Chicago Marathon 2007. Determination. Spandex and Margaritas.

Hey everyone!!! SOOOO sorry I have been keeping you all in suspense but I am still alive and well. Its been crazy the past couple of weeks just trying to get back into the swing of things. It took me a while to write this last one because I was trying not to forget anything. The whole weekend was amazing and I will NEVER forget it. I wrote out everything so I hope you enjoy.

Breakfast:
I woke up @ 4:45 am and headed downstairs for breakfast. I called mom and Dad for some last words of wisdom but immediately the tears started to flow like the Mississippi river. I was scared and up until that point all I saw were athletic and tones well, oiled machines around me. Where were all the underdogs>? My parents calmed me down as much as they could and said I was going to do great and it didn’t matter if I finished or not. Ahhh……the soothing words of a mother. They always know what to say. I hung up the phone and started to eat my granola and yogurt when all of a sudden my girl Steph and my sister came down to join me and then again….Niagara Falls in full effect, couldn’t get out of my head that I was the misfit….the outcast. I felt unprepared, surrounded my super humans…..abs so tight you could eat off them…and then there I was …muffin tops. I quickly got up and ate a muffin so that I could taste and feel like a muffin all at the same time. I’m not sure why I put myself through the torture….but it felt appropriate at the time.

GETTING READY
This is what it must feel like getting married. I had everyone attending to me. 6 girls in the room all were trying to help. I had one girl bibing me on the front, another girl in the back, another getting all the areas they should try to meet me at, someone filling my water bottles, my girl showing me the bottle of tequila she had imported of the special event and another girl lubing me up with all sorts of Vaseline. It was quite a site. ShirtsMy girl Steph and sister Kerri surprised me and made the whole group T-shirts to support me. They were awesome. On the front spelt out my name “Melissa”
M = Marathoner
E = Energetic
L= Lunatic
I = Inspiring
S = Strong
S = Sexy
A = Athlete

On the back of the shirts was a picture of me double fisting a drink and it said “Chicago Marathon, 2007” Determination, Spandex, Margaritas; It’s funny how only three words can sum up my 5 months of training so perfectly. I loved them.

MUFFIN TOPS!!!!!
This was pretty daunting in itself. After I got ready I walked down to the starting line where I was trying to find my 5 hour pace group. Now, when I picked up my pace bib they had run out of the 5:00 pace so they ended up giving me a 5:30 pace bib instead and with a magic marker filled in the 3 so it looked like a 0. Great……can you make me look any more ghetto? Anyways as I was walking down to the race I passed but the 6:00 hour pace group and I was stunned. There they were….all the underdogs, the rest of the muffin tops. These were the people I was looking for since I set foot in Chicago. They were old, young, and overweight. It was my group. I felt like I should join them, give them a hug, I felt comfortable just being near them but instead I stuck with my pace group and continued on and got scared again. I was making my way through all the runners noticing the gear they had on. Hi tech watches aero dynamic hats and batmen belts. There I was wearing a bandana, no water bottles, a ten year old watch, a ghetto ass bib, and inspirational names, elastics plastered all over me….a real outcast.

And were off!
Well, not really. It took me about 20 minutes to get to the actual starting line but once we started I was filled with excitement. There were so many runners, all from around the world. It was a mix of excitement, anticipation, anxiousness, a little fear and A LOT of adrenaline. Right in the beginning all I did was pass screaming spectators and TV cameras. All I did was smile and wave. I think one of my favorite parts of the race was within the first mile; it is something I will never forget. All the runners had to go into a tunnel and it was the coolest thing. Just runners were allowed in there at that point but everyone was screaming making whoooop, whooooop noises everything echoed and everyone was happy. I even gave out a little whoop as well!!! So much fun!!!

