Chicago Marathon Weekend

I’ve been home from Chicago for two days but have been too busy to post an entry until tonight. Truth be told, I’ve also been struggling with how best to communicate what it was like to run the Chicago Marathon with Team in Training. Let me start by describing all the fabulous things about the experience.

Chicago
A gorgeous city full of great architecture, beautiful public art and straight-talking friendly people. I didn’t do as much sightseeing as I hoped but I saw enough to know I want to visit again soon.

My fellow TNT marathoners
A warm, committed, fun and compassionate group of people who made the weekend truly special. From our “getting to know one another” dinner on Friday evening, where the members of our virtual team met the members of the Montreal team for the first time, to our post-race celebration, they were terrific companions.

TNT staff, coaches and mentors
My fellow runners and I were very lucky to have them with us. Encouraging, knowledgeable, positive and incredibly hard-working, they made everything about the weekend easier. Special thanks to Theresa whose commitment to TNT, warmth, generosity and concern for “her” runners were all simply amazing.

My roommate, Sonia
Though hoping to qualify for Boston, she still found time to be a compassionate, caring and entertaining roommate from the moment we met in the hotel lobby until I caught the express bus to the airport. I am more grateful than I can say for all her support and really hope we'll stay in touch.

Lunch with old and new friends
On Saturday, I met my former college roommate, Midori, her partner, Pascal and some new friends, Becky and John, for a wonderful brunch at a tapa restaurant in Lincoln Park. The food was fabulous and the company even better.

Inspiration Dinner
The night before the race, 426 TNTers from Canada and the US gathered for a meal and to be inspired by special guest speakers, including John “The Penguin” Bingham, a personal hero of mine. The evening began with TNT coaches and staff cheering and applauding for each team as they arrived. Pictures of the people for whom we were running were projected on to massive screens at the front of the room.

After a buffet dinner of pasta, pasta and more pasta, John gave a hilarious and encouraging keynote address, then introduced the second speaker, the mother of a young girl who had just completed leukemia treatment. Needless to say, we all found her story incredibly moving and motivating.

Being honoured as “Top Fundraisers”
The 426 TNT participants in the marathon raised nearly $1.5 million dollars, and at the dinner, 10 of us were honoured as “top fundraisers”. Of the ten, 3 were members of the Canadian virtual team, including Joanna who was #1, having raised more than $15,000. I was pleased to have my efforts recognized, but of course the credit should have gone to my sponsors – who together donated nearly $8,000 in Canada and the US.

Shirt decorating
After dinner, our team met to put the final touches on our race day shirts. I can’t describe how emotional it was to watch my teammates as they attached photos of their honourees and added names and personal messages. Their eyes and faces said so much.

Fabulous spectators
There were many memorable moments during the race itself but one of my favourites was when I saw a sign that read “Dear Stranger, I’m so proud of you!” It was held by a young man who, when he saw me reading it, made eye contact and smiled encouragingly. I wish I could tell him just how much I appreciated that message, coming as it did at a moment when I was struggling.

My inspiration band
If you’ve been following this blog, then you know I made an “inspiration band” to wear on race day. It included the names of the people I most wanted to remember and celebrate during the 26.2 miles of the race. Those names got me through some very tough miles. Thinking about Andrea and Mary (who are currently in the midst of cancer treatments), Blake, Kirsi and Gill (all cancer survivors), the many people lost to the disease (Jon, Maeve, Michael, and Jack, amongst others) and all the people who loved them helped put my own discomfort into perspective.

My sponsors
What can I say? They were so generous with their financial and moral support. The many messages and emails I received in the days and weeks leading up to the race made the training and fundraising an awful lot easier than it would otherwise have been.

Finally, the race
It was harder than I expected. I had trained well, people told me that the energy of the crowds would carry me along, and I was looking forward to running through the city's various neighbourhoods. I suppose I expected this marathon to feel easier than the others I’d run.

Unfortunately, that’s not how it turned out. Cold weather, huge crowds, rough roads and intense pain in my right knee challenged me in ways I didn’t expect. Between miles 16 and 18, I wasn’t even sure I could finish because my knee was locking up and it felt as if my leg might collapse under me. However, sometime after mile 18, it loosened up to the point that I could run more or less normally, so I continued on, finishing the race in just over 4:47. It was a personal best but no where near my goal time of 4:30.

At the end of the race, exhausted and cold, I was deeply disappointed but, with a few days of perspective, I am feeling better about it. I gave it everything I had, and in fact ran the last mile faster than any other, so I can’t ask for more. In any case, the real point of all of this was to honour Jon and Kirsi and raise a significant sum for cancer research - goals I was able to attain with the tremendous support of family, friends, colleagues and sponsors.

Would I do this again?
Yes. It may be a couple of years before I’ll be ready to take on another marathon but I’ll certainly consider volunteering with TNT next season as a mentor and event organizer, and would recommend the experience to anyone. TNT is a terrific organization, with amazing and inspiring staff and volunteers. And running a marathon is a life-affirming, life-changing challenge that anyone who is able to should consider taking on.

My sincere thanks to everyone who supported me on this journey – most especially my husband, Luke, who went above and beyond to ensure I had everything I needed to train and fundraise over the past 5 months. I couldn’t have done it without him.

For a slideshow of all my photos from the weekend, you can click here.