Two World Marathon Majors races in two weeks may not have been one of my soundest ideas. I can honestly say that I had a great time at the Chicago Marathon. It’s bittersweet to complete my races as a Chicago Distance Series ambassador – it’s been a great 6 months filled with awesome opportunities, new friends and so much fun. Coming off Berlin and a 12 day trip, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel but it was a a ton of fun start to finish.
Pre-Race
The week leading up to the race was just amazing. On Thursday, I was on a panel with ambassador Adrian Walker and podcast host Lindsey Hein to talk about my experience as an ambassador and runner in the Chicago running community. I briefly met Olympic medalists Galen Rupp and Molly Seidel and grabbed a photo with Molly.
Friday, I volunteered at the expo and met up with Amanda. In the evening, I met up with a bunch of friends and saw the taping of Kara Goucher and Des Linden’s podcast Nobody Asked Us at Fleet Feet Chicago.
On Saturday, I led an awesome shake-out with Arc’teryx Chicago and Latinas Run Chicago. Then, I met a friend for coffee and got to go to the press room at the Hilton (and got an “elite” bib – well, my name at least). At the Hilton, I met Laura Green (an hilarious running influencer) and Olympic champion Matt Centrowitz. They were both so nice! I was on cloud nine.
I went home and got everything ready for the race before dinner. Before I knew it, I was setting the alarm for race day.
Race Day
I took the el to Grant Park. I got to go to the Skyline Hospitality tent as a race ambassador and met Adrian there. It was so nice with lots of amenities. It will be hard to go back to the masses next year.
I headed out to the corrals and ran into Brooke. That felt like good luck. It was super crowded and I wound up outside of the corral with about 100 people until it the corral ahead of us moved up. People were pretty calm and we just chatted nervously until we got in!
Since the pace group I planned to run with was one corral behind me, I had to swim upstream to get to them. My friend Cynthia was leading the 3:55 group and they were planning to run a negative split (something I have NEVER done). I committed to trying to stick with them after the London Marathon in April.
The corrals were really crowded but the first mile was not too bad. I ran with the 3:55 group. Once we got to the first big turn, we started passing a lot of people who were in the two corrals ahead of us and it became a bit tougher to stay with the group. The first 5K passed uneventfully, but there was a lot of weaving and pushes to get back to the group.
When we got to mile 4, I was a bit ahead and realized that it was stressing me out to keep with the group. I saw Charlotte (as I was asking the people in the crowd to move back from the street) and got ready to head to Lincoln Park. I saw Cynthia W. and her husband volunteering and enjoyed the crowds. Just before mile 6, I saw Fernanda ahead of me and called out to her. We ran together until mile 13!
The Husband and our good friends are always at Mile 6.5 (near our apartment). Stacy got a great shot of me (and a bit of Fernanda). I then crossed over to my building and was cheered by some neighbors and Jennifer from Fluid Running.
I looked for Laura, Elizabeth and Kat, but didn’t see them. I saw runner friends (and sisters) Susana and Violeta in the race and cheered them on. Carla spotted me as always at mile 8. I found Fernanda again (after briefly losing her by my apartment) and we ran into Boystown. I saw my winter training partner Meredith and enjoyed the crowds. I missed the cheerleaders this year – were they there?!
The Husband and our crew were at Mile 9 again. I have this same photo from the last four years (in the same outfit). It always makes me smile. This year, Fernanda is in it, too! I smiled through my ‘hood and enjoyed the signs and cheers. A fave was a Doodle with a sign around his neck that said “I’m proud of my dad!”
As we headed south, I missed Lori, Justine and Megan O. (She got us on video). I did see Renee and then Carolyn and Michael as we ran through Lincoln Park to Old Town. Sasha and Bobby were near mile 11 with a small bottle of Gatorade, as promised. I took it and sipped on it until 35K! It was so nice not to have to get it at the (sticky) aid stations.
In Old Town, I saw Beth and Dana. I was still feeling pretty good and took a quick bathroom break with Fernanda when she decided to go. The 3:55 group passed us while we stopped, so I wasn’t able to reconnect with them.
We continued downtown to the halfway mark together. Just after the half, Fernanda got ahead of me and I told her to go for it. Soon, I saw Ron and Ela (her family) and just kept moving. Before I knew it I was at mile 16 – with “only” 10 miles to go. I still felt good and was passing people (even though my splits show me going slower.)
I enjoyed the music, crowds and signs. It was a very festive atmosphere, as always. The clouds kept coming and going so at some points I felt too hot and sometimes not. In the sunny spots, I drank half the water and poured the rest over my head.
I enjoyed the Pilsen neighborhood and looked for friends. Jeff caught me before mile 18. I saw Zenaida and smiled for photos at 30K because I think my friend Maria was one of the Marathon Foto photographers.
I knew a lot of run crews were at and after mile 20. A man named Eddie passed me and hyped me up for it. I saw Kim and the 3run2 crew and Ramsey got this amazing photo. The energy from this crew, Heartbreak, 7 on Sundays and November Project was a godsend! I got some great cheers from Nez, too.
Before I knew it, I was at mile 23. Just over 5K to go. I kept reminding myself that I could run 5K any day. I saw Maureen and Cliff around mile 24 and the crowds were electric. My pace had slowed a bit, but I was still passing plenty of people. I had a good attitude and felt strong.
At mile 25, I could not stop smiling. I smiled all of the way to the end (even up “Mount” Roosevelt). And just like that I was crossing the finish line.
I chatted with other runners and got my Chicago Distance Series medal before returning to the hospitality area.
I felt strong and happy for the whole race. My finish time was 4:04.28 (9:19/mile). While this was my second slowest Chicago of 7, I’m proud of my run. I had a positive mindset for the whole race and truly enjoyed it. I was even 3 minutes faster than Berlin two weeks ago. This was my 65th marathon, 7th Chicago and third marathon finish this year. It marked day 1,740 of my run streak. Next stop NYC Marathon on November 3rd.
So many thanks to everyone who cheered, sent messages, trained with me and supported me this year (and for the last 25+ years of marathons!) I’m so lucky to have you all and am grateful to still be out there and able to finish with a smile after all of these years.
And if you’re still reading this… THANK YOU for all of the love and support.