Chi town was great!!

Oh my gosh, I have soooooo many pics to share with you all!!
So, I had a great time in Chi town!! Kevin and I left on Thursday evening after work. We dropped Nikko off in Norman with my family!! We arrived late and it was so cold!! I loved it!!
We stayed in Tulsa on Friday night then arrived in Cal City on Friday evening. Kevin, Gramps, and I hung out for a while before going to Aunt Bonnie's to say Howdy!! Saturday morning Kevin, Gramps, and I went to a local resteraunt to load up on Fuel. I had 3 pieces of French toast made with wheat bread and egg beaters. It was yummy!! After we ate, Kevin and I headed to the expo where there was a ton of stuff to look at!! It was a bit overwhelming but very organized.
The clock running here displayed the time left before the marathon started.

After going to the expo Kevin and I headed over to a suburb of Chicago to watch his cousin, Jessica (pictured below), play in a volleyball tournament. I know what some of you are thinking, don't I get enough volleyball at home??? Well, no. I had a great time and it was a fantastic way to hang out with more of the family. Below and to the left is Aunt Bonnie and Conner (Brianna's baby boy).

To the left is Gramps and Conner. Below is Brianna and Conner. We are all still at the Volleyball Tournament.

When Kevin and I left the tournament, we had just enough time to change clothes and head out to the Italian Village. I think it is one of the oldest Italian resteraunts in Chicago. Here we are crammed in a tiny booth. The whole place was packed. Here is Kevin, me, Susan, and her friend Kate. Below is a picture of Chi town before sunrise.

Sunrise on race day. I love watching the sunrise. There is something very special about the beginning of a new day.

Start Line. Can you believe all of these people??
44,000 runners were present on this very exciting day!!

Here we are at the start line. This was just about the last time I saw Susan. It was so crowded!!

To the left is somewhere before mile 2. Below is mile 2, I just don't know how rotate it around.

Somewhere around mile 3 or 4, it is still crowded!!

I loved this part. It is after mile 7 or so. I loved the trees. The whole course was somewhat shaded. There was a cold breeze almost the entire time. I shedded my layers a bit too early. I got cold and stayed cold the whole time. It was totally worth it though!!

Look, there are still a ton of runners around me.


I saw Kevin at the half way point. I was sooooo happy to see him. I was lonely by myself!! I made it half way!! To the left was a pic I took off of a draw bridge. Isn't it post card like??I loved it.



The crowd was starting to spread out here, but notice it is after mile 15!! Whoa!!

This on the left is US Cellular Feild (or Kominsky field--where the Sox play). We were really lucky that the Sox swept Boston, otherwise the race course would have been very different. Game 4 would have been on Race Day. Below, mile 24, I am almost there!!

Here I am on the left at mile 25. Some stranger was kind enough to take my pic. Below is me after the finish!! I am totally disoriented and confused. I think my blood sugar was dangerously low, because I was really lost. I was not sure where I was or where to go. I have never felt that way before. It was scary!! The finish area was very long and there were a ton of people!! I could not find Kevin or Susan. I was looking but was lost. I somehow came up with an apple and a bottle of water. Finally when I could not find anyone, I just sat on a curb and ate my apple. I was very, very disappointed in my time. I finished...yes...but in 5:44:42. My goal was 4:30. I am not sure what happened. Blood Sugar problems??? Not sure. That kind of thing runs rampant in my family. It was the first thing my mom said when I told her how disoriented I was. My foot was dying!!! I could hardly put any weight on it. Plantar Facitias (how do you spell that).. SUCKS!! I thought it was better, guess not. But in hindsight, I FINISHED and faster than Austin in Feb. 2005.
Here we are saying goodbye to Gramps. We don't get to see him very often so we wanted to take advantage of the time together.

Oh my gosh. On the way back from Chicago, somewhere around Missouri we saw the the Oscar Meyer WeinerMobile!! I have never seen it in real life!! We laughed for an hour or so!! HeeHeee!!

I love road tripping with Kevin. He drives, I ride. The landscape is just gorgeous!!

It is just a shame that our Texas government insists on cutting down trees!! This is still Missouri!! It is so beautiful!! I didn't want to rest, I was afraid I would miss all of the trees!!














When we got back to Norman, Kevin and I waited for my dad to get off work and we went to eat. We went to Charlestons and all my parents could say was that I had just run "The Chicago marathon". They were so proud. They told everyone from the hostess to the busboy. Sorry about that if any of you are out there. I ate the biggest Prime Rib steak. It was sooooooo good. I don't normally eat red meat, but I just felt like it on Monday night. The funny thing about running a marathon, is that you can eat an 8oz steak, salad, bread, and mashed potatoes and not feel very full!! Crazy!! I had a great time and would not trade my experience for the world. I just wish I could have performed more like I had trained. So you may ask, What's next? The Dallas Half on November 6th!! I plan to have a very good time. I am in search of a group to train with.