It's the little things...

I moved to Florida about 9 1/2 years ago and I NEVER get homesick... except in October. When the leaves are changing colors, the bonfire's are blazing, there's a chill in the air and Halloween is looming... You can take the girl out of the North, put her in sunshine and she will love it, but you can't replace her love of the Autumn in October...

A couple of weeks ago I was able to capture my first look at Autumn in years. It was breathtaking and I couldn't stop taking pictures of trees and picking up leaves... There's just something so magical about it; like witnessing a painting being created right in front of your eyes...

I got a package today.

I was expecting it.

Only I wasn't expecting a box, merely an envelope.

When I opened it I was overwhelmed by the smell of the wind, the sound of leaves rustling against one another and a patchwork quilt of color...

It's the little things that mean the most in life and unexpected suprises are the best.

3 Things Thursday

1. It seems that after Tuesday's post I have some 'splaining to do. First and foremost, yes I know that was really, really, STOOPID of me to run for months and months in pain... but in my defense, as weak as it may be, I grew up with brothers and spent a good portion of childhood being told to "suck it up" and "quite being such a girl" etc... For instance when I was 13, I fractured my fibula; I limped around on it for a week before my parents finally took me to a doc and after the x-rays came back they felt like the biggest @-holes ever. Parental FAIL. As for not mentioning it here, well I have told ya'll before, this is my happy place and I try not to focus on the negative so that part should really come as no suprise. BUT, I HAVE learned my lesson and WILL be going to the Sports Ortho as soon as my referral comes back approved and I will NOT run thru pain like that again. I am so lucky it wasn't something more serious and the last thing I want to do is jeopardize my future with running. I love running and would like to continue making sweet music with it... Please accept my apology?!?!?
   


2. ON DECK: Another weekend, another Redhead tour across the state of Florida...
   
   Halloween Halfathon is Saturday and I can't wait!!! Rixy is coming to cheer us on and you best believe B.o.B and I will be our typical out of control selves.
   Halloween + Running = L.O.V.E.
   
   Sunday I am headed over to Daytona to cheer on Tall Guy Surfing and Melissa as they run their first Half Marathon; Daytona Beach 1/2 Marathon (I'm becoming quite the spectating pro/ho lately...)
   
   
3. Speaking of Sunday, as most likely ya'll will not hear from me before then;
   
   Good luck NYC Marathoners!!!
   
   I am so pumped for you and will be cheering from afar! Can't wait to read all the race recaps and I will be race stalking a few of you!! No pressure... *insert evil laugh here*
   
   Best of Luck to: Lindsay, Sun Runner, NY Wolve and Running Laminator!!! Each of you have been such an inspiration to me while I was on my journey to Chicago and I hope and pray ya'll have as fantastic of a run as I did! Run Smart, Run Fast, RUN STRONG!!!
   

As always rock those races/runs this weekend folks! Check back on the flipside for Halloween Mayhem!!!

Text Dating

Disclaimer: This is a non-running related post. If you have come in search of running related ramblings you will be severely disappointed, please feel free to utilize the red "X" in the top right corner should you need to. Otherwise settle in for a rather humorous, or at least I think so, post about dating...

So last week, Tall Guy Surfing emailed me requesting a copy of a Myspace post I had written a few years back about "Text Dating" he wanted to share with his recently single friend who has been a long time removed from the dating world. After I dug it up and sent it over I re-read it and decided I'd share it with ya'll. Now I know most of you are coupled up but there must be a few of you out there still single or that can relate to the scenario I am about to set up for you; At the time my roomie and I were simultaneously text dating and I wrote this "Text Dating Guide" as comic relief for our equally frustrating dating (or lack there of rather) situations...


Category: Romance and Relationships

Text-Dating: The new alternative for conventional Dating


Texting; we all do it and chances are you do it in an embarrassingly high amount. In lieu of sending emails, actually calling someone, or (gasp) talking face to face it seems everyone has become addicted to text messaging…. So it's no surprise that text-dating has become the new dating alternative. Look around it's everywhere, spend one evening at a bar, club or even a house party and you will find any number of people tucked away in corners texting away…

After countless discussions on the subject I will now reveal the Steps of Text-Dating as determined by me and a couple of my friends…

Scenario: You meet a guy, out and about downtown, he buys you a drink, you dance and by the end of the night you're swapping digits… Instead of wondering if guy in question will wait 3 days to call, your phone springs to life with that all too familiar sound that indicates you have a new message…

"Had fun 2nite! Ur hott! ;)"

or something along those lines, usually with spelling errors cuz let's face it, at 2:15am no one spells anything right….

You have now entered Stage 1 of Text-Dating: “Breaking the Ice Texting”

It's a few days later, maybe you've talked on the phone maybe you haven't but chances are you'll get a text somewhere along the lines of "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

I call this Stage 2 of Text-Dating: “Text Inviting”

(i.e. You have nothing to say, maybe you're not a phone person but you wouldn't mind hanging out. Solution: Shoot them a text! You avoid strained phone conversation and direct rejection if they're not interested!)

