12 Marathons in 12 Months...ACCOMPLISHED!

I finished my 12th marathon of the year at the Rock 'N' Roll Las Vegas Marathon!
My 2009 goal.
And...it just happened to be on my birthday!

It was a whirlwind trip. We didn't leave until early morning Saturday. Arrived to Vegas, met up with Karen and went to packet pick up and rocked out with some Elvi.

Then that afternoon Amanda and I headed off to see the Lion King as Doug met up with his team to go to the pasta party to celebrate the start a great journey...their first half marathon.

Then it was an early morning race day with a 6:15 am start. I kissed Doug as he left uber early to meet up with his team to give them their last minute inspiration and instructions. Amanda and I 'slept in' til around 4:45 am. Karen then came up to meet us so we could take the tram to Mandalay Bay.
The Marathon Girls...

Before heading out, I lost my phone somewhere in between our room and the bathroom downstairs. I wanted to take it with me to call Stacey and Nikemom to see if we could meet up and also to take some pictures of the race. I didn't find it, but thought it might had been upstairs in the room. It ended up at lost and found and I was able to recover it. Whoo Hoo.

At the start, Amanda took off to her corral and Karen and I started together. The start was fun with 15 minutes of continuous fireworks, the whole strip still lit up, 2 white tigers pacing at the start, 30 thousand people and huge tv screens displaying the coverage of the marathon.

I ran the first half with my BFF, Karen, and then had a strong second half. From mile 12-26.2 I passed over 100 people and only 2 of those ever passed me back up. I felt like a rock star! And as I crossed the finish line, I had the best person ever present me my medal...Doug.

We then waited for Karen and Doug presented Karen with her medal as well. With several tears flowing, we headed back to the hotel to get ready and cleaned up to meet up with a few friends for celebration drinks for:

Doug's 82 marathon...my birthday...Doug's team completing their 1st half marathon...Karen's 2nd marathon...Amanda's 3rd marathon and my 12th marathon of the year. Now THAT'S a lot to celebrate!

Here is a few of us after Mexican food and margaritas!

All in all...a fun weekend. A whirlwind...and I never even put a penny in the slots as I was already ONE LUCKY GIRL!

Bass Pro Shop Marathon

It sucked.
Really... I should say I sucked.
It didn't.
It is a great race.
Perfect weather.
Beautiful fall foliage.
Lots of volunteers.
Nice trails to run on.
It really is a great race.
I don't want my crappy attitude to take away from their race.
It was me.
Not the race.
I was toast from the beginning.
3 marathons in 3 weeks...
Is a lot.
At mile 7 I was ready to quit.
I didn't need this marathon to make up my 12 of the year. I had already done an 'extra' so I was one up.
I came up on Battlefield Mall and knew I was several miles from Bass Pro, so if I wanted to quit, I would have to walk several miles back to Bass Pro. Well crap. Why would I do that? Just keep going forward. Forward. Forward.
Uggg...it sucked.
Then my mind set changed.
It got better.
Not great.
But better.
I finished.
With a smile.
And got my Big Bad Ass Bass.

Next marathon...2 weeks. I'm having a hard time getting excited about it. I'm still not fully set on running it. Then the grand finale in Vegas on my birthday. I AM excited about that.

Blue Springs 50/50 Marathon

What a difference a week makes.
One week ago I ran the Detroit Marathon.
This week...the Blue Springs 50/50 Marathon.
It's 50/50 cuz they offer a 50 Miler...50K
And the Marathon and Half Marathon are just the junior races.

