Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon race report

Spoiler alert - this post could also be titled "It just wasn't my day"

carrying on the saying/team name from the flying pig 2 weeks ago.  It brought me some motivation and a lot of comments during this race.

Alright settle in this takes awhile...

Sunday I lined up to run the 34th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon for my 3rd year in a row.  For the 2nd year  Mr. H lined up to pace me and my friend Sarah ran her 3rd Cleveland half marathon.  They have both run one of the races (10K, half, marathon) for the last 5 years.

Mr. H was with me once again because during one night of drinking while home for the holiday in Dec 2009 I asked the speedster to get me to a sub-4 hour marathon.  I struggle with the Cleveland course each year but I keep signing up because I'm a masochist always one for a challenge.  At this point my friend is as determined as I am for me to break the 4 hour barrier.  Though after being injured and coming out of the boot only 13 weeks ago, having a lackluster training because I spent much of my time building my base back up again, not having the time to commit due to my crazy travel schedule, and general lack of motivation I wasn't feeling overly confident this year.  

I was up and at 'em at 4:30 am Sunday morning.  Sarah, Chris and her parents (my 2nd mom and dad) were picking me up from my dad's house around 5-5:15 a.m. to make the drive to Cleveland.  It was a foggy and cool though humid morning with on and off rain showers.  We arrived almost an hour before race start so we killed time making several bathroom trips.  Luckily we had access to the Brown's Stadium and every bathroom was open and there was cover! So many people didn't realize that if you walked 10 additional steps the opposite direction there was one with no bathroom line.  We made the extra effort and had no waiting each time.  

About 20 minutes before the start time we headed to the start line.  It was chaotic!  This was the first year for the race starting by the stadium and there was limited space.  Cleveland also doesn't use corrals or very many barricades so spectators were standing with the runners in the shoot.  We weaved our way through to the 4 hour marathon pacers and found a spot on the sidelines until the races started instead of smashing our way into the line.  We had just enough time for a quick pic before the start.

The half marathoners and marathoners started together.  Since Sarah was attempting to break the 2 hour half marathon bar she started with us!  Around the end of mile 1 I turned to her and asked "In high school did you ever see us running a marathon and half marathon together ever?"  We both had a good laugh.  While we both played sports in high school we were much larger and not runners at all.  In fact Sarah threw the shot put and discus!  How times have changed!

We started out slow and kept the 4 hour pacer group in sight.  The first few miles went by quickly and I mostly just buckled down to a pace that felt right and fell in behind Mr. H.  Around mile 6 Sarah decided to back off from us and finish on her own.  We wished her luck and kept on.  We saw Mr. and Mrs. Dobney in Tremont (one of the best areas of the course) around mile 8.  Always a boost seeing people you know.

At the point of the course where marathoners turned right and half marathoners went straight to finish I took a turn for the worse.  My stomach felt off and everything felt heavy.  I felt like my week of travel and being stressed was catching up to me in the worst way.  I asked Mr. H if we could just finish the half and call it a day.  He said he would do whatever I wanted but I was determined to at least finish another marathon so I turned.  I have never felt this bad this soon in a race and it really got to me mentally.  I was still only about 2 minutes off my pace and gaining time but it felt like such a struggle to maintain.  When we turned onto Euclid Avenue before mile 13 were were greeted with dropping temperatures and wind.  Oh and a open bus lane and cars trying to maneuver around the runners.  Yeah, that was a bit scary.  Around this point I lost the 4 hour pace group and honestly I couldn't have cared less.

By mile 15 I was trying not to get sick and started dry heaving.  Everything felt off and I couldn't recall any positive affirmations only a very negative "this is a little early for the death march to start".  I made mini goals of just get to the next mile marker or to the next water station.  I let myself walk through every water station.  My stomach was off and I was struggling to fuel properly.  Chris was being great and if he hadn't been there I probably would have walked off the course and called it a day.  Not one to let anyone down I kept on trucking slowly.

Around 19 I grabbed a jet blackberry GU and walked to take about 3/4 of it in.  We were leaving the University Village/Metropark area which was pretty but absolutely dead!  The water stations had wonderful volunteers but few spectators showed up on the back half of the marathon (like usual).  This year there were even less because of the weather.  I'm not sure more support would have mattered because I was not noticing or registering much at this point.  As we turned left onto the bike path we had the wind at our back and I had a short reprieve from my stomach pain.  I found some energy, started belting out some random rap song that had come on my ipod and nailed a sub-9 minute mile for mile 20.   I thought maybe I was finding some random 2nd (or 3rd, 4th) wind.  

