Chicago Marathon 2011 Race Recap

Please get a cup of coffee or tea, perhaps a glass of water, and be prepared to read a very long post.  This post is more like a mini-novel.  I've created bold heading for everything I deem as important.  The bold headings/chapters are as follows:

1.  Race Stats
2.  The Night Before
3.  The Ride into the City
4.  Pre-Race
5.  Start Corral Chaos
6.  The Race Starts - the first 10k
7.  10k - Half Marathon
8.  Half Marathon - 20 Miles
9.  20 Miles - 25 Miles
10.  Miles 25 - 26.2
11.  Cape, Medal, Water
12.  Post Race: Meeting My Parents
13. Blood Sugar/Diabetes Management
14.  Post Race: Meeting with Friends
15.  Post Race: Hotel Meet-Up
16.  Post Race: Niketown
17.  Day After: Walking and Stairs
18.  Race Uplifting Moment
19.  Snotty Day-After Comment
20.  Medal Engraving
21.  Tuesday at School
22.  Overall Thoughts
23.  What's to Come in November
24.  What's to Come in 2012


1.  Race Stats

Official Time: 3:43:35
Overall Place: 5,083/35,670 (14%)
Gender Place: 980/15,414 (6%)
Age Group Place: 261/3,686 (7%)

2.  The Night Before
I've heard a lot about the night before the marathon.  "You won't sleep at all."  "You'll be up every hour."  "You'll have a thousand and one thoughts going through your mind."  I went to bed around 9, got up at midnight, and then was sound asleep until 4:15 AM.  I sleep like a champion.  My alarm was set to go off at 4:30.  After hitting snooze once, I decided I had to get out of bed to get everything organized for the race.  I left all of my packing, outfit picking-outing, food-eating things until the morning.  In some ways, I like having a plan.  On race day, I never  know what outfit I will feel like wearing.  I couldn't even decide that morning and had to bring a few different options with me.

3.  The Ride into the City
My parents were my chauffeurs.  They picked me up at 5:15, which really turned into 5:23 because I wasn't ready in time.  On the way to the city, I ate my usual breakfast and was fairly calm.  I was excited to run.  I had made a playlist to listen to on my ipod, but didn't end up listening to it.  I was talking to my parents instead.  They were re-telling the story of when they were in Chicago to watch my brother run his first marathon.  Our experiences, and their experience, was really different.

4.  Pre-Race
We got into Chicago at 6:15.  After finding parking, I walked to a hotel.  My running club had reserved a room at a hotel for people to use.  After seeing a few people, I got in line to use the bathroom.  The line was moving incredibly slow.  By the time it was 6:45, I was getting nervous.  I still hadn't made it to the bathroom yet, and knew I wanted to go before the start of the race.  I was finally done at 6:55.  I still had to change into what tank top I was going to run in at this point (pink or black).  Black was the first one I pulled out of my bag, and, because I was rushed for time, is the one  I wore.  I also had on black socks, and my compression sleeves (also black), and black sunglasses.  Perhaps it was black overkill.  After changing and putting on my race bib, I rushed down to the street.

5.  Start Corral Chaos
I didn't know that the start corrals closed early, and barely made it there on time.  If you are running Chicago, know that they close at 7:15 AM.  I made it to the corral gate at 7:13, with two minutes to spare.  The lines were awful.  I started in Corral C, and I didn't get into the corral until 7:25.  I miraculously moved up to find the 3:40 pacer.  Side Note: I don't think I would ever run the Chicago Marathon if I was not able to get a corral start.  There were so many runners. I looked back at open and the line just kept going...and going...and going...and going.

6.  The Race Starts - The first 10k
The race started and it took a little under 4 minutes for me to get to the start line.  During the first 10k, I felt good.  My Garmin, however, got really messed up with the tunnels.  According to it, I ran my first mile in 6:14.  Actually, it was 8:20.  It was off the entire race, which was discouraging.  But, I figured out how much it was off by and did the math in my head to compensate.  The first 10k were good.  The crowd support was awesome.  My running club was working the second aid station and I saw a few of them.  I was so happy to see them.  Even though I didn't take water at that station, I still yelled "hi" at a few. 