It's now been a couple more days and it's the weekend; you're not hanging out together and yet it's after midnight, your 5 or 6 beers have caught up to you and there you are texting back and forth with said guy… maybe to meet up later, maybe because you didn't meet anyone that night and you're using him as fall back to keep you entertained while you're friend chats up a handsome guy at the bar who had an extremely disappointing wing-man… either way the texts are flying…. misspelled of course… Hey it's better than drunk dialing your Ex right?!?

This my friends is called Stage 3 of Text-Dating: “Drunk Texting”

This is where things start to pick up; the drunken texting leads way to regular texting, say you're bored at work and you receive a text asking how your day is going or has some random statement that has nothing to do with anything but gives you a good laugh. That little "beep" of the phone starts to become the highlight of your day….

Caution: Now entering Stage 4 of Text-Dating: “Daily Texting”

At this point you are where conventional daters would be wondering where things are going… he's texting daily, so you're obviously on his mind, the texts are cute and leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, normally this would be because of a phone call… but not for you, Ms. Text Dater, for you it's all about cheesy messages using numbers in place of words and symbols that create facial expressions. Dates do not end after you say goodnight, they continue well on into the night with texting… When you're out and about with friends you start getting yelled at for texting him all night… You may even be using "going to the bathroom" as an excuse to text unnoticed and uninterrupted…

There's no turning back now, you are at Stage 5 of Text-Dating: “Text Relationship”

It is at this point that you must decide to finally have a normal functioning relationship that involves less texting and more actual relating or things will just fizzle out and in due time you will be left alone with an empty inbox.

So that being said, is Text-Dating effective? Maybe to some extent, but is it the wave of the future of dating? I hope not. Waiting around for a text message that can be easily misinterpreted due to lack of proper communication can be the cause of considerable grief and let's face it, how much can you really get to know someone that communicates solely through the punching of buttons???

So there you have it, some non-running related ramblings about dating, circa 2007. What do you think? Have you ever text dated?

Do as I say, NOT as I do.

First things first:

22 mile bike ride + standing/walking around for 4+ hours at night gig + 4+ mile "easy run" turned Tempo = ANGRY QUADS/HAMSTRINGS

The best part about that little equation is that neither Deputy S nor I wanted to run, but we didn't want to let the other down so neither called to cancel. When I arrived at his place Sunday night he looked like death warmed over, i.e. hungover, and I was completely exhausted. So what did we do? We still hit up the trail... and instead of making it a recovery/easy run, we decided to just go balls to the wall to get it over with. So much huffing and puffing! You'd have never been able to tell I just ran a marathon two weeks ago... seriously. Hardest 4 mile run ever and it was our own faults.

4.37 mi @ 8:22 - FAIL.
But it's ok because last night I had an "easy" 3 miler planned... but apparently I have forgotten how far 3 miles is and what "easy" is defined as...
I need a Garmin. There, I said it.

Now on to the real reason for this post;

I have a confession: I've been a very bad girl.

Not in the naughty way you're thinking! Perverts. (Well actually...)

No, I mean in the "I've been running through pain" way. For months.

I have no viable excuse either; basically I didn't want to acknowledge or accept all the pain because I was bound and determined to run Chicago nomatterwhat. If I'd have gone to see the doc I was fairly certain he'd of said "No Running" and quite frankly I didn't want to hear it. I did however promise myself after Chicago I'd finally go get a once over. So I headed over to "Dr. Knows-It-All-And-Refuses-To-Listen-To-Me" this morning; requested X-rays and a new referral to an actual sports orthopedic. (Not to be confused with the quack he sent me to last time that didn't know how far a marathon was.) The knees have been an ongoing issue as ya'll know (ITB) but I wanted to make sure it wasn't anything more serious and the foot started hurting after Chicago and despite R.I.C.E.'ing like a MO-FO there's still been lingering pain. Now I may have mentioned this but I HATE my doctor. He doesn't listen to a thing I say, EVER. For example, this is how the start of my visit went this morning;

Doc: "So I see you need a referral, what's going on?"
*Begin haphazardly perusing medical chart*

Me: "Well I ran the Chicago Marathon two weeks ago and the entire time I was training I was in pain, you might remember I came for ITB issues and you referred me to a PT."

Doc: "Hmmm what was that? You ran a marathon you say? Which one? Did you finish?"

Me: *In my head* No dumb@ss I only ran 3/4 of it.
What I really said: "As I said, I ran Chicago and yes I finished."

And so goes the rest of our exchange. Mind you this is after I sat in a waiting room for an hour after which I spent another 40 minutes in an examining room waiting on him to see me before he sent me down to x-ray.

Diagnosis: Thinning cartilage behind both knees and soft tissue bruising on my foot.

Prescription: Quad strengthening via xtraining, more ICE, new shoes and ease up on the running before I head back into marathon training for Gasparilla. Also, extra refills of Naproxen and samples of Skelaxin. I love me some anti-inflammatories!

It's safe to assume I am overjoyed that it was nothing more serious as I was majorly worried there was going to be a stress fracture and/or a "No Running" stamp put on my chart. Thank you running gods, I owe ya one!

