time. 

I wouldn't change a thing!

Thanks again to the Steeves Sisters for an amazing experience!

BLUUUUUUDDD!

So, I know I haven't posted in a while, but I guess late is better than never.  I have one story that I really want to get down on paper, so I am going to pretend like I just ran my 18 mile race.  Hehehehe. 

So, I went out for my 18-miler and decided to take a new course rather than doing two laps in my 9 mile forest preserve.  I needed to run from my house to Meacham and Golf in Schaumburg and then turn around and come back.  Of course I was nervous because this was to be my first LONG run after doing an 18 miler a few weeks prior (the one during which I injured my hip). 

So, I set out.  I was  jogging along at a happy pace when: WHAM! I hit an upturned piece of pavement and went down.  I scraped my knee, but out of embarrassment, quickly got up and started running again.  After a short while, I stopped to look at the damage.  The cut was bleeding, so I squirted some water on it to clean it a little bit.  This caused the blood to run down my legs almost to my ankles.  so what would any rational human being do? Leave it.  I started running along thinking to myself, "Man am I cool.  I'm tough.  yeah, I fell. So, what?  I got up and kept going! Take that!" Hahahaha! I am such a dork…

So I am running along and, wouldn't you know it: at mile 7-ish my hip starts to bug me.  It was nothing horrible and since I was only a couple miles off of my turnaround, I decided to keep going.  It was a hot day, but it was overcast and I was feeling good, so I didn't want to shorten my run. 

I finally hit my turnaround and lingered a little at the busy corner so people could get a good view of my knee before proceeding back to my house. 

I was good on GU and I had a decent amount of water, but I had brought money with me so I could stop and treat myself to a Gatorade on the way back.  I ran into Dominicks at mile 13, went to the bathroom (without cleaning up my knee, of course!) and then bought my Gatorade.  I filled up my water belt and was quickly back on my way. 

Then mile 16 came.  By this point, by hip was really nagging me, but it wasn't that that stopped me; it was a charlie horse in my left calf.  BOY, did it hurt.  I tried to keep running, but my left foot started turning inward and my toes curled under. I had no choice but to stop and try to walk it out slowly.

It was at this point that I was passing a McDonalds and a really nice man was walking to his car.  He stopped when he saw me limping along slowly and said in a very concerned (almost panicked) voice, "Are you ok?"

            I replied, " Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Thanks."

            "Did you fall"

            "Oh, yeah. It's ok. It was a while ago."

            And with a strained look of worry, he responded, "But, YOU'RE BLEEDING?!?!"

            "It's dry now," I said as I wiped at the blood near my ankle with my hand.

            He began walking to his car, insisting, "I…I have some paper towels." I was the damsel in distress and this poor man wanted nothing more than to assist me in whatever way he could. I graciously accepted the paper towels, pouring water on them and began sopping up my blood, secretly thinking to myself there goes my cool picture. Sad….I wish I  could have posted this on my blog….

           

As I was cleaning myself up, the man, now much calmer, asked me, "So, how far do you run?" When I responded that I was going 18 miles today, he exclaimed, "18 miles!"

            "Yeah, I am training for a marathon."

            "Wow," he replied, "Well, yesterday I had to do a test and run a mile and a half under 20 minutes.  I did it in 15! I think that's pretty good."

            "WOW," I responded, "That's great.  Good job, really."

            He was so proud of himself.  He went on, "Yeah, not bad for my first time."

            "No, that's great!"

I then thanked the man again for his help, battling through my disappointment over my very clean leg, and went on my way.  I finished the last two miles remembering my beginnings.  I thought back upon the first time I set out to run and how shocked I was with the distance I was able to undertake: 4 miles.  What?! someone with asthma can go that far? I am grateful to this man for not only reminding me that I should probably try to avoid an infection and clean my wounds, but also that every step counts. From the first to the last, we all need to start somewhere.  It’s nothing more than a wonderful journey full of pain, injuries (even if you can't show them off), tears, excitement, celebration and joy in between.

A terrifying tale of the most exciting 17 mile run EVER!

The morning run began like any other, except this time there was chest pounding, grunting and "Rawrrrrrring" in preparation for the 17 miles that lay before us.  Anna and I were PUMPED! But, the one thing we wanted to avoid was lapping our cars on the short nine mile path.  We analyzed the posted map of the forest preserve to figure out a way to avoid doing the same trail twice and came up with a pretty exciting sounding plan.  And off we went!

