Marathon Photos

More Pictures!!!

Check out those Calves...
http://picasaweb.google.com/bridgetseegers/ChicagoMarathonWeekend#

Update and Pics...

A running update...We are on week 0 post marathon (thanks again Hal Higdon for not leaving us high-and-dry). 2 miles. it was quite pleasant. aches and pains are pretty much gone, but the strength is still there. amazing! watch out for me, roseville vb, and for bridget, ywca bb league! we are marathoners! ;-)

If you want to check out more pictures, check out Eric's website. He has some great ones! Thanks again for everything!

http://www.eseegers.com/photos/2008/20081012-ChicagoMarathonBridget/

Natural Childbirth?

No, a marathon! But in the days leading up to the marathon, I seriously considered the answer to the question, “What would you rather do, give birth or run a marathon?” Childbirth was sounding pretty good. While this may seem like an extreme comparison, check out the similarities…Months of preparation, anticipation, joy, pain, changes in the body (you should see all of our quads and calfs...wow), changes in the mind. The confidence that setting and reaching goals each week can bring about. Charting progress to the inevitable…Even a due date. October 12, 2008. But on the day, waking up early, seeing an amazing sunrise while eating another peanut butter sandwich breakfast, something was different. We were running a MARATHON! The doubt remained until we actually started, which was 30 minutes after the starting gun! Apparently that’s what happens when 45,000 people are running in a race. Then it was just a run. Crossing the start and finish line are two of the moments of clarity during the entire race. The others involved seeing Bridget’s parents, brother, and friends (identified by a bicycle-riding, umbrella carrying turtle on a stick that you could see from 2 blocks away, no lie), and rounding corners to see my mom, brother, and friends Ying and Top yelling and taking pictures. Amazing how the rest of the 5 hours are just a blur of water stations, goo, and bananas. And hearing hundreds of strangers cheer me on by name to the finish, simply because CARRIE was written across my shirt. But we did it, together at the end, holding hands across the finish line. And it was over. 461 miles on our feet, 4 pairs of shoes, endless cups of coffee, beer, smoothies, $3,200 for the American Cancer Society, and countless memories. What an experience. As I fight my way through post-partum, I mean, post-marathon blues, I realize that the marathon wasn’t the end. It was merely a celebration of the entire journey. If we can do it, so can you. Set a goal and start going for it, one step at a time, even if you don’t feel like it. Find friends to help you, support you, love you. Live and cherish each moment, each struggle, each moment of ecstasy. Celebrate and live it! Thanks for all your support throughout it all! Peace.

journey continues...

Hey All,

We Did IT! 2008 the year of "Who knows?"
Honestly it has been quite an adventure.
who knew how great it would feel to finish 19461 in the Chicago Marathon. It is a fantastic feeling. We channeled our inner Kenyans and completed the race in 5 hours and one second. I think we would have finished under 5 hours, but I was tempted by some free Old Style beer at mile 22.5 and that slowed our team by just a second or 2. If you are wondering if beer is a good choice at 22.5 miles, I would say from personal experience that is not such a good idea. However, I did manage to finish 19461st in the race, so maybe it was a good idea. Amazing. Truly.

Also, the 52 Flavors of Love team raised over $3200 in donations for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society runners a group raised over 1.5 million. Thank you to everyone who supported our goal.

It was an incredible day and marathon. My legs don't burn, but they do ache. We did IT!!!! crazy. it is interesting to be on this side of the event, because well.... there was so much build up. months of training and anticipation and now it is done. poof and gone... now what... it seems like a dream and a blur...5 hours of running....5 hours.... of laughing, smiling, singing, running, running, then the final 5 miles of pure will power. of the mind motivating the body for every step and staying strong and then being weak. and then a bit of a song to sing and a smile to motivate steps that turn into blocks which eventually add up to miles and the finish. At the finish you fully realize how mental the final parts of the race have been. You cross the line and instantly the body starts to retaliate. the body that ran only moments before begins to tense up and cramp and refuse to even want to take a step and the brain slows and it is difficult to communicate and I was light headed and thought for sure passing out was on its way. But you are flying high as a kite, because you did it. The impossible. 26.2. seriously. 26.2.
Now, I'm back in my everyday life. Only the hobble gives any indication that marathon occurred and a finisher metal on my dresser. Proud to be who I am, but remind that my story is only one among billions of unique stories and the line of wisdom returns. "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself." -Max Ehrman (Desiderata) So my experience is simply absorbed as part of me, but of nothing necessarily great among all the world's tales, but still an EPIC part of what I am. And the journey continues and we must remember that it is the goal all along. The journey continues. who knows where, how, or what? but the destiny is there everyday. Enjoy. live. Believe. Love.