25 January 2008

Ellie: "Bring it, Grandma!"


Last night my parents, Ellie, and I went to see "Spirit of the Marathon" and it was fantastic. I think it meant a little more to me because it takes place in Chicago 3 years ago, following runners of different abilities as they prepare for the marathon. I loved it. I highly recommend it (encore is sometime in February), especially if you've ever run Chicago.
I wasn't the only one that enjoyed it, though. On the way home, Ellie asked if I thought she could run a marathon. I said, "Of course you can. It's all about the training and preparation--mental and physical."
The seed had been planted.
Today I checked on marathons coming up this spring/early summer, as that is about the only window for Ellie to run one (We're traveling to Ireland in July, and it may be 'baby time' after that...). I checked on Grandma's, which I had heard good things about.
Several emails and conversations later, Ellie is officially signed up. It will be a role reversal for us, as I'll be lead cheerleader on the route and won't be running.
It's gonna be fun! I have already let her family know that this is her idea...I'm just along for the ride.

(As for my running...my knee was NOT happy with me the rest of yesterday, so I am taking today to rest again and will likely turn my weekend long run into a weekend elliptical session. None of this really matters to me right now, though. Ellie's running a marathon! Woo Hoo!)

6 comments:

Adam said...

Hey great news! Grandma's is my favorite weekend of the summer, make sure you can stay for the party Saturday night! Depending on Ellie's pace I might be able to give her some pacing help. I'm doing a double Grandma's this year so the pace of the final 26 is pretty flexible for me. You'll love it, it's a great race. The dorms are a pretty good option, all of the Canal Park rooms have been sold out since last year's race.

Ax said...

That is so cool! I'm working on my wife, too. She longer sees it as something beyond her capacity. I'll hook her sometime in the near future.

By the way, I've scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor for Monday. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the advice!

Adam said...

I'd try the University dorms at Grandma's. They're cheap and the atmosphere is fun being filled with runners. It's a quick bus ride to and from Canal Park. Last year was my first year in the dorms and I'll probably stay there in the future.

Tri+Umph said...

Woohoo, I'm rooting for Ellie!

By the way, Nic, how far are you from Racine? I've heard more and more good things about the half IM there. It's probably going to happen. Let me know!

Marcy said...

Baby time??!?! I've got 2 you can have, I'll even PAY YOU to keep them :P LOL JK!!

Nitmos said...

Wow, that's always exciting when someone new tackles a marathon but especially so when it's the wife! Congratulations to her. Also, you'll be reinvigorated by going through all the "firsts" all over again with your wife. Enjoy.