I'm not quite sure which mile marker this photo was taken at, but it's quite clear from the look on my face that I was already in some amount of pain. The race photos are finally in, and since I couldn't decide on which one to purchase, I went ahead and bought the entire photo cd, so I could remember what the race looked like from each phase of discomfort. My favorite photo is this one...



It was taken within a minute of me finishing the race. About 30 seconds later I was hauled off to the medical tent to have salt poured down my throat and my legs lifted over my head. It's nice to know I can still eek out a smile when I'm that close to death.

But enough about the race. It's over! Surprisingly, I have not developed a horrible case of post marathon depression, so common after someone devotes a huge portion of their life to an event and it's suddenly over. In fact, I'm really happy. I haven't run in the last two weeks. Supposedly this should rejuvenate my running. We'll see about that. I hop back on the dreadmill for an easy three miles tomorrow.

Instead of pounding pavement I've found a few other ways to work up a sweat. I started lifting weights again, something I haven't done in the last year and still HATE. I've done the stair climber twice, after a six year layoff. I've done the bike twice. I did one pool run. I walked for an hour in Denver with my friend Joelle. And I did a fifty five minute power walk on the treadmill at a 15% incline. I was surprised at how hard this was. I was able to get my heart rate up into the high 150s and I was out of breath and struggling the entire time. I'll never knock walking again.

Right after the marathon I swore I would never do another one, but since then I've been on the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon website twice. I think I'm going to sign up to run next October. Don't worry I won't be asking anyone for money. I will, however, be asking if anyone would like to join me. We could split a hotel and trade training tips. Let me know if you're interested.

Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to draw out my training enough to write about it in every posting over the next year. Instead, I've decided to broaden the focus of my blog. From now on I will not only talk about running and exercising, but also about tv, movies, writing, raising kids, pop culture, and whatever else I can come up with. I'll also be taking requests. So let me know if there's any subject you'd like me to cover. Until I think of something else to write about, remember, it's less than 11 months until the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon!


Here's a few more phases of pain, and a shot of me crossing the finish line!

Here is a picture of me with nine time NY Marathon champ, Grete Waitz. I met her at the Expo on Friday afternoon before the race. Would Grete's greatness rub off? You'll have to read on to find out.

Olga and I made it to Staten Island a little before six a.m. on race day. We arrived at the Team for Kids tent to find it full of people who were not TFK. Security finally kicked the party crashers out, but by that time they had eaten all of our bagels and consumed all of our Gatorade. There was no food or drink, but we did have access to ten private toilets, which turned out to be a huge perk. It was also about ten degrees warmer inside the tent, another benefit, considering it was around 40 degrees at that point.

We waited around for nearly three hours before it was time to start lining up in our corrals. I had met up with a another TFK'r, Diane, who was also trying to maintain an 8:30 pace. We were both attempting to qualify for Boston. Diane and I both had F bib numbers, which meant we were able to line up at the front of the orange start with the fastest 9,000 women. It was really cool, and we made it to the Verrazano bridge very close to the actual start line.

It was very crowded, but everyone was in great spirits. Diane and I were able to do a final pee (using our trash bags for coverage) right on the Verrazano Bridge (don't worry we weren't the only ones doing it). You have to start the race on empty.

The gun went off, and Diane and I crossed the start line within 30 seconds (amazing considering it took me more than four minutes to cross the start line the first time I ran the race). There was an incredible energy in the air, and Diane and I were convinced that we could make our goal.

Diane provided the high tech tool, a speed distance monitor that would allow us to check our pace at any moment along the course. I provided the low tech tool, a straw. Days before at the expo, a sub-elite runner from Canada told me that he always carried a straw so that he could drink more easily from a cup while running. I had never run with a straw before, but I have a really hard time drinking on the go. I wore my Fuel Belt, but that only provided an extra 40 ounces of water. I would still need to take in both water and Gatorade along the course, and I usually end up spilling more than I consume.

The first mile on the bridge is all uphill. We hit the one mile mark in 9:25, pretty good considering the wall to wall runners and the uphill. We did the second mile (all downhill on the bridge) in 8:11. We were feeling great. We headed into the third mile on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn and hit our first water stop. I grabbed a cup to try out the straw. It was a huge success. For the first time ever while running, I consumed an entire cup of water without spilling. It was amazing. Diane and I agreed that the straw was going to save our day.

As we ran along Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn the crowds were spectacular. I put my name on the front of my shirt and I could hear people scream "Go Kim Go" every few steps. The first time I ran the NY marathon I made eye contact with the crowd and soaked in every single cheer. This time around I was very focused on pace, and didn't enjoy the crowds as much as I could have. Every few minutes I asked Diane for a pace check. For the first ten miles we stayed relatively close to the 8:30 pace.

