Things could still get a little bit better in the next few days, but for the most part, all the forecasts point to Chicago being just the other side of Too Warm to go really fast. I'm trying to run sub 2:35 so I can qualify for Fukuoka, and on a perfect day I know I have a 2:33-ish race in me, but I am a really bad warm weather runner. Looking at alternatives, right now Grand Rapids on 10/15 looks like my best bet, though I could easily be in no man's land the second half or more.
Anyone have any suggestions for fast marathons within 2 weeks of Chicago that I could actually still enter? Or should I just man up and stick to the big race? The worst part is I live in Chicago, and I love my hometown race, but I'm getting older, and you only get so many shots to leave it all on the course.