Uncle Josh's Little Ghosts and Ghouls

Happy Halloween!!

I thought I would share pictures of all the nieces and nephews from Halloween. Enjoy!

We'll start with the newest (youngest to oldest)...

TJ and Ella sported some cute halloween themed outfits during the day. TJ's reads "Daddy's Little Monster" and Ella's reads "I love my Mummy!" Gotta love TJ's hair!

Takoda was a pumpkin, or a Pooped Pumpkin as Grandma said. Apparently, he was pretty tuckered out by the end of the day!

Check out his teeth!!

Francesca carving her pumpkin... ah the wonder of the pumpkin guts!

Aarrrrrrrrrgh! One scary pirate!

Rah, rah, rah! Go USA! I think Cassie picked this just for Uncle Josh!

Cassie wasn't really good at posing for the camera, so we had to get some "action" shots.




Jonathan has been promoted!!! A few years ago Dominic wore this costume and Jonthan was the dalmation puppy!





Go, go power rangers! Dominic, are you smiling? :-)

Ready for more... off to Auburn!

Hailey must have been moooooooooooovin' and groovin' for Halloween. Hopefully, I'll post a picture here soon.

"Running with My Boo!"

This past weekend, I traveled down to Virginia to cheer on Jennifer in her 26.2 mile journey - the Marine Corp Marathon.

I made several signs for the race, in particular this one.

And they're off... this is the lead group at Mile 1! (Somewhere in that group is an alum from SUNY Cortland who placed 2nd among the men!! Go Fred!)




I had the pleasure of running portions of the race with Jen. I linked up with her shortly after mile 11 and ran around Hains Point to Mile 15 with her. While she ran the 5 miles to Mile 20, I walked a block over and reunited with her for another 6 mile run to the 26 flag. She did an amazing job - one of the most consistently paced runs I have ever seen and she reached her goal of breaking 5 hours, with a 4:54:42 finish! Way to go, Jen!!

When It Rains, It Pours

From Josh... "It did something that it has not done since April here - in any measureable amount - it rained. I mean pitch poured. You couldn't leave the b-hut or you would be instantly soaked. I forgot how much I hate when it rains here because it makes everything smell so much worse and it seems to stay damp forever. It finally dried out this afternoon. It is back to being sunny today, but I think it is only making it into the 60s. It does not get light until 530 which is a big deal because it used to get light at 400 and now it is dark by 530 at night. We wont change time so come Saturday, we will be 9 1/2 hours ahead of you all. So excited that there is only 2 more days in Oct. This month took forever. We are all afraid that Nov. will be long too."

There was a bombing today in Afghanistan too. As Josh said, Afghans killing Afghans, but he wrote to let us know he is fine.

The Four Letter S-Word

Anyone want to take a guess... SNOW! It has started to arrive in Afghanistan, just along the mountains, but it is coming. Josh writes, "There is snow on the mountains again. Every night it snows a little bit, enough to coat the top of the mountains, but by mid morning all the snow is gone. It still gets to warm up there during the day." Of course, Afghanistan isn't the only place that is seeing snow. We are actually in the forecast for a light, light coating (possibly) overnight. I guess what is most exciting about this is that we have returned to the Fall/Winter here in NY, and Josh left when there was snow on the ground... so we are approaching his return.

Josh is away right now on a mission/job, though he is stationed at another FOB, not moving around the country. They do not have internet connections for each of the soldiers, but there is a computer station where he waits in line to write. Things are going well for the most part. He has some evening duties, so he is adjusting his sleep schedule accordingly. He has been visiting the gym each day as well. Which according to some people, they thought he needed it... Josh writes, "This guy from this other platoon who is with us here at Phoenix said the other day that I must have taken up running and biking in the gym because I was getting heavy before the deployment. Was I getting fat before we left?? I did not thinks so; I mean I carried a little more weight before we left, but I do not think I was heavy. Do you? Be honest." NO, Josh, not at all!

I missed the monthly posting for the 19th of the month. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, three months from now, Josh will be home, safe and sound. We have not heard anything on a return date. Everyone is hearing something different. The replacements are supposed to arrive late next month, but we are not sure how long it will take for him to leave Afghanistan. Of course, the route back is long and complicated and he won't come directly home. The will "demob" somewhere in the US, possibly Ft. Bragg or possibly elsewhere (anything closer would be better)! My 19th of the month treat was a sports massage following the marathon. It worked it's magic.

Traveling Through Salang Pass

This is an e-mail that Josh sent to Barry School this week. It is a pretty good update of what he has been up to.

"Hope you all do not mind my messages, but every once in awhile our battle rhythm is slow...I try to keep busy during the down time by going to the gym, watching movies or AFN-American Forces Network but the treadmill gets old and I get tired of the chuckleheads in there. How many times can you really watch Wedding Crashers and as far as AFN goes I have seen the same Kristie Alley made for TV movie where she goes crazy and keeps foster kids locked in her basement four times since being here. I seriously think AFN is a subsidiary of Lifetime Television. I am really not a fan of Lifetime to begin with, so AFN is kind of a drag. So, I pass the time and get my kicks out of sending e-mail to folks to pass the time. Lucky you guys. haha. Feel free to delete on receipt. I will never know. haha.

