The trip to Chicago actually begins the night before when I went to a party instead of going home to pack and get some rest. Needless to say, I got about an hour and a half of sleep before boarding my train at 4:30 a.m. I originally thought my train left at 6:30 a.m. My mom thought the same thing when she bought her ticket. She got on half way to Chicago at the station near her home. She awoke to find a text message telling her I'd safely arrived on the train and we were pulling out of St. Louis. She quickly gathered her suitcase and headed to the station to pay another $26 in order to board my train. My brother also got a rude awakening when we arrived two hours ahead of "schedule."
The race was an evening race which meant we had the whole day to waste in Chicago. Unfortunately, I couldn't walk around much. We killed some time playing guitar hero and taking pictures...
My mom surprised me by making "Team Katie" shirts!!
The time finally came to meet up with my friend and dawn the way to tight shirt. Everyone (all 14,000 of us) had to wear the race shirt which had our bib number on it. We took a cab to Soldier Field. The field was open so we went in to take a look after taking some more pictures!
Before long it was time to head to the start line. Chicago had the largest race of the day which was exciting to be a part of. We dropped my mom, brother, and future sister-in-law off and took our mark. It only took about 7 minutes to cross the start line after the gun fired. While we were waiting I realized that even if we finished last in Chicago, surely someone in the world would be slower than me.
As soon as we crossed the start we began running south towards McCormick place where we entered their tunnel and experienced a dj and a laser show. We continued south onto Lake Shore Drive. The entire time we were passed by fitter, faster runners. I had to stop myself from turning around in fear that there wouldn't be anyone back there. Finally my friend told me to see who was behind us. To my amazement there were as many people behind us as infront of us. Soon we it the 5K mark where I exclaimed "this is the farthest I've ever run during a race!!!" I kept going and turned north up a much too small bike path.
The sight was spectacular. We had the lake on our right with a bunch of sailboats out, the sun setting to our left, and the entire Chicago skyline ahead of us. It gave me chills to see what we were a part of. Without knowing it I hit the 5 mile mark and was shocked to realize I hadn't stopped running yet. When the realization came over me I immediately started running faster. My friend looked at me and said "you know you're going faster right?" All I could utter was "I know, this is the farthest I've EVER run!! I'm pumped." That sprint of energy soon left as we got slowed by two ambulances on the very small course. It took my friend to get me back on course.
Since there were so many people in the start shoot, my family couldn't see me start. I wanted to make sure they could see me finish (honestly, I wanted a picture)! I borrowed my friends cell phone and called them as we made one of the last turns. My mom couldn't hear me and was watching as they put someone into an ambulance. I gave up on trying to call and simply texted. Mind you, I wasn't going to stop running. I was bound and determined to run the entire 10K.
The finish line was in sight, but I couldn't find my family. Finally I see them just to the left. They didn't see me so I started yelling for them. And, got my picture!!!
After finishing we were handed our finishers award and went into the mass of people to get our free stuff and the chip removed. This area was extremely disorganized and we just wanted out. We met backup with the family for some more pictures.
My brother asked if I wanted a shot of tequilla. I answered no, but a beer sounds really good. Before heading to dinner to get that celebratory beer, I showered at the hotel and ice myself.
This was by far the most exciting, best race I've ever been a part of. It prepared me and boasted my confidence for the half marathon coming up on Sunday. I also learned a few things:
1. I'm getting a disposable camera for the half.
2. Gu is amazing!
3. Always order the race type shirts a size up.
4. Running in Chicago is awe inspiring!
5. I can run 6.2 miles without stopping.
Come back to read and see the results from the half!
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