For anyone that needs a poorly worded email to read in order to: 1) maybe give them some insight into what Chicago course is like, 2) help them kill some time while they are tapering, or 3) see the kind of stuff
@DopeyBadger probably gets in his inbox non-stop.
Here is an almost totally unedited email I sent to Billy the day after the 2016 marathon...
My family had a good time in Chicago. We got there early on Friday. We did touristy things. Walked near the loop, took a boat ride/tour, and had some Lou Malnati's pizza. I was probably on my feet more than necessary, but I was okay with getting tired. I wanted to sleep very well Friday. The night before the night before the race is what I've been taught is the most important rest. Saturday I took it more easy. I got up and ran my easy 3 miles. I could tell from my GPS that feedback was going to be wonky in several spots. Overall it sorta "works" because I think my watch uses it's cadence when the signal is screwy... or at least I was told that. Anyways after breakfast we walked over to Millennium park and checked out the bean and some other sights. Also we saw the start line and decided where we should meet after the race. Spectators can't really get close to the finish line at Chicago. We then walked over to the PrivateBank Theatre because my daughter and her Bf were fortunate enough to buy tickets to Hamilton when they went on sale and they saw the 2pm show that day. My wife and I walked back to the room and I laid down and watch football for a while. Later we got some pasta and then I was back in the room for the entire evening. I hydrated a lot.... more later
Anyways, I don't really understand where all the parks start and end that run along the east side of Chicago near the lake. There's Grant, Millennium, a number of "fields", etc. At any rate, you start on Columbus right at Monroe Street. You end on Columbus (down closer to the Field museum and Shedd aquarium) about 150-200 meters north of Roosevelt. There were a couple VERY minor inclines in the race where a road would go over another. I'd almost be embarrassed to call them overpasses. The only hill is literally with 400 meters to go. It's nothing to get overly excited about, but at the end of a marathon it is unwelcome. Otherwise it is pancake flat.
Walking from the hotel to the start was amazing. The closer you get, the more runners join in the march. By the time I got to Michigan, it was just hundreds/thousands of runners heading to the same place. It was really inspiring.
So anyways, my only knock on Chicago is that I felt like they could've used my port a potties closer to the corrals. I probably over-hydrated yesterday morning pre-race. When I got to the staging area I went to the closest port a potties and ended up being in probably a 15 or so minute line, but I did what I needed. I went into my corral and just started walking up the right side. I had originally said I wanted to be in the back of my corral because it was supposed to be a sub 350 corral. However there was actually pace groups in there that were greater than 350. Even one that was 410. They duplicate pace groups for several goal times so perhaps at the expo when people were signing up to run with a pacer they took note of the corrals people were in and therefore had some ones that seemed like outliers. Perhaps these people qualified for the sub350 corral, but didn't train as they wished, etc. Or maybe they didn't want to race it as much as experience it. At any rate that caused me to just walk up further. So I was chatting with a couple guys in the corral and all was well. I could tell before the race that I needed to pee again. However they close the corrals a good 15 minutes early. Meaning that if I was to leave the corral to pee that I wouldn't get back into my corral E. Also, I sorta thought maybe the feeling would pass when I started running. Also I knew that the corral behind us was the first part of wave 2... they were NOT scheduled to start until 8. I crossed the start at 743 I think. So there probably was a 10 minute gap between my corral and the one behind us. Corral F and G were probably larger than Wheelchair, disabled, elite, american development, A, B, C, D, and E in total. F and G are pretty much your 4 hour to 4.5 hour runners. They had 3 gear bag checks. Red (wave 1), Blue (Corrals F and G) and then Grey (H through I think K was the last). So again, I didn't want to jeopardize my corral placement that I had to work to get changed from G.
Okay so the race starts and we are slowly walking the couple blocks up to the start. I notice a few people slip out the side of a fence and then I realize they are hitting port a potties with seemingly no line. I consider it briefly but then wonder if maybe someone will catch me coming back in or how far back I'll end up or maybe there's a line I don't see. I'm second guessing myself... Should I stay or should I go (Clash). Anyways, I just kept inching up with everyone else. We go about 30 yards and now I notice that the guys are ALREADY coming back and they are probably feeling good and empty and I'm not uncomfortable but just wishing I could empty. But we are moving a little quicker and I would really need to stay super close to the fence to do it and I'd be swimming upstream against the corral approaching the start. Bummer.
