I Run, Therefore I am Nuts

I ran the Chicago marathon on 10/12/08 in 6 hours, 26 minutes & 19 seconds. My goal time was 5 hours….yeah, not even close. In my defense it was around 85 degrees when I crossed the finish line…in Chicago….in October….what?!?


I was never a runner. In college I would sit on the couch while my roommates went running, eating Cheetos & drinking beer. I just didn’t get it, it wasn’t fun. My best friend Melanie convinced me to start doing short runs with her when we both moved to Austin after college. I would do a mile 3 or so times a week & that was plenty. Why would I go further than that when that itself was so painful? I thought I was tough shit running a whole mile.

She started talking about this 5K in Brenham that she wanted to do with her boss (who was like a real runner). 3 miles? Yeah right, that’s crazy talk. After a few days, I finally agree to go (mainly because I heard it was run by Blue Bell & there would be free unlimited ice cream after the race). So we drive there & her boss goes to sign us up…..for the 10K. Huh? What? I’m sorry, you must have me confused with someone else, I can’t run a 10K. Well, we didn’t quite run it, we walked a lot, but I did finish….and I was hooked. From them on running was in my blood.

After running the Cap 10K a few times & some other races, I decided to try for a 1/2 marathon & completed the Austin 1/2 in 2:20…which to this day is my fastest half. This picture is after finishing that race…you can see it in my eyes, I have the running bug for sure!

The day after the Austin 1/2 I signed up for the Chicago marathon….I thought I must be insane! I trained for 6 months & during that training, woke up at 5:30 every Saturday morning, had group training in the 90-100 degree heat on Wed. evenings & ran the San Francisco 1/2 in August. Then the day was finally upon me, I was so nervous! I don’t think I slept a wink the night before. My parents & brother had gone to Chicago with me & we all took a taxi to the starting line. They tried to give me some pep talk, but I wasn’t listening at all.

It took almost half an hour to cross the starting line after the race started, there were so many people! It all started out good, my time at the 1/2 was 2:42, only 12 min. off my goal time! Then it all went downhill. It started getting hotter & hotter and I was getting slower & slower. I started feeling sick & had to start walking around mile 21 or so. For a while I didn’t even think I was going to finish. I just kept telling myself, “just make it to the next water stop & then you can stop”. Then I would go to the next & then the next…and then I saw the finish line. Yes, I am crying in this picture.

From someone who used to sit on the couch while everyone else was out running, I had come a long way! I placed 30,081 out of 31,34, but I DID place…I finished!