Chicago Marathon Finisher!!

I had so many great intentions of documenting my training and road to Chicago but then....life. With all of the transitions I went through the past year (and also not being happy with the look/feel of this blog but not knowing how to fix it) I kind of abandoned my blogging efforts. However, on this spring break of 2019, I am inspired to breathe new life into this lonely blog and am attempting to catch up on some of the lost documentation of the past year!

One of the best decisions I made in 2018 was to start training with the Dallas Running Club. I wanted to properly prepare for my first world marathon major and I wanted to finish in under 4 hours. This was the goal from the very beginning. I knew that I would need to train better and with more intentionality than I did for my first marathon in L.A. I finished in L.A. but in Chicago I wanted to finish WELL. After exploring a few different training options, it seemed DRC would fit best with my schedule and also my budget. They offered an early fall marathon training program that started in May with something called the "Fast Track" summer program. Then official early fall marathon training would start in late June. I loved the Fast Track program. On Tuesdays we did speed work, mostly at a nearby track, and on Thursdays we did hill work. Not only did these tough workouts help acclimate us to the increasing heat and humidity but it helped build both a foundation of speed and strength going into the marathon training. On Tuesdays, I often had to rush over or miss the warm-up due to my classes at OTF but I still got in some sold work at the track. I loved being surrounded by people who I could challenge myself with pace-wise and I knew those workouts were making me faster. I had a love-hate relationship with the hill workouts on Thursdays. Sometimes we did more of a hill sprint workout and then other nights hill repeats up a much longer incline where the challenge was to maintain an even effort. Many evenings the heat index was still near 100 degrees, even at 7pm. These were some of the toughest, most mentally challenging workouts of my entire life yet the coaches assured me they would pay off in the fall.

Training with DRC became even more valuable as we advanced into more marathon specific programming, specifically the Saturday long runs. Based on my paces at recent races, I was placed into the 3:40 marathon group. This group consisted of strong, experienced runners who often challenged me with the pace as well on our long runs. As the runs got longer and longer along with the summer heat and humidity, I definitely needed the support and consistency of my pace group.

Working at Orangetheory added an extra perk. I took advantage of working out as much as I could during the summer months I was out of school (and not working at a summer camp as I had for the previous 12-13 summers). Orangetheory gave me additional strength and interval work on the treads as well as in the weight room and on the rowers. I still attended CG a couple of days a week as well. I felt good about how training was going.

But at the beginning of August, things suddenly got a lot tougher to juggle, just as I was entering the peak of my marathon buildup. I started a new job in a new school district, started training with CG on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I went to Mexico and came back with Montezuma's revenge which took me down for several days. All of the sudden, fitting in runs started becoming much more challenging. I could no longer run with DRC on Tuesdays and I had to leave for school much earlier than ever before. I started running on my own early in the mornings before school. I still made the Saturday long runs for the most part but my training had lost some of its specificity. At this point, I was just trying to get in miles, which is basically what I did for L.A.

My feet were really bothering me with plantar fasciitis again too around this time. I felt like I was trying everything under the sun but nothing really worked. In September, they seemed a little better and on a cool Sunday morning at the Global Energy Race 10K, I somehow smashed my 10K PR by running a 47:08. This was a couple of weeks before Chicago and really gave me a boost of confidence. I felt really good during that race and hoped I could feel that strong in Chicago.

Finally after so many months of dreaming and thinking about Chicago, the weekend arrived. I was traveling with several members of my run club who were also running the race. We had some going to support and sightsee as well. Having been to Chicago twice before, I knew my focus would be on the race and being as rested and prepared as possible. I really felt honored to be able to have the opportunity to run in what is considered one of the best marathons in the world. I remembered that day almost 11 months before when I received the email that my application had been accepted. I knew there were thousands others who had not been and who were sorely disappointed. I knew there were others who dreamed of finishing their six star journey but would have to wait another year. I felt a great responsibility to respect the opportunity I had been given, to respect the event itself by giving nothing but my absolute best. Although I wanted to enjoy the city with my friends, I also wanted to stay off my feet (that were flaring up badly with PF) and prepare mentally for the challenge before me.

We stayed at the JW Marriott which turned out to be a really good location. We were able to ride the subway right from the airport straight to the hotel. We ended up visiting the expo that day although some wanted to wait until the next day when the entire group arrived. When we first arrived at the expo, the lines were insane. It did not seem to be very well organized at all. I'm not sure what caused such a backup. We went ahead into the vendor area and it was quite crowded. There were some things I would have really liked to do or experience but all of the lines were so long and I'm just not much of a crowds person. I did stop to listen to a panel that was discussing race tips for the course but it wasn't really anything I didn't know or hadn't heard. When we got ready to leave the expo, the insane crowds that were there when we arrived had vanished and it looked to be very little, if any, wait to pick up packets. I decided to go ahead and get mine while the getting was good! Having the bib in hand made it all become even more real. One of my favorite displays at the expo was the Nike area which had a huge wall set up with their new motto "It's only a crazy dream until you do it." Then they had blank bibs where people could write their crazy dreams and place on the wall. I absolutely love this saying and how appropriate it is for my running journey. Less than three years ago, running a marathon wasn't even a blip on my radar screen and now I was in Chicago about to run my first world major marathon. My goal for Chicago was to run sub 4 hours, which was a little crazy, but the even crazier dream that I wrote on the blank bib to place on the wall was my secret dream to at some point in the near future quality for the Boston Marathon. You have to dream it and desire it before you can do it, no matter how out of reach and crazy it may sound to others or even yourself and that moment was really etched into my mind as I placed that secret and scary dream on the wall with thousands of others.

