Possibility of going sub 2:50 in Chicago?

OP said she was doing clinical rotations… that’s far more advanced than just taking microbiology classes. OP also claims to be 26 years old and have previous marathon experience. Abby is 22 and does not. Because of COVID protocols, she couldn’t have gotten into the race last minute like OP claims. That’s a great result, though! Way to go kid! Also kinda suspicious of the OP. Thinking this was all made up… calling this fake news and all lies

Yes, it is worth it to fuel or at least to have several gels on you. The human body can carry about 2 hours of glycogen running flat out and after that you are out of gas and in trouble. Too bad you haven't practiced fueling in your training. Even though I think they are horribly overpriced I recommend Maurten's caffeinated gel to minimize the possibility of stomach problems

Race shoes - heck yeah. Your race entry fee was $205 or more if you are doing this as a charity run. If you are traveling hotels, airfare, and food are going to cost another $500 for the weekend minimum. If you are spending $705 just to show up at the starting line than why not spend another $200 to $250 to have shoes that help you clip 3 or 4 minutes off your time. An alternative would be to buy lighter tempo shoes and race in them and run faster workouts in them. What the last few years have shown is that super shoes minimize the damage to your legs during the race

Good advice. I use regular Gu but may try Maurten's (AFTER this training cycle). I take 3--one at 7, 14, and 21. I may do 4 this time and take them at 6, 11, 16, and 21 so I have enough to get me through the last 5.2 miles.

Chicago2021 wrote:

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to take credit for a young person’s marathon debut. Congrats to Abbie. That’s a great time for a debut marathon. My time ended up being disqualified almost immediately. It was completely my fault. I’m sorry that I haven’t posted. Just a lot of work for nothing. Probably would have been closer to 2:46-2:47, which I guess is still a ways away from the new OTQ times. Thanks again everyone. Sorry. Just a little bummed.

Don't feel bad. Most people, male or female, can't run 2:46-2:47.

fake wrote:

OP said she was doing clinical rotations… that’s far more advanced than just taking microbiology classes. OP also claims to be 26 years old and have previous marathon experience. Abby is 22 and does not. Because of COVID protocols, she couldn’t have gotten into the race last minute like OP claims. That’s a great result, though! Way to go kid! Also kinda suspicious of the OP. Thinking this was all made up… calling this fake news and all lies

This is the race that they were talking about; who knows? It's just good to see fast people out there.

We need more women under 2:55 and more men under 2:35-2:40 to build up a culture of American distance running to start with. Get people interested in the sport.

jecht wrote:

Chicago2021 wrote:

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to take credit for a young person’s marathon debut. Congrats to Abbie. That’s a great time for a debut marathon. My time ended up being disqualified almost immediately. It was completely my fault. I’m sorry that I haven’t posted. Just a lot of work for nothing. Probably would have been closer to 2:46-2:47, which I guess is still a ways away from the new OTQ times. Thanks again everyone. Sorry. Just a little bummed.

Don't feel bad. Most people, male or female, can't run 2:46-2:47.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I really do want to shoot for a 2:45 (or whatever the new OTQ is). Does anyone have any recommendations for a fast spring marathon in Ohio or near Ohio? I'm from Akron and don't want to travel too far as I'm currently in medical school and feeling quite overwhelmed as is.

Chicago2021 wrote:

jecht wrote:

Don't feel bad. Most people, male or female, can't run 2:46-2:47.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I really do want to shoot for a 2:45 (or whatever the new OTQ is). Does anyone have any recommendations for a fast spring marathon in Ohio or near Ohio? I'm from Akron and don't want to travel too far as I'm currently in medical school and feeling quite overwhelmed as is.

Why were you disqualified? Accidentally cut the course?

I mean obviously not on purpose but basically yes.

jecht wrote:

fake wrote:

OP said she was doing clinical rotations… that’s far more advanced than just taking microbiology classes. OP also claims to be 26 years old and have previous marathon experience. Abby is 22 and does not. Because of COVID protocols, she couldn’t have gotten into the race last minute like OP claims. That’s a great result, though! Way to go kid! Also kinda suspicious of the OP. Thinking this was all made up… calling this fake news and all lies

https://www.allsportsevents.com/results/maine-marathon-half-marathon-marathon-relay-2021/#/race/1hkOlS/Marathon/

This is the race that they were talking about; who knows? It's just good to see fast people out there.

We need more women under 2:55 and more men under 2:35-2:40 to build up a culture of American distance running to start with. Get people interested in the sport.

Comparing OP to the woman who did run 2:39, she was running high 17s for 5K last year and didn't break 6:30 pace in training (it's unclear if this refers to tempos/thresholds also):

"A recent graduate of Bates College who had never run faster than a 6:30 mile pace while training, Hamilton said her goal had been to break three hours. Instead, she ran at a 6:06 pace but wasn't aware of it because she disdained looking at her watch during the race."

Chicago2021 wrote:

jecht wrote:

Don't feel bad. Most people, male or female, can't run 2:46-2:47.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I really do want to shoot for a 2:45 (or whatever the new OTQ is). Does anyone have any recommendations for a fast spring marathon in Ohio or near Ohio? I'm from Akron and don't want to travel too far as I'm currently in medical school and feeling quite overwhelmed as is.

Cleveland and PIT are in the spring, as is Glass City (Toledo).

Akron rocks. I went to KSU and we wanted to beat the Zips often. Zips had great track teams back in 2002-2006.

I'm confused by all this. Was OP the person in the article or not? This seems weird.

Rook to knight wrote:

I'm confused by all this. Was OP the person in the article or not? This seems weird.

Not the same person. The OP ran a great time in a different marathon but was DQ'ed due to accidentally cutting the course (would have added several minutes but sounds like still under goal). The person in the article was someone who a poster here thought was the OP due to the time and inexperience, but the backgrounds don't match up. I believe the OP is a real person, and accidentally cutting a course stinks. Can't imagine in a marathon.

THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:

Rook to knight wrote:

I'm confused by all this. Was OP the person in the article or not? This seems weird.

Not the same person. The OP ran a great time in a different marathon but was DQ'ed due to accidentally cutting the course (would have added several minutes but sounds like still under goal). The person in the article was someone who a poster here thought was the OP due to the time and inexperience, but the backgrounds don't match up. I believe the OP is a real person, and accidentally cutting a course stinks. Can't imagine in a marathon.

Thanks for the lowdown.

2:46-47 would still be great & well under 2:50 without structured workouts. Take some time off. Don't rush back into hard training. Maybe target a winter or early spring half and then hit a nice 8-12 week marathon build off of that. Sub-2:45 is in the bag.

Cleveland is supposed to be decently fast but you could get warm weather in May. The Illinois Marathon is fast. Further away but in April. You could wait for Grandma's in June. Feel like the springtime is tough, especially if you're not willing to travel. Europe has a ton of good options. Eugene & Newport (OR) are both quick.

There's also no harm in waiting for the fall & working on 5k-half range. You just got a straight DQ & no adjusted time so Boston is definitely out huh?