chicago rock and roll 1.2 marathon

mile 7...still running

mile 12... almost there

done. 13.1 miles under 3 h. whew

26.2 completed

I ran the Chicago Marathon (26.2 miles) on October 12, 2008.

Thanks for supporting my run. You are a part of bringing clean water to

Zambia, Africa through Team World Vision.

Thanks again and God Bless!

early in the morning, aka, the crack of dawn.

having fun. all smiles before 5 miles!

getting tackled by jimmy. go mom!

(now he has already asked this question 4 other times)

"Dad, when are we going to see mom again?"

here I am. 11.5 miles and still smiling. today is a good day!

oh to be small and tired.

ok, now this is really tired. the kid is sleeping on a water bottle!

where's Payton? Mile 21 and I didn't see my boy.

this is my favorite picture of the whole day. I love it!

What dedication on my family's part to stick it out for me and the kids we are helping in Africa. Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. And in all forms.

wow! I did it! My first marathon. whoo hoo!

yes. there was pain afterwards.

I couldn't wait to eat!

pre race night

i guess you can call me the snapping turtle of the family for the past few days. i can't explain it and i can't wait to shake it, but i have been on a high irritation level all week. i feel so guilty looking back over the past week and thinking about how I have treated the kids and even jim at times. i have been impatient and quite self centered. i wish i could say it's because of the race tomorrow or because of work, but it's not enough of any of those things to make me blame it. i know the hormone tide is in, so maybe it has something to do with that, but it still doesn't excuse me for my mouth. i have been so short tempered mostly with the kids and they don't deserve that.
i read earlier that there are no headphones allowed on the course tomorrow and at first i went into a mini panic... oh no! what am i going to do if i can't drown out my own thoughts for 2 hours? Then after the initial shock wore off (ok, so it was a day) i have decided (and praying about it has helped) (kind of like God saying ok nik, now really, tell me again why this is such a bad thing? have you really been spending any quality time with me lately?) that the run with out the headphones is perfect. it is the best time for me to spend alone with the lord and reflect on the week i have had and give it all to him. again, even when i don't want to follow and i am stubborn and stray, God's perfect will is right there to gently lead me and correct me in the right direction.

Bah, bah, bah. (like a sheep... gone astray...)

now it's off to bed to sleep for a few hours before it's game time! update to come on the race experience.

hello? It's me, again.

I'm back again to probably publish a few posts on the same day and then make the resolution on not waiting so very long until the next post comes along.
Life has just been extremely busy and the days seem to roll into one another.
Running has been going ok. I was chopping up the runs and mixing up my days for a few weeks when jim was gone and I was recovering from my slight ankle injury from jumping off a chair in heels. (yah, I know, DUH!)
But I look back (like I knew I would) on the last post where I was worried about the 9 mile run and laugh. I just completed a 12 on Saturday! That was a great feeling, they all are... AFTER I am done. Mostly about what I just accomplished. Thinking that I didn't think I could and having to talk myself through the run and coaching myself many steps of the way. Every run is making me stronger and knowing the stamina and the distance I can go when under pressure and by my own determination is elating. I am blown away each week I go a further distance and feel so proud for what I am doing.
I know I need to get fundraising though, and asking for $$ has never been my strong point.
I was overwhelmed (yes, me) at the realization that the kids from VBS raised over $600! It's exciting to know that they we in the game with me and really rallied to the cause.
Now that all the parties are over for the month, I am going to sit back for a few days here and brew upon my plan for August and Sept. I have 2 months left to raise a heck of a lot and I am determined to find a way. Heck, I ran 12 miles the other day... I can do anything :0)

run run here i come

so i am already obsessing about running 9 miles this weekend. 9 miles! that's the 2nd longest i have ever had to run! i know i did they soldier field 10 mile, but i prepared for that race and i really psyched myself up for it. i think because it was a big race, i was able to justify running the 10 and it didn't see so bad or painful. hmmm, i tried tricking myself into this week-end's run being of similar fashion, but so far it hasn't worked. something about just running 9 miles because it is on the schedule doesn't seem right.
honestly, i can't even look further down where it starts moving up to 12, 15, or even scarier, 20 miles! 26.2, one time, seems ok, but when you have to anticipate the miles leading up to being able to accomplish that... it's a different story.
so, i take a deep breath, hydrate, and find myself a darn good playlist this week.

slug run

yesteray's run was only a 5 mile. it was a cut back week since the two previous weeks it was a 6 and 7 mile run. so, assuming that a 5 is nothing now (since I am some super star runner now) I stayed up late on Friday, slept in on Sat and got up for a late run. I let Jimmy ride his bike next me andwished the whole time i could have ridden the bike!
Well, 5 miles hasn't felt that long in a long time. It was hot, I wore a cotton shirt so I was soaked and sticky and my legs were heavy. After about 3.5 I got into a grove, but i learned my lesson about preparing myself for the next run, no matter what the distance.

