So the title isn`t exactly correct, but I ran a marathon yesterday and it was Melissa & my`s one month being here. But Caro helped me come up with the title and I thought it was catchy.
So marathon #2 and a completely different experience than the one I ran last year in Chicago.
Lisa Rottler Chamberlin is the name I ran the race with...I tried to sign up as Lisa Rottler, but it forced me to enter mom`s maiden name or i couldn`t continue with registration. the first difference
I experienced this marathon in a very different way. In Chicago I was competitive I would say. It was on my mind since February of last year when I signed up. I was didigent about training and very serious about it. This year I signed up like 3 weeks ago and it was very last minute. Although, I ran like I was training for the marathon this summer in Chicago-that was 2 months ago. Last year the weekend of the marathon I rested. This year Friday night I went to my first quinceanera and got home at 4 am. Saturday we ran errands and at night we had some people over. Not exactly what I should`ve done, but I did and I don`t regret it at all.
I`m really happy I had the experience and i loved running.
Caro (ran the half) and i headed out our door at 6:15 (american time...meaning on time) to get a cab, but there weren`t cabs around at 6am so we hopped a bus to a busier area and then grabbed a cab there to take downtown. (The cab ride was $4...unbelieveable. I said that`s like 2 blocks in Chicago) Once we got there we saw a woman with a yellow bag like the one we got Saturday at packet pick-up and followed her. We followed her into the 7-eleven and everything (Caro wanted coffee anyway). Then we got to the port-or-potties and for some reason yesterday I checked to see if there was toliet paper (I generally don`t) there wasn`t any. So I thought, "alright i`ll head to the next one" I walked out and caro was standing there and asked if i brought any with me. I said no why would i do that. she said it`s super common that they don`t have toliet paper so we headed to 7-eleven to go buy some. They of course didn`t have any, but they did have napkins... =)
We found our way to the entrance for runners and we split. Caro`s race started about 2 hours later than mine so we wished each other luck and I headed off with the women marathoners.
I started the race with the other women. The start was different here all the women running the full marathon started first (there weren`t many...that`s for sure). Things started off great. They had a little ceremony and had the national anthem, which everyone around me sang...quite different than the US where the only person I know who sings the national anthem when it`s played is my dad. (He`s really good by the way...there have been several times the people around us compliment him after it`s over) So that made me think of Dad and then we started. I felt great I loved there wasn`t an enormous amount of people like in Chicago, but I also felt in general the runners here were more serious, which was a stark contrast to my unseriousness this time around.
Melissa, Jess, Marcos, & Ricardo saw me about km 7 and it was great to see them. I thought of that spotting many times throughout the race. In Chicago there are SO many spectators and so much going on and so many runners there is so much to think about. Here there were spectators, but not a lot. There weren`t near as many runners (at least I could stretch out my legs). There was very little entertainment along the route, but so it goes. There also wasn`t anything along the route to show my time so I was just sort-of going. Also they didn`t have any signs in miles so I computed a little and then stopped. I just knew it was 42 km. That`s actually a lie. At the beginning I thought it was 40.... =)
At first I challenged myself to try to read all the billboards (we were basically running on highways) and understand what they meant....
Then
I started feeling sick. And I mean really sick. My iron felt low all week and I thought I was getting better, but at about km 15 I knew i wasn`t better. Other runners started cheering me on. (In Chicago a lot of runners put their names on their shirts so people who don`t know them can cheer them on. This wasn`t necessary for me. They just called me little white girl and I knew they were talking to me. So I got a lot more cheers in this marathon...) I think I probably looked really bad because other runners were actually asking me if i was ok and some guys rubbed my back a little for encouragment as they passed. This just showed how nice everyone was and helpful. One woman offered me some food she had with her, which I didn`t recognize and there was no way I could accept, but it was nice anyway.
The spectators gave the runners what I would consider very different foods... lime, lots of candy, some brown liquid in a bag, mints (i guess that`s not so strange), other foods i didn`t know what they were, etc.
It was different to hear gun shots at least 4 different times during the race. It scared me a little at the beginning, but then I sort-of stopped noticing.
I talked with some of the other runners (yes they talked to me in spanish). I just kept thinking "i just want to finish this don`t make me think so hard and spanish!!" they were all very nice and encouraging.
When we were on one highway the metro was flying right by us and I thought, "i can`t wait to ride the metro here" and on the way home i got to!
after finishing (jess & marcos saw me come in and called the others to tell them how bad i looked) and sitting on the ground for Caro (who did AMAZING by the way) and i to rest and we celebrated and chatted then we headed to a veggie restaurant, which was very cute.
We sat outside and had many people selling things and mothers with their kids begging approach us. This brought up a lot of feelings and thoughts for me....
We were trying to make it back to Santa Fe for a skype date with the new missionaries, but we missed it... Boo. Sorry guys!
After mass I wanted to treat myself to what LOOKED like pretzel bread and I was all excited thinking of the 99 cent pretzel bread from Trader Joes. It was not the same. Boo. Oh well now I know. They insist on making everything sweet here. I`m not a huge fan of sweet, I`d take salty over sweet anyday.
Running I love. No doubt about it.
Hopefully I can make it to the park that Josue showed us last week or find other parks more often because I just love it.
i`ll put a pic up soon...they`re on marcos`s camera
-------------------------------------------------
p.s. cards clinch!!! believe it or not i`ve been doing the best i can to stay up on the game action down here and my dad`s been helping a lot by sending recaps of the games. THANKS DAD!
So marathon #2 and a completely different experience than the one I ran last year in Chicago.
