My birthday celebration continued tonight… dinner with my parents at my favorite restaurant. Rose Angeli’s. Yummy as always. It’s okay to carbo-load a couple days AFTER the marathon, right?!

This wonderful flower has reappeared in my garden. From what I understand, it’s a Toad Lily. I don’t have any recollection of planting this beauty, but I’m glad that it pops up every Fall. Always a surprise to me! There’s only one stalk… but it’s covered with several blooms along its length. Now if I could just get it to spread & multiply?!

Tonight’s class demo was larger bowls & larger platters from a larger ball of clay. Trying to get my students to push themselves a bit and try some bigger pieces. Looks like both of these might need a bit of stamping soon…

Then I did a quick two-tone slip squiggle demo on a second platter. I tried to blend some white slip with some ivy green slip… and dragged a round rib end through. While spinning the wheel. While squiggling back & forth. And voila!

Big dramatic sky.
Big dramatic picture.
Enough said.

After a day of marathon recovery, I felt I was ready to hop back on my bike this morning. A great chance to work out a few kinks here & there. Felt great… and the sunrise was pretty darn spectacular too.

A stunning morning sunrise… until the clouds came in just before the sun actually came out!

Well I’m feeling much like the starting line announcer said I would…
“Your legs are going to feel like logs and your feet like blocks of cement.”

Actually, I’m feeling surprisingly well EXCEPT for my feet & ankles.
Those are a bit tender still from all that pounding on the pavement.
Good thing I’m taking today off to recover. Ouch.

Months of training. And the big day was finally here.
CHICAGO MARATHON 2013.   …my first Marathon ever!!!

My morning started out pretty early. As most of these sporting activities do. I tried to get a good night’s sleep… after one last “talk me off the ledge” phone call with my proxy marathon trainer Pammy. She answered all of my last minute questions. And made me feel a bit more at ease. Thank you Pammy!!!

I took the EL downtown and met a few other runners along the way. Getting a bit more anxious & excited with every stop along the way. More runners getting on. Trains getting crowded. When I finally got downtown to the Monroe Stop, I got off and walked over to Grant Park to find my Corral holding pen. There was so much electric energy in the air for me and 45,000 other runners all getting ready for the race. Yes… FORTY-FIVE THOUSAND!!! That’s a LOT of runners!!!

Here’s my Marathon sunrise… how oddly fitting that it’s over a line of porto-potties?!
If you’ve ever done an event of this size, you know how this epitomizes the day.

And my sunrise shot of our skyline view… once again, with the added charm of the portos!

As I was wandering towards my Corral, I was amazed by the sheer number of runners. All shapes. All sizes. A lot of bright colors. And two Super Heroes ready to run!!!

So here’s my Corral M… with a little sunrise reflection off the downtown buildings. As the clock continues to click, I kept getting more excited & scared. My wave start time was 8:00am. Another half hour before my Marathon kicks-off.

Plus, there was plenty of Gatorade at the start… stacks of Gatorade… one for the road…
and frequently along the way! Lots of water. Lots of Gatorade.

So many of the runners were wearing extra clothing to keep them warm during the early morning hours. But as the sun continued to rise, and the Starting Line was approaching, so many runners were peeling off the extra layers and tossing perfectly good clothing off to the side. Luckily, all of this “tossed aside” clothing is gathered up and donated to local homeless shelters.

Since I was in Wave Two – Corral M… I was in the very last group to start the race. So many runners ahead of me. Not so many behind me. My biggest fear was that I was going to be last.

Inching closer… and I can finally see the Starting Line!  Kicking the nerves into high gear!!!

And there it is… one last photo before I head off for my first Marathon adventure!
Here we go… GIDDY-UP!!!

Early on in the run, as were going through the downtown skyscrapers, I ran across my friend Suze cheering on the sidelines. A quick photo to prove that I was actually there… and still looking positive early on in the run. A little apprehensive to know that we were going to pass through 29 of Chicago’s neighborhoods… and I think I might still be in the first one?!!!

