Greetings, Tribe!
The Chicago Marathon is now less than a week away and I could not be more excited!! This is the best I have felt before a marathon in YEARS!
Unlike most years, I have actually done all the training. I’ve run slow enough when I should, I’ve done tempo runs and speed work, I’ve cross trained, I’ve done every single long run, I’ve eaten and hydrated well. I am ready!
Let’s not get too excited though. My marathon PR is 3:54:34 and was set in 2013. I know I can beat that time, but I doubt that this is the year. The last several years I have spent running farther away from that time and this year marks the beginning of my comeback. My training should get me close to a 4 hour marathon, but not sub-4. Don’t get me wrong, if I’m feeling crazy fast and strong on race day, I’ll go for it, but that’s not where the training has been headed.
Toeing the line and questioning your training and fitness and hoping you’ll just survive a marathon is not a great feeling. Trust me, I’ve felt it. Often. This year, the Chicago Marathon course will serve as my party, my celebration of all of the hard work I put into my training. This year is going to be awesome!!
On another note…
A few years ago a friend of mine shared some great advice. Her husband was running a marathon and was diagnosed with a heart condition shortly before the race. As I was running the same race, she asked me to review CPR protocol in case I ran across her husband (or anyone else) having a cardiac issue during the race. From that year forward I have reviewed current CPR protocols before any marathon and encourage you to do the same.
Happy Trails!
In Search of My Running Tribe 