What Running the Chicago Marathon Gave Me

Oct 19

I've had the goal of running the Chicago Marathon for over ten years. It was something that sat on my bucket list since my early 20s, and something I kept saying I'd get to "one day." "One day" finally came this October. Running the Chicago Marathon was one of the most fun, joyful, and just plain awesome days of my life.

I'd never been much of a runner, and it wasn't until two years ago that I started taking running seriously. When I started running, my overall quality of life improved. I don't get tired, my usual anxiety is almost non-existent, and I'm just plain happier. When I set out to take on the marathon, I didn't realize just how much it would impact every corner of my life. My life is awesome, and I believe a lot of it is because of running.

One of the biggest lessons I've learn is the art of disassociating to push through something I don't want to do. The actual act of running is rarely fun, and I've learned to just shut off my brain and "vibe" for as long as my run may be lasting. The occasional runner's highs are a nice way to break up the dissociating - ha. Additionally, things just don't seem as hard anymore. Whether it's a work project I've been dreading or a personal issue I was avoiding, things don't seem as scary once you've forced yourself to run for hours at a time. Now, I can't imagine my life without running. It was addicting, and I loved every moment of the absolute torture that is the last 6.2 miles of a marathon. Maybe I'm running from my inner turmoil, but anxiety can't catch a moving target!

What made the Chicago Marathon so special was the crowd. I cried multiple times during the marathon because I was so moved by my city. I'm a firm believer that Chicago is the greatest city in the world, and running the marathon through all the distinct neighborhoods was like writing a love letter to my 20s.

When I got to Pilsen, I was in the last few miles of the race. I was exhausted. Perhaps that’s why I cried the most then. I felt how deeply I'm going to miss this city when I leave it in just a few months. I'm someone who never thought they'd leave the Windy City. Not because I don't love exploring, but because it's an ecosystem within itself that's so deeply etched in my heart and so vast you could spend an entire lifetime exploring it.

My life is going to look really, really different from what it did in Chicago. And that's okay. It's exciting, actually. I'd rather not know where I'm going to be the next 10 years than know I'm going to live in the same house in the suburbs for the next 30.

But what I do know is that Chicago made me who I am. No matter where I end up, being a Chicagoan is one of the core pillars of who I am. I'll have a hard time falling asleep without the sound of sirens. I'll actually find myself nostalgic thinking about all the times the CTA bus ghosted me. I'll miss summertime Chi when there was no better place to be than on a rooftop overlooking Lake Shore Drive.