10/13: Bank of America Chicago Marathon recap

Before the marathon.

26.2 miles: 5:44:46: 14:?? pace

I finished a marathon on Sunday, it wasn't pretty but I finished. I need to focus on the positive that I finished and am uninjured but the race did not go like I wanted it to. 

The long training runs weren't easy but I got through them, sometimes kicking and screaming, but I always finished. Even the 20-miler where my ankle was bugging me went fine and I was more or less on pace for what the majority of my long runs had been.

The first 16 miles of the marathon more or less went as I planned, I was a little slower than I wanted to be, 12 minute pace, but then at miles 17 everything went wrong. Both of my calves starting cramping, I would run a little but and then they would fire and cramp up and I would have to walk. This was more or less than last nine miles. I tried stretching out to no avail and I was feeling pretty miserable.

After the marathon.

During a couple of the long training runs I had some minor calf cramping but nothing like what I experienced Sunday. I was drinking water and gatorade and eating the bananas from mile 20 on but nothing seemed to help.

One of my training buddies caught up with me around mile 24 and gave me some salt tablets that helped. I saw another training partner at 24 who gave me a great pep talk that got me through the finish.

The Chicago Marathon is quite the experience, the crowd support was tremendous and I enjoyed the first 16 miles quite a bit. I need to get my head around the fact that I finished and stop dwelling on the problems. At the very least I get to focus on a few days off from running the let my body recover.