"So last week was a really big week for a geek like me. haha. Our platoon is at times tasked, in addition to our other duties, to conduct long range convoy operations. We have been all over. I have been as far east as Jalalabad, as far south as Helmand and Khandhar-a couple of times. Last week, we were tasked with a long range to go to Konduz which is about as far north as you can go in Afghanistan before hitting all the other "Stans". What was great about this trip is we were going to get to go through the famed Salang pass which goes through the Hindu Kush mountains. Kabul is a little over a mile high. The top of the pass reaches just about 11,000 feet. It is a slow and steep climb. Lots of switchbacks and sheer drop offs. At the top of the pass is a 4KM long tunnel that is barely two lanes wide. It has no lights and no ventilation. It was built by the Soviets during their time here. Awesome. Good ol' 24 was a champ climbing the mountain pass. However, I noticed several Soviet tanks were not so lucky as we saw several of them at the bottom of canyons hundreds of feet below us. After seeing these, the platoon sgt. would follow up each time by telling me, "Now, Baci remember I have kids." I mean I was not planning to ruin anyone's day. The tunnel was wild. Due to the lack of any ventilation, smog just hung in the air. When we would pass another large vehicle, the truck would scrape the walls and the other truck b/c it was so narrow. In the middle of the tunnel, you reach the apex of the pass and then start the descent down the other side. More switchbacks and sheer drop offs, more reminders about children back home. When we got to the bottom of the pass, we conducted a tactical refueling drill which is really a fancy way of saying "watch Josh run around as fast as he can with huge fuel cans full of diesel fuel and put as much fuel in the truck as he can before the Lt. decides we have been stopped long enough". As I was refueling, I looked up at the gunner in our truck. His face was completely black from all the smog in the tunnel. What a trip-literally.

"For some reason there was an unusual amount of livestock in the road on this trip and it kind of became a running joke. We almost hit a goat, a sheep, and a camel. You think a deer does serious front end damage. I can not imagine what a camel would do-but there he/she was just running across the road in front of us, and they say an eleven thousand pound vehicle can't stop on a dime. haha. It was great to see the Hindu Kush mountains and go through the Salang Pass after reading and hearing so much about it.

"My other big nerd moment came over the weekend. I grew up literally "Inside the Beltway". My Dad worked for the government. Members of Congress and Senators lived in my suburban town-not the Obama, Clinton, or McCain kind-just average 9-5 congressman and senators. I even profited from it. I had a little lawn mowing business when I was in junior high and I would tool my little mower all around the neighborhood cutting lawns and word of mouth got me a job mowing a senator's lawn. I thought this was so cool. I mean he could have had a huge lawn business cut his lawn but he had this gangly kid cut it with his Craftsman mower. haha. In reality, I think he was too cheap to hire a big lawn mowing business but he was my best paying customer-a whole twenty bucks. Woohoo. Extra cheese on the pizza tonight! Politics was just a part of life. So, when they asked people who would be interested in meeting with a group of NY congressman and woman I was game, plus it got me out of some work. Don't judge. haha. Anyway, one of them was our Congressional Representative-Michael Arcuri. When they asked for people who were willing to meet with them, it really meant that they needed you to pose for pictures, but I didn't care. There was one congresswoman from Nevada in the group and she got up in the turret behind a gun and started swinging it around wildly and posing for pictures. She kind of made everyone a little nervous. haha. This is the link to one of the pictures and articles written about the event. http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/arng/27bct/newsletter/keepingtabs_37.pdf
The others in the pictures are other guys in my unit. As you are looking at the picture, the man directly to my left is SFC. Adams, my platoon sgt. He is the guy I am driving around all the time and warns me about his kids. haha. The vehicle in the background is a Cougar. If you could see the whole grill-you would say yeah that does look like a Cougar. I don't drive that, but it is a new vehicle-so we pulled it out to impress the good congressmen/woman. I think a more effective display would have been to put my patched up truck out there. haha.

"It has gotten a lot cooler here over the last week. I finally had to put away my PT shorts/short sleeve PT shirts and break out my Army issued high speed PT jogging suit. haha. It still reaches the high 60s/low70s but the mornings and the late afternoons/early evenings are really cool. For obvious reasons, the b-huts are non-smoking. I am a non-smoker but 95% of the personnel in my platoon are smokers and lots of socializing in our downtime for our platoon goes on in the smoke shack-a small open air pavillion structure-just outside of our b-hut. So now I am finding I have to bundle up pretty good at night if I am going to stay up on current events in our platoon, unit, and on the FOB. There is more gossip in this place than a junior high cafeteria-no lie.

"Hope you guys are all doing well.. It is almost the weekend! That really doesn't mean anything to me, but the upside to that is that Monday is never a downer. haha. Have a good one. Josh"

Josh Meets Our Congressman in A-Stan!

This was from an e-mail Josh sent over the weekend... "So, then guess what happened this afternoon? Michael Arcuri, with a whole bunch of NY Congressmen/women came to Phoenix today. (CO) was responsible for taking him around. They asked if anyone wanted to meet him, so I said I would. I got my picture taken with them - look in the newspaper a million people took pictures. I also got the CO to introduce me to him. I was the only one there from his district. haha. I was such a geek because everyone was so put off by the whole thing and I thought it was cool.. haha Can you believe it? You will have to tell the (P's). I know they love him. . . It has been a great day."

When I spoke with Josh after the marathon, he was still so excited about the opportunity to meet him. I think most importantly, it was a reminder of home for Josh.

Here is the Keeping Tabs newsletter that the 27th BCT writes, including a picture with Congressman Arcuri in the center and Josh in the front row! (Missing that smile though!)

