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Chicago Marathon - 12th Oct 2014
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Pacing Mule wrote: »Didn't get a 40k split time yet for Blocky
Hope it's a chip malfunction.
Ditto for Peckham.0 -
Blockic
5k 20:41
10k 41:41 (21:00 5k)
15k 1:02:34 (20:53 5k)
20k 1:23:55 (21:21 5k)
Halfway 1:28:34
25k 1:44:56 (21:01 5k)
30k 2:05:54 (20:58 5k)
35k 2:27:02 (21:08 5k)
40k ?????????????
Finished 2:58:07
Dramatic bastard till the end
Well done Blocky - Delighted that you got the result you deserved.0 -
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Like Peckham, I only realised how long this was when I finished typing. Apologies if it bores anyone.
History
I've run two previous marathons, Dublin in 2010 (3:39:36) & Berlin 2011 (3:35:20). I didn't run at all in 2012 when I missed out on the London Ballot but decided at the start of this year to get right back into it. Sub 3:30 was my long term goal for this race after I had successfully registered in February. After I tore a calf muscle during the summer and missed 7 weeks training I knew that might be unrealistic, but thought I'd still give it a go especially as I felt pretty good in the lead up to the race.
Friday
Got into Chicago on the same flight as RFR, blockic & Peckham. No unexpected issues with delays or baggage in either airport, so was at my rented accommodation by just after 3pm. Decided to have a quick shower and a bite to eat before heading downtown for the Expo. It was around 5-5.30pm by the time I got to the Roosevelt pick up spot for the shuttle bus. Turned out I'd have been better off walking from there as it took me almost 40 minutes to travel the two mile distance to the McCormick Plaza. The traffic in the city over the weekend was awful! Only problem was I had no idea where I was going so thought the bus was the safer option. Eventually got there, picked up my number, t-shirt and race instructions. Didn't stay long as I needed to get back to meet some friends for dinner. Looked like plenty going on though and a nice pre-race atmosphere throughout the building. Had a small meal with friends and then went to bed around 10pm.
Saturday
Woke up at 3am, my body clock still obviously stuck on Irish time. Tried to go back asleep numerous times but eventually gave up around 7am and got up. Felt really tired and sluggish and hoped I would manage a better sleep on the Saturday night as I didn't fancy going to the start the following morning with such leaden legs. Had some breakfast, took a shower and then headed into town with friends for a time-killing bus tour. As we were going to head straight for a carbo-loading dinner in a fancy Italian restaurant that evening, I wore pair of almost-new dressy shoes which I immediately regretted on the journey into town as I felt a blister coming on! :eek:. Grabbed a pasta lunch first before jumping on the Double Decker Bus Tour, a bargain at $45 for a three day pass with numerous freebies included in your ticket. I spent the two hour duration of the tour with my feet out of my shoes lying on the back seat trying to conserve as much energy as possible (and avoid a blister!). After that we had a beautiful meal and I decided on a beer for dessert in the hope that it would aid my sleep that night. In bed again by 10pm
Sunday
The Budweiser worked a treat and I slept without an interruption until my alarm went off at 4am. Straight out of bed for a quick bowl of bran flakes, a bagel and a mug of coffee. Into the shower and then into my race kit. Felt as fresh as a daisy, no comparison to my previous morning's wellbeing. Grabbed a banana and a bottle of water and made my way with my race-day bag to the nearest El-train stop. Downed the water and the banana on the way hoping to trigger my digestive system into action in plenty of time before the race start in around two hours. 5.20am on a Sunday morning and the whole place is buzzing. There must have been 30 people waiting at my stop (runners & volunteers alike) and the train was almost full by the time we reached our destination downtown. 5.50am and there's not an empty street in the city. I popped into the Hilton for a quick pit stop before making my way into Grant Park. Security was much faster than I expected and I was ready to check my gear and head to the start by 6.10am. Decided to keep my extra layers on and send a few final texts back home for a little while longer before parting until after the race. One final trip to the portaloo to rid the last of my excess fluids and I was ready to line up. Walked down to the start around 6.30 meeting a fair few Irish along the way. One lad who was running his 6th marathon in a week and two guys from Monaghan wearing Gardaí forensic suits. None of these were in my corral though, so I wished them the best of luck and lined up in Corral B behind the 3:30 pacers. The time seemed to fly by from there with a 30 second minute's silence being beautifully observed for Boston, before the American anthem was sung by someone with a malfunctioning microphone leaving the heavily US weighted field to sing it themselves. A fighter jet was supposed to fly above the start line, but it took a right turn out over Lake Michigan instead and nobody saw it. After all that it was almost time to get going.