The greatest glory of living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall. Nelson Mandela (1918 - )

What if...

...you had to drink this?

Your Impact through the Chicago Marathon
The NeedOver 1 billion people (1 billion!) lack access to clean water and sanitation. When clean water is scarce, all aspects of life are impacted:
Health--Contaminated water and poor sanitation are a factor in 88% of all disease in the developing world.
Food production--Without water, crops and livestock die and healthy meals cannot be prepared.
Economics--Poor health from unclean water causes a community's productivity to suffer and family incomes to dwindle.
Education--Childen spend hours fetching water each day instead of attending school.

World Vision's Response
Because clean water is foundational to all aspects of development, it is often the first work that World Vision does in a community. World Vision works with communities to:
Construct wells for clean water
Provide water-storage containers
Install water-piping systems for irrigation
Protect natural springs
Purify water contaminated by bacteria
Construct latrines for proper sanitationMore than 10 million people have gained access to clean water and sanitation as a result of World Vision's water projects.

How You are Helping by Running
The main project that Team World Vision athletes are supporting this year is in Zambia. In Zambia, the life expectancy is 40 years old, and only 40% of the population has access to a clean water source. With the help of your fundraising efforts, World Vision will be able to work with the communities in Musele and Mbala to:
Provide access to clean water by constructing 100 wells
Train men and women to take ownership in maintaining the wells
Provide improved sanitation by building 1,500 latrines
Partner with Zambia's Ministry of Health to increase awareness of water and sanitation safety in schools and communitiesYou are helping make a huge impact in Zambia for children and communities who lack one of life's most basic resources. Thank you!

More about how World Vision works
> How World Vision works: Interactive Map>

Video about the need for water and how World Vision helps

hot and sticky buns

today i felt like i was swimming during my run. there was over 50% humidity and the fog hadn't lifted when I went out this morn. it was an eerie, but strangely peaceful run. it was mysterious and calming at the same time. with each step i could feel the effort that my body had to exert to keep going, but breathing in the think air was so entrancing. it was a motivator today for me to run though the thick air and think of the poor little babies across an ocean who endure so much more every day. i wanted to stop for water, but i choose not to (knowing I was doing a short run, 3m and I would have access to it with in a half house) I wanted to make myself remember, and not forget.
after receiving the week 3 e-mail, i can't stop thinking about the "what if... you had to drink this?" I can't get the little boy's eyes out of my head. so innocent, yet so broken over something he can't control and knows of nothing different.
I am reminded of it when I feed my kids, when I fill my glass in the middle of the night, when I see people spending $ .75 to buy a bottle of water at work.
something like water, that would NEVER cross our minds as an option to not have or a problem to find is something so many people don't have, or drink dirty or need to stay alive.
i will pray for the people who need water, i will think of the people who need water and i will run for the people who need water. they deserve it as much as you and I.

ouch. double ouch

I should be sleeping right now. I know I need to and after the shower on Thursday, I will sleep, but not yet. There are favors to make and parties to plan. (more on the shower later.)
Today I was at the gym by 6:15 to run. That is the first ouch. I was still sore from Saturday's pavement pounding. My knees were sore, my big toe on my left foot was sore and the pads of my feet on the right foot were aching. I starting running and was just getting into the groove when I felt it again. Thhe right foot arch, or lack of w/ my flat feet was killing me. I really wanted to push further and at least complete the 3.1 m, but by the time I was at 2.4 I was cooked. I sort of hopped, limped another 10th of a mile and called it quits. I then got off the treadmill and walked over to the track assuming it must be the treadmill, not the new $100 pair of shoes, but by the time I got halfway around, it was cooked. Again. So I listened to the pain for once and stretched for about 1o min and showered. Ouch 1.
It stinks I have to go back to Fleet Feet and return the shoes and go through the process of fitting again, but I know once I find the "one" shoe for me, I won't have to go back. I vaguely remember the girl who fitted me mention she hopes the shoe I picked won't hurt my arches, but I wouldn't be me if I picked a shoe I didn't have to return and actually liked it the first time.
I wonder if you are born with indecisiveness? I will have to look that up. I'm sure it is some sort of a mild brain disorder that falls intot he OCD, procrastination realm. Thanks Gram (lol).
Ouch number two consisted of punishing myself with an hour of Norris' pilates class. I think my muscles are still shaking and it's 11 pm. It was a welcome relief to be forced to breath. I feel taller, stronger and longer already. I hope I can make it to the class more than once a week, ok, at least once a week, ok, or at least put the video on at home... It's just so much more real, duh, effective, to be in the room, live, with no distractions.
So, with two ouches, it sit and make shower favors and know that I will sleep. soon.