So now that I have my piece of mind I will give you this advice:
Do as I say, NOT as I do.

If you feel pain, GO TO THE DOCTOR!

Do NOT continue running thru pain hoping to "run it off" and do not be hard headed. Stubborn thy name is Morgan. Had I of just sucked it up and gone sooner I would have gotten this piece of mind and not been running around for the last few months in constant pain wondering if at any minute my leg was going to break off. FAIL.

Weekend Wrap-up

Friday - I got my "Zombie Runner" on for the Halloween Party. (For those wondering, the boys did a great job on the revival of my Halloween Party. I left feeling like a proud mother...) Here's a quick pic, still need to work on the logistics of the blood though... can we say "Fake Blood Stains" I knew you could. When I got home after the party I hopped into the tub for an Epsom Bath/Scrub off blood session and totally relived the pigs blood bathtub scene from Carrie... How Halloween Huh? LOL!

Saturday - Although I did not stay out that late (home & in bed by 12) I felt like I had just gone to sleep when my alarm went off at 4:45am to meet up with Maddy for our run. I met her over at my beloved Cady Way and we had a great 8 miler. It always amazes me how easily conversation flows with another runner, even when you have never met before. I want to expand upon this in a future post... don't let me forget. Anyway, it was surprisingly dark on the trail, I keep forgetting how much later the sun comes up now, but I was pleasantly surprised with the lack of humidity. Definitely looking forward to planning an adventure over to her part of Central Florida for a run soon!

After a little nap I got cleaned up and headed over to Clermont to cheer Navy Steve on with B.o.B. in the Great Floridian Triathlon... which I gotta be honest, left a LOT to be desired. First things first, who the heck thought it was a good idea to have a carnival ON THE COURSE!?!?!? These exhausted athlete's are finishing up the last leg of the Tri (i.e. a little thing called a MARATHON) and they've got spectators/meanderers all over their course! I felt so bad for them! Very poor planning on the City of Clermont's part. Anyway, I am very happy to announce that Navy Steve did in fact finish and he did an excellent job; strong swim, strong bike and after a rough start on the marathon, a strong finish... CONGRATS NAVY STEVE!!!


Sunday - Started my morning off with lots of well wishing and attempted tracking of Lazy Runner & The B.R.A. up at MCM, as expected the tracking didn't work out so great, but everyone finished and I'm so excited/proud of them all!!! Congrats!!!

Do you ever need to take a Solitude Sunday? I take these fairly often because sometimes I just need to clear my head and escape the world. With all the go-go-go my life has been the last few weeks I woke up needing some "ME" time, so I hopped on my bike, decided on a destination but not an over all distance and just tuned out from the world... My travels took me from my house to the Cady Way, an out and back there, before wrapping it up.


It was a gorgeous day and absolutely perfect for getting lost in thought... marathon memories, happy little inconvenient surprises, the upcoming holidays, Gasparilla training, etc... lots to marinade on and by the time it was all done and said, I had 22 miles behind me.

Now it's off to the night gig, after which I'm meeting up with Deputy S for an easy 4 miler. Time to get back on track and start getting my ish together... cleaning up the diet again, after a 2 week candy coated gorge fest, and getting in some base maintaining before I start Gasparilla training. Hope everyone had a great weekend, races/runs and more importantly a lotta fun!

10 Things Thursday...

...similar to "3 Things Thursday" only with more things.

It's my blog; I DO WHAT I WANT.

1. I'm sick. It seems traveling from 95 degree weather North to 45 degree weather and then running a marathon through 30 degree weather after which traveling further North to varying degrees between 25-50 and then returning home to 65+ degree weather with a bunch of germ infested travelers really does a number to your immune system. (But totally worth it...)
   

   
   

   
   

2. Saturday Maddy and I are FINALLY going to meet up and run! We've been trying for months to plan something and Saturday is the day. Yay for Running Dates! (I take what I can get these days folks...)
   
   
3. So let me tell you how the stars have aligned and true to the mantra "Good things come to those who wait" I get to RUN RAGNAR!!! Moments after posting on Tuesday about riding alongside the BRA, B.o.B IM'd me to tell me a person on their team backed out and I get to be the replacement! YAY!!! So unbelievably stoked! I had really wanted to run this but was happy enough riding alongside the runners at night to still get to be a part of the experience... but now... now I get to run!!! (I may or may not have a voo-doo doll to dispose of...)
   
   
4. Halloween Halfathon is next Saturday and I was going to rock my Halloween costume but now I'm thinking "Zombie Runner" and/or "Run to Death" having been inspired by seeing Zombieland last Friday night. I can just slash up some old gear and make my hair crazy; cheap, easy and comfortable. Plus; I.love.zombies. B.o.B and I have decided to make this a fun run and just goof around so no PR's, but imagine all the photo ops!!! Oh and did I mention we get to meet the infamous Jamoosh? (Hopefully his "costume" is more than just underwear now that the wife is back in town...)
   
