your marathon questions, answered

thanks so much for all the congratulatory comments!  you know how to make a girl feel like she's cured the world of hunger or something! when all i did was run a marathon.  meanwhile, i look at others who have done so many marathons and i am in awe of them.  definitely to run a second (or more) has got to be way harder than a first (none of the the novelty, all of the miles!!). but everyone was so sweet to let me share about this one (even back to those lame-o blister photos).  and yes, i do hope there is another marathon in me!

1. LOVE the mile 13 picture! was that from kateqwiltz?
   
   the '13 mile pic' was not from katekwiltz, it was from coach mike. our coaches and team photographer took lots of great pics for us!  including the team and group pics.




zack, tex, babs, john, obby, alice, me, john, kate, coach (joe?)
-- photo by coaches/team photog





2. tell us more about the charity-worthy outer layers, please?
   
   the start of a race can be chilly so runners often start out with extra layers for warmth, but because the body will warm up once the race starts, those layers need to be taken off. the choices are either to discard the items or carry them the rest of the race. since carrying items for 26 miles is rather cumbersome, many marathoners select layers they will completely toss aside at the start of the race and never see again.  the race crew then collects all the garments and donates them to charity.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   a lot of runners opted for inexpensive tyvek jackets and pants (the pants rip off!)
   
   
   
   since this year held record low temps for the chicago marathon, i wore a disposable tyvek  jacket to the lineup and didn't toss it until about mile 6.  the tyvek garments were being sold at the marathon expo for $8. they are pretty much windproof, so kept out the elements better than anything else i had that i was willing to throw away.
    
   
3. i saw that devon had a big d. what happened?
   
   the letters on my shirt were felt cut-outs i found at michael's.  there were no lower case available in this variety of letters.  i checked.  there were, however, lower case available in another kind of letter, which were a more permanent process: purchased also, and used on my hat which said lil' d.
   
   
4. how did you go out for all that time after? i was useless. -and- How were you still standing??
   
   some say it was a "runner's high" that carried me through the post-race festivities.  but really, i think my body was ecstatic i wasn't running a marathon anymore.
   
   
5. where is the next one going to be? i vote for NYC or Philly (next year). -and- So...next marathon in Chicago or on the road? 
   
   
   
   well, i realized there are a lot of great conveniences of running a marathon in your home city such as:  
   

   - familiarity with marathon route, expo location and race day transportation
   

   - having all your running buddies in the same place
   

   - having the race date correspond perfectly with your local running group's training schedule
   

   but, if i could get a bib for new york, then i'd do it.  i'd also put the nike women's marathon in sf on the list. 
   
   
   
   jo, did you know it was the nike women's marathon in sf  that time i went out to try to watch you all those years ago (even though i barely knew you and had NO idea of how to try to watch a marathon) that inspired me to put a marathon on my list of things to do?  in retrospect i now better understand how those hills sound absolutely killer, but an all women's marathon still sounds completely kick ass.
   
   
   
   
   
6. I'm confused about your outfit though. Did you take off the long-sleeved white shirt at some point? Did you throw it?
   
   i was planning to take it off and hand to Patrick at 11, and just use arm warmers with the tank, but when i got to that point, i didn't see him.  and when i did see him at 16, i felt like i might get cold if i took it off.  it wasn't until the 20s that i wished i had taken it off, but by that point i didn't want to throw it away nor did i want to carry it (it's my winter warriors top, a super soft nike technical). but by the end i was so hot, one of the first things i did was rip it off.  
   




i'm not in this picture or anything, but our team photographer took it.

i just love how it illustrates the last few miles, trash littering the road,
hands being held, etc.
also, that dragon thing is four runners, each carrying a piece of the serpent.




7. I can't believe you want to do another, are you hooked now?  that is kind of a hard question!  i am not sure how to answer that. 
   
   i kind of felt hooked on running in chicago after running through the brutal winter and loving it. but even after a marathon i still struggle with the idea of identifying as a 'runner' or saying 'i'm hooked.'
   
   i thinke real runners wake up and feel the need to run. that they feel uncomfortable until they get their runs in.  that doesn't happen to me.  i feel more like if i don't run, then i will lose what endurance i have built.  and i will lose it quickly.  so that is a strong component of what motivates me to train. 
   
   once i get out there on the run, sure it feels good, but i am not convinced it is the run itself i crave, it's the progress, or the maintenance, maybe.  also it is amazing to run alongside our beautiful lakefront paths and through the picturesque park. i crave being outside, and seeing chicago evolve through the seasons from this unique perspective. i love this city and i feel more connected to it through running. 
   
   the other struggle is that i also see myself in a completely different league than better runners. so i feel weird saying i'm hooked on something which a runner of a different caliber may not want to be jointly categorized in with me. like it takes something away from them if i claim to do the same thing? does that make sense? 
   
   so, to reconcile this conflict, i think i will now say i am a recreational runner.  i think that solves it!  so ... i guess i am hooked on recreational running?  at least for now.
   
   








8. i LOVE that pic of you and christine post race... -and- And how unfair that you look so beautiful after running for 5 hours?
   
   ha, well i clearly picked one of the better pictures to post!! patrick took that one, and i just zoomed it in and cropped it.  there are plenty of not so great ones:
   






9. Marathon statistics no one asked, but here is a site with some pretty interesting marathon statistics dated 2006.  i found that i am a faster than average female marathon finisher (granted, this includes people in their 70s), chicago is the second largest u.s. marathon, and women's fastest times are posted by 35-39 year-olds.
   
   http://www.marathonguide.com/features/Articles/2006RecapOverview.cfm