Remember that marathon I ran a month ago? Yeah probably not, since I've been so bad about the blog since then. So to catch back up: I ran a marathon a month ago. I said I was going to recap it on here. I did not. So this is that (way late) recap.
First of all, Chicago is crazy. Walking down Michigan Ave to the start corrals was unreal. I don't think I've ever seen so many people in my life...and they were all there to run!
I was so nervous in the morning that I only ate 3/4 of a Powerbar. That was mistake #1.
I was in the Elite Development Corral, which is for people trying to run sub 2:30 (spoiler alert: I wasn't even close). We got to start right behind the elite field, which was incredible. I was so close I could've given Ryan Hall a high-five, as some of the Elite Development runner did.
I started out the first 10 miles at about 5:10-5:15 pace. That was mistake #2. In my defense, I didn't see any splits and it was almost impossible not to get caught up in the craziness. I hooked up with the 2:19 pace leaders and just followed them.
I waited til mile 11 to take my first gel. That was mistake #3. Should've been earlier. By that time I had started falling off the 2:19 pack, mentally if not physically.
That said, at the half I was 1:09:20, so right on that 2:19 pace. That was right where I wanted to be, but not how I wanted to get there: fading a bit.
By mile 15 I was definitely slowing down, but overall I think I was still on 2:19 pace. Between 15 and 18 I lost the pace completely. But I felt I could still salvage a good time, so I took another gel hoping that it would give me a little boost. It didn't.
I had gone from good to bad. And by mile 21-22, from bad to worse.
Seeing people walking (elite runners, too), sitting on the curb, etc. is contagious. It got to the point where my top speed was walking. And so I walked on and off.
The worst part was that there's nothing you can do about it. In any other race, on some level the pain is all mental and to a certain extent you can always push through it. The difference with this part of the marathon is that you can't. I mean, physiologically, you can't. There's just no energy left for your muscles to use. It's total glycogen depletion. The trick is to put this off until you've already run 26 miles. But I'd hit the wall.
And there were still 3 to 4 miles left.
I've never felt so helpless. People were cheering the typical stuff, "you can do it!", "don't give up!", "keep pushing!"...but there was physically nothing I could do. I almost dropped out at least 8 times in the last 8 miles.
So anyway, my last 5k was half an hour. It was brutal. I remember seeing the clock with 3 miles left, thinking "Okay, I can still break 2:30 if I just run 7 minute pace." Nope. I ran 2:39 and change. It was rough.
And the worst part: we had to walk a couple blocks all the way across Grant Park from the finish line to get my stuff. Longest. Walk. Ever. I think at one point I just sat down on the curb because I was too tired to walk. How I got up again I have no idea, haha.
But here's the crazy part of it all: pretty much as soon as I finished (well, maybe once I got my complementary 312 Goose Island), I started planning my next one. I don't know when it'll be, but I already know a lot of things I'll do differently, both in training and in the race. Does that make me crazy if I can't wait to do another? And this time I'm making it my bitch.
(Oh and ps, just an observation: in the last month, all 4 Fantasy Track teams have been represented in a marathon. 1 Silver Snake, 1 What up, 2 BAMFs, and 2 Blue Steel. Way to go XUXC alumni!)
First of all, Chicago is crazy. Walking down Michigan Ave to the start corrals was unreal. I don't think I've ever seen so many people in my life...and they were all there to run!
I was so nervous in the morning that I only ate 3/4 of a Powerbar. That was mistake #1.
I was in the Elite Development Corral, which is for people trying to run sub 2:30 (spoiler alert: I wasn't even close). We got to start right behind the elite field, which was incredible. I was so close I could've given Ryan Hall a high-five, as some of the Elite Development runner did.
I started out the first 10 miles at about 5:10-5:15 pace. That was mistake #2. In my defense, I didn't see any splits and it was almost impossible not to get caught up in the craziness. I hooked up with the 2:19 pace leaders and just followed them.
I waited til mile 11 to take my first gel. That was mistake #3. Should've been earlier. By that time I had started falling off the 2:19 pack, mentally if not physically.
That said, at the half I was 1:09:20, so right on that 2:19 pace. That was right where I wanted to be, but not how I wanted to get there: fading a bit.
By mile 15 I was definitely slowing down, but overall I think I was still on 2:19 pace. Between 15 and 18 I lost the pace completely. But I felt I could still salvage a good time, so I took another gel hoping that it would give me a little boost. It didn't.
I had gone from good to bad. And by mile 21-22, from bad to worse.
Seeing people walking (elite runners, too), sitting on the curb, etc. is contagious. It got to the point where my top speed was walking. And so I walked on and off.
The worst part was that there's nothing you can do about it. In any other race, on some level the pain is all mental and to a certain extent you can always push through it. The difference with this part of the marathon is that you can't. I mean, physiologically, you can't. There's just no energy left for your muscles to use. It's total glycogen depletion. The trick is to put this off until you've already run 26 miles. But I'd hit the wall.
And there were still 3 to 4 miles left.
I've never felt so helpless. People were cheering the typical stuff, "you can do it!", "don't give up!", "keep pushing!"...but there was physically nothing I could do. I almost dropped out at least 8 times in the last 8 miles.
So anyway, my last 5k was half an hour. It was brutal. I remember seeing the clock with 3 miles left, thinking "Okay, I can still break 2:30 if I just run 7 minute pace." Nope. I ran 2:39 and change. It was rough.
And the worst part: we had to walk a couple blocks all the way across Grant Park from the finish line to get my stuff. Longest. Walk. Ever. I think at one point I just sat down on the curb because I was too tired to walk. How I got up again I have no idea, haha.
But here's the crazy part of it all: pretty much as soon as I finished (well, maybe once I got my complementary 312 Goose Island), I started planning my next one. I don't know when it'll be, but I already know a lot of things I'll do differently, both in training and in the race. Does that make me crazy if I can't wait to do another? And this time I'm making it my bitch.
(Oh and ps, just an observation: in the last month, all 4 Fantasy Track teams have been represented in a marathon. 1 Silver Snake, 1 What up, 2 BAMFs, and 2 Blue Steel. Way to go XUXC alumni!)
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