Then I officially crashed hard.  By mile 23 I wanted nothing to do with this stupid course, I kept apologizing to Chris, and generally felt like s*%^.  My usual "you can do anything for a 5K!" was having no effect and I was walking every chance I could. By mile 24/25 I had an 10:50 minute mile.  I'm surprised I could even muster that!

I didn't talk much and Chris tried to push me (as I had instructed him to!) to pick it up and take it home.  I let out a small "it's not happening today Chris" and he understood.  I told him I knew I would make it even if I had to walk and I would get there eventually.  Just before mile 26 marker we saw Sarah and her parents and turned right onto a downhill which actually felt okay on my legs.  The rain started to pick up but I didn't care I just wanted to see the finish line banner.  Over the last mile we had to dodge and weave all the 10K and half marathon walkers who were walking 2-5 across as well as spectators who had edged onto the course because there were no barricades keeping them on the sidewalks.  Something I hope the race officials acknowledge and fix.

We crossed the finish line officially in 4:10:33 for a 9:33 pace.  Not my worst but not my best.  I wasn't all the happy with myself but I was happy I finished my 6th marathon.  

Sarah ended up with a 2:02 half marathon!  A new personal best for her!  Yea Sar!!!

Maggie asked to try on my medal ;)  

I swore I would never run another marathon after this death march.  Of course I'm checking out marathonguide.com today while laying in bed still unable to walk.  I think my next step is to re-focus on half marathon and shorter distances.  I want to get some of my speed back.  I also like that there is a much shorter recovery time for the half.  I think my next challenge will be back to back half marathons and see how I handle that before jumping back into a full.

Cleveland marathon race weekend begins

Yea! Blogger is working again!

As I write this on riding shotgun in my jeep liberty as Jacob drives us and the cat to Ohio. I was a little stressed yesterday and today as I got stranded in Little Rock. Not a place you want to be stuck. After much running around last night I finally ended up purchasing an entirely new flight on a different airline to get back at a decent hour Friday so I could pack and hit the road again. I'm tired but hopefully I'll get to sleep in the car a bit.

So my weekend didn't start the way I had planned but it's back on track. I'm ready to see what my most likely rainy race day will bring! If you want to track and virtually cheer me on (I'll need all the support) my bib number is 1845. If you're Facebook friends with me I signed up for the automatic posts.

See you on the other side!

2010 Cleveland Marathon Race Report

Settle in this is going to take awhile :)

I like running Cleveland not so much for the actual course but because it's the one race that I'm surrounded by family and friends. My family may not always understand why I run as much or as far as I do but at least they are there cheering me on along the course.

Race morning started early but not bright. The alarm was set for 4:45 am but the hubs woke at 4:30 to go to the bathroom and I'm a bit of a light sleeper. Unfortunately when I need to be up early I don't sleep well and marathon eve was no exception. I rolled out of bed and started my ritual. At 5:35 am my best friend, her husband, and her parents, picked me up and we were on our way to Cleveland. The p's dropped us off close to the start with nearly 45 minutes until the start and we started our hike to the port-a-potties.

For the first time in 33 years the Cleveland marathon and half marathon sold out. It is great news for the city and the race but some of the logistics haven't quite caught up with the race size. My biggest gripe were that the port-a-pots were on a street that was not closed to traffic and there were not nearly enough for the number of people running this year. I hope they learn because it was a hot mess.

After a not so quick trip it was nearly time to start. Mr. H and I lined up just behind the 4 hour pace group and Mrs. H headed to line up for her half marathon pace. The plan for this race was that Mr. H who is a bit of a speedster would pace me for a sub-4 hour marathon. Before my friend left to find her place we took a quick picture.

My garmin struggled to find a signal while waiting for the start and before it did we were off. Luckily I had my trusty pacer to worry about our time :) Although I still started my watch even if the mileage was off because I'm dependent and obsessive like that.

The morning started in the 50's and sunny and eventually warmed to the mid 60's. I was expecting overcast skies but no such luck. I warmed up fast! Mr. H and I took off slowly but had to dodge a lot through the first few miles. It took me awhile to settle into the race and on top of that I had to pee but had no desire to stop and wait at any of the sporadically placed port-a-pots.

