This is the part of my blog where I discuss a memory that is somehow Crohn's related (I have a bunch of good ones planned, so don't worry...these aren't going to be installations detailing the minutiae of my last trip to the gastroenterologist).
Today I'm going to start with a very happy memory: running the 2005 Chicago Marathon.
This "doing a sporting event to raise money for GIRF" thing is not new to me. In October 2005, Eileen and I ran the Chicago Marathon, and in the process I raised over $2000 for GIRF via donations from family and friends. An extra special thank you again needs to go to everyone who donated, but especially to my parents and their extensive network of friends (who, in essence, have served as my adoptive aunts and uncles since my extended family lives in Switzerland). You were all so generous, and I am still thankful for the support you gave me leading up to and on the day of the Marathon (and since)!
So, the Marathon was a really incredible experience. It was 26.2 miles through most Chicago neighborhoods, and it was such a great way to see the city. The coolest thing about the race was that you really got to see the different characters of Chicago neighborhoods. Running by the skyscrapers downtown, listening to techno music and seeing men in drag in Boystown, getting distracted by the traditional Mexican dancers in their bright-colored dresses in Pilsen, being offered sliced oranges from small kids in Chinatown--it was as though the city put all its (best) faces forward that day to support the runners and (especially at the end) help you fight through the pain (The picture above is taken at around mile 13, right smack in the middle of the Loop. That's Eileen in the lower right-hand corner).
The race itself went relatively well. Eileen and I had run up to 22 miles during our training, and we had been told (as marathon virgins) that our adrenaline would push us through the final 4.2 miles on race day. This basically held true for Eileen, but was an outright lie for me. At approximately mile 22, I thought that I was going to collapse. I stopped at every Gatorade station, held back my wife from finishing strong (I needed someone to throw me over their back and carry me in case I fell over) and just had a general sense of malaise for the last 45 minutes or so of the race. It's actually quite funny when you look at my times because we were holding about 7 min 30 second miles for the first 16 miles, and then they started creeping up to 8/8:30...and from 22 on it was all over 10 minutes/mile. In the end, I didn't care, because I crossed the finish line and did what I set out to do. And in case anyone was wondering, we finished the marathon in 3 hrs 49 minutes (Eileen beat me by a few seconds--which separated us by like 40 people in the standings(!)), but Eileen would have been even faster if I hadn't been the ol' ball and chain. Hey, that's the way love goes, folks!
When we finished, Eileen thought I didn't look so good--apparently I was even whiter than I normally am, with a nice tint of green to my complexion. But lots of food and water later, I felt better. However, I was left with one thing to ponder: what is up with the people who run 26.2 miles and then can head straight to the Miller truck to down free beers? That is some hardcore training, people.
The next week was pretty painful on the joints; my marathon-seasoned friend Holly told me that it would be much easier on my knees if I would walk backwards down the stairs, and boy was she ever right (keep this tidbit of info handy should you ever run a marathon)! Other than that, though, long-term pain was pretty minor.
Here are the lessons I learned from the marathon:
1) You can do anything if you decide you are going to. I had never run any sort of race before (I am, and always will be, a water baby), but I figured I might as well start with a marathon. It required a lot of training, a lot of early mornings, and a lot of convincing myself to get out of bed--but it was worth it. If you have a goal--to learn a language or to play an instrument, to run a marathon or fly a plane--go for it! You'll be glad you did.
2) Doing things with someone you love is a lot more fun. I never would have finished if I didn't have Eileen as a training and race partner.
3) Men need to put band-aids or athletic tape or some other similar substance over their nipples if they run long distances. Otherwise, they will bleed and be subject to infection (this happened to me).
4) Chicago is an even cooler city than I thought.
5) The world is full of extremely generous people (see the first part of this post).
When I think about my Marathon experience, it makes me even more excited for the Urbanathlon. I'm looking forward to another unforgettable day.
No comments:
Post a Comment