Not every race day is perfect, and not every marathon ends with a personal record (PR). But for me, every day I get to race is a win. The Chicago Marathon this year was no exception—it didn’t go exactly as I envisioned, but it reminded me why I love running and why I keep showing up.
The marathon started with me pacing friends from summer training through the first half. Lots of chats, laughs and easy miles logged.
The Mental Curveballs
But miles 18-23, the range when I usually start to pickup the pace, proved more challenging.
This stretch, when I usually start to pick up the pace, became an unexpected challenge. My friends had dropped back, and suddenly, the race felt less like a joyful experience and more like hard work.
But when the fun disappeared, I fell back on one of my most reliable tools—a mantra that I wear on my wrist daily:
Run the mile you’re in.
It sounds simple, but in that moment, it was everything. Instead of worrying about the miles ahead, I focused solely on getting to the next mile marker.
The Power of Mental Grit
During those low 20s, I saw runners all around me slowing to a walk. I get it—sometimes walking is the right call. But for me, I knew that my body could keep going, and if I stopped, it would be my mind calling the shots, not my physical limits. That’s not how I operate.
Here’s why I didn’t stop:
1. Walking would have stretched out the less-than-fun stretch of the race.
2. I knew my head, not my body, was the one trying to negotiate a break.
As long as my body CAN do it, my mind will have to get on board because we ARE doing it. My health and this level of fitness in particular are not things I take for granted.
While I may not have been able to get faster when I wanted to, I could keep going. So I did.
By Mile 23 I had the gas to start picking off runners one at a time, progressively increasing my pace for a strong finish up the Roosevelt hill and across the line.
As long as I CAN do this, I WILL do this. And if I can do it with friends, even better!
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