Yesterday, in a constant stream of rain, I completed the Chicago Half Marathon.
Before the Race:
I began preparing last week, making sure that I didn't consume any alcohol, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep. I laid out all my materials Saturday night, made coffee for the morning, and ordered a cab. I was up at 5 to eat a salted bagel, drink coffee and water, and out the door at 5:45. When I arrived it was still dark and still raining. I had packed a few garbage bags that served as a poncho and shoe coverings.
I made my way to the AIDS Marathon tent and greeted other runners and coaches. My parents found me along with our friends Bette & Dave. They wished me luck and my dad took the bag I was going to check.
Sherry, Jeff and I decided to run separately due to varying interests in whether we wanted to walk parts of the course or not (I ended up running the whole thing). At about 7:10 I made my way over to the start line. Jackson Park was a wet, muddy mess. It took me quite a while to work my way through the pace sections. I finally gave up trying to reach the 2:10 pace section and was content starting in the 2:20 section. There was no way to advance any further, and my shoes were already soaked.
The Race:
I crossed the start line about 10 minutes after the official start. Within minutes the rain felt wonderful, as I suspected it would. It rained for the entire race (or more accurately, it rained constantly from Friday evening to Sunday evening, flooding parts of Chicago and requiring the city to call a "state of emergency" in the metropolitan area). While the no sun/low humidity combination was the best I could have asked for, there were a few unanticipated consequences:
1) I underestimated how heavy water-logged shoes could feel. It felt as though I was wearing ankle weights and it took an unanticipated toll on my knees. I noticed a few people had placed a strip of duck tape over the mesh portion of their shoe (over their toes). I have no idea if this works, but it seemed like a wise attempt.
2) My running shorts, which have always been very comfortable, surprised me with their behavior. When soaking wet, they apparently have a tendency to ride-up -- which was not something I really wanted to think about during the race. While I'd probably look a bit silly, I think I will have to invest in the skin-tight variety next time I do such a long race.
The AIDS Marathon organizers were fabulous; They planted a group to cheer every 2 miles or so, giving high-fives and yelling my name. It was a nice motivator. Additionally, my parents, my uncles, Bette & Dave and Nick (though I sadly didn't find him until well after the race) were cheering along the way.
I ate one Shot Blok at the start line, and three others along the way after mile 7 (where I took a quick bathroom break). I also consumed my water bottle full of water with a bit of Gatorade powder, as well as a bit of water from two water stations. Though I'd probably look a lot sharper without it, I really like having my water belt with me. It is great for storing food, and the water stations get so congested that it's nice to be able to largely avoid them (and the resulting bed of crushed cups).
I kept my 10 minute pace well, making sure to start off slow (avoiding a repeat of my 10K experience). The whole race felt pretty easy, amazingly. I think the sun is what affects me most when running. Around mile 10 I started to get nervous that my leg muscles were going to cramp up, but though they felt on the verge, I somehow avoided it.
The Results:
I finished right on schedule with a time of 2:12:26. (You can see my results here) If you deduct the 2 minutes or so that the bathroom break took, I was almost dead-on the 10 minute/mile pace (the final pace they gave me was 10:07). I didn't stop to walk once. I kind of wish I had run a bit faster. Clearly, the point was simply to finish, but other than being a bit sore when I was done (and very sore later in the day), I felt great when I finished -- and like I could have gone further. I guess beating my time is a good motivator to run another half marathon. Overall, I finished basically right in the middle in place 5606 out of 10854.
Walking through the gates past the finish line, I ate an apple and a banana (all the bagels were wet.. ew) and drank some Gatorade. I also posed for a photo, which I'm sure looks absolutely stunning. By the time I made my way over to the AIDS tent to meet my parents, I was so cold that I was shivering and my lips were turning blue. I eventually found Nick and we headed to the bus. 3 methods of public transportation and over an hour later, we made it home. I took a hot shower.
My parents came by to pick us up and we met Jack and Dave, Bette and Dave, and an old high school friend, Sara, for brunch at Bin 36. Sara has been a runner for a long time, and she is quite impressive. Her time was 1:35:15 (that's a pace of 7:17!). My parents drove us home and Nick and I watched A Fish Called Wanda. I was in bed by 10.
While I luckily sustained no lasting injury, my body definitely feels a bit fragile and I looked positively elderly getting on and off the buses this morning.
The half marathon was a great experience. The AIDS Marathon training program helped to prepare me and I highly recommend them. Thanks to many generous individuals, I was able to raise $1,640 for AIDS prevention and care. I used to hate running and was barely able to run a mile outside. 5 months later I have transformed into someone who felt quite comfortable running 13.1 and I'm not ready to give it up yet.
I'll be running the AIDS Run/Walk 5K next weekend with the Chicago AIDS Foundation and I plan to continue with my weekly runs while the weather holds out. I'll continue to use this website to track my weeks and report on races, etc.
Thank you to everyone who helped to support me through this process!
Total run: 13.1 miles
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