When people ask me why I embarked on this campaign, I don’t have a very articulate answer. I typically say that I am lucky enough to have not been affected personally by blood cancers but I know so many who have. And that’s true. If I am being honest, in the beginning it was probably more about a great cause and a challenging competition. And I like competition. Soon after I committed to this campaign, however, I met Grace Kelly and Quincy Wright. They were the girl and the boy of the year for this campaign. I fell in love with them and their families, and all of a sudden had that personal connection. They are so inspiring and it was them, along with my incredible team that kept my motivation high for 10 solid weeks.

My team got together long before the kickoff and brainstormed what we could do to raise a lot of cash. We came up with companies to call for corporate sponsorships, events to plan, letters to write. Each team member took on a task and when February 28th arrived, we were ready.

We held a wine tasting at the Formsma art gallery. We threw a Stella and Dot  jewelry party. We hosted a Herron Morton neighborhood dinner party. A bar crawl on Mass Ave sponsored by Sun King. A date package auction. An event at the local brewery, Flat12. We held a March Madness bracket competition. Had a specialty cocktail at New Day Meadery. We had a yoga event at Invoke Studio. And an ExactTarget happy hour. Ten events.

That plus corporate donors, personal donations and monies raised from the silent auction at the Grand Finale, we were hustling and bustling. Over 300 people donated to this campaign personally. Every person who contributed – whether it was $5 or $1000: I couldn’t have done this without you. I always said my campaign would be a grassroots effort, and it was!

We raised $61,692 in ten weeks.

We made a difference. As did all the other candidates who raised a humongous number for LLS. Big congratulations to Jill Failey and Matt Cohoat for winning the titles of Woman and Man of the Year! You both deserve it and did an incredible job throughout this campaign. And to my friends and family who surrounded me on Saturday night at the Grand Finale, I couldn’t have felt more blessed. You were by far the most supportive, energetic group there and your love and support throughout this campaign means the world. I have had multiple people tell me how amazing my “posse” is and don’t I know it. I can’t tell you how humbling it feels to walk through a room and see 30+ people wearing “I <3 MD” pins. I <3 you all too. To my team – you guys are rockstars. We did everything right and worked our tails off. It paid off. You are all such amazing people individually and as a team? I think we can conquer just about anything. You inspire me. And to JD – thank you for sticking by my side, being my sounding board and dealing with your stressball of a wife. I love you.

My friend Jaime said it best when she reminded me of the quote: Be the change you believe in.

We were.

$61,692.

Perfect Strangers

my bestie

Best sister in law a girl could ask for

Adam Ted and I

me and “Danny.” xoxo

Moops.

My lovely inlaws!

my beautiful family

After my marathon in March, I have truly taken a break from training. I still lace up my shoes about 3 times a week for small mileage and have loved this warmer weather. It makes such a difference to be able to dress in one layer vs three! Since March 24th, the longest run I have done is 6 miles. And the entire month of April, I only ran 47 miles. It’s actually been quite lovely. My body, and more importantly, my mind needed a break from the pressure of training. I definitely don’t feel as light on my feet when I actually do go for a run, but this isn’t my first rodeo. I know I’ll get it back when I start my next full marathon training program this summer. Also during this time, I have put my energy into Crossfit and am loving it. I now go to Crossfit Naptown which is 1.2 miles from my house. I am going consistently 3x/week and am seeing some big improvements. Recently, I was able to do 18 double-unders in a row, can do handstand pushups with an ab mat and a 25 lb plate under my head and just this weekend, finally got my first unassisted pullups! I am still weak in a lot of the olympic lifting, but it’s fun to see progress!

All that being said, I was a little nervous about the Mini Marathon this past weekend. You’d think that 13.1 miles would be nothing after training for 26.2, but with six weeks in between races and very little actual training to mention, I really wasn’t sure if my body would get through the race without a lot of pain. I was pleasantly wrong.

All week long, we were told it was going to be cold and rainy during the race. But last Friday, while I was at the expo with JD, Jake and Meghan, the weather report told us exactly what we wanted to hear: 50-60s and overcast. It would be humid, but no rain. And no sun. World’s different than last year’s beastly hot race! Friday night, JD and I went to Mama Carolla’s for our typical pre-race meal and tucked in early. On Saturday morning, we bustled about to be on the road by 6:30am. I kept thinking back to all the other 7 Mini Marathons I have done. I was so nervous for those first few. Having never done more than a half, the Mini was always the big race I trained for each year. I wanted to improve. I wanted to feel good, back then. Lately, the Mini has been a right of passage. A tradition. Something I hope to never miss. Eight years in the running, I wasn’t nervous about the parking, the course, the crowds. I was just a little nervous about how out of shape my running body just may be.

bumruffled out for my 8th Mini Marathon

As JD and I walked toward the start, he told me “I am going to jog up to my corral to warm up the legs, you wanna run with me?” My response: “Hell no. I am running 13.1. No need to add more distance today” and off he went. I was meeting my running friends in Corral E. This year, the security was extra tight given the happenings of Boston so if you didn’t have an E on your bib, then you weren’t getting into the corral. Unfortunately for Adam, that meant he would have to catch up with us on the course from Corral I. Ted, me, Kristi, Meghan, Jake, Martha, Brian and Kelly all met up in our corral. We had a moment of silence for Boston which made my chest tight. I held back the tears but was proud of our city for remembering. For caring. And for showing respect. After that, beach balls were flying, music was playing and the spirits were high. I doubt many other cities can boast that 36,000 people are up, moving and that energetic at 7:30am on a Saturday morning.

Perfect Strangers before the Mini Marathon

Ain’t no party like the Corral E party

Martha, Kristi, Meg, Kelly and I had plans to just run together and take it easy. Though I hadn’t intended to run without my watch, I forgot it at home. Not one of us had a GPS watch and no one cared. We lost Ted and Jake within the first mile but the 5 of us stayed together. I was feeling it the first 4 miles. The wind was at our back which though that is typically a good thing, it also meant that we were hot. I felt the humidity and just about everything else including a weird foot pain and a hip issue. It wasn’t boding well for the race.

But at mile 4, Adam caught up with us after running 9 min/miles. Kristi was cracking us up with her lack of direction. And there was never a lull in conversation. When we saw the cloggers at mile 4.5, we cheered them on and made a pact: if there was ever a year we can’t run the Mini Marathon, then we will perform at it. Clogging has definitely made the short list. We heard a band sing “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and each of us sang it loudly and proudly as we ran by. Also around this time, we turned north (away from south) and I immediately cooled down because of the wind. At mile 5, I was finally feeling great.

We approached the track and slowed down to take our gels before entering. My chocolate one, having been in my lower back pocket of my running skirt, was warm and disgusting. It was like trying to choke down hot fudge that isn’t nearly as tasty as hot fudge while sweating. Gross. We lost Martha and Adam right before the track but they found us soon after somehow. The track is one of those things that you either love or hate. I have never hated it. I think it’s awesome to run on and it helps me break the entire course into three parts: before track (miles 1-6), track (6-8.5), after track (8.5-13.1). This time, the track FLEW BY. We got into some deep discussions while running and before I knew it, we were approaching the bricks. Each year, I see people stop and kiss the bricks but have never allowed myself that because it would mean I’d lose time. This race, we all planned to stop and kiss the bricks. But first, we waved to the cameras.

crossing the bricks

Then, we rushed across the traffic to drop into a burpee and kiss the bricks. Adam took our pic.

kissing the bricks

We were stopping and walking through water stations and yet still hovered around a 10 min/mile pace with the walking stops. Not that any of us were too worried about it, but I can at least speak for myself when I say that even though I didn’t have a watch, I still did the math and pace calculations every time we passed a mile clock.

