All Kinds of Fall Fun - Brady

This fall has been the best. I've loved being home in Chicago and I've loved the little day trips we've taken to do the cider drinking and donut eating and pumpkin picking that's just not the same in the city.

A couple of weekends ago, Kevin and I drove up to Kenosha for the day, took a long bike ride, grabbed lunch at a diner downtown, did a little antique shopping, and wandered around an orchard for a little while.

Then, just last Saturday, we made the trip to my favorite Indiana orchard - Garwoods.

And the next day, we took some sandwiches down to North Pond and had a little fall-time picnic. It's a beautiful city, isn't it?

And finally, what would fall be without a little pumpkin carving? Last Thursday we geared up after a long day at work, lit a fire, and made these beauties.

Whew. Hope you got through all those pictures. And hope your fall's been as good as mine.

Pumpkin Bread Night or Reason #1568 Why I Love That All My Siblings Live In Chicago! - Brady

I got the fever the other day. I felt like fall was slipping away and I wasn't doing enough to enjoy it before the cold, cold winter hits this city. So I texted both my sisters, had Kevin text his, and we spur of the moment invited them over to our place to bake pumpkin bread. Amy and Roger couldn't make it, but we made up for it by having dinner with them the very next night.

I lit candles. (Heck. I was so excited I went to CVS and bought $3 apple scented candles as "party favors" for everybody. Yeesh.) Kevin made brussels sprouts (YUM - one of the fall food items I'm always most excited to eat) and pizza. We mixed up the batter. I licked the bowl. (No? No one else wants to risk salmonella poisoning? Just me?) We customized our loaves with pecans and chocolate chips. Lucy (Kelly's dog) and Elliot (Lesley and Paul's dog) circled each other and tried to steal each other's treats. We watched the storm outside.

As I type this, I'm eating the last crumbs of our pumpkin bread. It was pretty good, but not great. We made the executive decision to cut down on the oil the recipe called for (a cup per loaf...doesn't that seem like a lot?), so the bread ended up kind of dry. But whatever - it's pumpkin bread with pecans and chocolate chips on top!

It was a perfect fall night and one of the many, many reasons I feel like I'm living in exactly the right place, in exactly the right situation, here in Chicago with my sisters and sister-in-law and brothers-in-law a quick walk away.

And now you'll have to excuse me. We're headed to Lesley and Paul's for sushi theme night - we're ordering it and watching a documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. 

Have a wonderful fall weekend. 

Chicago Marathon Recap - Kelly

After my first marathon I documented my “marathon story” to remind myself of the accomplishment I had achieved but also to make sure my memory of the day was realistic as time went by.  I have gone back and read that post MANY times (mostly for inspiration!) and want to keep up the tradition by documenting my second go at 26.2 miles.  Non-runners… feel free to skip this post.  I won’t be offended. :)

My first marathon was in Duluth, MN along the shore of Lake Superior. It was a beautiful course and a well organized marathon but it definitely didn’t bring the excitement an event like the Chicago marathon does. When I signed up for Chicago I think I was most looking forward to the crowd and the energy and I have to say I was not disappointed!  

Sunday morning was super chilly- I don’t think the thermostat was even at 40 degrees when I headed out the door to get in a cab at 5:30 am.  I only added one extra layer to keep on before I handed everything off at gear check- I figured completely stripping down before getting in my corral would be too much of a shock if I had a bunch of extra layers. This is what it looked like when we met my sister in a cab… it would like quite a bit different a few hours later!

I was starting with my good friend Erin (but hung out before the race with my little sister, Amy, who was a few corrals behind us).   We kept telling each other what a great day it was for a race, how we felt good about our training, and how much fun we were going to have while we waited the 30 minutes in our corral for the race to start.  I honestly think we were both pretty nervous- all three of us (Amy included) had really busy summer and it was hard to get training runs in.

But the timer went off, and the race started!  Our first 10 miles were seriously amazing.  We stopped for a bathroom break between the 5 and 10K mark which added a good 5-6 minutes to our time but other than that we were totally cruising.  I was sort of blown away by the crowds- there was so much cheering and support it was almost overwhelming.  

