Running in the Mitten & Beyond!

Chicago Marathon (Mile 14 to Finish)

Miles 14-17
Still cruising along. I could tell my pace was slowing a bit, but I still felt good overall.

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At the mile 16 marker, I stopped to take a selfie to text to my son Ben - it was his 16th birthday. We celebrated at home the weekend prior.

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Ben is the reason I ran for the March of Dimes charity. He is truly a miracle baby, born 16 weeks early, weighing only 2 pounds. We are very fortunate he is now a healthy teenage boy.

Through my fundraising, I was able to raise over $2400 for the March of Dimes. Every person who donated and everyone I know that has been affected by preterm birth was on my mind during this race. That helped push me through when I was feeling tired.


Miles 18-22
This is where the party is at people. I think it was mile 18 that I had my first beer in Little Italy. Then the Pilsen neighborhood really had it going on with snacks galore, beer, tequila, jello shots!!!!
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And then Chinatown...oh my, the crowds there were so awesome! When I rounded the corner heading into Chinatown I felt like an elite runner with the way they were cheering and with the banging of the drums. It gave me the chills!
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Miles 23 to Finish
Up until mile 23 I was running pretty continuously, with the exception of bathroom, beer, & snack breaks, but then the wind was starting to become an issue. It was gusting pretty good now and instead of fighting it, I just took more walk breaks. I thought I was done with the beer and I was ready to tackle the last 5K, when I rounded a corner and saw the Goose Island beer truck.

An oasis!!!
0B797CC6-79FF-43F9-831D-3BD86D6CD674.jpeg

Feeling a little glow, I set out to tackle the last couple of miles with a walk/run. I finished strong by Pac-manning people on Roosevelt hill and with a smile. My 5th marathon and first World Marathon Major complete!

I collected my lovely medal and found my friends in the reunite area. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the bean for some pics.
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Later that evening, I had a lovely steak dinner with my support crew.
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Overall thoughts:

My official time was 5:13:27 and while that's far off my PR of 4:40, I still feel good about it. I feel like this was my most consistent pacing in a marathon to date. There was no wall, no massive struggle. At no time did I want to cry, nor did I have any negative thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe I'm getting better at this marathoning thing?

So no time PR, but I would say this was definitely a personal record in the amount of alcohol I consumed during a marathon. :rotfl:

Chicago was most definitely my favorite marathon EVER. Yes, I love Disney marathons, but even Disney has boring parts. Chicago has 1.7 million spectators cheering the entire way! I was never bored. The crowds were phenomenal and I fed off that energy. I would do it again in a heartbeat. When? I'm not sure, but I will run it again someday.
 

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Great recap and pics! I almost didn’t recognize you with your hair down and glasses on in the restaurant photo. Usually we only see pics of everyone in running gear and hair pulled back, hats, etc.

That is a fantastic amount that you raised for March of Dimes.
 


I'm so glad that you got a pic with that dancing dragon because last year I swore I saw them but other dis-peeps thought I was hallucinating.

Also wondering how I missed that goose island beer truck in the late miles...oh wait...ok I guess it's easy to not see things during a marathon :)

So glad you had a great race. It's really giving me the itchy trigger finger to run it next year.
 
Congratulations on a great race and for running for such a great cause!

Chicago was most definitely my favorite marathon EVER. Yes, I love Disney marathons, but even Disney has boring parts. Chicago has 1.7 million spectators cheering the entire way! I was never bored. The crowds were phenomenal and I fed off that energy. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I wasn’t too far behind you and I totally agree that Chicago was amazing! I’m thinking of doing it again next year!
 
Congratulations on a great race and for running for such a great cause!



I wasn’t too far behind you and I totally agree that Chicago was amazing! I’m thinking of doing it again next year!

When I was tracking you all the little runner icons on the tracking map for you guys were almost right on top of each other for the last 6 miles or so. I was wondering if you had found each other or if you were just very close by.
 
:woohoo:

Way to go! Consistent pacing in a marathon is hard and impressive. Well done!

Thanks! Hopefully next time my consistent pacing will be faster. :-)

Congrats!!!!! The pics make it clear you had so much fun! Even though it’s not a PR, how can you complain when you’re loving what you’re doing? Great job!