Chicago does a 5K the day before the marathon called the International 5K and it was relatively inexpensive to register so I had signed up months before with the intention of treating it as a shakeout run. Several others in my run crew that had traveled to Chicago to support also ran the 5K. Saturday morning was a torrential downpour and some storms so the 5K was delayed for about an hour or so but eventually the rain let up so we could get started. It was a fun race and followed certain portions of the course I would be running the next day. I ran with my friend Mel and really enjoyed the race and of course getting an additional medal to take home with me from the weekend! Initially my plan was stay off my feet after the 5K but when you're traveling with a group of people with other ideas sometimes things don't always go as you envision. I ended up going back to the expo and doing a lot more walking on Saturday than I wanted to. My feet were really starting to hurt and I was getting really worried that I had overdone it. After our pasta dinner at Giordano's near our hotel, I tried to spend the evening rolling my foot and using the Hypersphere on my calves but it didn't seem to be helping much. I was also a bit concerned what the weather would hold for us the next day. Rain was a possibility but the predicted timing kept changing.

I am the type of person that likes to err on the side of being too early even if it means getting up earlier. I don't remember the time I got up but I had a lot of preparations to make. I needed to braid my hair, tape my foot with Rocktape, make my Generation UCAN shakes and gels (a messy process in a hotel room I might add), roll my feet and calves one more time, and of course get dressed and make sure I had everything I needed in my gear check bag. I was in Corral F and many of the others in my group were in starting corrals further back so they did not plan on getting to the start area as early as me. We did however manage to take a group picture at the hotel before Tim (a running friend from St. Louis also in Corral F) and I headed to the start area. It was only a few minutes walk from our hotel and we were definitely plenty early. We passed a number of porta potties on our way to the gear check area but I wanted to wait a little longer before hitting one up. That was a mistake. We got near the gear check area and found a spot to camp out. I had a poncho on because sprinkles and rain were still a strong possibility. I also had a lightweight Brooks rain/wind jacket on and a long sleeve throw away shirt over my tank top. I didn't want to check my bag right away in case I needed something out or to put something in since we still had over an hour or so until we needed to head to our corral. Finally I decided to make my porta potty visit and asked Tim to watch my gear check bag until I got back. Stupidly I left my phone in the bag. When I got to the porta potties I had seen earlier, the line had suddenly multiplied into hundreds of people waiting. I got in line and soon realized it was moving very slowly. I then was faced with the dliemma....do I leave my spot here and try to find a shorter line? But what if all the lines are this long and I just wasted 20 minutes standing in this one? I decided to stick it out. I had a conversation with a Scottish man who told me all about the Tokyo Marathon and lack of facilities there. As I got closer to the front of the line, I was really beginning to worry about the time. I hadn't checked my bag and I was worried that I was holding Tim up from going to the bathroom or getting into the corral when he wanted to. I had been gone for quite awhile and I'm sure he was wondering what happened to me, but since I had left my phone with him, I couldn't update him. Then several runners who were supposed to start in the corrals of ahead of me started inching in and breathing down my neck as their corrals were about to close. They kept dropping hints about being allowed to cut in line and some were so bold as to try ease their way in front of me. Part of me wanted to be sympathetic but another part of me was really panicked about time too. Finally, finally, finally it was my turn. I did my business in record time and sprinted back to where I had left Tim waiting. Fortunately he was still there and still had my things. We quickly checked our stuff and headed for the corrals. We got in and had maybe 10 minutes until our start time! I still couldn't decide on how many layers I actually needed. I ended up tossing the long sleeve shirt and just wearing the tank and the thin Brooks jacket. Almost before I could wrap my mind around the fact that I was in the corral actually about to run 26.2 miles, I was moving toward the starting line and taking my first step across the timing pad. From then on, the race is somewhat of a blur in my memory.

