10.10.10

This past Sunday on 10.10.10 was the Chicago Marathon!! My BF and I went down to the Marathon to cheer on one of my good friends Jenny who was running her first marathon. I knew that going to the marathon would make us feel antsy since it's kind of funny to go to a marathon that is not yours knowing that just in a few weeks, it will be our turn to run! We are at the point in the training, where you just are tired of doing long runs on the weekend and you just want it to be over. However after our long run, I was grateful that we were just going to be spectacting and not running the 26.2 miles. At the end of the day we found that watching the Chicago marathon made us excited and eager to run the DC marathon..and have it finished and completed!

The Chicago marathon is always an amazing race to watch. It is always so inspiring to see so many runners running a marathon, especially when you know how much time and dedication marathon runners spend in preparing for this one race. You spend 3-4 months training for just one race day, in hopes that training can see you through 26.2 miles. The Chicago marathon is tough just because you can never predict the weather. Last year when I ran it was a chilly 50 degree start and I think it never even hit 70 degrees that day. I remember wanting to run just to stay warm! This weekend, I felt so bad for the marathon runners, we stepped out of the house around 8am and already I knew within a hour I would not need a long sleeve shirt. By 10:30am, we could already feel the heat of the sun starting to sear into our legs..and we were only standing and cheering. My heart went out to the poor marathoners who were already soaked with their own sweat at only 9 miles in.

Not only am I amazed and amused by the runners who are dressed in crazy costumes, I am even more baffled by the runners who decide that running 26.2 miles isn't challenging enough and they have to do something else like juggle while running! It is hard enough for me to focus on finishing 26.2, I couldn't imagine trying to do something else while running!

The best part about watching the Chicago marathon is you can feel all of the positive energy and optimism from the spectators, the appreciation and spirit from the runners, and you just can't help but feel hopeful and proud of everyone - the spectators for taking their time to cheer on not only their friends an families who are running but also strangers, and the runners for their spirit and dedication through their struggle for the finish line.


So congrats to all of the runners who ran Chicago on 10.10.10. It's no easy feat, and you deserve all the congratulations and all of the rest afterwards!!