Chicago: BofA Chicago Marathon
Back in my post about the Big Sur Marathon in California, I mentioned that when I was looking to start this 50 states journey, I had researched all the must do marathons in the US. The Chicago Marathon was another on that list but again it had to come in the form of some "luck" with a lottery entry. In 2015, my good friend Mike (who you may remember from Georgia Marathon) had a guaranteed entry into Chicago from a previous BQ time that he completed in 2014. He had offered to let me have his bib, but I decided that I rather just have my name show in the results especially with this goal of all 50 states. I was not selected in 2015, but I didn't have to wait to much longer as just a day before heading to California I received the "entry approved" email. I was heading to Chicago in October!
Race: Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Race: Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: October 9, 2016
Finishing Time: 4:31:26
My initial goals
when I broke them out throughout the year was to try and race Chicago because
it was a faster course and gave me a good possibility of capturing a new PR at
the marathon. However, after all my training for the North Country 50 miler, my
body was in a bit of a funk and decided that I would just use Chicago as an
enjoyable race capping off an amazing year of running. With that thought I just
keep training to manageable levels not over doing it and risking injury for
2017.
Mike actually
lives in Chicago and he was using this race to once again go for Boston. In
2014, he ran an impressive 3:04, but it ended up being less than a minute off
of the weighted time qualification needed for the Boston Marathon. This did not
sit well with him and he was determined to run a 2:55 this year. With that
being said, I decided that since he gave me motivation leading up to and before
the race when he paced me I would do the same for him. Few weeks before I kept
following up with him, getting his mind right, keeping him focused, grounded
and not to anxious.
The Friday before
the race, I left work early for Kaela, Bella, and I to drive the 5 1/2 hours up
to Chicago. Mike was actually flying in from D.C. for work, so our plan was to
arrive at similar times into Chicago and either pick him up from the airport or
just meet directly at the Expo. We ended up hitting some pretty bad traffic
just outside of Chicago on this "shortcut" I thought I had found (I
was wrong) so we ended up arriving about 90 minutes later than anticipated. I decided that it would be better to just met
Mike directly at his condo, dropped off our things and then Mike and I headed
off to the expo.
Now this was my
first experience at a World Marathon Major, and what a difference it is with
the overall race organization, especially with the Expo. After walking for
what seemed like forever through the convention center, got checked in and
picked up our participant bags. We spent some time walking around the vendors
trying some samples and picking up some free swag. We made a stop at the pace
group area to "register" for a pace group. They had pace band tattoos
with to keep on track with splits so I grabbed a few in different time goals to
use for this race and a few future races (hey they were free). Before leaving
Mike suggested that I try to get moved up in the corrals to prevent having to
stand even longer waiting for the start. All it took was a quick ask to a nice
gentlemen and like that I moved up into the first wave! We left the expo and
made a quick stop by the grocery store, picked up some food from Flo and Santos
before heading back to his condo to eat and calling it a night.
The next morning
Mike and I went on a typical "day prior" loosen up run to let it all
out before spending the day carb loading. He took me over by Grant park where
the Start/Finish would be set up. They had the area blocked off already as they
prepared to set it all up, but we found a back way and actually made it to the
finish line area. Since we "crossed" a barrier (that we probably
shouldn't have) we were having an issue trying to find a way out of the fenced
in area. As we approached a side street, a security guard motioned to us and
said that we shouldn’t be in there and nicely pointed us out. We wrapped back
around to Mikes condo before doing the final part of the day before run,
sprints!
Now Mike showed me
this technique when prepping for Atlanta where we do a series of sprints at
full effort to break down our bodies prior to carb loading. Since this was more
of a time goal for Mike than myself I only did a few, and spent the rest of them
pushing and firing up Mike. I wanted to give back to him all that he did for me
in Georgia with encouragement and confirmation of his hard work up until this
point. After the sprints, we made our back to the condo where Mike made us some
delicious banana pancakes to start of the day of eating.
Since Mike set up my
prep plan for Georgia marathon, I have used the same plan for every race since.
I spend the day eating bagels with jelly, cheerios, and cranberry juice. Let me
tell you how much I love eating that all day. We took a quick walk to Fleet
Feet and pet store to get Kaela and Bella out the condo for some fresh air.
Mike wanted to save his legs so he rode his bike slowly next to us. Kaela and I
then extended our walk to show her the lake and the areas around Solider Field.
