Done and done.

I pulled out the ol' bucket list yesterday and checked off one of those little suckers. I ran a marathon.

I ran for 26.2 miles and let me tell you, it was hard. It was so much harder than I could have ever even expected which is probably a good thing because if I knew what it was really going to have been like, I probably would have skipped out on it. It got to a point at approximately mile 17/18 and I realized I still had another 8/9 miles to go which is another hour and a half of running that I started to crumble. Luckily, I came upon my cheerleaders around mile 19 and they really pushed me and gave me those last bits of energy that I could pull out from the depths of me that I didn't even know I had. I came around a bend of the Connecticut River and there was Rory, Keith, and Phil in NEON yellow shirt (special thanks to Whip's Sporting Goods) and they were ready to cheer. Rory ran with me for a couple hundred yards and just told me how proud he was of me. When I came around another corner, there was Jen, ready to go with my bag full of emergency stuff - chapstick, tissues, and advil. She ran with me to the rest of the group and they went wild. It was the most amazing moment of my life. I know that I have the world's greatest friends and family, but to have them screaming for me and jumping up and down and just going nuts - brings tears to my eyes right now thinking about it.

The last 6 miles are throughout the city of Hartford, so I was lucky to be able to keep running in to them because that is when I needed them the most. My brother ran with me for a good 4-5 miles and just kept pushing me. He knew I could do it when I didn't have the energy. He paced me when my calves started to cramp up. He let me go on the emotional rollercoaster that was pouring out of me but stoppped me when I started hyperventilating because he knew it would mess with my breathing.

With about a half mile to go, everyone was there to really really push me. They were there to show me that the finish line was right around the corner. I could do this. I could finish a marathon.

After I passed them, I came across this guy who said to me (yes I was running slow enough at this point to hear all this guy had to say) - "I don't know who you are, but these people have been waiting for you all morning. They are so proud of you and so excited for you. This says a lot about you to have this kind of support. You must be a pretty special person."

I am special. I am lucky enough to have the most wonderful family and friends that a girl could possibly ask for. And I have to tell everyone from around the WORLD that sent words of support, I thought of all of you while I was running and felt you push me, even if you couldn't have been there that day. I don't know what I did to deserve all this love, but please know that I am forever grateful to have each and every one of you in my life.

And now next on the bucket list - who wants to rent an RV and go across the country with me??

I Win!

I officially win the award for having the most wonderful and generous friends and family a girl could possibly ask for!

I reached my fundraising goal this week and not only reached it, but I blew it out of the water. I received and EXTREMELY generous donation from someone who wishes to remain anonymous. But I really could not have done it if it wasn't for the extremely giving people who support me and have joined in the support of the cause for Juvenile Diabetes. I had donations come in from around the world and even from people I haven't talked to in years or even met! I cannot begin to thank everyone enough for their generosity but just please know how overwhelmingly grateful I am.

And I bought my marathon shirt (bright orange so my people can easily spot me!) and plan on writing everyone's name who donated! All of Connecticut will know what wonderful people you all are! I will be sure to post a photo so you all can see how you ran with me in spirit for 26.2 miles.

There is only one way to end this blog post and that is.....

THANK YOU!

I would like to thank the Academy...

In my second life, I plan on being an Oscar/Tony/Emmy winning actress. My secret dream is to be on stage in a beautiful dress thanking all the people who helped me along the way to the top. (Guess it's not so secret now.) But since I am in this life, sitting at my desk in an outfit that I don't particularly care for and writing a blog, this will have to do.

I really would not be able to be here right now if I didn't surrond myself with truly wonderful people. My friends are the most supportive people that I could ever imagine. And for some reason, they always are there right when I need them even when they don't know I need them. For example, I got home last week from a tough run and walked in to my house to my phone ringing and it was Danielle. I told her how hard the run was and she just continued to tell me how proud she is of me and how she knows I can do this. I get emails and text messages like that all the time from her and all my other friends. Rory has been one of my top cheerleaders along the way. He is always challenging me to run faster (which I will admit, I don't always love) but never stops telling me how proud he is of the accomplishment that is training/running a marathon. He rubs my feet and listens to me bitch about blisters and just always makes me feel better.