   
5. Speaking of Halloween, Friday night I have a Halloween Party to attend. It's a revival of my infamous Halloween party and I'm a little curious to see how it's going to stack up against a legend. Yes I'm that conceited about my Halloween Party, I held it 7 straight years and it was EPIC. Actually you should all be sad you didn't know me and weren't able to attend one. Just saying...
   
   
6. Saturday B.o.B and I are headed over to Clermont to cheer on Navy Steve in the Great Floridian Iron Man competition. So stoked to see these insane athletes put their bodies to the test. Go Navy Steve!!!
   
   
7. Also this weekend Lazy Runner & The B.R.A. are headed North to run the Marine Corp Marathon, I am so pumped for them and I hope they all KILL IT!!! I will be glued to my computer screen (as I do not trust the runner tracking via text after Chicago) tracking my peeps!
   
   Run Hard, Run Fast, RUN STRONG!!!
   
   
8. I really wish life were more like DVR. What I wouldn't give for an instant replay or a fast forward button right about now...
   *le sigh*
   
   
   
9. My foot still hurts. It started hurting last Thursday mid-run while I was running around Michigan and it hasn't stopped. Post-Marathon Phantom Twinge? Actual injury? Scheduling an appt with the doc soon... Oh the joys of running eh?
   
   
10. Did you check out the new post over at Creative Loafing? B.o.B just did a great write up about spectating and destination races...
    

Alright that's it for me and my A.D.D.-ness. Have great runs/races this weekend! Catch ya'll on the flipside...

Post Marathon Ramblings

It's been over a week since Chicago but it's still all I seem to think about. Instead of anticipation of toeing the line, I recall crossing it. A song will come on that played while I was running and I'm transported to that moment. And sometimes I just find myself standing there smiling, recalling a particular scene. Am I allowed to still be basking in the after glow?

So what's next... it's the question everyone has been asking and if I can direct your attention the the right hand side of the screen you will see that my "To Do" list is already quite full. Next Saturday B.o.B and I are running the Halloween Halfathon. Next month I will re-run my maiden 10k race, the Founder's Day 10k in Celebration. (Obviously I'm hoping for a PR) After that I get to ride along side some the esteemed members of the B.R.A. as they run across the state for the RAGNAR. (Sidenote: The Roomies pooled together for my birthday and bought me a pair of cycling shorts... Holy giant camel toe/diaper @ss batman!!! Pics to come...)

I'm especially excited for the OUC 5k in December, it's a great race thru downtown O-town and it's looking like I will have a few friends running it with me. Following that will be my favorite Christmas themed 5k Fun Run through Maitland. (Last year everyone wore reindeer bells on their shoes and dressed up, so fun!)

As we head into the new year I have the Breast Cancer Half Marathon with Jill, followed immediately by the Gasparilla Marathon... which means that some time here shortly I will begin marathon training all over again. Not sure if you caught it or not, but Coach EK has been working on a plan for me, a real training plan (not to be confused with the one I put together myself this last go round) and thinks I have a sub 4 in me. *Keeping fingers crossed* So as you can see, I will definitely be keeping busy and will have endless running related excitement to share.

And yet... as I signed into my dashboard my eyes fell upon a draft that I started awhile back regarding my thoughts on training/running a marathon and why I didn't think I'd do it again. Yup, you read that right... Training was hard. Hard on me physically. Hard on me emotionally. Hard, Hard, Hard. When I look back on my training schedule and see all the runs that got the FAIL stamp, it's easy to see how discouraged I was feeling. Rather than recognize all the progress I made, I wallowed in my shortcomings. It was me thinking I just wasn't cut out for this long distance running. In the post I went so far as to say that if I hadn't already committed to running the Full at Gasparilla, I'd downgrade to the Half. That I loved the Half distance and I wanted to make sweet music with it repeatedly. I was going to become a Half Whore and I was proud of it...

But then I ran Chicago. And Chicago was AMAZING. Before I had even finished Chicago I had renewed excitement to run Gasparilla. Believe me, I know I got a fluke of a first marathon, I recognize that the likelyhood of ever running that awesome again from start to finish is minuscule at best... but I don't care. I finished Chicago and that feeling will stay with me forever. It was all worth it, the training, the injuries, the joy, the pain, all of it... From training start to Finish Line. Chicago will forever hold a piece of my heart because it was there that I discovered what I was really made of.

So even if it hurts, even if it's the worst experience of your life, never give up or sell yourself short because accomplishing something that you've put that much blood, sweat and tears into will always be worth it in the end. Every race recap I've seen come across my reader these last few weeks have been filled with either joyous celebration, heartbreaking disappointment or comfortable acceptance but the one thing they all had in common was that they all wanted to do it again.

We're a sick masochistic bunch, we runners, but it's a beautiful thing and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Vacation Recap & Marathon Photo's

Guess who's back? Back again?!? Holy bagees ya'll have been busy while I was M.I.A.!!! I have a billion posts backlogged in my google reader, a jillion comments on my marathon and birthday posts and it's going to take me ages to get caught up!!! But I'm back and I've missed ya'll so much!!!