Okay, so I get to the start line and I'm just jogging like an Easy A day. I didn't warm up. You really can't in a huge race like this unless you are elite. You just can't do it in the corral and you aren't going to get in the corral within the window of the warmup being beneficial. Anyways, you probably only go 1/4 mile and then you go underground... like under several streets and some buildings. Of course my GPS is useless at this moment. Whatever. There's probably already a dozen or so guys running off the road and just peeing against the "wall" of the tunnel. I had read this would happen, but it just seemed so funny. This was just on my right hand side of the tunnel. The road was VERY wide here and I'll assume just as many are doing it on the left side.
I'm feeling pretty good at this point. Just trying to run by feel and knowing the watch is a little funny. Well I knew the course well enough to know that I never saw the 1 mile mark. So at this point I just thought I was glad I wasn't manual lapping with my watch. If I had decided to do that and I missed a mile marker, it probably would have made me mad. Somehow (to me) having autolap on with unpredictable feedback was better than manual lapping and missing markers. No big deal, but I didn't want the added chore of finding miles. Regarding mile 1, people could've been covering it or it could've just got lost in the madness. I mean really there were several places on this course that I felt like a rock star. I mean Olympic marathon crowd support. Just crazy. The energy for so much of the first half of it is huge. Several people deep most of the way. And that's the way it was the last couple miles too. And then the rest of the course is what you'd expect in the best parts of a smaller race. Even the parts I heard were kinda dead, were well represented by my standards. But the all the miles through downtown were like Main Street in the MK. It was really electric.
I had taken a gu probably 15 or so minutes before the start. I had 5 more that I was planning at certain places based on water stops. I knew I would feel better if I found somewhere to relieve myself, and I needed to do this to make sure I didn't start skipping water/gatorade stops just because I didn't want to add to the problem. So I'm at about mile 3 I actually looked at my pace band I realize I'm already too fast. I didn't freak about it, but I started trying to dial it back. It really wasn't happening. At mile 5 I'm pretty sure I'm almost 90 seconds ahead of plan. And I really must say this was seriously easy running. But right after the mile 5 marker, I see a row of port a potties. I jog off the course, run down the line looking for a green indicator on the door, someone pops out and I'm in. It wasn't too long of a stop, but I'm really glad I did. I was more hydrated than I thought (LOL). So I head back out and I'm back in the race. Maybe I lost 40 seconds or so (give or take). So even though I wasn't terribly far ahead of straight 835 pacing, I was far ahead of how I like to run (negative splits) and so I had hoped that taking a break would serve 2 purposes... by also allowing me to recover a little from the accidental quick start I got. So right off the bat, I've gone off the plan but yet it all felt so easy. Settle down, run what you meant to run. So anyways, my recollection is that I hit the 6 mile mark and I'm still close to 45 seconds ahead... and that jives with what I found online showing my time at the 10k mat. Looking at my Garmin, I also maybe overshot my 7th mile because I'm guessing I came out of the bathroom a little too quick to not sabotage that mile. Again, part of the point to stop was to relieve myself AND also to settle down. Easier said than done.
But again I'm just running the first half of this race just effortless. My wife even commented how well I looked when she saw me around the halfway point. I was smiling, throwing up the Louisville Cardinal "L", etc. And also the midway point has an epic crowd. She saw me again around the 16.5 mark. She thinks I didn't look as good here as the halfway point, but I don't really remember it that way. Perhaps I was fooling with my left contact. Yeah somewhere quickly after the bathroom break my left contact started bothering me. Like sweat went into it and it was foggy. I never could get it right. So I felt like I was running with one good eye and then one eye that was a little off. I messed with this probably off and on from mile 7 to probably mile 20. One time I almost lost it as it went into the corner of my eye. When I moved it back where it belonged I had hoped it would be "clear" but no. Once I got late into the race this stopped bothering me... probably because I had bigger issues. So yeah, up until late in the race it was just 2 issues in my head... I need to use the restroom and this contact is bothering me. Otherwise it was just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Nothing more so it really was going according to plan in my head. But in hindsight I probably tapped into something I should've avoided early in the race. And because I wasn't getting truly accurate feedback from the watch, I just ran like I felt. But truth be told, I could've dialed it back a bit and perhaps I would not have had as much of the lactic acid buildup I experienced late in the race.