After a three mile run, we stepped off onto the planned path which was sure to link up, not perfectly, but close enough to the next short trail.  We were excited for this one: a short loop around would bring us to what I call "the horse path," which is an unpaved, shaded journey through trees with a high population of deer, bunnies, and a single cat I spotted last week.  It’s a fun 3.7 mile loop that would then link us back up to the original trail that we started on and then back to our cars (then home!). 

When we came to the end of the first off-shoot, we traversed through muck.  And I mean MUCK! Ew! It was deep, deep mud that we tiptoed through before finally getting to the rocks on the side of the rail road tracks.  I thought to myself, "huh. railroad tracks." Anna, being the mind reader that she is responded, "I know this is weird, but I've done this before with a friend."  I felt relieved as we tried to find the best footing: low down the slope, higher towards the tracks….eventually we rested our feet on the wood planks jutting out from the rail as Anna asked, "How wide are trains?"  Hopefully not too wide. 

As we envisioned jumping down the slight hill to avoid a passing train, we feared the carnies that would swoop us up and take us away, never to be seen again by our families.  It wasn't until we heard the dogs barking in the not so far distance, changing our fears to thoughts of rabies, that the carnies didn't seem so bad anymore.  We passed where Anna thought the turn off was and continued on our way in hopes that it was still up ahead. 

Our ankles were twisting, we jumped over wires that looked harmfully electric, we tried to keep our pace up, but running on sloping rails is not as easy as it seems.  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Anna continually repeated while in my head I was giggling and enjoying the scary adventure that we found ourselves experiencing.  She stopped and turned to me to ask if I wanted to go back, but I urged her up ahead with assurance that the turn-off is close.

We approached our so-called "turn-off" only to realize that we were standing atop a very steep hill with no good way of getting down.  There was nothing to hold onto, there were only rocks beneath our feet that slipped out from under us with each step.  We considered turning around and finally retreating back to the original trail when we heard….a whistle.  Not just any whistle, but a train whistle.  Can we outrun a train? I think not.  So, down we went.  We skidded down on our butts and were able to make it to where we were surrounded by all kinds of plants that, despite Anna's horticultural career, even she didn't know what they were.  I held onto a tree branch, so not to fall and we hurried through the head-high forest of shrubs before us hoping that interspersed was not poison ivy, oak, or ticks.  When we finally emerged we were covered in hundreds and hundreds of tiny burs! They were unrelentlessly attached to our arms, legs, butts (hehehe), running belts, shoes…. ::sigh:: So, we spent the next 10 minutes or so laughing hysterically about the train (that never came) that we narrowly avoided and the fact that, apparently, all along, we were running parallel to the trail that were look for.  Oh, Nikki and Anna.  You silly girls. 

After our bellies recovered from the hysteria, we resumed our run. Finally we were on the right track until……..the trail ended.  Now this was funny! So, we turned around to go the opposite direction on the trail until…..it ended in this direction, too. And where were we to end up, but Golf Road.  If any of you are from the Hoffman Estates-ish area, you know that, as a runner, you do not want to be on Golf road.  Golf is a two-lane highway with a speed limit of 55, meaning that people actually drive close to 70 mph.  And to make matters worse, there was no shoulder to run on. But, what were our options. Let's review.  

      a.) We could continue down Golf Road and hope to come to an intersection soon that will tell us where we are, but possibly risk being hit by a car or picked up by scary people passing by; or 

      b.) We retreat back along the railroad tracks and risk death by train, dog, electricity or carnies. 

So we ran down Golf road.

We finally arrived at an intersection and Anna (to the rescue!) knew exactly where we were.  A few loops in and out of neighborhoods, a pass by a familiar farm where a few friends used to live, a wave to a pony and a goat and before we knew it, we were back at Poplar Creek Forest Preserve.  We did it!!!! Now we only have........ oh…..we still have to run 8 miles.  Hahaha.  Well, off we go.

Mile after mile the lady on my belt talks to me to tell me our pace and how far we've gone.  We become delusional and begin yelling at her to "shut-up, lady! You couldn't run 17 miles if you tried! You don't have legs!" She tells us how slow we've gone due to our de-burring and rough terrain, but we just laugh and keep on running. 

