chicago withdrawal

running the chicago marathon was hugely emotional for me - and from the moment i crossed the finish line to the moment i was able to call my mom i was barely able to keep it together. on the phone with her, i finally let myself cry for minute. she gushed about how proud she was, how excited she and my brother, aunts, uncles and grandmother all were as they tracked me along the course.

a weekend surrounded by family + running the same streets where my dads side of the family grew up and started their lives + family hilarity + marathon exhaustion = basically a lethal combination of emotions!

running the streets of chicago, unlike new york, felt peaceful. it felt clean. it felt relaxed. just thinking about how my dad would have been so proud and excited i was running these streets made me sad - it made me sad to know he would have wanted to be right there with me, probably agreeing to my nerdiness of dressing alike.

my dad wasnt physically there with me, he hasnt been physically with me for 6 years. there is always a part of me that is sad my dad is physically missing, its something i take a day at at time, and something i have to deal with for the rest of my life. i do, however, find comfort in knowing he is always with me in spirit. hes been with me on the streets of new york, chicago, philadelphia, san francisco and dozens more! 

all in all, chicago was an amazing experience...and i cant wait to run it again!