michigandergirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2013
- Messages
- 1,792
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.
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.
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!!!!
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!
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!!!
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.
Later that evening, I had a lovely steak dinner with my support crew.
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.
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.
Miles 14-17
Still cruising along. I could tell my pace was slowing a bit, but I still felt good overall.
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.
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!!!!
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!
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!!!
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.
Later that evening, I had a lovely steak dinner with my support crew.
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.
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.