I love Chicago

Yesterday reminded me why I love Chicago. It was the first day since mid February where we have had anything worthy of being called nice weather. It was almost 70 degrees yesterday with a slight breezy and sunny. It was perfect, spectacular, paradise, wonderful. It was the kind of day that you just have to smile about because the breeze that blows by you turns up the corners of your lips. People couldn't have been in a bad mood yesterday if they tried.
I went to the marathon clinic at Moody in the morning and settled all of my fears and doubts about the whole thing. I'm in. The road is long and hard but I plan to work hard and be strong. I need to know what the experience will be like. This is the next physical, emotional and spiritual step I need to take in my life. Running for clean water is going to do that. I have joined Team World Vision and all the fundraising money I earn is going to support programs that bring clean water to South Africa. To think that if I lived in Africa, one of my babies could die from something as treatable as diareaha. It is heart wrenching and wrong and if we can do something, anything to help fix this problem, we need to. There is a pandemic in our world called Poverty and if we all focused on the methods to help these people get to the point where they can sustain, the world can be changed.
So, I know why I'm running now and I will need to think about that, focus on that and obsess on that reason every time I feel like I want to stop when I shouldn't or not go when I should.
After the clinic, I went over to Fleet Feet and got fitted for new shoes. YEAH! New cushioning! I felt great and decided to go for a run on the lake. I ran about 5 mi. and enjoyed the blue, aquamarine, turquoise colors of the lake. I did take it easy and did a run walk combo after being sick all week, but it felt sooo wonderful to get back out there.
I ran the way back by the zoo and stopped in the conservatory to see the spring flower show. I kicked myself a few times, every time I realized I wished I brought my camera, but it was kind of nice (for a few min.) to soak in the sights without thinking of how I was going to shoot it.
One image that has stuck in my head is the Bleeding Heart flower I saw on my way out. That was the flower my grandma and I like the best. She kept them in her garden and it brings back a rush of memories when I see the flower of being a child with her. I miss you Gram.
I plan to get the kids on the gardening path today after baseball practice and make the newspaper seed pots with some shade plants for the front of the house.

YEAH!! IT's FINALLY, RALLY SPRING! WHOOO HOO!!!

I'm Back, again

UGH! Can I say that the flu could quite possibly be the definition of insanity! It is suck the life and suck the energy and suck the creativity out of you sickness. I think the effects of it double for every person that has the flu in your immediate family too. So pick your poison, lack of feeling well leads to a very irritable mommy, on top of having to work though it all, two jobs, mind you, mommy job and office job that pays the mortgage, messy house, sick hubby, no motivation to be creative, no motivation for cleaning or laundry or cooking, no energy to work out... NOTHING! You can't even take pleasure of laying around because it feels like someone is peeling your skin away from your body and blowing cold air on you.
I guess that clears up the reason I had lead legs on Sat.'s run. By Sunday I was down. Fast and hard! Fine one moment, tingling and chilled and burning up the next. If it were just me I could almost take it in stride and make friends with the couch and the bottle of NyQuil, but not when the kids are suffering. To see their limp little bodies pathetically sprawled all over the furniture and the exhausted and weary look in their eyes every time they had to move was enough to make me want to have the flu 10 more times than to see them suffer through the pain. They didn't want to eat or drink for almost 2 days. They have all started to come around, but this was a week from the dark side. .Disinfectant wipes have been a life saver.
I was so craft deprived this week, I brought home my notebook from work and glued a blue ribbon around the top to brighten my spirits. I'm such a nerd, but it's amazing how a little swatch of fabric or paper can brighten the mood.
Tomorrow is the marathon 101 clinic down at Moody. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I have been praying about this decision for some time now and tomorrow I am really hoping a lot of my questions are going to be answered and that God really speaks to me with the decision he wants me to make. Tomorrow will be a busy day and I already know I have to thank Grandma. Both boys have baseball practice, Rea has dance and I will be gone all morning. Whew! By the time we get to the Legacy dinner at night, it's going to be one L-O-N-G day.
Colorado, Take me away!

running

my running days have become increasing diffucult and doubt is setting in before any real training has even begun. I have been consistently been runningon Tues, Thurs and Sat for this whole month, and I am starting to wonder if I am really going to be able to undertake this goal I have set myself up for.
I was able to laboriously complete 3 miles when I starting running at the end of Feb and now here we are at the end of March and I am only able to complete 5m. I ran about 6m one of the weeks but haven't been able to bring myself to that point again. It's frustrating since in my head I think I am doing all the right things and I obviously am not since it is not getting me any advancement. I know training doesn't officially start until June, but I want to complete the 10m run in May. As soon as I get up to about 3 m, my knees and feet start complaining. By the time I am done at about 4.5 or 5, my body is begging me to stop. I wonder if I need to incorporate the run/ walk method to train the legs to deal with the motion. Or maybe I need new shoes.
Next Sat is the Marathon 101 clinic. I'm going to ask some questions and hopefully receive the encouragement I am looking for to lift my spirits and work though this hump.