I thought I knew of a "shortcut" to make it back to Mikes condo since
I didn't want to spend a lot of time on my feet, but that ended up turning into
almost 4 miles of walking after my morning run. I was more upset with myself
and already making excuses before the race had even started. We made it back to
the condo and spent the evening relaxing and catching up before enjoying dinner
with one of Mike's friends that was also running the race. After some
stretching and final prep of gear, it was time to get some sleep!
Well the plan was to
get some sleep. Kaela, Bella, and I slept on an air mattress that did not
equate to a very satisfying nights sleep. Feeling tired, I forced myself up and
to work on consuming the 300g + of carbs
I needed in the morning, then moving along to getting dressed. The weather was
looking great for the day with a cool start and just starting to warm up
towards the finish. Mike was able to snag some throwaway scrubs that made us
look like marshmallow men but they sure were going to keep us toasty as we
waited for the race start. I made sure Kaela knew the "spectator
plan" for the day before gathering my items and heading out the door. In
order to not lose our precious free parking spot (parking in Chicago is a
nightmare) we opted to taking an Uber just 1.5 miles to the start. Bag drop,
loosen up sprints, quick stretching, and it was time to line up in the corrals.
I told Mike to focus on his goal and run his race before letting him head to where
all the fast people start and staying back with "my people".
It was unlike any
race I had ever done before. All around me in all directions there were tens of
thousands of runners preparing to take on Chicago. In the middle of it all, I
actually ran into a fellow Possum from home that was in my corral. We chatted for
a little bit but I soon found out that he had a faster goal than me (he was
shooting for sub 4 and me just sub 4:30)
so I let him know not to try and wait for me if we get separated heading
to starting line. A few minutes before the start, I said a quick prayer for
protection and endurance, sheding my extra layer of clothes, had my starting
gel and waiting for the starting gun to go off.
Now I don't know why
I didn't think about it before shedding clothes, but with this many runners it
was going to take a good little bit for me to even arrive at the starting line
even with being in the earlier wave. I started to get a little cold in just my
tank but bounced around a good bit to keep the blood flowing. It took about 16
minutes but I finally made it to the start…
LETS DO THIS!
It was so strange
because with how many people were around me in the corral, when the race
started we split into what I think was 6 total lanes of road and it felt like I
was running a small town race with how little people were close by. I had the
worry initially that I was going to be on top of people for at least the first
few miles but it thinned out quickly due to the size of the roads that were on
the course.
The course instantly
starts down hill heading down the road and underground under the river. It was
funny seeing the amount of guys that must not have been able to get a
porta-potty before the start, just peeing along the walls. One thing that
wasn't funny was the smell of a few hundred people doing the same thing. Coming
out of the tunnel we took a left through some downtown street when we hit the 1
mile marker. Now because of heading under the road and then being around tall
buildings my watch was all over the place saying at some points I was running
mid 5 min miles (which no way that’s true). Good thing I picked up those
tattoos because I was able to compare my overall watch time to each mile marker
and take a look to see where I stood on my pace goal.
We made our way
through some downtown streets crossing the Chicago River for the second of four
total times. Kaela was to set up to see us just after the 2 mile marker and
then head over to the half marathon mark. As I turned the corner of where I
thought she would be I didn't see her but rather the hundreds of other
spectators lining the streets. There were areas that went 3-4 people deep. At
that point I knew it would be a long shot to see her while during while running
but hopefully she has the opportunity to see me.
Kaela and Bella soaking up the sun |
The next 5 miles
were spent heading North through various neighborhoods. This is where to me the
race really opened up as people had gotten into their grove and were focused
running their race. The only time it seemed a little congested were at the aid
stations as we had to dodge the cups on the ground to prevent slipping and
causing a pile up. I spent these miles just taking in the areas and just
enjoying a beautiful day to run. There is something about running in a new
place and rather than picking out all the little familiar points, just taking
each step and glance for what it is, a new experience.
Two left turns and
we were headed back towards downtown. Around mile 9, I felt this smack on my
ass. My buddy Chad had caught up to me after starting in a corral behind me. He
said he was having some watch issues so had no idea how fast he was going and after
some quick math in my head, I told him it was too fast. He laughed it off and
just kept on his pace and before I knew it he was out of sight. Me on the other
hand, I knew exactly where I was standing (thanks to my handy pace tattoos) and
was sitting around 10 minutes ahead of pace which was comfortable cushion for
me.
I was feeling great
as the miles were just clicking by. I just took in the environment block and
after block heading through Lincoln Park and Old Town. As we made in back
downtown, I was approaching the next stop that Kaela was set up taking photos.
