CHICAGOOOOOO- Part 2

And now, race day. Other people in my room were getting up very early for the run, so I was up before my alarm. I chose this hostel because it was maybe a 5 minute walk from the start. Zero chance of getting lost of showing up late, although I did have a dream about getting there late. Did not want that to happen.

I suited up and headed out. It had been a little chilly and we were told it would be about 38 degrees at the start of the race. I think that was about right. Good thing I came prepared. I had a ton of really cheap clothes that I was going to dispose of throughout the race as I got hot, and a trashbag. Someone had recommended trashbags to keep the wind off you. I looked totally ridiculous (pictures exist, but luckily I don’t have them to share with you), but I was totally warm. Around 7:20 we heard the National Anthem and around 7:30 we slowly started moving as one giant mass of runners. Everyone was taking off their outer layers, myself included. And finally we were at the start. Oddly enough, it hadn’t really dawned on me that I was running a marathon, a full 26.2 miles, until I got to mile 2. Then I got a little emotional. I had to suck it up and keep moving. Crying makes it hard to breathe.

I started off well. The goal was to finish in under 5 hours. The coach had sent me a race plan that basically said, don’t go out too fast and don’t worry too much about your pace until mile 15. So that was the plan. I wasn’t going to fixate on my watch and I was going to have fun. Around mile 3, I felt like I was probably going a tiny bit too fast. Each of my last miles was getting faster and faster, but I still felt great. The cooler, dry air definitely made it easier to run, but I didn’t want to get too carried away. That’s when I found someone from the 4:55 pace group. Perfect! I said to myself. She didn’t know it, but I kept my eye on her. Sometimes I was in front and sometimes I was behind but I kept her in sights. I figured if I had my eye on her, I couldn’t be going out too fast. The plan was working perfectly until around mile 6 and she had to go to the bathroom. Now I was left on my own again. DARN.

Mile 8 came, and that’s when things started to get a little rough. My hips really started to tighten. I told myself it was way too soon for this to be happening, and tried to will it away. No such luck. By mile 10 I had slowed down quite a bit and right hip was really hurting. Mile 11 brought more weirdness when my arm started to tingle and go numb in really strange ways. I decided it was time to slow down and walk a bit and try to shake it out. After some walking and another gel packet, it was feeling better and I resumed my running. My only real goal for this race was to have fun and stay positive, so I focused on the crowds. Chicago has notoriously awesome crowds, so I paid close attention. Somewhere in here, were some pretty awesome cheer stations. There was a HUGE group of teenagers singing and dancing to “Call Me Maybe.” I think that was my favorite. And at some point we got to the gay part of town and there were cross-dressing cheerleaders. I liked them too.

Some of the best signs of the day were:

• I don’t do marathons. I do a marathoner.
• Do Epic Shit! ( I thought this was pretty epic)
• May the pace be with you (This sign was held by someone dressed as Darth Vader)
• At the end of the race, you get a free puppy! (Still waiting BTW)
• The replacement refs are at the finish line. You just might win this!

There were also a lot of signs about beer or poop. Go figure. To keep my mind busy I kept a list of the best signs. That carried me through until about mile 16. My hip was REALLY hurting and I was slowing down. I was just on the precipice of my goal time. I might miss it by minutes. But I had to walk now. I made a decision. If I was going to walk, I was going to walk with a purpose and determination. I kept my head up, walked fast, and always picked a point, like a sign or lamppost, where I would start running again. I think this really helped to keep me positive and moving. And it really helped my hip to walk for just a few seconds every now and then.

Around mile 18, I felt the wall creeping up on me. I remember saying to myself “NO! There is no wall! This will not happen!” I took some more gel, sucked the salt off a pretzel and kept going. Luckily at mile 21, I got a bit of a second wind. That’s a great place to get a second wind. At this point, I was going to miss my goal time by maybe a minute. I stayed positive and set a new goal. At around 23 I said, “Screw the new goal. I don’t want to miss my goal by a minute.” So I sucked it up and RAN. I felt like I was going REALLY fast, but I know that I wasn’t, but with people screaming my name, high-fiving me, I felt pretty awesome. (Actually I just looked it up on the race website and for the last few miles I averaged a 9:51 mile. That's fast for me!) I stopped walking and the hip seemed to be ok with that at this point. By now I was determined to do this thing in under 5 hours. I remember the last 2 miles or so we were on this big street and there were big gusts of wind coming at us. I think I yelled out loud at the wind. Who knows. It’s all a bit of a blur now. But I was not going to let any wind hold me back. We got to a sign that said 1 mile to go. I looked at my watch and it looked like I was going to make it. But still I pushed harder. Right near the end we turned a corner and there was a hill. Chicago is a very flat course, except for this hill. It would have been nice if someone mentioned it, but at that point, it didn’t matter so much. I just thought, Oh look. A hill, and then told that hill to suck it. When we turned the corner, I literally shouted out, There’s the finish line! The guy next to me looked at me like I was totally crazy and maybe I was. I pushed for the finish line. I crossed that finish line with my fists in the air and happy tears in my eyes. I have NEVER worked so hard for anything. I fought for that the entire time and it hurt more than the first one did, but I pushed through and I finished in 4:58:25. Take that, Chicago!

We got out warm aluminum sheets, some pretzels and even a beer! I’ve never worked so hard for a luke warm beer, but it was still pretty worth it.

After showering and putting on some real clothes, I met up with my friends at Gino’s East sports bar for some pizza and misbehaving. We had all earned it.

I have to thank the entire DetermiNation group who was with me in Chicago. I don’t think this would have been as fun or as memorable if I didn’t have you to celebrate with.

Monday was filled with lots of eating, a little hobbling around town, and more friends. All in all, it was a pretty good trip to Chicago. I would definitely do it all again.