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LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Stories - 2002

Following is a group of stories collected by Pat Burch, Austin Fit Head Coach, about the 2002 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

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Chicago is definitely a must do marathon if you're wanting to venture out of town for one. It combines a fun city with a nice course to run plus excellent cool weather to zip through. For me the highlights were similar to some below. However, seeing my good friend Dinty Moore qualify, running with Emma Tuel as she did her first and running for my two nieces, one who just had a baby and the other who has MS, made the run memorable.

Dinty was my roomy for the trip and his meticulous detail in how he prepared the night before showed that he was serious about setting this time. He would stare and look at everything he had laid out and go over it again and again. The day of the race he left the nice warming tent provided by Chicago Fit and took off to get near the front to avoid alot of the 31,200+ runners. Dinty trained well for this event, he ran hard and left it all on the course. I could sense through his big smile when I saw him at the end, the feeling you get when you qualify for Boston.

Emma Tuel did her first here. She wore on her shirt a "sign" that had her name and said that she was running her first 26.2. I lost count I heard "go Emma." But, it was about 1 million three hundred and forty-seven times. Emma had attempted her first at this past Austin Motorola but was sidelined by a stress fracture after the 21 mile training run. Even in preparing for this run it was touch and go as to weather she would be able to go. But, in true Emma fashion she overcame obstacles and made it to the starting line. No one can prepare for the tightness that happens when you hit the wall. Around mile 18 or so we started stretching out after each mile. Even then Emma kept the smile on her face, thanked all the runners who yelled her name and even chuckled when one guy said, "hey Emma, how does it feel to do your first?" At mile 22 we stopped for water and I knew this was her longest distance at that point. So I yelled, "Emma you have only 4.2 miles to go." I swear you could see tears through her sunglasses which in turn started to make me get emotional. At mile 23 when I started to announce 3.2 I could barely get it out watching her tear up. The later miles we didn't walk at all, we just kept running. We caught up with Jim & Diane and had a little mini race, which they won, as we ran through the tunnel with about 2 miles to go. The roar of the crowd near the finish made the tired legs run just a wee bit faster. Emotions poured out of Emma as she crossed the finish line. She was now a marathoner.

Below are a few stories from others that recount some great experiences. Information on hotels and fun things to do should be kept you that might want to give Chicago a try. For me, the Palmer House Hilton wasn't worth the money. Hotel 71 was definitely a much better one with a room with a nice city and river view plus less than half the cost.

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A Chicago thought 10/24/02 6:50:04 PM Gill Waterston

As I reflect on my Chicago experience one thought just keeps blowing me away. We ran in the same event as 2 world record holders, and national record hoders. We ran in the same event where a world record was broken! In what other sport can Joe Public do that? Now if only those record holders hadn't got a 13 minute start on me............... What an amazing experience that race was. Gill

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10/18/02 4:30:18 PM Bert Williams

Hi Pat, First things first. Thanks for all of the great things that you do that make the Austin running community such a great place! (and made Chicago such a great experience!!)

I stayed at the Delaware Towers. It's an older hotel (built in 1926) that may not be as flash as the new downtown hotels, but it has lots of character and was a real bargain at $68 per night. The hotel is about 2 miles from the start (near the John Hancock building) but it is only a few blocks from the red line subway (which takes you close to the starting line).

I'm a classical music buff, so I went to hear the Chicago Lyric Opera on Friday night, and then to hear the Chicago Symphony on Saturday night. Having heard several recordings made by these two groups, it was great to be able to hear them in person.

I really liked the Expo. It had me so pumped up, I was ready to start the marathon right then and there. I was amazed at how organized a marathon for 37,500 runners could be. The crowd support was nothing short of incredible!

Happy trails, Bert

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10/18/02 8:07:33 AM Mandy Olivares

Well, to sum it all up, my Chicago marathon was great! I had a much better running experience than last year when I completed this race, and ended up with a 22 minute PR!

I spent the evening at the Swissotel (which was wonderful, I might add), and was actually able to sleep some the night before. I woke up at 5:30am, and immediately turned on the TV to find out what the temperature was--tights or no tights--I was still trying to decide. The TV said 42 degrees with a brisk 20-25 mph wind, so I decided to wear tights. I dressed, had a half of a Gatorade bar, some water, and was out the door at 6:00am.

