Seriously!

It is never a good thing when your coach's email to you is titled "Luck Runs Out". Yes, he was speaking of the weather, which I often do in my blog. It is supposed to be 91 degrees on Saturday with tons of humidity. It is also a 17 mile run for me. Yuck. I will start hydrating NOW.

I must say, I am getting used to running in this heat. But I do hate all of the sweat. It is really really gross.

Anyway, on a completely different subject...Sometimes I have to laugh at people when I am running with the group because I think we overwhelm onlookers. I mean, I guess it is kind of funny. You're walking out of Dewey's Pizza to your car on Oakley Square and ZAM a big rush of 100+ runners comes by. Or, you're on a little side street in your car, trying to turn right and ZOW an endless line of runners. Everyone always looks like they are just waiting for the camera crew from Candid Camera to come out from around the corner.

It was really crazy this one time when we were running in Oakley Square and I saw 4 people I knew! One was my swimteam coach from high school who I didn't even know still lived in Cincinnati. Another was my friend Carrie, who now lives in London. When I visited with her a few months ago I asked her if it was really her that I saw. She said it was, and she was totally taken aback, like 'where did all of these people come from?'

But the worst was last week when we were doing fartleks in International Friendship Park. We had to pass by everyone eating at Montgomery Inn. Everyone was staring at us as we passed by, and it was worse because we had to do two loops, so we passed them four times. But instead of feeling like I wanted to laugh, I just felt like I wanted their steak dinners. :)

THANK YOU!!!

YAY! I did it!

Thank you...

"Team Emily" (which includes my husband, parents, and my other "alcoholic" friends)...you know you have a support team when your friends don hot pink shirts bedazzled and puffy-painted holding signs to cheer you on 7 times during the course!!

Mom, Dad and Bill, you peeled my disgusting socks off afterwards as I implemented the cool "hold your legs up" trick, you made sure my space blanket didn't fly away in the wind and you took me to IHOP

Coach Joe and the Running Spot Team, you are an inspiration and I was able to make it through the whole thing because of you! It is so cool to know that you have a team of coaches chasing you around the course with encouragement, aspirin and anything else you may need.

The Running Spot Group, we all went through this together and it was great to see everyone finish, and even greater to share a beer with you all tonight at our "after-party"

The woman holding the sign in Eden Park that said "Your Hair Looks Great", it made me laugh

The guy in Eden Park with the sign that said "You are all heroes" which almost made me cry right there on the course

The guy dressed as the Burger King on Hyde Park Square YOU made me laugh even harder

Amber, Crystal and Eric, whose blogs inspired me and let me know that I am not the only crazy runner out there who does funny things while I run (I may shadow box, but I guess some of you yodel :)

Bob Roncker, your training program has helped me to love running, I NEVER thought last year when I struggled through the Hyde Park Blast that I would be running a marathon this year

Uh, all of YOU GUYS, by that I mean THE READERS!!! You have inspired me to do my best, picked me up when I was having a bad day, offered me great advice, and let me know that you are all out there struggling with me through all of those long runs. When I started this blog, its main purpose was to keep me on my training schedule (because I would have something else that made me accountable) I never dreamed of the support I would get from the readers. YOU are all TRULY AWESOME. You have made my day many times!

This of course is NOT the end of the marathon entries. These are just my post-race ramblings for now.

Anyway, congrats to all that finished. You are amazing!!!

Impossible is Nothing (Part 2)

Sunday: Marathon Day! (well, for London, not me). Because I was stupid and didn't pick up a course map or anything, I had to rely on a brewery map I got at the expo on Saturday. It had the course on it as well as local pubs along the route. It would have to do.

I took the tube to Tower Bridge which was the 11 mile point. I thought this was good because right across the way the runners would also loop around at 23 miles. The crowds were insane but I got there early enough to get a good spot...right by the BBC camera, in front of the bridge. (I figured he would have a prime spot, so that was good enough for me).

The poor runners! The elite women didn't start until 9, the wheelchair competitors at 920, elite men at 945 and from a second starting point everyone else at 945. And it was HOT !

The crowds went CRAZY. If the crowds at the Pig have a fraction of the enthusiasm that the London crowds had running the marathon will be a completely inspirational event. It was funny too, because you can tell that the runners really thrived on the crowd support. Some would even pump their arms while they were running (exhausting) to get the crowd riled up. A lot of runners actually wrote their names on their shirts or their skin so that you could cheer for them by name. I found this was really helpful because as a spectator I really wanted to cheer for every individual. I also found that when the crowds would smile at the runners the runners couldn't help but smile back. It was really fun.

After watching for awhile I caught the tube to get to the 25 mile mark. The crowds weren't actually as wild here (I guess since they had been out for like 3 hours or more, waiting). However, once again I witnessed the magical connection the crowd had with the runners. As anyone started walking there would be a collective "OH!" or "Oh no!" and then massive encouragement ("Just one more mile! Come on! You can do it!) almost pleading with the runners. They couldn't help but run again and the crowds went wild! It was also at this point that I saw Gordon Ramsay the celebrity chef, running (at quite a good time too).

I started walking to the finish. People were collapsing. The crowd tried to encourage them, attendants grabbed them by the shoulders and ran in with them. Each 200 meters was now marked off.

And then I got to the finish...Green Park with lots of fanfare. I stood up by the palace and looked down on the finishers. There were British flags lining the path and a huge band. It was all very inspirational.

I can't wait for the Pig! (Yes, I know it won't be as big, but I get to run this one!)

Oh yes, and I will post pictures later. I was an idiot and forgot my camera cord, so I have pictures but cannot upload them. :)