Chicago Marathon 2015: Did I #OwnChicago?

The Chicago Marathon was an amazing experience.  Saturday runners walked the streets filled with anxiousness and excitement.  It was infectious! I rolled into Chicago thinking this wasn’t a big deal.  It was just another race, another state to check off my list.  I wasn’t that amped up about the race, I was excited to meet the people of Team Healthy Kids! The Chicago Marathon was something deeper for me when I first arrived, but that’s a whole other blog post.

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Before actually arriving, I took the experience for granted.  I didn’t see it as a big deal, but it was.  On the way to the expo I met William (and then I saw him many many times after that) from Dallas and this was his first marathon.  He talked about with such passion and enthusiasm.  That’s when things started to change for me.  This one conversation with him changed my whole outlook.

I was tired because my flight came in late the night before.  I was mad because I somehow made it to Chicago but my bad did not.  I had to wake up early to get to Wal-Mart to get some new clothes to wear because all I had was my race day clothes.  I did a great job of moving past it and really enjoying the day though, but there were moments when I couldn’t help but worry about getting my bag in time for the marathon.

The expo was huge.  I love a good expo but this one had me overwhelmed.  I didn’t know where to start and I definitely didn’t know where to end.  I picked up my bib and took it all in for a few moments.  It was crowded, it was loud but I was among people that wanted the same thing I wanted…to finish the marathon.

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Leaving the expo, I randomly ran into Lauren from breathedeeplyandsmile.com (we met last year at Fitbloggin’) which made everything better.  Lauren was on a mission.  She missed her BQ last year by seconds and I know she didn’t want that to happen again.  When I found her, she was nervous and cautious but I knew she was going to accomplish amazing things.  I really hope I conveyed that to you Lauren (cause I know you’re reading this).

And that’s when it really started to set in with me, the Chicago Marathon is an experience. Spoiler alert: Lauren will always be able to say she BQed at the Chicago Marathon.  William will say he ran his first marathon in Chicago.  This is what dreams are made of and I was taking it for granted.  It’s something most people will never get to experience. I’m one of those lucky people.  I will NEVER take that for granted ever again. I work three jobs to be able to have these moments, so I need to realize the weight these experiences will have on the rest of my life.

I really took it all in and Sunday morning, I took it for what it was: one of those moments that will forever change my life.

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I got there way too early but I’m glad I did.  I met some nice people.  Talked and laughed about running stuff and even pep-talked some first time marathoners and then I met Henry.  Henry grew up in Chicago but moved to Dallas 45 years ago.  He was running his second marathon which is also his second Chicago Marathon.  We traded stories about training in the heat and running on the treadmill.  We became fast buddies and ran the first 3 miles together.  This is the moment that changed me.  Henry is 80+ years old and running because it’s what he has left.  He loves it!  I spent a good 90 minutes with Henry in the corrals just talking.  He brightened my day and he told me I brightened his too.

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The day started off cold and windy.  I was in wave 2 (Corral G) which started at 8:00am which was 30 minutes after Wave 1.  I reached the start like at 8:21 am.  That is why I had so much time to talk with Henry. It was cool at the start but I knew things were going to change.  Running through downtown allowed for the shade which is my kind of running.  Sun is my kryptonite and I was wearing a black shirt.  It was so packed at the start it wasn’t really like running.  I didn’t weave around anyone I just keep moving forward.  I had no intention of breaking free.  I wasn’t able to run at all last week because my knee was bothering me and I did everything in my power to make sure I could at least hobble through this marathon.  I was in no rush!

The first half was great.  I did make a stop at mile 7 and the lines were long so I had to wait a bit for that but I just kept going after that.  There was a little side stitch thing that was kind of nagging me but I knew I would be at mile 14 soon enough so I could stop. At mile 14, I stopped at the Team Healthy Kids tent to put some vaseline on my feet because my shoes were starting to rub.  I really need to get new shoes now. I talked to a lot of people and took some pictures.  I was really in no hurry. By the way, these are the best streets to run on.  No potholes!

Mile 15, I took to Facebook to get suggestions on how to stop my side stitch because it was getting worse.  At mile 18, I called Willie looking for some inspiration…and then I started crying.  I didn’t understand why it was so hard for me.  Willie talked me through it and I hung up the phone.  From that moment on, I was fine.  Yes it was windy and it was sunny but I pushed through it.  Nothing bothered me at that point.  The streets were always lined with people wanting to give you high fives and words of encouragement.  I’ve never run a race where there was a constant stream of support the entire time.  It was amazing.  It was encouraging.  It was what I needed.  I had a great time from mile 18 -26.2.

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Look how salty I was at the end of the race. My electrolytes were out of whack during this race. I should have drank more Nuun, right? I won’t make that mistake again. I pretty sure that’s why I was side stitching so bad.

That is the reason I love marathoning.  I want to show people the things they thought were impossible are possible if you work for them.  I never thought I would run down the block and now I run marathons for fun.  I run to show what great satisfaction comes from living a healthier life..  I run to inspire others to take control of their health.  I run because I can and never thought that I would.  I finished the marathon in 5:45 and can say I sprinted to the end. It was no where near my fastest marathon but that’s ok. I gained so much more from this experience.

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With every marathon I learn a little more about myself.  I learn to love myself a little bit more.  I went to Chicago by myself.  I laughed.  I cried.  I talked to people.  I ACTUALLY talked to people and wasn’t afraid and didn’t shy away.  If you know even the slightest bit about me, you kind of know that isn’t me.  My Quest is changing me for the better and that’s why I started the journey and the Quest is changing into something bigger and better.  The Chicago Marathon has changed me and I’m grateful. State #12 has been tackled and marathon #28 is complete!

