almost 8 months after deciding to sign up for the chicago marathon, the big day is nearly here!

it’s hard to believe it’s been 9 years since i last ran the streets of chicago and almost harder to believe i’ve lost nearly 70 pounds over the past year to get back into marathon shape ( note to self – don’t let that happen again! ).

of course, as the milk and cream product manager, i’m a big fan of organic valley chocolate milk for recovery and organic valley in general, so i had a nice shirt made up for the race 🙂

when training for marathons the last time around, a veteran runner told me to put my name on my shirt so people could give a personalized shout-out all along the route. it really gives an amazing energy boost, especially in the last few miles.

i already wrote a bit about what time i thought i can run in the “20 miles! and the brutal math of Being A Clydesdale”. i still think i can theoretically run a 4 hour pace, although 4:15-4:30 is probably more realistic this time around. but to be honest, i’m just going to have fun, enjoy the crowds along the route and take some extra time to stop a few times along the way to chat with kris and odin who will be there to watch me run, so who knows what my actual start to finish time will be.

for my first marathon in 9 years, my real goal has already been accomplished – to get back into shape and be able to make to the start line without injuring myself. now i just want to enjoy the day.