Outnumbered: My Marathon Top Ten List

Its been two weeks since 'Marathon Weekend' and I finally have some pictures from the day (thanks to my mom) as well as some random thoughts about the experience.

Spectators and runners together after the race. We met up at the Congress Hotel Lobby where we could stay warm while everyone slowly trickled in after finishing.

Here, in no particular order, are my ten favorite memories from doing the Chicago Marathon.

1. My family. My parents and three siblings all live in different states from me (TX, PA, MN and DE). Its difficult for us to get together logistically. All of us were together for this weekend because of the marathon. I got to run this race with my husband and brothers. And my parents, sister, brother- in-law and some of the kids were our superfans. They trekked into the city, rode the "L", stood in the cold in order to see us at 11 miles and 21 miles. It was awesome! I didn't realize how much I'd look forward to them being at mile 21....it was so special. Just the encouragement I needed. While it may seem silly to some people to come see adults run a marathon, to me, its just one more example of how family loves each other by showing up (despite crazy logistics), encouraging each other, and celebrating when you meet a goal.

2. Somewhere on the northside of Chicago, there was a retirement home that we ran past. I think it was around mile 5. The residents were on the second floor, which appeared to be a common area. They were pushed up to the windows, some in their wheelchairs, and were all waving at the runners. This was my favorite spectator moment from the race. I cannot tell you how cool it was to wave to them, make eye contact and see them waving/smiling back at you. Loved it!

3. I didn't lose any toenails during my six months of training or on race day. If you aren't a runner or don't know one, you may not realize it, but its fairly common to lose toenails. Its the worst. I've had it happen in the past when I was training for a half marathon and I did not like it. Thankfully they do make press-on toenails as I learned a few years ago. However, I'm even more grateful that I didn't have to sport any this summer. Yay!

4. I didn't have to stop to use the porti-potty at all during the race. If you've ever ventured into a porti-pot on race day, you realize why this is so awesome. It is not somewhere you want to go unless its an emergency. That's all I have to say about that.

5. The signs. People had all sorts of signs that they held up to encourage the runners. My favorite was "Worst Parade Ever." I saw it many times and always liked it. There were also inspirational ones like "Someday you won't be able to do this, today is NOT that day." And some current event references like "Don't worry, the race will be measured in Paul Ryan time" or "This race lasts longer than Kim Kardashian's marriage." Bottom line: I spent a lot of time reading signs along the way. Some made me chuckle, some made me cringe and cheesy as it may be, some of them inspired me to keep running.

6. The smell of chocolate. I'm not sure what it was, but several times when we crossed through downtown, there was a smell of hot chocolate. I'm not sure if it was a factory or bakery or what. It was strong, delicious, and made downing my chocolate energy gels even more enjoyable. Yum!

7. Good friends being at mile 23 and one jumping in and running with me for a minute or two. I was starting to get sore and thinking that I might not have enough left to keep running at a good pace (at least a good pace for me). When I turned the corner at 35th street to head north towards the finish line, I saw a group of friends and my brother-in-law & sister-in-law. As soon as I saw them, I started screaming. I was so excited to see them! And the short conversation I had with Claire as I kept running was just the little "extra" I needed. I also had another surprise at mile 26 when I saw my a former (notice how I didn't call her "old") coworker there. It was right at the base of a tiny hill. At this point, my hips and knees were really tight. She leaned over and yelled "Go Leslie, Go, GO" and so I attacked that last little hill. Thanks Wendy!

8. I actually talked out loud to myself from mile 25 to 26. Not continuously, but thoughts here and there. I'm not sure what all I said as it really was a blur that last mile or so. "This is starting to hurt" and a few pep talks like "you can do this" or "come one Leslie" were the main things. I looked around me and there were people who were running with relative easy, some in lots of pain with grimaces on their faces and some who were struggling to walk. That last mile is etched in my mind. People struggling, spectators yelling "finish strong" and willing myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It kinda makes me wish we could translate this into other parts of our lives more easily...the cheering others on from the sidelines when they are struggling. At a big race like this, its easy. You're there to cheer them on. Its not complicated, there are no string attached. People want you to do well. They want you to finish strong. They cheer for anyone, not just their loved ones.

9. I called my my mom around mile 10 and left her a voicemail letting her know we just passed mile 10 all while continuing to run. I wasn't sure where exactly my family would be and if they knew when we'd be passing them. It was a surreal moment as I was still in a sea of thousands of runners and I was leaving a casual message for my mom just like any other day.

10. Finishing! A finish line has never looked so good. After months of training, coming back from an injury, and scheduling our lives around our mid-week and long runs, it felt awesome to cross the finish line. On a sidenote, I was able to watch the marathon on demand a few days later and actually watch myself cross the finish line as they had a camera running for several hours at the finish line. It was kinda strange to see myself cross. I was running and I did have a smile on my face. At the time, I felt a bit in a daze so I wasn't sure how I actually looked. Now I know.

All bundled up and waiting in our Coral. We shed all the extra sweatshirts and pants when there was only five minutes left. I think its so cool that all the extra clothing is taken to Goodwill. It would have been nice though if more people had piled their clothing on the sides instead of in the middle of the street. It was a bit dicey the first mile or so with discarded clothing here and there and trying not to trip.

My brother Dan at mile 11. This was his 20th marathon. He is all smiles. Clearly, he knows that he can do this without a problem.

My big bro Travis at mile 11. Again, this is not his first marathon, so he is feeling confident and good.

Jon & I leaning down to talk to James at mile 11.

Leaving mile 11 and waving to my niece Lauren.

Jon doing great at 21 miles.

The cheering squad. Our youngest fan, Harvey, was just 5 weeks old and next to him was one of our oldest fans, Pa Lynn. We will skip talking about his age.