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And by the way, I bumped into new friend William about 4 random times on my trip. I even spotted him yesterday at the airport. We were on the same flight home. I think we both agreed, that means were destined to be friends. I’ll see him again in two weeks at Ragnar!

Also, I’ll be blogging more about my actual trip to Chicago on my other blog Road To Wonder.  Stay tuned.

#TourdeAngie has begun with my airport food hacks

#TourdeAngie has begun with my airport food hacks

I had big things planned for the blog this week but then life got really busy.  It was launch week at the gym which is always a great time. But that also means things get really busy with teaching extra classes.  Then my full time job was hectic because I was trying to do 6 days worth of work in 4 days.  The blog and vlog kind of got no attention this week.  Luckily I have some down time in the airport right now between my flights. I first had to eat my salad in the bag.  Why in the…

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Travel Tuesday: I’m going on a road …

Travel Tuesday: I’m going on a road trip

It’s Travel Tuesday so I’m taking a health/food/fitness break to tell you about my next adventure.  It’s all related somehow anyway, right?  I never would have dreamed of doing all the things I do now if I hadn’t lost the weight. My eyes are wide open now.  I’m ready to explore. So my next big adventure will be a road trip to Las Vegas.  This is kind of monumental because I’ve never been to las Vegas before and I’ve never driven that far by myself.  I’m probably violating a road trip rule by going by myself, but it’s just something…

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Video this week: drink more water, get motivated …

Video this week: drink more water, get motivated and a road trip

Happy Thursday everyone!  I didn’t do any meal prep this week because it was all up to Willie so I don’t have a food video for you this week.  I’ve been working really hard on these videos and it’s a learning process.  It’s something I feel is adding more to the blog. Here are the videos this week: Drink more water…and add some flava! Keep your fitness appointment because it’s just as important as anything else in your life. Watch and get motivated! And my weekend road trip to Mississippi/Alabama by myself. Boo! Have you tried a water enhancer? Did…

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Five Things Friday: Learned on a road trip

Five Things Friday: Learned on a road trip

It’s late and it’s almost no longer Friday, but I’m going to make it just in time to post my five things Friday. I had a rough start to the day and realized I probably just needed a little break and some sleep.  I bailed on my long run this morning because I was tired. I knew I needed to get in the car to drive to see my very best friends today too so I made the smart decision to bail out on the run and go back home to sleep before leaving. It was a road trip and…

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Zip lining is our non scale victory

Zip lining is our non scale victory

Willie and I always said when we lost the weight, we would do some things like go to China, travel more and go zip lining. I’m two years past hitting my goal weight and we still didn’t zip line. Today we finally enjoyed the view from the tree tops at Shelby Farms. The non scale victory really came because it was great to not have anyone question our weight and we were just normal. We actually planned to go in Chattanooga but we canceled those plans and decided to come to Memphis. This was the biggest thing we had planned…

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Race Recap: Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon

Race Recap: Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon

If you didn’t read my Rock n Roll San Diego 5K recap you definitely should go back to start there.  The Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon was part of my quest and was my 11th state to capture on the way.  I was very excited to be running California and to spend time with my best friend, Missy, who was running the half marathon. It was an early wake up call for us because we had to catch the coaster to the start line.  RnR San Diego staff did an excellent job of organizing transportation.  Everything went smoothly from…

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Race Recap: RnR San Diego 5K

Race Recap: RnR San Diego 5K

This should have been up ages ago, but I got sick the week I came back and then this week happened. We’ll just consider it a Throwback Thursday to an old race. I had a really fun time in San Diego because I got to spend some time with my best friend. This was her first trip to the West Coast! We were there together to run the Rock N Roll San Diego Half Marathon and Marathon! Saturday morning, we ran the Rock n Roll San Diego 5K at Balboa Park. We had to pick up our stuff that morning.…

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How do I travel so much?

How do I travel so much?

The weekend is finally here and I’m traveling. I’ve had lots of questions about how I’m able to travel frequently and I want to put a stop to chit chat and maybe help some people out at the same time. Today is the day I’m heading to San Diego with my best friend to run Rock n Roll San Diego. I’ll be taking on state #11 on my marathon quest and Missy will be running the half marathon. Plus, we’ll be running the 5K on Saturday morning. It’s going to be a great girls weekend…and I get to run! It’s…

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Race Recap: Horse Capital Marathon

Race Recap: Horse Capital Marathon

Running the Kentucky Ale Horse Capital Marathon was a biggie for me.  This is the race that finally got me qualified for the 50 States Marathon Club. I decided at the last minute that it was doable and I asked around to see if anyone would want to go…and bam someone wanted to go.  The dream became a reality and we road tripped to Kentucky. We stopped in Memphis on the way there which was about 8 hours in but I wanted to stop to show Lauren where I attended college.  No pictures of Ole Miss, which we probably should…

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Race Recap: Garmin in the Land of Oz …

Race Recap: Garmin in the Land of Oz Marathon

Happy Marathon Monday!  Today is the Boston Marathon and every runner is glued to the television. I had to watch it on my iPad at work. One day I hope to run Boston but qualifying is not in my sights or anywhere attainable right now.  I’ll get there one day though.  Since it’s Marathon Monday, I thought it was only fitting that I share my race recap of the Garmin in The Land of Oz recap with you today! I traveled to Olathe, KS to run this marathon. The weather wasn’t forecasted to be the best and I was a…

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