Marathon Training Check In: Marathon Weekend is Here (reflections from the airplane on the way to Chicago)
Welp, I am writing from my crammed airplane seat on my way to Chicago for the 44th Chicago Marathon. Man, I wish I could stretch my legs out right now. It’s almost 5pm EST on Friday October 7. Very soon, I’ll be stepping off the plane and into the city of Chicago for the very first time. On the drive to the airport, I kept thinking how insane it was that I was on my way to Chicago already. I also thought, what the heck were you thinking, Brooke, when you signed up to run a marathon? Then I quickly yelled at that devil on my shoulder and told myself “You are ready for this, Brooke.” I mean, I did all the stuff!
I entered the Chicago lottery not knowing much about this race. I like this time of year for the race. And I like being able to train in the summer. I prefer running in the heat over the cold. It was in the upper 80’s last year at the Chicago marathon, which everyone hated, but that’s why I signed up! The beginning of October seemed better than any November race (NY or Philly) to me. I also heard that the Chicago course was flat, unlike any other major race. The fact that you don’t need to qualify to run Chicago (one of the five major marathons in the world) was another big factor. So I texted my new running friend, Sara, and said that I would enter the lottery, if she did. She immediately said yes and that was that. I didn’t actually think I had a shot at getting in. I tend to have bad luck when it comes to these things.
I decided not to tell anyone in my family what I had just done (and yes, I did purchase the marathon insurance). But I was too excited by the thought of possibly checking off this marathon box so I confided in my oldest daughter who was 11 at the time. And she kept the secret for some time, even when I found out that I got in and would be running the Chicago Marathon in 2022. But eventually she spilled the beans to my husband, who is always trying to convince me to slow down and not take on something else. Well, honey, I’d have to put off chilling for another year.
My husband may have complained a bit but it wasn’t even a question as to whether he would join me in Chicago (not to run, but to spectate and enjoy Chicago with me). And I wouldn’t want to do this race without him there. Since I have never been to Chicago, we decided to make it a longer trip to tour this city that everyone has only said great things about.
So here we are, side by side, with the clouds below, on our way to Chicago. Am I nervous? Heck yeah! Nervous about every little detail leading up until the race. And nervous for miles 1 through 26 of the longest run of my life. But I have done a lot to get here. I officially started training in July, although I had been running consistently since April. Training started with 3 days a week of runs and quickly expanded into 5 days a week of runs, 2 strength days, 1 PT day, 1 yoga day, 1 cross training day and 1 rest day. That’s 11 days of work to do in 7 days of the week. That means doubling up some days to get it all done. So if you haven’t seen or heard from me much in August and September, that’s why. The runs themselves were not time consuming (except for the one long run a week), but all of this put together completely filled every free minute I had.
Plus, I made sure to do all the things to care for my body and protect it against injury. You probably know it all already because I regularly share what I am doing — but I’m talking cryotherapy, regular massages, liquid IV therapy, compression boots, stretching, gentle yoga, foot exercises, wearing compression socks and recovery shoes, drinking less alcohol, adding more healthy carbs to my diet, drinking more water, getting more sleep (sometimes). And all of these things take up time… and money. So yeah, I also learned that running a marathon is a financial investment.
I could ramble on and on about all the emotions that I am feeling right now but the flight isn’t that long. I have only gone up to eighteen miles in my training. So somehow I need to pull out eight more miles and that is what is causing me the most anxiety. I heard training comes together on the day of the race and I am counting on that rumor to be true. During those last eight miles, I’ll be repeating my marathon mantra to get me through the tough times: I am proud of ME.
I’ll see you on the other side!