I was able to spot her this time standing on a raised curb, but she instead of
using my camera, she was using her phone to capture pictures. Come to find out
after the race, the camera got set to manual focus and she could not figure out
how to change the setting back. Just after seeing her, I hit the 13.1 mark and
did a quick overview of how my body was holding up. The temperature started to
warm up but overall everything was working smooth and I felt like I was still
moving at a comfortable pace.
Mike cruising through miles early on |
The next few miles
were covered in spectators and helped me keep my focus off of the running and
just enjoying all that was around. One thing that I clearly remember from this
stretch was the quality of the aid stations and the volunteers running them. Everyone
was on point handing out fluid and keeping the trash off the street as much as
possible. They were cheering and motivating everyone as they went through which
definitely made the run that much more enjoyable. Just before mile 18, there
was a PowerBar aid station so I grabbed a few additional gels in case I needed
them later on (which I would).
Chad rocking the same Possum tank as me |
The temperatures
slowly started to creep warmer and warmer, and I could tell that my body was
feeling it as I was dropping pace with each passing mile. After clearing
through Chinatown (another spot that I missed seeing Kaela), my left quad
started to tighten up. I told myself that it was in my head and that 22 miles
in its supposed to hurt, but my leg had other plans as it went into almost a
complete lock. I instantly took a gel in hopes to have some sugars loosen it
all up. I took a look at my watch and decided to give myself a 2.5 minute walk
break before starting back up. Once my time was up, I went into what seemed
like a slo-mo pace that brought lots of discomfort. I ran up the overpass
crossing the expressway and down State street before walking again on 35th
heading to Michigan Ave.
At this point I knew
that I was losing a lot of time from getting off pace, but my leg was not
wanting to play along with the whole "running" thing. I would take
off feeling strong and just a few minutes in would have to battle to walk with
out a limp with my quad locking up. Looking at everyone around me, I could tell
that it was a common theme, the heat was getting to people and caused this
final stretch up Michigan to be more difficult than anticipated. I kept moving
forward as fast as I can, telling myself that once I get to the mile 25 marker,
that I would push hard for the last 1.2.
Right as I started
up again, I spotted Kaela on the side cheering me on and that was all the
motivation I needed to push through the pain. As I made it closer to the
finish, you could hear the roars from the crowds that were gathered in the last
half a mile. I needed that encouragement because as Mike had told me before,
the "climb" to the finish is not something to take lightly. I turned
off Michigan, avoiding race officials that were in middle of road kicking off
people without bibs, and headed straight up hill for what seemed like forever.
I shortened my stride and just powered through, picking off runners one by one.
One last left turn and I coasted downhill all the way through the finish!
4:31:26
The feeling when I
crossed the finish line was one of pure satisfaction. Sure, I didn't hit the
4:30 goal for the day, but it just summed up an amazing year of running and I
was able to do it healthy. I made my way through the every long finishers area,
getting my medal, some fruit and carb snacks, and of course finishing it off
with a wonderful beer from Goose Island. I continued toward the "family
reunion" area to meet up with Mike and check to see how he did. When I saw
him I instantly knew that something must have happened because he didn’t look
happy. He said he started to get into some cramping issues around mile 14 and
decided that wasn't worth injuring himself and backed off his goal pace. He
still finished in an amazing 3:15:37. So he had made decision that he would
just try again a few weeks later in Indianapolis to get his BQ (which he did!).
We had a slow walk
the 1.5 miles back to his condo, and just talked about the race and ways to
improve and how to prepare him for Indy a few weeks later. It was a great talk
that helped keep my mind off my pain, and before I knew it we were back at the
condo. We cleaned up, packed up, and made our way out to get a nice burger and beer for lunch. The
three of us chatted about the race bringing up our highs and lows, and also
talked about future race plans. After lunch, we dropped Mike off at the train
station so he could get to an event he had that evening, and we made the 6 hour
journey back to Ohio.
So delicious!!! |
The Chicago marathon
wrapped up an amazing 2016 for me in running. On the drive home Kaela and I
discussed plans for a tough 2017 but would result in putting a nice dent in my
list of states and maybe even another country ;)! Just want to say a quick thanks
to Mike for letting us stay with him and I look forward to our next race
together.
Next stop was
supposed to be in Jackson, Mississippi but due to crazy weather and a cancelled
race, we will see you in Myrtle Beach!