The Chicago Marathon

Five-plus months and 386 miles of training, and it all boils down to just 26.2 more miles.

Jody and I drove down to Chicago on Saturday afternoon and went straight to the Expo at the McCormick Place to pick up my race-day packet and bib. The Expo is insane. There was stuff everywhere. I can see how people who like to shop can get sucked into it for several hours. We made a B-line for the bib and then to the area to pick up the shirt ... all the way at the other end of the Expo. We did not dilly-dally and promptly exited the Expo after accomplishing these two tasks.

The Expo

For our one night in Chicago, we stayed at the Palmer house. The location was perfect, only a few blocks from Millennium Park. Even better was the fact that there was a pasta and pizza place -- Vapiano -- across the street. Needless to say, it was packed when we arrived, but the lines moved at a steady pace. Although my first choice, the ravalloi, was sold out, I settled on the salami e ricotta con rucola -- Salami, ricotta cheese, pine nuts, rocket, white wine. It rocked! (To my credit, however, I had started add more carbs to diet as early as Wednesday, so I was not completely dependent on this meal.)

After dinner, Jody and I returned to the hotel. Despite the nerves starting to build, we both fell asleep before 10 PM. The bed was super comfortable.

Race Day!

The alarm went off at 5:45 AM. Because I only had a few blocks to the corral, we determined that I needed to leave around 6:45 AM. I woke up, took a shower, and then had my customary plain bagel with some peanut butter and a banana. The only hiccups in the morning were not completely charging my phone (it wouldn't matter), and I was unable to top-off my watch battery because I forgot my charger at home (my watch would pass out at mile 19, but I'm not sure it would have lasted the full 26.2 even if fully charged).

At 6:45, we promptly left the hotel. Jody walked with me for about a block before kissing me good-bye and wishing me luck. I was on my own.

I followed the crowd and found the proper gate to gain access to Corral G. Security was a breeze and only took a few minutes to get through. After that, I made my way to my corral.

After security.

 I had about an hour to kill. So, I sat on a curb and watched the people come and go.

Sunrise in Corral G.

As 8:00 approached, the corral filled up and we eventually made our way to the starting line.

A filled-up Corral G.

Approaching the starting line.

I'll be the first to admit, I had no idea what to expect. As I have written in previous posts, my 20-mile long runs in the weeks leading up to the marathon were brutal experiences. I wrote on the entry form a goal of 4:30:00. I knew that wasn't going to happen. I thought maybe 4:40:00 would be possible ... until after the first seven miles when that pace group disappeared into the crowd of runners. After the first several miles, I made up my mind that I just wanted to run a comfortable race.

After the first mile, my watch became useless to follow. At about the .5 mile mark, the race enters a tunnel. This completely confused the watch and threw off the pacing and mileage. To gauge my pace, I did math at each mile marker and setting goals for each new marker. After the first couple miles, I tried to average an 11:00 min/mi pace. In hindsight, this was too fast, but I stuck with this pace for miles 7-12.

I mentioned earlier, that my GPS watch passed out at mile 19. Well, it did record data up until that point. Looking at my splits, I see that I did the first-half, in particular, my first 5 miles, a bit too quick, but I felt good ... really good (famous last words, eh?).

Data from my watch until the battery died on mile 19.

Four times, during the race, I met up with Jody. Words cannot describe how awesome it was to see her among the throngs of other spectators. Each time I saw her, a smile appeared on my face and the growing pain in my legs disappeared for a few seconds. She even ran with me for a little bit around mile 23.

Approaching Jody.

For the first 18 miles, I felt wonderful and was really enjoying myself and the crowds (more on that below). Honestly, I felt like I could run the remaining 8 miles without stopping. Then mile 19 hit and my quads, specifically, my right quad, started to scream. It was not an injury, it was just tired. As a result, I had to walk. Not helping matters was the temperature. Although the race started in the upper 50s, the last 3/4 of the race was run in the mid-70s with minimal amount of shade from trees and buildings. I found myself drinking two cups of water at most water stations.

When I walked during my first half-marathon in Door County, I was devastated. Today, I simply took it in stride. Sure, the first time I walked, I let out a few expletives, but I quickly got over it and focused on gaining enough energy to run again. The rest of the race was like this -- run for a bit, walk for a bit. I walked through all the water stations and this made a huge difference. I thought I could run the last 5K, but the legs were screaming too much and I even walked segments of the last mile (including the "hill" that everyone talks about). I did manage to finish strong with a good kick. I'm happy I finished this way rather than stumbling over the finish line under the watchful eye of all the EMTs watching the runners like hawks (if you stumbled or sat down after the race, you were taken to the medical tent for further evaluation).

Overall, I finished in 05:04:22. I'm okay with the time. I had no idea what to expect and now I have something from which to judge future marathons.

My official results.

In fact, I was not sure that I would like this marathon. I was a bit weary of reading about the size of the running crowds and not having much room to run. Sure, there were moments when I rubbed elbows with other runners, bumped into a few people navigating the chaos of the early water stations, and had to slow down on some turns, but that was the worst of it. I found plenty of room to run in (maybe thanks to my flailing elbows) and I did not get caught up in being passed by several thousand other runners. Mentally, I ran a good race.

Post-Race Selfie

Moreover, what makes the Chicago Marathon the Chicago Marathon are the crowds. Holy !@#%@! The atmosphere was electric for most of the route. What a wonderful experience. I gave out so many Hi-Fives and hit my fair share of "Hit 'Here' for a Power Up" signs that it was impossible not to smile through the agony. On more than one occasion, I started to run again because of the crowd. Words really cannot describe what it was like to turn a corner only to see several thousand people screaming, clanging bells, and yelling words of encouragement. Disregarding the idiots that tried crossing the street at inopportune times (I almost ran into a couple people), the crowd was worth the price of admission alone.

Overall, would I do it all over again? In a heart beat. I look forward to running another marathon next year -- maybe Milwaukee's Lakefront Marathon or the Indianapolis Marathon. I already know how I will prepare differently: run more hills and do the occasional P90X legs and back routine to build up the strength in my quads. I felt fine for the race, expect for my quads which became tired and sore. I will attribute this to a lack of strength that needs to be improved.

But for now, I'm going to take a week off from running. Jody and I are registered to run the Milwaukee Drumstick Dash on Thanksgiving Day morning. Until then, I am looking forward to a more relaxed running schedule, especially as the leaves continue to turn and the mornings grow cooler.