Chicago Marathon 2008 FINISHER!

6 Hours, 29 neighborhood and numerous gel packs later, Chicago Marathon 2008 is finished! The temp reached 84 degrees that day, and 33,000 runners participated.

A big thank you to all of my supporters for helping to make it happen. Adrienne and Dave made sure I was fueled at mile 9, Teri met up with me at mile 13 to run by my side through the hottest part of the race, I bumped into Rodrigo and Addy at mile 18 while grabbing more gel packs, and Rodrigo found me on the bridge and sprinted the last 200 meters with me (in his flip flops!). It was awesome! 

And even more amazing is over $700 will be donated to Hope Runs, which will help its children's program in Tanzania and Kenya. Read more about it at www.hoperuns.org. And fittingly so, the male Kenyans dominated the race this year. Read the Tribune's coverage here.

Along with all the congrats and hugs and handshakes, a question I keep getting is will I do it again next year. If you asked me around mile 23, the answer would have been a exasperated, exhausted and angry " NO WAY!" But a month has passed, the pain wore off, so only more time will tell. Running is addictive so odds are, another marathon is on the horizon. :)

Why run the marathon?

My marathon envy started with the jacket.  Every now and then I would spot a fellow passenger on the El sporting a black windbreaker with the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon logo on the breast and "Chicago Marathon 2006" or 2007 across the back.  In the few minutes of our encounter I tried to size them up; I wanted to decipher what it was that made them the great athletes that they were. Marathoners. I wanted to wear their jacket.

You really can't tell a lot based on looks. Marathoners look like every-day people (well, the non-elites that is).   It's not until you start talking with them about running, training, and the actual  marathon that the truth of what makes the athlete is really revealed.

And yet, if I really wanted to wear that jacket, I had to run it myself.  Traveling from Paris back to Geneva in October 2006, I shared with my friend Susan that the marathon would be the ultimate testament of my capabilities.  Ability to do what? And why the marathon? she asked.  Studying abroad had put me in touch with many new experiences and people, but new insecurities, too.  Time on the train allowed for lots of contemplation.  Somehow this 'train of thought' led me to conclude that the marathon was the most appropriate challenge for me.  If I prepared and persevered for months to run and complete 26.2 miles, what couldn't I do?  It would be my way of dispelling doubt in myself.

Running is my way of measuring my potential because while I certainly love a long run, I really have to work at it. It's a love-hate relationship.  I'm good at running, but not great.  I enjoy the feeling a strong run, and despise the pain that comes along with it.  So I figured that if I could engage in the ultimate running challenge in which I experienced all the above, and triumphed in the end, that was a testament to my potential for greatness.

My friends out east

This week I received faraway support from my friends on the east coast who will be taking on the NYC marathon next month.  Atheni, who was student gov prez while were at LUC, donated $26.20 to Hope Runs (love the symbolism!) and sent me encouraging words about conquering this Sunday. Love her!

Meredith has been my cheerleader all year.  She'll actually be taking on her 3rd (or 4th??) marathon in 23 days (according to her facebook status!) so she's practically a seasoned pro... at the ripe age of 22. We went to see "Spirit of the Marathon" together in February right after I signed up.  Meredith's been dropping me words of encouragement and advice all year and I can't thank her enough.

More to thank!

Several people have come out of the wood works to support my efforts, as well as those of Hope Runs. I can't express my appreciation enough to the following folks: Lisa C., my boss at ILAO, former collegiate track star, and encourager extraordinaire; Jake J., chaplain at Loyola who led our service trip to D.C.; Linda R., my mom's super sweet boss; Dave and Maureen S., former neighbors whose kids I used to babysit; Atheni A., a fellow LUC alum, organization leader, and marathoner; and Ms. Owens, my h.s. history teacher.

Colleagues, friends and family have collectively given close to $400 this summer.  I will continue to raise funds in the next year until I meet my goal of $5,000.  

Again, thank you to all ! ! !

My Zen Week

So since my 20 miles I haven't done much at all.  I'm starting to get real anxious about the marathon so I've been trying to lounge about, sleep, rest, and not run as much as possible.  I came across a good article in the NY Times today about reaching one's peak performance through relaxation.  

The author of the article explains that keeping the muscles tenses while performing aerobic exercise isn't the answer to moving quicker.  The paradox of athletics is remaining relaxed while pushing hard and straining the body and muscles.    

Winner's win because they are able to achieve this balance of tension and calmness within their bodies. “It’s the paradox of athletics,” said Rick DeMont, associate head coach for men’s swimming at the University of Arizona and a former Olympian. “Tension is slow, tension is inefficient. You need to be relaxed.”

And so that is the strategy I'm following this week and on Sunday.  Work hard but keep the body-- and most importantly the mind-- relaxed.