Well, the Chicago Marathon is done and I've had a few days to reflect on my experience there. First of all, I had a great time in Chicago. It is great to have supportive friends there to cheer you on and motivate you during these endeavors. Secondly, being in Chicago was a fun time and I had a blast seeing the city. Also, I got to meet Dean Karnazes (this guy is a straight up bad@ss).
Now, in regards to the Marathon, I did set a PR. I ran a 2:58:51 and pr'd by nearly 6 minutes. I'd have to say the work that I put in to Chicago, far outweighed the effort I had put into any previous Marathons I had trained for. Therefore, I had high expectations for myself. I also try to set the goals high. I think of two things when I set them. #1 Is it attainable? #2 Is it challenging? Therefore, I had my eyes set on a 2:55 or less Marathon. I really actually thought I was in shape to run a 2:52 and I still do actually. That is why I was glad that I pr'd and broke 3 hours, but still disappointed that I didn't reach what I thought I was capable of. Of course, I must realize that every race doesn't go as planned and that there are better days with cooler temps and more favorable conditions, but still. I do however have to think of things from a positive stand point. This just adds more fuel to the fire and it's going to motivate me to shoot for higher goals. Plus, I know that no matter what time I achieve, I'm never going to be satisfied and will always want to push myself to achieve something greater. It's been a great year overall though, I've pr'd in every race distance, learned a lot about myself, and have realized that there really is not a cap to your potential. I truly believe that if I keep training and pushing myself I can reach some unthinkable marathon times.
It's nice to now take a bit of break, refresh, and rethink my goals. It had been a long, hard, tough summer. Most weeks involved 85-100 miles which admittedly was often times very training. However, I love this stuff and love pushing myself. I've got my sights set on the Qualifer in Midland, Michigan in May as my next target road marathon. I'm not making any bets as to what I'll do there, but I know one thing, it's gonna be damn good.
It's also important to acknowledge that I lost my grandpa this week and I was thinking of him out there on the run. Chicago was for you Gramps, RIP!
“Some seek the comfort of their therapist's office, other head to the corner pub and dive into a pint, but I chose running as my therapy.”
― Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner
