5:30 a.m. At the Rosemont train station I met a group from Kansas City and others headed to the race. After checking my gear at 6:45 I had plenty of time to stroll and warm up a bit. Sunrise temps 40ish at Buckingham Fountain. As we passed through the first tunnel I found I'd done my first mile in 11:25 (I usually walk it in 14:00 to 14:30). As we headed south in m2, already I felt a little tightness in my hamstrings. Unusual to feel that so early. Had I already overdone myself? Would I pay for this in the last few miles? Well, too late now.
Miles 4 and 5 took us through the Zoo and park areas. I slowed slightly, but I still felt OK. South on Broadway took us into a tremendously enthusiastic neighborhood. A group of, uhhh, cheerleaders encouraged us from the east (below); a few blocks later drag queens choreographed "YMCA" to the west.
Where's Elvis? At halfway I found myself 11–12 minutes ahead of six-hour pace (the official cutoff for a finisher's medal), and I still felt good; the tightness had increased somewhat but not painfully. Pilsen neighborhood brought out the mostly Latin residents, including a little live music (below) during m15 or so.
I calculated that even if I were to slow by 5–10 seconds per mile to the end, I could still come in under six hours. Weather held steady and sunny, by now warmed up to probably 50ish. East on 33rd took us toward some scattered but good crowd support in The Gap, more so as we met the African percussion combo on MLK Drive. One more right turn on 31st led to our final northward stretch with Lake Shore Drive to the left and lovely, sunlit Lake Michigan to the right. I kept jogging more than I thought I would. A little faster, a little farther, all going well. We passed through the tunnel under McCormick Place. Exiting it we saw downtown just over a mile away. That helped me pick it up. Two access ramps, however short (maybe 100 ft. at most) didn't help me as I began the final stretch, but seeing Grant Park come into view gave me a little final nitro boost.
My best finish time since Cape Cod in 1997
Chuck's 50 & DC Marathons Starting Line UCSC/ACSC | YIA | AHS Class of 1974 Camp Wiregrass | Coral Gables Congregational Church Concerts | Is There Anybody Out There? | Presidential Election 2004 all images and text © chuck bryant
|
