i'll start at the beginning...
saturday was the expo and packet pick up. i got to meet hal higdon and hear him speak.
i've always used his training plans, so it was awesome to get the chance to meet him. i wanted to meet dean, but he wasn't coming until later that afternoon. i did lots of walking at the expo and around the city that day. it's hard to avoid that when there is so much to see in a new place.
i woke up on sunday about 5 a.m. felt pretty good, even though i didn't sleep very well.
the forecast looked perfect - a high of 74 for the day, with little wind.
it was a little chilly at the start, so i brought a shirt i could toss when i warmed up. i ended up getting rid of it at mile 2. i decided to run with the 5:00 pacer. i've never run with a pace group, but i thought i'd give it a try. i knew i could speed up or slow down from the group at anytime. i felt really good until mile 20, so i stayed with the group until then. at that point, i decided to back off a little, so i could zone out and listen to my ipod. miles 21-26 were HARD - tons of hills! the finish was great! it was down hill, and you could see the finish line about 1/2 mile away.
the glorious finish line!
such a great feeling to cross that line!! it wasn't a PR, but i ended up being just a few minutes behind the pacer. i was happy with my time for such a hilly course, and i now have a new favorite marathon!
the crowd support was amazing! i almost felt like i was in chicago again. in some neighborhoods, it looked like people were having a big breakfast together, and cheering for the runners. the yards were full of tables and chairs and lots of food.
my friend amy came to cheer me on again. what a great friend she is!!
i got to see her at mile 3, 19, 24, and the finish. there's nothing quite like seeing a friend or a family member when you're running that far! it was so great!
thanks for all the emails, texts, and phone calls from so many of you as well! they meant so much to me.
11 comments:
Way to go Wendy! You look super cute in your pre-race photo! Glad you had a good race and hope you are recovering well!
Congrats Wendy! It sounds like you had a great race! That's great that your friend went to your race and cheered for you at multiple spots along the course. I'm sure it's so helpful to see a familiar face.
Congrats wendy! I'm glad it went well and you enjoyed yourself. Hooray for seeing your friend along the way! Hope you're walking normal now :)
Great job!!! Sounds like you had a great race. It's always good to have your own cheer section!
Happy recovering!!
Great job! Another one is in the books! It sounds like a great crowd and a fun atmosphere! Congrats!
way to go! congrats!!
Thought of you this weekend! Glad you had fun! Yay for finishing your 4th marathon!
Thanks, ladies! I'm feeling great, and can't wait for my next one!
i LOVED reading and seeing the pics here too!!! so proud of and happy for you :)
Congratulations, Wendy! It was a beautiful day and you did a great job! It's a tough course those last 6 miles with the hills. Way to hang in there!
Congrats!!! I'm super impressed you are already ready to run another one!
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