Mission Accomplished

I have finished my first marathon. Final time was 4 hours 17 minutes. My toenails are black and blue, and one is falling off. My knees hurt and my left ankle is awful sore. My family is still in shock by everything they witnessed on the course (Tim got a bunch on tape, but I am not sure if "what happens during a race stays in the race" is proper etiquette) I am trying to reconnect with friends who were at that race, they even made a sign, but completely missed me (I feel awful).

But I am completely thrilled to be done the marathon. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the beer afterwards.

I couldn't have done it without my husband, family, and friends (Cynda even jumped in and ran with me...well so did James and Tim but that is for later) who sacrificed sleeping-in, church, and their Sunday morning to be with me at the start, middle, and finish of the race. I love you!

And I couldn't have been more prepared if it weren't for all the wonderful running bloggers who ran before me, and gave me so many words of encouragement. Thank you!!!

I will post more later, my sister got some great shots!

I want to aplogize to everyone for the lack of posts recently, and for the blandness of my posts. I also apologize for boring people with my running updates.

My first marathon is this coming Sunday, and therefore it is all I can think about. My stomach has been in a ball of knots since last week. My sleep has been un-even, uncomfortable, and somewhat more tiring.

I told my brother-in-law last night that this has been one of the weirdest emotional journeys I have ever been on. It is weird what your body goes through, and therefore what thoughts pass through your mind. I have learned a lot about myself through all the training, and have had a lot of time to think and pray on my long 20-plus mile runs.

Thanks for sticking with me, and post-Sunday I hope to be back to normal.

Marathon Status Report..Nerves and Excitement

Recently, I go back and forth from being really nervous to really excited. AHHHHHH. I find myself praying that God just gives me the strength to finish the marathon.

I went for a run on Monday night that was supposed to be 6 miles but it started to get really dark and I started to get stitches all over my body. I felt sick from the get-go. I only had fruit and nuts for lunch, a big mistake. I had to work overtime to fight the wind. Then my adrenaline started plummeting. I only did about 4.5 miles. I thought, " I can't do this. Am I crazy? What was I thinking signing up for a marathon? I am going to embarass myself in front of my family and friends."
NERVES.

Then yesterday I ran 6.3 miles in 50 minutes, including a bathroom break. That is an average mile pace of around 8 minutes. I ran hard and my legs still felt great. My thoughts were much different, "Wow, this is going to be really exciting running with 30,000 people. I wonder if the music will be good? Will there be bands playing? What will the weather be like? Whatever it is I am ready to kick some butt. I wonder if I will break my goal?"
EXCITEMENT.

Only a week and a day to go...If nothing else this has been a roller-coaster ride.

The Barnes

This past weekend, my mother and I visited the Barnes Foundation. It is a jewel in the middle of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania.

"Dr. Albert C. Barnes established The Barnes Foundation in 1922 to 'promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts.' " This mission is displayed throughout the entire property.

The Barnes Foundation, which is just as Dr. Barnes left it before he died in 1951, includes a gallery and arboretum. Dr. Barnes had a very unique way of displaying his art. Because he believed that all people regardless of race, socio-economic status, age, and gender should be able to enjoy art, he displayed his art in an educational way that sparks discussion. Why did he put these two paintings next to each other? What can we learn from this? Unlike most art museums which display one painting on a wall with a description next to it, Barnes places Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, Rousseau, and Modigliani all together on one wall, without any description. This forces the observer to figure out what Barnes was thinking when he hung the paintings, how the paintings tie together, and how the images and colors speak to one another.

Dr. Barnes had an appreciation for all types of art, not only paintings but intricate hinges, Hope Chests, functional African art, sculptures from the tops of cathedrals, everyday furniture, and even pottery crafted by a little child.



Paul Cezzane once said, "The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution." I think that Barnes believed that observation could evoke emotions and set off a revolution in the way we see art. He brought paintings to his factories so that the workers too could observe and learn. He valued the opinion of children and what they thought of Van Gogh and Monet. He hangs a Matisse next to an old ornamental chair that is weighted down by an African pot. He forces you to think beyond the strokes, to the wall color, to the furniture in the room, and over to the metal used on the door hinge. When on the Barnes property, it is hard to ignore that Dr. Barnes did start a revolution how one looks at art.

