Hard Work and Dedication

Chicago Rock & Roll Half Marathon

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Location:

Chicago,IL,USA

Member Since:

Jun 09, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

Chicago Marathon - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (9 in total)

Boston Marathon - 2010, 2015. 2016

Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon - 2012

Marathon PR: 2016 Chicago Marathon - 2:57:20

Short-Term Running Goals:

Continue running Boston and Chicago every year, adding in others here and there

Complete in a Ironman 70.3 in 2017, and if all goes well an Ironman in 2018

Long-Term Running Goals:

- Run at least two marathons every year

- Run the 6 Majors (~~Chicago~~, New York, ~~Boston~~, Berlin, London, Tokyo)

- Inspire and encourage family/friends and run marathon(s) with them

Personal:

I am a 34 year old male from Chicago, Illinois. I graduated from the University of Colorado in May 2006 and started running in the spring of 2007. Since then I have gone from a max of about 220 pounds to my current weight of roughly 175 lbs, and more importantly have developed a true joy and passion for running.

Favorite Blogs:

Andy O

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Miles:	This week:	20.30	Month:	157.90	Year:	675.05
Saucony Black Ice Lifetime Miles:						282.95
Saucony Triumph NEON Lifetime Miles:						465.95
Saucony Dark Blue Lifetime Miles:						415.85
Saucony Irish Green Lifetime Miles:						76.10

Sun, Aug 02, 2009

Race: Chicago Rock & Roll Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:23:43, Place overall: 85, Place in age division: 21

Slow miles	Fast miles	Total Distance
0.00	13.10	13.10

I felt good about this performance, faster that I thought I was. Ran in sub 1:24, placing 85th out of 14,438 total finishers. Top 100 baby!

Ideal running conditions today in the beautiful city of Chicago. I was originally hoping to crack the 1:30 mark, set out early with the 1:25 pace group and aimed to stay with them. After 7-8 miles decided I could do so, and then started pulling ahead. Ran at 6:26 pace for the first 10 miles and finished at 6:24 pace, as I picked it up a bit for the final 3 miles or so. Felt strong, other than some minor muscle soreness. Good confidence booster in training for Chicago Marathon October 11th. Don't want to get cocky but this race has given me a new-found motivation and confidence that I am actually capable of a Boston Qualifying time, maybe even of breaking the 3 hour mark. I've really got to make a sincere effort to quit smoking for good though!! Another 1/2 marathon here in a month or so.....to be continued.

Thanks Mom and Dad for coming out to support me!!!

Night Sleep Time: 4.50	Nap Time: 0.00	Total Sleep Time: 4.50	Weight: 0.00	Calories: 0.00

Comments

From Jon on Sun, Aug 02, 2009 at 18:03:13 from 75.169.136.216

That's a great time! Definitely gives you confidence for BQ!

From Barry on Sun, Aug 02, 2009 at 20:14:59 from 67.61.238.49

Great job on your race! Was that a PR for you?

From Burt on Sun, Aug 02, 2009 at 21:34:10 from 98.167.151.26

Looks like you should have no problem qualifying.

From jtshad on Mon, Aug 03, 2009 at 08:04:04 from 69.20.183.178

Great job!

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Aug 03, 2009 at 13:28:57 from 192.168.1.1

Andrew:

You have confirmed my suspicions with this race. You are a very very talented runner. Even after all the damage from smoking you may still have a sub-2:30 marathon in you. Who knows, maybe faster, maybe even Olympic Trials Qualifier (2:19), maybe even a top 20 finish at the Trials.

With this potential it is not surprising that Satan, the enemy of God, would want you to smoke. He hates the light and loves the darkness, he hates everything that shines, and he would be greatly offended if your light shone in its fullness. So he does what he can to stop you. The good news is that he has no power except what you give him by your choices, so all it takes to thwart him is one firm decision to be good.

I expect that if you do everything right you will see something in the 2:40 range in a year.

The key is to remain consistent in training, and particularly in recovery. Recovery consists of proper diet (including abstinence from harmful substances) and rest.

I am curious about your top end speed. What can you run 100 meters in?

From Andrew_Boston_2010 on Mon, Aug 03, 2009 at 15:42:36 from 66.54.158.66

Thank you everyone for the generous support, I sincerely do appreciate it! It really helps to receive positive feedback/reinforcement from your fellow runners. One of the things I really love about this blog and the running community is the support everyone shows one another, it really makes a difference, so thank you!

Barry - This was the first 1/2 marathon I've participated in, so I suppose one would consider it a PR. I'll have the opportunity to improve on this time 9/13 with another 1/2 marathon in Chicago.

Sasha - Thank you for your advice and words of encouragement, you've helped to inspire me and find out what I am actually capable of. I'm not sure what I can run a 100 meters in, I haven't checked any time at all recently. I'll get back to you. Thanks again.

From ChromeDome on Thu, Aug 06, 2009 at 09:20:57 from 67.164.165.221

Wow, you are so much faster than me and you still SMOKE! I hate you. Just kidding! But really, good luck quitting the habit.

Congratulations on the great race time.

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