 It was the most Miserably awesome experiences of my life...... 
I have been looking forward to and training for the Chicago Marathon for 6 months now. In fact running a marathon is now a checked box on my "life list". You see I have run a mini-marathon before and thought I knew what it would be like but October 7th was nothing like what I expected. Here are just a few facts from the Day:
- Record Heat of 90 degrees
- Marathon cut short for the first time in Chicago Marathon History
- Over 11,000 runners never finished due to cancellation
- 1 man Dead
- Water shortages
Everything was great for the first 13 miles, Alex and I were right on target to meet our target goal of 3 hours 45 minutes... our split times were right on and then the sun came and everything went downhill....even though the next 13 miles would felt like running a mountain.
I never felt so miserable in my life than the last 10 miles of the Marathon.... I kept reminding myself that this was what I have been training for, this is the payoff, this is it and if you stop now then you will never forgive yourself..... I always say that "I have an agreement with my body.. I tell it what to do and it does it". I consider my body my slave... It is suprising what it can do if you are willing to endure the pain involved. .. So I never stopped for I knew that the addiction would be too great.. I kept the end in mind and kept moving forward. As I moved forward into the last 6 miles people were dropping like flies.... Everywhere I looked I saw someone laying on the side of the road with people screaming for medics to come help.... The people of Chicago were getting their hoses to cool people down. several times I would shiver due to the dehydration. I knew that if there wasn't a water station in the next mile there is a good possibility that I might pass out. But not only was I shivering but it felt like I haven't eaten in days; my stomach felt like someone took it and was wringing it out.
You might wonder why do people do this? To be honest Alex and I asked ourself why we were doing this....as I was running watching people passed out on the side of the road I asked myself why didn't they just slow down and 20 minutes later I found myself getting into the same situation. why did finishing mean so much to me and so many others that we would push ourselves to exhaustion and for many hospitalization? I guess the answers are as unique as the person. But if I had to speak for the majorities I would say that most people do it because... well, let me put it this way. I was talking with a friend this past weekend when we were talking about climbing. I thought to myself.. why is it that when people see a mountain.... they usually have the desire to climb it... I believe it is because we know that there is a sight to be seen at the top where at that point you find two types of people.....
1:The ones who make excuses.. I cant make it, not safe, I could never do that, Not worth the effort, no time, too much risk.
and then those who say.
2: I know this is going to suck at times but the payoff is going to be worth it and I am willing to do whatever it takes to reach the goal.
There is nothing glorious about running 26.2 miles... actually it is a painful experience in my opinion.. but what is glorious is when you peak and reach your goal. summit the mountain. cross the finish line, whatever it may be. You then realize it was worth it all. It is a difficult concept to explain and I don't fully know why I like it so much but I am an addicted. The more sacrifice... the more exciting it is. Well here is the info that most of you are interested in:
I ended up reaching the finish line without stopping. I didn't make my goal time of 3:45 but I did finish a half hour later at 4:15 and some change... here are my split times and placement.... I guess 5661 isnt bad out of 45,000! and I was 665 in my division! ahh good times. Well the training continues.....Thanks for stopping by the Earth Expedition and make sre you leave a comment before you check out.. Take care and God Bless, Daren
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| Daren D Wendell | Bib # 37088 | Beloit, WI - USA | Age 26 | M | |
| START |
5K |
10K |
15K |
20K |
HALF |
25K |
30K |
35K |
40K |
FINISH |
| 0:06:30 |
0:26:22 |
0:51:51 |
1:18:02 |
1:45:44 |
1:52:03 |
2:16:30 |
2:51:10 |
3:25:20 |
4:00:29 |
4:15:19 |
| TIME |
Chip Time: 4:15:19 |
Clock: 4:21:48 |
Pace: 9:44 |
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| Placement |
Overall: 5661 |
Gender: 4050 |
Division: 655 |
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