Before I get to the vaca recap I'll give ya a few pics from marathonfoto that I stole like the ninja I am... as you will see, I really was the happiest little redhead running in all of Chi-town and I think I did Danica proud, as I totally rocked some waterproof mascara.

B.o.B & I at 40k

Finishing with the biggest smile on my face!

Medaled & Blanketed!

Marathon Finisher with the Medal to prove it!!!

So besides running marathons what have I been up to you ask? (You did ask right? I mean that's why you're here right???)

Well let's just say I've been having quite the adventure... We last left off I had run a little marathon in Chicago and was heading back to the homeland for a few days with the Fam up in Michigan... (That's right folks, Spike is not an insane deranged murderer and delivered me in one piece to my family) I've decided the best way to recap this trip would be in list format (cuz we all love lists) and to keep things interesting, I may or may not have done all or none of the following*:

• Had glorious pumpkin pancakes with my Dad before he left town


• Got caught in traffic and missed the first train into the city


• Went to Shedd's Aquarium and acted inappropriately


• Ate entirely way too much candy and became hopelessly addicted to Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups


• Saw a guy driving a steam roller on the road outside a McDonald's promptly after arriving in Michigan (Home Sweet Home)


• Used the scariest bathroom EVER across the street from The Velvet Touch


• Ate 3 slices of pizza for dinner and didn't feel guilty at all


• Got up at 6am for my first post-marathon run and realized that Portage Lake, Michigan is a very dark and scary place with no sidewalk or shoulder and got ran into a ditch by a semi and then almost trampled by a deer as it barreled out of the woods at me...


• After which I opted to run 1 mile repeat loops around a trailer park instead


• Drove a retired police crowne victoria home from a bar that had no passenger window and the seat was broke so I was sitting on the edge of it and using my tippy toes... (Don't worry this was not a drunk driving situation, my friend just drives a hoopty)


• Got woken up at 6am by 4 little girls who wanted to recount to their favorite "Aunt Jenny who lives by Tinker Bell" all about the Jackson County Fair and then made to judge a fashion show before they left for school


• Went on a run around the Jackson area and somehow managed to bruise my foot running hill repeats


• Shared a brew-ha-ha with my brothers as we are all officially legal to drink


• Spent an evening at Jackson's finest dirt-hole of a bar; Wool-E-Bully's with Alicia


• Had a wonderful visit with my family


• Killed Bambi's Mom on 127


• Received the most beautiful flowers ever.


• Flung shrimp across a fancy restaurant. Classy.


• Went and saw Zombieland, greatest. zombie. movie. ever. I. Love. Zombies.


• Tailgated at the MSU game with some pretty awesome people


• Went to an actual working cider mill and had fresh cider with donuts that definitely did not taste like pumpkin. False advertising much?!?!


• Took an evening stroll under a blanket of red, yellow and green


• Ate entirely way too much sushi and yet not enough to avoid the FAIL stamp... who leaves 2 pieces of sushi?!?!? FAIL!


• Bowled a horrific 55 pin game in the biggest bowling dive I've ever seen. Come on Lansing, you're better than that!!! FAIL!


• Was swept up in a whirlwind romance, the likes of which romantic comedy's are derived from.


• Froze my @ss off for 10 straight days.


• Passed out on the plane home and drooled all over myself. Classy.


• Went out to dinner with all my wonderful Florida Family aka my awesome friends upon arriving home and had such a great night eating, drinking and enjoying each other's company

* Can you spot the fakes? I crack myself up.

Alright bloggy buddies I really gotta get some work done around here and start catching up... I hope ya'll have been well and I will do my best to stop by all your digs and catch up on what I've missed!!! Morgan is back and there is a sh*t ton of running to talk about so prepare yourself for some good ol' redhead running posts soon!

Ode to 27

27, we've had a great run. Many in fact...

In our year together we have:

• Ran our first 5 mile race.
  


• PR'd a 5k @ 26 min.
  


• Ran 2 10k's. (51 min. PR)
  


• Ran our first 10 mile race.
  


• Trained for and ran our first Half Marathon.
  


• Trained for and ran our first Full Marathon.

Yes 27, we've had quite the run together... a full year of absolute amazing.

But alas, our time is over and now I must embrace 28. I can only hope that I benefit from all the time we have spent together... Here's to hoping that 28 will bring me less injuries, rounds of PR's for all the races you and I made our maiden voyages on and many more adventures. Thank you 27, for everything... and here's looking at you 28! Happy Birthday to ME!

Please pardon the absence of your regularly scheduled 3 Things Thursday... Be back soon!!!

Tuesday Tribute

This week's Tuesday Tribute is dedicated to "Team Redhead" aka;

FA-THA - I wonder if you realized what you started when you sent me the money to buy my first pair of running shoes back in February? Thank you so much for listening to me go on and on for hours about my running and believing in me even though you thought I was insane. You have no idea how much it meant to me to have you there at the finish line... words really can't express it. It truly meant more than anything you have ever done for me to have you there, even if we didn't have a lot of time to spend one on one. I love you Dad, can't wait to see you again in November!