Have I mentioned how fun this race was? It really was. We were on and off that track in what felt like minutes. We weren’t running super fast, but the camaraderie really kept this race moving and the laughter never stopped.

All that being said, my least favorite part of the course is miles 9-11. It’s boring. Running down 10th can sometimes be hot. It’s just not fun. And my legs were getting tired. We saw Martha’s dad who took a group picture.

Thanks, Mr Talyor!

With just a couple miles to go, we saw Jake and Meghan decided to finish the race with him. He killed this race with a PR of over 6 minutes! The rest of us barreled toward the finish. We looked at the clock with 2 miles to go and realized we’d be around a 2:20 total time. Originally, I said I wanted to be around 2:15 but I didn’t care. None of us were breaking records that day. In the last stretch, I looked for JD. He always comes back after finishing to cheer for me. But he was nowhere to be found. When we crossed the finish line, Kelly got a little choked up. This was the first time I had ever run the mini with friends and I think all of us had such an amazing time together, it became a special race.

we did it

Once finished, we made our way to Military Park. The girls went ahead to the beer tent and I went to the family meeting area to find JD. When I saw him, he had his finisher’s medal and his Top 500 medal on. He missed his PR, however, by 30 seconds. His GPS watch was telling him he was running 6:15/mile pace the entire race but at the finish, the clock said differently. He was so disappointed because he definitely had more in him. And now, as a result, I think he is going to run Geist this coming weekend to give it another shot!

We then migrated to the beer tent which was freezing. None of us had enough clothes on so when someone suggested we move to the Blue Mile tent, I was all for it. Maybe they were selling clothes! When we got there, it was an actual tent which was much warmer. Also, they were serving free Flat12 beer! So it was there we stayed….reliving the race, laughing and taking pics.

We also went and bought these amazing tanks! We love the message.

Ashley, who manages the Blue Mile, jumped in for a group shot too!

My 8th Mini Marathon is on the books and my medal has found it’s place amongst it’s predecessors. Next up – the Chicago Marathon in October! Until then….I’ll be putting in some miles, trying to stay in shape yet giving myself a break until training starts in June!

JD woke up at 5am and with energy to spare. I lumbered around in bed until he left for the buses which took all the runners to Athlete’s Village – 26.2 miles away. There, they sit and wait in the cold until the start of the race. I went back to sleep until about 7:20, showered, packed up our room and then headed off to the finish line. Because this is a point-to-point race, it’s difficult to spectate. And because I wanted to make sure not to miss JD at the finish, I opted out of the potential chaos of jumping trains to see him at multiple points. He ran Boston in 2010 so I knew the importance of getting to the finish early. It doesn’t take long for the crowds to grow to an uncomfortable level and I wanted a spot right at the finish and right along the guard rails. As I bopped down Charles Street, I wore my “My husband runs fast” tshirt and had my lucky fishtail braids in. I wore this exact look when JD PR’d in November so was sure it would be good luck. I stopped by Starbucks for a Peppermint Hot Chocolate to warm me up. I knew I was in for a long day but was so excited. I just love spectating a marathon.

When I turned onto Boylston, the course itself was packed full of people. They hadn’t closed it down yet and so runners, bikers and rollarbladers took their opportunity to test the course. I walked past the finish line and decided to go a little further out so I could get a better view (the area closest to the actual finish line is heavily roped off with metal and wood to keep spectators from getting too close). I found a sunny spot right next to the Dunkin Donuts. There were two nice families flanking me – two families I got to know quite well. The crew to my left were cheering for Erin. This was her 13th marathon but her first Boston. Her mom and dad were in from Connecticut and her husband from Florida. He is in the airforce so has never seen her race. The group to my right were cheering for their friend. The man next to me ran in 2011 and so throughout the race, we talked about timing, hills, and pace. A couple from Mexico stood behind me. Though he spoke broken English and I poor Spanglish, we talked throughout and he even offered me his gloves when it was cold. All four of our groups were stalking the BAA.org app, website and twitter feed. Even that early – 2 hours before the men started and 5+ hours before I would see JD, there were people everywhere. My group (me and the families next to me) talked about the things we saw: the three homeless men behind us, the crowds amassing across the street, the K9 dogs, the police brigade. Erin’s husband read aloud the elite leaders’ bios and I kept every abreast of what was happening on Twitter. At one point, I asked them to watch my bag so I could run into Dunkin and get some donys and another hot chocolate. Another time, I asked the same so I could go to the bathroom. Of all the things I thought through- someone taking my bag or even worse, my prized spot at the finish, I wasn’t aware of my surroundings. Not like I should have been. I just watched people for interest. Looked at signs people made. The different nationalities represented. And I did what every spectator does at every marathon – I became part of the community. I knew the names of the runners my new friends were cheering for. I checked their bib numbers on my phone to track pace. I knew their goal time and my new friends knew all the same about JD. We had united over this event.

Around 11am, we started to see some action. The wheelchair participants were coming in hot and what an inspiration these people are. Using all arms and core, they flew by us. The winner of the female race, an American! As we listened to the National Anthem play for her, the other participants raced toward the finish – some juggling for that lead spot with the person next to him/her. The crowds roared. The cowbells rang. And the sun, finally, started its way to us. Though I had picked sunny spot at the beginning, soon after, it dipped behind the Lenox Hotel and didn’t return for hours. It was freezing and though a great day for running, I was happy to have JD’s extra long-sleeved shirt in my bag to wear.

Winner of the Male Wheelchair race

During this time, I was communicating constantly with my friends back home who were not just tracking the elites, but also JD. The elite women had a 30 minute head start so it wasn’t long after the first rush of wheelchair participants came through that the lead pack charged down Boylston. From everything I was reading on Twitter, it.was.a RACE. Felix, who had led for miles was overtaken by the chase pack including Shalane Flanagan (USA). With only a 7 second gap, Shalane looked like she had a chance for 3rd place. My friends were tweeting back and forth and I was ready with my phone to capture the speedy women as they passed. Shalane ended up in 4th (you’d be amazed how long 7 seconds is at the pace they are running). The crowd went wild for these women and you’ll notice below, the sun creeped closer.

Women winners – watch the video!

One of the many women who sprinted 26.2 miles

The family next to me and I had a bet – whether the elite men would finish before the sun reached us. When I had walked down to Starbucks for the bathroom, the weather was so much warmer down there. We were building up body heat by cheering, but the sun would make it a perfect spring day for spectating.

JD was doing great, by the way. Every split was consistent and right on pace for his 3:05 goal. Though he has already qualified for Boston 2014, I know he wanted to requalify at Boston (something apparently only about 30% of runners do). It’s a tough course – so much downhill (which shreds your quads) and then brutal uphills. He and his friend Michael run together on Saturday mornings and have been running fast. I know both were hoping for a great time. Though my BAA app was slow to respond, I was getting updates on JD every 5K from the website. And my friends Jake, Meghan and Amy were tracking JD online and could provide even more detailed updates. I hated not being able to see him at more points in the race, but felt I was close to him just being able to see his splits.

Not too long after the women elite ran through, the men turned the corner. But right before the male winner passed me, the sun reached me. I bathed in it. My toes became unnumb. My fingers thawed out. I was ready to spectate even harder. And again, as the men flew by towards breaking the winning ribbon, I got a video of the top 3.

Men winners – watch the video!

