Bottomline

I finished my first full marathon in 4:49! Made my full marathon debut at a World Marathon Major, and also managed a negative split.

Logistics

I signed up for Chicago Marathon (CM) lottery as my friend and her husband were participating in it. This was going to be my first FM and yet I was relaxed about it as my experienced runner friends were going to be with me.

My US visa had expired, and I was worried about renewal of it due to delays. Fortunately, the visa renewal process was smooth. With visa in hand and flight tickets and accommodation booked, I was all set to do CM. Now the only remaining part was my training .

Training

I was to start my CM training from 4th July. Unfortunately, I had severe food poisoning on 2nd July and I lost the entire first week of training. It was a bad start. I thought it was a bad omen.

I slowly got back into training from 10th July onwards. Things had started falling in place and I following my training schedule and diet. I had started feeling confident after the bad start. And suddenly in the first week of August, my friend (who is doctor) and her husband announced that
they were dropping out due to an injury. It came as a big shock as they were going to be a big support in Chicago.

Despite travelling to US earlier, I was very confused and scared about going alone for a marathon. Lot of questions started popping up? Will I be able to do my first FM alone? What will I do if I get injured during the run?

I was getting mentally ready to postpone my entry to CM to 2023. I discussed it with my husband who had also thinking on the same lines. But after some deliberations, he thought that there was no point in backing out after having gotten into a disciplined and rigorous training regime. He also had another valid point that I was much slower than my friend and I would have run the CM alone at my own pace. My coach Atul Godbole encouraged me to CM as it was a good opportunity. And he was also confident that CM had good medical help in case I collapsed.

I had my first 32k coming up on 14th August. So, after a week of roller coaster of emotions and lot of self-doubt, I decided to at least continue with the training for the time being and then decide later about my participation. My first 32k was a good run as I completed it without any issues. I derived lot of confidence from it and started focusing on strength training and flexibility workouts at home. I was getting ready for my next 32k. Everything looked good.

But, come first September and I woke on 1st with backpain. I figured out that excessive Russian disc workout was the culprit. I had no option to rest it out. Unfortunately, the pain did not reduce. There was a possibility of muscle tear, which needed a rest of at least 8-10 days. A doctor suggested taking
rest 3-4 weeks i.e., giving up my participation in CM. I kept doing back exercises and pain subsided. Unfortunately, I had lost almost first 10 days of Sept. CM was just one month away, and I had still done only one 32k run. I had missed doing my 2nd 32k run and had deviated from my training plan meaningfully. I had started thinking again about postponing it 2023.

However, the next 32k was just two weeks away and I decided to persist with my training till then and take a decision post that run. My 2nd 32k on 25th Sept was not as good as the first one. I was scared that if I get backpain again post the run, I will have no option but to drop out. Fortunately, I did not get any backpain again. So, finally I decided to participate in CM when barely two weeks were left for the CM.

Race Week

I reached Chicago on 5th Oct 2022, one day earlier than what I was planning initially. That was a good decision as it gave me an extra day to acclimatise and get over the jetlag. Staying with a friend and her family on the first day really helped me calm my nerves. I didn’t do much during the next 3 days except for one 5k run and visit to expo for bib collection.

Saturday was a difficult day for me as I started worrying about the run. I started getting worried about the back injury re-surfacing. My husband tried to calm me down with several conversations during the day. But I still went to bed worried about the race day.

Race Day

I woke early with a feeling that my back was hurting. After a call with my husband, I decided to ignore it and just focus on getting ready. After the pre-race preparations, I left for the race venue around 6.30am. It was freezing outside with temperature close to 5 degrees. Thanks to a tip from my runner
friend Kavita, I was well prepared wearing a fleece, hand gloves, sleeves and a neck warmer, which kept me warm.

My run started at 8:09am. My feet were so cold that I was unable to feel any sensation in my feet for first 2-3 kms. Also, it was so cold that I could not remove my fleece. I was very cautious in the beginning and kept reminding me not to go faster initially and took 71 minutes for first 10k. The next 10k was slightly faster at 67 minutes. The first 21k were done in 2:28, almost 5-6 minutes slower than what I had planned.

I was running with fleece till almost 21k. But then it became a bit windy and very sunny. With first half done, my next target was reaching 32k mark without getting very tired. I maintained a steady pace throughout till 40 km mark. I finally completed the last two kilometres a little faster and finished the race strong with lot of energy still left to enjoy the post run atmosphere.

I suddenly burst into tears after completing the run as all the ups and downs came in front my eyes in a flash. A volunteer spotted me crying and she thought that I needed medical aid.

I thoroughly enjoyed the run, the atmosphere, the crisp air, the weather (except for the sun), the crowd support and the overall vibe. I felt as if I was running in a party that was going on for 26 miles!!!

Gratitude

I am grateful to god for being giving me resources and health to participate in CM. A big thank you to my daughters and my husband who supported me!!! Also, thanks to my family and friends who supported me and cheered for me!!! And big thank you to Atul Godbole (my coach) who kept pushing me to do well. And last not but the least, all my running buddies who encouraged me, supported me and gave invaluable advice!!!