At mile 11, the course entered an uphill, and our race started to go a bit downhill. We averaged 8:45 that mile, which isn't too bad, but my heart rate was spiking. Here's the deal. In a marathon, you will ideally run relatively close to your lactate threshold pace, without going over. Your LT threshold is the pace you can run at before lactate starts building up in your muscles. You can run for approximately an hour above your LT pace, and then your legs turn to lead. My LT pace is based on my heart rate, and is basically any pace I can run with a heart rate just below 168 bpm. I kept below this for the first ten miles, but in mile 11, my average HR was 170. I might have survived this, but miles 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 were also run slightly above my LT threshold. I lost Diane somewhere around mile 14. Around mile 18 I knew I was in trouble. My legs were really hurting. My left calf felt like someone had taken a hammer to it, and my quads were pounding. I'm sure it didn't help that I never run on concrete. Most of my training runs were done on the treadmill, or dirt trails, both much softer surfaces.

My pace slowly started to fade. I ran miles 18 and 19 at a 9:00 minute pace. At this point, I knew my Boston dream was over. I thought I would be devastated, but I told myself "it is what it is." I wasn't really enjoying the race. At mile 19 I made up my mind to have fun and soak up the experience. Boston was over.

Miles 19 and 20 were a blast. I remembered hating this section of the course the first time I ran the race. The crowds are a little thinner in the Bronx and by mile 20 you really want the darn race to be over. But, since I didn't really enjoy the first 20 miles of the course, I was ready to start having fun. I smiled at the crowd, pumped my arms when people cheered my name, and even got a high five from a lady in her 80s. It was an amazing experience, and even though my pace had slowed to 9:45, I was finally having fun.

At mile 22, the race stopped being fun. My legs had finally turned to lead. Every step was torture. My quads and calves ached. My pace slowed to ten minute miles. To keep my legs moving I started counting every foot strike to 100 over and over. It kept my mind off of the pain. I was hurting too much to enjoy anything. Running through Central Park can be an uplifiting experience because the crowds are incredible, but when you feel like you're about to die, it's not so fun.

My worst mile was 24, which I ran at a 10:54 pace. I moved on to my second goal, which was to finish the race in under four hours (still be a PR by 20 minutes). I started to do the math, which was pretty tough considering how much pain I was in. I was trying to figure out how slowly I could run and still make my goal. I think I figured out that as long as I ran below 11 minute miles I would make it.

At mile 25 I got a slight boost, and picked up the pace just a tad. At mile 26 I was able to speed up to a 9:48 pace, more than a minute faster than I had done mile 24. The last four miles of the course felt like an eternity. While the early miles breezed by, these felt like they would never end, and minutes felt like hours. When I saw the sign for mile 26 I was elated. Only .2 to go. I finished the last .2 in two minutes. In my mind I was sprinting, but I'm sure I looked like I was moving in slow motion. I crossed the finish line in 3:58:51. I had done the marathon in under four hours, but I was 13 minutes away from qualifying for Boston. It was hard to be disappointed. I gave it my all. I left everything I had on that course.

As soon as I crossed the finish line and got my medal I made my way over to the photo area. I was feeling OK. I stopped to have my picture taken and even managed a smile. They say you're supposed to keep walking for the first 30 minutes after finishing a marathon so that the blood doesn't pool in your legs. I was walking really slowly, and I started to get nauseated and dizzy. The volunteers were leading me to the Team for Kids VIP area. I politely asked if I could see a medic first. They were incredibly helpful. The volunteer EMT gave me a salt packet to eat (yuck!). They then had me lie down and put my legs up on a chair. Within five minutes I was feeling better.

I got up and went to the TFK area and immediately ran into Olga. She could tell I was hurting. I could barely walk. She looked as fresh as a t-shirt just washed in Downey. She was ecstatic. Her time 4:04, absolutely amazing for a first timer. She finished only five minutes after me, but looked about four hours better. She wasn't even walking funny. What a stud!

I told Olga that I was done. I never wanted to do another marathon. I was so glad it was over.

Two days later I've changed my mind. The memory of the race is much better than the actual experience. As I went back over my splits I realized my biggest mistake. If I had gone by my heart rate instead of my watch, I would have finished the race several minutes faster and I probably would have felt a whole lot better. But I still would not have qualified for Boston. I don't know why my heart rate went so high. I really felt that I was fit enough to do it. The cold I got the week before may have hurt me more than I'll ever know. The few runs that I missed due to my stress fracture fear may have also done some damage. And, it's also possible that I don't have the genetic potential to run a marathon in 3:45. I'll never know exactly what went wrong. Will I do another marathon? Maybe. Will I go for a specific pace goal? No. The next time I run I am going to stick strictly to my heart rate. I will never go above my LT pace (or at least not until the last few miles of the course).

