Usually on the weekends, most Milwaukee 23-year-olds are making sure to catch up on sleep missed throughout the week. But, for me, I had a reason to get up early: the Chicago Marathon.

Crazy but true, running a marathon has been on my life-goals list, so I decided to partake in the experience upon graduating college. I wasn't in this alone (thank heaven), as two college friends, Mike Hacker and Andrew Broderick, were along for the ride.

So, as I awoke on last Saturday at 7:30 a.m. to meet the guys for the ride down to Illinois, I thought, "What did I just get myself into?"

But, as I packed my bag with my running shoes, headband, iPod and other running supplies, I cleared the sleep out of my eyes and realized I was ready for this. The three of us had been training since April, so there was nothing to worry about.

What also eased my mind was that I had trained with the right guy: Hacker. After knowing what's he's been through, he was the perfect runner to train with.

Hacker ran the Chicago Marathon in 2004, having no previous running experience. He looked strong the entire way and was well on his way to the finish line. Then, the most unfortunate of events occurred as Hacker suffered from heat stroke and fainted. The worst part? He was less than a mile from the finish line. His title of "marathoner" was erased, as he was unable to finish.

"Running the 2004 Chicago Marathon was a goal that I built up and made a major priority to accomplish," said Hacker.

"After months of training and dreaming, and 25 miles of running, reaching near exhaustion, to being able to see the finish line -- but unable to reach it -- was such a feeling of disappointment. It was a feeling of a goal not reached and some business to finish."

Since that day, Hacker has never forgotten what has happened. His goal became to get back out there and make sure to cross the finish line. After Andrew and I both heard this story, we couldn't refuse the offer to train and run in with him in the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Andrew and I both competed in cross-country in high school, so the idea of long distances didn't scare us much, although 26.2 miles is quite a bit farther than 3.2 miles.

Before getting in the car, Broderick looked at me and said in a partially astonished voice, "We're really doing this!"

We packed into Hacker's car and headed down to the Windy City to pick up our race number, purchase last-minute running gear and explore the many fitness booths at the Health & Fitness Expo the Chicago Marathon hosts the day before the race.

In this huge convention center, McCormick Place, I felt the energy, as a surge of excitement came over me. Thousands were walking around, race numbers and fitness goodies in hand.

I wasn't the only one, as the man in front of me in line turned and said, "I'm so excited."

As we walked around the Health & Fitness Expo, other participants would walk by, evaluating our running potential with a glance. We all felt pretty tough, even though for Andrew and me, this was our first marathon.

Next on the itinerary was an abbreviated driving tour of the marathon course. Dozens of local shops tucked in between towering skyscrapers, adorned with people on every block. It was a sight to see.

The day of rest and relaxation continued with a heavily carb-loaded meal of spaghetti and meatballs at the Hacker residence in Batavia, Ill. As we ate and watched college football and playoff baseball, the feeling sank in even more.

We were going to run a marathon tomorrow.

After a not-so-great night of sleep due to the many race day thoughts "running" through my head, I awoke at 5 a.m. to get ready for the longest run of my life. I was tired at first, but a volt of energy shot through me as I laced up the running shoes and pinned my race number to my shorts, #41730.

The marathon would start at 8 a.m., so the three of us made sure to get there early. Arriving around 6:45 a.m. after having only a banana for breakfast, we hopped out of the van and stripped down to running gear. It was chilly outside.

We had arrived: Grant Park in Chicago.

Runners were stretching, making their way to the restrooms and drinking water, along with every other pre-race ritual. We found a spot, grabbed some water and Gatorade and stretched out.