Chicago 2007
Just a note to let everyone know I am OK. It was brutal out there. They closed the course at 11:30AM. I decided to bag it after 16 miles and was back in the tent around 11AM. After 6 miles I was on pace, but not feeling good. I decided to be smart and pull back at that point. It was a run/walk through 15 miles where I ran into Larry. We decided we didn't want to walk the last 10 miles. We came here to qualify so we called it a day.
Race Report Update - 10/14/07
I got up at 5AM to get ready for today's race. I flipped on the TV and it was already in the 70s. For some reason I was still thinking I could run a fast race. I don't know what I was thinking. I feel really stupid now. Why would I think I could run 4 minutes faster in temps that were 40-50 degrees warmer than last year?
Anyway I got my stuff together and headed to the start with Alex. We met Ginny in the lobby and walked over to the Trophy Tent. It was a sauna in there. I remember freezing in there last year. We hung out for a bit and then headed over to the seeded corrals along with Dan. We stood in line for awhile for the potty and then got in our corrals. I still had my garbage bag and empty water bottle with me and actually used it with about 10 minutes to the start. People were looking at me like I was crazy. It was kind of funny. The national anthem was sung by Jo Dee Messina. I think she was actually going to run the race after she sang. The wheel chair folks went off and then our gun went off. It was really balmy out there and felt like it does in Austin before our workouts.
I started out with Dan and we clipped the first mile in the 7:20s. I was feeling good at that point. I saw Carla and the girls along with Lynn and Samantha Dikolli in the next mile and that gave me a little lift. We backed off a bit for the second mile to somewhere a bit over 8:00. Miles 3-6 were in the 7:40 range so I was on track, but I could tell I was working way too hard. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, but could tell I was above my threshold. It was at that point that I told Dan I was backing off. Things went downhill from there pretty fast. I saw a sign that said 83 degrees and all kinds of stuff went through my mind. I was now going for the finish and that was it. Mile 7 and 8 were in the 8:45 range, mile 9 was 9:17, and mile 10 was 9:54. I began to walk during mile 10 and was feeling really bad. Mile 11 was worse at 10:55 and then I ran into Ginny and started to run again. Mile 12 was 9:40 and that was it. I ran walked from mile 13 - 16 where I dropped out. It was really ugly! I saw Carla and the girls at mile 13 and told them to head back to the hotel because I wasn't going to finish. I stopped for a beer during mile 14 and it tasted really good. I made the turnaround heading east and back into the city. I went through a water stop where I actually had to wait for some water. I was beginning to see people laid out all over the place. The heat really hit everyone at the half way mark because it was getting warmer and we were coming out of the shade into the sunny part of the course. I ran into Larry somewhere during mile 14-15 and he was also walking. We decided to bail at mile 16 and walk back. I have never started the death shuffle this early in a marathon and I did not want to suffer through another 10 miles the way I was feeling.
We had to walk a few miles back to the Trophy Tent/finish line. There were only a few folks in the tent...all drop outs and we all had a dazed look on our faces. This was my first DNF ever and I felt really bad about it. Larry grabbed us a couple of beers and we just sat and waited for everyone to come back. About 30 minutes after we got back a course worker told us they shut the race down. I heard more sirens and actual finishers started entering the tent with bags of ice. They had to cart a couple of folks out of the tent in gurneys and one lady said her husband was in an emergency tent still. All of the Gazelles I know came back which was a huge relief.
I congratulate the folks that finished a race in terrible conditions. I pray for the man that died during the race and hope everyone else that was hurt is OK now. I made a good decision for me to drop out and have no regrets. It is a day I won't ever forget and I hope I never have to go through another day like that again.
Race Report Update - 10/14/07
I got up at 5AM to get ready for today's race. I flipped on the TV and it was already in the 70s. For some reason I was still thinking I could run a fast race. I don't know what I was thinking. I feel really stupid now. Why would I think I could run 4 minutes faster in temps that were 40-50 degrees warmer than last year?
Anyway I got my stuff together and headed to the start with Alex. We met Ginny in the lobby and walked over to the Trophy Tent. It was a sauna in there. I remember freezing in there last year. We hung out for a bit and then headed over to the seeded corrals along with Dan. We stood in line for awhile for the potty and then got in our corrals. I still had my garbage bag and empty water bottle with me and actually used it with about 10 minutes to the start. People were looking at me like I was crazy. It was kind of funny. The national anthem was sung by Jo Dee Messina. I think she was actually going to run the race after she sang. The wheel chair folks went off and then our gun went off. It was really balmy out there and felt like it does in Austin before our workouts.
I started out with Dan and we clipped the first mile in the 7:20s. I was feeling good at that point. I saw Carla and the girls along with Lynn and Samantha Dikolli in the next mile and that gave me a little lift. We backed off a bit for the second mile to somewhere a bit over 8:00. Miles 3-6 were in the 7:40 range so I was on track, but I could tell I was working way too hard. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor, but could tell I was above my threshold. It was at that point that I told Dan I was backing off. Things went downhill from there pretty fast. I saw a sign that said 83 degrees and all kinds of stuff went through my mind. I was now going for the finish and that was it. Mile 7 and 8 were in the 8:45 range, mile 9 was 9:17, and mile 10 was 9:54. I began to walk during mile 10 and was feeling really bad. Mile 11 was worse at 10:55 and then I ran into Ginny and started to run again. Mile 12 was 9:40 and that was it. I ran walked from mile 13 - 16 where I dropped out. It was really ugly! I saw Carla and the girls at mile 13 and told them to head back to the hotel because I wasn't going to finish. I stopped for a beer during mile 14 and it tasted really good. I made the turnaround heading east and back into the city. I went through a water stop where I actually had to wait for some water. I was beginning to see people laid out all over the place. The heat really hit everyone at the half way mark because it was getting warmer and we were coming out of the shade into the sunny part of the course. I ran into Larry somewhere during mile 14-15 and he was also walking. We decided to bail at mile 16 and walk back. I have never started the death shuffle this early in a marathon and I did not want to suffer through another 10 miles the way I was feeling.
We had to walk a few miles back to the Trophy Tent/finish line. There were only a few folks in the tent...all drop outs and we all had a dazed look on our faces. This was my first DNF ever and I felt really bad about it. Larry grabbed us a couple of beers and we just sat and waited for everyone to come back. About 30 minutes after we got back a course worker told us they shut the race down. I heard more sirens and actual finishers started entering the tent with bags of ice. They had to cart a couple of folks out of the tent in gurneys and one lady said her husband was in an emergency tent still. All of the Gazelles I know came back which was a huge relief.
I congratulate the folks that finished a race in terrible conditions. I pray for the man that died during the race and hope everyone else that was hurt is OK now. I made a good decision for me to drop out and have no regrets. It is a day I won't ever forget and I hope I never have to go through another day like that again.
posted by Paco at 3:19 PM
2 Comments:
Wow, i have been reading your blogs and i am sorry to hear about the conditions in Chicago. Smart move to call it a day...you have the fitness level, so hopefully there will be a marathon with more suitable weather conditions.
Frank--sounds like it was a smart move...No more Chicago--you need a change of scenery!!!! Glad you are ok, but my heart was still breaking for you!
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