it was absolutely beautiful weather. a tad on the warm side, especially in the third and fourth hours, but nothing that the race staff wasn't prepared for. just a few extra gulps of water/gatorade and making sure you ran under the sprinklers that nice spectators put out and you were golden.
and the marathon is such a cool way to see the city. all the different neighborhoods and cultures. from the i-don't-really-want-to-leave-college kids up in lincoln park handing out free beer to runners at 9am and mile 4, to the more artsy folk in roscoe village, to the crowds 6 rows deep for at least a full 2 miles down in the loop, to the fantastic latinos and their incredible amounts of music and hospitality in pilsen to the people handing out weird candies and fortune cookies in chinatown to all the "you go girl"s in bronzeville and on up... it was awesome. the crowds totally made the difference. as soon as something would start to hurt, you'd see a funny sign or a spectator going crazy or someone in a costume and you'd totally forget the pain. major props to the man in a bikini, wig, and lei handing out water at mile 8 in boystown. thanks for waxing.
and seeing my family and andy! wow. my mom was going crazy. you would have thought i was sprinting to the finish, neck & neck with the winner. she was so excited. it was awesome. (did i say that already? because it was.) gave me such a rush to see all of them and it was great motivation to get to the next place where i'd see them again. i can't thank them enough for running all over the city to see me... er... run.
no major problems to speak of. my feet swelled up a lot, so i had to retie my shoes twice to loosen things up. still have a small bruise on each foot. and towards the end i had to watch my decisions on gu/gatorade mix. for those unfamiliar, since both gu and gatorade contain concentrated amounts of glycogen, consuming too much will cause upset tummy issues. so you're suppose to take gu with water, not gatorade. but i was also taking gatorade for the salt as i was starting to feel the effects of salt depletion towards the end of the race since it was so hot. let it be said it was a delicate balance.
anyhoo, definitely future marathons are in the works. i loved this one. but for other/future runners, here are tips/lessons learned:
- nothing new on race day, means nothing new on race day. well, except for my new hat and ipod. the orange baseball cap made it much easier to spot me. but really, nothing new on race day.
- enjoy the free stuff they give out at the expo. if you can, go by yourself so as not to annoy your darling dearest as you go by the powerbar stand for the 16th time because they're giving away free bars (and those suckers are $1.50+ a piece at the grocery store!).
- pack your marathon gear the night before. i was so glad i did this.
- take two tylenol before the race. you'll thank me at mile 16.
- know where your fans are going to be hanging out. it's such a boost to see them
- expect chafing in new and unexpected places.
- on that note, apply bodyglide liberally.
- ice bath as soon as possible after the race. the 3-4 minutes of pain are going to save you 3-4 days of recovery. suck it up.
- sleep with your legs propped up on two pillows the night after the race. you'll find most of the soreness is gone the next morning.
- smile the whole way through. a smile releases endorphins which are such a wonderful thing. enjoy the moment.s
