In the land of beef and malbec...: el maratón

F 10.5.12

we decided to double check the race website to see exactly what we needed for the next day's packet pick-up
it listed the usual proof of payment documents, ID card, and then a certificado medico... a signed doctor's note that was supposed to be sealed and stamped
we didn't have this
so we spent too much time doing research, contacting friends to get advice on where we could do at the last minute, and...
not much luck...so we went to bed
[these photos have nothing to do with the marathon, but Jake dreamt of having a fire pit on our terrace for cooking and enjoying evenings outside by the fire...he found this little guy online, it arrived today, so we had to test it out...now we just need someone to send us some marshmallows for roasting!]

Jake picking twigs off of our dead plant = great firewood!

Sa. 10.6.12

Jake got up early to make some phone calls to hospitals, clinics, even our gym where we had gotten a basic physical earlier this year...after about 5 failed attempts, we decided to just go to the expo and play "dumb American"
we didn't really even need to play dumb...runners that didn't have their doctor's note simply had to sign a waiver...

we <3 south america

...Jake had a few words with the lady who gave us these...why wouldn't they just offer this in the first place!?!? a few hours wasted and some sleep lost...oh well, we get to run tomorrow
Jake getting our "kit" aka race packet with great success:

*guy in the red shirt

what?! getting your name on the back of your shirt is gratis! (free) bring it on!

but what to put...Jake really wished we had found an American flag to don somehow on race day
but we settled for the free writing on our shirts...and went with "Yanqui" and proud to be

we then contributed to the wall of "tweets"/messages...(not sure what they ended up doing with these...but we played along)

exiting the expo...very happy and relieved that everything went well despite the absence of our certificados medicos

it was pretty tough to go to bed early with a niece's 5th birthday to celebrate over Skype, the Irish kicking some booty in Chicago, and race nerves/excitement beginning to take over
...but we managed to get some sleep

Su 10.7.12

arrived at the starting area early enough, but a little too close for comfort...
...got our bearings, then got in line for the port-a-pots

wasn't a fan of the women's line...especially with the kind lady trying to budge...I kept stepping in front of her and after her 3rd attempt she said something to me in Spanish, all I heard was "tranquilo" which means 'calm down'...alright lady, how about YOU calm down...our pot opened up and she went ahead and budged in front of me and two other women...good grief! (we ended up passing right by her within the first 10k of the race...HA! take that, tranquilo)
I was also a little stressed about not being able to find the pre-race stage 1 Gatorade 01 Prime that was supposed to be handed out before the race (the same stuff we drank before the half)...
we ended up running out of time, so had to deal without one last burst of fuel
so we checked our bags...and made our way to the start line
one last photo...see ya in about 4 hours!

was hard to get into our pace at first due to the crowds, which is normal, but within 1-2 miles, we were on our way

temperature was mid-50s, it was cloudy with a light drizzle off and on during the the whole race...really couldn't ask for much better weather
my cold was under control by now, but still taking medicine and had numerous "farmer's blow" experiences throughout the race...sorry to those running near me, especially the husband
feeling great (keeping pace around 8:30/miles) until about the halfway point
I did however, have a pesky side ache off and on during the race that was hard to ignore at times...
these people DEFINITELY helped move us along...

Johanna holding sign, Jonathan taking photo

saw them twice...just after the half-way mark, then again a bit later...*THANK YOU JOHANNA AND JONATHAN FOR BEING OUR SUPER-DUPER CHEERLEADERS!!! :)

look how happy we are!

once we were getting into miles 15, 16, 17...our pace was inching up more toward 9min/miles because of me, not Jake

was really feeling my right heel (self-diagnosed plantar fasciitis about 4 weeks into training) among other pains in the ol' legs

kept chugging along miles 18, 19, and 20...when I decided to look at my watch and see 3:00:00...WHAT?! we still have at least 45 minutes to go!? oh dear Lord...
this is where a runner really needs to dig deep...many call this point in the race "the wall"
I just think of it as lack of patience on my part...really needed to keep reminding myself to stay in the moment, one step at a time, keep my body as comfortable and strong-feeling/looking as possible...all mental from here

we made it to the lake loop (38k, ~mile 23) which in my head, when seeing it on the map, you're basically done...but in reality, it's still (or only) about 25-30 minutes more...all a mental game

see the lake?

as we were rounding the lake Jake started having calf cramps/spasms...this happened quite a few times...I encouraged him to slow down, walk or stop and stretch if needed...
...but this super strong mentally tough guy kept on going...Jake was in this race...kept a very positive attitude and ran through the pain...
(I, mind you, was digging as deep as humanly possible to find the positive thoughts to help get me to the finish...I was very negative about the last loop around, seeing other runners parallel to us, already on their way to the finish...very hard for me to stay in the moment...the thought, "I hate this, I'm never doing another marathon." even went through my head, ashamed to admit. Jake was the true champ here.)
...until about the 40k mark (24.85 mile)...the last turn before the 2k stretch to the finish...Jake's hamstring locked up
a quick stop to stretch was necessary, a bit of walking, then Jake somehow found strength to finish off the last 1.5 k with a strong jog...

I'm so proud of him
we finished in 3:53:26 (according to the Garmin)
not our preferred time (kinda hoping to get under 3:45:00) due to the pace we trained at, but we'll take it
we made our way through the shoot...collected our Gatorades, sugary cereal bars, medals, and finally a plastic Adidas wrap to help with the shivers
we found a spot in the wet grass to stretch...boy, were we in pain
while we took turns stretching each other out a strong stench drew our attention to the unfortunate consequence of a port-a-potty simply too far away
our cold bodies craved dry, warm clothes, a shower, and nourishment, so we quickly changed and got on a bus home
could hardly wait for our lunch date with friends at El Malvón
Johanna rewarded us with a jar of peanut butter...such a great friend

Jake digging in to his Fritata Francesca (concoction of eggs, mushrooms, pecans, brie, and arugula....yum)

my Croque Monsieur (cheesy gooey sandwich with ham and gruyere)...café con leche, some sort of fruit granola thing...and some pretty delicious cheesy potatoes

brought this little guy home for later, along with rosemary focaccia bread and a loaf of olive bread...El Malvón really rocks it when it comes to bread and carrot cake