I walked to the start/finish area, making my way to the Charity village and the warmth of the ChicagoFit tent. I walked in behind Ted, and soon saw Pat, Heather, Dinty, Keri, and the others. Heather and I decide to head for the potty line, then off to the starting area. We weaved through the starting area, attempting to make it to the correct pace team--I found my spot with the 4:20 group. My goal was to finish in 4:20, so I figured starting off with the pace team was my best bet--especially through the first few miles. Soon we hear the horn signalling the start of the race. Almost 14 minutes later, we cross the starting line and we're off!

Staying close to the pace team leaders proved to be difficult in itself. I resigned myself to trying to keep them within 20 yards of me, instead of rushing in and out of people (wasting energy) trying to stay next to them. This seemed to work pretty well--although I still did some weaving. I had asked the pace leaders before the race if they walked through water stops and they said yes. As we came up to the first water stop, I learned what this truly meant: make eye contact with the volunteer, walk approximately five steps after receiving water and/or gatorade, then start running again. Two of the four pace leaders were already no where to be seen after mile 1.5, but the other two were still pretty close. I stuck with them until mile 7 or 8--the Broadway to Broadway stop. Transvestites in full garb, singing on stage, preceded by an entire crew of male cheerleaders in blue skirts. I stopped for gatorade here, took my five steps, and started running again. The pace leaders were no where to be found. I didn't know if I was in front of them or behind them, so I just decided to keep running at my pace.

I ran pretty comfortably for a few miles, then had to stop to let firetrucks pass. Seriously--a couple of cops went out in front of the runners and stopped the race to let them go by. We only lose about 50 yards to the runners in front, which we make up pretty quickly. I hit the half at 2:07, and am still feeling pretty comfortable. Around mile 14 or 15, I catch up to the 4:15 pace group. I 'leap-frog' them through the next 9-10 miles, as I take longer water stops than them. My lower back started tightening up a little around mile 14 or 15, so I stretch it during the water stops. But, I continue on. We run through Chinatown, little Italy, and Komiskey Park. I begin to see others struggling, but I amazingly continue to feel pretty good. Around mile 23, I am ready to be done. I'm tired, my feet hurt, but no major ailments or cramps, so I drudge on. I attempt to ignore the man on a bike around mile 24 who yells 'This is the point where you decide to RUN a marathon' to the struggling runners. I hit the last waterstop which is just short of mile 25, and decide to pick up the pace a little. I run up the last incline and see the finish line, so I speed up a little more (as much as I can after running 26 miles) and head towards the finish. I cross the line in 4:12:23 and can't believe it. I get my medal, mylar blanket, food, and a picture taken, then back to the Chicago Fit tent.

All in all, the race was great for me--I ran with Captain America, a man dressed as a Coors Lite beer can, a person dressed as a cow. I saw a man with a prosthetic foot finish the race, and I met people from New Zealand, Illinois, Florida, and other parts of Texas. I experienced no major problems, set a new PR, and ran negative splits to boot! I highly recommend the Chicago marathon to anyone. There are a lot of runners (over 31000), but there are even more spectators (over 1 million). They provide such energy and are amazing--standing out in the cold and wind just to cheer complete strangers on. Anyone up for next year?

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10/16/02 8:51:38 AM Linda Elsby

Did I tell you what happened right before the marathon? On Friday afternoon, just after I got back to the hotel from the Expo, I decided to go out and try to find something cheap to eat. I'm always a little disoriented in a new place, and was wearing new glasses that make things a little blurry, so I promptly tripped and fell down in the crosswalk right in the middle of Michigan Ave - in front of a bus during rush hour, no less. Landed hard on my right knee, then hit the left. Hurt like an SOB. Limped back to my room and kept ice on it for the rest of Friday and as much of Saturday as possible. On Saturday night, it was still too swollen to bend fully. Sunday morning, I woke up, chugged a large helping of Advil and decided to give it a try. I'd actually planned to quit around mile 11 after looking at the course map, thinking that I could easily walk from there to the finish line and watch everyone come in. But, at mile 11, I wasn't really sure I could find my way to the across to the finish line and the neighborhood was a little dicey. So, I decided there wasn't much choice but to keep going. From that point I walked most of the rest of the course. It was humbling, but not unexpected. I didn't train, and the banged up knee just added a neat little twist. Regardless, I was glad to finish under the cut-off. Wasn't too sure I would. So, it wasn't the trip I expected, but was still fun. Linda

