Snerb - great race - congrats!

NHLA - you must live in some beautiful countryside from the description of your runs - and otters too

OldCoyote - hope your leg heals soon.  I have to admit, there are several of those around my town to show people if they are speeding through the school zones and I always run as fast as I can to see how high I can make it go too

MelodyLea -  13  miles is awesome!  You are going to do so well at your half.

Julia - welcome back and I'm glad the accident wasn't too serious.

BigSlade - congrats on your race! 

Justrundan - that  must have been a spectacular sight to see the cranes taking off to safety.

Scoutings Outdoor Adventure on the River was great - no sleep, adventures too plentiful to name, walking walking and more walking around to all the activities - capped with concerts Sat and Sun nights and fireworks Sun. night from a barge in the river.  I escaped Sun night after the fireworks to sleep in my own bed and left my son to come home with the troop this morning while I headed into Boston for the Tufts 10K for Women.  A lovely run with 8000 of my best girlfriends.    What an experience!  I've never run any race this big. The weather was great - mid 50's mixed sun and clouds.  The course was really nice - great view as we crossed the Mass. Ave. Bridge (2x).  Despite my lack of:  sleep, proper fueling, hydration and my cold I still managed a time of 1:09:31.  Slower than my PR by a full 2 minutes,but all things considered I'm thrilled. 

Happy running all!!

BigSlade Thanks! Huge congrats on your half marathon! I hope that little pain doesn't turn into anything.

NHLA "keep an extra jar by the door." <~ Har har, but I believe it! Otters, Cranes and Bears..oh my.

Old Coyote Wow, 15 miles! That's so impressive to me, but on track for your marathon isn't it? Funny about your trying to get the radar trailer to clock your speed!

Snerb Thanks. Love the photo of your win!! Congrats.

Debm2011 The 10K sounds so cool as does the FULL weekend with scouts. You're a good mom.

Webpro11 YAY! Congrats on a super marathon. I loved your whole story and its so nice to hear that your training was spot on.

Tony - great race report.  Your strategy at the end was wonderful. 

MelodyLea - thanks! 

Hey guys, it's official, I'm a Marathoner! Finished Chicago in 4:19:19. I took it easy and paced with the 4:30 group to keep me from going out too fast. So glad I did because in addition to the adrenaline, the crowd will have you going out like you're running a 5k if you're not careful. I broke off from the group at the 10k mark because I was comfortable enough to run alone. I was still very careful and walked through every water stop. Got Gatorade at the first few, then grabbed that plus water for the remainder of the race. I never felt dehydrated, but there did come a point where it was hard to breathe. I thought that was related to my asthma, but other runners complained about that as well.  This was actually pretty scary for me. I run with my inhaler, so I took it as needed along the course and it helped, but I had to use my inhaler several times and feared I had used it too much. I had to look away when I saw runners breaking down in front of me. It was hard to watch. Some couldn't even make it to the sidewalk and just laid out on the streets. Looked terribly painful. I had to keep telling myself that I was strong, had trained and prepared well, so I was okay. Miles 22-25 were the toughest. I swear, 3 miles never felt so long, and in my case, never took so long. I was on the verge of tears several times in this period of the race. Ran just over 10min/mile for those. Got back under 10 for the final stretch. The crowd really pulled me through those last 3 miles. In true NRDgirl fashion, it was an emotional finish with tears and the ugly cry face. lol Can hardly wait to see those pics. *sarcasm* I burst into tears as I crossed the finish line and I thank God for the volunteer who just wrapped her arms around me. She was so warm, both literally and figuratively. lol The Marathon was definitely one of the toughest things I've ever done. So many things I've heard or read about it, I finally understand. Overall, an amazing, and at times overwhelming, experience that I'll never forget. I'll definitely be running another. Today, I hobbled around the city as best I could, enjoyed some amazing pizza and adult beverages to celebrate! Yummy! Heading home tomorrow afternoon.

Congrats WebPro on a great race and everyone else who raced/ran over the weekend. I just posted without reading, but I'll be back and try to catch up. Happy running guys. Thanks again for the well wishes and support.

NRDgirl wrote: I took it easy and paced with the 4:30 group to keep me from going out too fast. So glad I did because in addition to the adrenaline, the crowd will have you going out like you're running a 5k if you're not careful.

  Well said, and good to remember for any race length.  I still remember my first St. Paddy's 8K, and seeing that my fist mile was too fast.  I let out a couple of F-bombs & told myself to slow down.  It does take a lot of self control not to get caught up in the excitement of the crowd.

Congratulations to you NRDgirl!

Deb, sorry about your fall but it didn't seem to mess with your race. Kudos on finishing after such a long weekend!! Awesome time!! Race sounded great!

Tony, again, Congratulations Marathoner!

Snerb, Awesome race report! Congratulations on winning your age group and coming in fourth overall for men!! That's amazing!!! Loved that the shirt says, "Winner" and is yellow like the bike jerseys. Great pic!!! Snotty competitor shows you can only be young once but you can be immature forever.

NRDgirl - Aw, bask in the warmth of your AWESOME time, Mighty Marathoner!!! That was amazing!! Loved your race report; it made me cry. "Ugly cry face" will be a treasure someday.

jmsab - I now know a little too much about the infield fly rule. Didn't get to visit DD; she said my being there would add too much stress, or at least that's my translation of  "CANCEL THIS TICKET!"

sjd23, Good luck Saturday!

