When I first signed up for the 2015 Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, I was beyond excited. In 2014, I had an opportunity to witness the
race in person for the first time. For years growing up, I’d always roll out of
bed, groggy-eyed on a Sunday morning on the second weekend of October and see
my dad watching the Chicago Marathon. This was well before I started running,
which was less than three years ago.
Something about the event captivated me even before I ran or
really knew the magnitude of what it was. Watching some of the best distance
runners and 40,000 other people run 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago
with 1.7 million spectators cheering them on seemed so cool. Seeing these
runners cruise by major landmarks as well as the neighborhoods such as
Chinatown was a sight to behold.
In 2014, I stayed at my friend Keith’s place in the South
Loop the Saturday night before the marathon. I woke up early on marathon
morning to head out to the race and watch it. At the time, I had one marathon
under my belt and was planning on doing at least one in 2015.
Keith and I made our way to the corner of State and LaSalle,
and it was already packed by the time we got there. Before we knew it, the top elite runners came
by and were gone before we knew it. After that, the semi-elite runners came
through, followed by a herd of 40,000 runners came stampeding by. I had never
seen anything like this in person.
Watching 40,000 runners, all on a mission to cover the 26.2
miles, storm through the streets of Chicago was an amazing experience. Factor
in being cheered on by 1.7 million spectators, and I knew this was something I
wanted to do again. Keith and I moved to the 13-mile mark to catch the elites
and a good chunk of the runners come through again and head west. Runners still
looked good at this point, but their journey was only about half done.
Finally, we went over to right around the 26-mile mark. Seeing
runners nearing the finish line of an exhausting journey was pretty cool,
too. From that point on, I knew I had to
do the 2015 Chicago Marathon.
Fast forward to this year, 2015. I submitted my application
back in late winter and was accepted into the Chicago Marathon. I was excited
to get all registered and get ready for it in the summer months, but I was also
in the middle of training for my second marathon, the Wisconsin Marathon, in
early May.
Around the same time, I was offered a position to be the
Social Media Manager for Chicago Athlete Magazine. It has been such a blessing
to work for the magazine these last several months. I love doing social media
for the magazine and being out at races on weekends to take pictures. I
particularly enjoy the thrill of covering a triathlon and just seeing people go
after their goals. It’s really inspiring.
I ran the Wisconsin Marathon, and I struggled through it to
say the least. Once I got around mile 16 or so, I knew my body wasn’t exactly
cooperating. By mile 18, I had a cramp in my hamstring that forced me to stop
and stretch it. I knew then that my dreams of hitting my goal were over as the
cramps spread to the rest of my body.
I was blessed to have two Dick Pond Fast Track teammates by
my side that day. First, Joe Vukits got my started off on the right foot for
the first 10K. We went out nice and easy, then he unleashed me and let me run.
The support and encouragement Joe provided leading up to the marathon was huge,
too.
Mark Przybyla is an incredible teammate, and he was standing
out on a desolate gravel road around mile 15.5, waiting for me to come so he
could run me in the rest of the way. While the cramps from an unusually warm
day did me in, Mark was there to support me through it all. We had great
conversation throughout, and in the last mile, him and Paul Harris ran me in. Also,
Fast Trackers greeted me at the finish line with a medal.
I also have to mention my three friends from Harvest, Sarah,
Liz, and Kristi, who came up there to cheer me on. I saw them for the first
time at Mile 9, and they drove around in their car for the entire second half
of the race even though I was in a lot of discomfort and struggling. Their
support was incredible.
I cannot tell you enough how much it meant to have my Fast
Track teammates as well as my family and friends there with me. None of them
had to get up at insanely early time to come run with me or support me, but
they did.
Then began my journey to the Chicago Marathon. It started
off with a little bit of rest (not as much as I truly needed) followed by
running an 8K 13 days after my marathon and the Soldier Field 10 Mile three
weeks after Wisconsin. I probably shouldn’t have ran these races, but running
the 8K in my neighborhood and a race that finished on the 50-yard line of
Soldier Field were both pretty neat experiences.
In the early parts of the summer, I entered a drawing to win
a free, customized training plan from Full Potential Running and coach Eric
Wallor. I consider Eric a friend and have bounced ideas off him in the past,
but when my name was pulled as one of two winners of the training plan, I was
thrilled.