Run Forrest Run

The past few days have been the longest days yet are a blur as I look back. I miss my kiddies terribly. They were spending the night at their cousins house on Thursday and I was supposed to pick them up on Friday so we could color eggs. Well, from a beautiful day on Thursday (55 degrees) when we walked to the store to buy Easter candy, to the next day when "nature" decided to drop the temp to 30 -ish and dump (literally) 8-9 inches of snow on us, it sort of changed the plans. As I was driving though the blizzard on Good Friday (go figure, it's Chicago) I realized there was no way I would be able to get up to Kenosha and back in a resonable amount of time. The traffic reports were all predicting the travel times to be 2 to 3 hours to get to the border, not fun when your inching along the highway in white out conditions. So Cindy, who didn't seem to mind one bit, thought it was best if she kept the kids another night. So here it is Sat. afternoon and I am recounting the blur of the past few days. Without the kids around, although very peaceful and quiet, it was weird that the time seemed to move so slow. I kept checking my phone to see if they called (I was a little worried about Payton) but they didn't even want to bother with dear old mommy once.
Thursday after we did the kid switch, I drove over to the Deerfield club and ran about 3.5 m on the treadmill. Then I lifted a few weights using the technogym selectorized for legs only and sat in the steam room until I felt like I was going to pass out. I fueled up at Jewel with a banana, snow peas, string sheese, trail mix and carrot juice and felt like I rocked the world. Then Friday I started off on my way through errand-land. It was easy enough to have the freedom to get in and out of the car by myself and not be slowed down by the kiddies, but I'm not sure it really gave me an advantage over the time I perused or spent in a store. ( It did mean I was able to stay out of the public bathrooms though, that was really nice). So I eventually ended up at the club and I went about 3 miles on the elliptical taking it slow on purpose in order to read my magazine. Then I lifted for my arms and then jumped in the pool. I swam about 10 laps and then soaked my tired muscles in the whirlpool. I sat in the sauna for a time too, and for just a second, thought, "Wow, this is something like a vacation."
I ate Chipotle for dinner last night and prepared the Easter boxes (more on that later) for the kids. Then I decoupaged an egg carton with some pretty purple paper for the Spiritual Egg Story. I say all this in a running post since it ties into why I didn't run today.
I was up late and when I woke up this morning, it was already 10am! I can't remember the last time I slept that long! (Oh wait, it was yesterday, when the kids weren't here) And the sinking feeling I had when I fully opened my eyes, was that pushing it for those two days left me with nothing, I mean nothing, left to give for the run this morning. I thought about it, I really did, but with the way my muscles ached, I could barley make it to the basement to put my clothes into the dryer let alone lace up the shoes.
I will run, soon, but right now, for today, I need a break.
Now I am off to church to set-up for the breakfast tomorrow and pick up the kids! Who Hoo!

Run Forrest Run

My run yesterday was great. I completed a 5k on the treadmill in 35:00min. It's my best time since I started again so it felt great to get there again. I then moved onto the track and did 6 laps around. So depending on the size, either 1/4 or 1/6, it was about a mile more. 4.5 is becoming very attainable now and I am thinking of a 6 for Sat. long run. I want to go outside though, it's starting to get too nice to be cooped up indoors on the hamster wheel.

Run Forrest Run

Today I am posting 2 running posts at a time. Saturday was busy and the computer was being monopolized so I couldn't get on to write.
sat run
4.9 m 55min.
Sat morning I learned that the club doesn't open until 8am, in the entire city! It better get nice out soon b/c I need to run a little earlier than 8am! I was going to wait at the club until it opened until I convinced myself to drive to another b/c they would "for sure" be open. well they weren't so I had a chance to clean up the car. Wow the kids are messy. Jim does a good job of keeping it clean. I'm the bad one who let's them at and doesn't enforce the "take out what you bring in" rule.
I ran the long run Saturday and it felt really good. I could have kept going Forrest.


tues run
4.2 m 48 min.
today i felt tired. i really didn't want to run and it showed when i got a cramo in my chest after the 1st mile. i was running at a 5.5 speed and my heart rate felt good, so i just worked through it and it eventually subsided. i made it to the 3.1 and kept going, but decided to try the run 2/ walk 1 technique. it worked and if it weren't for the time, I would have kept going. I got off to a late start today so it was already 7:20 when I was done and I couldn't push it anymore.
We'll see what happens this Sat for the "long run".