RUNNERS WITH LARGE THIGHS SHOULD NOT WEAR SHORT SHORTS

I will explain the title in detail a little later in the blog. This weekend was just an incredible experience. On Saturday, my husband and I drove down to Eugene, OR. It took about 4 hours, but it was four hours of alone time. We don't get too much of that with our schedules, kids, and grandbaby. About 65 miles from Eugene, we stopped at a rest stop and ran into Michelle B. and Jenny. When we got into Eugene, we went straight over to the Hilton for the Expo and check in. Patch, Sonja, Michelle, Jenny, Amy,Melissa, Margaret, Monica, Mike, Linda, and her husband were all there (Hope I didn't miss anyone). The expo was an experience. My husband, Frank, was like a kid in a candy store. He bought me a Tiger Tail while were there. Thank goodness, because I needed it on the ride home.
From the expo, we all headed back to the Hotel. Almost all of us stayed at the Campus Inn. The plan was to go eat at the park, but the hotel had a nice patio area and we stayed and ate there.

Monica had done all the research and picked out a great Italian place to order from. Thank you to her and Mike for picking up the food for everyone. It was a nice evening of food and fun with friends.
On Sunday morning I woke up ealy and headed over to IHOP for a little oatmeal and toast. We left for the start right around 6:00. There was excitement from the moment we got to the start. Eric and Patch both got interviewed for being such "Maniacs". Frank and Mike both had their pics taken with Jared from Subway.

Frank and Mike were our official crew for this marathon. This was the first marathon Frank had been to for me and so he had fun being able to help and get to know everyone.



The race started at 7:00. I started off with Michelle and Melissa. After about mile five, I decided to take off a little and run by myself. I was feeling really good, the weather was beautiful and I was really caught up in the excitement and the crowds. The course was pretty flat with just a few rolling trails and hills. Mike and Frank set up points at 5, 10, and 17 miles. At the 5 and 10 mile marks I was still feeling pretty good. I notice that my shorts were riding up and my thighs were rubbing a little. I thought I was being proactive and used the bag balm at ten miles and again at 17 miles....too late!!!! My half spilt was 2:30. After mile 17, I realized that I had already started chaffing. I wasn't going to let it stop me though.

I kept driving on. This run was supposed to be easy since I ran the Ultra last weekend. I kept telling myself that. I was very tired between mile 21 and 24. I started taking the 10:1 walk breaks. This paid off in the end. At about mile 24 I just started thinking about the finish and that after I finished, I would qualify to be a maniac. I passed Rob around that time. He was hanging back waiting for Michelle. When I reached the 25 mile mark, something just kicked in and allowed me to speed up. I felt strong. Well, actually, I didn't "feel" much of anything. Nothing was hurting. My mind was just on the end. I turned down the street to the finish line. Nothing has ever looked so good. I immediately saw all of my friends and Frank on the left side. It is amazing how much energy you can get from others. I finished at 5:07:53. For the record, that is a PR for me. (Not hard when you have only run three marathons).
The ride back from Eugene was sooooooo long. My thighs had chaffed a lot more than I thought. Don't worry!!! I won't post pics of my raw hamburger thighs..lol. That was the hardest shower I have ever taken. OUCH!!!!
There are several people I want to thank for this weekend. Mike and Frank for being our crew, Monica for taking the reigns on the whole weekend. thank you to everyone who made Frank feel so welcome. I know it makes him feel better knowing i will be around such great people when he leaves for Iraq.
Last, but not least, I got on the Maniac website today to get confirmation for membership. What a great weekend!