The Day After

Yesterday was the "big day".  I had only one goal, which was to cross the finish line.  I accomplished that goal, and it was (physically) the absolute hardest thing I have ever done in my life.  It took me more than 6 1/2 hours to finish, which is an hour longer than I had anticipated.  By no means am I disappointed with my time, but I am astounded that it actually did take me that long.  I've been told that the Baltimore Marathon is a very hilly race, and it's definitely true.  It's not very noticeable, as the hills are long and slow and gradual, and you don't realize that you're on a hill until you try to figure out where the fatigue is coming from.  

By about mile 13, I was starting to feel my joints hurt, but it wasn't too bad, definitely tolerable.  I did, however, make a mental note that I was only halfway through at that point, and small seeds of doubt began to plant in my brain.  I shut them down, of course, and kept going.  By mile 18 or so, I was hurting more, mostly in my hips and knees.  This is where I started to take small walking breaks on the uphill portions.  By mile 2o, I was feeling miserable, knowing that as much as I wanted to quit, I would NOT allow myself to do so.  

All along the route, there were people -- race officials, police officers and ordinary citizens -- cheering the runners on.  That kind of support means a lot, and it is very much appreciated.  The last 5 miles were brutal.  More than once, there were tears flowing... I'm not sure why, but it was probably a combination of several things  -- pain, fatigue, and simply wanting to get to the finish line, thinking of my friends who were waiting there for me.  Miles 22-25 were spent mostly walking... although it hurt just as much to walk as it did to run, so I would keep trying to run if at all possible.  

I had a list of 26 special people, to whom I dedicated one mile each.  The last mile was set aside for Scott, and I knew I had to run, not walk, that mile, no matter how hard it was.  As I hit that last mile marker, I forced myself to run and to not stop, thinking of Scott the whole time, knowing he was running alongside me.  I kept hearing folks cheering me on -- "good job", "you can do it", "keep pushing", "you're almost there"  -- and although I couldn't actually say thank you to them, I did manage to acknowledge them with little waves of my hand.  That kind of support from random strangers is priceless.  

Special thanks to Craig for being my personal chauffeur and photographer and supporter for the day.  He picked me up in the morning, waited around all day (looking for me on several portions of the race, but not finding me), and met me at the finish line.  Sean and Linda were also there at the finish, waiting with big hugs and cold water to dump on my head... which felt sooo good!  

After a pasta dinner and an ice bath, I enjoyed 10 hours of much-needed sleep.  There is still pain today, but it's getting better... which is good, because I'm entering a climbing competition this coming Saturday!  I just don't stop, do I?  ;-)

I'll be shutting down the donations button on this site next Saturday, 10/18.  That, however, does not mean you can't donate directly to Yellow Ribbon Fund.  Please keep our Wounded Warriors in mind, and any time you see a soldier, take a moment to thank him or her for their service and dedication to our country.  The sacrifices they make are the reason we're here to enjoy what we have.

The Home Stretch!

I'm entering the home stretch leading up to the big day! I can't believe it's almost here, and I'm really excited. A lot of folks have asked me if I'm nervous about it... well, I'm not. There's nothing to be nervous about. I've trained hard, I feel great, and I'm as ready as I'll ever be. As long as I prepare (sufficient carbs, lots of hydration and a good night's sleep), I should be all set. I'm told that the biggest mistake some people make is to start the race at a pace that's too fast for them, which can prohibit their completion of the run. The advice I'm getting is to start running at half the pace I think I'm running, and I should be good to go... let's hope I can remember that advice in the excitement and hoopla of the starting line!

For any of you who are interested, you can find tons of information on the race at http://www.thebaltimoremarathon.com/. If you're coming up to watch, you can find info on spectator parking, directions, etc... it's all right there on the site.

This past week, I hit a milestone in my fundraising... I surpassed the $1000 mark! I'm making one last push now for any additional donations. I know the economy is crap right now, so please know that I (and the Yellow Ribbon Fund) appreciate every penny that's donated!

Since I started training in May, I've run well over 300 miles... it would have been more, had I not taken several weeks off to recover from an over-use injury, but that is so far behind me that I've actually forgotten I was injured! What a great feeling to not remember being hurt! :)

With this being my final week of training, I'd like to send special thanks out to some key folks. In no particular order, many thanks go to the following people:

~Ed, Marti, Kevin and Christy K, for giving me their blessing to run this race and raise all this money in Scott's honor
~John Q, for so many things, primarily his support in this endeavour, as well as for taking care of my dog Holly during the weekend of the race so I don't have to walk her
~The folks at YRF, for the wonderful work they do to help support our Wounded Warriors
~Craig C, for his friendship and support, as well as for all his help (and patience!) in setting up this blog site for me
~Brian H, for all his advice and help with my training
~Jon T, for his support and his understanding of what it takes to train for this (as he's been training for the Marine Corps Marathon on 10/26)
~Jess T, for her cheerleading and uplifting words, even from 2500 miles away
~Marchica & Deppa LLC, for their pledge to match the donations I've taken in
~The folks at Planet Cotton in Gaithersburg, for their patience with my ignorance of the screen printing process for my t-shirts
~Mike at Grind On Cafe in Baltimore, for his yummy coffee and bagels after my early morning runs
~Nikki A and Julie L, my downstairs neighbors, for not getting upset with me when I've unintentionally (sorry!) woken them up as I headed out for my 5am training sessions.
~The makers of Gu Energy Gel, for providing much-needed sustenance during my super-long training runs... I could not have finished without it!
~Most importantly, to Scott, for running alongside me all these months and all these miles... I miss you buddy, and I love you, always.
~... and to everyone else who has donated funds, sent inspiring messages, or simply said, "hey, cool!" when I've told them what I'm training for... I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your generosity and support mean the world to me.

--Suzy Q