The preparation
I had four people to cheer for in the marathon: two girls from small group, Joe, and Nina. I asked them about their pace and what they'd be wearing, then carefully planned the spots in which we' be cheering. ("We" is me and Adam, Nina's boyfriend.) We'd start at Mile 4 on LaSalle, because my church is on the corner there and I'd volunteered to make cookies for their cookies and coffee table. Then, we'd cross the street and head over to Wells and catch the runners at Mile 11, on their way back from Boys Town. I parked my car facing west on Division for a quick getaway to Mile 14 in West Loop, where my small group friends would be cheering. Then, we would head down to 35th and Michigan to cheer at Mile 24.
The night before the race, we had a delicious dinner at Chicago Diner, a fabulous vegan restaurant in Boys Town. (The peanut butter cookie dough milkshake- O.M.G.) I then stayed up till 2 a.m. making signs. I had no idea what to write, so I googled marathon signs and found some pretty good ones. By the time I went to bed, I was SO READY to be supportive and encouraging the next day.
Mile 4
Joe runs by before Adam even gets here! He's in the wave that started at 7:30, and Nina had an 8:00 start time. This makes it very difficult to coordinate sightings. Luckily, he runs right by me and sees my sign which declares that he is a sexy beast. Glad I got to see him, even if it was early on! I miss that boy...
I proudly show off all of my signs to my church friends. It hadn't occurred to me until this point that most of them are somewhat lewd. Dr. W., the choir director, looks embarrassed to even be reading them. Then he says, "Oh, there's one I could hold!"
And then his daughter points out the bottom, and I think he actually blushes.
My friend Sarah is the next to run by, and is fairly easy to spot. She seems to enjoy our cheers.
Finally, Nina appears! We almost miss her- she doesn't hear us at first. She stops for hugs, then bounces off, feeling good. We are glad to see she's doing so well, even if it is early on. She later said that was the first mile where her anxiety started going away and she just started to enjoy the race.
Mile 11
We miss Joe AND Nina at this mile! However, we did see Sarah, who zig-zagged across the street for hugs and encouragement.
Several people also approach me and want to take pictures with the sign I was holding at this mile:
At this point, we are freezing and starving. We are also afraid we'd wasted precious time and would miss our friends at our next stop, Mile 14. We decide to skip that one (since we knew Nina would have another group of cheerleaders at Mile 16), stop by Panera, and then haul ass to the south side to see Joe. But we are just too slow. He beats us there, and WE HAVE A CAR. Pretty funny.
Mile 24
We almost miss Nina. I spot the white headband flying past me and scream her name. "Hell yeah, Nina, you got this, you're a rock star, you're almost there," I yell as she doubles back and we hug, jumping up and down. Then she leaps on Adam, locking her legs around his waist while he shouts encouragements. "Baby, I need chapstick," Nina says urgently. Adam gives her a big wet kiss on the lips to share his chapstick, then sets her down and gives her a smack on the ass. Everyone around us cheers. "That'll get her through the rest of the race," someone comments. "Yeah, but now my lips are all salty and sweaty," Adam replies. Adam then left to meet Nina near the finish line, and I went back to get my car.
Post-race Celebration
I had four people to cheer for in the marathon: two girls from small group, Joe, and Nina. I asked them about their pace and what they'd be wearing, then carefully planned the spots in which we' be cheering. ("We" is me and Adam, Nina's boyfriend.) We'd start at Mile 4 on LaSalle, because my church is on the corner there and I'd volunteered to make cookies for their cookies and coffee table. Then, we'd cross the street and head over to Wells and catch the runners at Mile 11, on their way back from Boys Town. I parked my car facing west on Division for a quick getaway to Mile 14 in West Loop, where my small group friends would be cheering. Then, we would head down to 35th and Michigan to cheer at Mile 24.
The night before the race, we had a delicious dinner at Chicago Diner, a fabulous vegan restaurant in Boys Town. (The peanut butter cookie dough milkshake- O.M.G.) I then stayed up till 2 a.m. making signs. I had no idea what to write, so I googled marathon signs and found some pretty good ones. By the time I went to bed, I was SO READY to be supportive and encouraging the next day.
Mile 4
Joe runs by before Adam even gets here! He's in the wave that started at 7:30, and Nina had an 8:00 start time. This makes it very difficult to coordinate sightings. Luckily, he runs right by me and sees my sign which declares that he is a sexy beast. Glad I got to see him, even if it was early on! I miss that boy...
And then his daughter points out the bottom, and I think he actually blushes.
My friend Sarah is the next to run by, and is fairly easy to spot. She seems to enjoy our cheers.
Finally, Nina appears! We almost miss her- she doesn't hear us at first. She stops for hugs, then bounces off, feeling good. We are glad to see she's doing so well, even if it is early on. She later said that was the first mile where her anxiety started going away and she just started to enjoy the race.
Mile 11
We miss Joe AND Nina at this mile! However, we did see Sarah, who zig-zagged across the street for hugs and encouragement.
Several people also approach me and want to take pictures with the sign I was holding at this mile:
(For some reason, I can't get this to flip...)
At this point, we are freezing and starving. We are also afraid we'd wasted precious time and would miss our friends at our next stop, Mile 14. We decide to skip that one (since we knew Nina would have another group of cheerleaders at Mile 16), stop by Panera, and then haul ass to the south side to see Joe. But we are just too slow. He beats us there, and WE HAVE A CAR. Pretty funny.
Mile 24
We almost miss Nina. I spot the white headband flying past me and scream her name. "Hell yeah, Nina, you got this, you're a rock star, you're almost there," I yell as she doubles back and we hug, jumping up and down. Then she leaps on Adam, locking her legs around his waist while he shouts encouragements. "Baby, I need chapstick," Nina says urgently. Adam gives her a big wet kiss on the lips to share his chapstick, then sets her down and gives her a smack on the ass. Everyone around us cheers. "That'll get her through the rest of the race," someone comments. "Yeah, but now my lips are all salty and sweaty," Adam replies. Adam then left to meet Nina near the finish line, and I went back to get my car.
Nina read a Yelp review that said Bullhead Cantina had great beet tacos AND an extensive whiskey list, so it sounded like a win. (And it was.) Also exciting is the fact that this spot is two blocks away from my apartment. How had I never been there before?
Anyway, Nina shares hightlights and challenges of the race. Overall, she felt really good through most of it. I couldn't believe how great she looked Mile 24! Her only complaint was getting a little bored at some points.
I can't believe how much fun I had at this race! Adam and I definitely became buddies after spending all that time together, and I love how the whole city seemed to come together to cheer on the runners. I am so in awe of what those runners can do, and so proud of all four of my friends.
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