After having 2 disappointing attempts at a sub 3hr marathon in Chicago. I decided to take a year off from the marathon to focus on cycling and enjoy running for just the pure fun of it.

The 2007 Chicago marathon was 90 degrees and impossible to have a PR that day. People were passing out right and left, one guy died and hundreds went to the hospital.  Some really good runners were 15-20min of their normal finishing times. I finished 420th out of 25,500 with a time of 3:11 I even started catching some top 100 guys.  all in all a good race but I still wanted a sub 3.

2008 looked promising I was doing more speed work and more miles than ever before and it was showing. I ran a 10K after a 50mile week in 37:06, and in September I ran a ½ marathon in 84min in the poring rain. I was feeling confident and with the strong ½ time I was right on target for a solid sub 3hr marathon. As race day rolled around I was fighting a little cold and the forecast did not look good. Another hot fall day in the 80s. I was ok until mile 19 and hit a wall like I have never felt before. You always hit a wall in a marathon its how you manage to break though it. This one was more like getting hit by a semi truck. I started to cramp up, my legs felt like some one was sticking steel rods in them. I tried to shake it out and keep running but my body was shutting down. Every few miles I would have to stop and my legs, back, stomach would cramp up. I never felt like quitting a race like this. I was really close to just pulling out. I ended up slowing finishing in a disappointing 3:15. 

I needed a break from the marathon it a race that takes so much out of you mentally and physically. But I am egger to race again and break a sub 3. I’m looking into racing a spring marathon in 2010.

Why sub 3? It’s a bench mark in running that puts you into the next level. A sub 3 would be in the top 1% of runners in the major marathons. Yes that’s faster than Oprah and P Diddy jogged their marathons…