We are no longer Marathon virgins!

We made it!

Today was the hardest thing that we have ever accomplished. It was hard, but we would definitely do it again!

We enjoyed seeing all of the spectators, signs, costumes, etc and it definitely motivated us to get to the finish line. There were great crowds in Hyde Park, Mariemont, O'Bryonville and we enjoyed the sign that said "Running a Marathon....Even a Caveman can do it!". When we ran by the Running Spot, Bob Roncker was wearing his Red Running Spot Costume and was cheering loudly with his sound system and microphone.

One of the best moments of the race was when we saw Adam standing on Columbia Parkway! He had to be out of town for a wedding this weekend and had changed his travel to get back for the race. He was running on 2 hours of sleep (he is a dedicated husband and friend) and even ran with us for about a 1/2 mile. Thanks so much to Adam...the person that got us in all of this!

We are not going to lie...the last 5 miles for us were rough. Everything hurt from the waist down, and we gave it our all to finish in 4:28 min. We finished the last 1.2 miles holding hands and running together. We even got a little choked up with all of the excitement and overwhelming atmosphere of finishing. We decided that it would be hard to run the last 1.2 mile if we were hyperventilating so we stopped that right then! Thanks to everyone for the support, the loud cheering, our parents, our friends, Cin Weekly, The Running Spot, and everyone else that made this happen for us.

Look at the shirts Crystal made for us! We had similar shirts when we were children. Crystal surprised me with the shirts at the finish line and we promptly put them on! What a great surprise!

We are already planning on running our next marathon, but our first marathon on May 6, 2007 will be the most special.

It is time....

Today we are in the final preparations for our first marathon. We went to Lunken this morning with the parents and warmed up the legs by doing a walk/run interval routine. After some showers, and a yummy healthy lunch at Ingredients, we headed to the Expo. We were like kids in a candy store there. Dad bought socks and talked to the Polar guys for awhile, while Crystal bought a pair of sunglasses, and mom tried the natural peanut butter. It got a big yuck from her. Afterwards, we relaxed and we are heading to an early dinner now.

Watch for us tomorrow!
We will be wearing white sleeveless Running Spot shirts, with black shorts, and black visors. Of course, we will be dressing as twins! Our bibs have our names on it so please holla at us with a "GO TWINS!" or "Go Amber and Crystal!"

This blog has been a great way to reflect on our first marathon. A HUGE thanks to Gina, CinWeekly, The Running Spot Training Group, Eric, Lance, our parents and family, Adam, and all of our supporters. This has been an awesome experience, and we can't wait to do it again!

See you at the finish line!

Amber and Crystal

Finally Friday!

Today, I drove 5 hours from Paducah, KY to come home to run the marathon. I am working a startup/new project implementation at a manufacturing plant which means 13 hours shifts and lots of junk food! I am so happy to be back in Cincinnati for a few days, and I plan to go back to Paducah on Monday. Tonight I met up with Mom, Dad, and Amber downtown for dinner. I haven't seen Amber in two weeks, and I haven't seen my parents since February. It was nice to have the whole family together and we chose Universal Grille for dinner. They have a new menu and the food was fabulous as usual, dawlings!

Amber and I spotted the Flying Pig Scooter on Fourth Street downtown and since my mom is scrapbooking this whole adventure for us, she insisted that we take a picture. Attached is us being hams...(haha, that makes me laugh) and posing as usual for the camera. Can you guys tell us apart yet? I want to see some guesses!

Our plan tomorrow is to go to Lunken Airport around 9:00 AM for an easy 5 mile walk with the family. Dad is going to do a run/walk exercise, while mom, Amber and I will just walk. We are going to the Expo around 2 tomorrow where I imagine we will act like kids in a candy store! I love freebies. Tomorrow night we are going to have an early casual dinner probably at Indigo in Hyde Park and then call it an early night. We are getting up at 4:00 AM on Sunday, and we want to get plenty of rest. Wish us luck, and thanks to everyone for the encouraging words!

Crystal

Follow Amber and Crystal With Your Phone

Hello Amber and Crystal fans!

This is Gina from CiNWeekly. I just wanted you to know that you can follow the The Twins on race day with your cell phone.

Sign up for the Swine Line and you'll get a text message alerting you when The Twins hit miles 6.8, 12, 19.3, 25.2 and 26.2. (You should probably sign up for both Amber and Crystal in case they (tragically) get separated during the race. (But I don't really think that will happen.)

All you need to know is their bib number. Amber's number is 4319 and Crystal's number is 2902.

You can read more about the Swine Line here. Or just sign up here.

The Last of the Mojitos

Capital Cheesiness on the title......but that is what working nights will do to you!

