Chicago Marathon Recap

I can't believe I'm really here!!!

So, back in January I ran my first marathon at Walt Disney World.  Before then, I would have laughed at the idea of completing ONE 26.2 distance race.  So how is it I find myself 10 months later gearing up for my 2nd... with my 3rd only two more weeks away?  I remind you of #90daysofinsanity.  After completing the Dumbo Challenge in Disneyland over Labor Day, and the Climate Ride - 300 miles from NYC to DC - in late September, here it was October and I was gearing up for the Chicago Marathon!

In case you missed the craziness surrounding Chicago and the #ActiveCrisisof2013, signing up for Chicago was a disaster!  Active.com, the website dedicated to processing thousands of race entries, crashed in the middle of the registration process.  As in thousands of people were unable to register for the available slots and registration had to be SHUT DOWN and a two-week break taken to figure out how to address the problems.  I had intended to try to register during the first enrollment, but didn't set up an alert so I missed out.  After some internal discussion, they decided to do a lottery for the remaining slots, and I threw my name in the hat.  I did not get picked, but very soon an opportunity popped up for me to run, and I couldn't turn it down!

This year, I took a course at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago - A Certificate in Environmental Ministry and Leadership - with class meeting in Chicago in March and in October, conveniently wrapping up right before the marathon.  When I was there in March, I thoroughly enjoyed running the lakeshore in frigid temps and I couldn't wait to come back and run the marathon in October!

We had an option to stay on campus, which I took advantage of in March, but this time decided to stay with a classmate, which was SUPER fun.  BUT - she is vegan and prefers that visitors adopt a vegan diet when in her home.  I completely respect that and when we made plans for me to stay with her, I completely forgot about the marathon.  Only when I arrived and realized I'd be vegan for the four days leading up to the marathon did I start to panic - if only slightly.  Luckily M is a fantastic cook and I ate VERY well in her home!  We had a blast doing some shakeout runs in the park near her home at up at Glacial Park in northern Illinois after our field trip.  I was more than ready to head to the expo and meet up with my #CorralG buds - Captain Linz and Coach Marcia - and get the marathon party started!  I cannot begin to describe how amazing it was to be in this venue with this two people.  Linzie would also be running, and Marcia was there to rep for 26.2 with Donna and cheer on her besties.  We hung out together at the expo for a bit and then grabbed dinner together - oh yeah, Marcia and I had grabbed Chicago-style pizza for lunch while Linzie was hanging out with his other friends, but of course that didn't mean we couldn't have Chicago-style pizza AGAIN for dinner!  #eatallthepizza

Then it was time to tuck in for a HUGE day ahead - Linzie and I would be running our first WORLD MARATHON MAJOR!!! OMG!! Linzie was so stoked about this - it was only begining to sink in for me.

The course winds through 29 different districts in Chicago, first heading north out of Grant Park, then back towards the city and out west, then back in and south before coming back up and finishing in Grant Park.  I absolutely loved every minute of it.  Unfortunately I forgot my headphones in the hotel room, so I had a tough time keeping pace with my intervals, and had some knee pain around mile 22, but I pushed through and finished in 5:42 and change - knocking AN HOUR AND TEN MINUTES off my WDW Marathon time!  I wore my compression pants again, and probably lost about 25 minutes in bathroom breaks, but I think my knee probably would have been hurting even sooner if I hadn't been wearing them so it was totally worth it - and this time there was no one waiting on me to get out of the restroom!

After I finished the race, I enjoyed the amenities of the race retreat tent, and then ended up walking back to the hotel, since I had no idea where to pick up the shuttle.  It was all good - I need to walk anyway to keep my legs from getting too stiff before my flight to Little Rock the next day.

All in all I had AN AMAZING time and have decided that I want to attempt to run all of the WORLD MARATHON MAJORS by the time I'm 40.  Let's hope that happens!!

Dumbo Challenge Recap

Inspired by Sean Astin, our Castle jump shot

So, I'm going to make myself put together my race recaps from my #90daysofinsanity... and as I get ready to start doing these I realize I haven't even recapped the Dumbo Challenge from Disneyland back over Labor Day!  Geesh - I am so behind and I apologize.  So, without further ado...

I had been looking forward to this weekend for months! It was going to be the first time since WDW Marathon Weekend that I was going to see Captain Linz, Jen, and my brother from another mother Joe, fellow #CorralG members.  Linzie and I checked in a few times in the weeks leading up to the race weekend, and it was going to be so much fun to see him and to catch up with our other #CorralG buds!   I kept hoping my Disney CM friend was going to be coming out, but life was a little crazy for her, with ordination exams being right before the trip, so she opted for a different trip.  I was able to secure a spot in a room at Disney's Grand Californian Resort with the wonderful folks from the Bacon Challenge, and again bought myself a ticket via my Delta Skymiles.  The room was gorgeous but a little cramped because it was 5 of us in one regular style room!  But that didn't really matter because we were hardly in the room.  The best part of the Disneyland resort overall is everything being right there!