"Anna, how are you feeling?"

"Well, aside from the pain in my arms, legs, hips, knees and feet, I feel fine. How about you, Nikki?"

"I think I'm going to throw up."

It wasn't one of our best moments. 

So we walk up the hill. We stop and stretch. I tell a passing runner that I like his Mario shirt.  And we started running again. 

As we continue on, we see that both of us have broken out into rashes on our arms and legs. I guess it was to be expected. 

We finally arrive back to our cars after 16 miles of running, but we still have a mile left to go. It has been a long journey and we are both exhausted and itchy and we want to stop, but Anna breaks out into song as we continue on our way.  "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord…" She sang one line and I responded with the next.  We worked our way through several worship songs, which were really pleas to God to carry us through to completion, and he responded we a gentle push against our backs and an extra breath in our lungs. 

Our last mile was the fastest of all 17.

During my 17 mile run, I have learned that I deeply love my friend, Anna.  I love her for all she has taught me through our long conversations about running, friendship, prayer, unashamed adoration for God and the way she has given me courage to keep going no matter the odds. I am so grateful for every step we have taken together and would not have wished for a different turn at any point along the way.  

One final thought: If you ever need anything to take your mind off a 17 mile run, simply add carnies, rabid dogs, electrical wires, rash-inducing shrubbery, hundreds of burs, high-speed-two-lane highways with no shoulder or sidewalk, a good friend and cries to God for strength. Mix together and you'll be done before you know it!

I should have gotten a medal for this one....

I did it! 15 miles DONE! I started at about 6AM and finished in 2 hours 50 minutes.  It was grueling but satisfying.  http://runkeeper.com/user/Kikimole/activity/45757091

When I started, the humidity level was so high that I could see the fog hanging in the air in a layer about 8 feet above the ground. I think the strangest moment was when I climbed the first hill on the path and stepped into one of the clouds.  My lungs instantly filled with wet vapor, making it very difficult to breath. It turns out that there was a pollution advisory, that I wasn't aware of, advising people with asthma to stay indoors because the humidity levels are causing the pollution to just hang in the air (per my mother).  Whoops.  I'm glad I didn't know! =)

I had to stop and rest and re-hydrate a few times.  Boy, was I sweating! By the time I got home, my outdoor thermometer in the backyard was reading over 95 degrees! I am glad I took it slow. I knew it was hot already (by 9AM) but I didn't realize just how hot.

I had a slight knee twinge on the left side that started at mile 10ish, but its gone now.  My chest also felt very tight, but I'm sure that was due to the weather.  Other than that - it was great. No chafing or anything.

By the way: worst post-run moment is getting into the shower and finding your surprise chafing cuts via water and salt running into your open wounds.  Ouch! I digress...

I walked up to the house as my cool down and Phil was outside.  He also ran his furthest distance that morning: 4 miles!!!! I am so proud of him! I told me how proud of me he is to which I got emotional... a few tears came out (I was surprised I still had enough water in my body to produce tears) and through my quiet whimpers I responded, "will you hose me down?"

Boy! did that feel good!!!!  And the 9AM piece of leftover meatloaf was the best food I had ever eaten.

I feel confident! Looking forward to my "short" 11 miler this weekend, but I also am not dreading the upcoming 17, 18, 20 or.....26......well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

What am I thinking?

Um..... 15 miles tomorrow? Really? What am I thinking????

Wish me luck!

Hoffman Estates Fitness for America Half Marathon

It has been very, very hot and humid recently.  Last week, the heat index soared above 100 degrees multiple times and it felt like a sauna by 7:30 in the morning when stepping outside.  Not fun running weather. I spent most of my week inside at the gym putting in a few runs before my half marathon on Saturday. 

I was very nervous for the race because of the predicted 92 degree high and the continuing humidity, but I planned to hydrate well and take it easy.  

