26.2

I got to see a lot of the lovely city of Milwaukee today.



And somehow, I managed to finish. It was the longest, hottest, slowest, hardest marathon I've ever run. Today's high in Milwaukee was 87 degrees. It was cooler at the finish, near the lake, or I'm not sure I would have made it past mile 24.

There were marathons in Chicago, Milwaukee, and the Twin Cities today. The heat was unbearable in all three cities, but worst in Chicago. A Chicago runner collapsed and was pronounced dead - so tragic.

But I kept it really slow and walked a lot and kept hydrated (but not too hydrated - a very fine line these days.) I cramped up a lot from miles 19 - 24, but managed to somehow keep going. (stupidity? stubbornness?) But I was very careful. I passed a lot of runners on the side of the road with IVs. It was a tough day.

Of course, it was probably toughest on husband D. who got to navigate a strange city in the heat with the little D's, all whilst providing race support. He's amazing, that husband D.

Me, I just listened to my iPod for 5 hours while people tell me how good I looked. ("lookin' good" appears to be the universal marathon spectator cheer.) And the Lake Front marathon is a beautiful course. Not a bad way to spend a day, really.