I got in Thursday night and my chariot was waiting - a special pick up from the Captain himself, even though he had secured a spot in the meetup early the next morning and my flight got in late.  Gotta love family :)  On Friday morning we headed over to the expo after Linzie finished up the fun at the meet up, and it was a ZOO!!  I'm not even going to bother with a recap of the expo - there are plenty out there.  It was not the best Disney experience but it was fun running into all my Disney buds: Krissy, Jen, Brandi, not to mention seeing Diet Diva Tara on stage and Carissa announcing.  We grabbed the important things and stood in line for over an hour to check out - but then it was on to the real fun of the weekend.

Best ride photo of the weekend!

I had secured a three-day park hopper ticket and it was so much fun to hang out in the parks, and see Carsland (and ride Radiator Springs Racers multiple times) with my #CorralG buds.  And the highlight of the weekend was definitely getting the call that #babyChambo had finally made her appearance!  Oh yeah - and hanging out with my fam at Club 33!  I have to say - there are some things about Disneyland that I love more than WDW, but there are some things that Walt just made better once he got to Florida.

I was lucky enough to run the Dumbo Challenge for Team for Life with Lazarex Foundation.  The Lazarex Foundation is an amazing foundation that assists terminal cancer patients in identifying and applying for trials, and also helping both the patient AND a support person (family member or friend) get to the location of the trail for the duration of their treatment.  And 100% of funds raised go to patients - the founder has donated her own funds to the administrative costs of the foundation!  I initially started my fundraising efforts in honor of our family friend Steve, who is defeating stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  Given a 6 month diagnosis over two years ago, Steve is still here and we are so grateful for the treatment he is receiving.  While he is not a Lazarex patient, he is undergoing nontraditional treatment for his cancer, and this is what has saved his life.  But as I continued fundraising, I learned of other friends that were impacted by cancer and realized that #cancersucks.  So I began raising money for every cancer warrior I know, those we have lost and those that keep fighting, and met my goal.  I'm also super pumped that my friend Adam, another #CorralG member, whose dad I ran in honor of at Dumbo, will be running the Boston Marathon for the Beth Israel Medical Deaconness Medical Center who has been crucial in his dad's success fighting cancer.  It's so amazing to raise money for great charities like this, and then to run races in honor of those we raised the money for!

10K Team!

10K Team Castle Shot

Wow - I've already written so much and haven't even talked about the races!  Yes - races, plural.  This was my first challenge - 10K on Saturday and Half Marathon on Sunday - in my craziness.  I have to say, I really loved the 10K course because so much of it was in the parks.  The downside of racing at Disneyland is that it is so much smaller, so most of the half marathon takes place out in Anaheim.  A group of us were pacing with a friend who was doing his first challenge as well, not to mention his first half marathon on Sunday.  We were taking it easy on the 10K, since we were all running the next day and didn't want to burn out too early on the half course.  We stopped for some character shots, but there were some long
lines, so we skipped those.  I had a ton of fun running with Erica - who blasted her music from her iPhone on her arm so we could both listen - especially when we turned around to go back because we realized we'd missed the photographer!  It was a PR in terms of my slowest 10K time, but it didn't matter because we had so much fun as a group!

Group photo before the race

The next day, we all split into our respective corrals and ran our own races.  Linzie, Joe, and I met together in the corral and crossed the start together, but I knew they were working towards a goal I wasn't ready for, so I sent them off.  It had been awhile since I'd run a race by myself, just for me, so I set myself to my pace - 4 min run, 1 min walk - and took off.  I enjoyed the scenery and took a few photos, but for the most part, just ran.  I loved getting text support from Jill, and even later seeing my sister's response to my Facebook post a mile 10 - where she got confused that I was at mile 10 but posted "only 5K to go!" - mixing of units and all!  I set myself up to listen to my favorite Disneyland music - World of Color - as I was coming in to the finish.  And as I came back onto Disney property, I started thinking about what I set out to accomplish with this race, racing for Team for Life.  I thought about Steve and how amazing his cancer story is.  I thought about Adam's dad and Cindy's mom who are fighting cancer.  I thought about my Aunt Marsha who had breast cancer, but is in remission.  And I thought about my friend Chelsea, who lost her dad to cancer when she was younger.  I started to get emotional - there were definitely tears in my eyes as I crossed that finish line and received my half marathon medal, and then my challenge medal.  I had done what I set out to do - raise money for an amazing charity and conquer a super fun challenge!  And then I saw Linzie and Joe, who had finished just ahead of me.  There were hugs all around and we were so excited about our day.  And then I realized I had gotten a PR!!  It was a great day.

