Chicago Marathon 2015

10.11.15

My wellness journey began in early 2012, with the purchase of a Trek 7.2 FX hybrid.  After 8 years of inactivity, it was time to get moving again.  I had success over my 1st 6 months of cycling, and saw results quickly.  As a result, on 10.12.12,  I upgraded to my CAAD 10 road bike.

Prior to all of the cycling, I had been unable to run...at all.  As my legs got stronger, I began to run short distances, and, in September of 2012, I ran my 1st 5k in years.  I ran a few 5k's over the next several months, and, by October 2013, was ready to extend my distance.  On 10.13.13,  I ran my 1st 5 miler ever.

My distances increased during the fall and winter, with my 1st 10k taking place in November of 2013, my 1st 15k and 10 miler in February of 2014, and,  my 1st 13.1 in late February of 2014.  I ran a total of 5 half marathons in 2014...It seemed that I was "figuring out" the running thing.

I'd hoped to run my 1st 26.2 at the Dallas Marathon in 2014, but, never committed to the training regiment.  I entered 2015 a little heavy and looking for motivation.  On a whim, I entered my name for the NY Marathon.  Only 18% of applicants are selected...I was not one of them. Then this happened:

http://riderunrepeat.blogspot.com/2015/04/so-this-happened.html

I wavered on whether or not I would actually run in Chicago, as financial constraints, etc, could be a challenge.  Additionally, I knew that I would struggle to train appropriately, as I was racing most weekends and would struggle to find time for my long runs.  I had the option to defer my race entry for one year.

With some encouragement from friends and family,  I finally committed.  I bought a plane ticket in early September.  That would give me one month to attempt to focus on my training.  I knew that my fitness level was decent, as I'd dropped significant weight, had completed 10 half marathons in 2015, was running regularly, etc.  However, I'd completed no runs longer than 13.1.  That had to change.  On 9.12.15 I had my 1st 30k day, outlined here:

http://riderunrepeat.blogspot.com/2015/09/30k-day.html

and here:

http://riderunrepeat.blogspot.com/2015/09/funky-town-20k-2015.html

The following Friday, I took a PTO day and headed out on a slow, hot, ugly 19 miler.  I walked quite a bit that day, but, knew that cooler temps, in a race setting would keep me from walking in Chicago.

I kept my training up for the next few weeks, and on Saturday, boarded a plane for Chicago.

My old friend Jean lives in Chicago...only a few miles from the start line for the Marathon.  She was kind enough to offer me a place to stay and race support before, during, and after the race.  This would lead to a stress-free race weekend.

I landed a little before noon.  Jean picked me up at the airport and we headed to her place to unload my gear.  From there a quick meal and, then, we took a cab to the Expo for packet pick up and a little shopping.

After a bit of time at the expo, we headed to an early dinner.  The carb loading continued with a big plate of pasta.  Then, back to Jean's to get gear ready for the next morning, and time for bed.

I set my alarm for 5, with hopes of leaving by 6:30 or so.  My starting corral closed at 7:45, with a 8 am start time for my wave.  A quick trip by train and on foot to the start line, and I was ready to go.

This race attracts 45,000 runners (2nd largest in the world - NY is #1), is known to be a flat course, and, generally offers great weather for a marathon.  It runs through 29 Chicago neighborhoods (outlined here: https://www.chicagomarathon.com/charity-community/the-chicago-experience/), and has tremendous crowd support throughout the race.  

Race Map here:  

https://assets-chicagomarathon-com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/15-Chicago-Marathon-Course-Map.pdf

course preview video here:

https://www.chicagomarathon.com/video-gallery/course-preview/


I had a race plan going into this one:

• Complete the course in less than 5 hours (11:27 per mile)
• In order to do so, run 11 minute miles for the 1st half and then slow down  / speed up depending on how I felt.
• Be mindful of food and liquid intake...a gel and endurolytes every 45 minutes, with something more substantial late in the race (clif bar or banana) and take liquids every aid station.
• walk aid stations and any hills.
• run the rest of the time

I stood in a long line for a last minute pee break and then headed for my corral.  

I crossed the start line at 8:18 and got off to a comfortable start.  The huge crowds helped me stay at a slow, controlled pace.  GPS was a little goofy for the 1st few miles, but, I used mile markers to help gauge my pace.  

Early on, I knew that I would need to pee again.  Just after the 5k mark, I made a stop to do so.  Unfortunately, that was a 7 minute stop due to the long lines for the toilets.   I had some work to do to get back on pace.  I was able to get my pace per mile down to 11:06 by the 13.1 mark.  

I went headphone free on this one, but, brought them along in case I needed them due to sparse crowd / boredom / needed motivation.  They remained in my pocket the entire day.  

While I'd hoped to really "take in" the great neighborhoods we were running through,  I realized that I was not paying much attention, as I was focusing on my route, pace, crowd, etc.    As a result, the 1st neighborhood  I really "noticed" was Chinatown at the 22 mile mark.  My focus on my pace, the running surface, etc, kept me from enjoying the 29 diverse neighborhoods.  However, I did recognize and appreciate the crowd support.  The energy and support from the crowd kept my spirits high during the long run.  

I ran my planned race and felt great until the 18.5 mile mark.  My feet were beginning to hurt and I was feeling fatigue.  I knew my pace was slowing, but, I continued to push.  From 30k on, I was slower...but, still had my sub 5 hour goal in mind.

I made the turn to finish and attempted to speed up slightly.  I crossed the line in 4:58:04 (11:22 / mile).  Mission Accomplished.  

I crossed the line and thought: "box-checked", thinking that I would not be in a hurry to do this again.  As expected, by lunch I was considering my next marathon.  Maybe Dallas in December?? 

I was tired, and wanted to find a spot to rest.  We connected with a few of Jean's friends for lunch and beers, but, strangely, I was not ready to eat yet.  So...just a few beers.  Back to Jean's to clean up and off to dinner. On the way, we stopped at Niketown.  They were offering free medal engraving for finishers.  Cool Touch.

For diner:    Gino's East.  That's when the feeding frenzy began.

This was a GREAT experience.  From the race, to Jean's hospitality, to the crowd support, to the city, I couldn't have asked for a better 1st time marathon experience.