Kristin Eileen's 2003 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon experience with Team In Training^®:

First things first...I made it! And I have never been so proud of myself in my entire life. I went from 0 to 26.2 in one year! It was a beautiful, bright blue-sky day, I felt really strong and stayed consistent the entire course and I finished with a time of 5:06. That's not too bad for a first-timer. And yes, I would like to run another marathon someday with Team In Training! The entire experience--training and fundraising included--was absolutely amazing and I will never forget it. I raised over $4,600 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In case you have no idea what it's like to be in the midst of over 43,000 people running 26.2 miles in a marathon, I thought I'd give you a mile-by-mile synopsis. So get your running shoes on and step up to the start line.

Start
For me, the race begins like this: Shuffle...shuffle...shuffle. Stop. Shuffle...shuffle...shuffle. Stop. Since I'm so far back, it takes 20 minutes to get to the actual Start Line! Luckily, everyone is wearing their own time chip to calculate their exact start/finish times, so it only means that I'm nervous and anxious for a bit longer than some. Soon enough, though, I cross the Start and I'm off!

Mile 1
The runners have split into 2 groups: one on the right side of the road and one on the left. Then on my left I see my friends, Kelly, Tokey, and Dana, right there, cheering me on, what a great way to begin. They're yelling, "Yay Kristin! This is your day, so have fun! There are tons of people along the sidelines, cheering for everyone as they go by. This is it! I'm actually doing this!

Mile 2
Um...I have to go to the bathroom - already? For crying out loud, I went 5 or 6 times before the race! No way am I stopping now. Just don't think about it, don't think about it.

Mile 3
Wow, three miles already. Are these mile markers correct? Seems like they're too close together. Weird, we'll probably find out at the end that they miscalculated this year. "Uh, sorry folks. We screwed up and you really only ran a half marathon today. Oops. We'll have to do this again tomorrow."

Mile 4
Uh. Yeah. I still got to go, but I'll try to hold out awhile longer.

Mile 5
My friend Kelly finds me again! "Kristin Eileen," she says, "This is your marathon! You're doing great!" and she runs a few blocks with me, which is great. Chicago was her first marathon last year, also as a part of Team in Training, so she's been an inspiration to me from the very beginning. She says she'll find me at mile 15 or so. I can make it there.

Mile 6
All right, I cannot go another step without using the bathroom. OK. Now I feel better.

Mile 7
Water? Gatorade? Yes, I'd love some! I walk through most of the water stations, which helps to keep my stamina up. It's amazing what a 30-second walk break can do for you! Hmmm, now that I think about it, I still have a long way to go. Yikes! I know I can do this, but I really have a long way to go. What was I thinking?

Mile 8
OK. There are tons of people here! Shane (another Team In Training participant) said this would be a crazy area. A lot of people are dressed up. There's a strange rifle squad to my left, doing some sort of routine with plastic glow-in-the-dark rifles and people three deep on each side of the road cheering everyone on.

Mile 9 [1 hour 41 min]
I can see my shadow on the ground and all those ribbons (with names of people who have had a blood related cancer) on my back are flying out behind me--almost like feathers. I've heard people talking about them as they've run past, saying things like, "Wow, look at all those names" and "That's so neat to have them all together like that." I'm very proud to be wearing all of these names. On the front of my jersey it says "KJ", on the left side says "Sharon Eileen" (my mom) and on the right side it says "Claire" (my Team In Training Honored Teammate). Anytime I start thinking about either one I can reach up and touch their names. This makes me feel close to them and I like that.

Mile 10
Crystal and Sue, both Team in Training runners from Portland who are training for the Honolulu Marathon, find me on the course. They are in town with Nike and need to get in a training run, so they've jumped into the race for a few miles. Crystal runs with me for awhile and says, "Just tell me to go away if I'm bothering you." Bothering me? No way! It's great to have some company, and I feel so proud to know that I was once at that point in my training as well. I'm happy to show her that this is completely do-able! She says, "You don't look like you've run 10 miles", so that makes me happy.

Mile 11
I remember when this was as far as I had ever run. Wow. I've come a long way. I feel like I'm in a good groove, running a steady pace that feels comfortable to my body. I'm not wearing a watch, so I'm not sure if I am steady, but I feel it, so that's the most important thing. But this isn't about my time or my pace. This is about experiencing something new, raising money to help people, and enjoying every minute of it.

Mile 12
I can feel my ribbons brushing against my elbows at times. I'm so happy I decided to pin them to my jersey, all of these people are "running" with me. I miss my mom so much, but I can feel her here with me on this run. I'm doing this for you, Mom. And all these other people. OK. Don't start crying. Don't start crying...

Mile 13 [2 hours 30 min]
Am I really doing this? I've already made it halfway! And I feel incredible, like I could run for miles. Hey that's good, because I do have to run for miles!

