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| Happy to finish the Chicago Marathon |
Hello everyone. Did you miss me? It has been more than two years since my last post. Why the delay? The 2020 Pandemic cancelled running events. Last year, events slowly started up again. I only participated in a couple local races. In October of that year, I put in a lottery bid for the Chicago Marathon next year. What was the result? To my surprised, I got selected to participate in the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. When I received the news, I was excited to get back into racing form again. My last marathon was New York City in 2019. Prepared myself for the racing season by not setting any big expectations and make the most of the experience running through Chicago.
That's the backstory. Laying out my racing schedule by training for a half marathon in mid-May which helps me as a building base for Chicago in October. When the half concluded, I rested for two weeks into June to get ready for 18 weeks of training.
October 8th: 1 day until marathon
I participated in the Abbott Chicago 5K race as a shakeout run. Final result was 24:20 with a pace of 7:51. After the race, I began to lay out a race plan for tomorrow. The plan was to treat the first two miles as a warm up at least 9:00/mile; run approximately 8:30 for miles 3-8; 8:15 for miles 9-14; 8:00 for miles 15-20; and the remaining 6.2 miles under 8:00/mile. My objective was to not go out too fast early so I can have energy for the late stages of the race. As stated earlier, I did not set any high expectations for my race. If my final time was between 3:45-3:50, that would be a very satisfying performance.
October 9th: Race Day
5:30 AM: Make my way to the hotel lobby. A woman wanted to walk with me to the start. I was going to take the subway but decided to walk with her because I could use the conversation prior to the race. Weather conditions were chilly with temperatures in the upper thirties about two hours prior to the start. As the race goes on, the temperature will reach the mid sixties. I really like those kind of conditions.
6:00 AM: Arrived at the start on South Columbus Drive. Waiting around until the start of the race is usually a tense time. Luckily, I had an oatmeal cup and an electrolyte drink to keep myself fueled before the start. The only setback was not having an extra layer to keep me warmer. Waiting in the Corral E, I talked to another woman who was local.
7:30 AM: The excitement is building as the elite runners, wheelchair division, and first few corrals started their trek through the Windy City. Runners began stripping layers as they approached the start line.
7:50 AM: Corral E begins their run along S Columbus Drive into the Streeterville District where throngs of people are waiting to cheer on all the runners. Happy to see my friend cheering me and her friends on early on. Looking for a striped balloon really helped. As the race progressed, I remember making a little too many hydration stops, my water bottle strap was loosening around my right hand, and an early bathroom stop at mile 2. Another habit I need to improve on is not looking at my watch so much. The reason was to keep me from running too quickly at inopportune times. With those small setbacks, I'm just going to keep moving forward.
First half of the race was 1:52:16. My final finish time is looking really good. Did not see the 3:45 pace group until mile 11. Took me several miles to catch back up the group.
First 13 mile times from my Garmin watch: 8:46, 8:41, 8:18, 8:29, 8:28, 8:22, 8:27, 8:24, 8:19, 8:15 (fastest), 8:15, 8:24, and 8:58.
With around ten miles to go, my calves and hamstrings started to tighten up. Just keep moving forward Matt. Remember what you said, enjoy the experience running through Chicago.
My second half was a few minutes slower, 1:57:18. Second half miles from my watch: 9:25, 8:28, 8:27, 8:37, 8:36, 8:48, 8:47, 8:52, 9:00, 9:22, 9:17, 9:39 (slowest), and 9:04 with last segment at 8:33. Looking at those times later on, I was really pleased with my performance. As I lost sight of the 3:45 pace group, just focused on finishing the race. My thighs began to tighten up with a few miles to go. This can't be happening. Approaching mile 24, I walked for a minute to give myself a reprieve. Looking at my watch, I realized I still had a chance to salvage a 3:50. It was time to make a push for the remaining couple miles. Tight calves and thighs be damned. Running along Michigan Avenue with the crowds cheering on both sides approaching Grant Park, the finish line is getting close. Making the last couple turns, with the finish line in sight, my time will be under 3:50. My final time: 3:49:34.
The sights, crowds, and excitement that ran all through Chicago will be an experience I will never forget. Finishing a marathon for the first time in three years will be a lasting memory. Everyone that worked behind the scenes and over 40000 runners made this race an awesome experience. Thank you very much Chicago.