The FUN Miles
The first 13 Miles were a breeze, I was feeling great. All I had to do was keep hydrated and I would be fine. I got a little nervous when at only mile 5 they ran out of water!!! Here is a little clip of what it was like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbZTI7Cw0rM but I was honestly feeling o.k so I didn’t let it bother me. At mile 8 I come around a corner and there they are….my support group. There was Stephanie, Kerri, Georgi, Fang, Peter, and Rod all cheering me one. Once I saw my sister I think we both started to cry. She was like “YOU LOOK GREAT!!!!” I tried to hug everyone but I was so excited to see them I don’t know if I caught everyone. Fang and Kerri ran with me for a little bit, Fang was running with a pot top clanging it oh so delicately for a marathon but it was awesome. My sister, I think was just screaming and holding a sign that said “Melissa is HOT SHIT” I actually vaguely remember her repeating those words for at least a quarter of a mile…”MY SISTER IS HOT SHIT!!!” MY SISTER IS HOT SHIT”!!! hahahaha, that shit makes me laugh and cry at the same time now just thinking about it because I could tell in everyone’s eyes and especially hers, how proud she was of me. Luckily she had some water with her so I had it on me. As I kept going, there were so many bands and screaming spectators. Everything just seemed so easy, like all my hard work over the past 5 months just clicked. Up until this point I have never seen a marathon before OR have trained with anybody this whole time. So if you can only imagine, how my mind was fully occupied on my scenery, I was taking it ALL in. All of it, it was awesome.

THE TOUGH MILES
Leaving the noise and excitement, miles 13 – 16 were a little slower. Mile 14 is when my first negative thought slipped in when I came up to a water station and they were out. You are out of water? I mean mile 5 they ran out, mile 12 and when I finally rolled up to 14 out of water?!! Is this some cruel joke? Everyone was looking like they were on the titanic and they just told us there weren’t enough boats!!!! Honestly, not a pretty sight at all. People were mad. I was lucky enough to find a cup on the ground that had water but people were dousing themselves in the water fountains, drinking the fountain water, etc. It was ugly. I kept moving. I was still in the game feeling positive. For a good couple of miles I was stalking….I mean running behind this fine ass man. Athletic and Toned probably running as slow as me but you wanted to just eat him up. I will never forget him and who ever he is I just want to thank him for getting me through miles 15, and 16. God bless him.

Mile 17 is where my second entourage was, my Charlie’s angels, Erika, Marjorie, and Jill. They saw me from afar and they were screaming there heads off!!!! It was SOOOO awesome, to have them there, I don’t think they really realize the impact they had on me that day. I hugged each of them and was filled with adrenaline again; it was like I just started the race…well not really but almost. Jill actually ran with me for about a mile which was cool. I remember her having all this shit in her hands like water, bananas, camera, cell phone, etc. She asked me how I was doing and I think the only thing I said to her was that I was doing o.k but my legs were starting to hurt. She said I was doing AWESOME and that I am going to be fine. She said I looked great too, muffin top and all so that inspired me as well. After she left me a little further down the road where there really wasn’t any spectators I remember putting my arms out to the side and embraced the breeze. I know it sounds cheesy but I was just so happy.

Mile 18 – close shop?
I heard from ambulances and helicopters say they were closing the race. HUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????/ Get the fuck out of here! I didn’t believe it and I don’t think anybody else did until we hit mile 19 where I started seeing the police reroute runners down an unknown street. It was official….they were closing it due to the lack of water and the heat. Now I have to tell you that I believe this was a fork in the road for me. I could have either listened or obeyed but instead I listened to my heart. I ran past those cops like O.J did in his Ford Bronco. I didn’t look behind. There was not a cold chance in hell I wasn’t going to not finish this race. Not a chance in HELL!!! (I am screaming now) Most of us kept slowly running. I remember seeing people passed out along the sides, people throwing up, looking like death but even though my legs were sore I was still feeling great!! The sun was hot but I had my small thing of water and holding it like it was a precious stone. The cops advised us again that “IF YOU DO NOT STOP RUNNING YOU WILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT” I kept running,. As I approached mile 20 I saw something colorful blob coming towards me and getting closer…..there she was…my crazy ass sister wearing the piñata costume I wore for Halloween last year. This costume has every color of the rainbow in it, it comes with a hat and it’s about the size of an air balloon. I think we were both so frigin excited to see each other….I was amped. A few feet down, I see my other girls, George, Stephanie, and Fang. They ALL started running with me. Stephanie ran for about 30 seconds, it was hilarious. She could hardly breathe and it was awesome. Georgi had like 5 bags on her and she ran with us for about 2 miles. I think she was surprised like myself to see me looking so bright eyed and bushy tailed at mile 20. I could see how proud everyone was. It was amazing.