A week ago I was running into a different county with 18000 people.
This week...on a local crushed gravel trail I've run several times with probably a total of 50 people.
Last week thousands of volunteers, spectators and police on the course.
This week a handful of spectators waiting for their runner to come back to 'base' before heading towards another out and back. A max of 2 people at the water stop. And miles and miles on my own with not a person in sight. It was heaven. So calm. So peaceful.
We did have all kinds of goodies at the water stops this week cuz of the ultra runners. Mmm...
The trees were all sorts of beautiful colors both weeks.
The sun was shining both weeks.
Except the last .2 miles of this marathon where it poured.
Leaves blanketed the trail this week.
I love the sound of leaves crunching under my feet. I think heaven will have a place you can go anytime you want to listen to the leaves crunch under your feet.
I did have to stop...kid you not...at least a dozen times to empty out my shoes of crushed gravel and leaves. I need some gators.
Last week 10 former Biggest Loser competitors competed in the half marathon.
This week 10 people ran the 50 miler. Amazing!
Last week an awesome long sleeved pink dry fit shirt.
This week a long sleeved blue cotton tshirt that has a hand drawn turtle with a hat on it.
Last week a beautifully designed medal.
That I didn't actually receive cuz I'm too slow.
But still hope to get it in the mail eventually.
This week...I had hoped for the ever famous light switch cover medal.
Kid you not. They handed out light switch covers with a printed picture of a man on a trail running glued to it.
Now that's why I ran this damn race.
So I could get a light switch cover.
Doug has two.
I wanted one.
But this year I got the now ever famous...
Turtle...with a hat...cut out of ply-wood with a piece of paper glued to it that says Blue Springs 26.2M.
Hmmm...I really wanted a light switch cover.
Doug said he would trade me a light switch cover for my cut out turtle but that's not fair.
So instead of a medal...I got a woodal.
Oh...did I fail to mention, when I went to my car...the paper on my woodal got wet and crinkled.
See the beauty for yourself...

All in all...despite the numerous breaks emptying the shoes. Tons of walking. .2 miles in the pouring rain. And my beautiful woodal...it was all good. Wish I could have gotten a damn light switch cover, but at least this week I got something.
It really is just funny what a difference a week makes. I really did enjoy both marathons. Each certainly had their own pros. And I love my woodal like I love every other medal I have earned.
And...what else did I have to do on a Sunday?!

Motoring in Motor City

*********This is how I looked the whole time!**********

Marathon Number 9 of the year...DONE!

I was more than pleasantly surprised with the Detroit Marathon. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I wasn't expecting the beauty I encountered running this marathon. This was a great course. If you ever get a chance to run this...DO!

What was perfect about the marathon:
Weather was a little chilly, but once I warmed up...perfect.
The sun was out and shining.
Met Coach Ken.
The fall foliage was beautiful.
Running into our Northern neighbors land was fun. Thanks Ontario!
The mile long tunnel under the Detroit River was super exciting.
Belle Isle was...belle.
Meeting new friends on the course.
Such amazing neighborhoods.
Volunteers galore.
Beer.
I'm a sucker for water, especially when it is sparkling in the sun and there was plenty of running near the water.
I actually didn't even get a medal at the finish. They ran out. But I was way okay with it cuz I had such a wonderful experience. And I know I'll get it eventually.

What's next?
Well...the Bass Pro Shop Marathon is in Springfield Missouri in two weeks. However...I'm PONDERING a local marathon this weekend. We'll see how I feel. And if the weather is good. It would be kinda fun to do 3 marathons in 3 weekends. We'll see!

A Visit from Stevie Nicks

Or so I thought when I walked in the front door one recent evening.
Doug was missing.
Molly too.

With a haze of smoke hanging in the air.
Filling the room with the scent of incense.
I was wondering where Ms. Nicks was hiding.

After phoning Doug to ensure he wasn't tied up somewhere by Stevie herself, he assured me he was okay and failed to notice the smell in the house. When he returned home, he pretty much indicated I was crazy and I was smelling things. I knew something was up but couldn't figure out what it was.

Upstairs.
Downstairs.
Nothing was out of place.

After asking for ohhh...
A couple of hours, I was wearing him down.
He gave in and asked me if I wanted to know what it is.
Well yes...
But no...
Not if it's supposed to be a surprise.
A surprise for our anniversary, nonetheless.

After discussing, Doug wanted to make sure I liked the surprise before he continued working on it. So he took me out to the garage where he had been working on this:

It's a plaque he was making that reads:
ALWAYS KISS ME GOODNIGHT

The scent ended up being Doug burning the letters into the wood. So no Stevie Nicks.

I have wanted one of these forever.
But have never bought one.
Does it get any better when one is actually made for you?!
How thoughtful is that?!
I truly have a wonderful man.

Tonight we hung it up above our bed.
It's huge.
The full length of our king size bed.
And it's beautiful.
I love it.
And Doug...with all my heart.

A Bunch of Busy's

As of late, it appears life has a hold of not just me, but many of you.
A lot of my blogger buddies haven't been posting like usual.
I.totally.understand.
I'm in the same boat.

This is what I've been up to lately:

A new job with a great company!
Back to running on a halfway regular basis.
Then...Doug and I have been canning fools.
Grape jelly. Made from our very own grapes out of our backyard.
Smooshing grapes. No foot wine (or jelly) here...

Salsa...Not sure why we didn't snap any pictures.

