Run Chitown

The Chicago Marathon is over. I did a lot of training for this event. I've got to thank my wife for putting up with me and all of the running that I had to do. Every Saturday I had a long run and it would almost take up the entire day, including the icing after the run. I stayed the night before down town with my buddy Nick Vogelsang and his friend Seth, and their wives. I was the fifth wheel, but it was all good. We planned on running the race at about the same pace so we stuck together at the start of the race.

At the start of the race I was packed in there shoulder to shoulder. I was able to cross the start line about 10 min after the start of the race. Of course my time didn't start until I had crossed the mat. All runners are rigged with a chip attached to the shoe.
I was able to run the first half of the race close to my regular pace. It never really felt like I could just run comfortable because I had to constantly dodge people walking or that didn't run the same pace. After about half way through the race I didn't have to try and pass any body, everyone was going my same pace. My stomach knotted up from having drank Gatorade on the run and gulping down air with it. It also could have been from some of the energy eats that I had during the race. At about mile 19 I had slowed down to almost a walk. It was when I went under an under pass and smelt the nasty sewer smell that I started to burp/heave. I got out huge amounts of air that was trapped in my stomach. One spectator off to my left screamed, "What's wrong with that runner," as he pointed at me. I continued to belch like a bear. Surprisingly enough I had tons of energy after the pain in my stomach was gone.

I was able to get back to my normal pace to finish the race. So I finished the race in 3hrs 54 min, 32 seconds.

Crossing the finish line, right.
It took me about an hour after crossing the finish line to walk to the family reunite zone, part distance and fatigue. When I finally got to Alicia, it was great to see her. She had braved the estimated 1.15 million marathon family, friends and fans. Bennett had screamed the entire day, from being confined to sit in a tight spot on the train ride down to being surrounded by loud music and loud strangers. Alicia shed a tear of (joy/relief/exhaustion/insanity/pregnancy. ;) We hugged and I asked her how her 4 hr marathon was? One more tear. :)

Emma was there to first notice the medal around my neck given to everyone that finishes, even 9,560th.
She said, "Dad, I knew you were going to win.

I lost a lot of water weight during the race, to prove my point on my right I pasted an image of me taken before the race pushing a stroller. You might say I lost all my hair too.
The next marathon I run I've got some good ideas to make the post race pics better.

Smile.
We got the heck out of there pretty quick and waited an hour for the next train. We got great seats for such a packed train.

Bennett happy to be going home.
It felt good to have this behind me and be with my little family.