THE LAST 6 MILES
So my sister and Fang are with me at this point and we had just crossed a clock that was turned off. They are not timing us anymore. What the fuck, so I had a decision to make. I mean as long as I finished…and they weren’t timing me…I guess I could walk. I mean everyone around me was walking at that point so for mile 21 and 22 we all walked. I could feel my legs tighten because up until that point I prob only stopped a minute there, a minute here and that’s it. It was at mile 23 where Fang received a text message that one of her other friends she was tracking had just crossed the finish line. Shit….they are still timing us so I started to run again. God bless my sister and Fang. Poor fang had on these slip on shoes and she was trying to keep up without them falling off, she look so fucking graceful running. Meanwhile my sister who was drinking all day was red faced and needed water, lol but she did awesome. I was so frigin proud of everyone that day.

The Finish Line:
There is was...finally. I was so excited to SEE IT!!!!!! My sister and I got amped all over again and at this point EVERYONE was walking but not us. I WAS RUNNING PAST ALL THE SKINNY BITHCES!!....well...not really running (more like a slow shuffle) BUT STILL, I WAS RUNNING PAST ALL THE SKINNY BITCHES! There weren't too many spectators at this point because they closed the race but it was all good. As we were only a 100 feet away from the finish line and as my sister started singing a song from the movie “the Natural” I thought to myself everything I worked for. All the sacrifices, the commitments, the injuries, the spandex, everything was now coming full circle and I was finishing it. I felt like Lance Armstrong. I was amazing, relieved and excited and to top it all off I crossed it with my sister....holding hands. I started to cry of coarse.

I was handed my medal and that silver blanket that everyone gets after they finish. I think it keeps the body heat in and I know at that point it was so hot out I know I didn't need anything else covering me but I WANTED IT. That’s what the professionals do. I met up with Marjorie, Erika and Jill who all gave me mad love, I know I keep saying this but I was on cloud nine. Throughout the 28 years I have been on this planet it is number 1 in my book of most amazing things I have ever experienced. I then met up with everyone else (after I picked up my cold beer at the finish line of coarse) and they gave me flowers and the tequila shot that Steph has been talking about since day 1. Oh, and lets not forget the cigarette that Steph gave me and lit. I know it’s a little strange to think I would want to smoke a cigarette, have some beer and a tequila shot after running 26 miles but if you know me at all….its really not that strange.

I went back to the hotel where I took a 10 minute ice bath and then took a 2 hour nap. I woke up....we all got ready and got dressed because now it was time to celebrate!!! I wore my medal like a crucifix, it wasn't coming off. It’s actually the necklace I have been wearing everyday..you know...as an accessory. We went to this Margarita place and then headed to this hip hop lounge where we didn't leave until 3:00 in the morning. I was dancing and drinking, strangers wanted pictures with me, everything. Again....I have such a great group of friends and they made this milestone in my life so fuckin special I don't think they will know the extent of it. There was so much love and positive energy in the air....such a beautiful thing. I love you guys....
My legs were pretty frigin sore the day after. I guess I shouldn't have backed that ass up the night before (just kidding) but I don't think the dancing helped. My thighs were swollen and my feet looked like dough rising but nothing that really bothered me. We all got on the plane and went back to New York.

THE AFTERMATH
So the question I keep getting: Will I do another marathon? Right now I really can't see myself dedicating my life like that again. I'm excited I did it but I think one time may be enough. I would love to do New York but I can't even think about that right now. As for everyone else who has thought about it I HIGHLY recommend it. For me the marathon was the easy part. It was the months prior that killed me but as much as I complain...the shit has made me stronger as a person. I feel invisible most days and confident the rest. Anything that I was afraid to face I look at it and laugh. Honestly, everything seems so much easier. If I want something ALL I have to do it put my mind to it and focus, plain and simple. Period.

I am Melissa Beth Ferrara, the average girl who ran the Chicago 2007 marathon where everything that could have gone did. I amazed myself in so many ways that day. I am super woman…BOOyaaaaaa. Peace out people and THANK YOU for your support, until next time. Much luv. Xxoo.

DETERMINATION. SPANDEX. AND MARGARITAS.