Week 18 - Marathon take two

Members of my CARA training group pre-race.

What can I say about running a marathon that I didn't say the first time?

The last week before the race was a mix of different emotions. I was nervous, confident, scared. The day before the race I had a meltdown and almost decided it wasn't worth it. After that I kinda just went through the motions of getting what needed to be done without thinking about what it meant. I got my bag together, laid out my clothes, made sure things were where I needed them to be, drank lots of water, ate some (more) pasta. In the morning I continued on autopilot and it didn't really hit me until my training group hit the  porta-potties before going into the gates (CARA rocks btw because they have special CARA member only porta-potties) that I was going to have to go out there and cover 26.2 miles.

But I did it. And I did it faster than the first time, by about 30 minutes, and I finished in under five hours - 4:50:50. I didn't make my "perfect race" goal of 4:45, but really, anything under five was going to make me happy, and I am. The first 20 miles I had the sincere joy of running with one of my group leaders from CARA, Jennifer. I credit her with keeping me on pace that first 20 miles. Once we split up, I held it together until about mile 22; I was actually having thoughts that I might not hit the wall. But, the thing about the wall, it kinda sneaks up on you. By the end of mile 22, I was smack dab up against the wall and I never really got over it or around it, and I basically lugged it with me the last four miles. But the good thing was, while it slowed me down, I still pushed myself to run. I finished with an overall pace of 11:06 and the knowledge that I can can fight through the pain (at least a little). 

The amazing CARA team at the Expo.

Once I got across the finish line I didn't  have that feeling of euphoria that makes you forget your pain. What I had was a constant thought that I needed to get to the end of the chute before I sat down otherwise the EMTs wouldn't let me leave without checking me out. In a zombie state, I made it out of the chute and then out of the runner area and through the throngs of people waiting for their runners and into the arms of my wonderful husband. It was a slow, but short walk across the street to the CARA compound where I was able to take off my shoes, change my clothes, get food and drink, relax and meet up with other runners. 

So that was my second marathon, in a nutshell. While I've never run any other marathon, the Chicago marathon definitely is special. The course support, as always, was awesome, from the volunteers to the spectators. I can't imagine running a marathon without someone pretty much every step of the way cheering and clapping and saying way to go. 

Other general thoughts on the race:

A great pic of CJ with me, Jennifer and Anne
in the background (source CJ's friend).

The expo was fun and I spent way too much money. I now own three, no four, shirts that say something about the 2014 Chicago Marathon on them.

I liked the packet pick up. Even though you needed to show ID along with your confirmation ticket and the fact that no one else could pick up your bib, a sign that security is a lot higher at these things, checking in and getting the bib was smooth.

The shirt is less than exciting. In fact, it's pretty boring and basic. It's a plain gray shirt with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon logo on the front and the date on one sleeve. It feels more like a BoA shirt than a Chicago Marathon (that happens to be run by BoA) shirt. Having ordered shirts like these for events, I wonder if they completely forgot they needed 45,000 t-shirts until a couple of weeks ago and this was the best they could do.

The woman who put the medal around my neck, thank you. Thank you for sounding like you really meant it (and you probably did) when you said I deserved it and that I had earned it. It's a small thing, but it made me feel great.

To the woman in the bathroom after the race who gave me a dab of toothpaste when I commented that bringing a toothbrush was a great idea, thank you. Your kind act made me feel human again.

I could, and probably should, dedicate an entire post to what it's like to train with CARA, but basically it's awesome and everyone should do it. From the support during training, the compound before the race in the Hilton with special bag check, to the CARA only porta-potties before the race. CARA rocks (and I'm not just saying that because I'm married to someone who works there).

Another great thing about training with a group is you run into a bunch of people on the course. Not only did I run a good deal of the race with Jennifer, but I also had the pleasure of seeing several people from my training group along the course. It definitely helped the miles go by. Plus, I was able to sneak into a couple of their pictures.

Having family members who are dedicated to making it around the course to cheer you on is great, and, even though she's not supposed to, having a sister who runs with you between mile 24 - 25 giving you that last bit of support to make it to the end, well, that's priceless. 

Now the big question everyone asks, am I going to do it again? I don't know. Right now I don't want to. My leg hurts, my brain hurts, the thought of running more than a few miles hurts. Ask me next year when registration opens up; I may give an entirely different answer.

80s Movies - 48 Hours

So this challenge I have set myself is seeming pretty stupid. I mean who cares if I've seen a bunch of movies from the 80s or not. The only reason I started this whole thing is because one of my friends had actually seen more than me and I couldn't imagine how that could be since all I did through the 80s and 90s was watch movies.

But there are certain that don't need to be seen. And frankly, there are certain movies that shouldn't be streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime or available on DVD, and if they are, they should have warnings at the beginning similar to the Warner Brothers / Looney Toons statement about how this movie is a product of its time but is totally racist but we shouldn't pretend it doesn't exist. So I guess that means I probably should watch this from a historical/cultural perspective, because I have a hard time imagining who in their right mind would think that some of the jokes in this movie were funny, much less OK. Though apparently Nolte thinks this movie actually taught blacks and whites how to talk to each other.