Oh and around that 16 mile mark is where there were supposed to be inspirational messages. My wife asked me if I saw any that people had submitted for me, but I never even saw the board. I'm sure it was there. But I never saw it. I forgot to look for it and quite frankly although I was relaxed, I was really in the zone. I had headphones (wireless earbuds) on the whole time. I didn't turn them on until the halfway point. At that time I told myself I'd do a 10-mile tempo (I have canned "beats" type music that worked for me in training) and then at mile 23 or so I'd hopefully have enough left to do a couple miles of "strength" and then who knows maybe a last mile of speed. Well obviously none of that happened, but at least you see my mindset. I had enjoyed the first half of the race and the second half was going to be more of getting into the zone and maybe having to entertain myself a little more because it would just be great crowds instead of Olympic crowds. Plus I knew the run would start to feel more challenging.
Back to the crowds, it just seemed like a wall of people. I noticed a handful of signs, but really there were enough runners around the whole time that I was spending my viewing effort on looking at the blue tangent line, seeing who in front of me was going to impede me... I was definitely a net passer the whole time... including the last few miles where I was struggling... Others were struggling more. So it turns out I really didn't see much in the crowd other than I knew it was there and it was part of my peripheral vision... well at least moreso out of my right eye. This was definitely true in even the more entertaining areas. Pilsen (Latino area), Chinatown, and the famous Boystown areas. These areas are pretty colorful, and while I could tell fun things were going on, I wasn't really focusing in on anything. I could hear bands, see tons of peoples and maybe some objects, but most of my focus was on the road, other runners, when is my next gel due, which side am I taking gatorade, where am I with my pace band, why is the sun so bright, etc. I did spot my family 3 times. They saw me 5 times.
Somewhere between miles 20 and 23 I really had no concept of which direction we were running. Earlier it was pretty simple. The first 3 miles of the race are close to the river and loop, the 2nd part you head way north up close to wrigley. Then you come back downtown and cross the river twice (first the main part and then you cross it going to the west) and then quickly hit the halfway part. In theory, the 2nd half of the course should be faster because there are longer straightaways. But you don't quite have the noise and euphoria of the first half to carry you or maybe in my case to make you go too quickly. Plus there are portions of the first half where you were just shaded from the sun and the wind couldn't penetrate the buildings. It wasn't until probably mile 6 and 7 that I noticed how strong the wind could blow. I was near the lake and my bib was flapping so violently that I ran for a bit with my hand holding it down. I started worrying what would happen if it somehow tore and broke free... no results! :-( But back to miles 20 to 23. In general the race goes up/down, left/right, and then down/up. But part of that last down, is miles 20 to 23 and there were some turns there where I couldn't really tell which way we were going. Were we going south, east, west, whatever? Some of this I'm sure was the overall fatigue setting in. But anyways, yeah, this could've been a meltdown point. Also somewhere in here I saw the 350 pace group. But I knew these guys hadn't been near me before so I knew they were from corral D. I think I got close enough to see that too. Yeah, I hadn't seen one pace group the whole race until now. So I was glad no one was passing, etc. So for a couple miles I thought I might be reeling them in. It was around the point of 20-23. Somewhere in there though I could tell I wasn't matching them and that helped me sorta come to terms with my sub 350 goal. I knew they started before me, I also knew at this point my watch was behind the course markers. Maybe I got off the tangent with water stops, some curves and I think there was a period right around the halfway point where I got careless and maybe lost the blue line or questioned it. Sometimes it was crowded near it so I'd just decide to go wider or whatever to avoid people slowing. And late in the race it seems like water stops are way worse. People that passed earlier realize they need it, plus people that took it while running earlier are just grabbing it and walking without concern for anyone else. Also some would go perpendicular across the road to get it. It was totally unnecessary for anyone to do this. It was always gatorade first, then water. It was always on both sides and actually each one of them (water and gatorade) was almost a full block length. It was amazing. I hit one of the 2 at every single stop. If I was taking gel (1 pre race, but 5 during) I got water only. Otherwise I was gatorade. On the very last stop (mile 25ish) I simply took a water and dumped it on my head to "snap out of it". haha. So while I didn't catch the pacing group, I do think it kept me pushing a little late in the race and that may have helped me get under 350.
