I found myself disappointed with this year’s run. It’s a dis-satisfaction that ate inside me. It wasn’t the race that beat me. The annoying new configuration with charity village out in no man’s land didn’t beat me. It was myself. I gave up on myself. However, there is a lot to be proud of.
I burned some energy off to get from charity village. It’s a REALLY far jog from the seeded corral area. The race started off well but I didn’t follow my plan well. I ran a full minute faster for ten miles than I should. I just felt good and was able to sing/have a conversation. Every mile I tried to slow it down. I started questioning motivations to run and my life, everything. I got it to where I wanted it to be and then BAM! I cramped up by Malcolm X College. I slowed down to recover and continued on. The legs just gave up in Greektown right before Little Italy. Usually, I work on myself to jump start my body but I mentally gave up on myself. That’s never happened to me before while I ran. I jogged Pilsen when I was able to run it. I walked Chinatown because I was afraid.
The names on my shirt kept me going. DetermiNation cheered their team on. The DetermiNation coaches encouraged me and reminded me of why I’m running. I’m running for my uncle. I’m running for Nikki’s sister. I’m running for Tina’s mom. I’m running for Pam’s friend Tamara who’s currently fighting the fight. I’m out there for a higher purpose.
I finished the Chicago Marathon in 4 hours 51 minutes and 38 seconds. Ugh.
Charity Village was much farther than I remembered it. It felt like a death march going to the tents. The disappointment kept repeating itself in my head. It felt good meeting up with my mom, Patrick, and Mari at the DetermiNation tent. I tore into my bag to find my phone. I wanted to see how other people did. Matthew finished his first marathon but didn’t get the time he wanted. He did it in sub four hours due to cramps. (I’ll gladly take that finishing time!) Chris and Diane were still on the course with a predicted time of under six hours. They’re closer to being officially being marathoners. When I received the text messages that they finished, their finish soothed my personal disappointment. I was so happy they safely finished.
There’s a lot to be proud of. I raised $1,198.61 for the American Cancer Society through their DetermiNation charity team. I missed a month’s worth of training prior to the marathon due to a foot injury. Despite giving up on myself around mile 15, I completed the entire distance. I didn’t have to run it. I could have disqualified myself early in the race. I didn’t. I finished it.
What’s next for me? I really don’t know. I love the run. This race took a lot from me especially when I compare it to last year’s run. I’ll have a few weeks to figure everything out while I recover. Maybe I’ll just focus on getting faster in the shorter distances.
It’s going to be a warm one. My foot gets healthier everyday but moans about soreness. I was sidelined for a month because of an injury. Tomorrow will not be a day for me to run my best. I decided that this year’s marathon will be an over glorified training session to learn how to pace myself.
Proper execution of pace and patience can reap many rewards in a race. An important tool for pace are reverse splits. What’s a reverse split? It’s running the second half of the marathon faster than the first half. I go out slowly, build my speed slowly, and be patient.
In one of Bart Yasso’s BartCasts, he said that only 10% of marathoners achieve this feat. That’s a pretty exclusive club. I trained with a goal of finishing the marathon in 3 hours and 45 minutes. On Sunday, I plan to attempt to finish in around 4 hours and 20 minutes. With these much slower times, I can achieve negative splits.
“When you hit the wall in the Chicago Marathon this weekend, remember this:
I run because I can. When I get tired, I remember those who can’t run & what they’d give to have this simple gift that I take for granted, and I run harder for them. Because I know they would do the same for me.”
Well, I’m off to the Chicago Marathon Expo to volunteer for a few hours and check in at the American Cancer Society DetermiNation tent. Let the busy weekend begin!
It’s coming. The Chicago Marathon arrives in less than a week.
We laid out the plan, food, clothing, and transportation. Matthew’s tapering. I’m recovering. Anxiety around us is building up. Matthew posted, “Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” We discuss. We breathe deeply. I review past recaps and results. We spent months preparing for this day. “Have faith in your training,” I tell myself and those around me.
It’s time to embracing it. It’s time to visualize it. It’s time to be what we’ve training for. Chicago Marathon meet Matthew. It’s his first time. He will crush your course. I will dance in you streets. I’m prepared to run, not a PR, but to finish. I also prepare to cheer. Anything can happen on race day. Injuries may slow me down. Injuries won’t crush my spirit.
I stood gazing at my things feeling overwhelmed. I have so much to sort through, discard, and organized. I corralled my things into one area and began to piles, stuff to keep and things to toss. What would be important enough to keep?
As I wrote earlier this week, I didn’t want to leave a mess for everyone to go through like credit card statements, receipts, unusable stuff, broken widgets, and things that have little usefulness in my life. I want to keep things that reminds me of a good memory, reflects my present, and helps me build my future. If I haven’t read a book in five years and it’s not related to my present or future interests, I’ll give it away or recycle it. I need to put a limit on what I’ll keep or I’ll fall into the pack rat trap.