Mile 14
My friend Kelly finds me and runs for about 2 miles with me. I don't really say much, I'm very focused on my steps and my breathing, but she understands and just talks without expecting too much in response. It means a lot to me that she's here.

Mile 15 [2 hours 52 min]
Shane will probably finish soon. I hope he makes his goal of 3 hours! As a matter of fact, he did!! His final time was 2:58, a personal best! Yay Shane! What will it feel like when I finish? Will I feel like I do now or will I be completely exhausted?

Mile 16
People are cheering: "Go runners! You're looking great! You're almost there!" Yeah, right. Easy for you to say! But I do feel good. I still can't believe I'm actually doing this. Kristin Johnson, lover of beer and lounging on the couch is running a marathon!! Do these people understand this? I can't help but smile.

Mile 17
The energy shot zone is coming up. Basically, these are little packets of "energy gel" that taste odd, like syrup. But they seem to work for me. That Team In Training pasta party last night has really helped my energy level today. I can't believe how strong I feel. I have a few aches and pains, but nothing serious. Is this for real?

Mile 18
I almost start crying at this point because there's a man cheering people on and as I get close, he yells "Go KJ!" Then his daughter his little, little, adorable daughter yells too, as I run past. She copies her dad: "Go! KJ!" She can't be more than 2. What a cutie! But, I can't start crying now. I'll never stop! Focus.

Mile 19
This is an area where spectators have thinned out a bit. But I'm certainly not alone out here.

Mile 20 [3 hours 53 min]
OK. From here on out is all new territory for me. This is so cool, I feel great!

Mile 21
I'm almost done! I can't believe this is almost over! Hey, there's Scott, my staff person from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Now he's running a few blocks with me through Chinatown. Talk about craziness! This is probably the rowdiest crowd right here. People with noisemakers, people yelling and cheering. It's very loud, and I love it! People are shouting "Go Team In Training! Go KJ! You can do this!"

Mile 22
I'm not so sure if I want this to end. There's been a lot of build-up to this, and now it's almost over. Kelly told me that at the moment I feel that, "Yes, I know I'm going to make it," I should leave something on the course as a symbolic gesture. So, this is my moment. I tear the pace band off my wrist and throw it down, smiling. I'm going to make it!

Mile 23
Uh...Did I say this was almost over? Yeah. I was getting ahead of myself. There's still some work to do here keep focusing. Just keep running. Even though my hips and back are starting to feel stiff, keep running.

Mile 24
They're offering bananas at the water station. No thank you, I'll just have water. Right now my body is kind of on auto-pilot and everything feels just fine. I sort of shuffle through the water station and head on my way.

Mile 25 [4 hours 52 min]
All right, baby. Now we're talking. I can't believe I'm this close! And I still feel so good! Is this really happening? I speed up because I know I'm almost done. I hope I don't wake up now and realize that I haven't really even started yet.

Mile 26
This last part is my favorite. For obvious reasons, yes, but also because the entire course was flat--right up until around mile 26. Now I've turned to the right and there is an incline about 2-3 blocks long. Now I know it isn't very steep, but let me tell you this: after running 26 miles, everything seems way out of proportion. Some people are slowing down and walking, but not me. All I can think is that when I was training, I loved to sprint up short hills. Loved it. So not only do I know that I'm very close to the Finish, but I know that I will have no trouble at all with this hill. So I take off, weaving in and out of people, and I sprint my way up to the top. I feel like a machine! (I'm sure I'm not really going very fast, but whatever. I feel like I am!) People on the side-lines are yelling "Whoa! Go KJ! You're looking strong! You're almost there!" Then, I round the corner at the top, and right there on the side yelling for me are Kelly and Tokey! I can't believe they've found me again! "Kristin!" they yell, "You're awesome! You've done it! You're almost finished!" OK. I can't hold these tears in any longer. Now I'm crying, but I also speed up even more and power my way through those final blocks to the Finish. I feel amazing!

Finish [5 hours 6 min 21 seconds]
When I cross that line, I'm so incredibly overwhelmed with emotion. I'm proud to have finished, and happy to have stopped running, but sad that it's all over. I think about my mom and how proud she would be of me, and how much I want, no need her here. I think about Claire, my Team In Training honored teammate, and her family and how such unfortunate circumstances brought us together and into such a wonderful relationship. I think about all those people with their names pinned to my back who have been through so much and how I did this for them and to help many more like them. I think about how I want to call my dad, my brother, everyone I know, and say "I did it! I ran a marathon!" I think about a million things, but all I can do is smile and cry, and it just feels right. I've made it.

Kristin Eileen
Oregon Chapter Team In Training
First-Time Marathoner

P.S. - If you ever want to see my marathon medal, ask! I have no trouble at all parading it around.

"Help however and whenever possible, love life deeply and smile through everything." - Lessons learned from my mother, Sharon Eileen Johnson, 1947-1992.