Chicago Marathon (Race #100)

The Chicago Marathon marked my 100th official race. This has been a feat that I have been working on since my first kayaking race in 2005. Little did I know that this would be an achievement I would reach. My brother Tim had asked me about six months prior to the event about doing a marathon together. Actually, it was not the first time he asked me to do this, but I told him if he gave me enough notice I would seriously consider it. I looked at this race as a celebration of my love for running. Tim and I planned to do our own training and plan for completing the marathon at about a 4 hour pace. The Chicago Marathon is truly a first class presentation. We registered in the open wave and began with the most crowded race start of any I have done. We crawled over the metal fences to get in the starting gate because there were so many people crammed into the starting corral. It was a little close for comfort, and there were so many people ahead of us that it took about 10 minutes from the gun going off before we actually crossed the official start line. The first 1/3 of the race was difficult. There were thousands of fans. Last year's estimate was that 1.7 million watched the marathon and they predicted there would be more this year. It was very tough for the first 8 miles or so because although I was trying to enjoy the scenery and take in the sights and sounds with Tim, we had to watch our footing so as not to trip over other people's feet. I actually did bump into others a few times and almost tripped over one guy who tried crossing in front of me early in the race. After the first 1/3 of the race, the event became more enjoyable in that you could let your guard down a little and not worry so much about the crowding. The crowds stayed consistently thick through the race. The aid stations were awesome and being a day that started out at about 66 degrees at the race start I consumed 2-3 drinks at each aid station. That equates to well over a gallon of liquid consumed. Who knows how much spilled on me during attempts to drink and also water dumped over my head to cool me during the race. I treated this race as truly a celebration and from the perspective of all the races I have done I tried to relax and take in the whole experience and not worry about time. I loved coming to the corners. Whereas the normal strategy for most runners was to hug the corner so as to minimize the total distance run during the race, I purposely took the outer edge of the corners which added distance but also gave me plenty of opportunities to high five fans without having to compete with other runners for attention from the crowd. Often times I would pump my fists in the air and try signaling for the crowd to cheer for us (not that a lack of cheering was a problem as it certainly was not). This was something that I never get a chance to do. Most races I have done are not approached with this same strategy. I think I got a little carried away at times with stirring up the crowd, but I had a great time doing this. At the end of the race I was the one who ran short of energy and Tim pulled me the final few miles to a finish which was a personal record for Tim. I needed help and motivation to continue on. Perhaps it was the heat that got to me but I felt a little dehydrated the last three miles. At mile 23 I reached a point where I felt if I were to continue pusing the pace we were, that I was not going to do well. I was getting some leg cramping and for a short time felt a little shaky at that same point. I have never felt that during a race before. Tim stayed with me although I know he could have finished stronger than I felt. We were on a sub 4 hour pace through 23 miles, but I was frustrated to see the 4 hour pace group pass us, but I knew that I would not be able to stay with them. I encouraged Tim to go on and finish under 4 hours since he had never done this before, but he finished the same way we started. . .together. Tim finished a second faster than I did and we crossed the line together. My time was 4:03.16. I was 9,345th overall out of 35755 runners, which meant I finished near the top quarter of racers. I was very hapy with that and extremely happy Tim and I were finally able to do a race together. Looking back over the last 100 races, I have been fortunate to have many varied experiences. From finishing almost last in my second race of my life at the Northshore Inline Marathon, I have stepped it up. In the 100 races I have done, I have had been fortunate to find much running success and have developed a passion for this as a lifelong sport. Running continues to motivate me to enjoy pushing myself to the limits and challenging myself personally against the clock. The most important aspect I have found about running is to always try my hardest and feel good with myself no matter what the position or time. It is important for me to remain motivated to push myself and I am blessed with family and friends who support me and help motivate me as well.