The morning of the run was cooler than expected, but wet.  We had gotten a record rain fall the night before the race, so the course was already slightly flooded in areas, but in addition to that, the rain continued on and off while we were running.  I would complain about it, but I must say that I really enjoyed this run! The humidity was so horrible that even before the rain started, it looked like I had just stepped out of a pool.  So, when the sprinkles (and later heavier rain) started, it was very welcomed by me.  It felt very refreshing to be covered in water instead of sweat.  ;-)

I ran with a pacing group from Dick Ponds for the first time and I plan to do so from now on if I am signed up for a race without a friend.  This was a great way to meet people to chat with along the course and pass the time.  Before I knew it, we were rounding the turn at mile 10 with only a 5K ahead of us and I felt strong.  At mile 11, our pacer asked if we thought we had the energy to sprint to the finish (for the last few yards).  The group was indecisive, but I said that if I felt this good by mile 12, I was hoping to run up ahead and finish a few minutes ahead of schedule.  The course was hilly, though, so I was making no promises.  We hit #12 and off I went! I ran the last mile in about 9 minutes and finished in 2 hours and 17 minutes total.  What a great finish to a fantastic race.

I'm not sure if I will do this race again, though.  It's convenient because of the location (just 10 minutes from home), but I was disappointed by the lack of on-lookers and cheering squads.  In those moments when you want to quit, a cheerleader on the sideline might be the only thing to keep you from doing so and this race  had none of that…  It may have been the heat, humidity and rain that kept people away, but I still expected to see more people than I did.  Oh well.

Praise God for another fun race and for giving me the strength and endurance to finish another 13.1 miles! Next Monday I will be attempting my longest distance yet: 15 miles.  It will be a challenge, but one I am looking forward to.  This is the part of my training I've been excited about: the part where I finally begin to build and accomplish new goals.  I can't wait to tell you all about it. 

HOT HOT HOT!

I hate running on the treadmill, but this heat brings no relief from the boredom.  Safety first!

It will be interesting to see if the half marathon this weekend gets cancelled. Its supposed to be 92 degrees and too much humidity.  Can't wait (that was sarcasm...I will tell you since you can't see the expressions I make as I type).

No water pump?!?!?!

Today I met up with Anna Steeves to run 12 miles. We were so excited to get started having not seen each other in a few weeks.  Best thing I discovered today, which stole my energy and breath at about mile .3, Anna is running Chicago, too! I knew she was signed up for something, but I didn't know it was the Chicago marathon. SO: We get to run together! YAY!!! This actually caused me to leap and yell and probably frighten the woman running not very far ahead of us... whoops.

All the excitement had us heading out a little too fast and, while Anna seemed to feel amazing the entire way, I struggled in the last few miles.  I was so happy to have her with me to encourage me to keep going. =)

At around mile 11, we rounded the curve coming up to the much anticipated water pump.  Whereas a year ago I was weirded out about drinking from the water pump, I basically bathe in it now.  Plus, as Anna and I discussed, Ragnar has left us un-squeamish about many things. I guess baby-wipe showers and porta-potty  breaks over a 34 hour period of time will do that to you. It wasn't very long before we discovered the the pump was not turned on. Um, hello! Its mid summer and 90 degrees out and the water pump isn't turned on yet.  WHAT!?!?!?!

No Fear! Phillip is near! A quick call, a little stretching and a little resting in the shade later and Phil arrived with two water bottles filled with the most glorious tasting water I have ever had in my life.  Thanks, Phil! You're the best!

The last two - three miles were rough and long, but we finished! What I am most grateful for and what I cherish above all other running experiences is the friendships that I find along the way.  There is nothing like spending 2+ hours with a friend laughing, sharing trials, encouraging one-another and giving praise to God for his glory apparent in our very surroundings.

Team Road Runners - 197 miles between Madison, WI and Chicago, IL

So, this past weekend was incredible. I, along with 11 amazing, fun, hilarious people ran the Ragnar Relay, which is a 197 mile race starting in Madison, WI and ending in Chicago, IL. I knew the weekend was going to be amazing when the van pulled up. We appropriately nicknamed it the Beast. Its back-seat folded down into a bed, it had a TV that played VHS tapes, mood lighting (for those romantic moments) and (my favorite) a dustbuster in the back. We drove the van, roaring the whole way, up to Madison, stopping briefly for a snack at Culvers and singing the Star Spangled Banner to get us in the mood.

