Chicago Marathon 2018 (Oct 7th) DIS Meet Race!

[roxymama]

Question for Chicago vets (because I clearly decided to spam this thread today)
Is it tradition that they don't do a medal reveal for this race. Or do we get to see it at the expo?

 

[Keels]

Question for Chicago vets (because I clearly decided to spam this thread today)
Is it tradition that they don't do a medal reveal for this race. Or do we get to see it at the expo?

I wanna say in 2016 they didn't reveal it until the week of the race.

 

[ZellyB]

Question for Chicago vets (because I clearly decided to spam this thread today)
Is it tradition that they don't do a medal reveal for this race. Or do we get to see it at the expo?

I, for one, am happy you are spamming the thread. I'm getting fixated. LOL

 

[garneska]

@DopeyBadger am prepared that my watch maybe useless and i am planning on manual laps but am also concerned i may forget to hit the lap button. My plan at the moment is to set the auto lap at 5 miles. then try and hit the manual lap button. there is part of me that is more like just forget it let it go on auto mile and just use with the mile markers. Thinking it will give me more math in my head to distract me. i just don't want to be running 8 minute miles that i can do when it's a short race.

 

[ZellyB]

Glad also that folks are talking Garmin strategy. I know the GPS will make it mostly useless, but feel certain we won't be good about using the manual lap button so not sure what best to do. I'm honestly just thinking about an old-fashioned pace bracelet and using a running time on my watch with mile markers to determine how we are doing.

 

[kleph]

My experience is that I've been able to camp out on that line for most of the race if I want. It's pretty faint, and I'm not sure a lot of people really notice it... at least those that are running similar paces.

sydney put down a blue line for the 2000 olympics and, when i ran the marathon there a few years later, it was still visible in spots where the courses were in sync. it was a little weird running right down the line in the middle of a closed street while almost everyone else was on one shoulder. it really gives you a sense of just how much extra distance you go on a race without meaning to.

 

[garneska]

I had no idea about the blue line. I am glad you all mentioned it so i can try and follow it. I am notoriously bad at finding the tangents so i am always going farther. I want to save everything i can.

 

[roxymama]

Glad also that folks are talking Garmin strategy. I know the GPS will make it mostly useless, but feel certain we won't be good about using the manual lap button so not sure what best to do. I'm honestly just thinking about an old-fashioned pace bracelet and using a running time on my watch with mile markers to determine how we are doing.

Nike run club said they'd have pace tattoos available at the expo. I'm assuming they'd be for the even pacing strategy and not the "start out slow" strategy. But I really don't know.

Sidenote: Just got my big charity guide. Looks like homebase for my charity is Roosevelt University which is conveniently between the Dunkin Donuts and my entry gate. Huzzah for indoor potties for me! Zelly, let me know if I should add you and chris-mo to my "guest list" for potty purposes prior to the march to the Orange Wave corrals

 

[ZellyB]

Nike run club said they'd have pace tattoos available at the expo. I'm assuming they'd be for the even pacing strategy and not the "start out slow" strategy. But I really don't know.

Sidenote: Just got my big charity guide. Looks like homebase for my charity is Roosevelt University which is conveniently between the Dunkin Donuts and my entry gate. Huzzah for indoor potties for me! Zelly, let me know if I should add you and chris-mo to my "guest list" for potty purposes prior to the march to the Orange Wave corrals

If you can do that it would be awesome!!

 

[ZellyB]

And I'm okay with a pace band that gives me an even pacing. When I used them before I mostly ignored it for the first several miles and relied as best I could on my watch and mile markers to try and keep current pace where I wanted it. I really used it more in the later stages when I wanted to maintain my target race pace.

 

[BikeFan]

Question for Chicago vets (because I clearly decided to spam this thread today)
Is it tradition that they don't do a medal reveal for this race. Or do we get to see it at the expo?