This was the second year that I've run the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend for a charity partner.  I am seriously considering doing it again - and making this my charity race each year.  And I would love to run for Team for Life again.  Keep an eye out for that announcement :)

Celebrity Sightings of the Weekend:

Sean Astin, Paul, me

Me, Dennis, Erica

Me, Joey Fatone, Erica

My Disney CM friend is already scouting rates, and with her first runDisney half under her belt, I think I've converted her.  Can't wait for next year.

Sweet Weekend Bling!

ENERGYbits Brand Ambassador

 Recently I became one of the newest ENERGYbits® Brand Ambassadors!  I am so excited to have a product to share with you that I believe in myself and that I was introduced to from a fellow runner I trust.  I wanted to tell you a little bit about this new partnership and what it means for me and you.

I am constantly looking for the best information and natural products that help you stay fit and healthy, so I am thrilled to be introducing you to ENERGYbits®. ENERGYbits® high concentration of protein provide a steady stream of energy that prevents fatigue and their high concentration of antioxidants and Essential Fatty Acids (like Omega 3) reduce inflammation and muscle soreness.  Remarkably ENERGYbits® have just one ingredient, organically grown spirulina algae. Not only has spirulina algae been a favorite of Olympic athletes for decades, it is the most environmentally sustainable food in the world, has been endorsed for thirty years by the United Nations and NASA and is only ONE calorie!  And you all know how much I love sustainable things AND NASA!!

I started taking ENERGYbits® a few weeks ago on a regular basis and I have noticed a difference.  I checked in with my fellow ambassador SeeSharpRun about his daily plan and began following a similar plan of 30 bits with breakfast - my vitamin for the day.  For Thanksgiving, I drove from VA to Atlanta on Wednesday, November 20 since I would be dogsitting for some friends starting the following day.  I love going home to Atlanta, but it always means cramming in as much as I can in terms of visiting friends, grabbing meals at my favorite local spots, and of course running.  This trip was no different, and especially with the added benefit of hanging out with two precious doggies, it was a busy, tiring one.  I ran a half marathon on Thanksgiving morning with my ATL BRF, Jason, and then hung out with my family the rest of the day.  On Friday I hopped in the car and headed down to Florida for the Space Coast Half Marathon that Sunday.  On Monday I was back in the car for the all-day drive to Virginia.  I will recap those events in a separate post, but I include all that to say - I did not get sick!  The temp at the start of the Thanksgiving Day half was around 23 degrees and then I got to Florida where it was around 70 degrees and humid.  Normally temperature changes like that, not to mention the exhaustion of all that I was doing over those 10 days would make me feel a little weak.  But being #poweredbybits, I was able to get everything done I wanted to get done AND get back home feeling ready to conquer my busy week of work.  I can honestly say, I don't think this would have been the case if I wasn't regularly taking bits. 

I’m not aware of anything that offers your body and the environment the blend of benefits you get from ENERGYbits® so I am excited to be working with them.  They are great for increasing your race performance, but don't neglect the idea of using them as a daily vitamin.  SeeSharpRun also uses Recovery bits regularly, so I'm hoping to add those to my regimen to stay healthy this winter/holiday season. 

I hope you’ll try them soon and when you do, use my promotional code PREACH to get a 25% DISCOUNT!  You can only purchase them online at www.energybits.com so when you check out, just enter discount code PREACH into the coupon box and your discount will immediately show up on screen. The discount works on all products.

I'll soon be getting my own batch of samples to share, so keep an eye out on the blog for my first giveaway and your chance to see why so many of us are #poweredbybits!

The company explains why ENERGYbits®are so popular with runners, athletes and fitness enthusiasts: When a handful of ENERGYbits® are swallowed 10 -15 minutes prior to a workout, race, game or run, they provide a steady flow of energy, eliminate fatigue and speed recovery, all naturally and all without digestive distress.  The reason is simple. ENERGYbits® do not contain any caffeine, sugar or chemicals yet they have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%), all in amino acid form which are absorbed instantly to provide a steady flow of glucose. ENERGYbits® also contain 40 vitamins/minerals, natural nitric oxide to open blood vessels, antioxidants to fight free radicals, Omega 3 to reduce inflammation, iron to prevent fatigue and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. All this from just one ingredient –organic spirulina and all for just one calorie per tab.   

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