running: the dawn

Awhile ago I was contacted by Canvas Prints to check out making and reviewing one of their photo canvases.  What a PERFECT time!  Moving to a new house provides all kinds of redecorating opportunity.  The challenge was finding a good picture to use.  Mr. Dawn and I are both miserable at remembering to take pictures of memorable occasions…and when we do, he usually makes a weird picture (hence the sidebar photo ).

Luckily I have an AWESOME brother who takes amazing pictures.  Remember the photo shoot he did for us over Christmas?  Well we decided that those were the best option for a picture to transform into a canvas.  I place my order about a week ago and when I got home from work today, look what I found:

I was so excited to open it and see how it turned out….

And…It’s perfection!

 

I choose the 8×10 canvas with a 1.5 inch wrap because I don’t plan on framing it.  I love the clean lines and simple look of the wrapped picture.  I also selected the wrapped part to be the “mirror image” of the photo which makes it look so cool!  I’m just sad that I have to pack it up with all of our other pictures until we move .  I’m so ready to find a home for my new favorite work of art.  I’m already starting to picture the other pictures that I want to add to this wall collage…

What I really liked about the site is that you can see exactly what you’re going to get.   I wasn’t sure how zoomed in I wanted to be with the picture.  I was able to play around with different options and see exactly what I was going to get before I placed my order.  And it looks exactly like I remember from the online version.

So, if you’re looking for a new wall hanging, check out Canvas Prints!

He has been confirmed with his Master’s Degree!!!!  Hurray

Oh, and no, I didn’t graduated too.  We were a little short on tickets for graduation, so he made me march with the faculty.  Hence the regalia.

As I’ve mentioned before, we are moving far far away.  In less than a month, Mr. Dawn is going to leave and start setting up our new home and then by the middle of June I will join him.

While we are deep in the middle of sorting, packing, tossing, and “repurposing” our entire house, I am also on a personal quest.  For me, every time I’ve moved (3 times in five years) its been an opportunity to rediscover who I am.  I moved to Vermont after college and discovered that I could make it on my own.  I was able to move to an unknown area with no friends or family and find meaningful community.  When I then moved to Kansas City after Mr. Dawn and I started dating I discovered that I don’t do well sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day.  I need to be in a job where I can interact with people and build relationships.  When we moved up here three years ago I discovered how much I enjoy working on a University campus.  I love working for an organization that is committed to the future of our youth, our families, and ultimately our country.

So, now, I ask, what is this next move going to reveal to me about who I am?  How is my next job going to shape me as a person and as a professional?  I ask these questions while I’m filling out countless job applications, sending resumes, detailing my cover letters, and stalking job websites.  I have an undergraduate degree in math education and a master’s degree in organizational development.  Where will I work?  What will I do?  It might be teaching.  But it might not.  I have no idea.

Honestly, right now I don’t know how to balance the two sides of the coin.  I desperately want to find any job.  Having just bought a new car I feel somewhat urgent to be a financially contributing member of this family.  However, I’m terrified to be stuck in a job that I hate.  I have been in that situation several times in my life and there is nothing quite as soul-draining as a ill fitted job.

Here’s to new beginnings!

Here are my tips for surviving the organized chaos that IS running’s biggest party:

1. Buy the jacket!!!! I’ll admit it, I was a total Negative Nancy when the jackets first came out.  I hated that they where black and green rather than the traditional blue/yellow motif associated with the race.  Then, they’re not embroidered this year which a lot of people have complained cheapens the look of the jacket.  I was tempted to protest by not buying it.  Once again Mr. Dawn saved me from making a HUGE mistake.  I ended up ordering it online to ensure that I could get my size.  I literally have worn it every day since the race.  It is super comfortable, well fitting and awesome.  Don’t underestimate the emotional bond that you will have with the jacket, no matter the styling.  It was SO fun on the flights home to spot others in the same jacket and instantly feel bonded to them.  And really, it’s been raining up a STORM since I got back and it got me to thinking…if the jacket was embroidered, it probably wouldn’t be as good at keeping out the rain.
    

