Hey everyone! I hope you are all excited that it’s Friday and have a relaxing weekend ahead of you! Since the big race is in 2 days (!!!) I wanted to take some time to reflect on training for the Chicago Marathon. On Thursday morning I had a 2 mile run – my very last training run for the marathon.
The night before I thought it would be a super upbeat, I DID IT! Kind of run. I considered running on the treadmill to do some speed work, sprinting it out. I didn’t even know what route to do outside because I haven’t done a 2 mile run in ages!
But when I woke up that morning and started to get ready I could see that the sun was just barely rising. I knew exactly what I was going to do. I headed out in the chilly but perfect weather and jogged down to the lakefront and along the water. It was calm, peaceful and reflective.
That route is the first place I ran when I moved to Chicago. I remembered all the miles I logged along that one section of the lakefront path, all the sunrises I’d watched, the runners I’d passed, with the city glowing in the distance.
I spent that time thanking God for the past four months of training, for my excitement, for the way everything worked out perfectly, even when I took a week off and was so scared I wouldn’t be able to finish.
Thursday morning’s 2 miles was a reminder of why I love to run. It’s my release, it’s my calm time, my “me time.” It’s my way to connect to myself, to others, to nature and to God. I’ve been told time and time again that training for a marathon is crazy. For me, it’s been a way to get to know myself better, to love myself more, and to feel more connected to the world. It’s my chance to be a part of something bigger than myself.
Sunday morning I’ll be up before the sun, shaking with nerves and excitement, but I know that no matter what happens I am so proud of myself and so thankful for this experience.
If you want to track me during the marathon, my bib number is 31170 and you can sign up to track me HERE. My wave starts at 8am central time!
**If you are spectating/volunteering let me know where you’ll be! I’ll tweet out an image of what I’m wearing either Saturday night or Sunday morning**
Wish me luck! And a prayer wouldn’t hurt either!