I did it. I ran my second half marathon. That's a strange statement for someone who never thought she'd run one, let alone two. Huh, I ran my second half marathon; 13.1 miles; 69,168 feet. I am a two-time half marathoner.
I had shared previously that I would be filling in as a runner in the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon. I had even shared I was excited for the experience, that in and of itself was and still is an entirely true statement.
What is also true about the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon was the weather. It was hot. It was humid. It was 78 degrees with 80% humidity at 6am. It didn't get any cooler or any less humid as the race went on. In fact, you're smart enough to know it only got worse. But I did it and as best as I knew how to.
I began the race in corral 20, lining up with everyone else. I wasn't nervous at all, I was excited still. Granted I was already sweating and I was literally standing in the shade, but I wasn't nervous. I was getting ready to run my second half marathon and through Chicago to boot!
The half marathon I previously ran didn't have corrals, in fact everyone just sorta lined up, packed in, and started. I digress. The Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon started and slowly as each corral went ahead of us we moved closer to the starting line.
I was absolutely giddy as I got closer to the starting line. The huge start, the loud music, the skyline. This was happening and it was happening whether I was ready or not. And we were off!
I began the race running with Kris, the start of the race was very exciting with spectators, then running under usual roads and then up an on ramp. The race was happening, I was doing it. I continued with Kris, we actually made it together for the first 3 miles. If that had been the entire race, we would have finished together. Unfortunately the difference between a 5k and a half marathon is 10 miles, and it was those next 10 miles that I wasn't going to be able to keep up with Kris.
I wasn't in pain, I was keeping a decent pace. Kris had said we could pace 10:50 to finish ideally. My first mile was 10:49. I was right there! My second mile was 10:59. I was pretty close! My third mile was 9:58. Ah-ha! That's why I was starting to have issues breathing! This is my problem. Pacing. If I feel good, I run faster. If I start to feel less than good, I run slower. In short, I sorta suck at staying a consistent pace.
For a while I could still see Kris up head of me, but eventually I knew she was up there, but I could no longer see her; and that was ok. People around me had started to walk. That's the thing about running. You can walk, you tell yourself if you walk no one will know, or that you can start running again after you walk for a little while. That's what I did in my first half marathon. When I saw people around me start walking I thought it was ok for me to do so. I knew better this time.
I had told myself in the event that I absolutely had to walk whether it be cramping, exhaustion, breathing issues, etc, if I HAD to walk I could walk for 1 minute (timed) and then I had to run the next full mile. For record, I walked a total of 5 minutes through the 13.1 miles. Each were timed out to be one minute.
I ran my fourth mile in 11:32, followed by 10:28 for my fifth. It was somewhere between mile 4 and 5 that I started to feel a groove, in fact I passed one of the photographers and full on smiled, posed, and kept on running.
That's me ... running ... over a bridge, smiling with a thumbs up. And you know what? Everyone around me was walking. Don't worry photo people, I feel I have to actually order a race photo and let's be honest, this is the one to order.
Kris' daughter had mentioned the night prior that there was a stretch of the half marathon that was just boring. Plain and simply boring because there wasn't a lot to look at in this stretch, there weren't a lot of spectators, and it seemed to go on forever. She said it was from about mile 6 through 9. She was right. That was boring. So boring. I take that back, not as boring as my first half marathon through forest preserves only, but it was true. I also think that my being bored and not knowing when the section was going to end I slowed down. Mile 6 was at 11:54, followed by 7 at 13:13, 8 at 13:20, and 9 rounded out at 14:07. Not that it's a reason for me to have run slower, but somewhere between mile 7 and 8 my music stopped. Now, in triathlons you can't use music so I shouldn't complain. However, I had to slow some to figure out why my music stopped; I blew a headphone speaker and had to run the rest of the race with one headphone side working. But you know what, one was better than none at that point and time.
