Memorial Weekend

We had a truly lovely Memorial Day weekend, most of which was spent with our dear friends Craig, Gen, Sam and Henry. Saturday night the four adults enjoyed a night out. Imagine! No kids! We ate yummy Italian food, saw a hilarious improv show and talked about our children as little as possible. :) Sunday morning, Gen and I got matching purple toes while dissecting the movie She's Just Not That Into You. And Sunday afternoon, we grilled out at a nearby park. Here are a few pics from our city picnic!

Craig and Chris, a.k.a. the Grill Masters

Gen and I show off our matching toes.

We asked the kids to give us their nicest smiles. This is what we got.

However, the most exciting part of the weekend was the Soldier Field 10 Mile. I'd been training for the race since February, and early Saturday morning, I went for it. 10 miles, baby! And I did it! I was slow as molassas, but I finished. The race was intense, and probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. I even ended up jogging closer to 11 miles than 10 because I ran right past the entrance to the finish line and had to double back! (After 2.5 hours on my feet in the hot sun, I was pretty dazed. I'm surprised I still realized I was in Chicago.) As hard as the run was though, there were some definite moments of joy. The path along Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan was truly beautiful. At one point during mile 7, I distinctly remember looking up at the skyline and being blown away at the breathtaking beauty of our city. (I think that was the only time in the race that my mind was focused on something other than how much my body hurt.) The coolest part, of course, was finishing on the actual 50 yard line of the football field and hearing all the people I love screaming for me from the stands. As exhausted as I was, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I am so grateful to have a body that works, and to have so many people in my life who love and support me. Crossing that finish line, I felt so alive! What a great kickoff to summer.

I am somewhere among these 10,000 racers, chomping at the bit to begin!

And...we're off!

10+ miles and 2+ hours later, here I come toward the finish line!

The end is in sight!
(And no, it didn't take me 3:02:20 to finish the race...I'm not THAT slow. We started in waves and I was at the very back of the pack, so I didn't start running until long after the race had begun.)

This is the face of one very proud - and very tired - woman!

My cheerleaders. Whenever quitting entered my head, the thought of all these beautiful people waiting at the finish line kept me going. Thanks guys, I love you all so much!