5 Tips To Have A Successful Chicago Half Marathon

I just completed my 2nd half marathon! Remember when I posted about training here ? It’s wild how fast time flies by. I made mistakes while training for the Chicago Half Marathon and I almost missed my race because I was not prepared. So here are some tips of what I wish I knew so that you can have a successful Chicago Half Marathon Experience:

1. Don't Start Training Too Early

Not gonna lie – I started training way too early. I think I started around May/June. The race was end of September though so that led to me burning out. By the time the race date was approaching, I wasn’t training nearly as much. Part of that is because I felt comfortable being able to complete the race without ever running 13.1 miles since I ran a half marathon before.

Another reason is because I was ready for the race to be done & over with since I had already trained for so long. So in my opinion I feel like it’s best to not stretch out how long you train for. .

2. Experience the Pre-Race Party

I plan on making a video about the pre-race party but for now I just want to say, “wow”. The pre-race party starts two days before Chicago Half Marathon. It’s a time where you get your bib as well as your long-sleeved shirt. But what I did not expect was all the vendors. The vendors are amazing! I thought I wasn’t going to buy anything but I got headphones that work while swimming which will be great for mini triathlon training. There are also so many free items.

Make sure you go all around the arena and soak in the experience. Because if you don’t you may miss out. For example, I got my bib and was tempted to just leave. But then when I walked to the other side, that’s II got my sweatshirt and along the way ran into vendors selling running gear and giving free samples of drinks. It’s truly a phenomenal experience so you don’t want to just get your bib and leave.

3. Arrive EARLY - not on time

Long story short but I almost missed my race. Because I thought I ordered my Lyft early enough but in Chicago it took a while for Lyft to find me a driver because it was so early in the morning. Chicago Half Marathon gave us option to take the bus earlier in the morning but there was a cost and I think the bus arrived at 4 am which was too early for me.

But I didn’t take into account the fact that roads would be blocked. Then my Lyft diver got lost and didn’t know English so I had to use google translate to communicate with him. Which led me to jumping out of the uber prematurely and running to the start line. In short, it was a mess.

BUT I found out I was right on time. Online they said the carousel closed at 6:45 am and then the race starts at. 7:00 am. SoI was trying to arrive by 6:45 am but got there at 6:58 am – frantic and anxious.

But what I didn’t realize is that since they split us up by speed and I was on the further end of pacing timing, my group was going to be called later like around 7:15 am. However, if I ran at the fastest pace, I was going to be called first.

So technically I was on time but I don’t recommend what I did because it causes too much anxiety. And if you miss your start time, they will only let you run the 5K

4. Get Spotify Premium

Yes, Spotify premium is an expense. Note, if you are a student you get a discount. But during the race, having a bunch of ads in my ear while also having Spotify recommendations that were not in my original playlist was annoying. By the end of the race, I had to go to YouTube to put on “Yebo” because my Spotify was tweaking. However, Spotify premium saves you the wahala.

Of course, my list was a mix of afrobeats, gospel & rap. This screenshot is just a snippet.

5. Ask Your Community To Support You

I have a confession. I have a hyper independent spirit. So when signing up for the Chicago Half Marathon I thought – lemme just do this on my own. But on race day, seeing so many people cheer you on made me realize the beauty of community and how I wish I had asked my friends to come out and support. Although the community support was lovely – it would have been even better if I had my people there. So don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family to come cheer you on.

I hope this gives you some helpful tips on how to have a successful Chicago Half Marathon experience. A quick lil recap is on my instagram here. Good luck, you got this!