But I have to give a special shout-out to the one and only Jennifer Lynn Whipple. The girl really is my best friend in the whole world and she absolutely solidified it this past weekend. She knew how much I was dreading/scared of the 18 mile run I had on my schedule. It was the run that was looming on my calender since day 1 of training. 18 miles is ALOT. And I was really scared that I wasn't going to be able to do it. So, she volunteered to help me out. Jen woke up with me at 6AM on SATURDAY morning and rode her bike along side of me for the whole 18 miles. She chatted with me when I needed it, let me huff and puff when I needed it, and sang me the Rocky theme song when things were looking really bad. Oh and she did this all on a bike that was way too small for her causing her to have quite the sore neck and shoulders and never once complained. So all in all, she's the bestest friend ever and I am beyond lucky to have her.

Mental Case

One thing that has really shocked me through out this process is how mental training for a marathon is equally as tough and important as physical training. The mind plays such a strong role in what you can do and what you believe you can do. So in addition to my body being tired, my mind is tired from being in overdrive as well!

This weekend, I have my longest run that I have ever run planned. Two weekends ago, I ran 13 miles. The same distance as the half marathon I ran approximately 4 1/2 months ago. So to me, it was not a big deal, something I know I could conquer. (I didn't take in to consideration last time I ran 13 miles, it was a cool spring morning. The humidity lead to some nice little vomit sessions along the way.) But I knew I could do it. On Saturday morning, I will be waking up bright and early for a 15 mile run. I don't even know how far that is. I don't know what my route is going to be, where to go, how to avoid hills at all costs. But it's also amazed me how every time I look at the 15 miles in my planner, my mind says "Megan (yes my mind speaks in a 3rd person), you can do this. 7 1/2 miles out, 7 1/2 miles back home." I have yet to believe that I can't do it. And that's a good thing when running that distance!

So childrens, while you are all in your cozy beds on Saturday morning, with mild hangovers from the night before, wondering if you should have pancakes or french toast, think of me out (and according to the news, in the rain), and send positive thoughts my way. Because the mind is a powerful thing and if I firmly believe that the positive thoughts we think can be shared and channeled toward a greater thing.

Please please please, don't forget to donate to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation:

www.active.com/donate/09JuvenileDiabetes/meganmeehan

THANK YOU!!

Running a Marathon = Pregnant?

Ok, before Rory and my mother start freaking out - I AM NOT PREGNANT!

But training for this marathon is the closest thing to being pregnant that I certainly ever have been. Before pregnant ladies get upset, I understand that what I am doing does not hold a candle to bringing a human life in to this world through an extremely painful process. But I have been able to draw some strong similarities.

1. I have never been so hungry in my life. All this running is just increasing my hunger like crazy. Tuesday night I ran 7 miles and last night I ran 5 miles and both nights I have come home and eaten a huge dinner. Usually I am not a big dinner eater, but recently I cannot eat enough after coming home from the gym. Pregnancy symptom #1.
2. At any point during this training, I am either uncomfortable or in some sort of pain. My back hurts, my neck hurts, my knees hurt. After my Saturday long runs, Saturday night sleeping is super uncomfortable. Just really pretty miserable.
3. I can't drink. Running 13 miles alone is rough, doing it with a stomach full of beer from the night before is just plain suicidal. Summertime is all about BBQs and concerts and hanging out with friends. And I have had to cut back because I am so tired and most of the time I can't drink. Friday nights have officially become a bust because I have to be up at 6AM on Saturdays. Rory doesn't knwow what to do because he feels bad leaving me but he's not the one who is running so he should be able to go out on a Friday night and drink some Bud Lights and have the summer nights you're supposed to at 25.
4. Running 26.2 miles is going to be HARD! At times during the race, I will want to give up. Everything will hurt and I will really have to push myself to the end. I will probably cry throughout the process. I will have people there cheering me on but nobody will really know what it feels like. And then at the end, when I cross that finish line, I will (hopefully) have the greatest feeling of accomplishment that I have ever experienced in my life. Women who have babies tell me that as soon as you give birth, that you forget about all the pain because of the feelings that overcome you at that point. Hopefully I will forget about the pain and focus on the accomplishment that I just achieved....