Chicago Marathon often boasts about running through 29 neighborhoods of the city but I can't really remember anything vividly about the course. About mile 7-8, it started raining more heavily and my jacket was soaked. Around mile 9, my feet and hip started to hurt. I just remember being in pain from pretty much mile 9 on. Off on and on through the race it would rain again. It wasn't really cold but it wasn't comfortable with my jacket and feet being so wet. I could tell my Garmin was almost a mile off as well and that kind of messed with me mentally. I had a pace tattoo on my arm for a 3:45 finish and I used the tattoo along with the running time on my watch (not the splits) to kind of gauge at each mile marker if I was on track for a sub 4. I was a little surprised at how crowded the course was the entire 26.2 miles. There was never really a part of the course where it opened up and I wasn't having to watch out for people's elbows or them suddenly stopping which is a little frustrating to me. I don't like running in crowded spaces, which is why I think I often run so much faster in races....I am constantly trying to get around people to some open space. The crowd support was okay but I'm sure the rainy day limited many people from coming out. I vaguely remember Chinatown being one of the more energetic areas of the course but again, most of the course is pretty blurry in my mind. About the last 3-4 or miles, my quads started to really hurt. This was strange because I generally don't have any pain or soreness in my quads. The miles seemed to really crawl by those last few miles. I could tell that I was on track for a sub 4 but it was pretty close and I couldn't let up at all or I might miss it by a small margin and that would be devastating. I continued to try to push through the pain and fatigue to hold a consistent pace at 9:00 or less.

Chicago is known for being a flat course except for one incline at the very end right before you make a turn toward the finish line. The incline definitely wasn't welcomed at that point in the race but I attacked it knowing the finish line would be right around the corner. It was a surreal feeling knowing that this event that I trained for months for was almost over. That finish line moment that I spent hundreds of hours and miles preparing for was about to happen. Most importantly, I was about to be able to give myself permission to stop running! It is such a relief to finish and be able to slow to a walk. Of course then the stiffness and soreness hits you like a Mack truck. It almost seemed anti-climactic to get my medal and hobble through the finish chutes. I got my snacks and water and shuffled slowly to the gear check. I was wet and cold and hurting. I had brought a dry shirt and jacket to change into. I found a spot on a bench and sat down. I knew it would be awhile before anyone else I was with finished. I changed my top but what I had brought wasn't near warm enough. I had the foil sheet too but because I was still rather wet and there was a breeze and the temps were pretty cool, I was quite cold. I wasn't all that impressed with the food provided for it to be such a big race. I can't remember but I think there was a banana, protein bar, and maybe some pretzels or something. I think a Gatorade and water. I had some of that and then headed to the reunite area to start waiting for my crew to show up. I finally got my phone out and checked my official time and was so relieved and proud and happy to see that I had finished in 3:55, five minutes under my goal and 32 minutes faster than my first marathon.

I ended up standing or sitting on the curb near that reunite area for almost another 4-5 hours after I finished the race. In retrospect, I should have gone back to the hotel, taken a hot shower, dressed warmly, gotten some decent food and hydration in my system and come back. But I wanted to be supportive of my friends that were still running and wanted to be there when they finished. However, I think this decision had a really negative impact on my recovery. I was in so much pain by the time I finally left for the hotel hours later and I continued to be in pain much longer than I was in my first marathon in the following days. I don't think I have ever been that miserable. It was a long, slow walk back to the hotel but a hot shower and warm clothes did help some.

Although I was in extreme pain, it was still rewarding to see my running mates finish one by one. and find us in the reunite area. We had 10 runners in our group and all 10 finished. For some, it was their first marathon and for others it was our second, but it was still an amazing thing to experience with those you train with and grow to love as family. There is something about sharing a marathon journey that creates a special bond. No one understands the sacrifices, the pain, the sense of accomplishment more than those running in step beside you throughout the whole process. It was so incredible to greet each one of them with that medal around their neck and to know just how hard they fought for it. We each had our own battles, our own obstacles, our own things to overcome so seeing those medals filled me with so much pride and love for my run crew.

That evening we were to meet up with runners from the Dallas Running Club for a post-race meal. I ended up leading us to the wrong location on foot, which might have been good to do some walking; however, an Uber was necessary to get to the correct location. We were served immediately family-style and it felt good to get real food in my system. I had to head back to the hotel soon after as I had an early morning flight back to Dallas and needed to gather up my things. I was also anxious to get some sleep as I know sleep is the one thing that helps me recover fastest.

I didn't get enough though and it would take me a few days back in Dallas to really get rid of the soreness and stiffness. Again, I think if I had done a better job at recovering post-race it might not have been so rough and I've really been conscious of that in races since.

So after almost a year of dreaming, training, planning, sacrificing, and putting one foot in front of the other for mile after mile after mile....it was over. Chicago Marathon 2018 was in the books and my name is forever among the finishers. I can say that I have run one of the world's top marathons and that gives me a lot of confidence as a runner, as a coach, and as a running enthusiast/influencer. But that was just the first star of six that I hope to obtain in this lifetime. Participating in such an elite event only gives you a hunger for more. Just three weeks after Chicago, I would run the Strava/NYRR Virtual 26.2 in order to earn a spot in the 2019 NYC Marathon. So as quickly as Chicago ended, new dreams began to form....this time even riskier, crazier, and bolder. After all, arriving at one goal is just the starting point to the next.