One day closer

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. " Mark Twain

I thought this quote was perfect. Some of us have dealt with people who didn't believe we could do this. And many times, we are our worst enemies and we doubt our abilities to complete this marathon.

Think of Mark, Robin, Scotty, Matt, and Wayne. They have believed in us from day one. They've encouraged us to accomplish what we thought was impossible. They are the "really great" this quote talks about.

I'll be forever in their debt. Thank you

I have been receiving emails and pictures from CFC families who have learned (thru Brenda Conger, CFC Intl. president) about fundraising efforts. I'm so touched by their words of encouragement, and by their gratitude. I feel like I should be the one thanking them for allowing me the opportunity to do this for them.

By this time next week we'll be in Chicago!!! So excited. I'm a geek and in true geek fashion, I am planning a whole itinerary for Claude and I, including restaurants I want to try.
We are budget-people, and use cash only (No credit cards, woohoo!), so I have to know how much we intend to spend so I can fit it in our budget. what can I say, I'm an engineer, remember?

One of the places we are going to try is Brazzaz, a Brazillian steakhouse. I've been to a couple of churrascarias (their true name); one in New Mexico, one in Orlando. Meat lovers paradise. I'm always raving about it, so we have reservations to try one. I hope it is as good as the ones I've tried.

Then there is the Chicago style pizza we need to try. yum. and Cheesecake.

10 hrs 16 minutes...

It just doesn't seem real. As I type this, there are officially 10 days and 16 minutes until the official start of the marathon.

Should I start to freak out?

I'm very calm at the moment, which is quite unusual for me. I'm a worrier, and when something big is on the horizon, my mind goes into overdrive. But I feel quite confident that I can and will finish this marathon. God willing, I will be crossing the finish line on October 7.

I'm really excited about going to Chicago. This will be Claude (husband) first trip to Chicago (my 3rd), so I'm excited for him. He is going to be there to cheer me along the way.

I keep visualizing the day of the race and try to imagine what it will feel like to line up with thousands of other people, all of us with one goal in mind, to finish 26.2 miles. I just can't imagine how amazing it will be.

Between now and Oct 5, I have tons of things to do at work and at home. I have to get my race "outfit" ready for the big day. Mind you, I already have the main components, but I'm adding a few personal touches to make it "my own". I'm adding the CFC logo to the hat I'll be wearing that day, since I'm running for Lillian and all CFC kids and their families.
I have a small flag of Panama to attach to my clothes, so I can remember every step of the way those I left behind, and my home country.

It's hard to explain to anyone why the heart of an immigrant yearns for home. I love living here, but my heart will always miss home. My first memories were made there, and the essence of who I am was forged there. I left my country for the first time when I was 15, and my family moved to Costa Rica. It was close enough to home I could travel back during the school breaks, and the holidays. Then we moved here, on Dec 1, 1990. I have spent more than half of my life away from home and I still miss it.
Crazy, isn't it?

I'm looking forward to seeing other runners from Panama in Chicago. I checked the registration list a while back and there were at least 5 coming all the way from Panama. Exciting!

Last run together in MS soil this Saturday. Am I the only one who thinks the 1st mile, back at Belhaven, was the hardest? I think it was. I guess it was the first step to this amazing journey. It was the hardest for me because I could not fathom doing 26.2 miles, when I was so out of breath after walking one mile. Yet, here we are, getting ready for the big day.

Thanks Mark, Robin, Matt, Scotty, and my new found amigo, Wayne; for being so encouraging to all of us during this journey.

Why

13 more days left. Lucky 13.

It's amazing to me that just 9 months ago, I could hardly walk one mile. Now I'm at the end of my marathon journey. It's hard to believe that 2 weeks from today, we'll be on our way home with our medals and the satisfaction of knowing we have achieved a goal a few achieve in a lifetime.

Mark's blog got me thinking about why I will finish Chicago, why I will endure thru the fatigue, the aches and pains, and the discomfort so I can finish the marathon.

So here are my reasons why I will finish the Chicago Marathon.

1) Because I CAN.
So many people in this world can't do it because of medical/physical conditions. I am healthy and capable, and so I will finish for those who can't.