P.S. And to make that accomplishment even greater, don't forget to donate to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation www.active.com/donate/09JuvenileDiabetes/meganmeehan

Gym vs. Outside

I really cannot figure out if I enjoy running outside more or at the gym more. There are pros and cons to both and make for really interesting training sessions. Let me break it down for you:

THE GYM

Pros: Televisions on the treadmill. Nothing justifies trashy television more than watching while working out. It's not my fault I watched 3 straight episodes of 16 and Pregnant - I had a long training run!

Cons: Sometimes I wonder if it really is running when the ground is moving along with you. I feel like 26.2 miles would be a lot easier if you had the pavement working with you.

Pros: The people. There are certainly some characters at the gym that can also entertain you while working out. I personally find myself really entertained by the guys who make a lot of noise while lifting weights. Especially when they're not lifting heavy weights. Someone should inform them that making all that noise does not make you stronger.

Cons: The people. Then there are some people who I wish they turned away at the door. Tonight I was on the eliptical next to Jack Osbourne. Not modern Jack Osbourne, the one who has quit drugs and is now some sort of elite athlete. The one who drank Jack Daniels and hung Kimberly Stewart's breast implants on his wall. (I was a BIG Osbourne Show fan in college.) And this kid smelled. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but it was kind of like dirty laundry that comes back in your suitcase after vacation. The worst people though are the ones who smell like they bathe in cigarettes. I just want to be like "Why don't you lay off the smokes and then come back to work out? It'll be much more effective."

Outside

Pros: The fresh air. First thing in the morning runs are my favorite. I love the feeling that no one else has tainted anything yet and I get the best part of the day all to myself.

Cons: The humid air. Summer in New England can make it tough to experience the fresh air stated above. The humidity recently has been killing me and I feel like I need an inhaler and I don't even have asthma.

Pros: The quality of training. I feel like I accomplish so much more when I run outside. The unexpectedness of the terrain, the hills, the dirt. I really feel like I am becoming a better runner when I run outside.

Cons: It's hard. I am not going to lie. There have been a LOT of runs I have done outside that I really have to fight to finish. Unlike the treadmill, I feel like sometimes the road is working against me. Like it has some sort of vengence against me because I drive on it and put stress on it, it's doing all it can to pay me back. Listen, road, you were put down to be driven on. Start being nicer to me. Maybe you could even start moving like the treadmill!

Until next time.....

A really really really good cause.

In addition to inviting everyone to follow my training on this blog, I am also going to remind everyone what a good cause I am running for.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is a foundation whose primary goals are to raise money for research for the cure of diabetes and to support those who are living with the disease. If you go on their website http://www.jdrf.org/ you can see all that they offer. Their website is a great place to learn about what exactly your donations will be going to and a little bit more about diabetes itself.

One of my bestest friends in the whole wide world, Danielle, has lived with diabetes since she was 12 years old. In the four years that we were living together at college, she taught me a lot about living with diabetes both physically and mentally. I learned to never leave house without a Chewy bar in my purse, because her blood sugar could drop at any point. I learned that no matter how many times you check your blood a day, pricking your own finger never gets easier. I learned that I am lucky that I can just throw back beers and eat nachos without trying to do calculations in my head of what I am eating and how to compensate for it. And I learned people who live with diabetes and are able to manage it and live relatively healthy lifestyles are probably some of the strongest people on the face of the earth.

So when I run on October 10th, I am running for my friend Danielle Polo (ah! Her newly married name!) And I am running for all the people out there who live with diabetes who deserve to have a cure and who are examples of inner strength every single day.

Please please please donate at www.active.com/donate/09JuvenileDiabetes/meganmeehan

P.S. As if you needed extra incentive, everyone who donates to my campaign, your name will go on my shirt that I will run the marathon in. I want everyone in New England to see what generous, giving people I have in my life!!