Really long report ahead!

This was my second marathon. I ran 4:24:12 last year, and was looking to improve upon that time. My last long run went really well, so I thought that 4:15 or lower was well within my reach. I picked up a 4:15 pace group number at the expo, and planned to run with them for the first half and then either stay with them or try to run negative.

My morning started off with me panicking about the weather. I hadn't packed my tights or coolmax shirts, and as we watched the weather report on Ch. 5 I started to get worried. I bundled up and my boyfriend I left our hotel to walk to the start area. The weather wasn't that bad, except for when the wind would pick up.

We got to the start area and set about finding the Charity Village. I was running for the American Cancer Society, and wanted to drop my bag off there. My parents were also supposed to meet us there. I hadn't looked at the start/finish map enough, so it took us a little while to find it (which also caused me some stress). We finally found the Village, and I got in line for the porta-potty. After that, we went to the ACS tent so I could drop off my bag and put on my race number. I didn't like taking off my warmup pants or my coat. My race outfit consisted of coolmax socks w/ the breast cancer pink ribbon, running shorts, my ACS singlet, and throwaway cotton gloves and long sleeve cotton shirt.

We walked up towards the start and finally found my parents. My mom had chapstick and tissues with her, which I really appreciated. What sucked was I already wanted to go to the bathroom again. We found the 4:15 pace sign, and I jumped into the crowd. What made no sense at all was that the 4:20 pace group was further up than the 4:15 pace group. I was pretty close to the 4:15 lollypop sign, so I figured it would all work out. While waiting for the start, the people around me starting passing clothes to the side. The guys next to me made jokes about some of the nice stuff that was getting passed- one of the guys joked he wasn't there to run, just to get free clothes.

I actually heard the gun go off this year, but we didn't move for a few minutes. Once we got moving, the space between me and the 4:15 pace leaders got huge. I got a little worried, and tried to make my way up to them- which was hard with the 4:20 people in between. First mile flew by and I was pretty much on 4:15 pace. I caught up to the pacers at the mile mark, and ran right with one of them for mile 2. We reached that point not on pace, so I ditched the group and took off on my own. I also ditched my long sleeve shirt at this point, but kept on my gloves.

The next two miles went by quick. In the 5th mile, I finally saw porta-potties and decided to stop since the line didn't look too long. How wrong I was! I ended up losing 4 minutes (!) and I watched the 4:15, 4:20 and 4:30 groups go by. So when I got done I was a little panicked and set about trying to catch my group. (I never saw the 4:15 group again, though). At one point, I did end up catching up with a girl I know from school, Candice, who was running her first marathon. She had a 4:30 number on her back, but she was ahead of her group.

More miles passed, and Candice and I caught up with each other again around mile 10. I think we might've passed the 4:20 group by this time. We passed by her family, and then before mile 12 I saw my family. Things were going ok for me, although the cold was affecting my calves. They had been kind of tight from the start on, but I thought that they would've warmed up by this point. Around the half point, I fell off from where Candice was (she went on to run 4:12- amazing for a first marathon, especially since her goal was just to finish!) and was on my own.

I saw my family again around mile 15 or 16. It was great to see them as my legs were getting tired. I also saw my pledge daughter around mile 18, which was great and a total surprise since I didn't know she was going to watch the marathon.

I continued on, but around Comiskey my legs started giving me real problems. My calves hadn't ever warmed up (I wish I'd brought tights to wear) and my quads were starting to get tight. I tried to hang on as long as I could but it got painful. I took a little longer through one water station (where I had a man yell at walkers -me- to get out of the way of the runners. That made me mad since I was one of the runners), and then started skipping the water stops since it hurt too much to stop. I did stop at one point to stretch, in the hopes it would help.

I was pretty upset the last couple of miles since I was hurting so bad and I had had such high hopes for the race. A quote from Hal Higdons' Virtual Training Program helped some - "Even when you have gone as far as you can, and everything hurts, and you are staring at the specter of self-doubt, you can find a bit more strength deep inside you, if you look closely enough." I also reminded myself that this was what I had trained for (if it were a training run, I'd have stopped) and that I was running for the ACS.

The hills in the last part were not nice. I gutted it out the last mile and picked up my pace. Finishing was hard this year- I saw myself on the video screen and I wasn't running well (form), and I couldn't go any faster than I was. After crossing the line, I almost cried- but while last year it was from the sheer joy of finishing, this year it was from the amount that my legs hurt. I made my way through the area, collecting my blanket, medal, water, clif bars and a banana. I finally found a spot to sit- I know that's generally a bad idea, but I needed it. I then went to get my picture taken- I told my mom it probably came out bad since I was freezing.

I finally made my way back to the ACS tent and my warm clothes. The foil blanket wasn't really helping, since it didn't cover my legs which were what needed the warmth. I found my mom and then my boyfriend (waiting for me with beautiful pink roses). We took some pictures, and then we finally found my dad. I signed up for a massage in the ACS tent, but it turned out to be more of a stretch than a massage. Oh well.

My boyfriend I then started making our way back to the hotel so I could shower and we could check out. We did stop by the merchandise tent so I could get a fleece blanket (on sale) and a finisher's shirt. Walking started becoming painful- not so much for my legs but for my left foot. It really hurt to put weight on it.

It's Tuesday now, and my quads are starting to loosen back up again. I was going to run yesterday to get the lactic acid out, but I wasn't able to put weight on my foot. It's better today, but I'm seeing the doctor anyway.

Overall, I am kind of disappointed with my 2nd marathon. I know finishing is an accomplishment in and of itself, and I am proud to say I am a 2x marathon finisher. It's just disappointing to have had my legs cramp up like that, especially in the last miles. But it was a good learning experience- if it's ever cold like that again, I'll make sure to pack my tights and wear them. I think having my legs wrapped would've helped. This one also really did fly by- I don't really remember anything of what was around me. Oh, I saw a great sign that said something about toenails being for wusses.

Splits:
01 | 09:37.66
02 | 10:16.42 | 0:19:54.08 ran w/4:15 pace group
03 | 09:38.15 | 0:29:32.23 ditched pace group
04 | 09:59.78 | 0:39:32.01
05 | 13:13.36 | 0:52:45.37 bathroom stop, lost 4 minutes (line)
06 | 09:26.32 | 1:02:11
07 | 09:03.03 | 1:11:14
08 | 09:22 | 1:20:36
09 | 09:30 | 1:30:06 gel
10 | 09:05.76 | 1:39:11
12 | 18:28.58 | 1:57:40 completely missed mile 11 sign
13 | 09:19.64 | 2:07:00 (13.1 - 2:08)
14 | 09:16.46 | 2:16:16
15 | 09:38.23 | 2:25:54
16 | 09:43.67 | 2:35:38
17 | 09:29.66 | 2:45:08
18 | 10:16.73 | 2:55:24 gel
19 | 09:56.25 | 3:05:21
20 | 10:07.14 | 3:15:28
21 | 09:52.38 | 3:25:20
22 | 10:19.73 | 3:35:40 leg cramping/tightness started getting worse
23 | 10:28.35 | 3:46:08 water
24 | 09:54.92 | 3:56:03
25 | 10:43.94 | 4:06:47 stopped to stretch
26 | 09:42.10 | 4:16:29
26.2 | 01:48.16 | 4:18:17
Chip Time = 4:18:18

Thanks for reading my really long report!
-marisa