Degregorius, you're putting in some nice long runs. Have a race in mind?

Welcome back, Julia! Sorry about the accident. 

Mel, 13 mi. sounds like a great run! You inspire me with your optimism.

Big Slade, Congrats on your HM time!! That is amazing!

NHLA, I really admire how you are able to find little pleasures in each run. Hope I can do that some day.

OC - 10 mph!!

Color Run was fun but isn't timed so it's just entertainment. There's a bunch of stuff they don't tell you beforehand. We enjoyed it and I'm glad the money went to the LLS. It felt really cold and we weren't dressed properly. Spent weekend controlling the snot storm in my sinuses so I ran and worked out at the gym. LSR on Sunday turned into 5 mi. I am not going to sweat it. That may be prolonged HM blahs and I have done the 13 already so I'm just working to strengthen and keep my endurance. Am probably running a 5k on Saturday night so will be challenged to get my LSR in this weekend, too. Got a new cap that has 6 LED lights in the brim and am itching to try it out. I may aim for an evening or early morning run.

Have great runs this week, all! 

NRDgirl and wepro:  WAAAAAY TO GOOOO!!!! Awesome for both of you, and thanks for the great race reports.  You are inspiring me to want to go for it next Spring.  Relax, bask in the glory and rest up after all that hard work!

degrerious:  NICE job on the PR!  You have the same 2 hour demon that I do right now, but keep the faith, keep working hard and am sure that you will break it soon!

snerb:  dude, great race!  What a story you have from two years ago to first in AG today!  You are an inspiration to your son, and the rest of us.  Be proud!

melodylea: nice job on the last LSD run.  You are so ready.  Rest up this week and have a great race this weekend.  Looking forward to the pics afterward!

nhla:  great pics, and continued awesome mileage!

debm:  nice job on the 10k, and great time with the Scouts!  I miss Boston, although I must confess that I don't miss the weather.

mkayc:  what happened to our Reds tonight?  Homer pitched a gem, combined team 16 strikeouts and then gave it away in the 10th?  Tomorrow will be a better result.  Good luck getting ready for next race.  Does that hat have coyote receptors in it?  If so, think I will order a dozen for training in the dark this Winter!

sjd23:  Have a great HM this weekend!  Rest up, carb load and enjoy the experience!

julia:  Welcome back!  Missed you but hope you will stay with us going forward!

coyote:  you are ready, my friend!  The FM is waiting for you to join!  I will try to come see you so please send me your bin number and will be there in your fan club, just like mrs coyote was there for us in the RNR HM.  RW HM is next Sunday.  Traveling on Wed so should be completely adjusted to time zone by race time.

Had a mixed bag of runnning since last post.  Hard, short run on Saturday below expected race pace.  Then did 10 miles with Mile 8 at race pace on Sunday.  Level of effort seems higher than before HM two weeks ago so may be a sign of overtraining or fatigue.  4 easy miles this morning, and most importantly, no coyotes in my path.

Now on the East Coast so plan to do some 1 mile repeats at race pace tomorrow.  Planning to run next race based on HR rather than pace to see how that goes, especially with all the hills.  Time to get back to running for fun, rather than a specific number.  Goal is to be smiling at finish line, proud of the effort, no matter the final time or pace.

Thanks for your continued sharing of experience and results...very inpsiring!  Run strong, and be fearless!

P.S.  NRDgirl, I recently sought some advice from my brother about race day thoughts.  He said exactly what you shared about thinking positive thoughts like "I am strong", "I am fast", etc.  Tried it on Sunday and it helped get me through some of the tough spots.  SOunds like it worked for you too!  Plan to continue with a more positive thought pattern, and remembering that we are all doing something that most others will never dare to try!

Treadmill is dead. Ran at the gym at work last night, 4 miles 31:00. Having to bring all my stuff to work isn't the best deal around, but the free price is.

Joined my son's buddy for his 4.25 mile loop this morning -- one long, drag-my-butt hill at the 1.5 mile mark, but then it's a long, long downhill. 43:40.

Julia.... Good to hear from you!!

Snerb.... I would have pretended I didn't speak English and had no idea what the CrackerJack was saying. Other than that clown, you must have had a great day!! Grats.

DebM.... 5,000 Scouts to 8,000 best girlfriends. What a weekend!! Great job through it all, and a nice 10k!!

NHLA..... What a cute Bambi you have there.

JustrunDan..... Were they sandhill cranes?? They get pretty close to people in FL.

BigSlade..... Beating your previous best by 6 minutes is a very good accomplishment!!! Excellent work!!

Melody... What are you wearing for socks? Have you seen/tried the anti-slip socks? I like 'em.

Coyote... My wife had to tell me to stop laughing!! Your stories are great. And then I read DebM did the same thing and I cracked up some more. So, now, of course, I 'll have to try it if I see one.

sjd23.... Good luck on your half.

NRDGirl and Webpro..... Excellent work by both. You are in a club I may try to join next year. NRD, if I was there I would have hugged you, too. I hope there were more tears of joy than of pain.