Race Day - Sunday, October 12

So, I set my alarm for 5:30 and wouldn't you know that I woke up at 5:28 from a dream that I had where the clock said 7:30! Nothing like getting the heart rate going first thing in the morning. Like most runners, I had everything laid out the night before and was ready to go in no time. We left the hotel around 6:30 and made our way down North Columbus Ave to the Starting Corrals, with a quick port-a-pottie stop. Jen had taken a picture of my reaction to leaving the pottie, but unfortunately it didn't turn out well.

I lined up in the Open Corral (aka with the "normal runners") as instructed. There were corrals for the Elite, Top 100, Corrals A - D for seeded times, and then Open... so, I was part of the caboose to this crazy train! Based on my pace for the training runs, I lined up with the 4:30 finishers, or around a 10:00 pace. I debated on lining up with a pace group, but since I hadn't trained with pace groups, I didn't want to get flustered. Note to those who might do this in the future... stick to what you did in training.

Off I go, no turning back...

As the start drew near the corrals became more and more crowded. We were all instructed to be to the corrals around 7 am, but of course, there are those who don't think the rule applies to them and show-up and snake their way through the crowd to get to "their" spot. To top it off, they were annoyed with those of us who had been there and waiting.

The National Anthem was beautiful. It was an ensemble of singers - first a male, adding in a female, and then rounding out with the rest of the group. Just amazing! The race started just before 8 am and I crossed the start line in about 10 minutes, which isn't bad for a group the size of the Chicago Marathon. And we were off - start line...

The Women's Elite Group - they ran as a pack for the majority of the race. Impressive!

This was mile 0.8. The building on the left side of the picture is our hotel. Lots of runners!

Typically, most marathons have markers at every mile and 5 kilometers along the route. However, since the Chicago Marathon attracts a large number of international runners, there were flags indicating every mile AND kilometer. 26.2 miles or 42 kilometers. Just in the distance flags alone, there were 68, not including the 1/2 way point. Lots of reminders of how far you had gone, or how far you still had to go.

As many of you know or others of you could guess, the cooler the weather, the better it is for the runners. With temps starting out in the upper 60s and humidity at 78% around 7:30 a.m., it was guaranteed to be a very warm, if not, down right hot day. After last year's Marathon, the organizers made several changes to this year's event, including establishing the event alert system, as shown in the photo below. The day started (that being the key word) at yellow, and was elevated to yellow earlier in the week. There were many aid stations and the fluids were plentiful. My approach was 2 cups of gatorade and 3 cups of water. I drank the gatorade, dumped one cup of water on my head, one down my back and drank the other one. Many runners breeze through the first few aid stations, however, I believe that it is there for a reason and utilized the beverages at each and everyone - all 20 of them. Yes, that is a lot of beverage to drink and yes, I was drenched, but each cup of water that I dumped on me was such a relief.

So, when did things change? If I remember correctly, it was sometime around mile 20 that we were first notified that the alert system had been upgraded to red, otherwise known as high, or that there were potentially dangerous conditions. It was recommended that we slow down and/or consider stopping. Quite honestly, it felt like a sucker punch. Only 6.2 miles to go, but it sure felt like it was long run still ahead of us. At mile 23, there was an electronic sign with the time and temperature which read a balmy 91 degrees!! At this point, I thought to myself "smart runners finish strong". As people were definitely feeling the impact of the heat, sun and humidity, I knew that I still had control over how my body was going to handle the race. From this point, I decided that I would run as much as possible, but that I would incorporate more power walking to help keep myself from getting sick or feeling the need to stop all together. It added a bit of time, but really my goal was to finish. So, I attempted to run for 3 - 4 minutes and then walk for 30 seconds - 1 minute, depending on if someone was cheering for me. To give you an idea of the itensity of the sun, this is my calf and the tan line from my capri running pants (note - the picture is upside down). At first when I saw this, I thought my legs were dirty.

Jen and Jim were at Mile .8, 3, 12 and 26. Unfortunately, we only saw each other at Mile 26. I am located in the middle of the pictured, under the Bank of America banner on the left/under the building in the middle of the picture. Look for the red shirt.

There I go... just 2/10 of a mile to go. If there was one picture that I wish I had of this marathon, it would have been the sight I saw in between the time that the two above photos where taken. Jen and Jim were right on the edge of the street. Once I found where the voices were coming from, I saw Jen with her arms outstretched, camera in one hand and her phone in the other, yelling "Josh is on the phone!!" She was so excited, smiling -- it will forever be an image that I remember.

We crossed timing mats at every 5k. Here is how I faired...

5k (3.1 miles) - 30:41

10k (6.2 miles) - 1:01:38 (+30:57 from 5k)

15K (9.3 miles) - 1:34:20 (+ 32:42 from 10K -- I did have to use the restroom in this one!)

20K (12.4 miles) - 2:07:26 (+33:06 from 15k)

13.1 miles - 2:14:52

25K (15.5 miles) - 2:41:25 (+33:59 from 20K)

30K (18.6 miles) - 3:16:36 (+35:11 from 25K -- This is where I was "lost" on the course. I forgot that we did 2 loops out to the west side of Chicago.)

35K (21.7 miles) - 3:52:31 (+35:55 from 30K -- Started dodging banana peels - a lot of them at mile 20.15!)

