I spent the weekend in Chicago with a great friend, and the guy that got me into running a long long time ago. It was 24 years ago when I did my first marathon with Mike in Madison Wi. Fast forward to 2006 and both of us are married with three kids. He lives in Denver and I in San Jose. We met at O'Hare and stayed at Blakes which was about as ideal a location as you could have for what we were in town for: A short walk to the start of the Chicago Marathon.
Saturday's expo was a special treat, as we came face to face with a legend. Dick Beardsley not only signed both our bibs, but chatted, and graciously posed for pictures. In a remarkable coincidence, Mike had brought his copy of "
Duel in the Sun" to exchange with me for a copy of "
The Perfect Mile" but unfortunately it was back at the hotel.
Mike and I both hoped it wouldn't rain the next day as we didn't want the ink to run on what was a very special souvenir.
Another interesting booth provided you with your weight, body fat, metabolic rate, etc. etc. I found it interesting that my metabolic age is 12. Interesting because it matches pretty closely several independent assessments of my maturity level provided by friends during backpacking trips and rides back from races over the years.
A friend of mine had emailed me a link to a story on how to eat before a marathon. Seems there were two schools of thought: "Big meal at lunch" and "Big meal at dinner". Mike and I debated the matter but couldn't come to a conclusion. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, we sided with both and headed out to lunch. Although carbs are essential for fueling up for a big run, sometimes they're hard to find. I'm sure that there are a few buried under all that cheese!
For dinner Tammy's cousin Olivia and her fiancee Jonathan took us to a great little Italian restaurant. They guaranteed we would get a table without waiting, as there'd be no runners packing the place. Very impressive considering there were 36,000 runners looking for carbs that night, and most probably were hoping for pasta. We arrived and were immediately seated. The food and the atmosphere were both great. Mike and I had a great time. No I'm not going to share the 'secret' location so don't ask. Olivia and Jonathan were great hosts!
It rained during the night, but stopped by the time we had to leave our hotel for the start. Still, the temperature had dropped significantly (all three banks I passed along the course during the run said 38 degrees). A mist hung in the air, partially obscuring the top of the Sears Tower. We each found our way to our corrals, and shivered and stretched while waiting for the start. That same mist would be an issue for Cheruiyot in one of the strangest ends to a marathon I'll ever not see. About 5 minutes before the start, the elites come out of their heated tents and trot to the start. Some of the most fit athletes in the world. Man what a sight!
Now back to world of the mere mortals: Normally, deciding what pace to run would be a no-brainer. And had my training panned out as I'd hoped, I would know exactly how to run. But I'd come down with a pretty bad case of achilles tendinitis and taken four weeks completely off of running. After one week back, the tendon started squeaking again and I decided that the remaining four weeks of training would all be 'just miles'. No speed, no
LT, and a race to get a datapoint was at was simply out of the question. I really had no idea what I'd be able to manage that morning.
I decided to find the 3:10 pace group. It was led by a pretty good group of guys. One of them told me exactly what they got in exchange for leading the group, verifying my hunch that people lead these groups as an act of kindness. All three of the leaders were sub-2:40 marathoners. By mile 4 they were still 'finding' a 3:10 and bit ahead of pace. Probably never ran a mile over 7 miutes in their life! When they slowed, I slowed too, but not as much.
I settled into a pace that felt about right for the time being. My plan was to try and run 7:05's up to the half and then see what I had left. The wind was gusty and unpredictable. My plan was modified slightly whenever we'd turn into the wind. There, I'd just run as fast as the shoulder I was hiding behind. I think its a natural reaction to speed up just a bit when you 'feel' someone on your shoulder and I was dragged along.
About a third of the way through we're once again treated to a view of the Sears Tower in the low-lying clouds. I think back to the night before where it was lit up all pink at the top as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I think about
how strong my sister is right now. She's quite an inspiration to me, and to many others I'm sure.
At mile 16 I hear the first of many, "You're almost there!" shouts, and a couple miles later I see the first 'impromptu aid station' with tequila and limes. The fans were great. I was really surprised to see so many out on such a blustery morning. Oh, and how funny it was late in the race to hear a group of cheerleaders all probably born after the Bon Jovi song they modified, belting out "You're almost there, whoa-ho livin' on a prayer, take my hand you'll make it I swear!"
Turning up Michigan Ave. for the home stretch was tough as we ran directly into the wind. By now the runners had thinned and most were running slower than the overall pace so I just had to tough it out on my own. No more shoulders to hide behind. Just before the right turn into Grant Park, a gust swirls and I actually stumble a bit (no kidding). My knee stiffens and almost locks. I get a bit scared and decide not to 'kick it' for the last 600m but I do pick it up once the pain subsides.
The 'engineering geek' in me likes to plot the splits for each marathon. Overall I was pretty happy with the results. I think I got mentally weak at 20. I'm such a puppy in that last 10k. Physically I was done somewhere in the 25th mile and I think part of that was what I'd lost during the time off. It was looking like a pretty negative split up until that 20th mile when the puppy in me came out. In the end it was about even with the second half being only seconds faster than the first. Looking back, I think this was exactly the same race I ran in San Francisco a year ago. Only this time, no two-minute stop in the porta-potty at mile 11! I guess Bill Rodgers is right: "More marathons are won or lost in the porta-toilets than they are at the marathon".
In the massage tent I hear about the end of the 'race' which happened an hour earlier. Running a big marathon is a great experience, but you always wish you'd seen what happened at the finish. After seeing the video, maybe not this time. Ouch!
Back at Hotel Blake I find out there's only one ice machine and its on the 12th floor. I hope for forgiveness from the runners staying there who may need it for injuries, as I load up on enough to fill our bathroom sink and ice down some beers.
Mike and I stop by the business suite on our way out of the hotel. Online we check the results. I tell Mike that I beat Dean Karnazes by half an hour. He tells me that this was
Dean's 36th marathon in as many days. Hey, can I be blamed if the guy doesn't know how to taper? We browse for others we know. DP runs well. Tim "Marathon Jesus" (see marathonfoto.com for the source of that nickname) runs his trademark evenly-paced race. Mammen smokes his first 10k in 39:10 and has the closest 'sub-3 near miss' yet.
That afternoon Mike and I are back at O'Hare waiting for our flights and talking about the weekend. I'm sure we'll be getting together again. For another 'destination marathon', or will it be that
100 mile trek along the iditarod , or something even more
remote??
For now I'm focusing on re-hydrating. One thing's for sure: I'll be back to Chicago again!