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RE: Chicago!!!! Congrats Linda Elsby: 10/16/02 5:46:07 PM

Hotel: Westin Michigan Ave. The hotel was very nice, right across the street from Bloomingdale's and every other high end store you've ever heard of. It was 6 blocks from the red line subway, so pretty convenient to the race site. The cost was included in a package price I got via Expedia, so I'm not really sure what the breakdown was. The total for hotel, airfare and taxes was $440.00.

Airline: GREAT flight on United. It was non-stop, direct to Chicago. Only took 2 hours, 15 minutes (just over 1/3 the time it took me to do the marathon!) The plane was completely full both directions.

Fun Stuff: Hmmm... well, spent most of the time sitting in bed with ice on my knee, so I didn't really do much.

Restaurants: Ate at an Italian deli across the street from the hotel. I don't recommend it, was just convenient. The night before the race I ate at The Grill in the hotel. The food was excellent, but pricey. For snacks, I hit Walgreen's and brought stuff back to the room to eat.

The race: Well, you already heard my knee story. As far as the race itself, great organization, crowds, well stocked water stops, (except the Clif Shots were gone when I got there) everything was nicely done. Only complaint is that the finisher's shirts have to be purchased and they aren't in stock. Thought the expo was kind of disorganized. I wanted to buy some stuff, but the layout was such that I couldn't really get a good look at anything. Debra does a much better job with the Moto expo. Oh, I LOVED having the Chicago Fit tent.

I liked the race, but probably won't do Chicago again. It was too costly for me. I wasn't comfortable because I had to pinch pennies so much. If I'm going to drop a big load of money again, it will be for someplace like New York. Linda

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10/16/02 9:21:04 AM Jennifer Moon

I had a fantastic race, a new PR and just a great time!

Hotel: Quality Inn in GreekTown about 1.9miles from start site at Halsted and Madison. Price: $120+tax The room was comfortable and the location was great...about $10 in cabs each way to the Expo and USAFit Pasta Dinner

Fun Things: just went to the Field Museum!!

Food: Greek Town had about 50 places to eat per block!

That's about it. During the race I talked to everyone with Texas socks/shorts on. Most from Dallas... :)

Take care, Jen Moon

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10/16/02 10:08:20 AM Gillian Waterston

We had a blast! What a party. We stayed at the travellodge. The cost was $120 per night which was cheap for that week-end. It was very basic but it was clean. The very big plus to it was that it was right across the road from the start/finish. It was also very convenient for the buses and trains. The CTA card was a great deal, for $12 each we had all our travel for the whole week-end including the trip to and from the airport. I think our best meal was at Gardoninis(?). We stumbled on it trying to find Scorzi(?). They had the best pizza. We were talking to a native of Chicago while we were waiting for our table and he said that it was the best place in town.

We did go to the Navy Peer party and enjoyed watching the video of the race on the big screens, I also got to meet Paula Radcliff. The only sightseeing that we did was from the top of the Hancock Tower which was pretty cool. I wish we had been able to stay longer. I loved the city, the buildings were awesome. Hope you had as good a time as we did! Gill

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10/16/02 10:50:46 AM Cynthia Dollar

Here's my synopsis:

The Race: What a great race! It was almost a surreal feeling to run in that huge mass of people for the whole 26.2 miles. The spectators were incredible -- yelling, ringing bells and waving their signs. The bands (rock, blues, high school band, solo drummers, bagpipes, mariachi, etc.) were spaced just right and really kept me moving. The diverse neighborhoods (especially the Mexican and Chinese) made it an interesting scene (it was almost like a movie going by sometimes). Even the unexpected little mishaps made it a memorable race: falling at mile five in spectacular fashion (would you like to see the bruise on my right knee, it's a beaut!), waiting for two fire engines to go by at about mile seven, that wave of height fear that washed over me as I looked down through the bridge grating before I discovered the carpeting along the sides, and that nauseus, dizzy feeling that overtook me as we ran through the parking garage of Komisky Park with those pinkish yellow lights around mile 24. The Chicago Marathon was truly an experience of a lifetime for me.

