Newly inspired!

Greetings, my loyal subjects.  It's been a while, but I've been doing quite a bit of traveling the past two months.  I had hoped to update this via my iPad but the blog app wasn't letting me move my photos around like I wanted so I got frustrated and quit.  Anyway, that's my excuse.  Now on to the real topic that moved me to finally post again.  This is one of the few posts where I combine my two hobbies - running and photography.   I just know Sports Illustrated will be calling me any day now.

This weekend we went to Indiana for my sister in law's wedding (which I shot, so in a few months I'll get around to posting those :).  On the way back to the airport, we stopped by the Chicago Marathon to watch my brother Zac cross the finish.  I've been really feeling discouraged by my training lately and this ginormous event was just the shot of inspiration I needed.

The Chicago Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors (apparently - I learned yesterday) and it's HUGE.  Yesterday there were more than 35,000 runners.  I know some runners prefer the simplicity and intimacy of smaller events, but to me, big races are worth the extra time it takes at the start, the longer lines, etc.  They have so much energy and it's contagious.  The crowd support is amazing, the courses are usually amazing, and I just feel so inspired to do my best. Most of all, when a race is big, it seems more appreciated by the city, and I feel more appreciated as a runner.  I know running will never be to Americans what football and baseball are, but for a few hours during these huge marathons, it's like I'm in the SuperBowl.

Back to the race at hand... miraculously, we ended up at the bleachers near the finish and there were actually open spots.  So we camped there and were able to see the winners come through. 

Here is Moses Mosop of Kenya, the winner.  He set a new course record - despite the heat - at 2 hrs, 5 min and 37 seconds (2:05:37) with an average pace of 4 min, 48 sec per mile.  WOW.  Think about it.  What can you accomplish in 4 minutes and 48 seconds?  As I was typing this paragraph he could've run another mile.

Another of Moses, waving to the crowd:

I was messing with my lenses and missed my front shot of him, but here's Ryan Hall, the first American finisher. I like him.  He's got a farmer tan too.

Check out how stoked the crowd is!  This is what I'm talking about.

Here's the first place female, Liliya Shabukhova of Russia, in 2:18:20.  She looks like Uma Thurman, no?

Interesting trivia:  Just for winning, she pocketed a cool $100K, plus another $40K for breaking 2:20:00, AND an additional $500K for something to do with the World Marathon Majors (I know she didn't win all of them so I'm not sure how that works).  I'm not good at math but that looks like $640K.  I guess running is much more lucrative than I thought.

Now I wouldn't swear it, but this next shot is, I'm pretty sure, a blind man with a guide (two guides?  see far right).  This guy wasn't far behind the elite runners (so pretty much kicking some !@#!).  Talk about inspiration!  I love running more than most things but this guy has true commitment.

And of course, there's this crazy (I think) woman who ran the race while 39 wks pregnant, with her doctor's blessing (was that a potential lawsuit waiting to happen?  You decide), despite having contractions at the start of the race.  If she'd have been, maybe, halfway through her pregnancy, I'd have thought it inspiring, but as a mother who ran while pregnant, I have to say I never would have done it.  Ever.

I digress.  Here comes my brother Zac (maroon singlet, on the right)!  Finishing in 2:48:58.

His races are inspiring in many ways:  a) he's my brother; b) I don't personally know anyone faster than he is (based on his PRs anyway, which are considerably faster even than today's performance); c) he does his own thing (he doesn't have a coach and isn't part of a team); d) he often runs negative splits (second half of the race faster than the first); and e) In the races I've seen, he seems to be an excellent guage of his own fitness.  He seems to always predict his finish within a minute or two and he never sets unrealistic expectations (unlike yours truly).  But aside from these big races, he also ignites a passion for running in young people, such as the students he leads in Young Life and students he coaches at a local school.  Every Thanksgiving he organizes the Official/Unofficial Wig Bandanna Team for a Turkey Trot in his hometown in which they all wear obnoxious head gear (and win the race).  He just loves running in a way that I can appreciate and completely relate to.

Here's a closeup of him (I was annoyed his foot got cut off... I had switched to my 70-200 f/2.8 to capture expressions).

Here's he and his wife Carrie after the race. 

She is pregnant with their first child - check out the adorable tee shirt she made just for the occasion:

Zac had the back of his singlet tattooed too.  It was the theme from their pre-wedding 5K last year, and quite appropriate for this race, I think:

Adam wanted to get a little sun on his tummy:

My future firstborn runner with Uncle Zac, the family icon:

And here's all of us (I was totally expecting cooler weather when I planned that outfit!):

To wrap up this post that ended up being much longer than I intended... even though I myself didn't run, I was super psyched to get to watch Zac finish, super psyched that Ryan and Adam got to see it too, and was super moved by the crowd in the stands and Zac's awesome finish.  I can't wait for it to be my turn to race again.  I just love being a part of cheering people on to the finish, because I know how those last few steps feel.... very emotional.  There's nothing like it, and I love it.

And now I'm newly invigorated to train for Tucson and meet my goals.  My fundraising is going so much better than I ever expected, I've got only good weather ahead of me, and I had a great run today.  Bring. It. On.  In the meantime, I'll be by the phone waiting for Sports Illustrated to call me about these wonderfully mediocre photos.