Training

My training for the Chicago Marathon was very similar to my Amsterdam training. In Amsterdam, I ran a 13-minute PR and finished with a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time of 3:16:40. Unfortunately, a year later, Boston reduced the qualifying time by 5 minutes and 30 seconds for all age groups due to an overwhelming number of qualifiers. That change officially knocked me out.

So, my previous BQ standard of 3:20 was lowered to 3:14:30. It was especially frustrating because it took nearly a year—from October 2022 to September 2023—for those of us who ran fall marathons to find out whether we had qualified.

Although Boston’s posted qualifying time for my age group (45–49) for the 2025 race remained 3:20, I felt I needed to run closer to a 3:10 to be safe. I assumed there would be even more qualifiers, and I wanted to account for that.

For my half marathon tune-up, I chose the RaceFaster Paramus Saddle River State Park Half Marathon. I was traveling to New Jersey that weekend anyway, and it was the closest race to where I was staying. Plus, it was a place I had never run before.
Strava activity

I ended up running a slower half marathon than I did before Amsterdam:
1:34:23 vs. 1:30:46
Amsterdam tune-up Strava

I attributed the slower time to a lack of rest and poor course conditions. It rained most of the race, and the park was covered in wet leaves that I had to gingerly step over or avoid. I definitely didn’t feel as rested going into it, either.

Still, comparing my non-race training runs, I was faster during many of my long runs this cycle—especially the progression runs.

Travel & Plane Ride

Traveling to Chicago was similar to Amsterdam, even though it was domestic. I arrived on the Friday before race day. After getting off the plane, I felt exhausted—my head hurt, and my throat was sore. It concerned me, but I tried not to let it stress me out. Feeling under the weather made me sluggish and a bit grumpy as we took the train to the hotel.

Expo

Originally, I planned to go straight to the expo with all my luggage. But after discussing it with my wife—and seeing that the expo advised against bringing bags—I changed course, and we dropped our stuff at the hotel first. It worked out perfectly since the hotel was on the way.

Getting to the expo still felt exhausting. We had to take a local train, then transfer to a regional one, followed by a bit of walking.

At the expo, I pretty much just picked up my bib and shirt. I already had all the gear I needed and had bought Maurten gels online using a club discount.

Hotel and Dinner

Back at the hotel, I took a quick nap. Later, I picked up some bananas, kiwis, croissants, yogurt, and water from a nearby supermarket—just a block away.

For dinner, I was trying to find a place that served pho, since I had good luck eating it before the Amsterdam Marathon. The closest option was Friends Ramen, just a five-minute walk away. It was trendy, with about an hour wait—but totally worth it.

Day Before the Race: Meals

In the morning, I had some of the yogurt and fruit I bought the night before.

Later, I went to Tempo Cafe, around the corner from the hotel, for a brunch of pancakes and eggs—similar to what I had before Amsterdam. I was amused to see another Chicago Marathon runner getting the same carb-loading meal as me—lol.

I can’t remember exactly what else I ate throughout the day—just a lot of random carb-based snacks. I think I made myself a chicken sandwich with ingredients from the supermarket… possibly Whole Foods.