We returned home last night from the Chicago Marathon after an experience I will never forget. There are many thoughts to share, so hopefully I won't bore you with my lengthy story! A year ago last April, I began training for the Twin Cities Marathon as a onetime experience and retire from running again. What I didn't expect is how much I would enjoy running again despite several frustrating injuries that put my training on hold for up to 3 weeks at a time last summer. My injuries were rooky mistakes resulting from a poor training plan, but I carried on and ran the hot and humid Twin Cities Marathon in 4:36:47. Not a great time but I achieved my goal of running the marathon. But I began to wonder what time I could run if I was properly trained. So, I decided to commit myself to a disciplined training program over the winter - a long term program to gradually build my mileage and avoid injury.
I decided to run two marathons in 2008; Fargo in May and Chicago in October. I wanted to spread them apart to allow ample time for recovery between races. I logged about 700 injury-free miles over the winter. I also set two goals for myself. The first was to run a sub 4 hour marathon which seemed possible at the time with proper training. But I also set a stretch goal to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time which would require me to improve my Twin Cities Marathon time by a little over an hour. The Fargo Marathon was warm (for May) and windy but I was able to reach my sub 4 hour marathon goal – just barely (3:59:53). Considering how diligently I trained over the winter, I really didn’t think I could improve my time another 25 minutes to reach my stretch goal. Then I made the best training decision of the year.I began entering shorter races to compliment my regular weekly training to build my speed, tempo and endurance. In all, I ran 2 half marathons, a 5k, 10k, 10 mile and a 20 mile race in the span of June-September.
Not only did it help improve my conditioning, but it really helped my confidence as I pushed myself as hard as I could in each race to see what my body could handle. My final race before Chicago was a 20 miler 5 weeks ago. The weather was cool and calm and I was able to maintain an 8 minute/mile pace throughout - the same pace I would need to run in Chicago to reach my stretch goal. At that point I knew I had a realistic shot to qualify for Boston. An 8 minute/mile pace would give me a 3:30 marathon and with a 5 minute buffer from my 3:35:59 qualifying requirement for Boston.
Not only did it help improve my conditioning, but it really helped my confidence as I pushed myself as hard as I could in each race to see what my body could handle. My final race before Chicago was a 20 miler 5 weeks ago. The weather was cool and calm and I was able to maintain an 8 minute/mile pace throughout - the same pace I would need to run in Chicago to reach my stretch goal. At that point I knew I had a realistic shot to qualify for Boston. An 8 minute/mile pace would give me a 3:30 marathon and with a 5 minute buffer from my 3:35:59 qualifying requirement for Boston. I was so excited and anxious for the Chicago Marathon I think I only slept 3-4 hours the two nights prior to the race. Chicago is one of the largest marathons from a participant standpoint and is one of the premier marathons in the world. Chicago reached the 45,000 registration capacity by June. The field of runners included the women’s Olympic marathon champion and a host of top male marathoners from Kenya.
Gail, Emily, and Arianne, a girlfriend of Emily’s who provided us a place to stay over the weekend, came along 
to watch the race, providing boisterous encouragement during the downtown stretches. We arrived in Grant Park where the race begins at 6:30am – 90 minutes before race time. It was still dark outside, but there were already thousands of runners entering the park in preparation for the race. I was absolutely amazed how well the race was planned and organized considering the sheer magnitude of the event. Over 10,000 volunteers lined the course from start to finish, ready to answer any questions as well as assist during the race at water stations, medical aid stations and with post race needs.
to watch the race, providing boisterous encouragement during the downtown stretches. We arrived in Grant Park where the race begins at 6:30am – 90 minutes before race time. It was still dark outside, but there were already thousands of runners entering the park in preparation for the race. I was absolutely amazed how well the race was planned and organized considering the sheer magnitude of the event. Over 10,000 volunteers lined the course from start to finish, ready to answer any questions as well as assist during the race at water stations, medical aid stations and with post race needs.
I felt confident and ready for the race, but the weather was again a concern. It was already 66 degrees at sunrise with a forecast high for the day in the mid 80’s with clear skies. Runners were seated front to back by qualifying times. There were 3,500 runners in front of me including the "elite" runners along with the top corrals "A" and "B." I was seated in the "C" corral and made sure I was near the front so I could avoid having to weave through slower traffic once underway. Behind me were close to 30,000 additional runners in coral "D" and the open coral.
