Burgers & Beer 5K Race Report

What’s the best way to end a Monday?  How about with a 5K race?


To read the rest of this post, come on over to Chicago Now!

Four on the Fourth Race Report

For the third year in a row I joined my running club at the Four on the Fourth four mile race in Elmhurst, IL.  This race has become an annual club event where we race and then pig out on goodies brought by the club members potluck-style.

Last year I ran this race after spending the evening in the E.R. and still managed to beat my time from 2010.

This year?  This year I had no real goals.  Wednesday morning, July 4th, dawned super hot and humid and ended up tying a 1911 temperature for the hottest Chicago area Fourth of July on record by the end of the day.  We hit 102^oF Wednesday afternoon. 

So, really, my main goal was to survive!  I wanted to run the whole thing without walking (I decided to walk some during my 5.5 mile Monday night run which was also done in some crazy heat), try to average 9:00 minute miles, and hopefully have even or negative splits. 

Actually, my goal for this race is always to have negative splits, but since there’s some decent hills I don’t always manage to do it.

I wore my headphones, something I haven’t done in a race in a long time.  I don’t know if they helped or not but I didn’t mind trying to take my mind off the heat and the fact that I haven’t be training for racing at all.

Still, when the gun went off I settled into what felt like a nice pace.  I tried not to look at my Garmin and just run by feel.  Of course, I snuck a look here and there and it always showed me as hovering just around 9:00 minutes per mile.  Perfect.

The hill up to the finish line

The first two miles of this race aren’t bad.  More downhill, good distractions of seeing your friends and “teammates” running in the opposite direction on the out-and-back part of the course.  But once you turn around at mile 2 and start to head back, you’ve got to fight off the demons that tell you that all those hills you went down?  You have to go back up.  Those miles you just ran to get here?  You have to cover them again.

Mile four of this race may be my least favorite mile of all time,

I grabbed water at the aid station, drank some, splashed some on myself, and kept going.  The Garmin still showed I was on pace at around 9:00 so I decided not to push it.  Could I have dug deeper?  Sure.  But why? 

I saw my friend John near the finish line with his camera and made a beeline for him.  He joked later that I’m good and knowing when to get out from behind other runners so I can get my picture taken.  The benefits to not being as concerned about your time, right?

I crossed the finish line and immediately sweat began to roll down my bare skin.   Another club member who wasn’t running asked me, “Did you pour water on yourself?”

Um, no.  This is all natural sweat, thank you very much.

It was hot out.

This race has a table at the finish line where you can punch your bib number into a machine and it will print out your finish time for you.  You don’t even have to wait to get home to look it up online!  But I didn’t bother.  I knew it wouldn’t be my fastest time and I’d already met most of my goals.  Now it was time for watching the kid’s 1K run, stuffing my face with fruit and baked goods, chugging a Gatorade, and hanging out with my club members.

But, for posterity’s sake, I did look up my time online later.  Official finish time?  36:02.   My splits weren’t too bad according to my Garmin.  They were 8:56, 8:46, 8:59 and 9:09. 

See, I told you I hate that last mile. 

But I don’t hate this race.  I love hanging out with so many club members I don’t always get to see. I love the downhome feel of this race.  I love that it’s a great way to spend the first part of a holiday.  And I love that even if I’m not hitting a PR, I can still have a good time.

P.S.  Thanks to John and Robert for the photos! 

Chase Corporate Challenge Bandit (Race Report)

 

I totally brought scissors to our team tent and turned my t-shirt into a tank top.

My employer pays for a large number of us to run the Chase Corporate Challenge.  However, you have to sign up in February.  Since at that time I didn’t know if I’d be able to run in May or not, I didn’t sign up.

But I’ve run Chase every year since I started at my current employer so when I realized that I would be able to run I started sniffing around for a bib.

Hey, it’s already paid for, right?  My work would just be wasting that money if I didn’t use an unused bib!

