This morning, I read a tidbit on Runners World talking about current Olympic and London Marathon champion, Samuel Wanjiru talking about prospects of a fall marathon:
"I'm not sure as I don't know what condition my body is in right now. I have to start training again, which I will next month. If I feel good, then I'll come to New York."
This is a quote from Mary Wittenberg, the New York City Marathon's race director, commenting on this year's race:
"I expect it to be the strongest race we've ever had and I expect it to be our best ever mix of top American and world stars on the men's side. I really hope to see Ryan Hall and many of the top American men...We hope to have as many former champions as possible that are still running, but it is early and no deals have been signed."
I'm kind of disappointed that the Chicago Marathon has recently been slacking in terms of attracting the elite runners. Chicago is one of the five World Marathon Major races (Boston, London, Berlin, and NYC being the others) and annually attracts 45,000 people to sign up, consequently making itself one of the most popular races in the world. In the past, Chicago has been raced by legends such as Khalid Khannouchi and Paula Radcliffe, who respectively set world records on the course which is known as being one of the flattest and fastest marathon venues anywhere. As a New York City Marathon alum, I can attest that NYC is one of the most amazing races you could ever run - running through the five boroughs of New York, the unbelievable crowd support, the culture of the city, the glitz and glamour - it's all there, and more. It isn't just a race - it's an experience, which ranks up there with all the Super Bowls and Mardi Gras of the world. Not to mention, the star appeal of the top elite runners and celebrities that run pretty much tops the cake. Any running enthusist NEEDS to run this race at least once in their life - you will understand why.
The Chicago Marathon isn't exactly your podunk local 5K either - you race through the 29 different major neighborhoods of Chicago, seeing all of the extremely diverse culture of one of the largest cities of the world while being cheered on by millions and millions of people. Racing through the downtown loop for the first three miles in between some of the tallest buildings in the world is a sight unexplainable by words - one of my most favorite racing memories, which is why I keep coming back.
The 2009 Boston Marathon had Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher; London had Samuel Wanjiru, Martin Lel, Ritz and Meb; Berlin will have Haile Gebrselassie and Wanjiru in perhaps on the most anticipated marathon duels ever. I know that NYC has a lot more money to throw around to the elite athletes, but I am hoping that Chicago's race director Carey Pinkowski can right the ship and attact the stars back to Chicago for a fall marathon, bringing them back some of their lost allure.
Last night, after work and a long deserved nap, I went out for what I thought was going to be an easy 4-5 mile run. The weather was decent - about 74, but a little muggy. Every run I've had the last two weeks has been extremely sluggish, so I thought I would try to mix things up a little in light on my scheduled tempo run tomorrow. My plan was to be aggressive on the first mile, then slow down about 30 seconds and sustain pace the rest of the run. The route I picked was an out and back - first mile is pretty hilly, but second mile is pretty flat (on a running/biking trail). So I strapped on my Garmin, and took off - first mile felt ok but was definitely working which is never a good sign that early. I felt like I was hitting about 6:50 effort, and was completely shocked to see 7:17 as my first split. In complete digust, I reamed myself a new hole for lack of energy and lack of focus, and tried to get myself back into gear. 2nd mile split was 6:56, much better and definitely not as much effort. Coming back, hit 6:39 (oops, got a little carried away!), and 7:07. Legs were feeling pretty shot at this point, and was feeling groggy and dehydrated from having just woke up and not eaten anything since lunch, so stopped at home to grab some powerade and trail mix.
Decided since I had basically already ran a tempo, I might as well finish it out so took a five minute break and went back for another 3 mile loop. First half is pretty much downhill, coming back is all uphill - splits were 7:03, 6:50, 6:29. Overall, I was pleased with the effort, but my splits were all over the map which is not a good sign. My conditioning shouldn't be this bad at this point, so I'm wondering if being sick last week really took its toll?! Legs are a little rubbery today, but feel good all things considering. Tonight, EASY 4-5, and I mean EASY :)
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