When Tom Skilling tells you that the start of the race will
be about 34 degrees, and by the time you finish it should be in the high-40’s
with partly sunny skies and no rain, you know it’s going to be a good race day.
When I started walking to the car at 6am, the air felt nice.
By the time I actually got to the car, a mere 45 seconds later, I was cold.
Brrr! It was going to be a cold race. But cold races are usually where I
perform the best. It’s when the sun is out, the humidity is high, and the
temperatures creep above 70 that I am miserable on the course.
Thankfully, the Weather Gods were on Team Meredith on
Sunday!
Before the race, I saw a co-worker heading to the corral, so
it was nice to touch base with him. Then while in the corral, I’m not sure what
happened…Usually, you can strip off your clothes and stand in the corral,
basking off the warmth of fellow runners. Not this time. No one was huddled
close together. Everyone gave the infamous “bubble” to each other, as not to
intrude. I keep shaking and shivering all the way until I started running (30+
minutes later!).
Walking to the start line, I got pumped by “RIGHT NOW!” by
Van Hallen. This is the 3rd Chicago Marathon that has played this
song as I crept up to the start line. Must be a sign. I was excited!
The 4:15 pace group was who I tried to stick near for the
first part of the race. Either right behind or just leading them, the pacer and
her team sporting bunny ears and white cap kept me on pace. I lost them right
after a water station after mile 12. How runners can run and drink at the same
time baffles me. Between mile 15 and 16 I got a little tired and contemplated walking.
It’s a little early to hit the wall,
I thought to myself.
So I played a little game that I’d like to share with you.
It’s called “Pick ’em and Stick ‘em”. I picked someone who had a consistent
stride and good pace and stuck behind them. I literally served as their shadow,
following them with my head down, weaving in and out of other runners together.
Ideally, this individual would not notice me (stealth ninja moves!). Mr. Red
and Orange Shoes got me through 2.5 miles until I felt good again. I tried this
again later in the race, however no one did as good of a job as my first guy.
Lessons for other runners
1.
NEVER stop in the middle of the course.
Seriously, it’s just plain dangerous. Knock it off.
2.
Throw your banana peels to the side of the
course. The cartoons don’t lie: they are slippery and I am sick of almost
biting it on the course.
3.
Get those damn headphones out of your ears. All
you runners who did that on race day made it suck. I didn’t make ANY friends
this year. That’s not natural. No one wanted to talk because over 75% that I
saw wore headphones.
4.
GET OFF YOUR PHONES. Texting, Tweeting,
Updating, and… get this – TALKING? Really!?! At mile 4 there was a woman
yelling into her Bluetooth saying “You shouldn’t be running! You are a terrible
runner!” and everyone around her thought her to be a total “B” because most of
them didn’t realize she was talking to someone else on the phone. Regardless,
she was an idiot. Also, for those who were just chatting away “Oh yeah, no, it’s
fine, I have time. Mile 15 feels good, what are you up to?” Cut the crap. Hang
up, call them when it’s over. And for those dumb eough to whip out their phones
and text others? That’s just plain dangerous. I tripped over many of you. Don’t
text and run.
At
mile 24, I was tired and chilly, but I kept the mantra “The more you run, the
faster you’re done”. It worked. Crossing the finish line at 4:37:30, I felt
okay about everything. By Tuesday, I was walking fine and even jogged a little
without pain. That, in itself, is a success!
My
next goal: scale back from 26.2 and focus on shorter, faster races. 13.1 and
15k’s are in my immediate future with the goal of breaking 2 hours for a half.
All
– in – all the 2012 Chicago Mere-a-thon was a great success. It may be the last
one for a while… at least until runners go through “Runners Etiquette” and stop
being cotton-headed-ninny-muggins on the course.
