3:01 at Chicago Marathon – Need I say more?
If you’ve followed me, you know the title says enough.
I
have not run a 3+ hour marathon since the beginning of 2009 when I ran a
3:03 in Houston off a horribly written plan. I had no idea what I was
doing back then.
But I will say that despite the
craptastic finish time, I had the absolute BEST time that entire weekend.
I had my best friends down to watch, and a lot of
uncontrollable laughter filled the apartment we stayed in. Seriously, who stashes SIX bikes on a SUV and drives 7 hours down to Chicago with plans to wear mad cow costumes? I have awesome friends :).
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| Not quite sure what R is doing here. Must be some sort of cheer-squad move or interpretive dance. |
I even had a smile on my fact during the entire the
race itself, despite how far off I was and was continuing to get. Plus,
it’s hard not to smile when cow-suited Craig is dancing with his sign at
mile 24. No matter how poorly you know you’re doing, cows on bikes and
dancing cows can get you to crack a smile!
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| Yep, this happened. A cool enough cheer crew to make the Chicago Tribune! Photo credits to the Chicago Tribune. |
I’ll have a long recap sometime tomorrow. I have a
lot of reflecting to do in the next couple of days, including the
training cycle and the race itself, my mental and physical state, and
life goals in general. What might my path forward look like? NYC
is coming up, but life beyond that? Hmm. I have some thoughts
already, but know I need to digest those thoughts a little more :).
But
mostly, I’m taking time some time off and will enjoy some extra free
time this week to work on some fun non-running projects, work on my blog
and coaching goals, cook some fun meals, and enjoy some fun time with
Nate!! A 3:01, though disappointing, does not define me and is certainly not an accurate reflection of what I’ve done this summer. So, it’s time to let loose
& celebrate the opportunities I have.
Although… not too much. NYC is in 20 short days!! 🙂
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| You’ll find me dancing my little heart away this week!! Stop over, call, or email if you’d like to join me! |
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I’ll leave you with some Monday Motivation:
Maickel Melamed, who has muscular
dystrophy, after finishing the Chicago Marathon in 16
hours, 46 minutes this morning:
Nichole, I've been reading/lurking on your blog for a little while, and was sad for you about Chicago. I'm so glad you had a great time regardless, and you are surrounded with people who love you. And I reckon (and I'm sure you know this within yourself) that you definitely have that OQT in you, and its just busting to come out. Maybe NYC… maybe later. But its there and it will happen!!