This race report had no problem finding the right title. But in order to fully appreciate my report one needs to understand the history and months building up to the race and then the race itself.
The Challenge:
Back in 2007 I had gone downtown to watch some friends run in the Flying Pig Marathon (Cincinnati) and we were hanging out together after they had finished. They prodded me and said that I should do a marathon and try to qualify for Boston (3:20:59) with them. The best time in the group was 3:56 and I thought about it but never committed at the time.
I started to run again with a mission - something I had not done since college. I say start as I took a 4 year hiatus with starting my business and then the birth of our son. I remember doing a time trial mile in 7:56 and it was all out at the time. It was slow but a start. Once I was running regularly I thought why just focus on Boston and up the ante to a full Ironman Triathlon (2.4 swim, 112 bike, 26.2 run) - something I've always wanted to do. I had never had Boston as a goal and it still doesn't really mean anything to me yet.
Well, after 6 months of running hard, swimming and biking I did the Columbus Half Marathon and ran a 1:31 and surprised myself. I then did an Ironman in 2008 in 12:10:16 with the idea of trying one marathon after it with a shot at qualifying. That marathon was the Air Force Marathon and I ended up running a 3:31 and falling off pace around mile 21-22. It was hard and I gave it my best shot. Shortly after this race I got hit by a truck on my bike which knocked me out of training for about 2 months.
The Goal Race: Chicago Marathon
After recovering from my accident I set my sights on running a race about 10 months away. It was between the Chicago Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon. I selected Chicago as it was an easy drive with family and we could stay with my brother-in-law's family while in town. Plus he had run it a few times and could give me some good advice about the course and race.
Training With A Purpose:
My training actually progressed a bit slower at the start of the year due to my accident. I was set to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon and decided to just run it with a friend and help pace him. Therefore, it was a long, slow run (1:56) for me.
After this race I really focused on my running and tried to get some good long distance and uptempo runs in before the big race. I was doing track workouts about once a week and those really progressed well. By mid-July I was starting to feel that this year was going to setup well for a fast fall marathon. I was doing some mid-week 10+ mile tempo runs where I would average 7:20s. I also did the Yasso 800s in late July and averaged 3:15, which apparently means I should be in shape to run a 3:15 marathon.
My training kept clipping along with good distance runs up until a scheduled 20 miler about 5 weeks before Chicago. It was on this training run that my left foot/ankle started to hurt around mile 12 but I knew I needed to get 20 so I kept pushing on even though it hurt. I decided to stop at mile 15 as it was really starting to hurt and I knew I shouldn't press my luck. I pressed too hard as the next day I walked around like a penguin because it hurt so bad.
I tried to run on it that next week but no luck. I was pretty sure it was a stress fracture and decided to rest it as best I could until the marathon. I did decide to continue swimming and biking to try and keep my fitness level up. I did manage to run 2 miles 3 other times before the race. The last pre race run was a 20 minute run in Chicago 2 days before the marathon and it was pain free - so I was hopeful.
The Race:
5:00 am - I woke up early and ate a Clif Bar and some Peanut Butter Toast with some Orange Juice. I then just relaxed and looked over the course map again.
6:30 - My brother-in-law took me and 3 of his neighbors down to the start area which was nice on a very cold morning. I recall it being about 30 degrees with it suppose to rise to mid-40s by noon. Was a bit of walking to get to bag check-drop off and then ultimately to the start area - I was in Corral B which was really nice and pretty close to the front.
7:30 - And we're off. I started with not knowing what to expect. My plan was to try and run Boston Qualifying pace for as long as possible.
Mile 1 - I missed the marker completely and I was looking as I did not want to go out too fast.
Mile 2 - 15:26 or 7:43 pace so I was close to the 7:40 BQ pace and was a tad slow which was perfect.
Mile 3 - 7:30 mile - now back on pace and feeling pretty good.
Mile 4 - 7:13 mile - I was suppose to see my family at this mile but they were late getting there.
Mile 5 - 7:34 mile - It was shortly after mile five I started to get a small annoying pain in my right hip. My best guess at the time was that I was unintentionally overcompensating for my left foot. I also had my first GU this mile and was taking water and Gatorade along the way even though it wasn't going to be a hot day at all.
Mile 6 - 7:43 mile - Still felt relatively in control and was placing much emphasis on breathing easy and trying as best as I could to run smooth and in control.
Mile 7 - 7:31 mile - Another good mile and the flow of people were cruising along. It was late in mile 7 that my left foot said "hey, remember me?" and started to hurt again. I thought if I could just put it in the back of my mind then I could push on through.
Mile 8 - 7:44 mile - This mile was still decent but I knew I was in trouble now as both my left foot and right hip were causing me not to run smooth. Not good with 18+ still yet to go.
Mile 9 - 8:05 mile - This was a mile I just managed to hold together and was looking for my family around mile 9-10. I was also running on the right side of the street that had a slight slope and was causing me some additional pain.
