Notes
Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Didn't get any sleep which seems to be the theme the last 2 years here but I was excited and ready to run. Had a much better nutrition plan going into this and I felt confident that the 2nd time around would be much better than the first.
When the race started, I actually didn't feel that good which was strange. Quads were sore and I felt a little off, probably due to a very short warmup compared to normal. After the first mile or so I settled into a nice cadence and then worked with Daniel and the rest of the group we had created and started rolling. Unfortunately I was feeling the bagel I had for breakfast this morning and it was causing me to burp alot and even had some people ask if I was going to puke. Luckily this issue only lasted for about a bit, especially once I took my first GU at mile 9. From miles 5-8 it was Daniel, me, and Austin Viano from Saucony running together. All of us had the same goal of breaking 2:30 so we hung together and did our best to stay patient and take turns running into the wind once we turned back towards the loop. By miles 8-10 we had slowly begun to catch multiple runners who went out too fast and they joined our group as we expanded 3 to 6 to 8. Some people would drop off, others would catch us and go before slowly coming back and we just did our best to maintain. I felt very controlled and smooth so despite slowing down to a 75 high at the half, I was very confident in myself and firmly believed that if I could control salt and electrolyte levels, sub 2:30 could happen.
Around Mile 15-16 our group had become one big cluster which was nice except for this Mizuno runner who was apparently somebody important. He couldn't stay in a straight line and I had to keep weaving out of line and doing mini fartleks because he cut me off alot which is ridiculous for a marathon, but I think he was similar to Muth in which he didn't realize what he was doing. I took another GU at 16 and was still feeling pretty solid.
At mile 19 Daniel and I broke the entire pack we were with and began catching people left and right. I don't remember much about China Town but I do remember rolling up on like 10-15 different people and passing them. I was feeling good and was beginning to even pull away from Daniel a bit. We hit 20 in 1:55 and I decided to try my best and throw in a faster mile. I didn't look at my watch but apparently it was a 5:41 and while that felt good for a bit I remember going from great to rough in just a few short seconds. It was kind of like a blanket and I could gradually feel my body running out of fluids and salts. Over the last 10k I was making sure to drink Gatorade and water at every station (and took my final GU at 21) in hopes of fighting off the bonk that I knew was slowly looming over me. I held it together for a bit longer but then right around 23 my body said fuck you and began to tighten up fast. It felt very similar to last year but this time I was able to prevent it from getting worse by correcting my form early and focusing on staying efficient as opposed to worrying about speed. Both hamstrings blew out around 24 and I knew it was just a long miserable run home. Daniel had pulled away from me at this point and while I was surprisingly still catching people, alot of people I passed at mile 20 began to reel me in. I proceeded to suffer from mile 24-25 until I saw Yonny stretching on the side by the 26 mile marker. I yelled at him and he proceeded to jump in with me and we ran together for about 800 meters. Running with him really helped get me back into the game and I was able to get my dying ass at least under 6:30 pace. The final 3/4ths of a mile Yonny stopped again and it was just me by myself. Knowing the finish was so close made it easier for me to re-pickup the pace. Got down to low 6's for the last bit and did my best not to die going up the little "hill" with 400 to go. It is such a small bump and yet it fried my legs even more. I turned the corner and kicked it in with a guy wearing a Tulsa jersey and then boom I was done. I didn't even realize it at first, and their wasn't a feeling of "oh my god I did it" like last year. While it did seem a little anti-climactic, I was happy because I knew my mentality, training and expectations had been different this year. I didn't expect to just finish the race, I expected to finish and do well.
Overall, I'm content with today's race! I know I am in better shape than this but so many things can go wrong in a marathon, and I was able to beat some old inner demons and at least drop a semi-respectable time. I'm excited because I know sub 2:30 is a definite possibility but I need to add longer tempos and more long runs (although I hate those with a passion) into my program. One big positive I've learned from college is to not be so "do or die" all the time. I used to let my performance in a race dictate my worth as a person, and since I've been able to stop that bad habit running has become much more enjoyable for me! Seeing Root and Nick up there was awesome and next year I am determined to join them up closer to the front! A good step in the right direction but lots of work left ahead of me! Time for a week of R&R and then its a slow and easy introduction back into serious training. Last thing I want to do is get hurt again like last year and miss a ton of training time.