Aaron runs Chicago on October 11. Here is how he got to the start line.
Pomelo’s founder has run five to six days a week since March, training for his wedding and the Chicago Marathon, and he is 33 pounds lighter for it.
By Pomelo
In March, Aaron, Pomelo’s founder, had two dates on his calendar. One was his wedding. The other was the Bank of America Chicago Marathon: 26.2 miles on Sunday, October 11, 2026, starting and finishing in Grant Park.
Neither date was going to move. He weighed 205 pounds, and he had a long way to go before either one.
Five to six days a week
From March on, Aaron ran five to six days a week, depending on what that week’s goals called for. Some weeks asked for more, some for a little less, and he kept showing up for all of them. Every run went into Pomelo, the good ones and the ones he would rather forget.
That is the part that never makes the highlight reel, and it is the part that worked. Week after week, the miles added up and the scale moved with them. Today he weighs 172 pounds, 33 pounds lighter than when he started, and on Sunday he lines up in Grant Park.
The line that kept him going is his own:
“I should demand more from myself, or I may regret it one day.”
Why Chicago
Chicago is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Its course is flat and fast and winds through the city’s neighborhoods in front of huge crowds, which makes it a favorite for first-time marathoners and for runners chasing a personal best.
For Aaron, it was the date that turned running more into a plan with a deadline.
Plan your own race with the AI Coach
You do not need a wedding on the calendar to borrow the approach. If you have a race coming up, a 5K, a half, or a marathon of your own, Pomelo’s AI Coach can help you build a training plan that fits the life you actually have.
- Tell the Coach the race and the date. Something as simple as “I want to run the Chicago Marathon next October” gives it a deadline to plan backward from.
- Tell it where you are now. How many days a week you run, your usual distance, and what gets in the way: early meetings, a long commute, a sore knee.
- Ask for the plan. The Coach can lay out how your weeks build toward race day, the long runs and the easier weeks in between.
- Log every run. The more of your training Pomelo sees, the better the Coach can adjust when a week goes sideways.
Aaron’s spring and summer come down to something simple: the big day is built out of small ones. Pick your date, log your first run, and let the Coach help with the rest.
Good luck in Chicago, Aaron.