This has been a post I have really been looking forward to writing for a while!
The first thing I started to do when I finished the Kiawah Island Marathon back in December was to start brain storming for my next marathon.
In fact, I had to calm myself down and allow myself to step back a bit before going crazy. I decided I would focus on one marathon this year. Sure, I am putting all my eggs in one basket but training for two marathons is a bit much for me. I am really aiming to stay healthy in 2015!
As of Tuesday morning, I am officially registered for my fall marathon!
I’m going back to Chicago!
If you have never run Chicago before, it is an absolutely beautiful marathon! I really love the city and it always calls me back.
My first (and second) marathons were done in Chicago in 2011 and 2012. I wasn’t able to run in 2013 due to my stress fracture and 2014 I decided to focus on a different marathon.
After I saw online that with my last marathon time would get me a guaranteed entry, I knew without a doubt it was time to go back!
The best email I have received in quite some time!
I have such great memories and such frustrating memories from this marathon. I love visiting but each marathon I have run there has not quite gone my way. That being said, I also wasn’t really as prepared in the past as I feel I will be going into this one.
I’ve got some goals in mind, but nothing is definite yet. I probably won’t finalize it until the month before I would need to begin training. I just know that from now on I will be slowly working to get myself in the best shape possible for it.
Why exactly do I love the Chicago Marathon so much?
- The atmosphere is amazing. I ran Kiawah with very little crowd support, and that was okay by me because I wanted my time. However, anytime you can run a race with the amazing crowds of Chicago is a win!
- This (aside from Boston) is probably one my husband and I’s favorite race expos.
- It was my first marathon. There is always a little place in my heart because of it.
- I love Chicago. Seriosuly, if I ever had to live in a big city (which really isn’t appealing to me) I would choose Chicago hands down.
- I want to erase the sting a little. My first two marathons were tough. The first one there were just too many issues to count and the second one wasn’t much better. I’ve finally start to learn what works for me and see that I am capable of more than I thought. I’m ready to really have a GREAT Chicago race!
- Flat course. As I hopefully will be going for another time goal, anytime you can find a great race and a relatively flat course you have to go for it!
- My husband was already planning on running it. This is one of his favorite races. He runs it every year, so regardless of if I decided to run it or not we were going. Coordinating his schedule is tough right now, so I figured this was a sure thing since he’d already requested to be able to take some vacation in October.
Along the lines with working to get myself in the best shape for it, I did my weekly workout yesterday morning. It was tough!
The local track here is quite a ways a way from my house and most likely not lit at 4:00 am, so I found a parking lot far from my house to make it work. Sometimes you’ve got to get creative!
The workout this week was 4 x 1 mile repeats. The goal was to keep them somewhere between 6:55-6:50. Here was a breakdown:
Repeat 1: 6:34
Repeat 2: 7:01
Repeat 3: 6:49
Repeat 4: 6:52
I went way too fast on the first one and paid for it on the second. I ran 800 recovery between each and did a 0.5 mile warm up and cool down to keep my mileage at 7 miles total for the day.
I realize I’ve got some work to do, but every workout is one step closer!
What is the next race you are signed up for?
Have you ever run Chicago?
I ran Chicago in 2013 and it will always have a spot in my heart. I loved everything about the city, and the expo was amazing!! I have never ran a marathon or a half marathon where the streets were lined up with people from start to finish cheering, it truly was an amazing feeling. I ran my best marathon in Chicago and it truly made me fall in love with the distance. I will go back in the next few years! I truly believe I can run near a 4 hour marathon and the race and place to do that would be Chicago!! I look forward to all your training reports and of course come October, the race report itself of your experience in 2015.
Wooo! Congrats girl! Exciting!
Hooray for a guaranteed entry from your Kiawah time! You will rock out Chicago, you did really well with the mile repeats even if the first was too fast (you will get it, speedwork is hard to pace sometimes). Sounds like you did your thinking when considering a marathon and it’s totally cool to just do 1 a year and aim to do well and stay healthy!
That’s fantastic and so exciting! Those are awesome times. I did not follow the prescribed times for my workout this morning and that I something I need to adjust starting tomorrow. 🙂
Awesome! I hope to run Chicago one of the next few years. 2015 is NYC though! Nice to have the plan squared away this early 🙂
I ran Chicago last year as my 2nd full and am running again next year where I’ll hopefully get my BQ!
Hi Sara! I’ve been folloing your blog for some time now and have really enjoyed it! I too was granted guaranteed entry to the Chicago marathon this year based upon my time for a recent marathon so I will be running Chicago as well this October (assuming I can stay healthy :)). Are you planning on using the advanced program of the Hansons Marathon Method again for this marathon? I used the beginner program for my last marathon and was 3 minutes off qualifying for Boston. I’m thinking of trying the advanced program but want to be careful since I have had my fair share of injuries in the past. Also, how was the wind when you ran Chicago both times? I am a little concerned with the weather since it is called the “windy city.” 🙂
As of right now I am still undecided as of the plan I will use, but I am leaning towards Hansons because I had such good luck with it the first go round. 3 minutes off!?! That is AWESOME! You’ve got it this time!!
As far as wind, both times I have run it we have had pretty good weather! I haven’t had any issues with wind. It’s always a concern of mine as well though! Good luck!! Hope to see you there 🙂
Thank you!! That’s good to hear about the wind 🙂 Best of luck with your training too!!
oh my gosh, chicago is so great! i would love to run it again.
YAY! Chicago was my first in 2009! I did it again last year and I am thinking of doing it again this year,
Yay for Chicago!! I thought about trying to get in but decided that I would run a smaller marathon as my first. So I am running the day before up in the northern ‘burbs of Chicago- Prairie State Marathon. Maybe next year I will try the lottery for Chicago???
I know you will do great- third time is a charm, right?? 🙂
I love the Chicago Marathon too! So glad you decided to run it this year.