Throwing Caution to the Wind

I wish I could go back and recap the last 4 months of life. 'Whirlwind' doesn't even start to describe what my world has been since Rob and I said "I do." Weddings and birthday parties and more weddings and more birthday parties and bachelorette parties galore! The summer of celebrations, I like to call it.

I knew this summer would be hard for Running/Triathlon Megan. I snuck in a few races here and there. I never stopped running. I swam and biked as time allowed. After my failed attempt at a BQ in April, I had hopes of going back to Duluth, MN in June to race Grandma's Marathon. {Or as I call it, Christmas Day for runners in June.} But life got hectic between April and June. I officially tied the knot and I attended 2 other weddings, consecutively after my very own (1 of them happened to be one of our groomsmen, whom Rob also stood up for). None of these events came with early bedtimes or hydrating beverages such as water or a variety of sports beverages. I truly C E L E B R A T E D everything and that will always come with a price. A headache in the morning? Maybe. A little less sleep? Always. A diet you aren't used to? 100%. I always put on my shoes on the next morning. But the quality of my running I was hoping for wasn't always there. So at the end of the day, I decided to forego Grandma's Marathon and put all my eggs into one basket. The Chicago Marathon.

The last time I ran The Chicago Marathon, circa 2011
You can spot me in the pink tank, running with Brian

Which leaves us here.

I got my butt back into gear. I've put the work in. But I continued to "celebrate" my way through the summer. I didn't nail every workout. I didn't have time sit in my boots every time I needed to. I slacked on my stretches when I needed it most. But, as of today, I'm actually feeling pretty good about this whole thing. I'm a firm believer in "You get out of something what you put in." And I know for a fact that my lead in into The Chicago Marathon hasn't been perfect 100% of the time. {Truth bomb, it never will be either.} But I can say with certainty that I didn't have the focus, energy, or time to commit to training that BQ needs this time around.

But here we are.

By no means do I think this will be an awful day. I'll run this marathon in the greatest city in the world and I'll have a smile on my face regardless of how fast or slow I finish. But, the last time I qualified for Boston, I had 19 seconds separate me from a qualification and the starting line in Hopkinton. And that was after laser precision focus all winter long. I was probably the strongest runner I've ever been at that point.

And since that race, the BQ standard has dropped by 5 minutes. {Currently 3:30 to qualify, approximately 3:27-3:25 to RUN Boston} Which means I need to shave off roughly 3-5 minutes if I actually want to RUN Boston 2021. And I have to be honest and real with myself. I'm not an athlete that has plenty of time to spare. I'm playing with seconds here. But stranger things have happened.

LIKE THIS!
8 years ago. All of us still friends.
Every single one of these people attended our wedding (or stood IN it)
#SQUAD

The weather is looking pretty damn good. It has me "giddy" if you will. Last week I ran after work and it was hotter and more humid than most of my workouts all summer long. So, I'm hoping I have some hidden fitness that will come show up on race day now that the weather is cooperating. My legs have done this distance 13 times before, so I'm hoping some muscle memory kicks in at some point. I've also been much better and proactive about taking care of myself. I've had 2 massage in the past 3 weeks and I'm currently sitting in my Normatec boots and I have a date with my STIM unit tomorrow night.

Chicago Marathon 2011: Boyfriend
Chicago Marathon 2019: Husband

So, if you find yourself interested in my racing endeavours, you can track me on the Chicago Marathon app on Sunday morning. I'll be in the first wave, coral D, meaning I should take off pretty close to 7:30am. Bib 14721. If you'll be on course, I'm planning on gluing myself to the 3:25 pace group towards the front of the group (because claustrophobia is a REAL THING in this race in tight packs). I'll need every ounce of positive energy, good vibes, extra prayers, and anything else you can send my way. But in all honesty, sometimes life is about throwing all caution to the wind and seeing where it takes you. And this kinda feels just like that.

I'll see ya on the other side. And not in 4 months, sometime next week. I promise.

#BQORBUST
#ChiMarathon2019

W

Sometimes after I cross the finish line, I wish I could bottle all of my thoughts for the moment I sit down to write about the race. The feelings are so fresh, the emotions so raw.

Tonight, I sat with my parents and watched history. And I'm feeling all the emotions. I walked in the door with only 20 minutes until game time so I scarfed down my dinner. As I cleaned up my plate my father says, "Megan sit down before the first pitch. Megan now. MEGAN HE'S IN HIS FUCKING WIND UP SIT DOWN!" And with that I took my seat. {Side note: I had at least 90 seconds until the wind up started, Jack was just a little on edge.}

We held our breath for every pitch. We screamed as Fowler bolted a home run to start off the game. Cringed as Baez made 2 errors crucial errors before the 4th inning. Sat in silence as we watched Cleveland tie the game in the 8th inning. And screamed our throats raw as Rizzo made the final out and snagged that game winning ball into his pocket. I've seen my father cry a small handful of times. And tonight, his tears brought such joy. We live and breath the Chicago Cubs in my family. And after (10) innings, (8) runs, and (108) years, we can finally say, we are the World Champions.

My father in all his pride and joy

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet, because it's closing in on the wee hours of the morning and I still have to adult tomorrow. I hope everyone has the chance to feel what I felt tonight. If you have a sport or a team that you love, I hope you get to experience the euphoria that comes with being a World Champion. Sports are a funny thing. So many life lessons can be learned on and off the 'field' {or whatever your sport is performed on} and yet in the long run, sports are simply an escape. Very few of us will ever make any money by playing in our recreation sports league or by signing up for ump-teen races a year. But we do it anyways because it's our escape from reality. And we can't get enough of it.

"All I want to do is see them win. And watch the celebration. And the presentation of the trophy. And go to bed with a smile on my face. I've had a million surgeries. I've had a heart attack. I've been in a pretty serious car accident. And I'm still here to see this. I've seen over 1000 games played at Wrigley Field, that's over 3 YEARS of my damn life at that stupid place! I'm ready to see it!" - Jack Hode around the 7th inning.

And I'll be damned if tonight wasn't a dream. Or was it? So the next time you think twice about signing up for that race because you shouldn't spend the $40, or you think twice about going to your favorite sporting event because you need to get up early for work the next day, I'm going to advise you to do so anyways. Because what I'm feeling right now, there ain't nothin' like it.

And now I have my own "World Series" to get ready for, which is the primary reason I'm not drunk on Clark Street at the moment. I have 48 hours until I toe the line of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon with the chance to keep this ball rolling and turn November 2016 into a truly epic month for both me and my family.

Let's do this shit.

Sweet Home Chicago.. Half Marathon

Have I ever told you how much I love to race downtown Chicago? It might be one of the biggest hassles coming from suburbia. Leaving the house at 4am on a Sunday morning just to hit gridlock traffic within a half mile of the parking garage is rough. Leaving the overcrowded race site and swiping your credit card for $20-$40 as you leave the parking garage is even more thrilling. But... there's something so empowering about running down the center line of a major city street knowing that no car can cut you off, no horn can blare in your ear, and the only time you have stop moving forward is at the finish line. And let's not forget, you're surrounded by some of the worlds most amazing architecture and a gorgeous body of water in the same swoop. And if you want to catch a Cubs game post-race, you surely can. Or snag a slice of deep dish? Have at it. Dip your toes in the water while enjoying the beach life? Yup. Check out a museum or 2? Sure. The list literally goes on and on. Very few places in the world can offer what Chicago does. And when the Chicago PD shuts down the busiest street in the city and lets me run on Lake Shore Drive while soaking in the breathtaking views.. it's just another reason to add to the list. 

Just see for yourself. The view of Lake Shore Drive looking North from a pedestrian bridge on Sunday. 

Photo by: Ali Enign

Fortunately I was able to take the hassle out of Chicago racing this time around. Lindsey and Ian live downtown and have always told me that their futon is open for me when I want. So I made sure to coordinate our schedules and even convinced Ian that he should run too! Of course, our weekend was not complete without Rob. So on Saturday afternoon, the 4 of us ventured to packet pick up at Solider Field. Fun Fact: Ian's first time at Soldier Field was not for a football game. Or for a concert. Ian's first time at Soldier Field was to pick up his race packet for the Chicago Half Marathon.

Runners ready to run!

Sunday morning came quickly. I had not seen 4am since Steelhead and frankly, I did not miss it. I sat at the kitchen table and sipped my coffee while I thought out my race in my head. If everything happened the way I was planning, I'd be setting my THIRD PR since March in the half marathon. The first one was a long time coming. The second one, I completely surprised myself.Who knows what would happen today? In the recent weeks I was running stronger than I ever have. So just maybe..?

Rob and I hopped in the back of Lindsey and Ian's car at 5:15am sharp and we hit the road. We parked without much hassle at all (and for FREE! Props to everyone in the car except me) and made our way to the starting area. Ian headed to the porta potties while I hung out with Rob and Lindsey to pin on my bib and lace up my shoes. BIG MISTAKE. I've been in the triathlon world to long. Or, I've been removed from the running world to long? Either way, I should have joined him. By the time I hit the starting line I had to pee like a racehorse. This is very common for me. However, I wasn't wearing my wetsuit this time. And I wasn't about to hop into a large body of water. I had about 15 minutes to spare so I took off for a short jog down the street hoping to find a stray porta potty that I could sneak into. Unfortunately, I was going to have to wait.

The gun went off and I came out of the gate pretty fast and almost immediately forgot that I was about to pee my pants. My first mile of a race is always faster than it should be. I try, I really do. But I get to excited sometimes. Today was no exception to the rule. Mile 1: 7:00 flat. Oops. Ok, funs over. Time to get real here. Mile 2: 7:21. Much better. We wove our way through Jackson Park and before I knew it we were being lead out onto Lake Shore Drive. Talk about a rush. The median to my left. Water to the right. Chicago's breathtaking skyline in the horizon. My legs were feelin' fantastic and even gave me a few more sub 7:15 splits.

About mile 4.5 Rob and Lindsey popped up on the course! And they had a third amigo with them - Brittany crashed their spectating party! Seeing them was a nice little surprise. Right around the same time is when the sun started to come out with a vengeance. Lake Shore Drive might provide some breathtaking views, but it also comes with little shade. I was already pretty warm and this wasn't going to help. The beads of sweat turned into drips and before the turn around at mile 8, I felt like I was back at Ironman Texas.

Snapped by Rob around mile 4.5 - I almost didn't see the group!

Unfortunately, this is where my race started to fall apart. Heading South on LSD proved a little more difficult. The wind  wasn't to strong, but it was strong enough for my tiring body to fight. My legs were slowing. My breathing was no longer fluid and steady. Alright. Take this mile nice and easy and then you can pick it up again. If only that's what my legs would have allowed. After mile 9, I started to cramp like never before. And at the same time, I was suddenly reminded of how badly I had to pee. That's a bad combination when you're on track to PR by almost 2 minutes. In fact, it proved to be enough to take away my shot at a PR for the day.

Just takin' a trip on LSD. NBD ;)

Every step I took I felt my over full bladder literally push against my terribly cramping stomach. The worst part? I had 3 miles to go. I did some quick math and knew that I was going to be pushing it if I wanted to PR. My splits were creeping a little to close to 7:45-7:50. If the finish line and my watch hit 13.1 miles at the same exact time I'd have a good shot at a PR. But we all know that's not how it works..

The final turn - spotted by Rob on his fancy Divvy bike!

As I rounded the final turn and saw the finish line I glanced at my watch and knew I was going to be short. By only a few seconds. 14 to be exact.

Free race photos are the best photos!

Racin' and makin' memories :)

My 1:38:49 wasn't going to break any records today. But I couldn't be to upset. Take away my overactive bladder and spontaneous stomach cramps and I know my legs are capable of much more. I've put in some speedy miles in the past month. And I have just over a month to add as many more speedy miles as I can before I toe the line at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on November 5th. Yep, that's right. I've decided to put my legs to the full running test again with an open marathon. Something I haven't done in almost 2 years. And to be honest? I'm terrified. No matter what way you look at it, a marathon is a long way. But that's not the scary part. The last time I ran a marathon without a swim and a bike before it, I decided to run on a whim and on 8 weeks of training. I finished, but it wasn't anything special. My last marathon PR was before Ironman Wisconsin in Nashville, TN in November of 2013. (Although I came close to a marathon PR during Ironman Maryland.) I've put in some serious work these last 2 years and I'm in the best shape of my life. I've learned to push myself to a level I didn't know I had in me. I have absolutely no idea what my body is capable of when it comes to running 26.2 miles anymore. The unknown. That my friends, that's some scary shit.

But I'm past the fear of the unknown. I think that spoke true of itself when I bought my first bike. And when I signed up for my first Ironman with 0 experience. Because as far as I'm concerned, there's no reason to be afraid to do what I love. I want to know how far I can take myself. I want to know how far I can push my body. And more importantly, my mind. I'm ready to get curious. Ready or not, here we go.