The Race
The race got under way in absolutely perfect conditions at about 7:31 and I was over the start line in little under a minute. I would try to stay with the 3:30 pacers as long as I felt comfortable. I knew this might not be possible due to my training problems. Straight into a tunnel before we rose back out the other side and crossed the first of a few bridges in the race with the harsh steel structure underfoot. I tried to get over to the right where there was some carpet laid down. We were turning left pretty soon and there were already plenty of people lining the streets. Another left turn brought us right back towards the centre by the famous Chicago theatre. Crowds were really deep here and the U-turn we took back around to the right was a constant wall of noise for a minute or two. From there it was what seemed like a pretty straight run for the next 4/5 miles. Went through the 5k point in 24:41. Felt like I wasn't even making an effort. I had hung about 50m back from the pacers and was moving as well as I could possibly have hoped at that stage. Plenty of support along this stretch with the first of many 'hilarious' signs, "I'm so proud of you random stranger", "You're kicking ass-phault" & "You're running better than our government". We took a right turn through a park and I crossed the 10k mat still holding my position behind the pacers in 49:43. Perfect
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It wasn't long after that we took two quick lefts signifying the top of the northern loop of the route. I saw Wrigley Field in the distance to the right as we moved south back towards the centre of the city. Took the first of the three gels I had planned to get through. This was a pretty busy area of the course crowdwise, with very few sparse areas and plenty of bands including an Elvis impersonator. Through the 15k mark in 1:14:53. Almost let myself foolishly believe this was easy before reminding myself of the latter stages of previous marathons. A few turns left & right and I was almost parallel to the streets I had been running the opposite direction in just over an hour ago. A 90 degree right turn at Willis Tower was the last part of the city we covered before we crossed the halfway point. Waved to a couple of friends around 50m short of the mat before I crossed it in 1:45:00. I was starting to think I had what it took to be a pacer
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I knew we had a long straight run ahead before we turned almost straight back on ourselves when we reached the United Center. Seemed to take an eternity to reach the end of this street, possibly because it was a straight run of almost two miles in one of the quieter areas of the course. Immediately after a sharp left turn we passed the 15 mile marker before another left turn had us running straight back in the direction we had just come from. At the next aid station an announcer on a mic made us aware that the first finisher was over the line. She didn't know who it was or what the time was though. I looked at my watch (2:03:xx) and wondered was it a World Record. It must definitely be close. I slowly took on my second gel, doing my best not to spill any of the sticky substance on my hands or face. As I passed the 25k point in 2:04:31, I noticed the weather had started to warm up a bit. I was feeling it a bit now having been entirely comfortable up to this point. An American informed me that the toughest part of the course was yet to come as he overtook me. I wondered why he had taken the time to tell me that. The next 5k seemed to pass really slowly but I got through 30k in 2:29:58, which I was delighted with considering how much I felt I had slowed down.
Less than a minute behind. I could make that up. A fellow Irish runner passed me just after the 20 mile mark and asked how I was going. Not bad but a minute down I said. Stay strong, you can still do it he said encouragingly before gradually moving away from me. My memories of the next two or three miles are of girls with signs saying "I love runners" with either a number or a twitter handle below. I don't know who's going to remember a phone number at that stage no matter how much they want to. Your mind definitely has other things to keep it occupied. Passed through Chinatown which wasn't as noisy or extravagant as expected. Through 35k in 2:56:00. More than a minute down now and slowing. Time for the final gel. Hopefully this will give the the boost I need for the last 7k. The Chicago White Sox Cellular Field was the next landmark to look out for. As we moved south and over a highway I saw signs for parking and the stadium but never saw the venue itself which really confused me. Took a look at my watch through mile 23. I was more than 90 seconds down now and the pacers had disappeared from view. A guy dressed as a Native American Indian who I had passed earlier in the race, cruised by me. I was really starting to struggle and hoped the the final gel would kick in soon so I could pick it up a bit. I promised myself as soon as we hit Michigan Avenue I'd do my best to finish as strongly as possible. Passed someone with a sign that said "The 23 mile warm up is over, now it's time for the 5k fun-run". Thought to myself a PB was still on once I didn't slow any further. Felt a rush of energy as we hit Michigan Avenue as I knew we were now heading directly towards the finish. Tried to stride out a little bit longer but my calf almost seized up completely. Nothing to do with my injury. More down to the missed training I think. Both calves felt very tensed up. Got the feeling if I tried to speed up again I'd be walking very slowly for the last 2.5 miles. So I just kept it going as fast as I possibly could, thinking about the dreaded rise on the turn towards the finish. I decided not to look at my watch again as I couldn't speed up even if I had the energy to, due to my tight calves. Took a lot of energy from the crowd at this point as it started to get deeper as we neared the end. Passed the 25 mile marker, then the 800m to go sign and I was turning right. Up the dreaded hill as quickly as I could. My calves held up and I was moving back downhill. I could see the finish. 200m to go. 3:34:00 on the watch. Surely I could get in below 3:35. I went for it. Crossed the line in 3:34:53. A 27 second PB!
Post race
Elation turned to agony as my entire body started to ache. The draping of a medal around my neck by a volunteer who enthusiastically congratulated me did make me feel slightly better. I wanted to sit but was kept moving after the line. I drank some Gatorade, then grabbed as much water as I could downing cups at a time and pouring the rest over my head. I was handed a foil sheet which I wrapped around myself before continuing to the bag check. After a few sips of the free beer they were handing out I went and picked my bag up. A quick change into some dry clothes in a portaloo and I was ready for my second free beer. Downed that while listening to the live band in the park before heading down to meet the other boardsies in Kitty O'Shea's, where I discovered almost everybody had run a PB. We had a few celebratory pints there before I hobbled back to the El to meet my friends.
Verdict
A really well organised race which I thoroughly enjoyed. You couldn't fault the organisers for anything in my opinion. Delighted to have run a PB considering my interrupted preparation and excited about what I can do when my training runs more smoothly. I've definitely got the running bug back after a two year absence and will be certainly signing up for a Spring Marathon in the next week or two.0 -
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