Chicago Marathon - RunMarathon

It was very hot the day of this race. I would guess somewhere in the high-70's at the start and pushing 90 by the finish. Because I live in TN, most of my training had been in these kinds of temps, so it wasn't a big shock to my body. I had hoped for cooler, faster weather...but hey, you get what you get.

Since the weather was forecasted ahead of time to be hot and nasty, I started pre-loading on Gatorade and Endurolytes a few days in advance. I also took a pre-emptive immodium and some advil before the race. All that seemed to work for me, I had no cramping issues, no emergency porta-potty stops, and very little joint pain during the race.

I signed up for the 4:15 pace group, but lost them pretty quickly. The 4:30 pace group caught me at about the 1/2 way mark and I thought I'd try to stick with them. However I lost them at the next water stop. By the end of the race I was walking along with people from all different pace groups, even as low as 3:30. I felt better knowing that I surely wasn't the only person falling way, way behind their target pace!

Memorable moments along the way:
- Running through a tunnel right at the start where everyone was screaming and yelling with excitement to finally be started
- The hoardes of supportive spectators
- Catching a few glimpses of my husband here and there
- Running in the shadows of all the tall buildings
- Hearing runners around me speaking in many different languages and seeing people holding up signs in just as many languages
- That ridiculous barking "purse dog" that someone else mentioned
- The rifle spinning ex-DCI guys in Boystown
- Laughing at the sign at the 1/2 way point that read "So you're half way and the Kenyans have already won the race...might as well go home!"
- The girls dancing in traditional Mexican garb in Pilsen
- The old lady banging on a pan lid with a fork in Chinatown
- Feeling fantastic at mile 18-20 when everyone had told me that is when you hit the wall
- Dumping ice down my running bra...aaahhh...
- Helicopters flying low overhead like we were criminals on the run
- That nice guy from Texas who walked with me for awhile, he was running his 27th marathon and was just brimming full of encouragement
- Walking with my husband and two friends for the last mile
- Running again for the last 100m
- That awesome sense of accomplishment for "earning" my 26.2 sticker!

There are so many people out there griping about this race. Yes, there were alot of issues, but personally I feel so fortunate that I was able to finish the whole course. The first 18 miles were fantastic, the next 6 were surreal with people falling to the ground and puking all around me. The final 2.5 miles of walking was both a huge disappointment and probably a blessing in disguise for me. The residents of Chicago tried their best to rally, offering hoses with water, ice cubes, candies, moral support, etc. The race volunteers were hustling around and working their rear ends off trying to get water and supplies to the hoards of desperate runners. The Chicago PD came out in force to do the difficult job of communicating to 40,000 runners that they could NOT finish the race they had trained so hard for. For better or for worse, I feel I have been a part of a historic event. I will never, ever forget my first marathon!

I had elected to wear my fuel belt with bottles filled with Hammer Perpetuem. I had 4 bottles and planned to consume 1 per 7 miles or so. This stuff is supposed to be supplemented with water, and I had planned to just get water at the tables along the race. However, I found that I was extremely thirsty after every swig of Perpetuem. Once my first bottle was (finally) empty, I refilled it with water at the next table. After that point I was able to take a sip of water whenever I wanted and felt much, much better. In the future, I plan to carry 3 bottles of Perpetuem and 1 of water right from the start.

Walking the last 2.5 miles of the race was a great cool down. In fact, I actually started having chills (gee...a bit dehydrated, perhaps?). I did manage to run the last 100m and across the finish line, just on the principle of the thing. Oh my, it REALLY hurt to start running again at that point!


Temperatures, lack of water, other runners/walkers getting in my way, Chicago PD threatening to prosecute if I wouldn't stop running (that is so wild!).




This was my very first full marathon, and aside from the obvious difficulties this year, I found it to be a terrific race! I had a great time in Chicago and truely enjoyed the majority of the race. I would recommend the Chicago Marathon to other beginners...you can do it!