Chicago

I have finished packing for Chicago. After I pick up my son from school we are hitting the highway for a quick ride to the other side of lake Michigan for my first Chicago marathon and the final event of my 2012 running season. It has been a wonderful year filled with many early mornings, hours of countless miles, track workouts, blisteringly hot temperatures, humidity, snow, ice, a close call with a head injury, and a strong desire to transform myself into a marathoner. Marathon training will change you. Being a runner changes who you are, being a marathoner changes what you are. After a year of almost 3000 miles on the roads in preparation for one 26.2 mile race, I am more than I was last October. I have shed a skin or two, and am a beast warrior who has no fear of the final battle of 2012. I know I sound cheesy making it sound like there has been a war going on for the last 52 weeks or so, but I have battled many demons on the road to Chicago, and I am proud to say I have won. On Sunday I will take the first step towards my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon as a masters runner. I knew going into this year that qualifying for Boston would be a long term goal hashed out over a couple of well thought out and executed training cycles. I turn 40 1 year and 7 days from the 2012 Chicago Marathon. This 7 day extra window enables me to squeeze in one more Chicago marathon in 2013 as a 39 year old and hit my goal in 2014. I feel that by the fall of my 40th year I will have given myself enough time to get myself into the best shape of my life and truly be competitive again. I love to take the long, slow and difficult path in life. Sunday, I will lay down my first time trial and re adjust my goals from there. Victory is sweet when you are stronger than your demons think you are. As for a prediction. I am if all things go as planned and my body holds itself together for one more run planning on a 3:18 finish time. This would put me in the top 2000 or so and make me very happy. To be honest anything under 3:20 will make me happy. Endurance is something that is built up over time. Time is something I have to give. One of the reasons I love this sport so much is that you get out of it what you put into it. I am ready to give it my all.