I was all over the place with times, but I was running. I was running a half marathon and although I was being passed by people, I too was passing people. At Mile 10 I started to do my runner's math. I told myself only 3 more miles. I also told myself "Ouch" as my legs started to cramp. I started to slow down. Mile 10 was 14:14 and mile 11 was 13:48. Pretty much any chances I had of running a half marathon faster than I had previously were already pretty much shot, but when I started to cramp up I just wanted to finish.
I got a boost during the last few miles. One of the long end stretches was under McCormick Place and they had colorful lights displayed on the walls and loud music. That helped give me a bit of a boost, not a whole lot, but a bit of a boost. I don't actually know what my time for that mile was because I had minimal GPS signal under McCormick Place, but I do know that it was a good stretch to get through.
After getting out of that tunnel we were approaching Mile 12. That meant 1.1 more miles. What that also meant was one last hill, running up an off ramp. It sucked. It did. I'm sure it wouldn't have sucked as much if it weren't after mile 12, but it did suck. Did I mention it sucked? It did. I actually thought momentarily that I could probably walk up it faster than I was running. Then I saw a spectator with a sign that said "Walking, Ain't Nobody Got Time For That". And with that sight, I told myself that I didn't have time for it and even if I thought I could walk faster, I probably couldn't.
I finally saw what I thought was the finish line. It seriously looked to be a mile away. I actually started to wonder if it was a mirage. And despite my telling myself to just go, go fast, get there, finish, and watching my time ... I couldn't do it. I ran it out and I finished 2 minutes slower than my last half marathon. But I finished.
I finished my second half marathon and I was ecstatic. The crowd of spectators and fellow racers was still buzzing with excitement. I got my medal and put it on without hesitation. I grabbed some water and took a few swigs. Then it was time for my official race finish photos and to find my friends.
Remember when I referenced Ferris Bueller and his quote and discussed my love for the movie? As with most things, it seems fate is not without a sense of irony. Between mile 9 and 10 there was a turn around. All of the runners ran down, turned around and back. You know what was at the end of that turn around? A big screen billboard with the parade scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off playing as everyone ran by. I smiled. I would have taken a photo but I was in a groove. But I smiled, my heart swelled a little bit with excitement and then I went on my way to continue experiencing everything around me because I didn't want to miss any of it.
I had shared previously that I would be filling in as a runner in the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon. I had even shared I was excited for the experience, that in and of itself was and still is an entirely true statement.
What is also true about the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon was the weather. It was hot. It was humid. It was 78 degrees with 80% humidity at 6am. It didn't get any cooler or any less humid as the race went on. In fact, you're smart enough to know it only got worse. But I did it and as best as I knew how to.
I began the race in corral 20, lining up with everyone else. I wasn't nervous at all, I was excited still. Granted I was already sweating and I was literally standing in the shade, but I wasn't nervous. I was getting ready to run my second half marathon and through Chicago to boot!
I was absolutely giddy as I got closer to the starting line. The huge start, the loud music, the skyline. This was happening and it was happening whether I was ready or not. And we were off!
I began the race running with Kris, the start of the race was very exciting with spectators, then running under usual roads and then up an on ramp. The race was happening, I was doing it. I continued with Kris, we actually made it together for the first 3 miles. If that had been the entire race, we would have finished together. Unfortunately the difference between a 5k and a half marathon is 10 miles, and it was those next 10 miles that I wasn't going to be able to keep up with Kris.
I wasn't in pain, I was keeping a decent pace. Kris had said we could pace 10:50 to finish ideally. My first mile was 10:49. I was right there! My second mile was 10:59. I was pretty close! My third mile was 9:58. Ah-ha! That's why I was starting to have issues breathing! This is my problem. Pacing. If I feel good, I run faster. If I start to feel less than good, I run slower. In short, I sorta suck at staying a consistent pace.
For a while I could still see Kris up head of me, but eventually I knew she was up there, but I could no longer see her; and that was ok. People around me had started to walk. That's the thing about running. You can walk, you tell yourself if you walk no one will know, or that you can start running again after you walk for a little while. That's what I did in my first half marathon. When I saw people around me start walking I thought it was ok for me to do so. I knew better this time.