This race is an incredible race. The athleticism is just unbelievable. I have been to plenty of races where JD is running in a sparse field and finishes in the top 10% every time. But Boston? So many are fast. With the winners done, I was just waiting for JD to get to me.  And was amazed by the thick field of runners all finishing under 3 hours. It’s just crazy.

so many speedy runners

We had about 45 minutes before JD would come through so I was tracking him like a hawk. But not just JD, I tracked my fellow spectators’ runners as well. The crowds had gotten extremely thick and so though I had posted up along the guard rail, more were squeezing in. A little boy and little girl stood right between me and one of the guys I had been there with for over 5 hours. The mom had dark hair and we chatted about the fact that this race was 30 degrees cooler than last year’s race. The kids were a blast – trying to determine what country each runner was from and cheering loudly. I talked with my Mexican friends and told them to cheer for JD. And when one man ran by with no shoes on, they yelled “No zapatos!” which made me laugh since it’s one of the few nouns I remember from Spanish class.

There is a group of service men and women who every year start the race much earlier in the day and walk the entire 26.2 miles in full gear and packs. These packs weigh up to 50lbs. When we saw each small group of them in uniform, making their way to the finish, our cheering crew chanted “USA! USA!” and cheered so loudly. When we saw multiple men cramp up and stop in the middle of the course, we’d yell “Come on 1234! You got this! Hang in there. Keep it up!” When we saw people walking, looking like death we would seek their bib number and yell “Pick it up 1234! You are so close! KICK IT UP!” When we saw those runners with the last minute sprint, going full force into the finish, we would scream as loud as we could. We created an unspoken cadence of how to cheer together and we were loving every second. The crowd was happy. Energetic. We were united.

My friends who were cheering for Erin expected her around a time of 3:30 (and she started at 10:25 or so, so that put her at 2pmish). My friends to my right expected their friend around 3:40-3:50 (which put him a little after 2pm). I met a man from Fishers, IN who was cheering for his girlfriend but he expected her later too. So JD was the first of our group to cheer for. My new friends asked me his bib number, what he looked like and were on high alert to see him come through Boylston. Unfortunately, right around the 30k mark, JD’s pace started slipping. My friends told me that’s where the hills are so I hoped his pace would be back on track by the 35K mark. But it wasn’t. My at-home friends were giving me the play by play and it was clear, he was struggling. I assumed injury and just hoped he wasn’t in too much pain. We waited and waited and waited for the 40K (which is the 25 mile mark) to come up. When it finally did, I knew we were  minutes from seeing JD. Jake texted that he was 500 feet out and my brother told me he should be there any second so my entire group was staring and searching. One lady asked me what he looked like and I said “I don’t know, attractive?” and another was scared we missed him. I told them to keep looking, we’d find him. In panic mode, I texted Jake and said “Did I miss him?” and he said “No, he just ran by an Apple Store.” Now I have no idea how Jake had such details, but given JD and I had spent the past 2+ days in this area, I knew Boylston like the back of my hand. I knew exactly where that was and stood up on the guardrail to look for him. There he came….much slower than normal but with a smile on his face. My friends screamed and screamed “GO JOSH!!!!” and rang their cowbells. You’d have thought it was a group of people that had known JD for years the way they carried on. When JD reached me, he stopped, grabbed my face and kissed me. And then raced ahead. As I grinned ear to ear, I heard one man say behind me “Let’s hope he didn’t just miss his PR by 8 seconds for that kiss!” I grabbed my bag and weaved and ducked through the crowds to head to the family meeting area. I wished everyone good luck and thanked them for the lovely morning. At that time, I felt a more poignant goodbye was necessary. We had spent all morning together! But I knew it was time to meet JD.

Here he comes on the right!

Getting to the family meeting area takes patience and skill. I walked by the finish area, down some back streets, around the entire course, back around the other side of the spectators and straight for Letter D. I waited and soon saw JD hobbling toward me with his heat blanket on. He collapsed on the concrete next to me and recounted his race. He knew at mile 14 he wasn’t going to get 3:05. He surged on until mile 18, still averaging around a 7/mile pace. But with the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill, he had nothing left. His legs were spent. He wasn’t injured or out of breath. He just had nothing left. He was disappointed, but knew he gave it his all. He risked going out fast and wasn’t able to get the time he wanted (he finished around 3:24) but still ran fast. In fact, he ran so fast, he very well may have saved my life.

We didn’t wait long before making our way back out of the chaos. I can’t describe the chaos. People everywhere. There is an attempt at order but there are strollers, kids, double strollers, runners, bags, guardrails. It’s a mess. As we reached the subway stairs, we stood at the top about to descend and JD said “There’s Boston Common right?” I said yes. He said “Ok, I think I can walk back to the hotel.” So we did. People stopped along the way to tell JD congrats and I was bursting with pride. I may never qualify for Boston but I can tell you, at that very moment, I wanted it so very badly. There is NO race like Boston. NONE.

JD in Boston Commons. Right before we found out about the explosions

Right around this time, my friend Amy texted and said “I’m seeing tweets about an explosion near the finish line. Are you guys safe?” I told her yes, and then immediately turned to Twitter. By typing in “Boston Marathon Explosion” into the search, I pulled up everything that was happening. The images. The reports. Tears filled my eyes. JD asked what was wrong and I told him. But we both hoped, and thought it was possible, it was just a man hole cover or maybe some firework went wrong. Clearly it couldn’t be more. Back at the hotel, we stood at the hotel bar with other runners, glued to the TV. Over time, other runners joined us and told us what they had heard. Family members stood at the escalator waiting, begging for their loved ones to arrive. Texts and tweets and messages flooded in. Both JD and I barely talked as we just focused on responding “Yes, we are ok. We are safe” over and over again. It was incredible to see how many people thought of us and loved us. And we checked in with our friends: Michael and his girlfriend were ok. As were Ramsey and Ali.

As we learned more, my heart continued to pound and my face got hot. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I was there. I was in that exact spot for almost 6 hours. I know that area and can paint every detail in my mind. The explosions were on my side of the course. And I was gone before it happened, so I was safe. But what if? What if my friends weren’t? I looked up and JD was staring at the ground. Tears in his eyes. He said “If it had been you, I couldn’t have helped you. My legs were so tired. I couldn’t have gotten to you” I told him that was silly and adrenaline would have kicked in but it’s fine. We’re fine. But neither of us could shake it. It was just 40 minutes or so before, that I stood there. Front row. Amongst a crowd of wonderful cheerleaders. Completely unaware of what lay near us.

We realized pretty quickly that we needed to get to the airport sooner than normal. We stood outside the hotel and waited forever for a cab. I eventually downloaded a local Boston cab app and we managed to get a car. By this time, my phone was blowing up. Because I had live tweeted the entire morning, local radio hosts and news anchors asked for my account of what was going on. I was happy to provide information, but felt guilty doing so. We weren’t there when it happened. We didn’t see it. We didn’t hear it. We were safe. So many others were not.

We checked into the airport just fine and despite me apparently trying to smuggle an entire jar of peanut butter as a carry on, we managed to find a restaurant with a phone charger, beer, food and a TV without any concern. JD went to the gate to check on our flight while I took calls from local stations. My story was the same: I wasn’t there when it happened. But the crowds were massive. There were kids. And no, this won’t stop us from attending races in the future. With each conversation, my heart got heavier and heavier. Here I was providing such little information and yet craving all the information I could get.

Our flight was delayed (apparently just for mechanical issues?) and we were booked on a later one. We didn’t care – we just wanted to get home. I couldn’t pull myself from the news and when I was on the plane, I got online immediately. I scoured Google maps to find out exactly where I was in relation to the explosions. The visual still makes the tears fall.

