Chicago Marathon 2013 Pre-Race Pulse
My pre-Chicago marathon survey got responses from 7 other runners. Not bad for sending it out 3 days before the race! Out of the 7 runners, 3 were first time marathoners. The experienced respondents were running their 2nd, 3rd, 7th, & 10th marathons respectively Check out their pre-race pulse responses:
What advice would you give to first time marathon runners?
Ø Enjoy every mile.
Ø Slow down – You can’t really do anything great in the first 5 miles of a marathon. But you can really destroy your chances of a good marathon in the first 5 miles. RUN SLOWLY. If you give up 15 – 20 seconds per mile in the first part you can make that up. But if you go out and run beyond yourself you will be guaranteed to suffer later.
Ø Start slow, ridiculously slow.
Ø Enjoy the moment, don’t try to beat a certain time, and run your own race. Do the training: a marathon can be done with relative ease if you train for it
What attracted or inspired you to run the 2013 Chicago Marathon and what are you most excited about?
Ø I’m not sure exactly what made me decide to run a marathon, but I think it was that I had gotten to the point where half marathons were finally a somewhat “comfortable” distance and I was ready for a new challenge. And Chicago just seemed like a fun, flat course. I continue to run for my favorite charity – Opportunity Enterprises.Ø I have met an amazing group of friends through running the Chicago Marathon, and we are all running it together again this year.
Ø I wanted to do the marathon as a challenge again this year. It’s a physically challenging experience but more than that its mentally challenging. It takes you to places you never thought you could do before. I am excited about running it again and experiencing all of the emotions.
Ø I’ve been an avid runner now for the past three years; usually running about 5 miles, six days a week. I’ve run in a smattering of 5 and 10k races but was never interested in a marathon. It wasn’t until a few of my coworkers started talking to me about their Chicago Marathon experiences that I became intrigued. I’m a pretty competitive person, so I took the plunge, got through the crazy online registration and endured the long, incredible training season. I’m most excited about the energy and “Chicago Marathon runners high” I keep hearing about!
Ø I mentor runners who are running their first marathon
Ø Always wanted to run a marathon, and figured why not now
What do you hope to gain from this year’s marathon? Any personal goals?
Ø No real goals other than finishing, but I definitely hope to gain a crazy sense if accomplishment at the end of the race!
Ø Mental strength. The marathon has torn me up in most of my years – it is a huge mental game. This year I’m up for the challenge again.
Ø I want to finish this marathon feeling strong, not completely depleted. And I don’t want to be hobbling around for the next three weeks.
Ø Personally I want to prove to myself that my training this last year has paid off. I have worked hard on increasing my speed through strength training and speed work. Last year my time was 4 hours and 41 minutes which isn’t fast 
This year I want to break 4 hours which would be a huge leap.Ø Since this will be my first marathon, I am mainly focusing on just enjoying the run. I started with the goals of not walking out of tiredness and finishing with a smile. But, as my training progressed, so did my competiveness. I am hoping to finish with a time around 3:45.
Ø To enjoy every mile. I hope to have a great race day
Ø Finish the race!
What was the hardest part of training for you?
Ø The hardest part of training for me was probably my last really long run. I had already gone 20 miles once and was feeling confident in my training but did the run in horrible hot/humid weather and really had to push through to finish. I think it was good practice for me for the race though and knowing I can do it. I’ve also struggled with having leg pain and not knowing if it was soreness I should push through or an injury where I should take some time off to rest it.
Ø The time commitment was the hardest thing.
Ø I have been following a new lifestyle/diet this year, which took some major adjustments to my running nutrition strategy.
Ø The hardest part of training is the time investment- you are running a lot and you have to fit it in to your schedule. Your friends don’t totally understand your commitment so you are always bowing out of dinners, drinks out, etc. My main obstacle was learning to trust my body. When you experience pain during a training run, it doesn’t mean you’re not strong. It’s supposed to hurt because you’re pushing your body to a new level. After you recover from the training run, you are a stronger runner.Ø The hardest part of training was making time for my long runs while being so busy and knowing that I had to run. I went to Switzerland for 2 weeks in August and was supposed to run my 13 and 17 milers while there. Instead, I ran about 6 miles, a handful of times. Combine that with the ample amounts of Swiss beer, brats and chocolate and getting back into my training schedule once back home were my major obstacles! (It was worth it though!)
Ø Hydration
Ø The time commitment. Takes a lot of training to prepare
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you while training for the marathon?
Ø I don’t have too many funny stories from training other than finding myself in the middle of a high school cross country practice and finding myself getting passed in all sides by 16 year old boys (over and over again).
Ø I can’t believe I drove 65 minutes one way to run with friends for one hour.
Ø I thought I lost my car key during a long run, so I had to take a cab home. I later found the key stuck to my ass cheek when I took a shower.
Ø Doing my first ice bath- OMG! I wish someone could have taken a picture of my face. After doing my 21 mile run, I filled up my bathtub with water and ice and jumped in. Eventually I went numb!
Ø Halfway through an extremely hot, 8 mile run, I stopped to splash water on my face. It was after work, and I forgot I had makeup on. I left and ran back with mascara smeared all under my eyes! 😛
Ø A friend and I were running and neither one of us have ever run in just our sports bra. It was a warm 18 mile run so we both did it!