I haven't been writing much for my personal blog since becoming a contributor to Salty Running, but I should do a Chicago Marathon race report here.
The primary goal was to finish the Chicago Marathon. To redeem 2014, and to finish a World Major Marathon. Spoiler alert, that happened.
The secondary goal, the one that has been around for a while, was to break 5:30. Alas, that did not happen. I still struggle with the idea that a 2:22 half marathoner can't manage to find sub-5:30, but it will come. I am not sub-5:30 YET.
This year has been weird. The temperatures through the "summer months" were mild and we thought we had dodged a hot year. Labor Day weekend was so chilly that they almost didn't keep the outdoor pool open. And then "fall" arrived and so did the heat. I made my way through two toasty 20-milers and a flaming hot half marathon. On the first 20-miler I managed to get second-degree burns under my arms. Which meant the next weekend I "got" to run a hot 20-miler in Chicago wearing arm sleeves and bandages to protect my arms. Then Mill Race half marathon was crazy hot. Red flag when I hit 10. I had run 10 miles at marathon goal pace, but there was no picking it up. In fact, there was a lot of walking. And a trip to medical at the end because I was overheated.
I got to the Chicago marathon having cleared my head, fairly relaxed, having eaten for racing all week, with plans A-E ready to go. I went to the expo, but didn't camp out forever. I did buy some new racing sunglasses since I had managed to lose mine. Then I headed out for dinner with family. Got to the hotel, went to the store to buy breakfast, and went to bed. I actually slept reasonably well.
Ate, took care of business, got dressed, and headed out around 6:00 AM. Got to my gear check by 6:30 AM and went to the porta-potty before checking my bag. Kept two cans of Trislide with me. Sat and was quiet for a while, then got in a (long this time) potty line. Managed to get through that JUST in time to lube up my arms and get in my corral before they closed it. Then it was nearly 45 minutes of standing around waiting before I crossed the start line. This time I didn't have any of the anxiety that I had earlier. I was just annoyed that I could have been running the past two hours while it was cool...since the sun was up, it was clear, and it was going to get warm fast.
Anyone who has run in a major city, or a major city race, knows that GPS is not a good tool. I planned for this and was using manual splits at the mile markers. Sure enough, we came out from one of the overpasses and some guy was like "we're running 8:05 pace" - I wanted to scream NO YOUR NOT! But I just wondered, to myself, 1) what in his training made him think he could run 8:05 [we were running about 12:15], 2) what made him think that 8:05 felt like what we were running, and 3) if he was indeed running 8:05 if that was a good idea given that he had a slower than 5:25 projected finish time. But I was sticking to my own plan.
10K, basically on target...then I had a brief potty stop around mile 10. And it was getting hot. Like the sun was burning through the black part of my singlet hot. I was still mostly running ok, but by 20K I was 4 minutes off goal. I could have gone to and of plans B-D, but I decided that at halfway I would go to plan E...just finish and decide later if I could try for time at Monumental. And so I enjoyed a lovely warm stroll down the streets of Chicago. At it was warm. I still did all of the customary nutrition and hydration things and dumped water on my head. And tried to find any blessed shade. I helped out a few people faring far worse than myself. At mile 24 it was not so fun anymore. And I did the math and I would need to "run" the last mile to break 6:30. That became the plan.
I got to one mile to go and knew it was time to try to run...and I did, but my ARMS/SHOULDERS hurt. When I am walking in a race I am a basic dumbass and walk with my hands on my hips. So when I put them back in run position it was painful. Hurt more than my legs. Kept going. Glad there was two more water stops past the "last" one. Got to mile 26 and I started wondering about this hill that everyone talks about. Then we turned the corner. F%^k...in the real world this is not a big hill. In the real world I train on bigger hills even as a flatlander in Indy. But damn, it looked awful. Race walked the hill and then hit it as hard as I could to the finish. 6:29:36...so I did that. I finished. Under 6:30.
The rest involved changing, cramping upon sitting, and an hour walk back to the hotel (about a mile away)...then some crying and texting and laying on the bed questioning my life. Then food and beer once I convinced myself to get up. Then back to bed for sleep.
In the morning the world's biggest breakfast. No regrets. I got my $29 worth out of that breakfast buffet. It was fabulous. I was in breakfast heaven. I waddled out of there.
Then I had to drive home...
But the short story is I finished. I have a Chicago Marathon medal. And now I will try to work on that other goal.