The Hotel: The Essex was pretty basic for the price (after tax $189.00 per night). The room and bath were small but clean, the ice machine was out of order on our floor, and the refrigerator wasn't working. I guess that you couldn't beat the convenience, though. It was quicker to go to the bathroom in the hotel than stand in the porta potty lines. We were right across from the race start area. Also, they had a free shuttle to the Navy Pier.

The Restaurants: I liked the pizza at Giordano's and the nice pasta dinner we had at the Chicago Hilton the night before the race. The breakfasts at the Hilton were also excellent.

The Activities: I really enjoyed seeing the Field Museum (dinosaurs, pearl exhibit and Chocolate exhibit), the Shedd Aquarium, the walk along Lakeshore drive looking at Lake Michigan with it's lighthouses and sailboats, the sculpture walk (see the Frommer book Jennifer loaned me), the architectural boat tour, and the Chicago Institute of Art. All of these things were within 3 miles of the hotel (very walkable).

I hope everyone had as much fun as I did and I'll see you Saturday. Also, I got the shoe tag. Thanks. Cindy

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10/22/02 8:28:47 AM Dewy Brooks

Well, here it is.....

Chicago Marathon Oct 13, 2002

Beth and I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in Chicago. It was a private guest room in a private home. It was in an area called Wrigleyville. I was told that it really is called Lake View. It was about 4 blocks from Wrigley Stadium. It really was a neat neighborhood. It was close to public transportation. And it was very close to neighborhood restaurants, shops and even a movie theater that was hosting an International film festival. Staying in a neighborhood made the trip more personable. The cost was about $115 a night, much cheaper than the downtown hotels. The hosts had a continental breakfast prepared each morning and we shared a Sunday dinner the evening of the run. The host even gave me a ride to the starting line of the run.

Public transportation was the way to go. The bus and subway lines were very accessible. We purchased a 3-day transit pass for $12 each, which provided unlimited rider ship on the bus and subway lines throughout the city. We bought the passes at O'Hare airport and rode the subway into town. After transferring to the bus line, We were dropped off one half block from the house where we stayed. A cab ride would have cost $30 - $35 plus tip.

On Friday after going to the Expo, We caught a shuttle to the downtown area. Went to this neat restaurant called "Lizzie's" that was on the Chicago River, had a great meal that really wasn't that expensive. Then we took a walk to take in the sights and ended up going to the Hancock Building and took a ride to the top. The observation floor 94 flights up. What a view....... It was all you could see and then some.

On Saturday, went to the neighborhood of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park to visit his home and studio. There was a tour of the Oak Park neighborhood. Saw homes and a church that were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Saturday night went to dinner at Sorriso on Clark St at the bridge that crosses the Chicago River. The food was great, not overly expensive and everyone at the table took a to-go box, because the portions were huge.

Sunday night after the run went to a jazz club called "Jazz Showcase" downtown. It was a great jazz club and the music was awesome. Beth, who is a jazz vocalist, suggested that we go and listen to the jazz pianist (Cedar Walton) who was playing that evening. Turns out he is a legendary jazz pianist having played with some of the jazz greats and he was born in Dallas, Texas. Also playing was Stefon Harris a vibraphonist/percussionist. I met him when he played here in Austin several years back.

On Monday, it was off to the Art Institute of Chicago, I've been before and it was nice to be back. A lot of great art work and sculpture.

Monday evening took the bus and subway back to O'Hare. It was good to be home again.

