Big races like the Chicago Marathon attract so many people that the organizers are forced to use a lottery system to select a fraction of the people who want to run it. I was among the lucky ones this year, along with over 50,000 others. This is the case in large marathons such as in New York, London, Berlin, and Tokyo, which are part of the World Marathon Majors series.
We drove all the way to Chicago on an 8-hour trip. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, conveniently located in downtown, 1.5 miles away from the start and finish. The hotel was steps away from a subway station, which we used to get around the city for a low cost. We arrived on Friday, which gave us plenty of time to visit the Expo, get our race kits, explore the city, enjoy a special burger at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, and relax.
Saturday morning, my family and I went to the 5k race organized by the marathon. They went as runners, and I went as a volunteer. While they were running, I helped unpack and hang the medals, and ensured that runners kept moving forward after they crossed the finish line. It was a fun experience, and I had the chance to meet other passionate volunteers who inspired me to keep helping out at every opportunity.
The rest of the day, we spent walking around the channel, having a snack at a huge Starbucks location, and visiting The Bean (Cloud Gate) at the Millenium Park. Time was flying by, and before we knew it, it was time to go to the traditional carb-loading dinner with the rest of our running group. We had an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet at a nice Italian restaurant, and then we went back to the hotel to rest for the big day.
The Chicago Marathon is a flat course that starts and finishes in Grant Park. It is very well organized, with plenty of water and Gatorade stations, medical support, and entertainment along the way. The weather was perfect, with a clear sky and a temperature of 12°C at the start. I felt great and confident that I could beat my personal best that day. I joined my running group in the starting corral. We were all excited, encouraging each other and telling stories of other races and future plans. Coincidentally, we were all in the same wave, starting together but with different goals in mind.
After we crossed the start line, we ran together for a few meters to declutter from the crowd, and then each one went at their own pace. In my case, I was conservative at the beginning, warming up and getting into the rhythm in the first 5k. I felt good and I could keep a steady pace for the next 10k, but not fast enough for a personal best. For that, I needed to push harder. So, I did a simple aerobic test to check if I was close or far from my lactate threshold. The test checks whether the heart is keeping up with the oxygen demand. If it is beating too fast, then it is overwhelmed by the demand for oxygen, which forces the body to trigger a rise in blood lactate levels (lactic acid). The test consists of breathing only through the nose for 100m. If I felt the urge to breathe through my mouth before the 100m, I was too fast; otherwise, I could lower my pace until I found the sweet spot where the nose breathing for 100m felt just right.
I discovered I still had room to push harder, so I did. With the support of the crowd, the music, the other runners, and the flat course, I maintained my faster pace until the 37th kilometre. However, instead of slowing down, I still had the energy to go even faster in the last 5k. That felt amazing! I think my fat-burning adaptations that I worked so hard to achieve this year is finally working. I ran to the finish line with a big smile on my face, confident that I had done a new personal best.
There is a long walk from the finish line to the family gathering. After getting my medal, water, food, and beer, I had time to put myself together and check my time. Unfortunately, I was 44 seconds short of my personal best. I looked back to see where I could have saved those seconds as a lesson learned for my next marathon. Despite that, I didn't feel frustrated at all. It was rewarding to be able to run a marathon under 4 hours once again. But even more special was being approached by a lady who said:
"I saw you running with this indistinguishable turtle on your back. So, I followed you throughout the entire race. You were my pacer. Thank you!"
I had no idea she was following me, but I was glad to have helped her.
A few minutes later, I met my family at the gathering. We had a proud moment, took pictures, ate food from a food-truck, and then returned to the hotel to rest a bit before dinner in the evening. We went to Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, where we had a delicious steak with the rest of the group, replenishing all the proteins we needed to recover.
This was my first major marathon, which lighted up my fire to run the other ones and maybe complete all 6 majors. We will see.
Number: 14
Time: 03:56:48
Best Marathon Time to Date: 03:56:04
Elevation: 70 m
