Chicago Marathon 2007

There has been so much said about this run, so I'm not going to go into much of the details, instead, here are some YouTube videos that convey my view of things:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=uQ8Dj5F00ig - Local TV Coverage
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qbZTI7Cw0rM - Fiasco Video from on Course
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCRyQBCz5eg&NR=1 - Chicago Tribune

I went into this run a bit travel weary. Over a two week period I had slept in six different beds in four different states; an accomplishment, I suppose, if I had female companionship, but as it were, it was more so a burden on my back as it is accustomed to "the pit" I've wallowed in my bedroom mattress. Honestly though, other than the general lack of running leading up to the race, I felt fairly good come race morning. Food-wise, things had gone well the days leading up to the run. Bathroom-wise (not table talk, but we all know it's important), things were stellar as I prepared to start my run. The one issue was the heat; 88 or so degrees would be the high, with no cloud cover, and reflective asphalt under foot.

As is clear from my times, I didn't finish the whole 26.2 miles; I was diverted and completed 18.4 miles in about 4:24. So, in some respects, I guess I beat Oprah! Ironically, that's not what I will take from this race:

• I'll always remember that the race certainly ran out of Gatorade, exhausted their cup supply at one aide stop, and might as well have been out of water given their distribution problems. While each runner has to take his or her health into their own hands, we need a little help out there. I will not run in heat if you say I have no help; the Chicago Marathon promised to help.
• It's important to remember that we're all in a good place if we get to travel around running. Good that we have such a healthy habit, good that we're fond of a sport that promotes such healthy friendships, and good that we don't have more serious things to take up our day! As Boston Rob put it, marathons are about good stories and medals; I got both at this race.
• A squad of poorly dressed drag queens yelling "You bitches are hot!" will lift your spirits even when you feel like crap.
• It's also important to remember that nothing is guaranteed, as we all found out when that poor fellow died during the run. I really can't imagine that he died of mitral valve prolapse, as the coroner is saying (an interesting revelation for me, since it was believed that I had MVP about 15 years ago), but it really doesn't matter. Could be a car, could be your heart giving out, could your roommate going on a killing spree; live good and live it up while you can.
• Trips with friends are fun. Take them when possible.
• The running scrotum, complete with pubes. I tend be fairly decisive on a race course, but I was stricken with doubt about if it was appropriate to pat the guy (may have been a girl) in the nads suit on the back as I ran buy (I didn't; I gave the berries a wide berth). Certainly a creative way to raise money for men's cancer research (as the tag on the back of the scrotum claimed), and something I'll remember if I ever do my "Race for Your Junk 5K" testicular cancer run.
• I saw Felix give a TV interview. He pulled off the course to the camera like a moth to flame! He gave the flock good advice at our Sat. night dinner; forget PR'ing, just be safe in the weather.
• I thought, at some point on the course, that I was running my last marathon. For right now at least, I never won't to tempt global warming and face such a warm run, or really, such a warm training season.

Most vividly, I will remember the good people of Chicago. In particular, I'll remember ....

• The sprinklers hooked to house fences and the runners timing their stride, and sometimes even pushing one another, to make sure they got their full share of that glorious gift from the on-lookers.
• The restaurant that was pouring water into a cup if you had one, and the fact that I had kept my last cup since they were running out.
• The never-ending crowds. They were were their the whole day, and they were raising hell, in a very positive way!
• The people who had set up their own little water bottle station; one woman was giving out 20 oz. bottles, while two other people ran back and forth from the house, ferrying what remaining supply they had left to the race course.
• The five or so year old girl who was over-joyed to be using her parents water hose to strategically spray water into the face of any runner that came within range. The runners loved the game as much as she did!

In the wake of the race, I've been asked many times, "Did you finish?". As a runner, a marathoner, I don't really understand that question. I think the challenge of a marathon is getting out there, and giving it a shot. If you train smart, and make it to the start line, then you've accomplished all you really have any control over. One of the things that makes marathoning exciting is that months of training come down to how you feel, the weather, the crowds, etc., etc., on one very early morning! Would I have expected to finish, sure, but only on a day more so made for me to finish. I have problems with heat; always will, there's no fixing that. So the course gave me conditions that were tailor made for me to run a slow time, I thusly targeted an appropriately slow time after a few miles of running and the problems on the course forced the race to end. I ran the best Chicago Marathon that I could, and I'm fully content with that. Did I finish my fourth marathon, no, not technically, but I certainly did run it.

As an aside, I'm happy to report that the American Cancer Society set a record with the Chicago Marathon, raising in excess of $1.5 million dollars through their Charity Runner program. I was glad to be a part of it, but a little bummed when I think about the much smaller amount of money that they will make next year. Executing the Chicago Marathon is about much more than just putting on an elite run, as some would have you believe, or even a run for the masses. It is an event that, in some ways, effects most of the world, and I'm sad to see it be ran so poorly. I'm glad I stepped up to run an out of town marathon though, and I hope I'll have enough desire to run, once I've healed up, to keep traveling to fun events around the world.

Here's my post in response to the horrible article (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/cs-071008downey,0,7184430.column?page=1&coll=chi_tab01_layout) posted by a Mike Downey from the Chicago Tribue:

What Mr. Downey fails to realize, or at least note, is that most people who
don't show for a marathon do so because they are either injured come race day,
or realize they have bitten off more than they can chew when attempting to
tackle this challenging distance. For those that show up, they have
literally entered into a contract with the race; I train for your run, you
support me on race day. This contract, worded in more complex legalese, is
forced upon every entrant into the race. The organizers and sponsors of
this race simply didn't uphold their end of the contract. Since the
contingency plan of a short run was put into place on Tuesday, the race
organizers had time to add extra provisions to uphold their end of the
agreement; for some incomprehensible reason, they simply failed to do
that. The people of Chicago were great during the run, as they stepped up
to fill the shortfall presented by the poorly organized race committee.
The people of Chicago should not be marred by this shortfall, but unfortunately,
one of the four greatest world-wide marathons (Chicago, New York, Boston, and
London) will have a black eye for many years to come. Perhaps the new
sponsor (I can't imagine LaSalle would continue it's association with the run)
will ensure a better event next year. Again, as a runner, my thanks to the
good people of Chicago.

If I stick to running the full Houston Marathon, somethine I hope to do, I anticipate a much better event; history proves I'll be correct in that anticipation!

As for the future of this blog, I think it will end, but I will continue to blog at a new, more long term location. I'll link that location into my next post.