Thanks! Yeah, I seem to have more fun when I'm not trying to PR.

Loved your recap and all the pics!! 🥰

Thank you! Glad to see you around these parts again! :-)

Congrats! Hoping to run Chicago or New York next year so this is helpful!

Thanks! I would like to run NYC too. I've heard it's just as great, but more hilly.

I almost didn’t recognize you with your hair down and glasses on in the restaurant photo. Usually we only see pics of everyone in running gear and hair pulled back, hats, etc.

Haha, I know. I feel like we should post pictures of our normal, non-running selves so we can recognize each for marathon weekend. I wear contacts about 80% of the time, but sometimes I just need to give my eyes a break and wear my glasses.

Congrats on a great race! Sounds like it was a fun experience. Definitely on my list.

Thanks! It was fun and I hope you can do it someday.

Also wondering how I missed that goose island beer truck in the late miles...oh wait...ok I guess it's easy to not see things during a marathon :)

My friend said she didn't remember it last year either, so maybe it was a new addition?

I wasn’t too far behind you and I totally agree that Chicago was amazing! I’m thinking of doing it again next year!

That's crazy we were so close! Glad you had an amazing time too. I would love to do it again too, just not sure if I can swing it next year.
 
Chicago Marathon (Mile 14 to Finish)

Miles 14-17
Still cruising along. I could tell my pace was slowing a bit, but I still felt good overall.

View attachment 444799

At the mile 16 marker, I stopped to take a selfie to text to my son Ben - it was his 16th birthday. We celebrated at home the weekend prior.

View attachment 444790

Ben is the reason I ran for the March of Dimes charity. He is truly a miracle baby, born 16 weeks early, weighing only 2 pounds. We are very fortunate he is now a healthy teenage boy.

Through my fundraising, I was able to raise over $2400 for the March of Dimes. Every person who donated and everyone I know that has been affected by preterm birth was on my mind during this race. That helped push me through when I was feeling tired.


Miles 18-22
This is where the party is at people. I think it was mile 18 that I had my first beer in Little Italy. Then the Pilsen neighborhood really had it going on with snacks galore, beer, tequila, jello shots!!!!
View attachment 444791

And then Chinatown...oh my, the crowds there were so awesome! When I rounded the corner heading into Chinatown I felt like an elite runner with the way they were cheering and with the banging of the drums. It gave me the chills!
View attachment 444793
View attachment 444794


Miles 23 to Finish
Up until mile 23 I was running pretty continuously, with the exception of bathroom, beer, & snack breaks, but then the wind was starting to become an issue. It was gusting pretty good now and instead of fighting it, I just took more walk breaks. I thought I was done with the beer and I was ready to tackle the last 5K, when I rounded a corner and saw the Goose Island beer truck.

An oasis!!!
View attachment 444796

Feeling a little glow, I set out to tackle the last couple of miles with a walk/run. I finished strong by Pac-manning people on Roosevelt hill and with a smile. My 5th marathon and first World Marathon Major complete!

I collected my lovely medal and found my friends in the reunite area. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the bean for some pics.
View attachment 444795View attachment 444800

Later that evening, I had a lovely steak dinner with my support crew.
View attachment 444798


Overall thoughts:

My official time was 5:13:27 and while that's far off my PR of 4:40, I still feel good about it. I feel like this was my most consistent pacing in a marathon to date. There was no wall, no massive struggle. At no time did I want to cry, nor did I have any negative thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe I'm getting better at this marathoning thing?

So no time PR, but I would say this was definitely a personal record in the amount of alcohol I consumed during a marathon. :rotfl:

Chicago was most definitely my favorite marathon EVER. Yes, I love Disney marathons, but even Disney has boring parts. Chicago has 1.7 million spectators cheering the entire way! I was never bored. The crowds were phenomenal and I fed off that energy. I would do it again in a heartbeat. When? I'm not sure, but I will run it again someday.

Great race! I appreciated the recap. You certainly looked like you enjoyed it, and you had near-perfect conditions for it. Congrats!
 
Great race! I appreciated the recap. You certainly looked like you enjoyed it, and you had near-perfect conditions for it. Congrats!