A quarter of a million spectators lined the streets for the start of the race with another 1.25 million along the entire course. The start was an amazing experience as we shot down Columbus Drive and saw the spectators lining the streets and overpasses cheering on the runners. The entire race was filled with cheering spectators 2-4 rows deep on each side of the street. The constant encouragement was a huge help as the temperatures began to rise. I had already worked up a good sweat by mile 3, so I knew dehydration and fluid intake were going to be critical. Chicago took a lot of flack last year because they ran out of water at several stages of the race, but they did a fantastic job this year. There were more than enough water stations throughout the course every 2 miles. The only problem was that on hot days your body can’t process the water you drink as fast as you sweat it out, so dehydration was inevitable. I ran past a handful of water stations because the water in my stomach was still sloshing around from the last station, and there was no room to add more without feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
The marathon course winds through Chicago’s 3 major sports venues - north to Wrigley Field, west to the United Center, and South to US Cellular Field before heading back north to Grant Park and the finish line. All was going as planned and I was still on pace for a 3:30 marathon heading into mile twenty as we passed through China Town and turned south toward US Cellular Field. Thi
s was a tough stretch as the temperature was now in the low 80’s with no protection from direct sunlight. Many of the runners ahead of me began to fall way off the pace, and the race became somewhat of an obstacle course weaving through slower traffic – many even walking at this point. My pace also slowed to an 8:15/mile pace but I kept pushing on as I passed hundreds of runners suffering from the distance and the elements. I kept telling myself “you worked too hard for this to give in to the pain now.”
s was a tough stretch as the temperature was now in the low 80’s with no protection from direct sunlight. Many of the runners ahead of me began to fall way off the pace, and the race became somewhat of an obstacle course weaving through slower traffic – many even walking at this point. My pace also slowed to an 8:15/mile pace but I kept pushing on as I passed hundreds of runners suffering from the distance and the elements. I kept telling myself “you worked too hard for this to give in to the pain now.”We reached the furthest point south (35th Street) at mile 23 and finally turned north on Michigan avenue on the home stretch. As I saw the tall downtown buildings getting closer and closer, I knew the end was near, but the last few miles seems like forever. At this point, I knew I had lost my chance at a 3:30 finish, but more importantly I knew 
I still had a little cushion to work with to qualify for Boston. I ran mile 25 and 26 around an 8:45 pace which was the best I could muster before turning right onto Roosevelt Road just 0.3 miles from the finish line. Roosevelt Road is a strategically placed hill before making the final turn north on Columbus Drive. As I made the final turn left on Columbus Drive, I could see the finish line banner in front of me. The finish was lined with bleachers on both sides and thousands of cheering spectators. I crossed the finish line with a time of 3:34:16 - one minute 43 seconds better than the Boston qualifying time I needed to achieve. I finished 2,524 overall out of 31,401 finishers and 111th in my age group of over 3,000 runners.
I still had a little cushion to work with to qualify for Boston. I ran mile 25 and 26 around an 8:45 pace which was the best I could muster before turning right onto Roosevelt Road just 0.3 miles from the finish line. Roosevelt Road is a strategically placed hill before making the final turn north on Columbus Drive. As I made the final turn left on Columbus Drive, I could see the finish line banner in front of me. The finish was lined with bleachers on both sides and thousands of cheering spectators. I crossed the finish line with a time of 3:34:16 - one minute 43 seconds better than the Boston qualifying time I needed to achieve. I finished 2,524 overall out of 31,401 finishers and 111th in my age group of over 3,000 runners.
During my training runs, I often tried to envision what it would be like to cross the finish line knowing I had achieved a Boston marathon qualifying time. Would I pump my fist into the air and enjoy the moment like those amazing elite runners or would I be overcome with emotion? Well, it was neither. In fact, all I remember of the final stretch is a glazed vision of the finish line banner until I could no longer see it because it was behind me. I don’t remember hearing the crowd noise or the other runners around me. I do remember hearing an announcement over the loud speaker that the weather alert warning had been raised from yellow to red, but my race was over.
When you cross the finish line, they funnel the runners up Columbus to the far end of Grant Park where the family reunite area is located. It took about 15 minutes to reach this area, but during this walk everything slowly came into focus and I was overcome with emotion. The cold winter runs, wet summer runs, and lonely 20 mile runs had all culminated in this…a chance to run in the oldest and most prestigious marathon in the world – the 113th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20th! I need to submit my application to the Boston Athletic Association for age and race time validation. This process apparently takes up to 4 weeks and there is a 25,000 limit to the number of runners accepted each year, so I will be submitting my application/registration today! http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?rsID=71448