We finally arrived at he hotel, ordered pizza, greeted Van 1 and got to work decorating our van. We gave up after a little while, ate pizza and passed out in the hotel room, exhausted but excited. At 4AM, we woke to send the first van off. WOW! Our costumes looked amazing: orange visors, duck beaks, blue shirts, orange knee high socks...stunning! Hehehe. So, after they left, I was way too wired to go back to sleep. Matt, Sue and I decided to stay up and finish (or, I should say 'restart' since everything washed off in the rain) decorating the van. We threw lines on there like: "Hurry up van 1, we want to run" and "Van 2 is Dynamite". A quick sketch of a road runner, our names in white and "The Beast" on the windshield and we were done.

Pictures, food, wake-up call at 8:30 for the others and we are off to our first exchange.

My first run was amazing! It was a little over 8 miles along streets surrounded by cornfields. It was really hilly, and a little smelly (due to the horses), but overall a great run. I turned onto a bike path for the second half of my leg and a couple miles in was greeted by a small deer. It was standing in the path staring at me, so, because I didn't want to get kicked, I clapped my hands to shoo it away. It ran forward a few feet and then stopped. As I caught up a bit, it ran forward again and then stopped again. It did this pattern 5 times before finally running off into the woods. My own personal pacer. Majestic and beautiful. I finished leg 1 with a 10:15 pace. YAY!

So, we were finally all done running and went to the next exchange hoping to shower and sleep. By the time we got to the van and were ready to lay down, though, Van 1 texted that they were almost done. We were able to get 30 minutes in before we had to take off for our night runs. EEK. Off we went. This is when the crabs came out of all of us, me especially. I tried to keep the smile going, but boy was I cranky and tired.

At 11:45PM, I started my second run in the pitch dark. I LOVED the quiet. It was so peaceful. Nothing but the faint sound of my breathing and quiet footfalls along the deserted streets. Running up towards a busy street, I started to slow to a walk to wait for my signal, when out of nowhere, a police officer shines his lights, pulls up to block traffic from one direction, gets out of his car and stops traffic on the other side before telling me I can cross. WHAT?!?! Wow! My own personal crossing guard! So cool! A couple of sincere thank you's later and I was off again. Up and down hills before turning onto...dun dun dun....the bike path. This was my least favorite part of the trip. 3 miles of running through a forest preserve surrounded by nothing but pitch darkness and bushes. I was scared, to say the least. I would hear the water on my belt swoosh around and instinctively turn to see who was behind me. But, I seriously didn't see a single soul for the full 3 miles. I think it made me run faster, since I finished my second leg (a little over 6 miles) with a 10:20 pace. YAY again!

So, its 2AM-ish and we are exhausted physically and mentally. The crabs are gone because we each had so much fun on our runs, but we cannot wait to hit the sack. Screw the showers and changing! We folded down the back seat and slept. The best 2 hours of sleep in my entire life. It was heavenly. Then, a phone call came in and we were up again!

Leg 3 was a little over 6 miles again, but the most fun of all. I started my run at Lake Bluff high school, ran along a bike path and through Lake forest, down through Highwood (a stone's throw away from Poeta's, by first employer), past Fort Sheridan, through the residential streets of Highland Park, onto the bike path (that I sometimes used to walk to school), past my old High school in Highland Park and finishing at the HP train station. It was so special and amazing that I was able to run this leg. A truly memorable experience as both Van 1 and Van 2 were patiently waiting for my arrival. The cheering and screeming and clapping began as I came into view and there were high fives all around as I handed off the baton (a reflective slap bracelet). And I finished it again with a 10:15 pace! Wow! I don't know if it was the cool weather or the adrenaline, but I was pleased with my speediness.

The rest of the trip was just plain incredible. We all met at Montrose Harbor in Chicago and ran to the finish with Matt. We got our finisher's medals, took pictures and hung out a little to celebrate. Most people had to leave early, but Pretty and I stuck around to spend some time with our out-of-towners, Erin and Drew, who are super fun and cool! We finally got on the road to drive home and stopped to wash the Beast, which took two rounds through and razor blades to get the paint off. wow.....

It was an unforgettable adventure, though, and I cannot wait to do it again!

Thanks for all of the memories, Road Runners:

Stacey

Drew

Erin

Don

Lori

Frank

Matt

Sue

Pretty

Elyse

Anna

and Me!

RAGNAR!!!!

The race is only two days away! 197 miles from Madison to Chicago with 11 friends.  I am SO excited! Wish us luck!

5K in the heat!