The Arboretum at Barnes

The Arboretum at Barnes

The Barnes Property

this is for you Patty

This is a goofy picture...

Call Me Crazy

So, I was hoping that posting on my must-do training would hold me accountable. I even thought about Jank's comment about running 24-26 miles. I can do this I thought.

However, the elements were not in my favor yesterday. I woke up to torrential downpours. "I'll put running off until tomorrow," I said. But by mid morning,after my fifth cup of coffee and second time flipping through CookingLight, I was antsy. I needed to get out. Except the rain was coming down sooo hard.

I remembered that my friend (MER) once told me about her friend who trained for a marathon entirely on a treadmill. While atthe time this sounded completely insane, it was my only option yesterday.

So I headed down to our fitness center. Yes,I live on top of my fitness center. I walk on its ceiling, it isdirectly below me. You can imagine that this is both good and bad. Good: at 5:30 in the morning, when I don't get home from work until 8:30 at night, for days like yesterday. Bad: when all you want to dois curl-up on the couch and eat chocolate, but feel guilty about not going to the gym which is soooo close.

At 1pm I started my run on the treadmill. It was the longest 11 miles of my life. My i-pod for some reason kept playing the same songs over and over. I tried to watch football while running, but even the game was not keeping me motivated. It was hot, stuffy, and did I mention incredibly boring?

That was it, I had it with the treadmill. I went back upstairs to my apartment,ate half of a powerbar and headed outside. My husband looked at me like I was crazy. I thought, "I have run in the rain before, it can't be that bad."

There were three things that I realized as I made my way down the National Mall for a 7 mile loop. 1. The rain I had run in before was a gentle spring shower, not torrential downpours. 2. The wind(which I obviously had not noticed from my apartment window) was powerful. 3. When it rains for two days straight, grass becomes muddy, sidewalks become washed out, and puddles become lakes.

Therefore,not only was I dodging tourists who were staring at me, I was dodging sinking mud, huge puddles of rain, and the spray from cars.

I also came to the realization around the fourth miles that maybe I WAS crazy. People in DC do things to the extreme. They work hard and play hard. And they are exercise fanatics. On any given night you can find hundreds of people running on the National Mall. How many people did I pass running yesterday? 3. And I think one of them was just running from one Smithsonian to the other to dodge the rain, not for exercise.

Needless to point out I didn't get in my 24 miles, I didn't really even get in 20. I think I ran about 18-19 miles. It was frustrating. I missed my running partner Anna. I missed the great feeling you get at the end of a long run. Instead I just wanted a warm shower and big mug of hot chocolate.

Good Luck to everyone who is running this weekend! I know your training will pay off and you all will do great. I look forward to your post-race posts.

I, on the other hand, am still training. I am scheduled to do my 24-26 mile run this weekend before tappering off. However, the forecast looks like rain, rain, and more rain. I don't mind running in the rain, but downpours?

I heard that when you start tappering, your body can become depressed. After thriving on long runs for so long, your body becomes sluggish. However, the tappering, while seemingly harmful at first begins to rejuvinate your body in time for the marathon. This is all very interesting to me as I work towards my first marathon.

Dreaming of Mums and Pumpkins

reds, oranges, deep greens. hot cider, apple crisp, stews, and butternut squash. running in the crisp evenings. sleeping with the windows open. long pants, sweaters, and flip-flops. roasted pumpkin seeds. football games. bright blue skies and brilliant sun. fallen leaves.

Tim and I just returned from a relaxing 24 hours in Fishing Creek, Pennsylvania. Our friends wedding brought us to this stunning piece of land outside of Harrisburg, and it was incredibly hard to leave. As we pulled up to our lodge the first thing we noticed was the silence. The air was crisp, clean, and refreshing. We woke up early this morning to play golf...the course was deserted, allowing us to take in the scenery as we took our time playing the immaculate course.



I didn't get much running in this weekend. Only a short run yesterday, but I have definitely been rejuvinated in other ways. (I also got to see old old friends from Maine yesterday! It was a very joyful reunion!)

Mazel Tov!!!!!