Cinnamon Apple Sauce....

And we also made our first batch of apple pies. From scratch.
Take a look at this baby. Yummm...

Neither of us have ever attempted this before.

It's been a blast making new things.

And they have all turned out delish.

Right now, we have a new wine brewing.

Who knows what is up Doug's sleeve that will be next on the list!

A Walk in the Park...Patriot's Run Race Report

The numbers...

Marathon number 25

Marathon number 8 of the year

Second marathon in four days

Third race in less than a week (a 5K race and 2 marathons)

My worst marathon time to date

But the most fun marathon I've run (really walked)

I ran the Patriot's Run on 9.11.09. It's an 'annual event held to commemorate the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. With this event we remember, not only those victims who were lost, but also those soldiers, police, firefighters and others who served this country both on that day and every day thereafter. In this way we honor all the people who work to insure that this tragedy never repeats itself' (taken from the Patriot's Run website).

As I got up and around for the day, I thanked God for my family and friends and our freedom we have. I knew it was going to be a day of remembrance, but didn't realize how much it would affect me. As I was driving the 5 minutes to the race start (kid you not...how awesome is that!), I saw a flag flying half staff and the tears welled up. That wasn't the only time it happened during the day.

This race is run around a 3/4 mile loop, so in order to run the marathon distance, you loop the course 36 times. At first, I wasn't sure what to think about this. But then decided it was going to be a picnic in the park. So, as I pulled into the parking lot, I backed the truck up in a primo spot right on the trail to have everything we needed in a moments notice. I packed lawn chairs. I set up a table that had everything we needed every 3/4's of a mile. It was fabulous! We didn't have to carry our gu, water or anything else. It was perfect. Friends and family always knew where to find us. We passed or were passed by the same people over and over. It was awesome to cheer on friends you normally wouldn't see during a race because they run a different pace than you.

Below is a picture of Karen and me at the start. The lady in the yellow was our surrogate mother who kept things in her cooler for us and cheered us on lap after lap.
The day started very warm and humid. The sun was shining and the race began right in the heat of the day. The race started at noon and ended at 9:11 pm. I opted for the marathon distance, but you could run any amount you wanted, one lap or as many laps you could in 9 hours and 11 minutes.

Karen had a great idea of how we were going to count our laps. She brought Spree's and we set out the amount we needed. Each time I passed the car, I was going to eat one until they dwindled to zero and I crossed the finish line. Honestly, it was genius, as there were many people who had no idea how many laps they had covered. However, after lap 5 or 6, the candy was upsetting my stomach so we just set them off to the side after we finished a lap. Never fear, they were devoured by Doug and Connor when they came to cheer us on.

It was awesome, I wanted some Coke and ice pops, so I called Doug on one of the loops and the next thing you know...there they were! We shared the ice pops with the other runners and they were a huge hit.

Karen was a trooper. She planned on running 14 miles, but ended up with 18 by the time I finished. She is the BESTEST BFF ever, walking with me mile after mile. And that's truly what I did. Walk. Mile after mile. It seriously was a Walk in the Park. But it was the best walk in the park. The man that won the ultra ran and ran and ran and I would guess 95% of the times he lapped me, he said, 'good job'. He was amazing, he never slowed from the first lap to the last lap. He was a machine. Our friend Rob, who came up from Springfield had run approximately 41 miles with two hours still to go.

Taking a break in the lawn chair...

Doug and Tom taking a lap...

What stole my heart the most were two men carrying flags during all 9 hours and 11 minutes of the race. One of them is a local runner, Greg Vaughn, that carries the American flag on all of his runs.
The other is a man who carries the 'Flag of Hope'. It is a flag that has the names of all of the victims and rescue workers of 9.11.01. It was beautiful. He has already run all 50 states, but is making his second round with this flag. It was such an honor to run with them.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this race. The only issue I heard of, which was a biggie, was people not knowing how many laps they had run. When they went to ask, the computer tracking the laps was like 15 minutes delayed, so you could have finished your laps, but didn't know 'real time', so most did a few extra laps to 'make sure' you did what you wanted. That kinda sucked, but all in all...it was the most fun marathon I've done. Just to have access to everything you needed at all times. To have your friends and family at every mile. To have soooo many friends out running and you were able to see them over and over. It was such a good time. It's probably not for those that want to PR, as there were people on the track, all running/walking different speeds. But if you want to go out, have a fun, laid back day, this is the race for you.

This race is already on the list for next year. Hopefully, running all 9 hours 11 minutes!