My sister, Brady, was waiting for me with this sign right around mile 6 and it gave me a huge surge of energy seeing her and my brother-in-law, Kevin.  Here is the sign she made from me:

Apparently when we were training for Grandma’s marathon in 2011 she and Kevin started calling me “power pack” because, when it comes to running, I just kind of power through.  They would always make fun of the fact that I would show up for morning runs with stories about drinking (or eating) too much the night before but would (usually) pull the miles off and be okay at the end.  I think it also might have something to do with me being kind of small and compact.  What’s funny, and kind of strange, is they didn’t tell me about this nick name until well after the marathon was over but it’s stuck since then.  here they are cheering on the crowds in Lakeview:

I actually had to tell myself multiple times to just calm down and run a steady pace. :)  Boystown was fun but not quite as crazy as I expected.  Running through the southern part of Lincoln Park and Old Town was really pretty- it was fun running down residential streets and getting a slightly different view than being on the sidewalk or in a car.

Right between miles 12 and 13 I hit my first snag in the race.  My hips were starting to tighten up a little bit (not unusual- I have major hip problems during long runs) but the kicker was I was expecting to see my parents right outside my office building before the 13 mile marker.  Turns out they weren’t able to cross the street and were right there and saw me, but I didn’t see them.  I had been so excited about seeing so many friends and family out on the course that I didn’t even think about how disappointed I’d be if I missed someone.  Lesson learned- manage your expectations and go with the flow!  Luckily my amazing friend and co-worker Aviva was right at mile 14.  I sort of body checked her making her give me a hug as I ran by but it totally helped cheer me back up. 

I got a little crazy around mile 15 for quite a few reasons.  I do this mental thing where I split the marathon into 5 chunks of 5 miles (then figure I’ll just wing the last 1.2 miles on pure adrenaline!).  I knew that miles 15-20 were the hardest for me in Duluth and that I wasn’t particularly looking forward to that part of the course.  I also had somehow gotten it in my head that there were goos waiting for us at mile 14 (there weren’t… they were between 17 and 18!) so I was flipping out about that, too.  It also didn’t help that it felt like we were running west on Adams forever- I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see Damen before. But I got through it!  My friend Heather and her adorable baby Henry surprised us by showing up on the second half of the course THREE times to cheer us on!  Aviva found us twice more and I saw a few other random friends along the way.  

Erin and I stopped to stretch right before mile 18 then for a bathroom break around mile 20.  We split right after Pilsen (which was totally awesome, by the way- MAJOR cheering!) and I really started to pick up my pace.  Turning the corner at Cermak and Wentworth and going under the arch in Chinatown was the absolute coolest- the crowd was insane, the views were beautiful, and (best of all) I knew Brady was waiting to run to mile 25 with me.

People- if you have a friend or loved one running a marathon the absolute BEST thing you can do for them is jump in for a difficult chunk of the race.  I still walked through some aid stations with Brady but I was able to run a totally solid pace with her.  She stayed with me from mile 21.5 all the way to the 25th mile marker.  I was pretty zoned out for this part of the race but just having Brady running next to me felt familiar and energizing.  

Something I haven’t mentioned is my marathon playlist- this is something I put MAJOR thought into.  I didn’t listen to anything until mile 10 which ended up being pretty cool- I felt like I really got to experience the crowd and ride their energy during the first third of the race.  I had saved the new Killers and Mumford & Sons albums to listen to on race day.  I started the Killers around mile 10 and Mumford around mile 16.  To be totally honest it probably wasn’t the best choice- I’m excited about both albums but couldn’t really listen and focus the way I had planned.  When I finally turned on my super special end of the marathon playlist (about 80 minutes of my absolute favorite running music) I was so happy to hear something I knew it gave me a major boost of energy.  I listened to it from miles 20 until I met Brady then turned it on again at about mile 23.  When Brady left me at 25 I totally cranked it for the last 1.2.

Let me tell you- that last 1.2 miles is the true test of your training, grit and perseverance during a marathon.  You’re so close to the finish line and have come so far but that last little bit HURTS.  I had to talk myself out of taking a walking break about once every 30 seconds.  But miraculously I found the focus to pick up my pace and hit the last half mile hard.

Something pretty cool happened right at mile 26- I had added a Justin Bieber song to my final playlist for my friend Sam’s little girls who are MAJOR fans.  Right at mile 26 the song came on so I ran the last .2 miles and crossed the finish line with a major dose of inspiration from two of the coolest and strongest kids I know.  Definitely not something I planned but it ended up being one of my favorite things about the entire race experience.