The blue X represents where I was. Where my new friends were

I don’t know if my friends are ok. I have done the math over and over to see if they would have been out of there by the time the explosions started. I think about the kids that essentially stayed beside me for an hour. The mother had dark hair. There was at least one boy and a girl, maybe another boy. Could it have been Richard Martin? Unless I see pictures of them dressed as they were that day, I am not sure I’ll ever know. JD tells me I am torturing myself by going over this. But I don’t know how else to deal with it. I want to know everything. I want to see everything. I have looked through every slide show of pictures to see if I recognize the wounded. I think about the fact that if the bomb was in a trash can or a backpack by the finish, then I walked by it at least twice. It’s so surreal.

And I feel guilt. I was there, but just not there when things went bad. Maybe I could have helped my friends. Or at least I would have information by being there. I left them all and was happily strolling through Boston Commons when it happened. I am safe. JD, thank gosh, is safe. But so many others aren’t.

I posted this on FB last night:

I am so angry at the people behind today. I’m so mad that they took away dreams—dreams of those who were killed and injured and dreams of runners unable to finish their race. This was supposed to be a day about accomplishment, goals, celebration and support. And despite what these monsters did, it still is. Though I’m so grateful to be on my way home and know JD and I are the lucky ones, I am saddened to leave the community of runners and Bostonians who united over this tragedy. I witnessed the best kinds of people today— and heard about the true heroes who ran towards the danger to help those in need. the families who brought stranded strangers into their homes. The finishers who ran straight to the hospital to donate blood. A piece of my heart is left in that city. And tomorrow I will do the only thing I know to do to remain connected and to not let evil win: I will run.

We got home around 1am this morning and were thrilled to be in our bed, home and safe. Yet I do feel sad not being there. I see the images on TV and know that street so well. I quickly get my whereabouts and imagine yesterday morning. The imagery of such happiness and accomplishment. The sounds of the cheers and cowbells. The people’s faces I met. I try so hard to remember every face I met. I don’t want to forget. And though we are so so lucky, I know that there is a piece of that city and that race in our hearts. This morning I called the Boston FBI hotline with a couple strange things I saw. I am sure they are nothing, but they promise no small piece of information is too small. If I can help in any way, I want to.

Today, during my run, I ran fast. The pain in my lungs and the rain pouring down on my head felt good yet, at one point, I was so emotional I almost collapsed to my knees in pure sadness over this situation. I am angry. I am sad. I look at the map of the explosions and tears instantly fall. Some evil doer(s) tried to ruin one of the greatest athletic events in our nation. Someone took down not the runners, but the spectators who spent hours waiting for the one chance to root on their loved one. As a marathon runner, I know the importance of these people and this article says it best: The People Who Watch Marathons.

The running community has always been a close one. For an individual sport, we really rely on each other. We support, listen, encourage and understand each other. Had this happened at a race far away from me and JD, I would have still felt a connection to the terror based on that running community alone. But the fact that we were there. The fact that JD ran fast enough to maybe save my life. The fact that I don’t know if my new cheering friends are ok. The fact that this race was tarnished by something so awful. I won’t forget. I can’t forget. And every day I run, will be a testament to not ever forgetting.

My heart goes to those who were there. Those who are safe like JD and I. Those who were injured. And those who lost their lives. My heart goes to those who didn’t get to finish their Boston Marathon. I will be at every race as always. We will not be afraid, but we will be aware. And I will run harder and faster and maybe someday, I will cross that finish line as a runner and remember April 15th, 2013 as the inspiration that got me there.

• I used to sing “Bye bye, miss American Pie. Put the pedal to the medal and then we say goodbye”
• I also was convinced Katy Perry’s song “Wide Awake” was actually “Runaway”
• This weekend I sang Black Keys’ song “Lonely Boy” with the opener “Well I so adore you”
• And also, while trying to be witty, I sang “Isn’t Ironic” with the final line of the chorus as “And who would have thought, it’s simple”

I bring this to your attention given the title of this post. It was originally “People everywhere, grab hands” until I googled it. I am no lyrical gangsta.

——

I am taking a break from running today to talk about my Woman of the Year campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I committed to take on this 10-week challenge a few months ago and with the help of an incredible team, we have been pounding the pavement hard to raise as much money as possible for this incredible cause. Five weeks in and we are close to my halfway goal. But there is a long way to go. I’ve got miles to go before I sleep.

In the next 5 weeks, my team and I have planned five events:

• The Ladies of Herron Morton Dinner Party
• Flat12 “Drinking Towards a Cause” event
• “Today’s the Day” 5K (more info to come soon!)
• Date Auction (more info coming soon!)
• SunKing Bar Crawl (more info coming soon!)

I hope you will consider attending!

And I still need your help! For our date auction, I need as many donations possible. We are looking to create unique and fun experiential date packages so want gift cards to restaurants, bars, tickets to games, shows, concerts. If you know of someone who can help or if you can donate yourself, please let me know!

And of course – we need dollar dollar bills ya’ll.

Please watch our halfway video of my good friends Gwyn and Jenn as they share memories of their father who passed away from Lymphoma. It’s a beautiful story and should inspire everyone to empty their pockets.

Gwyn and Jenn’s Blood Cancer Story

It takes a village. People everywhere. Grab hands. Let’s do this. Thank you for your support.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s start from the beginning.

FRIDAY:

While some of you may have left work early to get in on the March Madness action, Meg and I were strategizing on all the important pre-race logistics. Throughout the day, we organized our topics that all of you crowd sourced. We got some really good ones and then added a few of our own. We also came up with a game plan for our “pit stop” (the place our fans would congregate with their own snacks and beverages, while also being on-duty to hand us ours). That night, she went to the Running Company and stocked up on gels while I went to target and picked up food, gatorade, water, diet coke etc. Also that night, Nathan and Hunter arrived so we went to Mama Carollas (my favorite restaurant in Indy) for some carb loading. The laughs among JD, Hunt, Nathan and I made the pre-race jitters go away. It was a perfect pre-race meal.

Cheers to Marathon #10!

When I got home, I laid out my clothes and we all packed up our coolers, bags, etc. It was going to be chilly at the start so we had plenty of blankets for the spectators. My outfit consisted of two long-sleeved tops, my lucky marathon tights, long socks. And I brought an extra layer for the beginning.

Saturday:

I set my alarm for 5:16am and was wide awake when it went off. I got up, brushed my teeth and then realized I had plenty of time so got back in bed. Of course I didn’t sleep….but just tried to relax and focus on the day. At 5:46am, I got up for a second time, got dressed and started packing the car with the boys. Nathan, Hunter and JD all wore their See Meggie Run shirts which I LOVE. They made them back for the San Francisco Women’s Marathon years ago and hold plenty of good memories. We bundled up and packed into the car while Meg, Jake and their dog Slater led the caravan up to West Lafayette. On the way there, we listened to my Songza app and chose some pretty awesome playlists. Starting with the 90210 Slumber Party Mix (Yes, we DID hear “How Do You Talk to an Angel” by Jamie Walters but as Nathan put it “No one will ever take him seriously as an artist after Ray pushed Donna down the stairs), we then moved on to “2000′s One Hit Wonders” (my personal favorite, “Do Your Chain Hang low.”) We knew the other girls were en route too – Christi, Kristi and Dana were running the relay as a team, as were Kelly and Jaime.

Hunt and Nathan dancing

When we arrived at the park, we saw no signs of running life. There weren’t posters directing you where to go. There wasn’t another single person even wearing running shoes. We parked and asked a woman standing in a snowsuit if we were in the right spot and she confirmed that we were. There were 2 parking lots for the race and we picked the one less traveled. And it made all the difference.

Meg and I hiked up the trail to get our packets (read: 2 bibs and a tshirt). The race organizers had let us pick our own numbers so I was my lucky number 22. We put one bib on the front (the one with the chip) and one on the back so that when people passed us on the trail, they would know our name. Pretty brilliant really.