And yeah, there was a marathon run in between all of this. The weather couldn't have been better. It was chilly in the morning, but after the start it warmed up nicely with the sun coming out just after the start of the run. I got a ride to the start from my host at the Bed and Breakfast. Got there a little after 6 am. I did get to go into the Chicago Fit tent, but I didn't see any familiar faces so I stayed a little while and then headed to the start line. Boy, what a crowd..... Waited in line for a port-a-potty and got out just 5 minutes before the start of the race. The crowd was overwhelming. It was push and shove just to get to the street. It was great listening to the runners who were from foreign countries (Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc). The crowd support was great just about for the entire run. The course was great, no unexpected hills and went through some neat neighborhoods. It seemed very organized especially at the end. Even with the number of runners getting out was a breeze. There were a lot of runners but the crowds lining the route were just great, I couldn't believe that many people would could out and support something like that. It was ironic to see people bundled up on the sidelines in coats and scarves as the runners were tossing off sweatshirts and such. But the crowds were there and it felt good. I didn't run the time I wanted (5 hr 6 min) my PR is 4 hr 30 min. but I had a good time. Took pictures along the route with a camera that I brought with me. Can't wait to get them developed, should be interesting. After the race I knew I would be taking the 'El' and I thought I would be the only one hobbling up the stairs to catch the train. There was standing room only on the train platform and in the train as well. It was a great day for a run. It was a run that I would consider doing again. ~Dewy

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marathon # 5: 10/18/02 5:50:15 PM Brooke Jackson

I did it again.............

Sunday Oct 13th was the 25th Anniversary Running of the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon and I am proud to have taken part in it.

GOALS

This was my 5th marathon (26.2 miles) and my motto throughout this season has been "# 5, under 5 , damn it" . My fastest marathon has been 5 hours and 14th min in Paris 2001. After having to sit out the 2001 Chicago marathon due to a knee injury which occurred 3 weeks before last year's marathon and spending all winter in physical therapy to rehab the knee, i felt ready to train for my goal. At times, I felt that taking 14 minutes off a marathon was a lofty goal but aside from not being able to make up another motto that rhymed or was as cute, i also felt -- no guts, no glory.

TRAINING WITH CHICAGO FIT

Training started in April for the October marathon. Things were going well for the first 3 months with running, speed work and even some cross training but then life caught up with me. I am in the midst of setting up my private practice and in the meantime have been doing some independent contracting work in the suburbs which requires 3 hours of commuting everyday. Since starting this in July, the training has fallen by the wayside because i am just too tired to work out when I get home. So rather than running 3-4 times during the week, I was lucky to get 1 or 2 runs during the week plus my weekend long run. I am the program director for Chicago Fit marathon training group (www.chicagofit.com) which meets for long runs on Saturday mornings and, thankfully, my responsibilities with the group insured that i would get those all important weekend long runs in.

Some of the longer weekend runs were challenging but I survived and made it through both the 20 miler and the 22 miler 3 weeks before the race. I ran with fever and chills for the 22 miler because i was afraid if i missed it i would have a serious confidence issue for the marathon.

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MARATHON WEEK

Marathon week came along and I felt healthy, knees felt good but just felt undertrained and started preparing myself for not meeting my time goal. I wanted to enjoy the race so i needed to release myself from the pressure of the time goal and just go out and run the best i could that day.

After a quick run with Abbe and Gil, I hosted the Chicago Fit pre-marathon Pasta party on Thursday 10/10 for 200 chicago fitters and their guests. With the help of the party committee, everything went off without a hitch. I received an award from the USAFIT program for my contributions to the national program which was pretty cool.

Friday Oct 11 Roy Boyd and I had our annual date to run the finish line. By friday the streets are blocked off around the marathon start area, bleachers and tents are going up. Roy and i went for a 30 min run with the intention of finishing our run across the newly painted finish line. We ran across museum campus, around the Shedd aquarium and headed toward that final stretch of columbus drive. We ran straight down the middle of the street, arms victoriously in the air with the Streets and sanitation workers who were putting up bleachers cheering for us. The marathon workers were just putting the finish line down and , yes we crossed it!! So, although Kalid Kanuchi and Paula Radcliffe may have claimed victory on Sunday Oct 13, it was actually Roy Boyd and Brooke Jackson who were technically the first to cross the finish line!!!!! After our victory we went to the expo to pick up race numbers and timing chips. Time to start watching the weather.