Wow, yesterday was hot! I heard that they had to close the course of the 13.1 marathon in Chicago at 9:45?!?! Wow....   Well, we weren't running 13.1 miles, but we didn't need to go that sort of distance to feel the effects of the sun.  Phil and I ran the first annual Harvest 5K yesterday morning.  While the course was spectacular, we didn't appreciate the extraordinary hills that we had to tackle.  By the end of the 3.1 miles we were DRIPPING sweat and very dehydrated.  It was so much fun, though, and Phil (and I) ran the WHOLE thing! I am so proud of him.  Another example of a runner overcoming the struggle of asthma. =)

Today we had our final team run (4 miles) and meeting before the Ragnar Relay (200 miles between Madison and Chicago).  We'll set out on Thursday night to drive up to Madison, WI and Team Road Runners will start by 6AM running the distance.  We should be done and at Montrose Harbor by around 4PM on Saturday.  34 hours of running, no sleep, no showers, extra socks and lots-o-laughs with some fabulous people I love!

Then, after Ragnar is when I really start increasing my long run distances.  I can't wait for October!

SPEED DRILLS!

While going to school for school purposes was horrendous (So glad I'm done!!!), I am so grateful to Roosevelt for honoring free gym access for life to its alumni. Boom! In the interest of not getting caught in a thunderstorm yesterday after work, I decided to take my speed training indoors to the treadmill. It was a great workout!

Although the gym is small, there is never anyone in there.  When I'm alone, I close the door and sing at the top of my lungs between breaths.  When there are people there, as two were yesterday, I get excited because I act like I am being watched: performing, if I may.  Hehehe. There's no better motivator than knowing someone is peeking to see how fast you're going or for how long.  Oh, and I LOVE it when I stay on the treadmill longer than the person next to me.  It may be petty, but again, whatever motivates, right?

I digress.  So, with an audience of two watching from the weight benches, I tackled those speed drills like CrrrAzy! It felt so good and my calves and arms are sore this morning - the sign of a good workout.  30 second sprints, 1:30 recovery. Repeat a gazillion times.

Today, my office is having a 5K over lunch that I'll be running (possibly in the rain).  Should be fun!

10 miles surrounded by flowers

I normally LOVE flowers. I love planting them, putting them in vases, hanging from my window boxes...but boy did I hate them yesterday. If the change in the weather (i.e. cool dry air to warm humid) wasn't enough to make yesterday's run unbearable, the blooming trees killed me! I would finally get into a groove after a few minutes of jamming out to my music when BAM! The fresh floral scent would kit me, restrict my breathing and cause me to sneeze.  My legs of led already slow from hill sprints earlier in the week could not handle the lack of oxygen and would finally slow to a walk.

My one achievement: I finished! And that's what training is all about. I played with the idea of calling to have Phil pick me up at one of the forest preserve entrances and had to almost slap my hand away from dialing his number on my phone. Although I was slow, although I was miserable, although I was sweaty and low on water, I finished the run. I pray that marathon day is not like this, but I know now that even if it is, I'll keep going.

http://runkeeper.com/user/Kikimole/activity/36336165

Start at the half, then....X-train!

After doing a few weeks in a row of 10 mile runs, I decided I needed a little more of a challenge.  So, I set out to run 13 miles on Saturday and guess what! I finished! Wow...two days before training officially begins and I'm already half way there! Woohoo!

So, today on my official first day of training I decided to cross train: Xtreme Trampoline! Yes, there was a fear that I would break and ankle....or my head, but it also sounded like a whole lot of fun.  Who doesn't like foam pits that you can barely climb out of? Or jumping off the walls? literally.

Wow. It really was a workout and boy, am I sweaty. But, I cooled off with my first visit to Oberweis with some delicious black cherry ice cream.

So, my first day of training probably isn't what most people would expect, but hey, I'm half way there already so I feel like I have a little wiggle room.  But back to running tomorrow!

A few days until training begins!

I cannot believe that I am doing this...  What am I thinking? A full marathon? 

I told myself when I first started running that I would never do this; that running 26.2 miles was too hard on your body and it wasn't worth it.  Half marathons were the perfect distance.  Now look at me: 2 years later and signed up for the 2011 Chicago Marathon.  

And when I signed up in February, the beginning of training seemed so far away! Now I just realized that my training starts this upcoming Monday in 3 days! 

So, what am I going to do about these nerves? Get them out by blogging! 

So...here we go.