I also maybe around 17 or 18 miles started mixing in a random surge. So according to my garmin (less buildings here so probably close) I did 831 on 16, 836.5 on 17, 828.5 on 18, and 836 on 19. So all within range... although maybe a few seconds off off what my negative splits "should've" been based on my plan. I was pretty strong through 19 miles and then I did what I could. Again, I may have sabotaged early without really knowing what happened.
When we FINALLY hit Michigan Ave. for essentially the last 3 miles I was fighting the notion of walking. There were people walking everywhere. Well not tons, but I could see at least a couple walkers always. It seemed like an easy way out. But I kept telling myself that it was a trap and there was NO way I could even walk 30 seconds and then get back to running reasonably and be able to break 350. I wasn't going to give in. So I just kept moving and looking at my watch. At this point the pacing on the gps was probably true. While there are some decent buildings, it is a straight shot and really nothing that should give a garmin issues. So I was just doing some math in my head and trying to convince myself to lay down long run pace for at least a couple more miles to give myself a chance. A couple times I surged (and I use that term loosely) just to keep my legs from getting any stiffer), but it was tough to keep it going. Plus I really didn't want to screw up 3:30 hours worth of effort at this point. It was really just managing the last part of the race. Do as little as possible to get to the 25 mile or even 25.5 mile mark. Totally a balancing act. There's no way that I can bank any time here and the risk of redlining/cramping/bonking further is just not something I want to have happen. So getting to 25 and I know I can't "go" yet, but I also know I can probably keep to this pace until 25.5 or so. I also could tell that going under 349 probably wouldn't happen with a hill to finish. Now if I had a downhill finish, I probably could have mustered up the energy to really finish hard. Our big half marathon here has a downhill finish (one block) and if you have anything left, you can really move/sprint. But I knew this couldn't happen today with 400 meters of an unknown up, then down, then flat. Really the hill felt borderline sadistic after so many miles of nothing. But that sounds petty given how pancake flat the course is.
I did muster up a little something at the end, but I could look at my watch and know that I wasn't really vying for some magical "just under" mark. I was just glad that I managed the hill and could tell on the flat part that I was going to finish easily under 350 with no chance of going under 349. Oh, and earlier in the 2nd half of the race I did have some moments of concern because I was quickly giving back my "banked" time from the first half because I was running close to GP (835 or so early on) when my plan was to go negative and therefore my last 13 was supposed to be more like 830ish. So up until maybe mile 18 or 19 I was thinking I MIGHT still be able to hit my goal by setting myself up to go hard the last 5 or 6. But as you have read above, that really didn't happen. But overall it was a good plan. I probably could've done a little better if I'd been disciplined early, but it's all part of the process.
I didn't have a lot left. In the chute I was literally weaving as were plenty of others. This wasn't my head, my heart or anything. It was just worn down legs. I literally did not stop for a walk break the entire race. Even my bathroom break was a run over to port a potty, in, and a run back to get in the race.
I walked seemingly forever to get through the chute, out the gate, down Michigan Ave., over to the Congress Hotel (where we decided to meet to avoid all the commotion) to meet the family. We walked a decent amount (over a mile I'm sure) to get back to the hotel. But that was probably a good thing. I had my victory cape (lol), medal, etc. just walking with others down Michigan. I had a late checkout, so I got back to hotel, did a cold bath, then a hot shower and was out of the hotel by 1:30. We drove back to Louisville and ended up only stopping once. I wasn't uncomfortable in the van (wife drove whole way), and I don't feel like it made me any more stiff than had I stayed the night in Chicago.
Not the most well worded email, but wanted to get something to you. I knew you'd appreciate my play by play.
Thanks!
(crosses toes for no pains, but also am realistic)
