In my quest to run a faster Chicago, training is being upped a notch. LOTS of running—thinking of the spin class everyother week so that i can get some speed training in. Planning to head to that new path every now and then, esp for the long runs. I can feel that sub 5.
After that, we have the GOOFY….
The short of it was that the race was good. I hung out with someone from the group and talked with them until we are allowed to start. Very non conventional start… stopping and going and breaking for TWO minutes after the first half mile. My first 5K (by their clock was 33:34.. so31;00 and change. WAY too fast. Through the half, I was on 4:30 pace. The water bottles were those individual little ones (the ones that fit into lunch boxes) and the lucerade stuff were in capri type sacks…. not a good thing for the road.
At mile 15 montezumas revenge hit. I couldn’t wait to get to the next portapotty….(portaloo). BUT I finished. Time not important. I got the medal and that is all that mattered. Took me an HOUR to get from the finish to the hotel.. and we are talking something like a half mile, if that…..... Getting to dinner was painful. But we made it. The next day was shopping. LOTS of fun.
The flight home was way too long. Couldn’t wait to get off the plane. Long plane rides suck. But you you know tis the breaks.
Next trip to DragonCon that I can’t wait for.. then the Chicago Marathon… in 20 weeks. I have a couple of thoughts about this in the next post… (and that is being typed next!!)
The flight was uneventful. LONG, but uneventful. Funny thing.. when we got to immigration, they asked the purpose of our trip. I said we were there so that I can run the London Marathon. The guy looked really impressed and made a comment to wish me luck. The expo was (to me, at least) non descript. But disappointing goody bag. Just the number and chip. No shirt.. but I learned that the shirt comes in the finish line stuff. THEN on leaving you get the real goody bag… stuff with things from all the sponsors. Including a beer.
The day before the marathon, we went to an outdoor market to look around and do a little bit of last minute stretching in addition to the 4 miles I did in the morning through the finish area…. We had a decent dinner at the hotel – from a special Marathon Menu. I chose the most innocent looking choice. Soup and pasta. The soup was OK (just OK), and the pasta was decent. Being me, I couldn’t eat more than half of it. IT was just OK, but I forced myself, esp for 14.50 (about $30 USD). I ate slowly (too slowly for Dave!!) to make sure that I could just filled myself – and just enough. We talked about the marathon non stop with folks at the table next to us, and they seemed really interested in the whole marathoner attitude!! After dinner, we went for a walk/bus ride to get me a little calmer before the big day in the morning. I was nervous, but really calm in a weird sort of way.