40K (24.8 miles) - 4:29:07 (+36:36 from 35K -- Dodged more banana peels and changed my approach to finishing the race!)

FINISH - 4:44:27 (+15:07 from 40 K or 1.2 miles later -- Just wanted to finish!)
- Pace / mile: 10:50
- Placement Overall: 15876
- Gender: 5508
- Age Division: 1464

There was a reason why the 27th Mile Post Party was given its name... it really was a good mile away from the finish. It took forever to get to the runner re-unite area. Not only did I want to see a familiar face, I wanted to talk to my husband!

At last . . .Thankfully, this isn't a close up -- a much needed change of shoes!


Still chatting, getting cooler...

Again, I cut off 53 minutes and 49 seconds from my time at the Marine Corp Marathon. I really think that if the weather had been on my side that I would have easily been able to run a 4:30 marathon. At least I can say that I ran the race that was in me, and I am proud of how well I did. It was an emotionally driven day and there were certainly points when I lost focus or rather got lost in the emotion of the day.

As I took my twice weekly (sometimes more) walks with Nan, we would often talk about the training and the race. We joked, at the time, about my "oscar acceptance speech", hence giving her the title as "warm down coach". As I proceeded through the training and race this weekend, the list of people who were there along the way really did contribute to the success of this past weekend. Here is a little shout out to the people I would like to thank.

Harland -- my (unofficial) "coach". As I have mentioned before, he coaches for Teams in Training and was always willing to give me advice, support and encouragement.

Nan -- my "warm down coach". Nan and I walked every Sunday and Wednesday beginning back in March. As the big runs came around, Nan would make sure that I got in my "warm down" walk and or a mid-week walk on a day off. The Pasquarello's were huge supporters.

Hailey -- my "fan club President". Hailey was always willing to share my story and always asked how the training was going. She even decorated the garage for my return.

Lisa (and TJ) -- my "training partner(s)". Lisa would come and rescue me during the mid-length and long runs, running by my side for a few miles, to help break up the length. TJ was along for the ride.

Heather -- the training blogger from Michigan. Sharing the trials and tribulations, "badges of honor", and anxiety of it all with you was incredible. I look forward to chatting with you again soon.

My family -- my lifeline to get through this year. I'll admit you are all right - I am probably insane, but your support makes me believe that I can do anything. My parents were at the airport with their Chicago 26.2 shirts on when I arrived home. It was such a wonderful surprise.

Jen and Brew -- my "curb crew". Jen and Jim (Brew) flew in from D.C. to cheer me on and we had a wonderful weekend together. I can't thank them enough for everything they did with me that weekend. Just knowing they were in the crowd, though I didn't see them and they didn't see me, helped to keep me going. It was incredible to share the experience with them. Again, my favorite part was seeing Jen at Mile 26 when she told me Josh was on the phone! Priceless!

And of course... Josh - You are and will always be my greatest inspiration. I love you and we really are one step closer to you coming home. Better lace up those running shoes and start practicing! Wink!

The Race Weekend - Saturday, October 11

Awaiting the “curb crew”… Jennifer (Josh’s sister) and Jim (Jen’s boyfriend) flew in from DC to cheer to me on. Their flight was the first one out, so they were to the hotel around 9 a.m. Of course, I was across the street at the point when they arrived, but it was a good thing, as inside of Dominick’s (the local grocery store), there was a Starbucks!! Jim is a diehard coffee drinker, so I knew this was a good find. I picked up a few things – water, energy bar, bananas, granola bars, and a coke for Jen – and headed back to meet them in the lobby of the hotel, where I escorted them to our 13th floor room (more to come on this). After we dropped everything, we headed to Starbucks to get our cup of joe or chai for the trip to the Expo.

When I selected the hotel, I factored in a few things – the Embassy Suites offered a complimentary breakfast (and not just a continental one - funny though, we never made it down there), it’s proximity to the Magnificent Mile, and most importantly, the short walk to the shuttle bus pick-up for the Expo. So, a block away, we were at the shuttle bus pick-up. It was wonderful. For those of you who haven’t been to Chicago, they have an above-ground and underground street system. Among the underground system is an express lane for buses transporting people to the McCormick Convention Center. It was a 10 minute shuttle and we were there, far beating the stop and go traffic of a cab or car.

Not that I have been to many marathon expos, this being only my third, it was by far the most well organized event in terms of runner registration/packet-pick-up. A very large room was devoted entirely to picking up the runner packets. No lines, just walk right up and voila! Everything was clearly identifiable which made it very easy to move around and go from place.

The expo itself was wonderful! I had the chance to see the Marathon Bloggers during their Main Stage session.
Eight runners of varying abilities and all with different reasons for running blogged about their training throughout the summer leading up to race day. Several of them posted e-mail addresses to connect with other runners as well.

Heather, who was running her first marathon, and I chatted quite regularly via e-mail, sharing our training runs, experiences, and any tidbits of information that we could pass along to one another. I had the opportunity to meet her face to face and Jen took this picture of the two of us. A pretty rare opportunity to connect with a complete stranger in this way and I am proud to say that I think we will continue to chat long after this marathon.