Eric is an extremely kind guy and also extremely
knowledgeable (not to mention talented) when it comes to running. I battled
some hip pain/knee issues in mid-June, but we slowly began to get after the training
plan he had for me.
There were some hard weeks, but I was committed to the plan.
I do not run well in the summer, and training for a marathon in the summer was
just further proof to me. In addition to that, something just didn’t feel right
with my body. My legs ached consistently.
Despite a few brutal long runs where I pretty much got sick,
I longed for the marathon and the second Sunday in October where everything,
Lord-willing, would fall into place. The thought of 45,000 runners and 1.7
million spectators excites me.
The leg pain continued. At that point, I went into a major
physical and mental funk. I was no longer motivated to pound the pavement for
any reason. I dreaded runs rather than looked forward to them. I didn’t see how
I was getting better. I wasn’t motivated at all.
I wanted to know what was wrong with my body, in particular
my lower left leg/shin area. While the heat and humidity were definitely a
cause for slower splits and rougher runs, I knew there was something else that
was wrong.
Over Labor Day weekend, I went up to Camp Harvest for a 20s
Ministry Retreat. The Lord really spoke to me about running and that it shouldn’t
be an idol in my life. It’s not wrong to enjoy and love to run, but I had been
putting way too much stock in it and became even more frustrated when I didn’t
feel fully healthy. I knew that the Lord wanted me to be living for Him first
rather than just worrying about this upcoming marathon.
The last 3-4 weeks, I’ve experienced some victories and some
more frustrations. In terms of victories, Eric invited me out the Illinois
Prairie Path in Elmhurst, a hidden gem of a path/trail, for a Sunday morning
run. Not only did I enjoy the views, but I also had a good run with little pain
for a change. I was able to run fast and simply enjoy running again.
I recently got a massage and two days later completed my
final long run of 18 miles.
While I do not know how my body will hold up in ten days, I
know some things for certain. I plan to enjoy this first Chicago Marathon
experience to the fullest, regardless of how my body performs. I am extremely
grateful for my family, friends, and teammates who will be cheering me on
downtown on Sunday, October 11. Finally, I plan to run this race to honor my
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is to him that I owe the ability to run and
be able to do this.
This brings me to the final reason I am running this race.
My first marathon, the Wisconsin Marathon in 2014, I was able to raise funds to
help support the rebuilding effort of Washington, Illinois, a town devastated
by a huge tornado in November of 2013.
While I know I am way behind in the fundraising game and
most charities for the marathon have already finished their fundraising
campaigns, I still have the desire to bless people in any way I can. This is
why I will now begin raising money for Breakthrough Urban Ministries in
Chicago.
Breakthrough partners with those affected by poverty to
build connections, develop skills and open doors of opportunity. The ministry is located is Chicago’s East
Garfield Park, a rough area of the city with very high poverty and very low
opportunity. The ministry is about “restoring the broken networks of youth and
families and empowering adults in the community to achieve self-sufficiency and
break the cycle of poverty.”
The great part about this ministry is that God is at the
core of it. I personally have had an opportunity to work with Breakthrough.
Late in 2014 and early in 2015, I had the chance to lead groups of high school
students from my church, Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, down to the
men’s and women’s homeless shelters on Sundays. We bought groceries/fixings for
a meal before we left for the city, got there and prepared a meal, and served
the meal to the men and women.
It was an amazing opportunity to serve a meal to these men
and women and sit down and have conversations with them. I was blessed to be
able to serve in this capacity and hope to get back to Breakthrough in the near
future.
With your financial support, we can bless those who need it
immensely at Breakthrough. Please consider donating to this cause and praying
for the lives it will touch. I will keep
this initiative going for as long as needed in order to get the funding where
it needs to go.
If you are interested in donating to this cause, please
call, text, or Facebook message me about how you can do so.
I am really excited for the Chicago Marathon! It’s the month
of October already, and the race is nearly here. The race weekend festivities
are going to be incredible. I cannot wait to run through the streets of Chicago
to 1.7 million cheering spectators and have the support of my family, friends,
and Fast Track teammates.
Everybody has a story and journey of how
they make it to the starting line of the Chicago Marathon. Mine's little messy
and has been difficult, but I am going to do it. Not for my own glory. For the
glory of God. For Breakthrough. For family, friends, and teammates.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
God Bless,
Billy
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