Chicago Marathon - RunMarathon

The race started a little on the rough side but ended up being the best race I've ever done. This was my third Chicago Marathon. The first year was 89 degrees (4:14). Second year was 79 degrees (3:49). I was hoping for a little cooler this year but I think it was 30 degrees when we started so I was bundled up. I had to borrow Christine's shirt because I didn't have anything warm enough. I wore my gloves and her daughter's little ear warmers.

To recap, first, there was all the trouble getting from Denver to Chicago on Saturday. Then it was a mess to actually get into the corrals. I had my Garmin ready to go but right before I crossed the first mat to begin the lap screen went back to the main menu. I spent the first half mile messing around with my Garmin and finally got it to start. At the one mile mark my Garmin said .5 miles so I knew I needed to add a half mile to my distance and 4-5 minutes to the total time.

My first 5K was really slow 26:33 but by mile 4 I found a pace around 8:25 and was able to fold that pace almost the whole race. Since I couldn't quite depend on the Garmin for the accurate time/pace, I ran with the 3:45 pace group for awhile. People kept yelling comments about Boston and it made me feel excited to be with that group of people. I quickly felt like I wanted to be in my own little world and not run the race next to a group of people who all probably knew each other so I picked up the pace a little and still felt comfortable and soon was well in front of that group. I picked out people that seemed to be my speed and build and tried to follow them, or at least keep them in sight. I also tried to stay around runners with 3:40 or 3:45 on the back of their shirts.

I started to warm up enough I could feel my fingers after 7-8 miles. I was excited to get to Lincoln Park, then Boys town, the most fun part of the race. I tried to distract myself and read signs and look at buildings. I tried to take everything in--the sights, the sounds, the scent. The thud of feet was very loud, the crowd cheering was so motivating, the architecture was fascinating. I thought about how regardless of what happened this, was going to be my last Chicago Marathon. Three years in a row was enough and there are plenty of places I want to explore.

As the marathon continued, I knew I was running a little faster than usual and it felt kind of uncomfortable but not horrible. I kept telling myself to keep the pace, just hold to this and no need to speed up but don't run any slower. A few times I would daydream and realize I was slowing down so would start to think about the run again. Normally when I run I distract myself. For this race I stayed so focused on the task at hand.

I drank water and Gatoraid at most stops. I had a Gu around mile 11 and after a bit was really hungry again. I knew I was running faster than normal and probably burning extra calories because of the cold. I went ahead and ate another Gu around mile 15 and was worried I may not last until mile 20. Then someone had orange slices so I grabbed one and sucked on it. Then at mile 17 they gave out Gu, thank God. I grabbed two and ate one, ended up having another about mile 22 or 23. I have never ate so much during a race--usually I only have one or two Gu's but I needed them.

My body started to get tired, left hip ached, both knees and also felt some strain in left shin. But all the pain was pretty dull because it was so cold and I mostly felt numb from the waist down. I ended up taking Ibupropen throughout the run, partly just to feel like I was doing something to relieve the pain. The aches and pains were actually not as bad as they had been the week before when my knees had hurt bad on 4-5 mile runs.

There were a few tiny hills on this course and I felt like I was passing people on them and thinking how glad I was for having done some hilly training runs.

At one point in the race I started to slow down and thought that today just wasn't going to be a good day and I'd try again to BQ next year. Then I quickly reminded myself how hard I had trained and did I really want to spend another four months trying to BQ again? I also thought about how not getting to the top of Aconcagua still haunts me to this day and I really don't want to fail at my goal and have to spend the next six months thinking about it. I knew I could get close to the time I needed so why not just go for it? I was mentally positive 95% of the race. I kept saying things to myself such as "be strong," "you can do this--you deserve it," and I also kept repeating lines from songs in my head. My favorites were AC/DC "she was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean..." and also the song that has the line "I think I'm going to Boston..."

The cheering of the crowd was so motivating. I pretended that the yelling/screaming was giving me energy--like I was transferring all the positive vibes from all of the people watching into my body.

Throughout the race I thought about two friends a lot. One was my friend Christine, who was there watching the race. She had overcome breast cancer and eight surgeries. I thought about all the pain she had went through and how my hours of running were no big deal compared to her journey. I also thought about Julia, my friend/coach who had been hit by a car riding her bike 8 weeks ago. When my legs hurt I pretended it was Julia sending me a message of how bad she wished she could be there running with me and how lucky I was to be able to do this. I really drew a lot of strengths to keep the pace thinking about those two.

At mile 21 I did a quick calculation in my head and realized if I slowed down to 9 minute miles I could still BQ. I slowed down then decided I actually felt better trying to keep the same pace (8:30ish). It was hard to go quite as fast and I did run the last five miles closer to 8:30-8:34 pace which made my overall time come out to an average of 8:28 pace but that was still great for me.

A few miles out I started to imagine how I was going to tell my husband I had BQ'd. I thought about all the funny things I could say on the phone..."Hey honey, guess where are next vacation is going to be?" or should I sing that Boston song to him? It gave me a chill thinking about what it would be like to tell him. Then I started thinking negative thoughts, like "what if I sprang my ankle a few miles out?" I told myself today was not a day for negativity and just pushed that out of my mind.

The crowd was thick the last few miles. I decided to put my ipod in for some extra energy and it was totally dead. I still can't believe I ran 26.2 miles with no music--I always have music. I didn't let myself get upset though, I just decided to listen to the crowd and play some more songs in my head.

Then before I knew it I was coming up to the bridge at 26 miles and really ran strong over the bridge. I saw a girl collaspe into her boyfriend's arms and felt so sad for her b/c I think she probably missed her 3:40 time by seconds before collasping. I ran down the hill, turned the corner and that's when I saw the big clock. I saw that I could make it to the finish in under 3:45 clock time and then I would be 110% sure that I was going to BQ so I ran hard and saw the clock said 3:44:49 so I knew I had come in well under my needed time. I crossed the line and sobbed without any tears, just my body shaking from the joy and relief. The best part was turning to people I had seen throughout the whole race and finding out all the women around me had qualified--some just by seconds. It was a joyful, peaceful, prideful moment for sure...one I won't forget.

I will always arrive 2 days before the race starts. I'll never cut it so close again!

I grabbed a beer and just walked and walked until I got my race bag. Once I got my phone I turned it on and had a text message from Jenni, Kent's sister, congratulating me. I tried to call Kent but couldn't reach him. He finally sent me a text and had been watching my time. I got a call from Christine that she, Amber and Sierra were coming to find me. I was talking to Kent on the phone when I finally met them. Kent sounded so happy for me and said heck yes, he would come to Boston. Sierra had a red rose for me and said she wanted to come, too. They all hugged me and we got some photos. Chris said she and Paul are going to come and I later found out Jennifer and Brian are going to come to Boston in April too so we are going to have a heck of a good time!

After the race, we went to Giordianno's for pizza and beer, then to the hotel to shower. The three girls walked my butt off all over Michigan Ave. shopping for four more hours. Shopping/walking was the best thing as I wasn't sore the next day!


Nothing. I still can't believe I did it!


Once again, Chicago puts on an amazing race and the volunteers are the best.