7.  10k - Half Marathon
I was feeling really good at the 10k mark and decided to pick up the pace a little bit.  I ran ahead of the pacer and ran based on feel alone.  I had my first GU at mile 6.5, and it went well.  I took water or Gatorade at the majority of the aide stations.  There were a group of people handing out water bottles right before I took my first GU.  I took one and it helped me get the GU down.  I ran by an Elvis impersonator, who I knew would be on the course.  It was neat to run by all of the tall buildings and look at the city.  I really was having a great time.

8.  Half Marathon - 20 Miles
After I crossed the half mat, I was still feeling pretty good.  It was getting warm so I continued to drink water and Gatorade at most aid stations.  I had my second GU at mile 14 after I was given another bottle of water.  At mile 18, I started to get tired.  My legs didn't have as much energy as before.  I knew it was mental at this point.  I kept thinking, over and over in my head, how much this one race meant to me.  I trained for it for over 4 months.  I ran over 661 miles in preparation for it.  That meant that for every mile of the marathon, i ran a marathon for it (more or less). 

9.  20 Miles - 25 Miles
The last 10k was rough.  My hips hurt a ton, which is very bizarre because they never have hurt before.  My legs were starting to feel heavy and I was sick of seeing the sun.  The crowds were a lot less and there weren't any tall building to look at.  Honestly, I thought the neighborhoods were boring.  I saw my friends at mile 23 and was so happy.  They made me a sign which totally brightened that spot in the race.  Once again, I just kept telling myself, over and over and over again, how hard I had worked for this race.  It was sad to see the 3:40 pace group run by me near mile 24, but I was not disappointed.  Miraculously, I focused on the positive.  I thought about my goal, and realized that it was ambitious for me to be able to run that my first marathon.  I thought back to my first half marathon and how much I knew then compared to how much I know now. 

10.  Miles 25 - 26.2
At mile 25, I ran by a lady I run with in my track group.  She was moving slow because she had started to cramp.  I ran by her for a little bit, but then she had to stop and walk due to the cramps.  I knew I could finish the race and kept thinking "only 10  minutes...only 10 minutes....only 10 more minutes."  I saw another lady I run track with about 0.5 miles away from the finish and heard her cheer for me.  I was so happy at that point that the finish line was in sight.  At that point, it was more like "I've got this...only 2 times around a track and then I'm done....now only one time more around the track."  When I crossed the finish line, I wanted to stop moving immediately.  I was so tired.

11.  Cape, Medal, Water
After finishing, I literally walked to the side and just stood for a minute.  My legs were hurting a lot.  I was next to the medical people.  The guy I was standing next to was really nice to me.  He asked if I was okay, to which I responded yes, I just need to stand more a minute.  He then asked if my blood sugar was okay because he noticed my pump.  I said I felt fine.  He congratulated me again.  I saw the lady I run track with shortly thereafter and we walked through the medal/cape/water stations together, talking about our races.  She was moving a lot better than me at that point.  I felt like a 90-year-old woman.  My hips were killing me.  I was also thirsty and was so happy to get some water. 

12.  Post-Race: Meeting my Parents
As I continued to walk to the area where my parents said they would meet me, which seemed like miles, I thought about what a journey this whole experience has been.  I would not have traded it for anything.  Two years ago I didn't know if I would ever be able to run a marathon due to injuries.  I know I exaggerate things, but that thought was a reality in my mind for quite some time.  I am so glad that I was able to run the race.  As I continued what seemed like a never-ending walk, I finally saw my dad.  I was so happy to see him that I shed a tear.  I sat down on the curb and immediately took off my shoes.  It felt so good to sit down.  My mom was telling me about the texts she received for tracking me.  She had forwarded them to my uncle and brother.  My uncle called as I was sitting down.  My uncle and I have a game going...he is currently faster than me at the half marathon distance.  I now have him beat for the marathon distance.  We talked about the course, the weather, the crowds, upcoming races, etc. 