Michelle - There's not much more to say after my tribute to you on your birthday other than, again, I can not thank you enough for everything that you have done to make this even more memorable than it already was. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Spike - First and foremost, CONGRATS ON THE BQ!!! We became bloggy buddies so long ago it seems, and finally we've met and conquered this little race we sat out to run... Even though you were in town to run Chicago yourself, you definitely became a member of Team Redhead; Thank you so much for all the encouraging emails/texts along the way, it's been so fun to hash out about our respective training these past 16 weeks and even more so to hug at the finish line!!! Congrats again!!!

Beth - Where do I even begin? A mere year or so ago we couldn't even make it twice around Lake Eola without gasping for air and now look at us... runner freaks! You are my heterosexual life partner and Golden Girl til the end. I would never have made it this far without you... our IM's, our weekly Saturday morning texts, our constant encouragement exchanges, our vents, our running adventures, our lame @ss Friday nights... You have become one of my best friends and one of the first people I turn to, your very presence in my life has come to mean so much. Together we've been through so many ups and downs with our running and without you I don't know how I would've done it. I know that you are disappointed that you couldn't do MCM but you made the right decision and will come back stronger than ever! Thank you so much for coming to cheer me on and take care of me!!! Having you there meant so much! Luv you Boo!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO COUSIN MEL!!! Thank you so much for cheering me on and for my sign! Love you!!!

I am currently en route up to the homeland, you have one more canned post lined up and a possible guest post from B.o.B but then you're S.O.L. til I return on Sunday... Hang tight and live it up peeps!

2009 Chicago Marathon Race Recap

Pre-Race: After a quiet pasta dinner with the Redhead Fa-tha, I hit the hay with every intention of getting a good nights sleep... knowing full well it would never happen. I laid awake hour after hour and by the time my alarm went off at 4 am, I was almost thankful for the reprieve. I geared up, ate some breakfast and killed time reading a mag. At 5:45 am the ants in my pants were out of control so I bundled up in my ghetto rigged throwaway gear* and headed out towards the start line...

Dinner with the Fa-tha

Ready to Rock!!!
(The pink headband is to support breast cancer awareness month!)

Ghetto Rigged Throwaway/Operation Keep Redhead Warm Gear
(*Take Goodwill Track pants; cut slit up both sides; Duct tape in key areas; Voila!!!)

Start Corral - Leaving the hotel, I stepped out onto an all but deserted street and began my lone pilgrimage to Grant Park, my heart all aflutter. Turning onto Michigan Ave I beheld the most amazing view of the city all aglow in the early morning, the street lined with runner's; looks of determination, anticipation and a healthy dose of fear across their faces.

I quickly found the open start corral and fell into the mid 9 minute mile section. I had signed up for the 4:15 Nike Pace Team and I eagerly awaited their arrival while I shivered and tried in vain to stay warm. It was a balmy 33 degrees and my body was not reacting well to the temps. My booty was straight up doing the booty shake all on its own!!! BRRRR!!! I attemped to keep my mind off the cold by chatting up the other runners and tried to maintain my frustration when, at 5 minutes to gun time the Nike Pace team was still nowhere in sight. This is my only complaint of the entire race and in hindsight, hardly worth mentioning, but at the time, it was huge. Everyone had warned me about starting off too fast, so in my head I had promised myself nomatterwhat that I would start behind the 4:15 pacers to ensure I wouldn't make the rookie mistake of starting out too fast. As the pack surrounding me surged forward I weaved in and out to fall back to the 4:15 pacers and settled in...

One thing worth mentioning before I go further is how absolutely HILARIOUS it was to see the explosion of clothing being tossed into the air as the gun went off... I myself dropped trou and tossed my pants just before I crossed the start line but the memory of that sight will live with me forever... I would've loved to have seen that from the spectators view...

Start - Mile 5 - As I crossed the start line I couldn't help but get caught up in the moment; I screamed, I jumped up and down and waved my hands up in the air like I just didn't care... I had just crossed the line and there was no turning back! 26.2 lay before me and I was a redhead on a mission. I was awestruck by the sights and the sounds of the city before me and the spectators all around. It was sensory overload and I relished in every moment of it. We entered a tunnel and the sound of runner's screaming and feet pounding the pavement was deafening, you could power the world over for days with the energy boucing off those walls... By chance alone I managed to see Michelle and B.o.B around the 2 mile mark and it fired me up 10x more than I already was; I was really doing this, I was running the Chicago Marathon!!! One would think that reality would have already set in regarding that fact, but it hadn't yet. It wasn't til I saw their smiling faces, screaming my name that I realized this wasn't a dream!

As I approached the 3 mile/5k mark U2's "Beautiful Day" was blaring on the course and it gave me chills... For one U2 always makes me think of Rixy, who wanted to be there to see me run, and I had unofficially made it my marathon theme song... So hearing that, looking around at the actual beautiful day it was turning out to be and feeling absolutely amazing, the smile plastered across my face only increased in size...