   

2. Plan to spend lots of time at the expo. This is something I learned the hard way.  Because of the way we scheduled our time, we didn’t get into Boston until Sunday afternoon, which was the last day of the expo.  They were already out of all the official gear in my sizes (which worked out fine, I was able to find it all online, but without the fun of getting it at the expo).  I wanted to hang out more, watch the course preview video, listen to the elites, eat all the gu’s samples I could find….but it was so over crowded and exhausting, I didn’t want to wear myself out the day before the race.  So, get to Boston early and soak in the entire weekend.  Let yourself get all geeked out all things running.

   
   

3. Carb-load in the afternoon. I was worried when we left the expo that with the thousands of runners around we’d have to wait forever to get in to an Italian restaurant (I must have my pasta).  But, since we were eating at 3:30 in the afternoon it was no trouble at all.  We walked from the expo a few blocks down and immediately were seated.  It was awesome!

4. Bring a cheering squad.  It was so awesome to have my family there.  True, I tend to be a little rigid with my “night before” routine which involves getting into bed long before anyone else wants to…but they were all so supportive and helpful.  No one complained about the crowds at the expo, or fighting through the hordes of people at the finish line so I could get some pictures.  The BEST part about having people there for support is being able to count down the miles until you will see them.  I knew that my crew was at mile 21 and when things started to get tough during mile 17, I knew that in just 4 miles I’d be able to see everyone.  It made a HUGE difference.
    

5. Pack enough food to feed an army for the morning of the race.
   
   Seriously.  All of this was in my check baggage.  Plus a bagel, cream cheese, a banana, and some peanut butter.  Oh and some dark chocolate bars .  I didn’t eat all of it by any stretch of the imagination.  But I was worried that I’d get hungry at the village or not be able to find my family at the finish line.  I did actually use all of those gu’s!  I pack 6 of them for a full marathon because I’d rather be safe than starving.  Also, I never know what I’m going to be able to convince myself to eat the morning of a race.  I can’t always finish a whole bagel, but the gu chomps or clif shot blocks are easy to mindlessly chew on.

6. Have a plan–that makes sense for YOU–for getting to the start. Yes, there are buses and most people say that you need to ride the busses to enjoy your Boston experience.  I actually decided that since I was staying so far away from where the busses were loading, and I didn’t want to leave my hotel at 5am, I would buy a seat on a chartered bus that wasn’t loading until 7:30.  That way, I could be a little more relaxed getting ready and spend less time freezing in Athlete’s Village.  I am 100% satisfied with that decision.  I still sat by awesome people who were first timers.  We still shared our stories and talked nervously about the course.  It was the same energy as the school buses, just with a bathroom on board.  And yes, I used the bathroom three times during the hour and a half drive to Hopkinton.  It was awesome.  I didn’t even have to go while I was in the Village.
   
7. Wear your throwaways to the starting line. There are drop off locations EVERYWHERE.  No need to get rid of the warmth before you have to.  It was cold.  It was crazy windy.  I missed my snuggie the moment I took it off.
8. Be smart with your race plan. For me, that meant that I needed to be realistic about my training.  When I was getting ready for Grand Rapids, my mileage peaked at 55, and I was doing a lot more tempo and marathon pace runs than I did leading up to Boston.  I knew that I was not in shape to PR, and in the last two 20 milers I came face to face with how difficult it was going to be for me to even get under 4 hours.  So, I decided to run conservatively and it worked out perfectly. I ran a race that I’m proud of and I literally smiled my way to the finish line.
   
9. Do your homework.  I read several books about the history of the Boston Marathon.  It made being there so much more significant.  I can see how people would say that the course is not terribly exciting or its not as grand as everyone builds it up to be, but if you know the story and look at the pictures you can’t help but feel the magic from start to finish.  I loved recognizing the Biker Bar and the Clocktowr, I kept watching for the Firestation.  Its all those little things that helped me to realize that I was running through history.  My favorites:
   Duel in the Sun about the famous race between Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley
    

   26 Miles to Boston: a Bandit’s take on the historical miles from Hopkinton to Boston.  He tells a lot of the history and points out every land mark along the way.
   

