I realize it's been 10 years since I've motivated myself enough to keep on running seriously and eventually finished marathons that I could no longer track of. This month has been a huge dip in my fitness due to fatherhood duties to keep my son happy since being his favorite person in the world is both "my joy and burden" according to his mommy. Also I seem to have some strange unidentified autoimmune disease that have the symptoms of hives but at the same time my muscles would also inflame too much. This will hurt my running.
Not all runners may understand why, but the Chicago Marathon is one of the best in the world. Berlin being the marathon record holder serveral times for a decade now, seems to get all the hype, but in our case it is relatively harder for our family to go there. On the other hand, Chicago Marathon does not seem to get all the prestige it deserves. It is the fastest course in the US. It is the 3rd fastest in the world next to Berlin and London, and for slower runners like me they should not be much of a difference except for the inconsistent weather in Chicago. It may not be as prestigious as Boston but it is the best one for PR's. Also, it is the same route as the movie "The Spirit of the Marathon(2007)".
The course record is 2:03:45 by Dennis Kimetto, his 2nd fastest marathon after Berlin Marathon
So today, or yesterday rather, when I was accepted in the Chicago Marathon, my motivation to run went sky high again. I may not be at my fittest self, but I seem to be at my most motivated (could be the excitement) state. How much motivation is that? I had no idea until this afternoon God tested how driven I was. While running an unplanned 5K, just because I was so inspired to start my 10month marathon training program, God gave me tremendous amount of pouring rain that it flooded gutter deep. I had to run on the sidewalk even with an inch thick of rain. I went home dripping wet like I jumped on the pool. Well i practically did by occasionally jumping on the flooded roads.
The race is very expensive at $220, more than 10 times the registration for the milo marathon. This time I can't afford to DNF like I did in the Milo Marathon Elims 2017. I believe the key is to train smarter and more consistent than ever before. Honestly and personally this is a real challenge. I am now 10 years older than when I started running and have more responsibilities. However, with father time behind me, this time I need to run the best and fastest Marathon of my life in the Chicago Marathon 2017.
