IndianRunner

AM- Chicago Marathon 2019: What a great experience today running my first Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Woke up at 4:30, ate some breakfast, then got ready to take the subway over to the starting line. With 45,000+ runners, getting into the corral took quite a bit of time, and I didn't have much spare time to use the bathrooms, get warmed up, and just get mentally prepared for the race. Also, I couldn't find the gear check for my corral, so I just had to put my drop off bag in some bushes at the park, since I only had 5 minutes to get into my corral. Got into the starting corral, and moments later we were off and running. I wasn't expecting a lot during this race, since I had just previously ran Big Cottonwood last month and my legs were feeling a bit sluggish with the traveling and everything. Stayed with the 3 hour pace group for several miles, but then fell off of them in the latter stages of the race. Once I got to miles 18-20, I really wanted to just enjoy the experience of the race and that is just what I did. Overall, I would say that this was one of my favorite races that I have ever done, and that I definitely will be back in the future to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon!

PM- 5 miles out towards Naples and back. Forgot that it is starting to get dark out by 7pm, so I need to remember my headlamp for evening runs lol!

AM- 10k easy on kid's canal. For the week or two, I am going to just being doing shorter runs and going very easy to let my body recharge for my spring training and build up towards Phoenix Marathon in February and Boston in April. I just realized the other day that after Boston in April, I will have ran 5 marathons in a 12 month period, and this does not include my 42 mile ultra race in July and the Ashley 50 mile relay in August, which was basically a marathon, since I ran 25 miles in that race. Overall, I want to have a really good build up for Phoenix and possibly Boston, so having some down time from high mileage for the next couple of weeks I think is important. It might seem like an out of range goal for me, but if I can stay healthy and get my iron levels up, I think that sub 2:50 at either Phoenix or Boston is quite realistic. And even though winter training will be difficult with the cold temperatures, I am going to give it my best at both races!

AM- 70 minute walk earlier in the morning, then did a little crossfit workout just before noon. Even though it was just double unders and the assault bike, it still kind of kicked my butt. Felt good to mix it up today though!

AM- 16.5 miles from Vernal Park, then out to Naples, and back to the park. Then looped up to kid's canal and back. Probably too far in distance post Chicago Marathon, but I feel as though I want to get out there some before the weather turns out colder. Overall a beautiful fall morning run!