Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Chicago Marathon, the Main Event! (part 2)

Welcome back to Part 2 of my 2012 Chicago Marathon Journey.  You can read part 1 HERE.

I ran the 2011 Chicago Marathon and it was a blast, so much that when my L told me he signed up for the 2012 edition, I went straight to my PC and signed myself up.  Ever since registering earlier this year, I had been looking forward to running this year's Chicago Marathon with my man. There was no doubt in my mind that after running my goal race- the Fox Valley Marathon that I would support my best friend 3 weeks later in the Chicago Marathon for his first marathon ever.

The Race

This race was entirely about him. 

I think everything went as smoothly as it possibly could. It's always a challenge to run with someone else- different fitness levels, pace, injuries, etc play a big role in compatibility of running partners.  We would run together at least once a week during our training which I enjoyed immensely.  Going into this race, our goal was to finish healthy.  And we did.

The first half went great, we were cruising along and enjoying the race atmosphere and crowd support. Next thing I know after 13.1 I hear L tell me he needed to walk because of various pains.  I was heartbroken for my L, who had dilligently followed Hal Higdons marathon plan to get him to the finish "with a smile on his face." L made the decision to take the 2nd half much easier than the first because he didn't want any lasting damage to whatever was hurting. And for that (among many other reasons) I am proud.

We mainly walked the 2nd half. It was a long day, it was cold, it was taxing on our bodies, but we finished this marathon with smiles on our faces.



I took 200+ photos during this race. Here is a slideshow of some of the photos from our 26.2 journey.

Sights/ Sounds

The neighboorhoods are all unique and amazing. From the drag queens in Boystown, to the Dragons in China town, to the Mexican dancers in Pilsen, Chicago is shown off in this gem of a race.  Crowd support is like none other. The signs made "run like your butt is on fire" to "Your training lasted longer tham Kim K's marriage" to "My arms hurt, how's your legs" were all hilarious.

Beer at Mile 23
The Hash House Harriers were handing out beer at mile 23, and I gladly accepted a cup. It went down like sweet nectar of the Gods. Delicious.

Post Race

I cant stop smiling and saying how proud of L I am. His job isnt compatibile with the time suck of marathon training due to travelling, but he made time for it. He isn't into running like I am (which is absolutely fine)-  he made an excellent effort to do the work necessary to be a successful marathoner. We made the most out of the less than ideal situation and made it work for us. We held hands, danced "Gangnam Style" and enjoyed the moment as much as we could.

Thoughts

Ive always respected runners/ walkers of any and all abilities because just getting out there is one hell of an achievement. Running a 6+ hour marathon is in some ways much harder than the 3:40 I ran 3 weeks prior. Mentally and physically it's tough to be going that long especially when things aren't going according to plan. The encouragement we received from (and gave to)  other runners and volunteers was amazing even 5+ hours into the race. People were cheering like they had just started. Their energy was infectious.

More Thoughts

This marked my slowest marathon time to date. But #7 will never be known as a PW, instead it will always be known as my PF- Personal Favorite. I;ve seriously never been so excited to run a race as I was to run Chicago with my partner. Time was never important, only being together through to the finish was.

Injuries/ House Keeping

This race was the first time I had run in 3 weeks (Fox Valley was the last) Wanted to give my ankle issues time to heal.

The ankle was a little cranky for most of the race, although at somepoint I stopped noticing the mild pain. 2 days later, it isnt in any more pain than pre race, although it has discomfort in a different place now.

My left ITB was hurting again during the race. The first time it started being cranky was Fox Valley. Ive never had an issue with this before ever, but now after 2 runs having ITB crap, im going to have to buy a strap or find exercises to do to stregthen my knee.

Took Gatorade prime/ Salt tab pre race

Gu @ mile 10

Salt at mile 12?

2 Goose Island 312 beers immediately post race.

1 day out, left ITB is tight and has discomfort when bending, ankle hurts higher on the leg than before (but seems MUCH better- i could absolutely go run 4-7 miles, but am not sure if it would be beneficial to it healing)   My fall running is currently on hold until these issues get sorted out.