Last year was the 40th Anniversary, and they (understandably) made a big deal about all the aspects of the race, including the medal. If I'm remembering correctly, they had revealed it by now, on their Facebook page. Strange that they haven't done so yet. I just hope the shirt is better this year. Last year's shirt was just very plain. I can't find a picture of it, but it literally just had "Bank of America Chicago Marathon 2017" and 4 stars on the front. No pictures/graphics/anything. It was about the only thing that really disappointed me about the race.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

And I'm okay with a pace band that gives me an even pacing. When I used them before I mostly ignored it for the first several miles and relied as best I could on my watch and mile markers to try and keep current pace where I wanted it. I really used it more in the later stages when I wanted to maintain my target race pace.

You guys can keep your paces bands, I have a pace Badger

 

[opusone]

My experience is that I've been able to camp out on that line for most of the race if I want. It's pretty faint, and I'm not sure a lot of people really notice it... at least those that are running similar paces.

Agree... most Chicago Marathon runners don't even know what it is. Many years ago, I oftentimes found myself on the line and everyone else away from me crowded to one side of the street.

 

[opusone]

@DopeyBadger am prepared that my watch maybe useless and i am planning on manual laps but am also concerned i may forget to hit the lap button. My plan at the moment is to set the auto lap at 5 miles. then try and hit the manual lap button. there is part of me that is more like just forget it let it go on auto mile and just use with the mile markers. Thinking it will give me more math in my head to distract me. i just don't want to be running 8 minute miles that i can do when it's a short race.

Not Chicago specific, but I have found that race mile markers are just as hit-and-miss as GPS, so I usually just leave my watch on 1-mile autolap and forget about it. That being said, the Chicago Marathon can be problematic with GPS since you go underground just after the start, then you are among tall buildings for a few miles right after that, then again at the halfway point when you come through downtown again.

 

[DopeyBadger]

You guys can keep your paces bands, I have a pace Badger

 

[DopeyBadger]

Not Chicago specific, but I have found that race mile markers are just as hit-and-miss as GPS, so I usually just leave my watch on 1-mile autolap and forget about it. That being said, the Chicago Marathon can be problematic with GPS since you go underground just after the start, then you are among tall buildings for a few miles right after that, then again at the halfway point when you come through downtown again.

Great point. Disney Marathon 2018 mile markers 20 and 21 (I think those were the ones) weren't synched with the start of the race for sure. Completely threw me off when I looked at those and assumed I had more time than I actually did.

 

[Kerry1957]

Not that it really matters, but .... we have the first frost warning of the season tonight for the far-suburbs (but not for downtown Chicago). It will be in the upper 30's when I start my run tomorrow in the northwest suburbs. The lake acts like a giant heat sink and the current water temperature is 71 degrees on the shore line which moderates lower morning air temps.

 

[cburnett11]

I wanna say in 2016 they didn't reveal it until the week of the race.

I'm going to side with Keels on this one. Also, the twitter and/or instagram account have posted hints. BTW the medal won't be as big/cool as WDW marathon. Also, rundisney usually has a booth and iirc I got my hands on the 25th medal last year at the expo.

Nike run club said they'd have pace tattoos available at the expo. I'm assuming they'd be for the even pacing strategy and not the "start out slow" strategy. But I really don't know.

They typically have these at expo by the Nike pace booth. They are even splits. I wore my own pace band with negative splits the last 2 years. It didn't really work for me either time, so one less thing I'll be taking/using this year. lol

am prepared that my watch maybe useless and i am planning on manual laps but am also concerned i may forget to hit the lap button.

I sorta thought about doing this in 2016. I even spoke to someone from Garmin at the expo or at least someone selling them. I think he convinced me to just put it on autolap and forget about it. I have an issue with overanalyzing things and I didn't need more to worry about. I don't need to be looking for mile markers. If necessary, I'll just do some math in my head.

 

[Keels]

BTW the medal won't be as big/cool as WDW marathon.

True story - when @mbwhitti finished Chicago in 2016, her first text to me was "This medal is effing TINY".

#Priorities

 

[roxymama]

They typically have these at expo by the Nike pace booth. They are even splits. I wore my own pace band with negative splits the last 2 years. It didn't really work for me either time, so one less thing I'll be taking/using this year. lol

Instead of a pace band I'm just using my badger prescribed "and at this mile, go a little bit faster" strategy. Though a pace band where every mile just says "you don't really need to walk yet" would come in more handy than anything else.