After the race I wandered around for a little while, grabbed some food and an aluminum blanket and worked my way back to the charity village where I was meeting my parents (who actually saw me again right before the finish around the 26 mile mark).  I had the weirdest pain and pressure in my lower back and hips- I had to stop and stretch and after the biggest pop ever (I thought for a second I broke something!) I actually felt a million times better and was easily on my feet for the rest of the afternoon.  After warming up for a few minutes, I got to watch and cheer for Amy at mile 26- if we couldn’t run together watching her finish the race was the next best thing!

My overall time was 4.58.59- about 6 minutes slower than my first marathon- but my overall pace seemed to be between 10.45 and 11.15 which is way faster than I usually run distance races.  Without the three stops I think I would have finished around 4.45 which was my unofficial goal.  I’m pretty thrilled with the way the entire race went down and am already getting excited about my next set of running goals.  I think I’ll take the next year to get my half marathon pace quite a bit faster then will tackle my third marathon in the fall of 2014.  

I feel pretty good today- the toes on my left foot have seen better days but my muscles actually feel alright.  I’m heading to a four day conference in Miami and am actually brining my running shoes if that’s any indication of how I’m feeling.  :)

I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to wear this shirt and putting it on this morning felt pretty darn good!

(Special thanks to the lovely Erin and Brady who took all these pictures... well, except the last one!)

My First Marathon -Amy

Wow.  It's done.  26.2 miles.  Finished.  Yes!

I wanted to make sure to write all about my first marathon experience pretty quickly following the actual event.  So, as I finished the marathon yesterday I decided to put my sore feet up and write all about my experience.  All in all, it was really great.

The whole experience really started for me on Saturday, the day before.  I got up relatively early to ensure that I would be nice and tired that night so I could get plenty of sleep.  I got ahold of Kelly and her friend Erin and we met up at the Marathon Expo.  It was really cool.  Lots of fun vendors, running gear, photo ops, you name it.  I got a new pair of running pants and some awesome pictures.  Here is one of my favorites:

You could scan your bib, and the Nike store put up your name with a fun saying.  Their motto this year was "Own Chicago"  so this is the one that came up for me. After our photo ops and shopping, we watched a video of the course map on a big screen.  I started to get VERY nervous, and stayed that way until I crossed the starting line.

After the Expo, I headed home to get ready for visitors to arrive.  Roger's Dad and his wife Cindy came up for the night to hang out and to watch me in the marathon the next day.  It meant so much that they made the drive to be a part of this very important weekend for me.  They arrived, and we headed out to my favorite Italian Restaurant, Angelina's.  Kelly met us, and Roger and Cindy treated us to a very delicious dinner full of carbo-loading.  It was so sweet of them and so delicious.

After dinner, we headed home.  I opted out of hanging out and went pretty much straight to bed.  I was laying down with lights off by 9:20.  I decided to play "The Spirit of the Marathon" on my computer as I fell asleep.  I was told by a friend that it was a must see before your first marathon.  I only could stay awake for about 20 minutes of it, and those 20 minutes included footage of elite runner after elite runner collapsing seconds before the finish line.  For a girl that was already nervous, this was NOT the best part of the movie to watch.  If these people were dropping like flies, how in the world was I ever going to cross the finish line?  So, I went to sleep very nervous, but somewhat excited.  I had TONS of support from family and friends and I was ready to do what it took to finish.

My alarm went off at 5:15 on race morning.  I got up, got dressed, washed my face, stretched, drank some water, and ate a cliff bar and a banana.  At 5:45, the cab picked me up.  We headed to Kelly's neighborhood to get Kelly and Erin, then we were off to the race.  We wondered around, dropped our stuff at the TFA tent, and headed to our corrals.  I stood in my corral for about an hour before actually crossing the starting line.  Then, we were off.

Miles 1-5 are a complete blur.  I was loving every second.  I felt great,  I was energized by the atmosphere, and I felt like I could run forever (and I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to).  Somewhere between mile 2 and 3, I met a friend.  Her name was Elizabeth, and we ran together until Mile 20.  She was GREAT.  We chatted, laughed, pointed out funny signs, and talked about how we couldn't believe that the miles just kept going and going.  5-10 were also easy for me.  Brady and Kevin were standing cheering for me between 5 and 6, and Roger and his family were somewhere in mile 7.  I LOVED seeing them and hearing them cheer for me.  It totally energized me!  When Brady and Kevin started cheering for me from across the street, an entire group of guys that were also running started chanting my name along with them!  It was totally fun!