PS - I registered for Ironman today and that is HUGE. I'm coming for you in 2018.
The primary goal was to finish the Chicago Marathon. To redeem 2014, and to finish a World Major Marathon. Spoiler alert, that happened.
The secondary goal, the one that has been around for a while, was to break 5:30. Alas, that did not happen. I still struggle with the idea that a 2:22 half marathoner can't manage to find sub-5:30, but it will come. I am not sub-5:30 YET.
This year has been weird. The temperatures through the "summer months" were mild and we thought we had dodged a hot year. Labor Day weekend was so chilly that they almost didn't keep the outdoor pool open. And then "fall" arrived and so did the heat. I made my way through two toasty 20-milers and a flaming hot half marathon. On the first 20-miler I managed to get second-degree burns under my arms. Which meant the next weekend I "got" to run a hot 20-miler in Chicago wearing arm sleeves and bandages to protect my arms. Then Mill Race half marathon was crazy hot. Red flag when I hit 10. I had run 10 miles at marathon goal pace, but there was no picking it up. In fact, there was a lot of walking. And a trip to medical at the end because I was overheated.
I got to the Chicago marathon having cleared my head, fairly relaxed, having eaten for racing all week, with plans A-E ready to go. I went to the expo, but didn't camp out forever. I did buy some new racing sunglasses since I had managed to lose mine. Then I headed out for dinner with family. Got to the hotel, went to the store to buy breakfast, and went to bed. I actually slept reasonably well.
Ate, took care of business, got dressed, and headed out around 6:00 AM. Got to my gear check by 6:30 AM and went to the porta-potty before checking my bag. Kept two cans of Trislide with me. Sat and was quiet for a while, then got in a (long this time) potty line. Managed to get through that JUST in time to lube up my arms and get in my corral before they closed it. Then it was nearly 45 minutes of standing around waiting before I crossed the start line. This time I didn't have any of the anxiety that I had earlier. I was just annoyed that I could have been running the past two hours while it was cool...since the sun was up, it was clear, and it was going to get warm fast.
Anyone who has run in a major city, or a major city race, knows that GPS is not a good tool. I planned for this and was using manual splits at the mile markers. Sure enough, we came out from one of the overpasses and some guy was like "we're running 8:05 pace" - I wanted to scream NO YOUR NOT! But I just wondered, to myself, 1) what in his training made him think he could run 8:05 [we were running about 12:15], 2) what made him think that 8:05 felt like what we were running, and 3) if he was indeed running 8:05 if that was a good idea given that he had a slower than 5:25 projected finish time. But I was sticking to my own plan.
10K, basically on target...then I had a brief potty stop around mile 10. And it was getting hot. Like the sun was burning through the black part of my singlet hot. I was still mostly running ok, but by 20K I was 4 minutes off goal. I could have gone to and of plans B-D, but I decided that at halfway I would go to plan E...just finish and decide later if I could try for time at Monumental. And so I enjoyed a lovely warm stroll down the streets of Chicago. At it was warm. I still did all of the customary nutrition and hydration things and dumped water on my head. And tried to find any blessed shade. I helped out a few people faring far worse than myself. At mile 24 it was not so fun anymore. And I did the math and I would need to "run" the last mile to break 6:30. That became the plan.
I got to one mile to go and knew it was time to try to run...and I did, but my ARMS/SHOULDERS hurt. When I am walking in a race I am a basic dumbass and walk with my hands on my hips. So when I put them back in run position it was painful. Hurt more than my legs. Kept going. Glad there was two more water stops past the "last" one. Got to mile 26 and I started wondering about this hill that everyone talks about. Then we turned the corner. F%^k...in the real world this is not a big hill. In the real world I train on bigger hills even as a flatlander in Indy. But damn, it looked awful. Race walked the hill and then hit it as hard as I could to the finish. 6:29:36...so I did that. I finished. Under 6:30.
The rest involved changing, cramping upon sitting, and an hour walk back to the hotel (about a mile away)...then some crying and texting and laying on the bed questioning my life. Then food and beer once I convinced myself to get up. Then back to bed for sleep.
In the morning the world's biggest breakfast. No regrets. I got my $29 worth out of that breakfast buffet. It was fabulous. I was in breakfast heaven. I waddled out of there.
Then I had to drive home...
But the short story is I finished. I have a Chicago Marathon medal. And now I will try to work on that other goal.
PS - I registered for Ironman today and that is HUGE. I'm coming for you in 2018.
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