Notes
Chicago Marathon 2k19!
Going into this one was probably one of the most nervous I've ever been (probably tied with when I was going in under New Balance Chicago's training) simply because I had such a small training window due to my injury. Work had been pretty tough for both Kaytlin and myself and sadly I had not been healthy enough to get in the long runs or workouts needed to chase my A goal from Spring, but at the same time that's life and you just gotta handle the cards you're dealt.
When the race started I actually felt very relaxed and smooth, we started the farthest back we ever have (about 90 seconds) so all the clocks were drastically off and I just focused on feeling good and not worrying about times too much. Regardless, I still came through in just under 6 minute pace when I hit the 5k so I was pleased the pace felt so chill. Also caught Jordan Hasay at 1.5 miles where she had pulled her hamstring. You could see the desperation on her face and I felt really bad for her, but also it served as a reminder to me that anything can happen to anyone on any given day, no matter what the training. I made sure to stick with gels every 5 miles regardless of if I felt I needed it as well as taking both gatorade and water at just about every water station. Having not practiced a lick of nutrition, I was happy that the huma gel + GU combo worked well and I never found myself hungry during the run. As we crossed the 10k we were hit with some pretty good wind so I had to start trying a bit more just to maintain pace. Even with some slowing down, I tried just to not be so focused on times and instead thought about all things I had control over and that mentally helped alot. Came through 10 miles between 60:20-60:30 if I remember correctly and found myself with a good group that I stayed with for pretty much the rest of the race.
After passing through the half in 1:19:20 I remember feeling like I could definitely do that again, but I could also feel my back/butt area a bit so I just tried focusing on short quick steps and not pushing into any of the slight inclines we had on the bridge. Saw one guy who had been a minute or so ahead of me stopped in the middle of the street puking up gatorade and felt really bad for him. Anyway, around 15-16 miles is where my legs began to get tired (no surprise as I had only gotten up to 17 twice and neither of those runs were faster than 6:50 pace) but I still was having a ton of fun regardless and wanted to set myself up with the goal of finishing strong and not cramping up.
When we got to 20, I knew I was going to be ok but my feet ached and I could tell that I just didn't have the aerobic strength to intuitively hold that 6:00 pace. Despite focusing on picking it up, I noticed I was beginning to clip off some 6:10+'s but at that point I just said fuck it and rolled with the punches. Slowed down the most between 23-25 but then rallied a bit on the last mile and had a strongish finish going into the final straightaway.
Honestly, this was the first marathon I ran where I crossed the finish line and went "I want to do this again" which was a real shock as I had just about had it with the marathon up until this point lol. If that aint a reflection of running I tell ya what...overall I'm proud that I was able to not think about all the things I couldn't/hadn't done this cycle and instead just enjoyed the run and the process. The time itself isn't anything I'm pleased with, but I've also ran much slower and the fact that I enjoyed the experience gets me excited to hit it again next year. Kaytlin came in shortly behind me and crushed it with a 2:59!! I better stay serious about running more otherwise she's gonna get my ass at this rate lol
Till next year Chicago, thanks for always taking care of your own with one of the best run-races in the country!