48 Hours was, according to IMDb, Eddie Murphy's first movie, and you know, it was only 1982, so I guess that's why the full on racist "jokes" were acceptable. Of course at the end, Nick Nolte's character "apologies" for his racism and the world's a happy place. I guess if the racism had been tongue and cheek or ironic (like Eddie Murphy's Alfalfa character later on SNL) then it would have been funny. But it wasn't pointing to some long ago character that pointed how stupid we were back then that people thought this stuff was acceptable at all. No, it is (I hope) and example of not that long ago we thought these jokes were in any way acceptable and it's really too bad a black actor even had to take a part so demeaning to get his career started. But what do I know, maybe Eddie Murphy really did think the jokes were funny.

The only other thing that struck me about this movie was Eddie' laugh. So pretty much everyone knows his iconic laugh. Well that's not the laugh he had during the movie - at least not until the very end. I couldn't tell if he was trying out different laughs, or if the director hated his real laugh (or at least I assume that's his real laugh - maybe it's his totally put on) and kept telling him to laugh differently but then gave up. Whatever, clearly he went with the one that makes it into Beverly Hills Cop and that's the one we all know and love.

I can't wait to see what amazingly dumb shit I have to put up with next on my quest to watch these 80s movies. I'm sure I'll be surprised of all the stuff my 8-18 year old self missed during a decade I thought I knew.

Marathon Training Week 17

I am now at the point where I am ready for the marathon and scared to death of the marathon. Everyone keeps telling me I should have no problem reaching my goal of 4:45. It seems like it should be doable - that's a 10:52 pace, a mere 8 seconds faster than I've been training at. Surely I can do that - all the race calculators say I should be able to do that. But, there are so many variables that we just won't know until race day.

I love this upcoming week's mileage - 3, 4, 2 two days off and then 26.2. Seems like quite a jump from our last long run of 8 miles. Speaking of the last "long" run, it was cold - cold as in high 30's and actually a few flurries, as in snow. Foolishly I thought I wouldn't need gloves because I always took my gloves off during my winter runs even when temperatures were lower than that. But that was way back when my body was used to such frigid temperatures. Not so on Saturday. My hands were so cold it took me sitting on them for several minutes before I had enough feeling in them to turn the key to start the car.

Part of me wants to fast forward to this weekend - but in an effort to remain mindful, I remember that this whole journey is part of the fun. I'm actually enjoying this feeling of expectation (at least a little bit). I know I put the time in my training. I know that I can do this. But there is so much more to be done this week - relaxing, knitting, running some really short runs, decorating for Halloween, figuring out how people sign up for runner tracking (BoA why do you make it so hard?), finally deciding what I'm going to wear, going to the expo (!). 

This time next week I'll be so happy it's over, but also eager to start training for another race.

Stats for the week:
Miles run: 21
Miles left to go: 35.2
Raised so far: $1135.20
Left to go: Nothing - just seeing how much I can raise now.

The taper & one final plea*

Me (right) at the 2012 marathon, Jackie wearing the shirt I
may wear this year because she has since given it to me.

The taper is the period between your peak mileage and your run  - in my case the marathon. It's a weird time because your runs get shorter which feels like you're going in the wrong direction. You also have more free time, which I've been using to eat and obsess about the marathon.

So far I've had ice cream (or an analog for it) every day this week and I've formulated my race strategy from how often I'm going to fuel, what I'm going to wear, and all my different pace options (perfect race, OK race, worse race of my life) and what finishing times those result in.

What I haven't been doing is worrying if I'll be able to pay for the entry fee. Or where the money for my next pair of running shoes will come from. I also haven't been at a loss for people who believe in and motivate me. Providing that support, motivation and funds is a goal of the CARA Road Scholars program. Not only does it help kids create a healthy habit, it  also gives support and motivation in a new way.

I'll be honest, the main reason I signed up for another marathon is to test myself and see if I can improve on my time from 2012. Training to run 26.2 miles is hard; most people have no desire to do this. And that's exactly why charities use races, especially the marathon, to fund raise. They know all of you out there, the ones who don't spend the untold amounts of time running in circles, you think - ok, she's running a marathon, that's pretty big, I should support that. And it works. So many of you have already donated to my fundraising: Amy (times 3), Jackie, John, Claire, Tim, Tracy, Sarah (times 2), Aaron, Katie (times 2), Lucy, Joe, Brian, Jayme, Yaz, Andrew, Jennifer, Meshelle, Paul, Joanna, Alain, Brett, Grandpa, Jamie, Dad, Alexis, you've all contributed and I can't thank you enough. You helped me reach my goal and that contribution helps some great kids reach their goals too.

For those of you out there that have said to me "oh, I keep meaning to donate" and those of you who have thought "I should make a donation" and to those of you who are now thinking "if I make a donation do you think she'll quit asking for donations?", now is the time to make a donation. Hell, it doesn't even have to be to me. There are other Road Scholars fundraisers you can choose from. And it doesn't have to be much. If 10 people reading this gives $10 each, well, that's another $100 - the cost of shoes and race day uniform.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, donates in the future and plans to donate someday. I'll even say thanks to those of you who don't donate because I know (a) you'd like to but don't have the money (b) you have donated to some other runner's charity (c) you donated to some other charity that doesn't even have a marathon fundraising team (!?) (d) you have some other totally valid reason for not donating.

Thank you all for listening the last 17 weeks. It's almost over.

In case you don't already have it, here's the link to my fundraising page: http://www.razoo.com/story/Melanie-Higgins-Fundraising-For-Cara-Road-Scholars-2014-Bank-Of-America-Chicago-Marathon-Team

*May not actually be my final plea.