#2. Chicago, IL: “That frankly will not fly.”

October 9, 2005
Age: 22
Occupation: Hostess at steakhouse
Residence: Columbus, OH
Conditions: cool, flat, sunny crowded
Official time: 4:24:36
_________________________________

After a post-graduation trip to London where an internship with PepsiCo UK lead to some of my best friendships and most hilarious travel memories, it was time to get a job.

Practicing our presentation in London for Walker’s Crisps:

It was July in Columbus, OH and I couldn’t find something I really wanted so I got a gig at a brand new restaurant as a hostess in a hot area of town. It was your quintessential steak house- classic mixed with a touch of sexy elegance. It was the kind of place where men brought their families one night and their mistresses the next. NBA, NHL, and NFL players matriculated constantly. Those of you who know me know what wild stories I brought home from that experience. I loved every single second of working there. There’s nothing like the buzz of working in a restaurant. I truly believe that in order to know how to deal with and relate to all kinds of people from all walks of life that you can only get those lessons by working in a restaurant. One lesson (of many) that I learned while there was that no matter what job I had in the future, I knew I wanted it to make me as happy as working in a restaurant did.

Me and crew at the steakhouse:

After college, most of my buddies, including HRE, moved to Chicago to start what I call, “College Part Deux.” First time with jobs, spending cash and the desire to act like a grown up yet still party your face off.

It was only natural for me to choose Chicago as the next destination for my quest. I was dating a boy at the time who had been planning for months to accompany me to the Windy City but instead, he chose to stay behind for a bachelor party and that made me incredibly angry. He did come to Chicago the night before the race and he helped me push through the last 4 miles of it but he also cut the trip short and left early for reasons I can’t remember. This also made me really angry. Maybe I was being selfish, maybe I was just, all I know is how I remember feeling.

You know how certain songs or albums will take you right back to a specific time or place in your life? During this trip, I got hooked on The Postal Service’s “Give Up” album and to this day, every time I hear a song from that I think of the ’05 Chicago Marathon, late fall ’05 and working at the steakhouse.

No clue what training plan I followed for this race but I do know that I substituted most of my runs for 50+ miler rides on my road bike. And stayed out way too late too often with my friend Grey Goose. Didn’t translate as well as I’d hoped and was a valuable lesson. Cross training can only get you so far, you’ve gotta put in the miles on foot to have a successful, pain-free race.

The Chicago Marathon is known for its crowd support and huge participating field- 40,000 runners. All 26.2 miles are lined with people 10 or more deep who are cheering on everyone.

I didn’t love this race. It was too congested, crowded and loud. On one hand, I was never bored, but on the other hand, the pack of 20 runners around you never thinned out and that got annoying. I hit the preverbial wall early – like mile 17 – and that’s never good when you have 9 more miles to go. I definitely hadn’t mastered race nutrition and that was proof. I remember the beauty of the view of the skyline coming back into the city from the south at mile 24-25.

Finish line was crossed at 04:24:36 which, for me, is a crappy time but I didn’t care! I ran into a girl I had studied abroad with in Italy and a few steps later ran into a girl I had skated with during my skating days at Miami. 40K people and our paths cross? I love the way the world works! My sister and cousin Dino were waiting with open arms at Buckingham Fountain. I easily found HRE and we celebrated checking another race off the list.

Finish line celebration with my sister and cousin John: