October 6, 2023 - Chicago FOMO

Today I'm wishing I had tried to gain entry into the Chicago Marathon instead of targeting CIM. The weather forecast for Chicago race day has been pretty darn near ideal for the past week. And today's update...chef's kiss perfect. Low of 44. High of 56. Overcast. And, most incredibly in the Windy City, fairly benign wind. Incredible. Perfect. A PR type course with PR type weather. Right now, I'm wishing this was the race I had chosen. 

But these are the vagaries of picking races. I've picked CIM because it is historically among the fastest courses with great weather far more often than not. And the weather for CIM could still be ideal to chase a PR. Heck, I'd say that's more likely than not to be the case. That's why I chose CIM in the first place. And Chicago could have been completely different. The Chicago Marathon has had very hot years. Had the race fallen a week earlier, conditions would have been completely different evidenced by the cancelation of the Twin Cities Marathon last weekend due to heat and humidity. (A cancelation decision that seems quite, um, questionable to me.) A week from now, I'll have forgotten all about this tiny regret I harbor this morning.

But for the next 48 hours, I'll be lamenting my choice just a bit. I'll watch what I can of the Chicago Marathon elite races after my long run is done. I'll track friends who are on the course willing them on through their PR chases in those ideal conditions. I'll wish I was running alongside them or trying to hang onto their shoulders or just watching them run away from me. 

A flat and fast course with ideal weather conditions and plenty of runners at almost any pace for company. What more could a marathon runner ask for?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A 2024 Retrospective That’s Not Fun To Write

Image
  2024 Jacksonville Marathon - A PR! I've been battling with myself for several weeks deciding whether I actually wanted to write this little diddy or not. I'm going to be sharing perhaps a bit too openly and honestly for my own comfort here, and haven't been sure I want to do that. I've finally decided that it's probably a good thing. And knowing nobody really reads this space, not a terribly unsafe thing either. So, I begin... Looking back at 2024 brings up a lot of emotion. The year concluded on such a high note with my run at the Jacksonville Marathon in mid December where I set a PR and executed a marathon the best I ever have, whether racing or pacing. It was a wonderful way to close out the year and I was left giddy for days with the way that race went. But I'm kind of starting at the end of the story, not the usual way to begin. The truth is 2024 was a deeply challenging year for me, both professionally and personally. I struggled with physical health. I...
Read more

Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 - My Unicorn Marathon Racer!

Image
After having the good luck to grab a pair of these Saucony Endorphin Elite 2s from the tiny drop in June and sitting on these for nearly six months, I finally got to use them in a marathon on Saturday. And they are sublime, my absolute favorite shoe for the marathon so far. By a wide margin. Yes, exceptionally soft. And also very fast and efficient at any pace I've tried. The fit is very similar to the Saucony Endorphin Elite 1, which is mostly generous yet well held. The toe box is a bit less spacious than the 1, but only by the most marginal amount. Other than that, fit and hold are exceptional both through the midfoot and the heel. I came out of my marathon without a hint of a hot spot or blister or black toenail. My toes aren't even sore. The ride is weirdly forgiving. Run with pace, and it offers pace back. Run easier, and it rolls along efficiently and protectively. Get up on your toes, and you fly. Tire a bit and fall back on the heels, you still fly. Explosive, yet easy...
Read more

The High Five By 55 Project Rethought

Image
I still want to do this thing. I still want to figure out how to become mountain capable enough and fit enough to finish the High Five 100 while predominantly training in Florida. And I want to do it by the time I turn age 55. All that said, I'm rethinking how I want to go about doing that. My initial plan had been to spend the years from age 46 to 55 practicing in the mountains by completing Hardrock qualifiers and chasing an entry into the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run. Then once that happened, running Hardrock (likely uncrewed) as the final puzzle piece before jumping into High Five 100. It was a fine plan. It was a plan that excited me in many ways. It was a plan that did have a big potential flaw in it.  The flaw, I want to be spending time and hiking and running in the San Juan mountains. Hardrock is in the San Juans, but none of the qualifying races are. At first, I figured that would be fine. It would be fun to travel to new places and experience different mountains. And that...
Read more