Chicago Half Marathon

Back in 2010 Andrea talked McKinley and I into running a half marathon with her. This was going to be the 1st marathon for all of us and I am not quite sure all of us knew what we were getting into. It was pretty cool that the race was going to be taking place in a pretty cool city, Chicago. Everyone arrived a few days before the race and we got in a little sightseeing. The race packet pick-up was down on Navy Pier and it was there that we found out just how big this event really was going to be. We found out that there was about 20,000 people who were going to be embarking on this journey with us. We even went to Giordano's for our last meal the night before the race.

Picking up our race gear down at Navy Pier.  

We made a little trip down to see the big bean mirror. 

Jennifer and I with the big bean. 

All smiles before starting the race. I had actually pulled a muscle in my leg a few weeks prior and was unsure if I was going to actually run in the race. However, when race day came I felt alright and I decided to give it a go.

We all found a spot near the middle of the pack to begin the race. Andrea wanted us to all stay together and complete the race together, but as soon as the gun was fired McKinley darted ahead of us. I stayed with Andrea for a little while, but I decided to run ahead while my leg was feeling good in case I had to slow back down later on in the race.

Jennifer and my parents kept moving around to different stations in order to catch different shots of us. This was about a mile into the race and it was about the same time I realized that my iPhone was not going to be working properly for me. I had saved a lot of music to listen to during the race, but somehow during a update I did before leaving for Chicago I lost all of my music. So, I ended up listening to a few John Mayer songs that didn't happen to get deleted.

Around mile 4 I started to settle down and get into a groove.

On mile 13 right before the finish line. I had stopped once for about a hundred yards after mile 10, but otherwise everything went great. My leg felt fine throughout the whole race.

Still smiling after finishing our 1st half marathon. McKinley and I gave up running that far of distances, while Andrea has actually gone on to finish lots of half marathons and even the NYC Marathon.

We had a lot of fun at the game and we were actually at a game in which a controversial call was made that directly effected the final outcome of the game. The play was when Calvin Johnson caught what looked like the go ahead touchdown. Minutes later after video reviews that ruled that it was actually an incomplete pass and of course the crowd was excited because it wasn't long before the Bears were awarded the win.

The weekend proved to be quite an experience and I actually thought about running more half marathons on the drive back to Kentucky. I have run in many races since this, but never longer that a 5K. Maybe someday I will get back into running longer distances, but it will probably be after I no longer have to push both kids in a jogging stroller. Thanks for reading and God bless!