Sat 10/12

Lots of water. I had a headache most of the day and was now convinced that I would be having a stroke while running the marathon. I called my friend Tracy and informed her to keep her cell phone on during the race since she was now my emergency contact for the race officials to call after they scraped me off the street.

What to wear????? the weather report was changing. Now calling for high 30s at the start up to 50 but with winds of 15-20 miles/hour. Decided to wear 2 shirts , shorts and vaseline on the legs.

RACE DAY

I live 2 blocks from the start line which is a blessing. Got up at 5:30am. Had breakfast with James (banana and power bar--yum!!) and we were off to the start. Got to the Chicago Fit warming tent, hung out with folks, took some photos, did the blessing of the quads and headed for the start line. Just as we were leaving the tent the wind started picking up. It was nippy!! The gun went off and we were off. With over 31,000 people at the start line, it took me 15 minutes to get to the start after the gun went off.

I decided early on to run this race by myself. I just felt i didn't have the extra energy to "coach" members of my running group throughout the race as i have the last 3 races so i got "lost " in the crowd early on. My legs were moving and physically I was doing ok but mentally it took me a really long time, like 16 miles, to get in the game. The first 7 miles were right into the wind which added extra resistance. You had to think twice about shedding clothing items because once they were gone, they were gone! A few times we were running directly into the sun and i thought it would be nice to have sunglasses on not realizing that they had been sitting on top of my head the entire race.

I was keeping pace for my goal and was actually ahead of pace for 18 miles. I ran into Tracey Bell at mile 10, Robyn Payne with her laminated sign at mile 11 and Vicky Hollaway just after mile 11. It was great to see them and gave me a boost. Once I got my mind in the game at mile 16 i was able to relax and coast for awhile. I ran into some folks i hadn't seen in months and chatted with them for awhile, i was feeling pretty good, no major problems then just after mile 20 the gears switched from coasting to survival mode. I was still on pace to break 5 hours until I started getting these weird muscle twitchings on the insides of both my knees around mile 22 then i felt some groin pull thing at mile 23. I was pissed. As soon as the mind got in the game , the body starts having issues. I passed through 23 water stop and saw a bunch of folks like Pablo, I hadn't seen in ages. I really wanted to stop to give him a hug but knew if i did, the legs would lock up so i had to keep moving. Rita gave me the best cup of water i had ever tasted at mile 23 and i kept moving.

At mile 24 the left groin was acting up again. I walked and massaged it for a few minutes and just as i was massaging my groin (all dignity is lost in a marathon) the male cheerleaders dressed in short skirts with pom-poms were in front of me. The cheerleaders had moved from mile 7. I caught the eye of one of them who walked over to me and said " honey, you look simply fabulous, just keep going!" After that encouragement, what choice did I have, i had to start running again. I made it to the last water stop where they were announcing the winners of the race. The wind had started to pick up again and we were running right into it. Luckily we got a bit of a break as we went under the tunnel at McCormack place but the last 1.5 miles were right into the wind. Once I hit mile 25 I stopped to stretch the groin and walk it out one last time then had to dig deep to wrap this up. Ran up the hill toward Columbus and down that last stretch of columbus drive past the bleachers to the finish line which i swear was longer that in was 2 days before when i ran it with Roy.

I had stopped looking at my watch at mile 22 when i started having cramps because i didn't want to stress myself out. After i crossed the finish line, i looked at my watch, not really knowing what to expect and it said 5'08!! I had a new PR--didn't break the elusive 5 hour mark but did take 6 minutes off my previous best marathon time so i was pleased. I started getting a bit tearful when i cross the finish line but the guy who was putting the medal around my neck looked like he was 15 years old and would have freaked if i started to cry so i moved on to those wonderful people who remove the chips from your shoes so you do not have to bend down. There is always #6!!! just need a training motto now!!!

I got a medal and two purple toes from the race. After walking like Fred Sanford for 2 days and a massage, I feel recovered enough to consider lacing up those shoes again for a SHORT run this weekend.

Thanks to all who have put up with my crazy training schedule and gave me encouragement along the way to make this marathon happen.

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