Lisa Rottler Chamberlin is the name I ran the race with...I tried to sign up as Lisa Rottler, but it forced me to enter mom`s maiden name or i couldn`t continue with registration. the first difference
I experienced this marathon in a very different way. In Chicago I was competitive I would say. It was on my mind since February of last year when I signed up. I was didigent about training and very serious about it. This year I signed up like 3 weeks ago and it was very last minute. Although, I ran like I was training for the marathon this summer in Chicago-that was 2 months ago. Last year the weekend of the marathon I rested. This year Friday night I went to my first quinceanera and got home at 4 am. Saturday we ran errands and at night we had some people over. Not exactly what I should`ve done, but I did and I don`t regret it at all.
I`m really happy I had the experience and i loved running.
Caro (ran the half) and i headed out our door at 6:15 (american time...meaning on time) to get a cab, but there weren`t cabs around at 6am so we hopped a bus to a busier area and then grabbed a cab there to take downtown. (The cab ride was $4...unbelieveable. I said that`s like 2 blocks in Chicago) Once we got there we saw a woman with a yellow bag like the one we got Saturday at packet pick-up and followed her. We followed her into the 7-eleven and everything (Caro wanted coffee anyway). Then we got to the port-or-potties and for some reason yesterday I checked to see if there was toliet paper (I generally don`t) there wasn`t any. So I thought, "alright i`ll head to the next one" I walked out and caro was standing there and asked if i brought any with me. I said no why would i do that. she said it`s super common that they don`t have toliet paper so we headed to 7-eleven to go buy some. They of course didn`t have any, but they did have napkins... =)
We found our way to the entrance for runners and we split. Caro`s race started about 2 hours later than mine so we wished each other luck and I headed off with the women marathoners.
I started the race with the other women. The start was different here all the women running the full marathon started first (there weren`t many...that`s for sure). Things started off great. They had a little ceremony and had the national anthem, which everyone around me sang...quite different than the US where the only person I know who sings the national anthem when it`s played is my dad. (He`s really good by the way...there have been several times the people around us compliment him after it`s over) So that made me think of Dad and then we started. I felt great I loved there wasn`t an enormous amount of people like in Chicago, but I also felt in general the runners here were more serious, which was a stark contrast to my unseriousness this time around.
Melissa, Jess, Marcos, & Ricardo saw me about km 7 and it was great to see them. I thought of that spotting many times throughout the race. In Chicago there are SO many spectators and so much going on and so many runners there is so much to think about. Here there were spectators, but not a lot. There weren`t near as many runners (at least I could stretch out my legs). There was very little entertainment along the route, but so it goes. There also wasn`t anything along the route to show my time so I was just sort-of going. Also they didn`t have any signs in miles so I computed a little and then stopped. I just knew it was 42 km. That`s actually a lie. At the beginning I thought it was 40.... =)
At first I challenged myself to try to read all the billboards (we were basically running on highways) and understand what they meant....
Then
I started feeling sick. And I mean really sick. My iron felt low all week and I thought I was getting better, but at about km 15 I knew i wasn`t better. Other runners started cheering me on. (In Chicago a lot of runners put their names on their shirts so people who don`t know them can cheer them on. This wasn`t necessary for me. They just called me little white girl and I knew they were talking to me. So I got a lot more cheers in this marathon...) I think I probably looked really bad because other runners were actually asking me if i was ok and some guys rubbed my back a little for encouragment as they passed. This just showed how nice everyone was and helpful. One woman offered me some food she had with her, which I didn`t recognize and there was no way I could accept, but it was nice anyway.
The spectators gave the runners what I would consider very different foods... lime, lots of candy, some brown liquid in a bag, mints (i guess that`s not so strange), other foods i didn`t know what they were, etc.
It was different to hear gun shots at least 4 different times during the race. It scared me a little at the beginning, but then I sort-of stopped noticing.
I talked with some of the other runners (yes they talked to me in spanish). I just kept thinking "i just want to finish this don`t make me think so hard and spanish!!" they were all very nice and encouraging.
When we were on one highway the metro was flying right by us and I thought, "i can`t wait to ride the metro here" and on the way home i got to!
after finishing (jess & marcos saw me come in and called the others to tell them how bad i looked) and sitting on the ground for Caro (who did AMAZING by the way) and i to rest and we celebrated and chatted then we headed to a veggie restaurant, which was very cute.
We sat outside and had many people selling things and mothers with their kids begging approach us. This brought up a lot of feelings and thoughts for me....
We were trying to make it back to Santa Fe for a skype date with the new missionaries, but we missed it... Boo. Sorry guys!
After mass I wanted to treat myself to what LOOKED like pretzel bread and I was all excited thinking of the 99 cent pretzel bread from Trader Joes. It was not the same. Boo. Oh well now I know. They insist on making everything sweet here. I`m not a huge fan of sweet, I`d take salty over sweet anyday.
Running I love. No doubt about it.
Hopefully I can make it to the park that Josue showed us last week or find other parks more often because I just love it.
i`ll put a pic up soon...they`re on marcos`s camera
-------------------------------------------------
p.s. cards clinch!!! believe it or not i`ve been doing the best i can to stay up on the game action down here and my dad`s been helping a lot by sending recaps of the games. THANKS DAD!
Congratulations Lisa! I know running that marathon had to be really hard, but you did it again!
ReplyDeleteLet me know sometime that you will be on Skype, I added you to my contacts but I can't tell if you are online until you contact me the first time. Greta and I got started on the kitchen remodel. Right now it looks like a disaster area, all of the tile is ripped of the walls and the drywall has to be replaced. Take care of yourself,
Love,
Jeff