The goodie bags were good in the sense that the bag was large and it gave you an opportunity to stuff any other freebies or purchases with carrying an excessive number of bags. So what exactly comes in the “goodie bag”? Truthfully, for most people – it’s a lot of junk - flyers for other marathons, product samples, coupons for local restaurants or businesses, and any chance for people to get their name out there. After all, 45,000 runners (and potentially their guests) see the contents of the bag. Typically, the best part of the goodie bag is the Marathon shirt. I can’t say that I was overly impressed with the shirt. It’s nice – another technical running shirt with an image of the Chicago sky line on it. Of course the Bank of America logo was smack dab in the front of the shirt. It was okay and perhaps one day when I use it for a run, I will appreciate it more. But, I made up for it with my next stop in the expo…

Nike was the official apparel sponsor for the Marathon and had a HUGE shop set-up in the middle of the expo. After I ran the Marine Corp Marathon in 2006, I decided that I deserved a treat for completing the marathon and purchased the official jacket. In tradition and to guarantee that I would be getting the jacket, I bought it at the expo. It’s actually the men’s jacket. I personally didn’t care for the women’s options. The theme/design seemed to very retro, so I opted for the most “clean-cut” version. It says Chicago08 on the front and 26.2RunChi on the left sleeve.

We registered for the chance to win a 2 year lease on a Volkswagon. As you may have read, Josh is car shopping from Afghanistan and I have received several packets of information from them. I guess since I am still waiting for my phone call, it probably means I wasn’t so lucky this time. VW was a huge sponsor of the race – they were the “pace car”, though the elite runners really determined the pace on this one.

This is a special picture for Josh...

The list of vendors for the Expo is long and varied. There are your typical vendors - athletic apparel, running gear, etc. And then there are those that bring out the humorous side of running...

From Sistas Shirts...

From One More Mile ...

My only other purchase was a print of a picture that a gentleman painted of the Chicago Marathon. http://www.lastingcommemoratives.com/products/product-listing.aspx?id=113

After this purchase, we made our way back to the shuttle pick-up for our return to the hotel.

We dropped everything off to venture out for lunch. I think it became apparent that when it came to meals, the three of us were pretty indecisive at where we were going. As we walked along the streets, we came to Giordano’s, which is famous for it’s Chicago Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza. Upon entering, we discovered that our wait was going to be 45 minutes, so we decided to head further north, were I had explored via the shuttle bus the night before. Tavern on Rush was this wonderful restaurant that was busting the night before. We were luck as they had a table indoors immediately available. It was such a wonderful meal… though our waitress was a bit flighty. As I said, Jim enjoys his coffee and it took about 20 minutes for her to bring that to him.

We perused Michigan Avenue (aka the Magnificent Mile) and went by Niketown, a very large Nike store. What was most amazing was that they had silhouette of the Chicago skyline at the bottom of their outdoor wall display, with all of the runners names throughout large space above. It was like trying to find a needle in haystack and unfortunately, we never found mine. I joked that my name was probably behind one of the buildings in the silhouette.

We were lazy for the rest of the afternoon and then ventured out for dinner. At this point, we decided we would try for Giordano’s again. Obviously, on a Saturday night, any restaurant is going to be full and the wait long. We were told an hour and a half. There was an Italian place (remember – carbo loading!) across of the street, but their wait was the same. Long story short, this meal is probably on the top 5 all-time worst dining experiences that I have encountered. We were told to order the pizza 40 minutes after we signed-in. Well, after finally being seated a little more than 2 hours later, you can imagine what the pizza was like. I ordered the pasta that was awful. Thankfully, I asked for some bread and it was a large loaf. Yes, I ate the whole thing. Needless-to-say, none of us were thrilled, nor would recommend it to anyone… but it certainly gave us something to talk about.

We took a minor “detour” home that night. We missed the turn for our street and ended up visiting Northwestern University’s campus – it is gorgeous. We also saw the Navy Pier and the famous ferris wheel that is usually identified with anything Chicago. It’s huge and very pretty when it is lit up at night. We made our way back to the hotel and called it a night, off to dream about the big race.

We Win, Josh!

"To finish is to win!"

WE WIN, JOSH!!!

Well... I finished... 4:44:27 -- just 6 minutes and 11 seconds off my goal, yet still still 53 minutes and 49 seconds faster than my first marathon.

I am tired, exhausted and literally just knocked my glasses off my head without realizing it. I will post tomorrow with the full details of the 26.2 mile journey and the storybook ending to 7 1/2 months of training. Just as the story in the program said, it's not just the winners who have the storybook ending. One of the marathon bloggers wrote a particularly inspiring and appropriate message to us all a few weeks prior to the race...

"Let's all be champions on October 12.
There will only be one winner, but we can all be champions."

(To understand the context of his message, you can read his entire posting.)

Again, we win, Josh! I love you!

Good Morning from Chicago!

(First of all, I am not being a blog hog and not posting anything about Josh on purpose, but I really have no news to share, as I have not heard from him since last weekend.)

I arrived at the hotel last night. It took forever to get here via the shuttle service... roughly an hour or so of stop and go traffic once we left the airport. I arrived to the Embassy Suites Lakefront with a package waiting for me from... Josh! What a pleasant surprise! He had a Green Tea & Mint Spa Package delivered.

Once I had the computer set-up, I crashed fairly early after traveling since the afternoon. I did sleep well, though I was hoping to get another hour or so in before this busy day and tomorrow's race.