Mr. H and I didn't run right next to each other the entire time, as I usually fell behind, but it was nice to have someone shoot the sh*t with and a pace bunny to chase. As we ran by the huge mural of LeBron around the 5K mark we took time to boo him for possibly leaving. We talked about past races and the course changes. Officials added Tremont, a cutesy neighborhood, to the schedule and it was a nice addition. We complained about the Shoreway. Sounds nice right? Not so much. It's Mr. H's most dreaded part of the course. I forgot about the nearly 2 mile gradual uphill on a concrete expressway from miles 8 - 10. There is absolutely no crowd support because there is no way to get there and you also get to pass a stinky water treatment plant. I nearly lost my breakfast and gu chomps. After some tearing and dry heaving I made it past that one.

The first 13 miles were the most fun I have had in any race yet because I was going through them with a friend!

Right around 13 miles Jacob and my sister were there to cheer us on. I traded out water bottles with my hubs and my sister jumped in to join the fun on through 16. We hit the half right around 1:59 and change. Right where we wanted to be.

Then I took a turn for a worse, just like last year.

At this point of the course the half marathoners have left to finish their race and taken nearly all the race supporters with them. Miles 13.2 - 16 are by the lakefront airport (boring and no spectators), 16-17 are on a bike path by the lake (more of us on our own), and nearly all these middle sucky miles were into the wind. No matter how much you run in wind you are never truly prepared for it. Then as you turn away from the wind into the metro parks you are greeted with a ton of long uphills with no downhills, only a flattening out.

somewhere around 16 I think, not so pretty

I won't go on about how crappy I felt between 14 - 20. I was presented with a mental challenge I was not able to breakthrough on Sunday. We reached mile 20 at 3:04 and I knew my goal wasn't going to happen. Plain and simple - I gave up on my goal and myself. I kept on pushing as much as I could because of Mr. H but my heart was no longer in it to win it if you know what I mean. He encouraged me when he could or just gave a look over his shoulder to make sure I was still with him. It was all I needed to keep on keeping on.

I walked for the first time around 20ish through the water station as I ran out of what I was carrying. After my walk break of a few seconds I told Mr. H I couldn't do it any longer. I don't remember what he said but it got me moving again and I was able to pick it up briefly. At this point I was tired of feeling bad and wanted to focus on something else. I started thanking every race volunteer and spectator I made eye contact with. It helped immensely!

From 20 on I walked through all the water stations and just told myself to get to the next one. My sister found us again around the 22/23 mark and snapped some shots of us on her iphone before jumping in on the fun.

look at all those supporters around us...

At the water station around 24 I told them to go on ahead without me. I was really struggling even though I knew it was almost over. If they left I was going to walk and not care. They wouldn't leave. I felt bad making Mr. H run so slow! I wanted him to at least have a decent ending to the race but he stuck with me and all my mood swings ;)

What seemed like an eternity but was really around 10 minutes we reached the point with 1 mile remaining. I so desperately wanted to pick it up but I just couldn't. I had nothing left in the tank to give. As we rounded the last corner to the finish we saw my friend and her parents. She jumped in with us for a couple hundred feet to cheer us on. Along the way to the finish all the spectators were kind of standing around so I yelled out a "let's hear it" Mr. H started clapping and we tried to get the crowd going.

Last year my family missed my finish. This year they were on the ball! Which was good because I had given my sister my fuel belt that also held my phone.

finishing!

Mr. H and I very happy to be done

my other partner on the course - my sister turned out nearly 6 miles for the first time ever!

We crossed the line with a chip time of 4:07:55! I bettered my time from Cleveland last year by nearly 14 minutes thanks to Mr. H! It's not a personal best but at least it's not a worst either. And for all my difficulties I did have fun and at the end of the day that is what matters. Although the phrase "This is my last marathon" may have been spoken.

I quickly found my dad and stepmom who had walked the 10K! Their first race since beating their cancers. Then my hubs who had been kicking a few back in the beer garden with my brother-in-law. crazy kids...

While in the beer garden sipping my nasty plastic bottled miller lite (don't judge it was free and cold) I saw a guy wearing a 1st marathon sign on his shirt so I made a point to congratulate him. Usually I'm too scared to talk to strangers but I felt the need to acknowledge others throughout this entire race. Something in talking to others, saying "thank you" and "congratulations" made me feel so happy and allowed me a much better race experience. Anyway, he came over sat down next to me and started chatting me up for the next 15 minutes. I learned a lot about him but never caught his name - congrats to the man from Connecticut who drove 8 hours to Cleveland for a "flat" course and rocked his first marathon in a stellar 3:47!