Tonight my mom comes in town and we are going to Palominos over looking Fountain Square for dinner. Adam and I frequent this establishment so often the waiters have started calling us the "Palomino Junkies." I mean where else can you find a happy hour everyday from 4-7 including weekends? Their appetizers are half off, they have $5 pizzas, and great drink specials. During happy hour, draft beer, house wine and their famous mojitos are $3. I swear I don't know how they make mojitos, but they are the best I have EVER had. So tomorrow night, I am going to have my last alcoholic beverage before the marathon. I know the effects of alcohol on our bodies, so I will refrain for a few days to ensure I am fully hydrated for the marathon.

So, I am already thinking, what race will I do next? I think I found a fun one coming up.
It is the Over-the-Rhine 5k Run/Walk on Saturday June 2 at 9 a.m. The purpose of this event is to highlight all of the amazing progress made in OTR. Tickets are only $10 (includes a t-shirt) and Rookwood Pottery will design the awards for the race winners. All money raised will benefit the Over-the-Rhine chamber and their efforts to revitalize this historic neighborhood. Here is a link to the website to register: www.otrchamber.com

Also that weekend is the Over The Rhine Tour of Living on Sunday, June 3rd. This is another way if you are not into running or walking to check out the improvements and efforts being made in OTR.

No more workouts for me the rest of the week except walking. I plan to keep the legs loose and moving, and eat lots of carbs. I can't believe we are so close!!! 4 more days!

Amber

Reflecting......

Four months ago I decided to sign up to train for a marathon. I kept imaging terrible pain, injuries, and basically putting myself through hell to accomplish a goal. My marathon training has been NONE of that. In fact, I can't wait to do it again.

There are a couple of training runs that stand out in my mind that I want to share with yall.....

On February 9th, before the Weeks/Myers family annual ski trip, Crystal and I completed 10 miles at Winton Woods after work on that Friday. The high that day was in the mere 20s, and it would have been the farthest we would have run. I remember watching the sun going down, thinking we must be losing it. I could have been doing about a hundred other things but instead decided to stick to the training and put my miles in. Crystal and I had a few fights while we ran. I thought she was running too slow, and now how the tables have turned. I have to struggle to keep up with her! I think she will be a Boston runner in the near future. What a difference running has made in her life. She is healthy, happy, and found a lifetime activity.

One early morning we attempted a 4 mile loop downtown which consisted of running over the bridges into KY. We of course made a wrong turn, and ended up doing about 5 miles. I blame it on the blond hair and lack of caffeine. I love running through downtown Cincinnati when it is relatively quiet. It is almost like the city and I share a secret. I feel it says "Don't tell anyone, but I got a softer, quieter side....."

The treadmill at the hotel in Marietta and I have been through a lot. I did 6,7, and 8 mile runs on that thing on early mornings. I don't have the patience to wait until after work to run; I like to get it done in the morning. I feel sorry for everyone who listened to me at 5AM, but I had a training schedule I had to stick to!

The 17 miler was one of my favorites. We had a good group of 6 of us that spent the whole run together. I came away from that run with confidence that I can run long distances, and new friends.

The 21 miler with my sis also stands out in my mind. We ran the last mile of that in 8 minutes 50 seconds. It was tough but we were a team. Looking back I don't think I could have done that long of a run by myself. Thanks sis, for waiting a week so we could run it together.

I almost feel like I am graduating to something. Here I have focused so much energy and efforts on a goal that will soon be a reality. I know I walk away from this experience a different person. I have confidence that if there is a challenging task ahead of me in my personal or professional life I can tackle it because I have run a marathon and that makes me strong.

What's my key to running the marathon? I am running this because I WANT to. I want to see what I am capable of. I want to do it for my parents who have been inspired and motivated to pick up running/walking by hearing about our training. I want to do it for my husband, who got me into this crazy sport, and lastly I want to do this for my sister. I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else and getting so much from it. Together we are a team. I can already see us now holding hands and crossing that finish line together. Nobody can take down the "Twins in Cin."

Amber

I can barely walk....