I have the television on watching the local NBC news and of course they are talking about the unseasonably warm weather this weekend and it's impact on the marathon. If I had my sneaker next to me, I would chuck it at the t.v. Remember, I posted last week about it being 60s... I should have known the weather will change 20,000 times. The forecast is now 78 for tomorrow. A bit warm for a marathon, but at least they are not calling for the humidity that impacted the marathon last year. Thankfully, I had prepared and brought short sleeve and long sleeve shirt for this race. Definitely going with the short sleeve one tomorrow. They did just come on with the Marathon Forecast of 62 - 72 degrees for the duration of the race. I ran in much warmer weather and my longest run was in a 100% humidity. I'll just start drinking A LOT of water now. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

It's so bizarre to write that -- tomorrow!! It's already here.

Today's agenda ... awaiting "my curb crew" and the EXPO!!! I love the Marathon Expo!! Thankfully, there is a shuttle to the Expo "just around the corner" from the hotel.

Here is the view from the hotel room this morning. Sorry, but I have no clue what I am looking at, which direction or anything. I am hoping to find a good map of the city and regain my sense of direction. Obviously, I am not sure which corner I should be heading off for the shuttle!


Off to stretch...

Writing on the Road - 45,000 Stories

Writing on the Road—45,000 Stories
By Chris McNamara

45,000. That’s the capacity for the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. 45,000 runners. It is also the number of stories that will be gathered—as if in a massive book—at the starting line on the morning of October 12. 45,000. But once the gun blasts into the city sky, prompting those 45,000 athletes to run, more stories will begin being written.

Kevin Burton tells his story at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, which he’s attended since getting sober in 2005, thanks in great part to running. “You need to find healthy things to do, as opposed to going to the bar,” says the 36-year-old Atlantan, who during his drinking days was the last person anyone would imagine running 26.2 miles. “Knowing you’re running 18 miles on Saturday morning will keep you out of the bar on Friday night.” This will be Burton’s eighth marathon, his first in Chicago where he is trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. “The training is kicking my butt,” he admits, before adding that when he recently took a break from training he fell into a bit of a depression. So, the running resumed and his inner peace soon returned. “For me, running is imperative to staying sober.”

“Every runner has a story,” says Carey Pinkowski, executive director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. “Every human being has a story, and they bring that to this event. The stories are what motivate them, and those all contribute to this race.”

What’s most impressive is not that Kenneth Hart is running his 50th marathon in his 50th state just before his 50th birthday. It’s that he began this numerical challenge just four years ago. In 2005, the Baltimore, Md. single father recognized that he had more free time with his kids in high school, so he trained for a local half-marathon. At the finish line he felt good, so pushed on through the back 13 miles and completed a full marathon. No sweat. Then he did another. And another. And another. He ran one marathon in New Hampshire, drove to Maine that afternoon and ran another the next morning. “Marathons put things in perspective,” says the architect. “Running is at my core at this point.” Once he crosses the finish line in Chicago his quest will be complete—50 in 50 before 50. Then, of course, he’ll begin training for the Baton Rouge Marathon in December.

Running is an independent endeavor. Even surrounded by 44,999 other athletes, each entrant at the Chicago Marathon is competing by him or herself. “At its core, a marathon is all about individual effort,” explains Pinkowski. “Each runner can control the process. And it’s simple, from Point A (deciding to run) to Point B (the finish line). People are drawn to the individual expression of it. The chance to look inside yourself.”

When you run the track at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan

you have to keep your mouth closed, lest sand gets into your mouth. You have to keep watch for helicopters, too, since the track doubles as a landing pad. As such, Josh Bacigalupi of the National Guard 27th Brigade Combat Team prefers to jog in the military base’s gym. Of course, he’d rather be at home in Cortland, N.Y., running alongside wife Darci, who while training for the Chicago Marathon would “talk” to her husband between breaths. “I constantly remind myself of the things that he would tell me as we trained for the last one,” she says, referencing the Marine Corps Marathon the couple completed in 2006. The 29-year-old will be running the Chicago course, which Josh completed in 2002 and 2003, by herself. But she’ll be talking to her husband throughout the race.

Of course, much of the allure of any marathon is the communal nature, the camaraderie strengthened between old friends and family or forged with strangers along the way. Many run as part of teams—formal squads from faraway lands or casual allegiances, families, lovers, friends or running-club members who lean on each other (sometimes literally) throughout the race and celebrate together at its completion.

They jokingly call themselves the Navarro Racing Team—NRT for short—since the squad is made up of the five Navarro brothers and some friends. “The Chicago Marathon is our tradition, whatever shape we’re in,” explains brother Carlos, 55, who fondly recalls twenty years back when members of the NRT could “wing it” and run the course with very little training. “Now we realize that running it trained is much more enjoyable.” Enjoyable, too, is the training itself. Carlos and his siblings sprint through the trail at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago’s southwest suburbs, where atoms are propelled at supersonic speeds below ground, and above ground the NRT prepares for another chapter in a fun, family history.

For some, the 26.2 miles is a great obstacle. How can I run that far? For others gathered at the starting line, the marathon is a piece of cake compared to what they’ve overcome and what they continue to battle. For these brave athletes, the marathon becomes a healing exercise, a symbol of hope, one mountain to climb en route to another.

With gallows humor, Tim Gray refers to it as a “cancer sandwich,” the awful stretch in which his father and mother-in-law died of the condition and he battled thyroid cancer. That cancer sandwich came at a time when Gray was changing his life—slimming down, shaping up, running 5Ks with his wife, Lisa. Radiation treatment in June 2008 was a drag; three days spent in an isolated room waiting for his radioactive body to cool. And it interrupted his training regimen. But a week after the doctors released him he was back sprinting through the streets of Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. “I was just happy to be outside,” says the 32-year-old land surveyor. And through it all, he’s kept his eye on the starting line in Chicago. “As crappy as I may feel while running, I know that there are people feeling even crappier, people who would love to trade spaces with me at the 16-mile mark.”

