Chicago Marathon 2011

[annie]

[mile 11, missed 6'4" Hottie Jay standing on 2' post, holding a sign with my name on it]

[spotted my family at mile 13]

[finished!]

Finishing time: 3:59

I am very emotional today and can barely find the words to recap the grandness of the day...

The absolute best parts of the race were seeing my friends and family:

Chrissy and Ashley, Andrew and Jamie at mile 11;

Matt, Annie and Noah at mile 13;

My mom and dad at mile 19;

Libby, Renee, Jen and their kids, and Rachel jumping in to run with me at mile 20 (she talked me through miles 23-25, you trained for this, you can do it!);

then Matt, Annie and Noah again, at mile 23;

and Libby cheering at the finish (which is how mustered up a tiny little kick at the end to just make it under 4 hrs)

The beginning was very crowded and slow going. There were pockets where it opened up, but would narrow again. Around mile 8 I knew there was too much time to make up to qualify for Boston, so I focused on running as strong as I could and trust my pace by how I was feeling. I felt so strong for most all of the race, my miles were in the 8:22 to 8:40 range. Mile 23, on the other hand, is where my legs started getting their own idea and it took every positive thought to get me to mile 25.2. I actually got a teeny burst of energy, visualizing 4 laps around the track left to go...

What an unbelievable feeling to cross the finish line!

I came home to my house decorated with posters, streamers, balloons, flowers....

What amazing friends!