When we got back to our cars, the rest of the crew had arrived. Poor Jaime was deathly ill so when they picked up their packets and saw the medal in their bags, they all contemplated just hanging with the boys, eating donuts and drinking beermosas. But of course they were going to finish – they didn’t drive an hour north to relax in the park!

It was quite cold at this point – we were all bundled up and I had no problem keeping on my mint sweatshirt all throughout the first lap even!

Jaime, Meg, me, Christi, Dana, Kristi, Kelly

Kristi and Christi had both made signs! Kristi focused one on the Crossfit Games which Meg and I loved. We did our own 26.2 that day!

Ryan Gosling anyone? YES.

With only ten minutes until the start, Dana, Kelly, Meg and I walked up to the start line. With only 105 people running the marathon plus the relay teams, it was easy to navigate. We bundled together and before we knew it, we were running.

Ready, set, go!

As you guys know, we had topics for every mile and Mile 1 was just talking through the race and seeing for the first time what the full lap looked like. It’s pretty easy to describe: we crossed the start line where the organizers marked our every mile (and as we passed, our names popped up on a screen telling us what lap we were on). We turned right and ran a long stretch that was lined with the spectators. Families had blankets and chairs lined up and some even had tailgating tents. For those that had observed the Circular Logic water bottle system, this is where they picked up their bottles and had them refilled. This is where all those who parked in the other lot went. It was by far the most populated. From there, we turned right and faced a slight incline – luckily it was VERY slight but still was my least favorite part of the course. We turned right again and ran along a sidewalk next to the road. This was the most congested part of the race and often we had to run single file to let people to pass. We raced by a softball field that later in the day was occupied by some Purdue students. We then hit a very sharp almost u-turn which brought us up by our pitstop. We could hear them cheering for us and other runners well before we actually ran past them but it was (of course!) the highlight of the laps. There were also no other people around so it kept the energy up! Then we turned right one last time before heading back to the start line. The first lap, we jaunted off to pick up the .2 miles which was nice to get over with.

Jaime and Kelly were swapping every mile whereas the other relay team ran in increments of 2 miles. Every single mile, we ran in a pack. Sometimes it was 4 of us. Sometimes it was 7 of us. But Meg and I were never alone. And that made all the difference.

Christi, Kelly and Nathan running alongside me

We were quite committed to the topics the first 15 miles. Each lap, Nathan would hand us a strip of paper with the respective topic and we’d spend the mile discussing. So thank you for all who submitted ideas and thoughts for us to discuss. At the bottom of this post, you will see the topics and what we talked about!

Miles 1-5 flew by. Seriously flew by. I think I even said “I really love this race and could see all of us doing this again.” The course became familiar quickly. I knew the part I didn’t love and luckily, it was brief. We started to get to know other runners and the spectators. This little girl yelled “Good job Meghan! Good job Meggie!” every time we ran by. And it made me smile every single time. As one man passed us and saw the back of our tops he said “It’s a MEGATHON!” which we really loved.

Megathon

There were a couple costumes – mainly a monkey and a bee. And though we started to create stories around our fellow runners, we got most of our information from the pit stop. Our fans were interacting with every runner, every lap. Nathan, a former University of Iowa cheerleader took to this race like a fish to water. He and Jake both had brought dry-erase boards so every time we passed, they had a different sign for us. Some of them were song lyrics and some were just hilarious (like “Donna Martin graduates” and “I’m a 90′s bitch”) But they just didn’t make the signs for us – they made them for other runners. The relay runners were our liaison between the path and the pit so each time they switched out, we would hear what was happening back on home base. We learned that Bryce won the race last year but that Jake had already lapped him twice and was in a great position for a win (which he did! Bryce got second) Laura was working hard for a win and ended up PRing at 3:09. Anne was running with her husband but was actually beating him. And our pit crew thought that the Monkey and the Bee were dating. We were right smack in our own little community and each lap brought us all closer.

pit stop action and

At mile 4, we took our first walking break. We only fueled up at the pit stop rather than the water station the other runners used. When we approached the pit, I would yell “JD – Water!” or “JD – gel!” “JD – Gatorade” and even once “JD – donut hole!” Our team and supporters were amazing. I can’t even begin to tell you all how much I appreciated every single one of them.

lap??

JD took lots of pics of us in the beginning. We were all smiles. The weather was warming up and we were running really well. Our first 3-4 miles were all sub 9:30/mile and every time I said we would slow down, we didn’t. But we felt good so carried on. That’s never a great strategy – we should have started and held at 10/miles the entire time but oh well. We fought for every mile that day so I have no regrets. At mile 6, we took our first gel. At mile 8, another water stop. At mile 12, more gel. At this point, I was just “chunking” the distances in my mind. Every 4 miles was water. Every 6 was a gel. Mile 13 was more than halfway. Mile 15 was IBprofen and mile 17 meant we had single digits left to run.

Jaime, Meg and I on the sidewalk strip of the loop

JD climbed a fence for this pic

My hips started to hurt at mile 12. And though I promised myself I wasn’t going to let those mental demons in during the race, I did. I let the pain in my hips seep into my brain. I was negative and in a bad spot. But at mile 16, with IBprofen in my system, I caught a second wind. I take absolutely zero credit for that energy – it came 100% from my friends. JD, Jake, Nathan all rang alongside us. We had the 4 of us runners, plus at least 3 more fans packed together, taking on that trail. I didn’t have to talk, but instead could just listen to their conversation and be distracted by the course. Hunter jumped in the next mile. And on and off it went for the next 10 miles. Nathan ran more that day than he ever has in one day! Hunt kept the questions going. JD was by my side for every mile I needed him. Jake was the same for Meg. And my girls…..I still don’t know how I got so lucky to have such incredible, fierce women who get me. They know when it hurts. They know how to inspire. They know how to make me laugh. And they, along with Jake, JD, Nathan and Hunter made all the difference.

second wind?

Because every lap is the same – literally – it’s hard to sort the memories of when I felt good and when I didn’t. I know that Meg and I were very eager to get to that “single digits left” point in the race and I even tweeted “9 more to go.” Once in the 20s, I didn’t feel AWFUL but I was mentally in a bad spot. And not so nice. At one point JD was running ahead of me and when I asked why, he said “I am trying to pull you along.” I said “I want you by me. Next to me. Not one single inch in front of me” and then apologized that I am such a beast at the end of a marathon. Luckily he gets it

The hip started to hurt again at mile 22 and you’d think with only 4 more to go, we’d just put it into high gear but that wasn’t going to work. The loops seemed to get longer. At one point, I asked JD to find me some headphones. I just needed one mile to zone out. I listened to Taylor Swift and PINK and Kanye and then pulled the headphones out and reengaged with our crew. I had stopped a couple times to stretch out the hips which felt incredible. So when I complained to JD about how I hurt he told me to walk. I said “I can’t. I don’t want to be last place.” He said “Oh, you won’t be. XXXX is going to be last place.” I said “Who is XXXX?” and he replied, “the person who is going to get last.” It made me laugh and I realized I was being silly. We were fighting for every mile.

With 2.5 miles to go I said out loud to JD “I can’t do this.” He said “of course you can. You are so close.” I responded “Well I just don’t want to.” Of course every marathoner probably thinks these things but we should all be smart enough to never say it aloud. Even to oneself. It opens up the weakness that is dying to pour out. No one wants that Pandora’s box.

When we had 2 to go, I was barely talking. I listened to those around me and kept Meg in sight. She had planned for a fun “mystery topic for miles 25-26 but neither of us were really talking. We were just running as hard as we could. With one more lap to go, I said “Why do we do this to ourselves? You know what we are doing next??? 5ks. That’s what we are doing.” And every time I passed a cone I would say “We will never see this cone again!!” I wasn’t nearly the cheerleader I had planned to be. I wanted to be fun and uplifting and strong and positive. But once I let those negative demons in, they just took over. They didn’t ruin my race, but I had to rely on my friends to keep picking my spirits up over and over.