Highlights from race day:

• The signs! "Chuck Norris Never Ran a Marathon" (I love a good chuck norris reference!), "If it were easy, I would be running" and another one that said Let's Go Cavs, with Cavs crossed out, and runners added.
• Passing batman around mile 23.
• The spectators on the back half. They may have been few and far between but the ones that were there were fantastic! Especially the nice girl with oranges around 22. I may have called her my savior :)
• the early on neighborhoods support. I hope this keeps growing every year and also to the back half the marathon.
• The cute little family of four cheering hard at multiple spots along the back of the course
• My sister who thinks running 26.2 miles is stupid still out on the course running nearly 6 miles with me. Thanks loo!
• Mr. H for sticking with me through it all! Dude, you freaking rock and saying thank you is not enough I know!

cheers! #5 is in the books!

Thank you for all your support on this one!

taper randomness

T -2 days and (approximately) 18 hours until marathon #5! Here's the taper randomness happening bullet style...

• taper crazy didn't set in until Tuesday. I was talking to my friend who had no idea I was running a marathon on Sunday and something clicked along the lines of "crap, I didn't realize how close the 16th and running a marathon really is!"
• I don't know what it is about the week before a marathon but it's the week I finally get around to getting a haircut. My last one was right before Chicago in October (yes, I tend to go 5 to 6 months between haircuts) and I had a PR. Maybe it's good luck or something! Or maybe I finally get so annoyed with the mess I realize I'm not going to be able to take 26 miles of heavy hair on the top of my head.
• I'm crazy anxious about this race. Even though I know the course, am going home to be with family and friends, and have done this before I can't help but think my training wasn't enough, my times were a lot slower this time around, I could have been better with my food choices, so on and so forth. My anxiety symptoms are coming through full force - insomnia, night terrors when I do fall asleep, nausea, stomach pain, etc. I'm doing everything I can to calm down!
• I really hope I can get some sleep in the next couple days I think that will make all the difference.
• 2 runs done so far this week. An easy 6 and a what pfitz calls a "dress rehearsal". It was 7 miles with 2 at race pace. My legs struggle to find my desired pace. They kept moving 20 seconds too fast!
• I have 2 short runs left to do. Since Friday is a travel to Ohio day, I may skip one.
• Today is my Friday at work. The day can't end soon enough...
• Saturday is a big pasta dinner at my dad's house with family and friends running the race. I am so excited! I love running races with and supported by people I know and it happens so rarely.

There are a lot of us running this weekend. Since my taper brain isn't focusing on anything I can't imagine trying to link everyone up. Good luck to everyone - you know who you are! I'll be thinking of you while I'm out there on the course in Cleveland and looking forward to reading your reports as I recover from the couch.

***I forgot to mention I have bib #2498 this time around. There is live marathon finish times up on clevelandmarathon.com on Sunday if you're feeling the need to check on me ;) I'll also update FB right after I finish I'm sure!

Cleveland report in pictures (and more words)

First, thank you for all your kind and supportive comments on my last post!  It has helped me so much over the past few days.  I'm feeling a lot better today, only pain remaining is in my left hip, quads, and shins.  With the gorgeous weather and my week off from work I am itching to be outside so I hope to be able to get an easy run tomorrow.  

In my rush to post my race report I realized that in the last post I 1) misspelled/used incorrect grammar 2) did not give a complete story of my race day experience.  

Race day brought some cooler temperatures to the Cleveland area. Morning temps were in the mid to upper 40's.  The day topped out around mid 50's  What I consider ideal racing temps!

I'm all sorts of squinty goodness here.  I must have been REALLY excited.  Actually I was just nervous/anxious/unsure and I feel like a dork when taking a picture by myself!

Only my hubbie was at the start and I lost him as soon as I lined up next to the 4:15 pace group. It was a little chaotic since there were no barricades between the racers and the spectators. Where I lined up I found myself surrounded my the red bibs that were half marathoners.  I found a couple people wearing Chicago race gear and tried to soak in the cool morning while listening to pieces of conversations happening around me.  

Shot of my view before the start.  

Yes, I have some strange looking form here just before mile 13.  Jacob took the picture just as I finished high fiveing my friend Rachel (jumping in the background). I love this picture though because of the people cheering - it's my 2nd family  My bestie and her parents and sister.  My sister is there but hidden.  They made signs (I've never had anyone make a sign for me!) that said Run Booger Run and something else I couldn't read because I zoned out and saw it too late.