2) For my kids, Candace, Braden, and Cade
I want my children to know they can achieve anything they dream of. All it takes is determination, and hard work.

3) For my niece Lillian.
She is an angel sent to our family so we could be reminded that God is always with us.

4) For all the CFC children in this world and their families.
They have touched my life, and I'm honored to run this marathon for them.

5) For my grandfather.
I miss you, Abuelo.

6) For my cousin Jose.
Jose died 7 yrs ago, of complications related to his diabetes. He was 33. He was my brother, my friend, and I miss him very much.

7) For my mother, Amelia
She has taught me to never give up on my dreams.

8) For my sisters, Iris, Joyce, Glenda and Indra.
They are the rocks that support me, and they believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself.

9) For my entire family back in Panama.
Even though we don't see each other often enough, they are such a big part of my life. Distance can't sever the bond of family.

10) For my niece Stephanie
She has brought such joy to my life, I couldn't ask for a better role model for my daughter.

11) For my niece Aurora, and nephews Jesse and Jon-Luc
So that they will know that anything is possible.

12) For my husband Claude.
You are a gift from God, your love, your support and your patience mean more to me than I can express. Thank you for being there for me always, for believing in me, and for supporting me in every endeavor.

13) For myself.
So that I can always remember where I came from, how far I've come, and how much I have yet to accomplish.

14) For all the MM runners
Thank you for being there for me thru this journey. This experience I will cherish forever.

Restless sleep

Am I the only one having trouble with their sleep? I haven't had a good night of sleep since Saturday night. I have no problem going to sleep or staying sleep. The problem is I am not getting any rest. Let me explain. It's like I'm dreaming all night long. I can't remember the dreams, just that I had them.

And, of course, after I wake up, I feel like I haven't slept at all. *yawn*

I'm going to have some chamomille tea tonight and hopefully that will help. I know it's the excitement and nervousness of the marathon. That's how it usually goes when I have something big coming up. I can't sleep for days, except this time I really need to get some rest!

Lessons

I guess there are always lessons to be learned, aren't there?

We now have a double jogging stroller, in addition to our regular stroller. Since I am a marathoner, I figured I can now take the twins with me whenever I need to train during the week. That's the whole purpose of a jogging stroller, right?

So we head out into the streets of the neighborhood. Here I was, feeling pretty confident after Saturday's run, and thinking running with the twins will be a piece of cake after doing 20 miles.

WRONG! I forgot to take into account running 20 miles alone is NOT the same as running while pushing over 60lbs in front of you. The kids are about 23 lbs each, and the stroller weighs another 23 lbs.

Talk about a humbling lesson! I just couldn't do it. And the questions "Am I ready for Chicago?", "Can I really do a marathon?" came rushing into my head.
I had to remind myself that I will not be pushing the twins in Chicago, and that I am ready to do this.

So here we are, one day closer to the big day.

The final countdown

20 days until the big day. 20 days. wow. It has been an amazing journey. It has been difficult, painful, yet inspiring, and wonderful.

I didn't finish all 22 miles on Saturday. But I came as close as I could, about 20.5. It was painful to say the least. The big toe on my right foot started hurting at the first water stop. I headed to Fox Bay first so I could get it out of the way while I was still "sleep". Great idea. The toe was hurting and the pain went all along my foot. I thought about stopping but I was too far from my car, and my stubborn self wouldn't let me stop.

I walked for a while, to "stretch" them (if that's even possible). It hurt less when I ran, so I kept doing the intervals. I don't think it's the running that made my toe hurt, it was aching on Thursday. It is back to normal now.

Thanks to George, who did the last miles with me, I was able to make it. I was so ready to ask Robin for a ride at the last water stop. If it hadn't been for George, I wouldn't have pushed myself to finish. Thanks George!

I went home and sat in a tub of ice water for a while. Took a 30 min nap while the twins slept. Then we headed to Walmart, and finally went to bed around 8:30. I had a restless night of sleep, I think I was overly tired and just didn't sleep well.

I am nervous and excited, and so ready to get to Chicago.