One year ago, on October 9, I ran the Chicago Marathon. It was the run of my life. While I can’t say I’d do another full marathon, it sure was a great experience. The best part was getting to run it with friends and family.
I still remember how emotional the race was for me. A coworker had told me that when she did the Ironman, she got through the race by dedicating parts of it to people close to her heart.
For the Chicago Marathon, I did the same:
I ran the first 10 for myself, but dedicated the rest to my family:
Miles 10-15 for my brother, who was serving in Afghanistan and couldn’t be there to run the race with us.
16-20 was for my dad, who had suffered a heart attack just the month before.
And 21-26.2 was for my Mum, who had a stroke the month before and was struggling to walk. It helped me think of how she would love to be in my shoes, to have the freedom to run, even if it was exhausting. Thinking back on this aspect of the race still gets me a little choked up.
Want to read about the whole experience? Check out my post here.
And if you’ve got marathon/race stories to share, I’d love to hear them!