Apparently I decided to dress in the ROY section of ROYGBIV. Red/White shoes, orange shirt, yellow headband.  I wanted others to see me coming!

This is around mile 23.  I was HURTING and had just resumed my running.  Around 21 I had texted my hubbie saying I wasn't doing well.  Hubbie, Sister, and BIL surprised me at 23!  My sister handed me the oranges I forgot to take at the halfway point.   I was so out of it I couldn't get them out of the bag.  She took them back to help a sister out :) I am extremely grateful I had support and someone to run with me.  Loo told me funny stories and talked while I grunted in response or said nothing at all.  Plus she was able to get me back on pace.  And is the only girl I know that could get picked up at mile 25.75 of a marathon. (The skinny long legs and boobs I was not blessed with help) Thanks Loo - You're the best!!!

The rest of the race I zoned out.  My SSIL and SS jumped in around 24 or just after.  Since they had run the 10K they knew what the race of the course held for me so they helped by telling what was ahead or how much longer I had on a specific streets.  It helped a lot to just have others around me I knew even if I didn't talk to them.  

I finished in a sprint mostly to get away from creepy guy, took a bunch of food and tried to find the family.  Once I found my sisters we took a picture together at the CNN tent then I was on a (slow) mission to find the beer tent :)

Enjoying my free post race beer by Lake Erie.  I was laughing because only in Ohio would they have miller lite in a can for your post race enjoyment.  Love it!  All my family found me at this point and we sat around laughing and telling stories.  

The "swag"  Really the shirt doesn't look as obnoxious in the picture as it does in reality.  No worries, I will still be wearing it on my runs.  I don't have a problem with obnoxious colors.  

I didn't take a lot of pictures and not really sure why.  Normally I am crazy picture taker.  My SSIL (step sister in law) has a lot more, like ones that include my actual family, and I hope to have copies by the end of the week. 

Maggie felt left out of all the race hoopla so I let her "borrow" my medal.  Actually as soon as I took the picture she decided it would be more fun to try to eat it.  

A few thoughts post race...

• Always put chapstick in your pocket.  My lips are nice and wind/sun burned.  The one piece of skin I forgot to cover race day and am regretting I did every few seconds.  
  
• Good beer, excellent margaritas, and supportive family and friends (and RBFs!) who make you laugh/are there for you with a kind word will cure any heartache and make you remember what is important.
• I enjoyed getting others excited by running this race - maybe not in that they will go for a run but that they support the community.  My SB (step brother) wasn't looking forward to the race and didn't see the point or fun in watching runners.  Afterwards at lunch he said he couldn't believe how much fun and motivating it was watching family and strangers.  He had stories of people running Sunday and was asking tons of questions.  I loved every second of telling stories and sharing my experiences! 
• Wright socks were not my friends this race.  I have 2 of the largest blisters on the outside of each big toe.  I have had bad blisters during training but nothing like this after a race where it wasn't wet and with socks that promise no blisters...  onwards to find my perfect sock.
• I need to expand my horizons when it comes to fuel during the race.  I am not handling the GU this year and this marathon reinforced that issue.  Recommend your race fuel - how are the shot blocks?  flavors?  I saw something about GU gushers - anyone tried?  I can't chew luna moons or sport beans, takes too much effort/jaw hurts.  
• Thinking about new race training plan.  Any suggestions?  Anyone want to help me?  I am open to anything but I have a unique travel schedule that changes weekly.  

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Report

well...I finished....

short version I finished 4:22:21 way, way, way off any sort of PR.  It was a struggle.  I almost gave up.... several times.  I'm not too happy with how it all went down today.  But I finished so that is the upside!  

Longish version

Today was one of those days that I questioned why I thought it would be a fantastic idea to run a marathon.  Thought of selling my Chicago marathon entry for October because I'm not running another marathon ever and all that.  I had some GI issues and girlie issues but I am not blaming it on that.  It was one of those days that ended up not being my day.  I didn't follow my own marathon plan and it hurt me in the end (and middle).  

Miles 1-9 - My hubbie and I stayed downtown literally right outside the start line.  Thanks hilton point.  You may have been a crappy hotel but I didn't have to go far!  The run started off with my playlist all screwed up.  I said "screw it" and put it on random after a 1/2 mile of trying to fix it.  No big deal.  I don't think I went out too fast in the first mile. In hindsight.  yes, yes I did.  These early miles passed really quickly.  Besides the annoying girls trying to hang with one of the pace groups with a zip up sweatshirt that was swinging around hitting everyone as she weaved in and out cutting off people.  ugh. The whole time I was thinking maybe my pace was too fast and I would pay later.  And oh, I did.