-XAAR

21 comments:

  1. I enjoyed your slideshow, especially the pictures of the motivational signs. Hilarious. I also agree that doing a 6+ hour marathon brings about a host of different challenges than doing a faster one. It is cool that so many spectators were still out cheering their lungs out even after 5 hours. Anyway, congrats on your PF. Sounds like you made tons of great memories!

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    1. Thank you! My Dad is complaining that the photos go too fast haha

      It was a fun but long day :)

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  2. Congrats to L! So happy he was smart and did what he needed to to finish!

    I love your slideshow! So many good sign pics in there. I like "My arms are tired, how are your legs?" LOL, people are so clever. And the poop jokes always make me laugh :)

    Love that this is your PF! :) Long marathons ARE hard!

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    1. No room to be negative with a PW for this one. :)

      Poop jokes make me laugh too- hell, all of those signs were great and in a delirious state of marathoning, perhaps I laughed way too much at them!

      Thank you for the kind words. :)

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  3. LOVE your slide show! I saw my butt! And the girl with the DO EPIC SHIT sign is Andrea (who was at Fox Valley too - do you know her? she rocks!).

    I have so many of the same thoughts about this race as you. It was awesome on a whole 'nother level to run for someone else. Congrats to you and L!

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    1. Not fair - I did not get to see Bobbi's butt ONCE during the marathon!

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    2. I cant believe I saw you out there. Like totally crazy! In a sea of 45,000 people I spot you.. Mainly because you both had on those awesome skirts. :)

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  4. I love love LOVE your slide show! You did a fantastic job capturing the spirit of the day. I completely relived my own experience through your pictures. I recognized a lot of the signs that you photographed, too. =)

    SO PROUD OF YOU AND L!!! Once again, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS and LET THE CELEBRATION CONTINUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    1. We both thank you and congratulate you again, marathoner Emily :) Once we are healed, we can go for a nice cold run on the lakefront!!

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  5. Such amazing pictures!! And yes is is SO hard to run/walk a 6 hour marathon. Its downright brutal, and anyone who does it willingly to help someone they love is a hero! This was a really fun race. Huge congrats to both of you! Hope you heal quickly!!

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    1. I'm a little bit sad that I missed YOUR butt on the course too. I totally would have drank a bloody mary with you!

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  6. That slideshow is so fun, I can't believe how many photos you took. Mimicking what Emily said, I felt like I was running the race again!

    Congratulations! It was lovely to meet you at Flat Top!

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    1. It was nice meeting you too! Im glad you liked the slideshow, my dad is complaining the photos are too quick :)

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  7. Love the slideshow! I forget where I heard/read this, but someone said the Chicago Marathon is a great race to do for the experience; but if you want to PR/BQ, pick a smaller, quieter race. After running the marathon, I definitely agree. There were a few times during the race where my heart rate was lower than I could/should have done because I was reading the signs, taking in the sights, looking for my family, etc, and not actually paying attention to my running. If you focus too much on your time, you'll miss a lot! I feel like I did miss a lot as it was! There was just SO MUCH going on. I feel like a good strategy for Chicago would be to approach it almost like a fartlek - run fast during the "boring" parts, and slow down during the exciting parts (Boystown, Pilsen, Chinatown and lots of other stretches).

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    1. Thanks!

      You make some great points. Last year when I was in Corral D, my dad and I started somewhere in the middle of it. Within the first half mile I got tripped by some jerk weaving through people and almost hit the pavement if it wasnt for someone who grabbed my shirt and kept me from getting trampled. This race is more for enjoyment- so many awesome sights to see. I really like your fartlek idea. Might have to try that next year :)

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  8. That slideshow is the bomb dot com! And seriously, I love this post. I love that L completed his first marathon and that the two of you did it together! It makes me smile!

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  9. Loved the slideshow. Glad that the race was a PF! :)It is so awesome that you were able to run a marathon with L!!! Great job to both of you!

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  10. The slideshow was super fun to watch! Loved it!

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  11. FUN slideshow, that's a great idea for showing off photos!!

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  12. and PS congrats on a PF race :) I would imagine that would be SO much more difficult than a fast, healthy race!!

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  13. PF! Copyright it! If my guy ever ran a race with me, it would probably be a PF....but for the good of his body (angry knees after mile 5) I don't think it will ever happen.

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