Chicago Marathon Recap

Standing at the start line of the Chicago marathon was one of the most exciting experiences I’ve had in racing. Everyone was hyped up and thrilled to return to big races! I was equally as excited and tried to focus on that instead of the higher-than-normal temperatures for the day.

The Chicago marathon proved to be an incredible experience despite the worry over those high temperatures. The wind was a bit strong at some points and the weather wasn’t the best, but as a South Carolinian, I was well prepared for the conditions. Many of my runs occurred in 98-100% humidity with temperatures in the 70s.

When the race began for my corral, I was very pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to dodge people for several miles. We were spread out enough and the people around me were moving at a similar pace. As I had been warned, my GPS watch went bonkers for quite some time due to the tall buildings. To prepare for this, I focused on my race pace in many training runs and really paid attention to the rhythm and feel of 7:20 min/mi. Also, I strategically placed myself somewhere between the 3 hour 10 min pacer and the 3 hours 15 minute pacer. I wasn’t sure if I could keep this pace with temperatures in the mid-70s, but the only way to find out was to try!

The sights of Chicago were so awesome! I loved seeing all of the big buildings, the beautiful neighborhoods, and many locals entertaining the runners. Crowd support was absolutely AMAZING! There were funny and inspirational signs, kids handing out water, people screaming and yelling, and music. It was such an exciting atmosphere and I also LOVED having my cousin there as she lives in Chicago.

Somewhere around mile 18 or 19 I face planted. Falling is not something that I’m a stranger too, unfortunately! There were metal grates going over some of the bridges with temporary carpet over them to make them easier to run over. While I certainly appreciated that carpet, there was one slightly raised section that tripped me. Luckily, I just have a little bit of rug burn, a sore toe from slamming to the front of my shoe, and slight bruising and swelling above my knee. I was down and then back up within seconds!

Along the way, I began to slow. I kept repeating to myself, “You do not give in to fatigue!” That mantra really helped me as I know I have given into fatigue many times in previous races. Every time I said that to myself, I was able to get my pace a little faster.

When I crossed the finish line, the time was a little over 3:29 and I knew I had started around 10 minutes after the gun time. I was ecstatic to hit my “C” goal of achieving a PR and breaking the 3:20 barrier. My A goal was 3:13, B goal was 3:15:59, and C goal was 3:21:36. After a long slow walk out of the finishers shoot, I finally found a spot to sit down for a few minutes and FaceTime my family. It wasn’t until after that that I realized my time was 3:18:53, even better than I thought!

The experience and memories of the Chicago marathon weekend will always be with me. The camaraderie and beauty of so many people coming together to achieve something difficult leaves the heart encouraged and happy.

So, I have now completed three marathons this year. I have just one more to complete to achieve my goal of four marathons to celebrate turning 40 this year! This has been such a fun journey and I am excited about final marathon for 2021. Stay tuned!