Miles 9-12 - Not feeling good at ALL!  Long uphill on an exit ramp/highway.  No ankle pain - yay.  Instead left hip/IT band issues I have never experienced before.  I tried to ignore.  No crowd support at all, which was fine but I started to feel nausea's, was in pain, had to pee, and had GI issues. Mind you, I never, ever, ever, stop during a race and most training runs for the bathroom.  ever.  Just before 13 the half and full marathoners separated and I made my first porta potty stop.  No good.  

Mile 12.5 - 13 - Yay my family and friends!  My BF husband who just finished the half jumped in to run with me for  1/2  mile.  They gave me a boost.

Mile 13.5 - 16  - I take a turn for the worse GI wise.  Just before mile 16 I nearly did not make it to the bathroom.  Nasty.  I wasn't hurting other than my stomach which is the most frustrating kind of pain.  I ended up wasting nearly 5 minutes on this stop.  The difference between meeting and missing my goal.

Mile 17 - The 4:15 pace group I held off for so long passed me after my break. I lost it mentally and physically at this point.  I almost was a DNF.

Mile 18-23.  Run. Walk.  Swear.  Repeat.  Oh with some feeling nausea and thoughts of giving up or walking the rest thrown in.

Mile 23 - 24 - Hubbie, Brother in Law and Sister find me to run with me!  Sista goes with me to 26! They give me much needed support and oranges.  Yeah, oranges!  BIL and hubbie leave to go walk to the finish.  

Miles 24.25 - Step sister, step brother, and step sister in law join in on the party.  I told them not to take offense but I wasn't going to talk other maybe grunt until the end.  Made up some time and started hitting sub 10's finally.  

Mile 24.5 - end -  My sister got hit on my some 50 year old creep.  He was cool and that he's done over 50 marathons, 1 just 3 weeks ago.  Not cool and that he was hitting on her and uber creepy trying to hit on her.  I think he told me I had a nice ass just to continue to talk to her. She bailed around 26 - I don't blame her :)  No she left b/c she didn't want to act like she ran the thing although the looks she got when she went off course were funny.  Thanks to the announcers I kicked it and finished strong.  They called out my name several times (pronounced my new last name correctly!) and my whole family besides my sister missed my finish.  Oh well.  

The most frustrating part was I lost my plan and I wasn't hurt.  I hurt but no more than one should when running 26.2 .  I gave up on myself.  How I was feeling was so defeating. 

The medal rocks and overall it was a nice course. Although the hill at 21 sucked!  I forgot about it.  Not much in the way of crowd support but the race went smoothly and was well executed. Although the women's marathon shirt looks like a school crossing sign (bright greenish/yellow). Bart Yasso was at the expo and the start but I was too chicken shit to go talk to him/take a picture with him. I don't do well with strangers.  Especially famous strangers :)

Next up the few pictures I have from the race...

Ready to Run (and Rock) Cleveland

Gorgeous day for a 4 miler.  Thanks to my 14 and 15 hour travel days this week I haven't had much time to run in my last week of taper.  The time off had me wanting to be a little speedster (well speedy for me).  I had to keep reminding myself to take it easy.  

I finished the playlist *I think*.  Now begins the arduous task of packing.  Most of my stuff is in piles all over the house :) Then  leaving tomorrow late morning/early afternoon for Ohio.  Dad will be grilling out tomorrow night for dinner.  It will be nice to hang out around the house instead of going out which is what we usually do.  Then Saturday is the expo and dinner with 14 people in Cleveland!!! We are staying downtown Saturday instead of my dad's house close to the start line so I just need to wake up and walk outside :)  (Thanks Hilton points) I'm excited to hang out with my family and all my friends who will be around or in town because they are running the 10K and 1/2 marathon.  It's going to big one big par-tay!

I probably won't post again here until after the marathon.  I will most likely be updating facebook though :) Not sure if the cleveland website has live time tracking available but if you want to take a gander check out this link. My bib number is 2126.  

Hope to "see" ya on the other side with a good story to tell and lots of pictures!  Good luck to my fellow RBFs who will be in Cleveland too - Audrey who will be running the half and Maria who is running her first marathon!!!