Chicago Marathon - RunMarathon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Bank of America
80F / 27C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 31m 32s
Overall Rank = 2256/31343
Age Group = M35-39
Age Group Rank = 380/3153
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5 AM, had some oatmeal and coffee, took the prerace dookie and walked to the start. Hydrated the whole way, I had a feeling it was going to be hotter than called for.
Event warmup:

Sat on my booty and chatted with the guys in the corral, it was funny seeing some peeing on the fence and tossing shirts, blankets, and other clothes before the start over the fence. Goodwill must make a fortune off the event.
Run
  • 3h 31m 32s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 08m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

FIRST MARATHON. My training was going well, I was going to conquer the world, beat the Kenyans into submission, and then tell Mike Phelps he ain't all that. I knew I was screwed when I noticed I was hanging with the 3:10 marathoners up to mile 17, then I suddenly realized this was a really bad idea. This flies in the face of all the great advice from many experienced and smarter than me marathoners. Additionally, my "tiny" blister on the right foot started to hurt... more on that later. Then around mile 19 the calf cramps came on, run a mile - stretch - walk - repeat all the way to mile 24. I did manage to trot in from there. Once over the bridge/hill near the finish it was all adrenaline/personal angst/guts that got me to the finish. Post race I decided to see the podiatry tent, once inside they took off my shoes and gasped. Not good when seasoned professionals gasp. I did manage to break one record in Chicago - the absolute largest blister they have ever seen - it was about 4" from arch to big toe and about 1" across. It was basically an IV bag on the foot. They said to me "well, there's always next year to finish". I asked them what they were talking about, I just came across the finish line. After the stunned looks ended, they said "well, ok then". After getting my foot wrapped like King Tut and taking the laces out of my shoes, I walked/hobbled a bit back to the meeting place. The stunning part of this race is the mass of people who cheer you on, it was awe-inspiring to say the least. I can not guess how many lined the streets for 26 miles, crazy. The sound of the crowd was deafening, the people of Chicago embraced 45,000 insane people for an entire day.
What would you do differently?:

Many, many things. Came out too fast - like stupid fast, did not take care of the blister well, drink more although I thought I did.
Post race
Warm down:

Bananas, a beer (best part of the day), lots of water, walking, getting the blister popped, etc. From this point it was all downhill back to my wife's cousins house near mile 13/16.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

My own profound ignorance of running and listening to people who know what they are talking about. To say I learned a lesson is to put it mildly.

Event comments:

I have to say, this was the absolute best run event I have done in the 3 years of doing endurance events. My own silliness aside, this is the best race for a first timer to get started. My profound thanks go to all the volunteers, they rock - period.




Last updated: 2008-02-04 12:00 AM
Running
03:31:32 | 26.2 miles | 08m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 380/3153
Overall: 2256/31343
Performance:
Course: All over Chicago, too long to describe but it was a very scenic yet striking course. Started downtown and passed through the many streets in the deep canyons of buildings. Then it headed north and up around the north side area, then back on broadway awhile back to downtown then west out over I-94 and looping back. This is where my recollection gets hazy. But I do remember Chinatown and the Hispanic area, then the White-Sox stadium... err some road... there was the highway... an Elvis impersonator at some point... then up a hill and finally the finish.
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Bad
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5