Still others look forward to the marathon as a way to remember the past. A way to honor lost loves. Running in memoriam. For these athletes, sweat mixes with tears.

In 2005, while celebrating their wedding anniversary, Caroline Parisi watched the Chicago Marathon with her husband, Lenny. In 2006, she ran the race with Lenny serving as her unofficial trainer/coach. In 2007, she ran in Lenny’s memory; he’d died of a sudden heart attack three months prior. And yet, the 36-year-old resident of suburban Addison, Ill. feels that this year will be the hardest. “Last year I ran on pure willpower,” she says. “This year I’ve had to prove that I can train on my own.” Lenny wasn’t there to coach his wife this year. And he won’t be waiting at Mile 13 hoisting a sign reading “Go Carole Go.” But she’ll rely on fellow members of the Elmhurst Running Club. And she’ll remember the message she wore on her shirt at last year’s race—My Biggest Fan is in Heaven.

As Pinkowski puts it, “Many people are running to or running from something.”

Brad Gaunt became a runner via cycling. Or more accurately, he became a runner after abandoning the bike when a motorist killed his cycling father and niece in August 2007. “I have too much anxiety about it to ride on the street anymore,” says the 40-year-old Missourian. After a month of inactivity he decided he had to do something physical, so he laced up the track shoes. He found running more demanding, more difficult than cycling, where you can take a stroke or two off to rest sore muscles. On a bike you can coast downhill. But running sated his need to move and soon after lacing up he completed a half marathon, which whet his appetite for something more. “When I cycled I did five centuries [100-mile races] a year. I’m an endurance guy. So if I’m going to run, I’m going to run a marathon.”

Running, after all, is exercise. A sport for some, but fitness for many more. A way to keep the heart and head healthy, keep the waistline in check, keep the joints moving and the muscles strong. For these everyday athletes, the marathon is both goal and jumping point, a target to which to strive and—once achieved—to move past in a perpetual push to health and happiness.

The plan is 220. Show up in Chicago at 220 pounds and finish the Marathon. As his 30th birthday loomed, Jeff Finney realized that his lifestyle was catching up to him. The busier he became with his cabinet-making business, the more he ate. The more he ate, the less he exercised, the worse he felt. “My life was out of control,” the Oklahoman admits. He found control when a high school buddy convinced him—kicking and screaming—to begin running. 20 pounds fell off his 325-pound frame quickly. Then 40 more vanished. In August he weighed 243. “This is a total life change. An awareness of how I should be living my life. Dealing with stress rather than eating it. Running provides the release that used to be eating. Now I can run and think about issues that bug me. After six or eight miles I lose myself.” He’ll find himself—at 220 pounds—at the starting line in Chicago.

The reasons for competing in a marathon are as disparate as the runners themselves. Just as the stories carried into and away from the race vary from heart warming to heart breaking. Sure, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon inspires runners. But it’s the runners who inspire the Chicago Marathon. It’s the participants who pen the book. 45,000 stories at the starting line. Countless more at the finish. 26.2 miles of open road on which to write a new chapter. And it’s not just the winners who get a storybook ending.

Some technical "gadgets" for the marathon weekend...

New and Improved Interactive Course Map
Check out the Bank of America Chicago Marathon’s new and improved Interactive Course Map. The interactive map features dynamic icons that identify major mile markers, resources and facilities along the course, camera icons that depict action photos from the course, and a “Preview Your Pace” feature that allows participants to chart their anticipated progress along the course and plot estimated arrival times. Share this feature with your family and friends to coordinate the efforts of participants and spectators on race day.Visit: Interactive Course Map

Register for Online Runner Tracking
Spectators can electronically track multiple runners along the race course by receiving real-time updates via e-mail or text message throughout the race. Updates will be received as runners cross the 10K, halfway (13.1 miles) and 30K checkpoints, as well as the finish line. To sign up for Online Runner Tracking, visit chicagomarathon.com.

Note: The deadline to register for Online Runner Tracking is 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2008

Broadcast Information
Whether you are in Chicago or across the world, you can catch live action of the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on TV, radio and/or the Web. Check out exclusive coverage from the Bank of America Chicago Marathon’s broadcast partners:

*All times are Central

NBC 5 Chicago
NBC 5 News coverage begins at 6 a.m. followed by live on-air and on-line coverage of the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 7 to 11 a.m. www.nbc5.com

The Score Sportsradio 670 AM
On race day, The Score Sportsradio 670 AM will bring you all the race action live from 7 to 11 a.m.

Universal Sports
Watch the Bank of America Chicago Marathon live Webcast from 7 to 11 a.m. and on-demand at universalsports.com. The race Webcast will be available to entire world.

Another rumble in A-stan (and some sad news) . . .

Another 6.0 earthquake hit yesterday in Afghanistan, about 42 miles southeast of Kabul. Josh said that everything and everyone in their group was fine, but that it did wake him up around 3 a.m.

Locally, some of you may have seen in the news where another member of the Jamestown Unit was killed in action on October 2. The incident is still under investigation. Spc. Jason E. von Zerneck is the sixth member of the Jamestown Unit to have lost his life in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and unit.

