Just over three weeks ago I DID IT!! I finished the Chicago Marathon...running...with a smile...and not last! What an amazing feeling to cross the finish line. So many emotions all at once...pride, relief, amazement that I did it, sadness that it was over (not so much the run, but the journey). I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The fact that Greg was right there as we were about to round the last turn to the finish line and my kids were cheering their heads off in the bleachers right before we crossed the finish line added to the awesomeness. 

We were so lucky to have family and friends cheering for us at SO many spots throughout the race. It was such a boost each time we saw them! 

I wanted to make sure I had closure here. So that when I go back and read this a year from now, my journey is complete. Thankfully, just a day or two after the run I emailed all my thoughts to Denise, the amazing CF running coach who was there for my questions and freak outs numerous times throughout this journey. Here's how it went down...

Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2012 20:12:25 -0700
From: cde_76@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: HOWZZZZZ MY MARATHON GIRL DOING???!!!!!!
To: deesauriol@hotmail.com


Feeling like a super star!! Everyone keeps telling me how proud they are and what an amazing thing I did. Nice to be acknowledged for all the hard work :) And I just got the official email from the marathon congratulating me on being a marathon finisher!!! The pride just keeps flowing. I feel so awesome! Not only did I finish the marathon, but I raised over $1,800 for Cystic Fibrosis which I'm am also VERY proud of.

Sunni ended up not coming down with us on Saturday and we never did find her in the corral Sunday morning. So it was just Emily and I the whole way. We've been running together for years so it was so awesome to cross the finish line with her. I can't even describe the range of emotions I was feeling as we ran up that final hill, knowing we would turn that corner and see the finish line. My hubby was there about 2/3 of the way up the hill which made it even more special. And my kids were in the bleachers right before we crossed the finish line. So, so awesome.


The people along the way were amazing. After feeling how much they keep you going I can't wait to be on that side cheering people along. My family split up so I think we had people cheering for us at about 10 places. Couldn't have done it without them :)

The run was great. There were a few bumps in the road, but I wasn't going to let them stop me. I kept thinking about Dean who is my friend's little boy with CF and my reason for doing this. I thought even more about my friend and what she wakes up with every day--the fact that her baby is sick and she can't do anything to change that. If she can get herself out of bed every morning and be an amazing mom, wife, friend, etc. with that on her heart, I was not going to let a few miles of pain stop me. The signs the said "Pain is temporary. Pride is forever" helped me keep that focus. The pain was going to be temporary!

My knee that had been hurting was fine. But about mile 14 the other knee started hurting. I'm sure I was overcompensating and not running with my regular stride. And then at around mile 20, my toe nail popped halfway off. Felt like my toe exploded. It is UGLY.

But at that point I knew I only had about 6 miles left...an easy run. If you look at my splits you can see where I struggled. We had been stopping at the aid stations, using them to get Gatorade and/or water or just take a quick break from running. At about mile 23 I realized that it hurt more to start running than it did to just keep running. And then two of my best friends (one of them was Dean's mom) were at mile 24 and ran with me for a few blocks. It was then that we really kicked it back up. So many people were walking, but I had always envisioned finishing strong. And we DID!!

Massage tomorrow--although I'm sure it will be painful. My quads are still super sore. But I scheduled a full hour, full body massage with the therapist I've been seeing throughout my training. I'm looking forward to sharing all the details of my weekend with him. And he just got back from Disney, so we'll have lots to chat about during that hour!

I figure in another few weeks I'm going to schedule a massage at a spa and really relax and enjoy it. I'm also getting a tattoo. Emily and I have been talking about it since training started. Just something small on my foot, but something that will be a reminder of this amazing accomplishment that I am so proud of. That's my big reward--one I've been thinking about for months and I am very excited about!

Thank you for all your knowledge and support! Knowing I had someone to email with questions, concerns, or when I was FREAKING OUT was great. Even better was having someone who I could email who was as excited as I was about each accomplishment as the runs got longer and longer.

Congrats to you, too! I think it's amazing that you've completed so many marathons and that you're willing to share all your expertise and knowledge with those of us who had no idea what to expect. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!

-candy

The toenail mentioned above was indeed UGLY for a week...then Greg amputated it and it was so much better! My knees are still in recovery and I can't seem to get past 3 miles before my IT band is killing me. But I'm resting more days and doing some strengthening exercises and hoping to get back on track soon. It's already hard to imagine that I actually ran 26.2 miles! But all the pain and the time was worth it. I'm proud of what I did and why I did it. It's something I'll never forget.