26.2? Been there, Ran that!



Spaghetti Dinner Friday before the big race

 Friday afternoon, Zack and I packed up the Sube and headed for Duluth.  I always look forward to "people watching" at the DECC,  browsing through racing gadgets, and munching on snacks.  Abe met me, along with his girlfriend Sarah.  We pushed our way through the crowds in order to pick up our race packet.  Abe had to stand in the "ill prepared" line because he forgot his "green ticket" they send you when you register for race, that you need in order to pick up your packet.  Luckily a photo ID did the job, however I still had to poke fun!  On our way to the "chip line" where you scan your chip like at the grocery store check out (just to make sure it works)... Fox 21 decided to pull me and Abe aside for an interview.  Abe, the slick little man that he is, decided to get himself out of the situation and left me to the embarrassment of being on T.V. 

I found a great little magnet bumper sticker that says, " 26.2, "Been there Ran that"... I couldn't resist.  I also purchased a cute necklace that simply stated 26.2.  I realized as I was purchasing these little things... how much running is a "culture".  The two things I mentioned are only tiny pieces of what else is out there, and runners were going nuts over this stuff!  It just comes to show that running a marathon, or a half marathon is something to be darn proud of!

As I made my way home, I had flashbacks of living in Chicago, the cars were bumper to bumper... it was insane!  Although, this made me even more excited for the next days festivities!  We had a spaghetti feast at my parents home in Cloquet, along with salad, garlic bread and birthday cake for Zack, my brother Donny, and my Dad (All of the early June birthdays).  Abe Curren, Jon Hallie, Zack, my brother Jess and soon to be Sister in law Holland, my brother Donny and Sister in law Kristie, my two nephews Alec and Devon, Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Jerry and I all enjoyed the feast!  It was so nice to have the whole family together. 

0500 on the morning of the race!  Abe found his socks... he is now happy! 

We made it an early night, I made my way upstairs to prepare for an early morning wake up call.  Saturday morning, I heard rain pouring down on the window sill outside.  It was a cold morning, which made me extremely happy.. although the rain was concerning me.  My sweetheart of a husband, woke up bright and early with me, and drove me to Duluth to catch the train that would take Abe and I 26.2 miles up the North Shore in the pouring rain.  We lucked out and got one of the vintage train cars, which was comprised of old windows, seats and trim.  It also had two bathrooms which was extremely convenient before reaching the starting line. 

When the train stopped so did the rain.  Abe and I got off the train and headed towards the starting line.  We were so excited!  This year the train was the "gun" for the start... it took us over 7 minutes to get to the actual starting line.  The sea of people was surreal.  Abe and I ran 11 miles or so side by side... at one time, we were sharing IPOD buds, laughing hysterically.  The race went really well.  My favorite part is reaching Lake Ave (Pizza Luce) this is where my husband waits for me.  He's tall, and sticks out of the crowd, so I start looking for him about a half mile before I get there.  Seeing his smiling face, makes the 25 miles worth every step!  His support is something that I treasure and feel so blessed to have.

Abe crossed the finish line at 4 hours and 37 minutes, and I crossed in 4 hours and 47 minutes.  We both really slowed down the last 5 miles, which took us about an hour!  I guess our bodies had enough!  Jon Hallie, did the half marathon and he crossed with an awesome time of 2 hours! 


Here are the links to our race times if you're interested:

Abe- http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=2616&race=355    
Cory-http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=7045&race=355
Jon- http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=14852&race=356

It's hard to explain what it's like when you cross the finish line to a marathon.  I would encourage you to train for a race so you too can experience such an amazing thing.  The feeling you have inside is like nothing I've ever experienced.  It's a "natural high" some would say.  Here is a picture of the metal we received this year. 

After the race, I decided to get some food (strawberries, orange, bagel, yogurt, chips, nutty bar) and head over to the massage tent.  Unfortunately, they ran out of wraps, so I literally froze.  I got out of line, went to get my running bag and made my way over to Little Angies.  My hubby, Abe and Sarah were waiting for me.  We chowed down on some yummy Mexican and then went our separate ways. 



All refreshed after a hot tub and shower

 This year was a memorable running season for me.  Having the opportunity to run with Abe who's a long time friend was truly amazing.  I'm so proud of his accomplishments!  I hope to run another race with him in the near future. 

I also had the opportunity to run with my friend Will, even though he didn't do the race with me, I know he was still there cheering me on... and growling!