#chi marathon

[mountain-n-air-books]

Chi Running

&

Chi Marathon

[shapinup]

Chicago Marathon 2015: Quick Update

Guys, I’m back from Chicago, am super sore, it hurts to walk, and I’m working on a big race recap for you. There is so much to tell you, so while I take some time to gather my thoughts, I’ll give you the quickie details.

I ran the Chicago Marathon, felt great and finished in 3:55:33! I had an awesome weekend and was so proud to hit my goal of finishing under 4 hours. 

Check back tomorrow morning for a full recap of the race and my weekend in Chicago!

[reachyourpeak]

Oh also..

Can’t wait for these next 2 weeks totally off from running! I’ll actually have time again to do stuff!

[runveasrun]

Chicago Marathon Recap!

Hey everyone!

Guess what I did yesterday?! I ran the Chicago Marathon! The day finally came. I was so nervous the second I woke up. Like, literally I woke up at 5am and just thought, "Oh shit." 

But nonetheless, I got up and got ready. I made my banana and oatmeal protein smoothie, and got dressed. My mom drove me to the train, and at 6am it was still freezing cold. I took the train downtown to Grant Park, where I checked my gear and headed to my Start Corral. 

I think I started running at approximately 8:20am. The journey was incredibly brutal. I started off pretty strong though, but I think I may have started a little TOO strong because I got tired way before I even got half way. At Mile 7, I found my boss on the sidelines waiting for me with a bottle of water. More down the way, I ran into some friends from Sig Ep and afterwards heard someone screaming my name... it was one of my sorority sisters that graduated a couple years ago, Angie. She was adorable! She walked with me for maybe half a block or so, and really got my energy back up. Around Mile 9 I was running through Lincoln Park and ran into my friend Aleigh from Alpha Phi. Yes, a lot of sororities and fraternities at my school volunteered at the marathon. 

I don't know what mile I was on when I ran through Old Town, but I saw Yuri Sandarov from the TV show Chicago Fire! He was just casually walking down the sidewalk, so I obviously stopped to say hi. Even tired and sweaty, I was still star struck. I can't believe I actually saw him! Like what, how does that even happen?! Apparently Charlie Barnett was at the Chicago Marathon doing an interview. Too bad I didn't get to see him there. 

Mile 20 was when I hit "the wall." As I turned the corner, I heard a HUGE group of girls yelling and I barely had the energy to look up to see who it was. Turns out it was a group of my sorority sisters cheering for me, so I ran over to them and they walked with me for a mile. Greatest sisters I could ever ask for! They fed me a Snickers bar, which actually really helped surprisingly. They kept my motivation up just as I was really about to quit. Only five more miles they kept telling me, but I just couldn't handle it. At that point, the streets were starting to open up again, and I knew I wouldn't make it back in time for an official time, but I did have a tiny window. When we hit Chinatown, I was off again and started running. It was again when I passed by either Whitney Young or Walter Payton High School that I got a little discouraged again. I think that was Mile 23 or something. 

At Mile 25, I was SO close but knew at the same time I had literally five minutes to cross the finish line, or else I wouldn't make the official time. I don't know how, but my sorority sisters were there again cheering one of our Alpha Sigma Alpha cheers with MY name in it. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard! I ran my heart out that last 1.2 miles to the finish line. The second I crossed it I got my foil blanket and my medal. I was happy to at least say I finished the marathon and didn't quit, even though there were many times I wanted to so badly to. 

The second I got to my family I started bawling. My "unofficial" time is 6 hours and 44 minutes. I missed the deadline by 14 minutes... I'm sad that I didn't get to finish in the allotted time, but at least I did finish. That's all I can keep reminding myself. There were A LOT of people behind me too. I'm proud to say I finished the Chicago Marathon. It was the hardest thing I've ever done to date, and I'm very proud of myself for the time and effort I put into it. As for round two? I haven't decided yet. It's very time consuming, and I did really miss having a social life. I will continue to be as healthy and active as ever. I will continue to be the best version of myself. I have the Chicago Marathon for shaping me into a stronger, more confident woman. A year ago, I never thought I'd be able to say I could cross a marathon off my bucket list, but now I have. And I am so very, very proud.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to:

Chau and Thanh, my amazing and loving parents 

Chinda, my supportive sister that rolled my legs after every long run

Brittany and Sydney, for being the BEST best friends a girl could ever rely on

Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority - Delta Eta Chapter, the best group of women that kept me motivated from day one

Danielle, for being my inspiration, giving me advice, and forever the best volleyball coach

The McNutt Family, because they were one of the first people to know about my ideas of running the marathon

All of my followers for asking about my training and giving me the motivation to do this

The rest of my family and friends for always sharing their kind words of encouragement to me. You guys are seriously the best support system a girl could have ever asked for!

[touchstonebooks-blog]

Danny Dreyer, author of CHI MARATHON, lends advice on the best steps to take after completing a full or half marathon.

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is it me or A. Morgs looks hotter with that braid.