10. And last, but not least: enjoy.  Enjoy the run.  Enjoy the runners.  Enjoy the course.  Enjoy the fans.  Enjoy the moment because it is YOUR’S!
    

Oh man.  Now that almost a week has gone by and I’ve been able to process…I still feel like I don’t really know where to begin.  To describe the event in a nutshell, I’d have to say that it was the most amazing race experience that I’ve ever had.  I knew, every step along the way, that there would never be anything like this…my first Boston Marathon.  It was all I could have ever imagined AND MORE.  I seriously think that there’s no WAY for people to exagerate or over-hype the Boston Marathon.  It’s all that everyone says it is and more.

Let’s take it to the beginning.  I did NOT sleep well at all.  Tossed and turned all night long.  I ended up getting out of bed before my alarm went off.  The plan was to be down in the lobby by 6am, to catch the shuttle that would take me to the T station, and I would head into town.  Executed flawlessly.  Now, I know that there are probably a lot of advantages of staying near the finish line, but financially…that just wasn’t possible for us.  And it worked out fine without forking over our life savings.  Cause this town revolves around the marathon.  Even where we were staying there were dozens of people who were running the race.  Everyone who worked in the hotel said, “Good luck!”  and “Run fast” as we were eating our bagels in the lobby.

I had decided to purchase a seat on a charter bus, rather than to ride the school buses down.  Mainly for the bathroom.  I didn’t want to be hydrating for a marathon whilst trapped on a bumpy school bus for and hour and a half.  Once again, there are people who say that the “experience” is diminished if you skip the free shuttles, but I was surrounded by just as many runners who were all just as jazzed about running Boston…we just had a bathroom to use.  Oh, and our bus driver got lost, which was really fun.  But, in reality…the more time we spend driving on the back roads around Hopkinton, the less time we had to sit in the cold wind at Athlete’s Village.

I ended up meeting someone that works for the running shoe store where I buy my shoes!  It was so amazing.  His name is Andy and he qualified with a 2:49 marathon at Grand Rapids!  Talk about an amazing connection.  So we ended up hanging out until it was time for him to line up in corral 1 of wave 1…yes, that’s RIGHT behind the elites.

After Andy went to line up, I made a last pit stop at the port-o-johns, dropped my bag off, and headed to the start.  One thing that I will do differently–keep my throw away clothes until the start.  There were donation bags everywhere with volunteers collecting the clothing.  I thought that they were just at the bag drop off, so I got rid of my snuggie (yes I took a snuggie and it was AMAZING!) a little sooner than I should have.

Without much ceremony (since I was near the back of wave 2, I didn’t expect much) we were off!  Crossing the starting line and recognizing everything from last year when I was just watching the marathon on TV was the first (of many) times when I was overcome with emotion.  Tears welled up and I started to cry.  I was thinking about all the people who had made that moment possible: Mr. Dawn, my mom and dad, the Gazelle, KT, Andi.  And I thought of all the supporters who have cheered me on near and far: Aunt Mary, Grandma, Mom and Pop C, Supernub and the Sis… I was overcome with gratitude.  From the very first steps across the starting line through the scream tunnel and over the Newton Hills, I thought about how incredibly blessed I have been.

Ok, but enough of that emotional stuff…time to talk numbers.

The plan I had was simple: be conservative.  Miles 1-5 run intentionally slower.  Miles 5-13 enjoy the ride.  Miles 13-16 prepare for the hills.  Miles 16-21 survive the hills.  Miles 21-end celebrate!!  And I must say…I followed through on that plan, almost to a t!

Mile 1–9:17

Mile 2–8:85

Mile 3–8:57

Mile 4–9:01

Mile 5–9:11

By this time we were running through Ashland.  I was blown away with how many people were in the center of town.  It was unREAL.  I’d worn my name on my shirt and this was the first place where I couldn’t keep up with all the people shouting out their encouragement.  And yes, this was the #2 location of tears for the day.  I just felt so overwhelmed with the joy of the moment.

Somewhere else along the way (no clue where) there was a blue grass band.  I thought of Mr. Dawn.  He would have stood there and listened to them all day.