I would just like to thank everyone who supported me both emotionally and financially throughout this endeavour. Because of you, I made it through and raised over $2500 for Team for Kids. Thank you all so much. I am so glad I have been able to share this journey with everyone. If you're ever interested in running a marathon please let me know. I'd love to give you the same support that you all have given me. I've had so much fun with my blog that I think I'm going to keep it up. I may stop running marathons, but I'll never stop writing. Thanks again.

Here's a picture of Olga and I with our medals. It was taken a few hours after the race. What a difference a showere makes.

OK...I know this is a really cruddy picture of me (Olga looks great) but I'm going to post it anyway because it was taken at yesterday's NY Marathon Expo.

I'm finally here in NY. I didn't think I would have time to post anything else before the marathon but since I'm staying off my feet, my hotel has free wifi, and there's absolutely nothing on TV, I guess I'll write.

Olga and I got in yesterday about 1:00 pm. We checked in and went straight to the Expo. It was so exciting! I even got to meet Grete Waitz, a nine time NY marathon champion. I picked up my bib. I'm number F4617. The "F" stands for fast, or at least that's what I'm telling myself. I'm sure I'll come up with a number of other words (or maybe just one) that the "F" stands for around mile 20 of the race.

Last night Olga and I went to my Team for Kids dinner at the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. The TFK coaches walked us through a huge map of the marathon course, which instead of getting me excited, really just freaked me out. I've done this race before. I should know what to expect. But when they started to talk about the bridges and the hills, I almost had a carbo purge.

Our hotel is...well...interesting. The location is great...just a block from Times Square. The people on our floor are very quiet, which is unfortunately negated by the fact that the heating and cooling unit for the entire city of Manhattan is right outside our window. It turns on every two to three minutes, and sounds much like the space shuttle, if you were strapped to it during flight. Last night I shoved ear plugs into my ears and cradled a pillow around my head and I still think I might have permanent hearing loss.

Today, I am trying my hardest to do nothing, which actually isn't that hard, and is even somewhat enjoyable. I love Manhattan, and while exploring this city would be high on my list of fun things to do, forced bed rest is amazingly almost as exciting. I don't think I've stayed off my feet this long since my kids were born. I'm only getting up to use the bathroom, which is quite often considering the fact that I am also attempting to hydro-load. I'm not sure if this is possible, but I'm giving it a shot.

I have enough nervous energy to write for hours, but in the best interest of my bored readers, I will retire this keyboard until after the marathon. This IS my last posting before I run tomorrow. I think.

This photo has both nothing to do with the marathon, and everything to do with the marathon. These are the three boys I will be thinking about on marathon day! They are also the boys I will MISS so much when I leave tomorrow. I have never left for four days all by myself since Mac and Rush were born. I know the kids will be fine with dad, but I don't want them to think that mommy abandoned them. I love you boys!

OK...now that the mushy stuff is over...let's move on to the other thing that's on my mind...a 26.2 mile race this Sunday. When I started this blog a few months ago the race seemed so far away. If you read back through all of my posts I've been through a lot since I first started training. I've had blisters, black toenails, bruises, bee stings, foot pain, and of course a very bad cold (that I still have by the way). Maybe getting the cold was a good thing. It forced me to take it easy for the past week. Because I have taken it easy, all of my other physical ailments seem to be completely gone, and the cold in finally starting to get a little better. I'm at 50%. Tomorrow I hope to be at 75%. And Saturday I hope to be at 100%. That's the plan anyway.

The cold zapped a little bit of my excitement about the race. But I'm done whining about it! Now that my trip is a day away...I am psyched. I am mentally very prepared for this race. I am as physically prepared as I can be (considering my cold) and I'm ready to give qualifying for Boston a shot. I may not make it, but I'm at least I'm going to try. The only thing I'm slightly worried about is the fact that I've lost three pounds during the last week. This is normally something that would cause me to jump for joy, but most people put on about three pounds during their taper, due to the extra carbs and fluid they carry into race day. I hope this doesn't mean I won't have the energy stores. I am eating and drinking as much as I possibly can right now. There's still time to put on three pounds...right???

The other thing that I'm really excited about...meeting my Team For Kids teammates. There are 1,100 of us. We each raised a minimum of $2,500 for the New York Road Runner's Foundation, which will use the money to fund running programs for underprivileged kids. I couldn't have done this without the help of all of my friends and family members who donated. Thank you so much for your generosity. The kids thank you too!

The weather looks like it will be perfect on marathon day, 55 degrees and sunny. I'm all packed and I'm ready to fly tomorrow morning at 7:24 am. The next time I post it will all be over. I can't wait to find out what happens.