Pre-Race Emotions

So, the Chicago marathon is just days away... no more monthly or weekly countdowns... just six days! At this point, every runner is experiencing a wave of emotions. I thought I would share some of those that I am experiencing.

Excitement. I could not be more excited for this trip. I can't believe it is finally here! I am excited for those who will be there to cheer me on in Chicago, for those who have signed up for the runner updates through e-mail or text messaging and for those who will wait to hear the story when I return.

Nervous. Yes, a little, but who wouldn't be. Even the most elite run or the most carefree runner has some sort of nervousness at this point. Most runners are asking themselves if they trained enough or did they taper too much or not enough. The taper really is critical in the training process. Whereas the focus throughout the majority of training is to accrue mileage each week, the opposite happens for the taper -- sleep, rest, relax, hydrate, fuel -- those are the main components of the taper. For the most part, I am most nervous about staying healthy in the next few days. In the summer, I had no problems running in damp, cool weather. It's too close to race day for that and I worry about what it might trigger in me. I want to be physically healthy too -- rested and well-stretched muscles are key.

Proud. I posted an inspiration board at work for the marathon. Each "milestone" that I achieved - either a long run, race, or an incredible time - recieved a star on the board with the date, length and time of the run. Along the marathon route (map), I would also put a marker for each of those long runs. It's amazing to look at that mileage along and know that I accomplished each of those runs, along with many other shorter runs and walks (Thanks, Nan!). Prior to each run, I would pick a goal time. Intentionally, I set the bar "high". Some of them I was able to beat and others I would just miss by seconds or a few minutes. My longest training run was 22.1 miles. I had a goal time of 3:43:17 (yes, I even picked a random amount of seconds). It was 100% humidity when I ran and therefore, I was much slower than I wanted to run, but for 22.1 miles, I ran and still came through with a 3:53:15 finish, just under 10 minutes over my goal. In comparison to my first marathon, I am well on my way to a strong finish for this marathon.

Sad. This emotion comes in two different ways. I will openly admit that I am already having "withdrawl". Call me crazy, but I have come to enjoy those long runs. It's self-inspiring, knowing that eventually those long runs aren't dreaded, but accepted and anticipated in such a way that is hard to explain to the non-marathon training runner. Most importantly of course, not having Josh there will not be the same. I try to turn that into positive energy and remind myself of the inspiration he has given me to keep doing this day in and day out since March. I know he will be there in spirit and I just hope he's the wind blowing at my back that day!

As you can see, it is a wide range of emotions and a list of which will continue to grow and fluctuate as the marathon draws near, occurs and ends.

So, what is my goal? Quite honestly -- it is to finish and to enjoy the journey. I hemmed and hawed over sharing this, but I will. In regards to time, I am hoping (with fingers crossed) that I will be able to run this marathon an hour faster than my first... finishing at 4:38:16 or under! Yes, it took me 5:38:16 for the Marine Corps in 2006 and I am proud of it! It really would be a huge accomplishment to trim that much time from the run. Regardless though, I will hold my head high knowing that I did it! There are so many factors that play into running performance on race day and most of those won't be known until that day, when the race starts, or even during the race.

For anyone who would like to view the course... They have set-up a sped up video of the course with indicators of the various neighborhoods that we will run through along with a mileage tracker as the video progresses. It is from the 2006 Marathon, so the route may be slightly different, but it is pretty much the same, if I was the following the course map as I watched along. If you look closely in the first mile, at 0.7 miles, the light colored building on the right is the hotel we are staying at! The "blurs" of people on the sidelines show the aid stations throughout the course; however, they have increased the number of aid stations for this year! (YAY!) You can also view the map of the course.

As for the weather... low 60s and partly cloudy!! Perfect!

Deployable Entertainment featuring "This Old B-Hut"

First and foremost... He's Fine... You may see some news appearing at some point today or later this weekend, but I have heard from Josh both via e-mail and phone (at 4 a.m. this morning) and he is fine. That is the extent of what he could tell me.

And now onto the "Deployable Entertainment" portion of this post - This Old B-Hut! Josh sent me the following in an e-mail overnight. This Old B-Hut is a video on YouTube that was created by some very entertaining soldiers in Afghanistan. Some might think they had a little extra time or too much time on their hands, but as Josh says below, it is for real... those are his living conditions. The following is Josh's take on the video.

"I think they say they are from Nebraska, that would have been a few rotations before us. It is so funny. It was actually filmed at Camp Alamo right down the street, but we live in exactly the same hut, right down to the paint color, plastic windows, and the crappy a/c units. It is hilarious. I love the part about the linoelum. A b-hut is supposed to last 24 months and I am sure that most of the huts we live in have been around since 2002. So you can imagine how crappy ours is. haha. It is so funny. You have to watch it. Ilove the part about the wall lockers how they were offered to the afghanis and they refused them so they put them back in our huts. haha I would not be surprised if that was true. We finance all the building of all the ANP and ANA barracks and they are mcmansions compared to what we live in. haha. I have found about eight million places where we could cut costs and easily bail out the economy without further cost to us, and I would start with their mcmansions. haha."

Although it was the middle of the night, I had a nice conversation with Josh. As he mentioned on the phone and in an e-mail to me, "it is finally October and yet it still feels like we have so much longer to go. boo. It is like it is Thursday, close but not close enough."