Mile 10 - 8:31 mile - I was still technically on BQ pace and then I saw my family shortly after the mile marker 10. I waved and stopped to chat. My brother-in-law looked at me as if I was crazy for stopping as I was on pace. I said I am off pace but will try to just enjoy the rest of the race. I explained that not only was my left foot and right hip hurting but my right foot joined in the fun that last mile.
Mile 11 - 8:45 mile - This mile mark a pretty quick unraveling for the rest of the race. I think deep down I knew this was going to be painful (much harder than just simply running a marathon). And I am not trying to belittle anyone that runs the distance, but this would be a different kind of pain I had not yet experienced.
Mile 12 - 9:44 mile - We made our way back into the city center and were turning to head back out which is not a good thing when your body is saying "I'm done." After the turn to head out I realized that I completely forgot to put nipple guards on before starting. They were on the verge of starting to hurt so I knew I had to fix that situation pretty quickly or I would have one more pain to deal with.
Mile 13 - 14 - 32:00 - Yes, that is 16 minutes per mile for both. I think I went by the half in 1:47 but can't recall for sure. The time does include a stop in the medical tent around mile 13 to have Band-Aids applied to my nipples. I also instructed the medical person to apply tape as I had a feeling they would come off otherwise. She said she add this non-stick tape which was then applied on top of them. Just over a mile later I had to stop again because those Band-Aids fell off. This time I told the medical person to use the tape that sticks I will deal with pulling it off when I was done.
Mile 15 - 10:34 mile - I was actually surprised I ran that fast as I was in a world of hurt already. I was focusing on things (poles, signs and buildings) and saying run to that and then I would repeat.
Mile 16 - 11:32 mile - I think this would be the last full mile I would run as it just simply hurt too much to run.
Mile 17 - 18 - 28:21 - I tried to run and walk but found myself doing mostly walking and that hurt but not nearly as bad as the running. It was also around mile 18 that some guy on the side of the road was handing out licorice sticks to which I said "What the heck? Not setting any PRs today." Again, enjoying the race (if you want to call it that).
Mile 19 - 14:25 - I was simply looking forward to hitting mile 20 - means 10k to go.
Mile 20 - 14:47 - Okay, hitting that 10k to go mark was not that great. It during this mile that a woman wearing an Asics shirt past me and on the back it said "To Hell and Back." I remember just looking at that shirt saying "You're not kidding."
Mile 21 - 13:42 - During this mile I realized that my cousin who ran this last year did it in 4:59 minutes so I had to beat his time. I started to calculate the time in my head and realized I need to keep hitting sub 15 minute miles which was not easy as my running per mile was becoming almost non-existent. I would have to power walk the rest of the way in order to have a shot. Let's just say it gave me something to focus on but the pain kept getting worse.
Mile 22 - 14:17 - I now could not run anymore. To say "run" is funny as at best it was a shuffle step because it hurt to bend my feet and it hurt to land on them. Not ideal for running.
Mile 23 - 14:51 - Okay, it hurt. Period. But I was determined to finish for really only one reason which I will share at the end. If there ever was a race I should have DNF'd it should have been this one and it should have happened around mile 9.
Mile 24 - 14:41 - The power walking was hurting but I was making progress ever so slowly to the finish line. It was also during this mile that another lady past me wearing a shirt that said "Caner free for 747 days and counting." And then underneath it said "You can do anything." I absolutely believe in that motto - kind of like Ironman's "Anything is possible."
Mile 25 - 14:46 - The city is in site. The only issue with walking is that everyone is saying "you can do it." and looks at you as if you are in trouble. I guess I looked like I was in trouble.
Mile 26 - Not sure but my .2 was 2:46 - I knew there was a turn and then a run to the finish downhill. I saved all of my pain tolerance and used it for that last little bit of street to run across the finish line.
Now, was it worth it - you bet. My son really enjoys looking at my medals and he is at an age (5) where time means nothing and a medal means something special. I was determined to finish to share with my son another medal from another race. It could've been a "Sweat'n for the Kids 5K" medal or this "Chicago Marathon" medal and it would hold the same significance to him. It does mean something special to me - I was able to finish what I started and now have a much higher tolerance for pain then I knew existed before. Sure, I wanted to qualify for Boston but there will be other opportunities. I wanted to enjoy this race and I can honestly say I didn't enjoy it physically but rather mentally. It is a great race with great fan support and good organization.
Sometimes in life we need things to motivate us or to set us back so that we can become stronger or smarter. It may have been the gentleman I sat down next to at the finish area who had just completed his first marathon in 4:11 and he was hooked. It may have been the cancer survivor running past me knowing that she can withstand pretty much what life can throw at her. Or maybe it is the lesson of my brother-in-law's neighbor (Courtney) that missed qualifying for Boston by 27 seconds to which she simply said "I ran as fast as I could. Maybe next year."
You would think my pain would be over after finishing. Nope. I still had to take off the industrial tape over my nipples. Lets just say I have less chest hair now. Thanks for reading and best of luck at your next race.
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