Thanks and yes, near perfect minus the wind at the end.

Great recap and race! Makes me excited to enter the lottery for next year (even though I still hope I don't get drawn, hahahaha.)

I hope you get in! A city full of delicious pizza and a marathon with beers along the way - this race is totally for made for you! :teeth:
 
Have you done the Martian Invasion race in Dearborn in April? If so, what did you think about it?

The timing for it would be good for me for my next marathon, and I'm partial to SF themes. Also, my FIL lives in Grosse Pointe, so I would have free lodging and transport.

Thanks!
 
Ahh, and I just looked at the date and remembered why I haven't done it yet - it conflicts with the Gazelle Girl Half here in Grand Rapids, which is on the 19th, and I usually do Gazelle because it's part of a series (bonus bling).
 
Ahh, and I just looked at the date and remembered why I haven't done it yet - it conflicts with the Gazelle Girl Half here in Grand Rapids, which is on the 19th, and I usually do Gazelle because it's part of a series (bonus bling).

Thanks! If you hadn't heard anything horrible about it, then that's good. :)

In terms of the bling, the Martian Invasion races have a really cool (for an astronomer) galaxy medal for 2020, but it's only for people who do the 5K + half challenge, not for marathoners. Kind of a bummer about that, but the alien marathon medal is pretty fun.
 
Have you done the Martian Invasion race in Dearborn in April? If so, what did you think about it?

The timing for it would be good for me for my next marathon, and I'm partial to SF themes. Also, my FIL lives in Grosse Pointe, so I would have free lodging and transport.

Thanks!
Can I weigh in? @jmasgat lives in the area and might be a good one to ping and ask as well.

This has been on my 'wait until the last minute to sign up for the 10K or half' list for the last 3 years, and I always bail as kids get in the way and the weather is not predictable- last year was freezing rain. Clearly this is not a great strategy, and not something that seems applicable for a full marathon, but it works well for me- I can run the Ann Arbor marathon half a few weeks before (as in roll out of bed and decide to run an hour before as I did last year), or if weather makes that a bust do Dearborn. This is again my plan for 2020, but I am not running a full marathon. I have run portions of the course, but not as a part of the race. It is relatively flat, a majority of the race is on paved roads with a small section on paved paths. If it is a particularly bad freeze-thaw cycle late in winter there are quite a few potholes in the trail section, but the path is wide and you can dodge them. This is true of all spring Michigan races.

That said, I like the races put on by Running Fit. They are well organized and have decent finish line snacks (there is one that has better stuff and several that are terrible). This is also one of the few races in the Spring that is on a Saturday, not a Sunday which is a bonus to me. There is also plenty of parking in the area, and I think Dearborn has some of the better maintained roads in SE MI.
 
Can I weigh in? @jmasgat lives in the area and might be a good one to ping and ask as well.

This has been on my 'wait until the last minute to sign up for the 10K or half' list for the last 3 years, and I always bail as kids get in the way and the weather is not predictable- last year was freezing rain. Clearly this is not a great strategy, and not something that seems applicable for a full marathon, but it works well for me- I can run the Ann Arbor marathon half a few weeks before (as in roll out of bed and decide to run an hour before as I did last year), or if weather makes that a bust do Dearborn. This is again my plan for 2020, but I am not running a full marathon. I have run portions of the course, but not as a part of the race. It is relatively flat, a majority of the race is on paved roads with a small section on paved paths. If it is a particularly bad freeze-thaw cycle late in winter there are quite a few potholes in the trail section, but the path is wide and you can dodge them. This is true of all spring Michigan races.

That said, I like the races put on by Running Fit. They are well organized and have decent finish line snacks (there is one that has better stuff and several that are terrible). This is also one of the few races in the Spring that is on a Saturday, not a Sunday which is a bonus to me. There is also plenty of parking in the area, and I think Dearborn has some of the better maintained roads in SE MI.

Thanks for the info! I want cold weather (although not freezing rain - who wants that? but I'll take my chances), which is why I was looking in Michigan. For a marathon, I'd actually love mid-40s F for a race, but 50s F will do. By mid-April in the DC area, it's likely going to be warmer than I want.
 

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