Here's The Skinny...Chicago 2011

I am going to try to keep this post to the highlights of my day.  Believe me you could write about A LOT of stuff that happens over a 5 hour race and I don't want to bore you.  I will tell you the day started out with a lot of promise.  We were up right at 5:30.  We had breakfast, had some coffee got dropped off pretty close to the start and even watched the sunrise.  There were many people.  ( I think close to 40,000).  We hopped into our coral at 7 am and the race went off at 7:30.

The first 5 K was uneventful.  We were not going very fast but it was really crowded.  We were (I have 2 other friends that I run with.) close together at this point when out of the corner of my eye I saw my friend go down.  Her foot caught on the grate of a bridge and she fell landing right on her knee, shoulder, head etc...She kept going though and at that point we started separating a bit.  I had my head set on and was determined to do my own thing.

At mile 5 I had planned to eat my chews.  I took a couple and shoved them in my belt.  About 2 minutes later I went to grab a few more and I realized they had fallen out.  I stressed for a minute, but I had brought some granola bars so knew that I had something if I needed it.  I also watched people peeing all over the trees and started laughing to myself.  Totally gross, but for a minute realized how lucky men were that they could just pee that way.  Oh well on I went.

Mile 9 was my downfall.  I don't know what happened.  All I remember was feeling a ping in my hip and a pull and then a tightness in my quad.  I stopped for a minute and stretched and then started running again.  It hurt.  It was not hurt like someone stabbing me, it was a weird, intense pressure from my hip to my quad.  I knew at that point I was in a little bit of trouble, but there was no way I was quitting.  I had already bought a Chicago Nike sweatshirt that I needed to wear....on I went.

The next 3 hours dragged on forever.  I will not lie at mile 18 and until 19 I was definitely a little teary eyed.  I wanted to call my husband at one point, but honestly what was I going to say.  I received a text from him saying "Your crazy....but I love you:)"  It was at that point that I realized that my running buddy had to stop at mile 13 and was on the medical van.  She could not put weight on her leg at that point and the MD made her stop.  We are still waiting to see what is going on with it.

Finally at mile 20 something clicked.  I could not run fast, I was still running/walking but it was like I was on a cloud.  (my mother said I was either dehydrated and delirious or on a serious runners high).  I knew that I was going to finish and I was going to enjoy these last 6 miles if it killed me.  I smiled, I high fived people and I chatted with some other skirt girls who were running by.  It was seriously hot at this point, close to 80.  I took ice and stuck it down my shirt and realized I might be a bit chafed in the front, but I kept going.  Finally I saw the finish and it was wait for it.....up a hill.  WTF... there are no hills in all of Chicago, but they have one for the finish.  I ran up it and crossed the line.  I have never been so glad to put a medal around my neck in my entire life.

There were water stops every 1.5 miles up until mile 20.  Where there weren't "marathon" water stops, fitness clubs, churches etc... were giving out full bottles of water.  I am telling you this town LOVES this marathon.  It was like a big party.  I have spectated Boston many times, but Chicago takes the cake!  Every "town" that you went into was so well supported.  At one point when I was in Boys Town and they had Lady Gaga playing and people cheering and hugging etc...I couldn't stop smiling.  Just so fun.  And maybe that is the take away here.  Did my race go as I had planned?  NO WAY!  but in the end I did it.  And that is a lot more than a lot of people can say that they did on Sunday.  Oh and my dad told me not to feel bad.  That 15,000 people finished after me.....gotta love Big Mike.

Happy Wednesday!