When we passed our pitstop, it was empty because everyone was at the finish waiting for us. WHAT a beautiful sight. We were close. SO CLOSE. We took off. A little faster. A bit faster. Then full out sprint to the finish. The tears came before I even crossed. I buried my head in JD’s tshirt and sobbed.

Then I hugged every one of the girls, Jake, Nathan and Hunter. JD handed me a class of champagne and I collapsed with it beside me. I was upset. Not because my time wasn’t as fast as I wanted – and it wasn’t – but because I was SURE we would get Meg her PR. I just thought there was no way we wouldn’t. We worked hard. We didn’t slack off so I am proud of us, just always want better.

Right as I was thinking this and feeling down on myself, Meg brought us all together and said “So guys, I want to tell you something. Jake and I are engaged!” HOLY HELL! They got engaged two weeks ago and I have seen her a thousand times, even talked about marriage and she never once let on! This was her mystery topic for miles 25 and 26 that we failed to get to given how bad we felt! Her timing was perfect though – we were done with the race and finish time just didn’t matter anymore. We had bigger fish to fry! She got to tell all of us right there, with champagne in our hands after 26.2 miles of running. PERFECT.

Right after the announcement

The medals are awesome – one big circle. Well played, Circular Logic. Well played.

Number 10 is in the books. I loved the course. I loved how small it was. There was no expo or massive packet pick up. The start line was easy to get to. The finish line was easy to collapse across right afterwards. I loved the community of runners that became my friends for a day. I loved seeing the pit-stop crew at home base every mile. I loved having water, Gatorade, diet coke and even donut holes there whenever I needed them. I loved the familiarity of the path – just like the Monon. I do better when I know what’s coming. I would do this race again – whether the marathon or the relay. But one big piece of advice: if you are thinking about doing this race next year – follow our lead. Bring a party. It makes all the difference

1-0

Thank you to all of you who emailed, texted, tweeted and facebooked your way into my inspiration on Saturday. I am so grateful for your support.

Thank you to Nathan and Hunter who drove down to Chicago, made signs, and were the best cheerleaders not to just me, Meg and the girls but to every runner out there. You two are incredible. And thank you to Jake for being witty with your signs and loud with your voice.

Thank you to the Perfect Strangers for putting up with my beast mode. For hugging me when I needed it. For making me laugh. For talking about our ideal hot tub scenario and for being the best girlfriends anyone could ask for.

Thank you to JD for being my running rock. You know me and what I need at any given mile better than anyone. I couldn’t have done Saturday without you and I promise to support you and cheer my heart out for you during the Boston Marathon next month.

And to Meg for being such a great running buddy. All those runs in the rain and snow and ice. At 5:30am when we didn’t want to run. The hundreds of circles we did on the track. And for waiting until the perfect time to share your amazing news. I am so happy for you and Jake.

results

And to all of you who gave us topics to run to…..I give you a recap. Thank you!

• The first topic was from my mom “Would you give up 20 IQ points to be able to be your ideal weight without ever having to exercise or worry about what you eat for the rest of your life.” As we tackled this one, we considered how much 20 points really represented. We through out some statistics about average IQ to see if we really have enough to spare but in the end, just about everyone said no, it wasn’t worth it. I can tell you, however, that laughably, at the end of this race, Meg and I were close to changing our mind. We were done with exercise.
• Vacation spots. We all agreed we would go across the sea and while I brought up Spain other girls wanted to go Asian. Meg and Jaime both suggested Laos and Jaime had our brains swimming with visions of eating sticky rice and living in tree houses while moving only by zipline.
• Pick a movie and recast it with people you know in life. I love this one but it was HARD to find a movie we all knew that had enough leading characters to recast it. I went with the obvious and did Sex in the City. Kristi immediately said “Please don’t make me red head! I am always the red head!” I told her that I was happy to take Miranda as I too typically get casted as her. We gave Samantha’s character to Meghan, Charlotte to Kelly and Kristi took Carrie!
• Rank 5 European countries from top to bottom. I chose England, Italy, Spain (although I have never been), Ireland and Germany. Others threw in Scotland, France and Switzerland into the mix.
• Talk about some of your favorite memories from college. Since Meghan and I went to school together and are sorority sisters, we had fun talking about some of our favorite memories. It’s hard to narrow them down to one single event or time. All of them seemed to shape us. But it was a good way to focus our attention on the past and laugh about some of the crazy times – and hear about some of the other girls’ college experiences.
• Who would be the 5 celebrities you want in your ideal hot tub? Every single girl + Nathan picked Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling. Some added Justin Timberlake, Adam Levine (good call, Christi!), Tae Diggs (Meg), Hugh Jackman (Kelly) and I added in Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny from Grey’s) and David Beckman! That tub is HOT!
• If someone made action figures of you, what is your special power? And who is your arch nemesis? That was easy for me! Flying (because that sounded good as I was running) and my arch nemesis was the picture-taker with the newsletter. Some said wheels (same reason as running). We also joked that boys would have had a lot more creativity with this one that us girls.
• Play 3 songs out loud: This one was fun! We just turned on my phone and listened to music as we circled the track!
• If you were guaranteed honest responses, whom would you question and what 3 questions would you ask? We had some great people in this one. Obama. Tiger. I chose someone in the CIA (can you imagine those secrets!) George W. (Clearly we stayed in a similar genre.) As for specific questions, we didn’t get into details about the questions other than just to find out the back stories on some of the “big stories’ involving these people.
• We also talked about crossfit, training runs, past Perfect Stranger girls who don’t run with us anymore (status updates). Kelly interviewed Nathan about his cheerleading days. Hunter came up with amazing questions on the spot about TVshows we would want to star in, etc. We were never short of topics and it’s all because of you guys!

What’s up next?

I am not 100% sure. I am signed up for the Illinois Marathon on April 27th but I think I am going to opt-out. I like the idea of focusing on the Mini Marathon and taking a good break from running while ramping up my crossfit. From there, I start training for Chicago in early summer. Though I already feel good about getting back to pavement and feel motivated to run (every race does this), I also love that I am not sweating this snowfall right now. Because I don’t HAVE to run in it.

Prior to April 2009, I had run quite a few half marathons. I was proud that I was no longer an inactive person and that I was pushing myself to go faster and get better. But my body wasn’t changing the way I wanted. And the times weren’t getting a lot faster. I watched JD finish his first marathon and knew that day that I was going to do that. I was going to run 26.2. So in December of 2008, I started training. And as the miles piled up, the pounds fell off. The scale moved, and moved and moved. The mile-splits got faster. And that April, with my parents, friends and husband all in the stands cheering for me, I crossed the 50 yard line of the University of Illinois football field having run 26.2 miles in 4:53. It was just the beginning.

Tomorrow is #10. And anyone who knows me knows that I hate things divisible by 5, but I am making an exception for tomorrow. Because 3 Illinois Marathons, 2 Chicago Marathons, 2 Monumental Marathons, the London Marathon, the Nike Women’s Marathon later, I am ready to face this distance for the 10th time.

I’ve always been decent at sports. Throw me into a game and I’ll hold my own. You won’t necessarily be wowed, but you’ll be happy I am on your team. But never with running. Running was hard. Running was painful. Running just plain sucked. And now, running is a massive part of my life. I can’t imagine I could keep sane without it. It’s my break, my calm, my frustration, my reward. It makes me want to show off my legs in the summer because if they look good it’s because I made them look good. It’s what allows me to drink wine and eat cheese. And it’s brought me friendships that are so meaningful to me, I’d protect them with my life.