And let me just say… how much it killed me not to have my camera with me.
You know how much I wanted to capture the entire journey. To show photos from every neighborhood. I only had my iPhone… and it was tough to stop to get a good picture. So I only got a couple. Wish I had gotten more. Okay… the stopping isn’t bad. It’s the getting going again that is the hard part!

So many sights to see… Streeterville, The Magnificent Mile…
then up to Lincoln Park running right along the west side of the Zoo.
Making it to northern-most point in the colorful Lakeview neighborhood at Mile 8.
Then back towards the city through Old Town, River North and back to the West Loop.
Out through Greektown and Little Italy at Mile 18, then past the United Center.
Back into town through mural-covered Pilsen at Mile 20. At Mile 21.5 were turned into
Chinatown and “hit the Wall.” Now I know what they mean! Tough moving from now on.
As we continued south towards Comiskey Park and east through ITT. Through Bronzeville
and the Prairie District before we made it back onto Michigan Avenue headed north
to the Loop. Knowing that the end was going to eventually be in my sights… EVENTUALLY!

But trust me, it’s so incredibly impressive to see this solid river of runners rolling through the city. We traveled through twenty-nine of Chicago’s neighborhoods. Through the Loop, way far north, back downtown, then out West, then South, West, and South some more. I wish I remembered the route a bit better… but it’s kind of a blur. So here’s the map to show you where we went… and to refresh my memory!

Part way through the run, my proxy marathon “trainer” was one the sideline cheering me on… and taking photos! She was just past the half marathon point. So I had already finished 13.1 miles. Which coincidentally was the farthest I had EVER run before this! So everything past this point was pushing me further & further. Mile by mile I was getting more & more excited to have gone further than ever before… and still running!!!

I also wish that I had my camera (and time to stop) to capture some of the witty signs along the way. This was one of my favorites…

Along with some other favorites…
“You’ve Trained Longer Than Lindsay Lohan Was In Rehab.”
“You’ve Trained Longer Than Kim Kardashian’s Marriage.”
“Blisters Are The New Black.”
“Remember, You Paid To Do This.”
“Six Months Ago This Sounded Like A Good Idea.”
“You’re Running Better Than The Government.”
“The Kenyans Are Already Drinking Your Beer.”
“My Last Marathon Was On Netflix.”

One of the funniest shirts I saw was this one. And it came at the perfect time…
when I think we ALL were feeling like turtles!!!

Somewhere along the way, somewhere around Mile 23, my friend Pammy was one the sidelines again cheering me on. She hopped onto the route to keep me moving as it was getting tougher & tougher. A great distraction. And great fun to have someone to play with! I was so excited to see her again… and coming in for a big sweaty hug!!!

And then I saw it… my favorite sign of the day!!!  I think I can, I think I can…

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better… IT DID!!!… only 0.2 miles to go!
Woo-hoo!

Of course, that last 0.2 miles is pretty much uphill. Some call it Mount Roosevelt.
It’s that hill on Roosevelt Road leading into Museum Campus that never seems too steep when you’re driving. But trust me, at mile 26 it’s pretty darn brutal. But then you turn the corner and the Finish Line is in sight!!!

And what a relief, and flood of emotions, to finally cross the Finish Line…
and to have completed my FIRST MARATHON!!! Yeah me…

Taking a moment downtown to relax and enjoy the moment…
and to prop myself up with the fence that surrounds Buckingham Fountain!!!
Feet sore. Thighs tight. Ankles tender. Legs not wanting to bend any more!

So now I’m home, showered, fed and trying to stretch & relax. I can already feel the soreness & stiffness settling in. And let me just say, the three flights of stairs up to my condo were no treat at all. Good thing I took tomorrow off. I think I’m going to need it.

But here’s my prize for the day. MY FIRST MARATHON MEDAL!!!
That’s not it though. I’ve got the memories… and the bragging rights to boast about my first Marathon! Not too bad since I turned fifty just two days ago. Happy 50th Birthday to me!!! And one more thing checked off “The Bucket List.”

Nervous excitement. Anticipation. Fear of the unknown.
Can I do it?  Am I ready?  Will I finish?  How much will it hurt?
Gotta get to bed and get some sleep before tomorrow’s big adventure!

Wish me luck!