13.  Blood Sugar/Diabetes Management
During the race, I consumed 3 GUs, numerous cups of Gatorade (which was not my original plan) and did not test my blood sugar.  I am not a doctor, so what I do is what works for me.  I trained 100% based on feel.  I ran the race without changing my insulin settings (basal) and did not take any insulin (bolus) when I consumed carbs.  This method worked in training, and in the race, because when I tested post-race I had a blood sugar of 130. 

14.  Post-Race: Meeting with Friends
One of my friends also ran the marathon.  He wanted to break 3:35 and did.  I met up with him and some of our other friends that came to cheer for us.  We got some pictures together.  It was nice to see my friends.

15.  Post-Race: Hotel Meet-Up
After meeting with my friends, I went back to the hotel that my running club was stationed at.  It was neat to talk to some of my friends about their race, and hear all of the other stories from the people who worked the aide station.  One of my friends missed BQ'ing by 48 seconds.  We were tlaking to our track coach, who also ran the marathon, about it.  She was saying how she wanted to run another marathon to qualify.  I want to run another marathon because I feel like I can do a lot better.  We got to talking.  Ideas started flying around.  Read further down the page for what is coming....

16.  Post-Race: Niketown
What was I obsessed with getting?  That's right...a shirt that said "FINISHER" on it.  I wasn't leaving Chicago until I had my hand on one...or two...items that said stated that I finished the race.

17.  Day-After: Walking and Stairs
I feel like I am walking relatively normal, but stairs, how I loathe them.  Going up is not nearly as bad as attempting to go down them.  I have to hobble down, which makes me think I need to invest in a cane if I plan on running any more of these races.  Also, normal things like standing up and sitting down are now considered a workout for me.  You could say that my quad muscles are tight. 

18.  Race Uplifting Moment
At mile 22 or 23, I was running behind a guy that had a shirt on for one of the diabetes organizations.  He was a charity runner.  I went by him and said that I appreciated that he was running for diabetes, because I have type 1 diabetes.  He then said, "That means I am runnign for you, then.  You're doing great."  He then patted me on the back and I ran on.  It was really uplifting at that point in the race.

19.  Snotty Day-After Comment
Today I took a 3-mile walk around my neighborhood to stretch my muscles.  Walking fast is not really an option for me right now because I am still really sore.  I was walking at a leisurely pace, and an old man says to me "don't strain yourself by walking too fast, now."  I just smiled and walked on, but wanted to shout at him, "I just ran a marathon!  What did you do yesterday?" But didn't. 

20.  Medal Engraving
A local running store offered free medal engraving yesterday.  I took my medal in and got my name, place, and time on it.  I have a rather long name, and it just fit on the medal.

21.  Tuesday at School
All of my students knew I was running the marathon.  It was neat to have them come into class today, hearing that they tracked me online.  I got a lot of compliments today, which was really nice of everyone that I work with and the students.  They all wanted to know whose time was closest to my actual time.  One girl was only 4 seconds off - she predicted I would run a 3:43:39.  Impressive!

22.  Overall Thoughts
I wouldn't trade this for the world.  I'm not sure if I'll run Chicago again, but there are definitely more in my future.

23.  What's To Come in November
I mentioned above that a lady I run track with was less than a minute from BQ'ing and really wanted to.  We were talking to our track coach after the race.  I want to run another marathon now because I know I can do better.  I now know what to expect, what miles will be hard and what they will feel like.  I want to run in the cool weather.  So...this Sunday I plan on running 10 miles.  If all goes well, then I'm signing up for the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis on November 5th.  If my legs are not feeling great, I won't sign up and will run the Hot Chocolate Race in Chicago (15k) instead that weekend. 

24.  What's To Come in 2012
Another great adventure I'll be training for and running is an ultra marathon relay.  I'm running the Madison to Chicago Ragnar Relay on a 6-person (all female) ultra relay team with other members of my running club.

I am impressed if you've made it this far into the post.  That takes some real dedication on your part.  It was my longest post ever, but is only fitting because it is the race that has meant the most to me.  Thanks for all the support along the way.  It has helped tremendously.