So tomorrow is a celebration of the journey. The thousands of miles. The sweat, tears, laughter and countless pairs of running shoes. The work. Because no one gets to the start line for the first time without a lot of work. And tomorrow, I celebrate that x 10.

And what better way to celebrate than with some of my favorite people. I am running with my best running partner – Meghan. This is her 4th marathon in less than 2 years. We push each other and listen to each other and love each other. And also out there I will have Dana, Kristi, Jaime, Kelly and Christi doing the marathon relay. So as they whiz by us, I know they will offer countless words of encouragement and inspiration. And to cheer us on, Jake, Meg’s boyfriend will be there. His voice could literally carry the entire park so we may just hear him every minute on the minute. Also there will be Nathan and Hunter. Nathan has been my best friend for 27 years and his boyfriend Hunter has become so close to me as well. This is the FOURTH marathon they have witnessed of mine. And lastly, JD. My running rock. The one who knows to scream for me when I am on the verge of tears and to hand me a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup at mile 23.

So tomorrow’s it. The big 1-0.

If you want to be part of this epic day, you still can. We are crowd-sourcing ideas for the 26 laps and so far have 6 of the miles taken. If you are interested in helping, see the previous blog post for details! We’d love your creativity and ideas.

So far we have questions about who we would sit next to on a flight Australia and what we would talk about, ranking the top 5 European countries and why, superhero action figures, substituting weight loss and IQ points and if we could ask any 3 people questions they would have to be honest about, who would it be and what would we ask? So the bar has been set….wanna get in the game?

This is it. Don’t get scared now.

It’s in a park. And there is a one mile loop around the park. Me, Meg and 103 other marathoners will be running around that circle 26 times. To say it will be a mental challenge is an understatement. A marathon is hard enough. The distance, the stress on your body, the pain are just half the battle. At least for me, the distance is as mentally as challenging as it is on my legs. And without new scenery. New crowds. New pavement to run…this one could be really hard. (Conversely, it could be amazing! We get to see our cheer squad every single mile. We don’t need to wear a fuel belt. I have access to water, gels, chapstick every time around. So who knows, maybe we will love it.)

But in an effort to prepare for the worst, Meg and I are seeking your help. We want to crowd-source inspiration. We have 26 miles together which means each lap, we want YOU to plan a singular topic for us to discuss at length. Now let me preface, Meg and I don’t lack for words. We have run 9+ hours together in the woods and never had silence. We run 3x a week together and always have things to talk about. So this isn’t about boredom – this is about things that will help keep those miles moving for us. Entertain us. Motivate us.

Running through the woods for hours and hours

Here is what we are looking for:

You donate $30 – you get to choose the topic of discussion and thought for one of our miles. The donation part is to support my Woman of the Year Campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Every dollar goes to support blood cancers – so you are doing good for not just kids with cancer, but also for Meg and I! You are making our marathon not just another long race, but one that is doing good for others. And you’ll entertain us as we go! When you go to the site to donate, be sure to put in the comment section what you want our mile to be dedicated to:

Maybe it’s a thought provoking question? (Ex: If you were going to time travel, would you go future or past?)

Or a “would you rather” question? (Ex: Would you rather have crab claws for hands or duck flippers for feet?)

Maybe it’s nostalgic: (Ex: Discuss your favorite childhood memory)

Maybe it’s inspirational: (Ex: Who is the one person you would dedicate crossing this finish line for today?)

Get it? We want creative. Fun. Motivating.

What you’ll get:

We will take the first 26 donations. We will then post all the ideas we get on this blog. And after the race, we’ll recap our answers, discussion points, etc. This is going to make for a good story and you get to be a part of it!

Donating to a good cause + helping Meg and I find inspiration and excitement during our marathon = you being awesome. It’s that simple. Let me know if you have any questions by commenting on this blog. We really appreciate your help and can’t wait to hear what you come up with!

It is Sunday. I started running at 9:30am. I was by myself. I had short socks on. And I ran 20 miles.

The Weekend

On Friday, JD and I attended the Evening in the Gardens Gala for Noble Indiana. I had volunteered on their social media committee which meant we got VIP tickets, dressed up and even got to be food judges! I was thrilled with my dress which I rented from Rent the Runway (I am a huge fan of RtR, by the way). We ate incredible food and drank lots of wine and loved being part of such an incredible cause.

On Saturday, we slept in, went to Cafe Patachou and then JD ran 7 miles and I went shopping. I went a little nutso shopping for new clothes, makeup and new bedding! And last night, we went to our friends house for dinner with two other couples where we played games and had great conversation. It wasn’t really the best way to prep for a 20-mile run – cookies and wine don’t really count as fuel – but it was well worth it.

The Prep

I slept in until 8am and frolicked around the house before forcing myself to get running. I wore my brand new Lululemon running tights (thanks to Matthew and Nicki for the bday gift!) and absolutely love them. They bought me a size 4 so when I got them, I assumed they’d be my “skinny pants” and serve as motivation to lose some pounds. But they actually turned out to be perfect! I tell ya… every pair of Lulu pants I wear are awesome because once they are on, there is never a need to adjust. I can’t say that about every brand of running wear!

new pantalones

I packed my gels, filled up my water bottles and selected a “cardio” station on Songza to listen to. I am a little sick of my playlists so wanted to let this iPhone app make the decisions for me. It was fantastic and I loved just about all the pop songs they played!

Miles 1-3

My plan was to run the majority of the miles on the Monon but I wanted to get a couple neighborhood ones in before running alongside that red line for hours. The weather was amazing – 50 degrees and such a far cry from running in the snow and ice. I have been so used to running with other girls that I was equally apprehensive and yet excited about going solo. I would push and pull as needed, break when I wanted and rely solely on how I felt vs making decisions on the group. That being said, I also had to rely on my own will to keep the feet moving. At mile 3, I took this picture and instagrammed it with the caption “This is my church.” And it is. Running solo is my church – where I self reflect and dig into my soul to make sense of the prior week, plan for the future week, determine who I want to be, play out scenarios and make important decisions. It’s where I get right in my head.

the city is my church

Miles 4-7.5

Right after I took that picture, a man ran by me and said “Meggie! It’s Matt Judge!” Matt and I haven’t met in person before but we have communicated over social media about running for at least a year+. He’s a seasoned runner and writer and also works in my same industry. He was about to his turn around point so decided to run with me for the next 4ish miles. My pace thus far was hovering anywhere from 9:30-9:50/mile which was slower than he is used to. But miles flew by as we chatted about past races, future ones, work, etc. By the time I got to McDonalds in Broadripple, I needed a gel break and he was going to continue on so we hugged goodbye. What a fun little addition to my solo run!

halfway done

Miles 7.5-11

I ended up continuing north until I hit 10-miles on my GPS watch. I turned back around and immediately thought “oh good! This wind will cool me down.” I was starting to get hot in my long-sleeved top and the wind made it more comfortable. But it also made it much harder to run – we’ll talk about that more later. At mile 11, I noticed a crowd had gathered in the middle of the trail. There was a girl on the ground and as I passed her, I noticed she was wearing an ExactTarget tshirt. I turned off my watch and music and approached her. Sure enough, I know her. I asked what was going on and the woman who seemed to be closest to the situation said she was in bad shape but someone was coming. I bent down to talk to her and she told me that she was having horrible cramps. She had goosebumps up and down her arms and was laying in the fetal position on the cold concrete. Once people could see that this other woman and I were staying, they all left. The woman told me that she found my colleague on the ground, white as a ghost. No one else had bothered to stop! The girl asked if she had a phone to call her sister but she didn’t, so she flagged down a guy on a bike to see if he had a phone. Low and behold he (Jake) also is a coworker! He lives close so rode his bike home to get his car and to take the girl home. We stayed together and within about 10 minutes, Jake came driving up the Monon in his car! I loved his dedication to getting this girl back home! When they left, I talked with the other woman who was obviously incredibly nice and helpful to this complete stranger. And I am so glad I passed when I did to give her a familiar face to look at as she was in so much pain. We’ve communicated since and she seems to be better now.

