The Chicago Marathon, Mile by Mile
I wrote the following in the days after running my first (and only!) full marathon. 18 months ago, I couldn’t run a mile. I started running as an act of exploration — can I do something I’m bad at? Can I work through failure? Can I enjoy something I previously hated? …The jury is still out on that last one, but running has taught me so much about myself, drive, grit, and showing up when you say you will. I’m putting this out in the world for two reasons — one it is too long for an instagram caption and my friends want to know how it went, and also in case it motivates literally just one person to go for a goal they are completely scared of. Below is my experience running the Chicago Marathon, Mile by Mile:
In Corral: Arrived early and soon realized that there was no water available, despite them asking us to not bring water in. Mild panic until I found a drinking fountain (with a 45 min line) to fill up. Made some other back of the pack friends who were giving out friendship bracelets! Put spotify on shuffle and said “come what may!” Crossed the starting line to the song “Best of Me” by The Starting Line 🤗
Mile 1: start line was anticlimactic (less flair than I imagined), the journey begins! Mile .25 was a Lower Wacker party with a DJ and strobe lights. Never saw a single pacer after the start.
Mile 2: Missed the “Mile 2” marker so this feels like the longest mile ever? Also why is my knee making an uncomfortable click?? Also lost my ID during this mile and only know because a runner comes up from behind with it and asks “is this you?”
Mile 3: Loop views are fun and I spot my first photographer. Heart rate is too high for the effort but trying to balance and feel good. See my first cheerleaders (Brian, kids, parents, Dillon) and get a little bump in spirits from them, but overall not feeling how I normally would at this point.
Mile 4: Running straight through! The bridges are so fun to run on and see spectators hanging off. See Laura and make my way to LP!
Mile 5: It’s getting hot. Begin run/walk intervals. Crowds are already quieter than the loop. GPS stayed messed up and kept telling me I was further than I really was. Knee still clicking at every step.
Mile 6: Stop for water and a porta potty line, resulting in a mile time of over 17 minutes due to all the waiting :(
Mile 7: Straight heat all the way north to boystown. Zig zagging to try to find the shade.
Mile 8: Vibes are high!! See The Reff Family, Joe Bruno & Lauren Ruggeri! Loved watching the drag queens perform.
Mile 9: Water cups everywhere trying not to slip! Looking for a porta potty…course has changed to “Red” on the threat/caution scale. Very hard to hear my interval timer in headphones so those definitely are more wonky / less consistent than they should be.
Mile 10: Found a portapotty! Accidentally drop a full water bottle with tailwind IN to the toilet. Through about Mile 10 so many people were yelling GO SARAH! even though I didn’t have my name on my shirt, turns out there was another woman named Sarah running behind me, which was super helpful.
Mile 11: Back down in Old Town, they gave me a cold wet sponge that became my emotional support item 🤗 I think I found and successfully used a porta potty at this mile but now having a hard time remembering. Course has changed to Black on the risk scale (very bad, consider stopping is what the definition is 🤣)
Mile 12: I see my fam again! Grab a hat and a sip of coke zero. The heat is getting me but I am trying to stay positive. Legs feel fine.
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Mile 13: Crossing back into the loop, and the pace car materializes out of nowhere. Feeling very defeated. Ran this half almost 30 min slower than my debut half last December.
Mile 14: The wheels fall off. I am so hot and my heart rate is so high for a minimal effort, I consider walking off the course. I did not want to be done but I also wanted to finish safely and avoid the hospital at all costs.
Mile 15: A total blur of trying to cool down my system and put one foot in front of the other. I make friends with a runner who is a cardiovascular nurse. I tell her she’s sticking with me in case I collapse!
Mile 16: I see college buddies Kat and Mel, professional hype girls. They put a ton of ice in my bra and it rejuvenates me! Mental self talk is improving.
Mile 17: Turning toward the “final clover” of the marathon. Started chewing gum which also helped. Some angel gave me a huge bag of ice which really helped turn things around, even though it was probably 3 lbs more to carry.
Mile 18: Starting to count things in KMs which is better for morale. Crowds in Pilsen were super fun. Left glute is screaming at me by this point.
Mile 19: A blur of eating ice, putting it in my bra and in the waistband of my shorts. Pictures look like I peed myself but it was legit sweat and melting ice.
Mile 20: Delirium sets in!! Only a 10k to go, we can all do this!! I start offering ice to all the women around me for their bras … few accept 🤣
Mile 21: Chinatown! I miss all the exciting things to look at here because I’m so worried about getting to that final out and back that starts at mile 22. I think the crowds were already pretty gone at this time of day as well. Saw the family again, got more ice cubes and a quick theragun for the glute. Took a banana from a stranger and pretended it was a gel.
Mile 22: Heartbreak Cheer zone and sweet Coach Bennett out there giving it his all for the back of the packers. We had a great chat and we yelled “I’m gonna be a fuckin marathoner!”
Mile 23: Started loving life again. Everything hurt but the crowds were so good on the south side that I did not mind that I was able to see runners finishing mile 24 just over the median. Took another banana from another stranger and at the whole thing. My time is not registering on the app/tracker because they picked some course mats up early, starting to field a lot of “are you OK?!” texts.
Mile 24: Getting emo that I will probably actually complete this, even though it is way different than I imagined. Crowds are still epic here. I try to be cool and fun and take a beer from someone, but it is a Blue Moon and also an NA Beer so I end up throwing it into a bush.
Mile 25: Someone left a very small piece of the timing mat on the street (yay!) so we are SO BACK BABY. Had to walk on sidewalk for about 2 blocks here and that was sad as everyone else was drinking on a patio watching the Bears play.
Mile 26: Picked up speed! All gas, baby!! Good cheering here too & was mentally preparing for Mt. Roosevelt (which was a funny joke by the way — not a hill at all🤣) The song my daughter, Frankie, chose for my playlist, from Barbie Francois “See You at the Finish Line” starts playing…
Mile .2: Full on sprint to the finish line and somehow heard Brian yelling for me out of nowhere (we did not have spectator tickets) and turns out he found his way in, and he was able to give me my medal 😭
Overall: Optimistic start, messy middle, really fun ending. I wish it felt more like my training runs and less chaotic, but I’ve learned in running and in life, you can’t choose the day you’re given, but you have to learn to move within the circumstances you have.
I’m sure I’ll have more reflections over time — but for now, this is it! I plan to keep running (at much shorter distances), AND I’m glad I went for this big, crazy, scary goal. You truly never know until you try!
