This was my third marathon. First one was Chicago last year (5:35), then Illinois in April (5:07:43).

Goals yesterday were:
A - 4:50
B - 4:59
C - any PR
D - Finish

The first half was great. Temps at the start were mid-50s and cloudy. There was a slight breeze and plenty of shade. I hit all my paces without much effort, reaching the half in my goal range and it still felt easy. It was awesome!

About mile 14, the clouds went away, the sun came out and the temps started to rise. I know I struggle in the heat, so I adopted a run/walk strategy to help conserve energy. It went okay for a little while. But the sun was beating down on me and I started to feel queasy. My legs felt fine, my breathing was good. But the freakin’ heat would not let up, there was very little shade and no breeze, I started walking a little longer. By mile 22, I knew I wouldn’t make my A goals, but if I could run more and keep it steady, not fast just steady, I could hit my B goal. But the sun was in my face and I felt over-heated. The next aid station was handing out ice, which felt incredible. I took two handfuls, put some in my mouth, some all over my face, some on my head and in my bra. Amazing. Legs still felt fine, no cramping or anything like that, but once the ice quickly melted, it was back to sun in my face and unrelenting heat. Even the spectators were fanning themselves.

I managed to keep it together enough to eek out a 1 minute 41 second PR of 5:06:02. So I met my C goal! My last marathon was in April and was 30° cooler. I’m happy I was able to beat it in yesterday’s heat, but I know I can do a lot better.

Today I feel mostly fine, just over-tired. I’m a little sore, like after a workout session, but no pain or anything out of the ordinary. Just sleepy and tired from a day under the sun.

Congrats on the PR!

You didn't say anything about training, but sounds like you were probably in shape to have a shot at your goal if the weather was better. Yeah, I heard it got pretty warm. No way you can hit your goal in that. And I think being a 5 hr marathoner makes it that much tougher than being a 3 or 4 hr marathoner, in terms of how much it's going to heat up and how much time you have to spend in it.

Hopefully your next race will be cooler. Of course it's always a crapshoot, but you can play some odds. Where do you live, and how far are you willing to travel for a race? If there's anything this forum is good for, it's telling you what to do.

Nice job! I hear it started really getting hot out there, and you still ran a PR

 

How is the Illinois Marathon? It seems it has good reviews but I don’t actually know anyone who has ran it...it’s on my short list of potential spring marathons.

Thank you!

I actually really enjoyed the Illinois Marathon.  It’s very well organized and has good course support the whole way. Weather was low 40s and cloudy, pretty much perfect conditions.  There were a few areas where I was on my own, but most of the course goes through neighborhoods and people are out cheering and offering food/drink. The last mile is downhill into the stadium for a 50 yard line finish. I had a blast doing that one and would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

I've always heard great things about it from people on the forum. And it's at my alma mater.  Although I can't imagine there'd be much scenery, unless you like looking at cornfields. Because that's literally all there is within a 150 mile radius.

Ha! I was told to bring my headphones so I’d have entertainment while running past corm fields! I don’t remember any corn fields during that one and the university actually set up signs every 50 yards or so with fun facts about famous people from the school. I learned a lot that day while running and it kept my mind from wandering.

 

Thank you!

 

I thought training went very well. I increased my weekly mileage and added more speed work. In September I ran a 2:17 Half marathon, which was a nearly 9 minute PR (last PR was set in May). I felt good, no injuries. The calculators suggested 4:41, but I thought that was too aggressive. 4:50 felt very doable, with 4:48 as a stretch goal if conditions were perfect and I still felt good in the last couple of miles. At no point yesterday did I experience pain or tiredness in my legs, my breathing stayed under control. I really just felt drained from the sun in my face. That’s not new for me, but certainly disappointing on race day. I perform much better in the winter!

 

Ive been reading race reports from people who are normally 4-4:30 marathoners and I finished well ahead of them yesterday, so I have to believe it was a good training cycle that got me through it and that I can definitely do much better in more favorable conditions.

 

I live in Chicago and am willing to travel for a great experience!

Great job KC!  Thanks for sharing!  I think that you finishing ahead of 4-4:30 marathoners was telling of your conditioning going into the race. Maybe you should think a later marathon next year when the heat will have gone for good? It seems this time of year is always dicey.

 

 

I live in Chicago and am willing to travel for a great experience!

Of those I've run in the region, I'd recommend both Grand Rapids and Detroit. Usually pretty cool temps, although of course you never know. Detroit is bigger (of course nothing like Chicago); when I ran it was about 4000 marathon finishers but a common start with 12,000 HMers. A really interesting and unique course; you actually cross over the Canadian border on the bridge over the Detroit River, and come back a few miles later through the tunnel going under the Detroit River. Also some awesome homemade aid stations running through the neighborhoods. Grand Rapids is a good medium-sized race (~1500 marathoners), but feels like the organization & crowd support of a bigger race. Both are typically on the same day, a week after Chicago. (You can be like Damaris and run both Chicago AND Detroit! )

 

Great job KC!  Thanks for sharing!  I think that you finishing ahead of 4-4:30 marathoners was telling of your conditioning going into the race. Maybe you should think a later marathon next year when the heat will have gone for good? It seems this time of year is always dicey.

Thanks OFR! I’ll do Chicago again next year because it’s my local race and the only way I’ll ever have guaranteed entry is to run it 5 years in a row. But I’m looking into cooler Spring and later Fall options as well and can focus on those for the bigger gains.

 

Of those I've run in the region, I'd recommend both Grand Rapids and Detroit. Usually pretty cool temps, although of course you never know. Detroit is bigger (of course nothing like Chicago); when I ran it was about 4000 marathon finishers but a common start with 12,000 HMers. A really interesting and unique course; you actually cross over the Canadian border on the bridge over the Detroit River, and come back a few miles later through the tunnel going under the Detroit River. Also some awesome homemade aid stations running through the neighborhoods. Grand Rapids is a good medium-sized race (~1500 marathoners), but feels like the organization & crowd support of a bigger race. Both are typically on the same day, a week after Chicago. (You can be like Damaris and run both Chicago AND Detroit!

I have both on my list of possibilities. I’ve heard good things about both of those races, though I’ll have to carefully consider the back to back weekends thing. I don’t know if I have that in me