Miles 6 - 10 - As we ran through the Lincoln Park Zoo runner's fell off to the left and right to pee in the trees and bushes, not one for exposing myself in public, I opted for the porta potties; got in, got out (with minimal peeing on myself) and it only took me about a minute or so to catch back up with the 4:15 pace group. (I am beyond joyed to say that not only was that my only pit stop of the entire run, but it was also the only time I ever stopped period.) The next few miles flew by, not going to lie, I honestly don't recall much. I was just caught up in the moment; taking in the sights, looking for "Team Redhead" at every corner, trying to stay focused on my pace and remembering to Gu/E-Cap/Hydrate at regular intervals. The girls said they saw me fly by at the 10 but unfortunately I didn't see them...

Miles 11 - 15 - Somewhere around this time I realized that I was all up on the 4:15 pacers @ss and had been that way for the last 10+ miles. I wanted more, so I made the decision to get ahead of them, if only a little and made my move. I stayed only a row or two ahead of them at first but after a few minutes I looked back and there was at least 200+ meters between us. This was either going to be a big mistake or the winning move, only time would tell. I ditched the last of my throwaway gear and never looked back... shortly thereafter I crossed the Half mark and said a little prayer to the running gods... "Please let me stay strong!!!"

Miles 16 - 20 - In my head these miles were crucial, somewhere around here "The Wall" would be lurking and it could spring on me at any moment... except I felt AMAZING. How could it come when I felt this amazing? So I just kept running, I kept smiling and I told myself that if I could just make it to the 20 without walking I'd be proud of myself. I mean, I'd never even made it this far without a walk break back home, the Florida heat had killed me so many times during my long runs, but today was not one of those days. To be honest, I barely felt the previous miles, I was just cruising along taking it all in...

Miles 21 - 25 - As I passed the 20 the Nike + Power Song Station was playing U2 - "Beautiful Day" and again, I got the chills. Mile 21 slipped by virtually unnoticed and out of nowhere here comes B.o.B at the 22 jumping in next to me! I screamed and hugged her and she asked me how I was feeling... If I recall correctly I looked at her, with my stupid grin still plastered on my face and said; "I don't want to jinx myself but I feel great! I am having the most amazing time, this is the greatest day of my life!!!" The next few miles seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye; We laughed, we cheered, we attempted to fire up the runner's around us on no man's land stretch aka Mile 23, we proclaimed how awesome I was, we cracked ourselves up at the fact that she was running bandit in the Chicago Marathon, we basically conducted ourselves as ya'll would expect...

Love. This. Girl.

At the 40k mark we came up on some photographers and in honor of Coach EK & Coach Tom we passed underneath them holding hands and screaming our fool heads off! Those miles are my favorite miles of the run, spent with my beloved Boo... As we came up on the 25 I looked at her and said, "You better get going if you want to see me finish because I've got this!!!" So off she sprinted and I geared up to kill it...

Mile 26 - 26.2 - Here it was, the home stretch. Had I really been running for almost 4 hours? Had I really ran 26 miles already? Somebody pinch me because this must be a dream right? No?!?! As I rounded the corner and charged up the hill there was the 26 mile marker and after that... The Finish. I sprinted it in with all that I had and as I crossed under that finish line... Actually just file that moment under "Indescribable" because once again, there are no words to describe that moment. You just had to be there.

Do you see that smile?
Best. Day. Ever.

Finish - I noticed that the clock was at 4:20-ish and in my head I realized I had killed my 4:15 intended goal and had probably finished somewhere closer to 4:10 or under... The realization only made the moment that much sweeter. I had run the Chicago Marathon and finished!!!

As I walked thru the Finishers area I was wrapped in a mylar blanket (Thank god for the volunteer's, I was just walking in a daze with a big ol' grin on my face shivering to death) given water, a banana and a power bar, directed to the medal's where as the girl placed it over my head and congradulated me I teared up a bit, then directed to the chip removal area and finally on to the Finisher's photo op. It was all such a blur and I know at some point I just threw away everything I had been given to eat and drink because I just wanted to find my family...

I called Michelle and figured out where they were and then I called Spike to congradulate him on his BQ. (When B.o.B jumped in at 22 that was my first question) I finally made it out of the Finisher's area and quickly reunited with Michelle and the Fa-tha... hugs and joyous cheers were aplenty! B.o.B was MIA and we started to grow concerned but ever the resourceful gal, she used her mad MacGyver skills to use someone's cell and call Michelle. Spike came baring girl scout cookies and we all just jumped around, all fired up, basking in the after race glow.

Post-Race Thoughts - Truth be told I almost feel guilty writing this recap, because it sounds to good to be true but I swear it really was the most amazing, picture perfect, storybook ending, marathon of my dreams. I ran strong, I ran smart, I exceeded all my expectations and goals, I ran my heart out and I loved every.single.minute.of.it. Fairy tales do come true!

Marathon Finisher!

There's so much I am missing and so much more I could write but these are the moments that stand out the most. The entire experience; from start to finish, was nothing short of amazing. The course, the spectators, the volunteers, all of it... If you add one destination marathon to your "To Do" list, I highly recommend Chicago. Best believe Chicago will forever hold a piece of my heart...

