The day started off with me over sleeping and having to get ready in about 3 minutes and run out the door to meet my friends. We got to the parking garages at Solider Field with plenty of time to spare. Oh and parking was FREE! Cannot tell you how awesome I think this is and wish more Chicago races offered this option. We set out for last minute bathroom breaks and gear check. We also made a plan on how to meet up afterward since we were not all in the same corrals.
I got into my corral and it was very crowded. I soon saw a fellow runner friend Michelle who snapped this picture of me.
Then one of my new favorite runners Tammy spotted me and we lined up together. This was her first time running this race also. She was very nervous about the very packed corral. So we chatted and froze our butts off until they finally let us start. The clock above the start line said about 17 minutes before we even crossed the start line.
I told Tammy before we even took off that I knew the first mile was going to be very crowded. Her plan was to stay to the right and not get run over. My plan was to try to stick to the "tangent" the best I could while picking off slower runners as quickly as I could. The first mile took me 8:41 and I ran quite a bit extra trying to get around the runners. Once we went under McCormick Place I was able to settle in a little better. Then once we hit Lake Shore Drive it became much easier to go around the slower runners. My original plan was to stick right around an 8:50 until the 2nd half of the race. However I felt so good. I hit and 8:26 mile two (WOW who am I?) Once I hit mile 3 the elite runners were already on their way back. I was so amazed watching them plug along it really pushed me to just fly through the miles. I tried to spot my friends Aaron, Dan and Tim since I knew they started in corral 1 but I wasn't able to see them. Then I saw a bright orange tank and I knew it was my buddy Sue who wore the same tank as me. We shouted good lucks and I felt so good. Then I knew there was a chance to see my friend Jeromy. I dropped back slightly and did a 8:34 mile 3 and 8:45 mile 4.First I passed fellow runner Michelle who snapped the picture of me. Then sure enough I saw my friend Jeromy and we fist pumped in good luck to each other. The turn around on Lake Shore then approached. I knew since Jeromy was in corral 4 it was probably coming soon. At mile 4.75 or so we headed back on the bike path toward Solider Field.
At this point the wind changed and it hit me pretty hard. However I still was able to maintain an 8:45 through mile 5. I was really feeling really good. There was a slight hill somewhere around 6 and I was still feeling and able to do an 8:43. Then I just needed water. So I the next water stop came and I had to stop and take a shot block and drink some water so mile 7 was 8:58. I thought I would be able to pick up my pace after taking the quick break but I wasn't able to fully recover. The blisters I have from the 50K really began to bother me around this point. So I did 8:44 for both mile 8 and mile 9. Once mile 9 hit I gave myself a quick pep talk and even though I'm not quite sure since you lose GPS when you head under the stadium my watch still said 8:30 for mile 10. I ran .11 over for total distance of 10.11... I was 3670 place out of 12505, 1151 out of 7167 females and 273 out of 1163 in my age group.
I love every second of this race. I felt amazing. How cool is this finish line! I can't lie I really wanted to do the Icky Shuffle in the end zone...
If I had to have a complaint about the race was the corrals. I was in 6 and I was passing so many people walking or running much slower than I was. I felt they were very well organized but the placing of runners in corrals didn't seem right.
After I got my medal, goodie bag and changed my clothes I went to meet up with my friends at the post-race party. We had a BLAST! One of the best times I have had a post race party.
I insisted on one of my traditions is that everyone do a cheers...
Soul Asylum played at the post race party. My friend Sue and I really had a blast. We had a long wait since two runners who came with us were unfortunate to be in corral 17!
I am so glad that a group of us went to the race. We really all had a good time and we able to enjoy this race. I think we are all agreed we would want to do it again next year.
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| I love all my Northwest Indiana Running Friends You guys are so awesome!!! |
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