Chicago Marathon

My goal for this race was to finish feeling good and enjoy the experience. But if I had to predict a finish time, it was 3:25. I thought it was realistic, and based on my HM time of 1:33, I thought maybe even 3:20 was within reach.

Hosting an elite runner for the weekend was an incredible experience. I picked up Tesfaye from the airport on Friday afternoon and was immediately drawn to him. He was charming, humble and well mannered.  On Saturday morning Tesfaye and I went for a brief shake-out run. We started out slow (9:30 first mile). And ended around 7:30 pace. We did a few strides and I jokingly tried to “race” him. The effortlessness with which he ran was mind-blowing. I really enjoyed the time I spent with Tesfaye, and he contributed so greatly to my race experience. 

Saturday afternoon he was required to go to a uniform check (the race staff must pre-approve elite uniforms). As his host I was given “credentials”. I very much enjoyed hanging out in the elite suite, and tried hard not to gawk at the athletes that I recognized. I briefly said hello and good luck to Matt Tagenkamp and Alberto Salazar.  Afterward there was a “tech meeting” in a conference room with all the elite athletes, their managers and high level race staff. They talked about race day logistics and race strategy. They identified the pacers and which portion of the race they were responsible for. 

 

After the conference there was a buffet pasta dinner for all the elites. Tesfaye and I sat at a table with Dathan Ritzenhein, Jason Hartmann, and Chris Solinsky. I didn’t ask many questions, just enjoyed listening to them talk.

On race morning we met at the hotel and our bus was escorted by police motorcade to the elite tent.  After arriving at the tent I said goodbye to Tesfaye and went to corral B.

I met up with the 3:25 pace group. I told myself that if I felt good in the late stages I would push forward, but otherwise I’d stick with them for most of the race.  During the singing of the national anthem, the microphone cut out. The 45,000 runners picked up where the singer left off and the runners sang the rest. It gave me chills.  

During the first 3-4 miles I still felt very jittery and unsure of myself. But by mile 5 I settled down and felt AWESOME. I was comfortable and confident. I was holding ~7:50 pace and feeling great about it. The crowds in the first half of this race are overwhelming. I saw family and friends all over the course and I cheered right back at them.

The Lululemon cheer squad at mile 9.5 blew my mind. I went completely ape shit when I saw them.  Having my siblings at mile 4, 11, and 25 was incredible. I am so thankful for the support of all those around me. It makes the biggest difference in the world.

Around mile 16/17 I could tell that I was slowly starting to fade. I let the 3:25 pace group go, but thought maybe I could keep them in my sights.

But by mile 18 the wheels were falling off. The fatigue was in full force and my hamstrings were starting to tighten and cramp up. I was already running on fumes and starting to get very worried that I still had 8 miles to go.

By mile 20 the cramping was BAD. It now moved into my quads and hip flexors. My legs were locking up, and my pace slowed dramatically. I kept plodding along, but it was a fight, and I was in a lot of pain. I knew the final 10k was about to get real ugly.

At mile 23 it felt like there were huge softball size knots in my hamstrings. I was having trouble moving. I was in severe pain and desperately struggling to move forward. I had slowed down so dramatically that swarms of runners were blowing past me. I just kept trying to take small steps and put one foot in front of the other.

By mile 24 the cramping moved into my abdomen. My whole body was just one giant cramp. My pace was reduced to a crawl and the pain was searing. Suddenly my legs completely locked up and I collapsed to the ground! I screamed in pain and just lay on the concrete. A few runners stopped to ask if I was ok, but I told them to keep moving. I thought my race was done. I thought my legs had completely lost all function. I told myself I would crawl to the finish line if I had to. But I used my arms and propped myself up. I tried to stretch but that only made the cramping worse. So I forced myself to resume plodding. It was just a shuffle, but I refused to walk.

During mile 25 I closed my eyes and just tried to go to a “happy place”. I was like a trauma victim who disassociates while the bad man does stuff to him. My eyes drooped nearly closed, and I simply death marched my way to the finish.  Have you ever seen a very old man running? His back is hunched over, and he is shuffling along by barely lifting his feet off the ground. That was me. It was all I could muster.

Crossing the finish line was emotional. I thought perhaps I’d need medical attention, but after stumbling around for 5 minutes my legs started to feel better.

I got my gear and met up with my family and Tesfaye. I am so grateful for their support, and for the support of my friends.

Mile 1- 7:53

Mile 2- 7:51

Mile 3- 7:37

Mile 4- 7:22

Mile 5- 7:37

Mile 6- 8:10

Mile 7- 7:55

Mile 8- 7:58

Mile 9- 7:40

Mile 10- 7:56

Mile 11- 7:50

Mile 12- 7:34

Mile 13- 7:43

Mile 14- 7:50

Mile 15- 7:37

Mile 16- 7:48

Mile 17- 7:47

Mile 18- 7:49

Mile 19- 8:05

Mile 20- 8:27

Mile 21- 8:37

Mile 22- 8:53

Mile 23- 9:08

Mile 24- 9:26

Mile 25- 10:49

Mile 26- 10:39

0.2- 2:03

FINISH- 3:36:21 (8:16 pace)

I am somewhat disappointed with my finish time because I expected better. However, I recognize that it took strength to push through those last 5 miles, and I do feel a sense of pride for that.

The next time I run a marathon I will be far better prepared. But this experience has made qualifying for Boston seem very daunting.  For now I will be spending some time working on shorter distance races.

Running a marathon will break a person down to their bare essentials and expose their true character. It forces you to summon every ounce of your strength and courage. And it will teach you an invaluable lesson about who you are and what you're capable of.