1 Day Since the Chicago Marathon

1 day has passed since the Chicago Marathon!  And I’m recovering from a very good race.

First, I find it extremely hard to believe that I blogged every single day starting from 28 days before the race, up until yesterday, which was race day.  I meant to post a obligitory post-race entry yesterday, but was too lazy.  So, guess it will be back to ignoring my blog. 🙂  Well, hopefully not.  There is lots of training to do, and lots of races to run, to continue in my effort to run marathons under 4:30.  I failed again in meeting 4:30, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep trying.

My next attempt will be in 90 days, in Mobile, AL, at the First Light Marathon!  Training starts on Thursday, when I attend my first speed session.  Now time to start planning my training and long runs!  Fun, fun, fun.

Anyway, back to the Chicago Marathon.  It was a great experience all around.  From an amazing expo (best I’ve ever been to), to a gracious and friendly hosting city, to a well-organized race, to lots of crowd support, it was a blast.  Unfortunately, yesterday was hot.  It was not humid though, and the dewpoint was low, so I was still hopeful for a strong showing.  However, the sun was a major factor in the 2nd half of the race, and the hot and strong sun literally count not be avoided for much of the last 10 miles.  That factor is a problem for me, and I suffered in the 2nd half.

I finished in 4:53:15, good for 21215 place out of 36158, and 2361 in my age group out of 3392.  While that was slower than I wanted, I was still very close to my prediction from earlier in the week, keeping in mind that the heat we had yesterday was even more than what was expected or predicted earlier in the week.  The starting temperature was 65 degrees, and it was 84 when I finished.

“My prediction has a lot to do with the weather, which is still a little bit of an unknown.  We know the temperatures will be in the 50′s to start, and rise to the 70′s.  Much of the race should be in the 60′s, which is a little on the warm side for me.  If the dewpoint creeps up to the upper 50′s, that will add complication and multiple minutes to my time.  That all said, if conditions are really good (low dewpoint, not a lot of running in the sun), I predict a time between 4:35 and 4:40.  If the humidity creeps up, or the temps are too high, or the sun is a factor, then I predict a time between 4:45 and 4:50.  Looking forward to seeing how it goes, and analyzing the results!”

My recovery is going well so far.  The biggest pain was in my right quad, which I could feel a little bit in the race, but then became quite sore afterwards.  Also my left hip is a little sore.  I also have 2 blisters on my right foot, but relatively minor.  Otherwise, everything else feels good, and I’m hopeful to run again by Wednesday, and start up speed training on Thursday.

This race was another great learning experience, and also a great experience in connecting with all of my ‘virtual’ friends.  I had a lot of fun following everyone’s training on Twitter and DailyMile, and following the conversations yesterday with how everyone did.  Of course, there are a few more big races to go in the fall season and I look forward to virtually cheering on everyone doing MCM, NYC marathon, Philly marathon, and others!

I will no longer commit to writing in my blog every day, but the past 4 weeks have allowed me to rediscover how much fun it is to document my training.  I hope to keep this up as I gear up for new challenges 2011, starting with a marathon on my 40th birthday (First Light on 1/9), and ending with my first half ironman triathlon (eeps!), which will be on October 2, 2011, at the Pocono Mountains!

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