8 days left until the marathon and I can barely walk. I was not in a horrific accident or had taken a nasty fall...instead I went to the gym to meet with a personal trainer. Sounds innocent, right?....Bad move! I just joined a new gym close to where I live, and was excited about the new facilities and all of the services they offer. Someone from the personal training department called me up on Thursday night to see if I would like to have a free session with one of their trainers, and also to get some instruction and familiarity with the gym. Since I took Thursday and Friday off last week from work to get ready for my big trip coming up, I decided that Friday morning would be a perfect time to meet with a trainer. I first had to sit down with him and talk to him about my fitness goals and capabilities, and whether I had ever had a personal trainer before. I told him that I really didn't think that I was a good candidate for a personal trainer since I am training for a marathon, work out 6 days a week, and pretty much know the ends and outs of most gym equipment. Also, my view of personal trainers was that they were more for people that lacked much willpower and needed the extra push to even get to the gym for their workout. Well, I think he thought that it was his goal to prove me wrong! We had an INTENSE workout with me doing lots of isometric exercises, squats with jumps in between them, wall lean pose, push-ups, chin-ups, various situps, and he even had me frog leap the entire length of the squash court 4 times! I walked out of the gym sore already and with a new appreciation of what my body can accomplish. I thought that I was in good shape because I can run 2o+ miles, but I have definitely been limiting my muscles on their fullest potential. I want to thank the personal trainer for giving me a wakeup call that there is always room for improvement in everyone's exercise routine.

I was supposed to run 6.5 miles with my training group this morning in a route that started at Paul Brown Stadium and covered the first and last couple of miles of the marathon. Noticed I said the word "supposed". Last night I helped my sister's husband Adam move out of their apt and into their new condo. (Conveniently, Amber was out of town for work...just kidding, she feels guilty enough about all of this). This probably doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but their apt was on the 4th floor of a building downtown that does not have an elevator! Adam's dad also came over to help (glad their were two men there so I didn't have to move much heavy stuff), but it only took two trips up and down those flights of stairs before my thighs started quivering. By the 15th trip, I was really hurting. We continued to pack and move furniture between their apt, to the condo, to my apt, etc well into the night. I finally went home around 1:30 A.M, and Adam and his Dad were still packing up and moving things! Even though I can barely walk, I am glad to feel as a part of the family and love getting roped into these adventures!

So, today I took it kind of easy because I could barely walk... but it got me thinking , what if I had done something like this the day before the marathon? Would I be able to run? I decided to go out for a jog to see how I would do. My jog was pitiful. I managed to squeak out 5.6 miles before the rain started to fall. I decided that it was time to go home at that point since I was wearing a white tank top! I ran so slow and each step was painful. I decided that I have a week to get back to normal (plenty of time), before I get to run the big race. One tidbit to all of those planning on running the marathon next week...dont change your exercise routine the week before the race! We are almost there.....

Crystal

It's 3AM and I want to go to bed.......

Anybody recognize those lyrics? I am not even from this state, and I love this band! Name that band!

I will be in Marietta, OH at a startup until May 2nd. Not only am I going to be away from home right before the marathon, but I am working nights. I come in around 6PM and work until around 6AM the next morning. This is my first time working nights for more than a couple of days, so I hope this won't affect my biological clock and sleeping pattern too much!

The weird part for me so far is getting up around 2ish in the afternoon, working out in the hotel gym, walking/ellipticizing/biking, and then getting my Americano from the hotel Starbucks before I head into work. I find it hard to eat breakfast food around 6PM, and then when am I supposed to eat a "lunch"? At 6AM all I want to do is go back to my hotel room with the blinds pulled and the "Do Not Disturb" on my door and sleep for a few hours. So where was dinner?

I am a fanatic about a daily routine. Not only do I work out at the same time everyday, but I eat the same food everyday at the same time except for dinner which I change up. I bring my lunch to work and have a good system in place. I always have my cup of cocoa before bedtime which helps me drift off to sleep. This traveling, sleeping in a hotel, and working nights I am afraid might take its toll on my marathon preparations.

I decided not to run anymore before the marathon. I know I really have fallen off the training wagon by just doing the long runs, but for me, it is better to know I can cover the distance than running all of the runs because they are scheduled. At this point I want to save my ankle to ensure I can do 26.2 miles. The 21 miler over the weekend was tough, but I remember thinking at the end, if it was the day of the marathon, I can run 5 more miles no problem. We had such beautiful weather last Saturday when we ran that I hope the same thing will be said on May 6th.

Eric informed us of the Pace Groups at the marathon, and he, Crystal, and myself are going to sign up for the 4:15 pace. This puts us at averaging 9 minutes 45 seconds per mile, which is definitely doable. At this point, the motivation I believe will be knowing my parents will be waiting for me at the finish line, so that will make me run my best.

Crystal will be traveling next week, so the next time we will get to see each other is the Saturday before the marathon. We used to live hundreds of miles apart and see each other about once/month, but now if we go more than a couple of days without seeing each other we go into twin withdrawal. I used to think it would be easier if I didn't like her so much and we DIDN'T get along, but I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful sister and friend here in Cincinnati.

Alright everyone quit gagging, and help me count down the days until May 6th! 10 days and counting!!!