Chicago Marathon 2019

In 2011 when I last ran the Chicago Marathon I had a completely different mindset. I was running Chicago as my 4th marathon of the year and would close out the 2011 year with 6 in my legs not including the run portion of an Ironman mixed in. Chicago 2011 would be my fastest marathon of that year finishing in 2:57 shaving 2:00 off my time from my first sub 3 hour clocking earlier this year in the Kalamazoo Marathon. Going back to Chicago had some significance.

Before we fast forward to the race - it’s worth noting and sharing that the last 2 years have been tough for my running. At the California INternational Marathon in 2016 I ran 2:39:01 and felt like I had more to give in my next round of training. I put CIM on the calendar again in 2017 as it would fit well with Junior Olympics/ Wedding/ life at the end of the year. In Mid-September 2017 I broke the 2nd metatarsal of my left foot and I did my best to save my fitness. Knowing that CIM was out of the question, I decided to put my PR to use and run Boston 2018. If you know Boston 2018 then you know that blowing winds, temps in the 30’s on top of injury, and the Boston course - I willed myself to a 3:05 finish but we deflated with how far I had fallen from 2:39.

Fast Forward to 2019 - A bumpy start to the training year had me working through weird nerve issues in my left fibular head, leading training groups, growing 2 businesses, and finding it harder and harder to get out the door. In the 12 weeks leading up to Chicago I would fit in a 5 day pacing effort at Tahoe 200, 2 days of Pacing at Leadville 100, an 8 day trip to Nova Scotia, speaking over 3 days at a conference and very little time to make my own training a priority. I was excited by all of these commitments and trips, I did my best to run when I could. In that 12 weeks I managed 16 miles, once - 10 miles at Waterton Canyon in the morning and a second 6 mile run in the evening. It was as far as I could push myself, I felt like I was up against a wall - I just didn’t want to do these long runs. I loathed them, I found myself doing ANYTHING other than the hard thing. It felt like my love and desire for running was slipping away. It was even a little sad and yet I knew deep down that I needed a little smack in the ass to get myself going again.

TL;DR - Chicago Marathon Report

This was a quick trip in Friday afternoon out Sunday evening back to work on Monday. We’re releasing a really exciting product soon and it needs my time and attention right now so this trip felt quick. Joe and Graham were kind enough to host me at their home and share the Team 2 End Aids start and finish hospitality area their team had reserved.

Preparing for this race felt foreign but as this was my 39th, I dressed for the changing weather and wind and packed 2 sleeves of Shot Bloks and 2 Spring Energy Gels. The start corrals were crowded and entering them was like entering a circle pit at a Death Metal Concert everyone was warming up in the start corral trying to do their best to stay warm and get their bodies prepared for the next 26.2 miles. I hopped into the madness and before long I got eyes on the pacers - these were faces I knew. Ken Brooks and Chris Gregory - 2 regulars in the Michigan running scene and 2 people I missed running with and racing against since moving to Colorado in 2013. They would be the 2 people leading the charge towards a 2:59:xx race. I had almost no nerves at the race start which was a nice relief after the mounting anxiety of the prior 3 days. I prepared my mind for significant discomfort and waited for the gun.

We shuffled towards the start line and I told myself that my #1 goal was to push myself to my limit to stay with the sub 3 hour group. Stay with them for as long as I could until I broke or I broke through and felt good enough to pass them. The first 10 miles went by quickly, one pee break with Ken took us about 2 miles to catch back up and we were collected with the group by 8 miles. I found that my headspace was very foggy and solely focused on staying within sight of that wagging 3:00 sign in front of me. I wasn’t hungry but I shoveled in calories whenever I saw others doing so - this was abnormal - I normally have a very regimented plan and have a very sharp and focused mind on race day.

By 13 I had to pee again and I stopped as quickly as possible before re entering the course. I knew that this could potentially be the last time I would see this group and we hadn’t even gotten to the tough stuff. OVer the next 2 miles I methodically pushed the pace on legs that were getting progressively tighter and more uncomfortable. In my mind I knew if I got back to the group I could hang on until the finish. I recollected by 16.5 and found myself jockeying from the front of the group by 10-15 feet. The rhythm was weird for me and I was desperately trying to avoid potholes and stay with the tangents (and I still ran .9 extra miles!).

By 20 my mind wanted to starting making deals - “at 5K to go you can put your headphones in” and by 22 I found some energy and moved to the front of the group with my mind thinking “you should push to ensure you’re ahead of the group”. I got a little ahead of the group and I felt like I had pushed too hard and was doing something unsustainable. My internal limited was intimately aware of where we were in this race and told me to fall back in the group. I would try one more effort off the front at 25 before my legs and mind resigned to sitting in the pack through the finish - the fight was there but the legs were not! I crossed the finish line in 2:59:07 capturing a reach goal of a sub hour race and a PB time since breaking my foot. It was motivating to watch the results of my athletes roll in as I slowly made my way back to the T2 Hospitality area, cramping along the way. I felt like I walked away from this race with a renewed sense of self, I have run 39 marathons, over 1000 marathon miles. I wasn’t broken and I could do hard things! I could put myself and my needs first and not miss out, in fact - I could succeed. This last idea needs more work and attention in the coming weeks and months.

For now, I will celebrate and rest my body. I asked a lot of it over the final miles and I can still feel that soreness that I think I secretly craved all along.