Chicago Marathon Recap - Kelly

After my first marathon I documented my “marathon story” to remind myself of the accomplishment I had achieved but also to make sure my memory of the day was realistic as time went by.  I have gone back and read that post MANY times (mostly for inspiration!) and want to keep up the tradition by documenting my second go at 26.2 miles.  Non-runners… feel free to skip this post.  I won’t be offended. :)

My first marathon was in Duluth, MN along the shore of Lake Superior. It was a beautiful course and a well organized marathon but it definitely didn’t bring the excitement an event like the Chicago marathon does. When I signed up for Chicago I think I was most looking forward to the crowd and the energy and I have to say I was not disappointed!  

Sunday morning was super chilly- I don’t think the thermostat was even at 40 degrees when I headed out the door to get in a cab at 5:30 am.  I only added one extra layer to keep on before I handed everything off at gear check- I figured completely stripping down before getting in my corral would be too much of a shock if I had a bunch of extra layers. This is what it looked like when we met my sister in a cab… it would like quite a bit different a few hours later!

I was starting with my good friend Erin (but hung out before the race with my little sister, Amy, who was a few corrals behind us).   We kept telling each other what a great day it was for a race, how we felt good about our training, and how much fun we were going to have while we waited the 30 minutes in our corral for the race to start.  I honestly think we were both pretty nervous- all three of us (Amy included) had really busy summer and it was hard to get training runs in.

But the timer went off, and the race started!  Our first 10 miles were seriously amazing.  We stopped for a bathroom break between the 5 and 10K mark which added a good 5-6 minutes to our time but other than that we were totally cruising.  I was sort of blown away by the crowds- there was so much cheering and support it was almost overwhelming.  

My sister, Brady, was waiting for me with this sign right around mile 6 and it gave me a huge surge of energy seeing her and my brother-in-law, Kevin.  Here is the sign she made from me:

Apparently when we were training for Grandma’s marathon in 2011 she and Kevin started calling me “power pack” because, when it comes to running, I just kind of power through.  They would always make fun of the fact that I would show up for morning runs with stories about drinking (or eating) too much the night before but would (usually) pull the miles off and be okay at the end.  I think it also might have something to do with me being kind of small and compact.  What’s funny, and kind of strange, is they didn’t tell me about this nick name until well after the marathon was over but it’s stuck since then.  here they are cheering on the crowds in Lakeview:

I actually had to tell myself multiple times to just calm down and run a steady pace. :)  Boystown was fun but not quite as crazy as I expected.  Running through the southern part of Lincoln Park and Old Town was really pretty- it was fun running down residential streets and getting a slightly different view than being on the sidewalk or in a car.

Right between miles 12 and 13 I hit my first snag in the race.  My hips were starting to tighten up a little bit (not unusual- I have major hip problems during long runs) but the kicker was I was expecting to see my parents right outside my office building before the 13 mile marker.  Turns out they weren’t able to cross the street and were right there and saw me, but I didn’t see them.  I had been so excited about seeing so many friends and family out on the course that I didn’t even think about how disappointed I’d be if I missed someone.  Lesson learned- manage your expectations and go with the flow!  Luckily my amazing friend and co-worker Aviva was right at mile 14.  I sort of body checked her making her give me a hug as I ran by but it totally helped cheer me back up. 

I got a little crazy around mile 15 for quite a few reasons.  I do this mental thing where I split the marathon into 5 chunks of 5 miles (then figure I’ll just wing the last 1.2 miles on pure adrenaline!).  I knew that miles 15-20 were the hardest for me in Duluth and that I wasn’t particularly looking forward to that part of the course.  I also had somehow gotten it in my head that there were goos waiting for us at mile 14 (there weren’t… they were between 17 and 18!) so I was flipping out about that, too.  It also didn’t help that it felt like we were running west on Adams forever- I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see Damen before. But I got through it!  My friend Heather and her adorable baby Henry surprised us by showing up on the second half of the course THREE times to cheer us on!  Aviva found us twice more and I saw a few other random friends along the way.  

Erin and I stopped to stretch right before mile 18 then for a bathroom break around mile 20.  We split right after Pilsen (which was totally awesome, by the way- MAJOR cheering!) and I really started to pick up my pace.  Turning the corner at Cermak and Wentworth and going under the arch in Chinatown was the absolute coolest- the crowd was insane, the views were beautiful, and (best of all) I knew Brady was waiting to run to mile 25 with me.

People- if you have a friend or loved one running a marathon the absolute BEST thing you can do for them is jump in for a difficult chunk of the race.  I still walked through some aid stations with Brady but I was able to run a totally solid pace with her.  She stayed with me from mile 21.5 all the way to the 25th mile marker.  I was pretty zoned out for this part of the race but just having Brady running next to me felt familiar and energizing.  

Something I haven’t mentioned is my marathon playlist- this is something I put MAJOR thought into.  I didn’t listen to anything until mile 10 which ended up being pretty cool- I felt like I really got to experience the crowd and ride their energy during the first third of the race.  I had saved the new Killers and Mumford & Sons albums to listen to on race day.  I started the Killers around mile 10 and Mumford around mile 16.  To be totally honest it probably wasn’t the best choice- I’m excited about both albums but couldn’t really listen and focus the way I had planned.  When I finally turned on my super special end of the marathon playlist (about 80 minutes of my absolute favorite running music) I was so happy to hear something I knew it gave me a major boost of energy.  I listened to it from miles 20 until I met Brady then turned it on again at about mile 23.  When Brady left me at 25 I totally cranked it for the last 1.2.

Let me tell you- that last 1.2 miles is the true test of your training, grit and perseverance during a marathon.  You’re so close to the finish line and have come so far but that last little bit HURTS.  I had to talk myself out of taking a walking break about once every 30 seconds.  But miraculously I found the focus to pick up my pace and hit the last half mile hard.

Something pretty cool happened right at mile 26- I had added a Justin Bieber song to my final playlist for my friend Sam’s little girls who are MAJOR fans.  Right at mile 26 the song came on so I ran the last .2 miles and crossed the finish line with a major dose of inspiration from two of the coolest and strongest kids I know.  Definitely not something I planned but it ended up being one of my favorite things about the entire race experience.

After the race I wandered around for a little while, grabbed some food and an aluminum blanket and worked my way back to the charity village where I was meeting my parents (who actually saw me again right before the finish around the 26 mile mark).  I had the weirdest pain and pressure in my lower back and hips- I had to stop and stretch and after the biggest pop ever (I thought for a second I broke something!) I actually felt a million times better and was easily on my feet for the rest of the afternoon.  After warming up for a few minutes, I got to watch and cheer for Amy at mile 26- if we couldn’t run together watching her finish the race was the next best thing!

My overall time was 4.58.59- about 6 minutes slower than my first marathon- but my overall pace seemed to be between 10.45 and 11.15 which is way faster than I usually run distance races.  Without the three stops I think I would have finished around 4.45 which was my unofficial goal.  I’m pretty thrilled with the way the entire race went down and am already getting excited about my next set of running goals.  I think I’ll take the next year to get my half marathon pace quite a bit faster then will tackle my third marathon in the fall of 2014.  

I feel pretty good today- the toes on my left foot have seen better days but my muscles actually feel alright.  I’m heading to a four day conference in Miami and am actually brining my running shoes if that’s any indication of how I’m feeling.  :)

I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to wear this shirt and putting it on this morning felt pretty darn good!

(Special thanks to the lovely Erin and Brady who took all these pictures... well, except the last one!)