Marathon Finisher!!!

Today I took a little 26.2 mile run around the Windy City and it was the absolute most amazing experience of my life! I had a smile plastered on my face the ENTIRE time. I never stopped running once. I never stopped smiling and I never hit the wall. Negative splits!!! Still basking in the after glow...

Intended Goal Time: 4:15

Unofficial Chip Time: 4:08

I ROCKED that sh*t like it was nobody's business. Full race report to come...

Thank you all for you encouragement!

I AM A MARATHON FINISHER!!!

26.2 Miles

...and I would run Twen-ty Six Miles...
and I would run that point two more...
just to be the girl that ran a Mara-thon
up in the Chi-cago-oooooooo

(Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Undela Undela Undela la la)

(Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Undela Undela Undela la la)
Who doesn't love themselves some "Proclaimers"

I'm running the Chicago Marathon RIGHT NOW!
Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

Catch ya'll on the flipside of 26.2!!!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

THE MARATHON IS TOMORROW!!!

520+ - Miles Ran
16+ - Weeks of Training
10+ - lbs lost
8 - Soldiers Down
2 - Pairs of Shoes
1 - Cup Size
1 - Officially diagnosed reoccurring injury (ITB)

All this to run 26.2.

The butterflies; they set in days ago. They started with a mere tickle of excitement... With each passing day they worked themselves into a frenzy... At this point there is an electric current pulsing through me... Excited no longer accurately defines it. I can only be described as feeling, "Indescribable." For there are no words to describe this feeling; you only know it if you've felt it.

For those of you that have run a marathon I'm sure you can attest, that there are no words to describe how you feel before your first. You never get another first marathon. Every marathon you do there after will hold it's own magic and anticipation but it will never compare to your first. You stand on the threshold of going further than you've ever gone. You toe the line hoping that all your hard work and discipline will pay off. You've sacrified and prayed to your gods but in the end it's all up to Fate. I recently received this quote: "To achieve something you never have, you have to do something you have never done." Marinade on that for a minute.

Deciding to train for this Marathon was like "setting the date" with "the one." (aka Chicago) Once the date was set I became consumed with the details. (aka Training) Along the way there's been ups and there's been down's. There's been communication issues and there's been periods of reckless abandon. Now the big day is at hand. It's time to take the plunge. I am ready. Feet don't fail me now.

T-MINUS HOURS TIL CHICAGO!!!

Best of luck to all my fellow runners tomorrow morning; Running Spike, A Viking Running, Run on Sentence, Irish Cream, Pretaporterpb, Tom of Runner's Lounge, Speedy Jess & Mike of the B.R.A.

May you all run well and FINISH STRONG!!!

Fair Weather Runner - I will be looking for you at 10.5!!!

Chic Runner & RUN FASTER MOMMY - I will be thinking of you running your respective Marathon's as well!

Jill, Jen, Amber and Sun Runner - May you all kick @ss and PR at your Half's!!!

ROCK that 10k Robin!!! I know you got it in you girl!!!

Another night in Lameland and Expo Recap

Michelle and B.o.B just dropped me off at the Casa de Cuz so they can go out and party it up on the town whilst I have another exciting evening in Lameland... so guess what you get??? Expo Pics! Yay!!! Enjoy...

FYI - Do NOT forget your Ticket Confirmation... but if you do, being there excessively early smoothes over the hassle of tracking you in the system and reprinting subsequent confirmation. (Being overly excited causes you to forget things apparently... like important details...)

Got to meet Hal Hidgon! Dude is OLD... but still pretty bad @ss.

When I grow up, I want to work for Brooks. Coolest.Booth.EVER.

Their whole booth was set up like M*A*S*H complete with a cross dressing Klinger! They called themselves B*R*A*S*H - Brooks Running Athlete Support Hospital - Where they were doing Gait analysis and what not... I learned I pronate like a mofo barefooted on my right foot... go figure that's the leg all my nasty ITB issues stem from.

I didn't get to meet Deena Kastor, I did however get to breath the same air as she did and stood within 7 feet of her prescence. She is TINY!!!

In case you ever needed to know, this is what a happy liver looks like. Kid.you.not.

Spike, Speedy Jess, Her friend and I giving our best running poses for Sunday

All in all it was fab fun; Michelle loved all the free samples of things, (even if she didn't really know what most of it was for) I was overwhelmed by all the runner's porn, B.o.B & Speedy Jess finally arrived and we got to meet the infamous Running Spike.

B.o.B & I on the train back to Michelle's

All my running swag (not to be confused with schwag as I was mistakenly calling it...) While I did not end up buying out the entire Chicago Marathon 2009 ladies line as intended (Holy expensive full price Nike gear Batman!!!) I still made out like a bandit.

After we got cleaned up, we headed over to the Improv for dinner and a show, where the girls enjoyed some adult beverages and I showed the waiter I meant business when I asked for a pitcher...

Hyrdration Success!!!

and the rest is history... Night B*tches. Off to dream about finish lines...