It sounds so dramatic doesn’t it?!
Just like 2 years ago, I really wanted to go into the city and run my last long run on the Chicago Marathon course.
One week before, the city is already preparing for the big race. And so are many of its inhabitants evidenced by all of the runners out and about today. With on and off again storms, I was a little worried about the weather, but it held out. I drove down to my brother’s condo, picking up one of his friends along the way. She is doing her first marathon this year. We took the bus down to mile 18 in Little Italy. Then started running while my brother biked along with us, carrying water and snacks. We started off speedy and then slowed to a consistent pace. The weather was hot, thick, and humid which made running tough.
We were pretty red and sweaty when we finished just over the Roosevelt bridge running 8.2 miles at an average 8:27 minute pace.
We hopped the red line from the loop back up to Lakeview with a snack and some water. I had lunch plans with a friend in the area, so I showered and hit Southport for some shopping while I waited. I bought an adorable red dress (damn Anthropologie…how I love your stuff) and checked out some cute new winter gear.
The storms found me on my way back home to the suburbs, where I curled up with the kitten for some rest. I’ve got one last week of taper ahead of me before the big day. I’ve only got 3 more short runs and am hoping to use the rest of my ‘free’ non-running time to catch up on sleep. I think I’m as ready as I’m going to be! But I’ll use this last week for some extra mental prep.
Weekly Mileage
17 Miles
Countdown to Marathon Day
1 week
Luv What You Do 
Good Luck! My husband is doing back to back marathons next weekend in CT and RI and then the Des Plaines River marathon the following Saturday!
Wow! That is incredible! What a beautiful time of year to be running through the east coast! What does he do to recover after that? Hopefully some down time with your family!
Good luck with your last week before your Marathon!
Thanks girl! Lots of resting and carbs for me : )
It is so cool that you live so close to downtown Chicago that you can spend so much time there easily! I have to drive over an hour to get to Indianapolis and I love big towns!!! Enjoy your final week of training!
It is really cool! When traffic is bad, there is always the train. The BOY works and goes to school down there which makes me so jealous. Fingers crossed we can be living even closer when he graduates!
Eeeek crunch time! Nice pace for your last long run!! And how nice of your brother to sherpa all your fuel… don’t you wish you could convince him to ride with you next weekend? 🙂
Yes! He was riding through areas of the city that he’s never been and I said…you can come back here when you run the marathon. He laughed at me : )
[…] on your sites) and although I still have some questions (which if I bump into you I will ask you…just ask Tracey who went running with me yesterday!), I was able to pull together this week’s meal plan based on some of my new recipe finds. […]
OMG!! So jealous of your run today!!! I bet that is good mental prep to do those last miles and be able to know what is coming!! 🙂
I am so excited for next week I can’t even stand it. I was out spectating/cheering at the Portland Marathon today and I was super jealous cause their weather was PERFECT!!!
Like you I want to catch up on sleep and work on my mental prep this week!!
Chicago here we come!!!
Leslie, the good news is that today the weather is cooler and perfect for running so fingers crossed that it stays this way all week. It is great mental pracitce. I can tell you that there are some areas between miles 20-26 that are not as populated and can seem long. Even that last stretch up Michigan Ave before the ‘hill/bridge’ is rough, so it’s good to feel like we have a handle on things. Have a great week and I really hope to bump into you in Grant Park!
Enjoy the taper and have a great week! So excited for you!
Thanks Erin! I’m getting there too!
[…] My running buddy from last weekend (and close friend of my bro’s) came by to celebrate with us. She finished her first marathon which was super impressive! Everyone laughed at the tales of our journey from start to finish. […]