I had told myself in the event that I absolutely had to walk whether it be cramping, exhaustion, breathing issues, etc, if I HAD to walk I could walk for 1 minute (timed) and then I had to run the next full mile. For record, I walked a total of 5 minutes through the 13.1 miles. Each were timed out to be one minute.
I ran my fourth mile in 11:32, followed by 10:28 for my fifth. It was somewhere between mile 4 and 5 that I started to feel a groove, in fact I passed one of the photographers and full on smiled, posed, and kept on running.
That's me ... running ... over a bridge, smiling with a thumbs up. And you know what? Everyone around me was walking. Don't worry photo people, I feel I have to actually order a race photo and let's be honest, this is the one to order.
Kris' daughter had mentioned the night prior that there was a stretch of the half marathon that was just boring. Plain and simply boring because there wasn't a lot to look at in this stretch, there weren't a lot of spectators, and it seemed to go on forever. She said it was from about mile 6 through 9. She was right. That was boring. So boring. I take that back, not as boring as my first half marathon through forest preserves only, but it was true. I also think that my being bored and not knowing when the section was going to end I slowed down. Mile 6 was at 11:54, followed by 7 at 13:13, 8 at 13:20, and 9 rounded out at 14:07. Not that it's a reason for me to have run slower, but somewhere between mile 7 and 8 my music stopped. Now, in triathlons you can't use music so I shouldn't complain. However, I had to slow some to figure out why my music stopped; I blew a headphone speaker and had to run the rest of the race with one headphone side working. But you know what, one was better than none at that point and time.
I was all over the place with times, but I was running. I was running a half marathon and although I was being passed by people, I too was passing people. At Mile 10 I started to do my runner's math. I told myself only 3 more miles. I also told myself "Ouch" as my legs started to cramp. I started to slow down. Mile 10 was 14:14 and mile 11 was 13:48. Pretty much any chances I had of running a half marathon faster than I had previously were already pretty much shot, but when I started to cramp up I just wanted to finish.
I got a boost during the last few miles. One of the long end stretches was under McCormick Place and they had colorful lights displayed on the walls and loud music. That helped give me a bit of a boost, not a whole lot, but a bit of a boost. I don't actually know what my time for that mile was because I had minimal GPS signal under McCormick Place, but I do know that it was a good stretch to get through.
After getting out of that tunnel we were approaching Mile 12. That meant 1.1 more miles. What that also meant was one last hill, running up an off ramp. It sucked. It did. I'm sure it wouldn't have sucked as much if it weren't after mile 12, but it did suck. Did I mention it sucked? It did. I actually thought momentarily that I could probably walk up it faster than I was running. Then I saw a spectator with a sign that said "Walking, Ain't Nobody Got Time For That". And with that sight, I told myself that I didn't have time for it and even if I thought I could walk faster, I probably couldn't.
I finally saw what I thought was the finish line. It seriously looked to be a mile away. I actually started to wonder if it was a mirage. And despite my telling myself to just go, go fast, get there, finish, and watching my time ... I couldn't do it. I ran it out and I finished 2 minutes slower than my last half marathon. But I finished.
I finished my second half marathon and I was ecstatic. The crowd of spectators and fellow racers was still buzzing with excitement. I got my medal and put it on without hesitation. I grabbed some water and took a few swigs. Then it was time for my official race finish photos and to find my friends.
I had finished, I was smiling, and I felt pretty great all things considered. I can say that when I did a triathlon and was soaked from rain to begin with followed by swimming in my triathlon suit, only to get rained on a bit while biking and then finish with a run ... I can say that I wasn't as wet or sweaty doing a triathlon as I was after the Chicago Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon. Then again, I think everyone else around me was pretty sweaty too.
And best of all, sweaty or not, we all did it. We rocked. We rolled (not literally). We ran. We walked. I have now run through the streets of Chicago in the sun, in the shade with strangers yelling for me and those around me.
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