Miles 11-14

I was still feeling pretty darn good, all things considering. My knee and hip started hurting in mile 3, but I was running through it. I definitely didn’t feel fresh and light on my feet, but I was hanging in there. JD was also running 20 miles and found me around mile 12. After that, I stopped and stretched out my hips which gave me a little boost of energy to keep going. I also took my second gel around mile 14. You’d think that knowing only 6 miles remained would give me hope and encouragement. But things were starting to hurt so 6 miles sure felt like a really long way to go.

Miles 15-18

These miles were slow. I hadn’t taken many breaks but I wasn’t running very fast. And worse was that damn wind! Sure it was keeping me cooler, but it was strong as hell and at times, seemed to stop any forward movement. I caught myself barely moving my feet at times and so would pick it up as much as I could before another gust came through. I was very ready to be off the Monon at this point so I wouldn’t be running into the head wind. My hips hurt, my knee hurt and my plantar fasciitis wasn’t feeling so fabulous either. I seemed to be fine from an energy and cardio perspective, but my legs were done.

Miles 18-20

At mile 18, I turned off the Monon and started heading home. Going west vs going south made a massive difference. And by the time I got to my house, I was 18.88 miles in and feeling a bit better. I dropped my water belt off on the porch and created a route that would get me to 20 miles and finish at the neighborhood McDonalds. All week I had promised myself that if I ran 20 miles, I could eat a Shamrock Shake. I imagined myself double-fisting a diet coke and SS while walking back to my house in the warm, sunny weather. Bliss. That last mile seemed to take forever but as I pulled up to McDs, my watched clicked to 20 miles. I had done it. By myself. Through the pain and without fun socks. I had fought through it.

I entered the very crowded McDonalds and got in line with my soaking wet $10 bill that had been absorbing my sweat for the past 3.5 hours. At the counter I asked for a Large Diet Coke and a Medium Shamrock Shake. And then the lady behind the counter broke my heart. She said “We are out of Shamrock Shakes.” My face fell as I asked “Are you kidding?” Truly, I was fighting back tears. She told me I could get chocolate or vanilla or strawberry but clearly she had no idea that for 20 miles I had been imagining that tasty fake-green frozen delight and  nothing else would do. I texted JD that I was finished and almost in tears and he told me to stay where I was…he was on his way. I started walking home and he met me. We strolled through the neighborhood on a glorious day, each with big runs under our belt. You’d think I would have been thrilled! But I was downtrodden about my shake.

2-0

We stopped at my house to take the signature 2-0 picture and you can tell by my face, that I was pouting over my shake. So after cleaning up, JD and I went on the hunt. The second McDonalds we tried said their shake machine was broken. The third McDonalds said the same. At this point, I was ready to move to Canada because clearly something was very wrong with our country. But at last! The McDonalds at 75th and Keystone came through and all hope was restored. DELICIOUS.

So my 10th marathon is 2 weeks away. I have done only two 20-milers and haven’t stuck to a training program strictly. There won’t be a PR this month but I am hoping for a 4:30-4:35 marathon? I know this race will be unique and different as I am running 26 1-mile laps. It may mentally kill me or I may fall in love with it. (I am guessing there won’t be any grey area of opinion on this course.) I am tapering the next two weeks and will work with Meg on race strategy next week. We need to plan out pace, drinks, gels, breaks and inspiration. Just like today, I’ll be digging deep on race day to get through the distance and push myself hard. And maybe a Shamrock Shake will await me that day too.

Giving Sum award ceremony

Now, this all ties into what I first mentioned – yesterday was the kick off for the Man and Woman of the Year campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I was approached about becoming a candidate after serving on a friend’s committee last year. Anyone who knows me would probably say that I am a quite the competitive person, but paired with a lot of compassion. And this challenge really suits both. My campaign is all about dollars raised.  Every dollar I raise is a vote for me and a vote to cure cancer. It’s going to be a 10-week, all-out effort including local events, auctions, social media, personal donations and corporate donations.

My goal is $50,000. I am up against 3 amazing other women who have also embarked on this challenge. But though I hate to lose and really want that title, in the end, what I care about most is raising as much money as possible so that someday, no parents have to hear “your child has cancer.”

I NEED YOUR HELP.

Allow me to introduce you to this years Boy and Girl of the Year. When I first met these two families, I was extremely moved. Quincy was 4 when he was diagnosed. Grace Kelly was 12. They both allowed me into their lives to film the below video. Spend 5 minutes hearing their stories. It will be the best use of your time today.

THEY NEED YOUR HELP.

If there is one thing I am, it’s tenacious. So if I get a little obnoxious over the next 10 weeks, you’ll have to deal with it. I am not going to apologize for asking for money over and over again. And if I see you in the hallway and you haven’t donated, I’ll probably say something. And if you like this post, I am going to assume that’s your indication of a future donation. And if we are socializing over a glass of wine or running a few miles together, I’m going to talk about this campaign. Because though I didn’t have a personal connection with blood cancer before this campaign began, I do now. It’s those two kids. It’s Gwyn and Jenn’s dad. It’s Haley’s sister. It’s Mark’s family. It’s Tom’s dad. It’s Lya’s childhood friend.

My goal is $50,000 and I am only going to get there with a LOT of donations.

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP:

• Donate to my campaign. 

• Become a corporate sponsor (or introduce me to one!)
• Donate an auction item (comment below!)
• Host a fundraising event (comment below!)
• Spread this message to your network.

Thank you in advance for your support. I’d like to get to $5000 in the first week by personal donations alone. We’re halfway there…..can you help?

The resort (Ritz Carlton) was fabulous. The food delicious. The drinks tropical. The company SO much fun.

On Day 1, we went snorkeling off the dock at Hammerheads and saw some crazy big fish! That night we ate at the Wharf where I got to feed the tarpon! Those suckers were massive and hungry.

monsters!

here fishy fishy fishy!

On Day 2, we both went for a run on the beach. Then we spent half the day at the pool and the rest on the beach. We found this ingenious floating Styrofoam table tethered about 20 feet off the shore in the water and relaxed for hours there with another couple. As my friend Mel says, all the world’s problems could be solved on those tables. That night we attended the opening beach party!

running

iconically orange

On Day 3, we had a private area of the beach so I finished a great book (The Secret Keeper) and JD and I went paddlboarding for the first time! I played 4 games of beach volleyball before we got ready for dinner. That night we went with my team to Royal Palms and took over the dancefloor!

shade time

channel team TPC

the crew

On the last day, we got on a boat and headed to Stingray City. We swam with stingrays! I got bit by one. I also held “Sophie” and kissed her (which was pretty gross actually). We spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon on the boat, drinking rum punch and laughing with our new friends. That night, we had our ET presentation and fancy dinner. We ended up back in our room with another couple playing catchphrase into the wee hours of the morning!

JD and me.

Charlie bit me!

my girls

It was an incredible trip. I didn’t want to leave GC and contemplated extending the trip. But oh no…..I had reality to face. Like the 37 degree, pouring rain weather to run in this morning.

Meg and I this morning. Gross.

Oh to go back in time to just a few days ago……

Thanks ExactTarget and all the people who made this trip so much fun.