kara's musings

I'm not lying or exagerating when I say that was the worst race I've ever run. Here are five of the many, many, many things I learned from the experience.

1) This may have been the worst race I've ever run in my life, ever, but it was some of the best training I've done. I posted some of my best times in races I ran in preparation for this marathon and I incorporated a lot more strength training which helped me avoid the hip/IT band issues I usually experience while training for an endurance race like this.

2) Finishing what you started even if it isn't going well is important. This race was bad for me from the start. I began thinking about dropping out as early as mile 8. Each time I passed a mile marker I considered my options. Should I stay in and struggle through knowing that I will have a terrible time and could hurt myself or should I throw in the towel and call it a day. I sucked it up, pushed through and finished. Seeing this thing through all the way to the end made it not a failure.

3) I am a lot tougher than I think. I ran (well more like run/walked) those 26.2 miles in 4 hours 59 minutes and 18 seconds of absolute torture. It was 80+ degrees (they changed the threat level on the course 3 times while I was running and this year turned out to be the second hottest Chicago Marathon in the race's history). I had stomach cramps that prevented me from running more than 3-4 minutes at a time. And then there were the shin splints. But through all that I dug down deep and found a way to keep going even though I didn't think I could make it.

4) I was not alone. I trained for this race and ran it at the same time as my friend Donovan. He is a 3:20 marathoner who has completed 8 previous races. His goal for Chicago was 3:20 to qualify for next month's NYC marathon. When I got back to my hotel room after that grueling experience, I found Donovan there and totally expected him to say he PR'd and had a great race. Turns out his race didn't go so well either, he missed his goal too. Then I went on facebook just to see the chatter on the BOA Chicago Marathon page and saw variations on this theme all over the page. There were so many people who walked or didn't hit their times because of the heat. While I never want anyone to not have a good race, it was validating and comforting to see the shared experience.

5) My friends are awesome. I chronicled this experience of training for and running the Chicago Marathon on this blog, via twitter, on my facebook page, and in real life to basically everyone I know. And in response, every single person was nothing but supportive, encouraging, and celebratory. That really motivated me to keep going during the race when I was ready to quit. Knowing that all these people were urging me on and sharing in the experience with me helped me to regroup and push forward. So, if any of you are reading this -- thank you, once again, to all my incredible friends who shared your love with me in this process.

In conclusion, this marathon thing is very intense and helps me grow as a person every time I do it. I will be getting back on the horse as soon as possible to both redeem myself and keep learning. :)