marathon = done

full disclosure...

first things first. i don't know what my exact time was yet, but it was over 5 hours.

i started off the race great. the first 13 flew by and i felt great. then my legs started hurting. and at 15 i was in major pain. from there i run-walked the rest of the 11.2 miles. yes, it was miserable!

it was really cold. i wore a garbage bag over me and socks on my hands for the first 9 miles (thx rebecca), and i was wearing my tank and long sleeve too. i remember seeing a thermostat at around mile 4 that said 33 degrees. chilly. people on the sidelines would cheer me on by saying "go garbage bag!" or "yeah garbage bag!". haha. that was one of the highlights for me. oh, i also picked up a pair of gloves that had been thrown on the ground because my hands got cold again, around mile 20. i think i should've picked up a sweater too, but there weren't sweaters after mile 13.

i think my legs hurt because they were so stiff from the cold and i didn't stretch enough. looking back, i wish i had worn another sweater and pants instead of shorts. i didn't shed a drop of sweat during the entire run. i had pain in the tendon behind my knee - i never had that pain during training. i didn't feel out-of-breath at all but my legs hurt so bad i toyed with the idea of dropping out at mile 20. in the meantime i was beating myself up over having to walk so much.

will went to mile markers 4, 12, 26 and chinatown to cheer me on but we never saw each other. isn't that sad? but i think if i had seen him during the race i would've ran to him and cried. haha.

at mile 26, i was running and i heard someone call out my name. i saw two friends, rob and mark. they had these huge smiles and they were cheering me on and trying to get photos of me. they were so cute. that helped big time and helped me end strong.

the race did not go the way i'd hoped. as you can tell, i think i'm still trying to get over that. but i'm glad i finished and at 30 years of age i did a full marathon. also, the chicago race course is pretty cool.

thank you all for your support and encouragement on this journey.

EDIT: half - 2:21:59, full - 5:29:05

countdown

i picked up my race packet at the expo tonight.

i felt one with the city.

i'm getting all kinds of advice about the cold weather, like

- wear a cheap sweater and throw it away when you warm up

- cut a hole in a garbage bag and pull it over your head

- cover your shoes with plastic bags

- and meanwhile, don't try anything you never did in training

hmm.

coffee + wine

i've been holding back due to training.

but after sunday

it's SO over, y'all.

fall grocery list

+ pumpkin
+ butternut squash
+ sweet rice flour

for new recipes for pumpkin bread and hobak juk (korean squash porridge).

really

public transportation etiquette = respect/politeness towards others = common sense = stuff we learn in kindergarten.

c'mon people.

signs of fall

-- boots and coats everywhere
-- a few trees have begun to change color
-- people are no longer hanging out by the lake
-- the beachside restaurant has closed shop for the season
-- the sun sets 2 hours early
-- i broke my umbrella last week. actually, the wind broke my umbrella. we've broken 3 umbrellas and lost 2 since moving here. ha.

oh, and of course, the highest temperature this week will be 59.

week 18 of 18

my friends, i have come to my last week of training. i admit i am ecstatic!!! this coming sunday i will be running the 2009 Chicago Marathon.

my goal is to get across the finish line in one piece. i didn't train for the last 2 weeks because of a cold, but i finally did run 8 miles on saturday, and it was okay. i'm hoping to get rid of the last traces of a cough that has lingered. so i won't be aiming for a specific time.

according to weather.com, the temperature will range between 41 and 47, with 30% chance of rain. that is chilly! i will most likely wear my regular training outfit - lightweight shorts, tank, cap, and also add a dry-fit long sleeve.

a couple things:

--> if you want to track my progress, click here. the race starts at 7:30 am central time.
--> if you want to give to world vision's efforts to provide water in africa, click here. i've raised $521 so far.

this week's runs:

mon: 3 mi [done]
tue: 4 mi [done]
thu: 2 mi [missed]
sun: RACE [DONE!]