Mile 6–8:45

Mile 7–8:42

Mile 8–8:55

Mile 9–8:51

Mile 10–8:55

Mile 11–9:03

Mile 12–8:58

Mile 13–8:54

And here is where I met the Women of Wellesley.  They showed up in full force.  I heard their screams before I even saw the sign for the college.  For anyone who’s keeping track, this would be the location of tears #3.  I loved how the girls actually had to be fenced off the course.  They could tell that their screams are world famous and they didn’t disappoint.  True, I could tell that they were screaming more for the guys, trying to earn kisses…but I appreciated the volume just the same.

Mile 14–8:55

Mile 15–9:10

Mile 16–9:02

Mile 17–9:19

It was here that I faced the decision.  I knew that I was walking a fine line between being under four hours and being over four hours.  If I REALLY wanted to come in under 4, I would have to push it.  But really, I didn’t want to sacrifice how much fun I was having just to reach an arbitrary time goal.  I stopped to walk for a second so I could text Mr. Dawn, “past mile 17.  slowing, but having the time of my life! best race ever!”  I knew that he was watching my splits and waiting for me at mile 21, I didn’t want him to get worried as he watched my splits slow down.

Mile 18–9:39

Mile 19–9:10

Mile 20–9:42

Mile 21–10:09

Yes.  That mile 21 is nasty.  True, the last part of it is a gorgeous downhill…but wow.  Those hills of Newton are serious.  Mr. Dawn, my mom and dad were all waiting for me just after the last uphill.  They were nestled in to the Boston College volume tsunami.

I couldn’t even hear my own footsteps or breath.  The noise was so intense.  I finally pictured them down the hill and off to the left.  My dad had found his way past the barricades and was practically standing in the middle of the road.  Each one had a camera in hand and were screaming as loud as possible.  Yep.  Cry time #4.  And this one was caught on tape.  Awesome.

Mile 22–9:06

Mile 23–9:45

Mile 24–9:35

Mile 25–9:53

Ok, so there were a few more moments of weakness where I slowed to a walk.  It never lasted very long…especially with my name on my chest.  As soon as I would stop to stretch everyone around would start shouting to me that I could do it and to get going.  Blessing and curse.

Mile 26–9:31

Last bit (0.4)–3:20

As I rounded that corner on to Boylston Street, I could see the finish line.  Even though there was pain in my legs, I just kept looking around at all the people that had gathered there.  I couldn’t believe how amazing it was to be a part of this day.

The finish line was awesome!

The chaos after it was less awesome.

First: water.  Then: space blanket.  Then: medal.  Then: gatorade.  Then: bag of food (I love that they had already filled bags of food!).  Then: bag pick up.  Then, finally we could exit the finisher’s chute.  It took awhile and a few phone calls to actually figure out where I was supposed to meet up with my family.

I had told them that the greatest gift they could give me was to already have a place to eat in mind, so that I wouldn’t have to make any decisions after the finish.  So we hoped on a train and got right to a place where I could enjoy my favorite post-race meal: pizza with root beer.

After our meal, it was time to head back to the hotel.  I really do think that it was good for me to do some walking and stretching before I got back.

So, there it is.  The day…or at least as much as I can remember right now.  I’ll put all my tips and advice in another post as I remember more things…

Thank you so much for being a part of this day with me!  I cannot tell you how supported I felt while I was out there running.  Every time I crossed a timing mat, I would think of all the people getting text messages and watching the splits online.  I truly felt that I was a part of something much bigger than myself.  Which is why I love running in the first place.

 

Ok, I totally don’t mean to be dragging this out…but while we were flying home yesterday, our second flight got cancelled and we ended up stranded in Cleveland overnight.  Which meant I had to find emergency subs for my morning classes today.  Also, our new flight left at 6am.  Yes.  That meant up at 4am, at the airport by 5am.  Oh, did I mention that the flight wasn’t cancelled until 9:30pm?  We weren’t to our hotel until 11:30.  Awesome.  More good news when we were able to get into town in time to teach my afternoon classes….right?