Elizabeth and I were trucking along, and I was doing great until Mile 13.  My Mom and Dad were along the course between mile 12 and 13.  I didn't see them, but they saw me pass.  Before I knew it, my Mom was SPRINTING next to me to catch me!  It was awesome!  I got to stop and give them both a hug before continuing on.  At the half way point, I started to realize that I was going to have to do all of that AGAIN.  Woof.

Mile 14 and 15 were ok, but miles 15-21ish were ROUGH.  My hips hurt, but I just kept trying to ignore it and push on.  These miles seemed to last FOREVER.  I lost Elizabeth at Mile 20 because she needed to stop for the bathroom and I really couldn't stop at that point.  She gladly told me to go ahead and we thanked each other for the support.  I'll find her on facebook.  I was hurtin for certain until mile 21, which took me into Chinatown.

Right after Mile 22, I turned this corner to see Roger and his family's smiling faces.  I thought I was just passing them and that I would have to go on, and before I knew it, ROGER was running next to me.  He only ran with me for about 30 seconds, but it was EXACTLY what I needed.  I have never been happier to see him in my life (seriously, it was almost as good as when we were getting married!).  Here's a picture of me holding on for dear life!

After Roger and I parted ways, I started to realize I was actually going to finish.  I had to keep telling myself to calm my body down because I would start to run fast and get really tired and want to walk.  I was close, but I still had about 4 miles left.  I needed to still pace myself.  I pushed through, and made it to mile 25.

At mile 25, my super fan, Brady, jumped in with me for a second!  She ran with me and was yelling, "You're less than a mile away from finishing a marathon!!!"  It was awesome.  She also assured me that my family was waiting 400 meters away from the finish line ready to watch me come in.  I could do this.  25.2 passed, then I saw the 26 mile marker, then I saw meter signs counting down.  800 meters, 400 meters (family cheering here!) and finally, FINALLY, the FINISH LINE!  I crossed it, and didn't know what to do.  I mindlessly started walking, grabbing whatever people were handing me.  A space blanket, a medal, a banana, a bag of snacks, a bottle of water.

My legs HURT.  Walking was AWFUL and I knew if I sat I would never get up.  I saw a sign pointing me toward the "Charity Village" and walked that way.  Little did I know that there were multiple charity villages and I was headed to the one on the complete OPPOSITE side of where my family and friends were waiting.  After a lot of walking on sore legs, a few phone calls from Roger, and a complete unwillingness to keep wandering around trying to figure out where I was, I told Roger, "I'm sitting down right where I am.  Someone needs to come find me."  I was delirious, almost in tears, and so tired of walking.  All I wanted to do was see my family.  Luckily, I must have given Roger enough information to figure out where I was, because about 3 minutes later, he and my mom came up to where I was pathetically sitting and helped me walk back to where everyone was.  Here is how they found me:

Pretty pathetic, huh?



Well folks. That was it.  We came back to my apartment.  I took the BEST bath ever.  Everyone came over and we pigged out on pizza and beer.  It was SO amazing to have my family with me after I accomplished this huge goal.  Kelly killed it, her time beating mine by almost an hour.  I met my goal of finishing, and it was a great day.  What I still can't get over is all of the support from everyone.  I got cards, words of encouragement, balloons, chocolate covered strawberries, flowers, notes, texts, hugs, EVERYTHING.  The "marathon fairy" even gave Brady a bag of goodies to give me.  Here are picture of the wonderful things that people sent to support me.

Also, in the process of running this marathon I raised $1200 for the Walter Payton Foundation.  Below are the names of everyone who donated written on my bib.  You ALL ran the race with me!

It was AMAZING.  I FINISHED.  I am so happy.  I love that I got to do this all with my sister, and I love that my wonderful family was there to see it all go down.  What a GREAT experience.  I learned so much throughout this whole process.  I learned that I can push myself much farther than I thought both physically and mentally, I learned that my family and friends ROCK (which I actually already knew), and I learned that there are so many generous, kind, supportive people in this world, and most importantly in my life.  I am forever grateful to all of you for all of the support you've given.  THANK YOU!