The pack rat trap is keeping everything because a person things it has some type of usefulness in the future and everything is attached to a memory. In short, it’s compulsive hoarding. To avoid this, I need to do a few things. First, every item needs a proper home. If there isn’t a place in my dwelling, the item’s new home is either be given away, donated, tossed in the recycling bin, or sent to the landfill (my least favorite option!). There will be one small box for relics of the past. My books are limited to only three shelves in a book case I plan on buying.
I’ve recycled two boxes huge boxes of paper, eliminated a few boxes and bags that I’m not using, half of my books moved to the garage so I can sell or give away. Most of my stuff has a temporary home. My outdoor/adventure gear is waiting to be sorted a new shelving unit. Office/school supplies are looking for a new home. Paperwork is seeking a spot in a plastic filing cabinet.
Next week, I will be organizing and creating some sort of inventory of my office and school supplies.
After a conversation with Kathie, I decided to declutter and streamline my life. Kathie had to go through the belongings of a loved one that past away this summer. It’s a tough to go through someone’s memories. It’s harder to go through their junk. I still remember my family going through my uncle’s stuff. We had to rent a dumpster and spend a few days working on the garage and house.
There were things some of us wanted to throw away or recycle. Others wanted to keep a lot of the stuff. In fact, it seemed like certain people wanted people keep everything as a museum or relic. It was fun because we’d trip on a happy memory. Most of the time, it was just work. We found stuff that should have been thrown away like receipts, empty boxes, well worn items, and broken things that can’t be repaired. There were things that weren’t used in years.
I don’t want to waste my friends and family’s time and energy to go through my junk. Making the tough decision to keep or toss something strains a family. I’d like to leave good memories behind instead of work. The things I keep needs to reflect my present life, relics of good memories, and daily consumables that can sustain me in the society I live in.
Decluttering makes my life feel a little better. It sheds some past emotional baggage. It helps me save money. It lightens the load when I move. It allows me to focus on what’s important now. It keeps the mental clutter down.
I started sifting, sorting, and tossing my stuff this weekend. Over the next few weeks, I’ll update you on my progress.
Life happens. Events change future events. I have to revise my expectations for this year’s Chicago Marathon.
My original goal for this year’s Chicago Marathon is to pull my time down below four hours. Training at the beginning of the season brought great optimism. However, nagging injuries forced me to adjust. The heel pain miraculously healed itself after a twenty mile run. A few weeks later, a sharp pain decided to visit my right foot. It still hasn’t gone away. I’m currently icing my foot twice a day hoping to show up on race day. I’m in no shape run under four hours. I’ll be happy to just run even splits and finish in under five hours IF my body allows me to run. If not, I hope I can pace with my brother’s girlfriend Mary at the Detroit Marathon the week after. I’m crossing my fingers. There’s always 2012.
I lowered my fundraising goal to $1,310.00. I was on a hot streak trying to raise money for the American Cancer Society in the spring. I thought I’d reach my goal by August. August came and went. I’m still at the same level I was since July. There’s still plenty of time to raise money and you can help support my cause by donating whatever you can. It’s a good cause that each of us are affected by in some way.
This nagging foot problem just won’t go away. It prevented from running consistently the past month and running my last long day. My mini vacation from work didn’t help. The pain eased a bit. I tested my foot last Tuesday on the track. The foot held up for a few miles. However, I paid for it the day after.
I’ve been wrapping my foot in ice packs. They help but it doesn’t provide the coverage I need. Last night, I decided to stick my foot in a tub of water for fifteen minutes. OMG is that painfully freezing cold! I didn’t expect how cold it was. I mean, I’ve stepped in the snow barefoot, I run in the winter, and I love cold weather. It must be all the bones in there.
After fifteen minutes and moral support from Rachel, I got through my foot’s first ice bath. Matt was right. After two minutes, it got easier. This is the best my foot has felt in weeks.
Rachel tells me she looks forward to physical therapy and the ice. We’ll see about that. Tomorrow, I’ll have to do the same thing all over again.
***
As I waited for my foot to freeze and thaw, I took my mind off the icing by sending out a few emails about my role as a charity runner at the Chicago Marathon. I hope I get to at least half my fundraising goal. I have 17 more days before the race. Time flies. If you’d like to join me fight cancer and give it the bird, please click on the American Cancer Society logo on my website and give whatever you can. Every little bit counts. Thanks in advance!
Charity Village was much farther than I remembered it. It felt like a death march going to the tents. The disappointment kept repeating itself in my head. It felt good meeting up with my mom, Patrick, and Mari at the DetermiNation tent. I tore into my bag to find my phone. I wanted to see how other people did. Matthew finished his first marathon but didn’t get the time he wanted. He did it in sub four hours due to cramps. (I’ll gladly take that finishing time!) Chris and Diane were still on the course with a predicted time of under six hours. They’re closer to being officially being marathoners. When I received the text messages that they finished, their finish soothed my personal disappointment. I was so happy they safely finished.
