Sunday:
27 miles AM: Chicago Marathon
27 miles 1st mile went out, just stayed relaxed and tried to not go out too fast. Bernie was in front of me and just tried to stay sort of around where he was. The mile split was 5:13, and I was like, holy crap this feels easy. The 2nd mile split was 5:46, so that 1st mile must have been wrong. 2nd mile just stayed relaxed and behind bernie. A group of guys were a good deal up ahead and trying to go for the trials standard, also a ton of other guys ahead of us, but I wasn't thinking about trying to mix it up. I was just running as relaxed as possible and trying to go out very conservative because that's the best possible strategy in the heat. Ran 10:54 for the next 2 miles still behind bernie. I was pretty much covered in sweat at this point, and knew it was only going to get hotter. However, at this point we also weren't in contact with any direct sunlight, the building were providing us with shade.
At this point some guy in a blue jersey was sort of moving up, and I felt great so I just tucked right behind him and went with him. The next few miles were 5:25, 5:21, 5:29. I didn't feel completely relaxed on the last one, so I let that guy go and tucked in behind some guy we caught up to. We ran a 5:33, 5:36, 5:38, then a couple guys joined us and we ran a 16:50 3 mile. Up until this point I was just sitting on guys. I didn't want to lead a single step, and I wanted to feel completely relaxed for as long as possible, and I did feel relaxed. Coming through the half marathon I felt great. I should also add that 2 of my 4 gu packs fell out of my pockets in the first mile, and a 3rd fell out at around 5 miles, at which point i pulled out my remaining gu pack and just ran with it in my hand. I was a little worried about what I was going to do. I ended up eating my 4th one, and grabbing 2 more that people were handing out, so it wasn't too bad.
So at the half marathon the guy I was sitting on went flying backwards, so I was just running solo. At this point I had also picked off tons of guys from the beginning of the race, and was continuing to pick guys off. The next few solo miles I ran 5:37, 5:42, 5:46, 5:48. These miles were in the sun, and it had gotten a lot hotter and I was really starting to feel it. I was pretty unconcerned about the pace, I was just focused on trying to relax. I was trying to find someone to run with, but after the half I was solo the rest of the race. Everyone I caught up to I pretty much immediately passed.
So I've got 9 miles to go, and I'm feeling pretty much completely screwed. Although I look at the time and realize that if I can run just 6:10s the rest of the way I can still break 2:30. So I just take it mile by mile. I start running in the low 6:00s just thinking that I just have to finish the race, and maybe I can still run well. So the miles are going by, and I'm horribly horribly struggling, but somehow still picking people off. Also, there's nobody passing me in the race, and every mile I think the lead women are going to pass me this mile, because I'm going so slow. The pace honestly felt like 8 minute pace, but each mile it was 6:something.
The last 5 miles were god awful. I had started the race taking 2 cups per station. At this point I was pounding down 2-3 cups and pouring 2-3 cups over my head. My legs were killing me, I had 2 huge blisters under both my big toes, so every step I took was painful. I was just trying to make i through 1 more mile every mile. I was shocked every time I broke 7 minutes. I was also shocked every mile I continued to pick someone off, and that still nobody was passing me and there was no sign of the elite women. I kept listening for people cheering for the elite women behind me, but nothing.
The last 3 miles I started talking to myself. come on just finish, just make it to that stop sign up there. I knew that I was still going to finish with a decent time, but I was pretty sure there was no way in hell the elite women weren't going to roll by me by the end. In the last 2 miles, someone finally passed me. They were in a yellow jersey and I heard someone yell go hanson, and I was just like are you serious?. Then one other dude passed me, and in the final mile bernie passed me. At that point I just latched on to him and I was just trying to finish with him. Running with bernie gave me a little boost and I started to pick it up. With a half mile to go I started to push and passed another guy. I then slowed down again, realizing we weren't as close to the finish as I thought we were. Then I was trying to kick some other guy down the final stretch, but felt my calf spasm, had to back off, then tried to kick again, and the calf spasmed again. So slowed back down because I didn't want to not be able to finish in the last straight.
If I didn't know my time, and my place, and had there been nobody else in the race. I would have said that it was the worst performance of my life. I was basically broken with 9 miles to go. In fact when bernie told me I was 20th at the end of the race, I was completely shocked. I think I competed really really well, and I'm very happy with how I did. I beat some very good guys, and the elite women, including the winner of last year's chicago marathon where she ran 2:20. I'm not sure if going out any slower would have helped that much. I felt very relaxed coming through the half, but after that it just got a lot hotter, and the sun was beating down on us. I think it was going to be miserable pretty much regardless of the first half. PM: 0 miles
10-01-2007