Have I ever said how much I love teaching classes on 4 hours of sleep?!?!  Oh and now I’m at help session.  7-9pm.  Teaching is AWESOME!!!

Meanwhile, this afternoon during my small break (since “break” always means unpacking, cleaning, and making dinner, right?), I was FINALLY able to download and watch the entire broadcast of the Boston Marathon.

It was, in a word, incredible.

Seriously.  I mean, yeah, Ryan didn’t win…but he did establish himself as the fastest American marathoner of ALL time.  AND What about Desiree?  She was unbelievable!!!

By now I believe I’ve established Mr. Dawn’s rightful place in the Husband Hall of Fame.  Right?  Well, even if I hadn’t already this would put him over the top.  Just take a look at the picture he took for me at mile 21:

 

So, here’s my two cents:  the time should stand as the world record.  Period!  I don’t care if there were tail winds, negative elevation, or a point-to-point course.  Geoffrey Mutai ran the fastest 26.2 miles ever recorded in history.  I cannot believe that he will not be recognized as the world record holder.  I am proud of the BAA for still awarding him the world record bonus and I stand with them in recognizing his unmatched achievement.  Besides, anyone who has run the Boston course can tell you that there are no built in “cheats”.   You earn every step of that race.

I have several uncompleted drafts of our trip that will be finished and posted eventually, but I just wanted to give a quick update about the race…

Official time: 4:02.59

I cannot even begin to say how amazing the marathon was.  My favorite marathon by far!  Even when I knew that I wasn’t going to finish under 4, I was still so incredibly thrilled with everything about the race.  I’d always thought that finishing over 4 would crush my spirit, but by that point I was just so excited with the joy of the run I barely noticed the time.

I am overwhelmingly grateful that I was able to experience the Boston Marathon.

Best. Race. EVER!

Mr. Dawn and I are both home safe.  Thank you all so much for the kind words and encouragement! He is doing well and on the road to feeling 100%, although he is still restricted to a liquid-only diet.  Therefore our cupboards are now filled with a plethora of soup and more juice than I knew existed.  It’s not really helpful for me in this “carb-loading” phase.  I guess I’ll have to have two of the birthday cupcakes that my students brought in today .

Now that we’re past the drama/saga of last week’s hospital saga…the thrill of Boston is upon me!!!

I CANNOT WAIT.  Seriously.  It feels like I’ve had my head buried in the sand and all of a sudden its out and I’m looking around at everything I’ve been missing.  I get to run the Boston Marathon in less than a week.  [deep breath].  I can’t believe it.  Six years ago, I never could have imagined that I’d be packing my clothes and making a race day plan for THE Boston Marathon.  After next Monday I will be a Boston Finisher.  Un-Real.

Since I’ve been so distracted I feel like I’m trying to fit 6 months worth of excitement into 7 days.  I’m stalking forums, race reports, news articles, video tips, packing lists….basically anything online that has the phrase “Boston Marathon” is open in a separate tab in my chrome window.  I just finished reading an article about the woman’s elite field this year.  Then, I watched Ryan Hall’s training day video taken a few weeks ago.  Seriously, this race is going to be EPIC.  I’m pretty sure that I’m going to pay the money it takes so that I can watch every single minute of the elite race come Monday afternoon.

See how excited I get about running?!?!?

Boston: 5 days.  BRING IT!

Whew.  This marks the third night the Mr. Dawn is sleeping in a hospital bed.  I feel so bad leaving every night…but I know that he is being well taken care of and getting the medical attention that he needs.

In the good news column: he has been moved from a “clear liquid” diet to a “full liquid” diet…which basically means that he can have soup now in addition to the jello and sprite he’s been getting.  Also, his tests today were able to rule out some of the diagnosis options.  AND, he’s probably going to be discharged tomorrow which is the best news of all.

Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what it is that is causing his pain and inflammation.  So, there are some lab results that won’t come in for a week or so…and another follow up CT in two or three months.  For now, he’s going to be on antibiotics and we’re going to do some tweaking in his diet, see what we can do to avoid another flare up.

Here’s some pics I took today before and after his procedure…