Turns out my coworker got a migraine and went home to sit in a dark room.  Which left me her bib.  So, I used it.

And promptly ran my slowest Chase Corporate Challenge ever.  31:30 for 3.5 miles.  On the plus side, I think that will go down as one of her fastest times.  Glad I could do that for her!

They changed up the course this year and it was basically a lot of running through what are essentially tunnels.  Combined with the crowds, the temperature and the humidity I think everyone ran slower than they wanted.  Plus, since I didn’t bother to study the course map I didn’t know when to pick it up towards the end.  My Garmin was all messed up from the tunnels and then suddenly the finish line was right in front of me!

Could I have run faster?  Maybe.  But I did tell myself to hold back a bit.  No point in running faster and aggravating my hip any more than I already did.  Yes, it was kind of sore and stiff afterward.  Bummer.

Still, it was a gorgeous night to enjoy the city and I’m glad I got the chance to run.  It’s taken me a few days to come to terms with the fact that I’m not as fast as I was in the past two years but life is not always about the speed.  Sometimes it’s just about the opportunity.

 

Las Vegas Marathon Race Report

So, you all know by now that I ran the Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday. My third marathon ever and my second this year. But did you know I ran it as part of a wedding party?

Yes, two of my friends from my running club were married 10 years ago in Las Vegas after running the Las Vegas Marathon. So for their 10th anniversary they decided to go back and run the race just like the did last time. They invited us all to join them as they ran the race and renewed their vows at the on-course ceremony.

Well, I'm not quite fast enough to have made it to the ceremony, but I heard it was lovely.

I'm getting ahead of myself, though.

Jason and I arrived in Vegas on Friday night and took it easy on Friday and Saturday. I met up with my friend, W, who was also in Vegas as a race spectator. She's cheered for me at my first 5K, my first half marathon, and this year when I broke 2 hours in the half marathon for the first time. But this time she had a special treat for me:

How awesome is that??? Sadly, I didn't get to see her on the course so I'm thankful she took a picture and shared it with me.

On Sunday afternoon, after taking "wedding" pictures our group trooped through the Venetian in search of a shuttle bus to take us to the start line at Mandalay Bay. We finally found one even though I had to sit on Jason's lap the whole way.

The shuttle bus dropped us off on what felt like the opposite side of the world from where we needed to be so we navigated our way through the hotel and finally found gear check. I left my stuff with Jason, though, so I wouldn't have to deal with the lines.

Oh yeah, did I mention that this race had 44,000 people signed up if you add the full and the half marathon together? That's as many as Chicago in a much smaller space.

Maribeth and I were planning to run together and she'd made some last minute adjustments to our starting corral. Suddenly we were standing in Corral 2. As in, up with the super fast people within spitting distance of the start line. Kind of freaky but exciting! We almost got interviewed by a local news channel since were standing with our "bride and groom" but it didn't work out. Sad.

The race started a few minutes late with an underwhelming starting pistol. Come on! It's Vegas! You couldn't get a lion out there to roar or something?

Anyway, Maribeth and I turned a corner almost immediately and there was Jason!

I hadn't seen him at the start of either of my other two marathons and Maribeth said it was a good omen that I saw him at the start of this one.

The sun was slowly setting as we started on our first 13 miles. My left hip was kind of achy and I wasn't feeling too great but we were going at a pretty quick clip. I tried to slow down some but my legs just wanted to go. We twisted and turned through warehouses and business parks (and the Hustler store). Every so often we'd turn toward Mandalay Bay and you could see the setting sun turning it into a gold monolith. Pretty. It was probably a good thing, though, that this race was at night because this part of the course UGLY. The most memorably thing (other than the Hustler store) was the massive hill just after mile 7.

I only walked for about 30 seconds just after the 10K mark and I worried that not taking my walk breaks might be a mistake. But, I felt pretty good all things considered.

I was having some mild intestinal distress and I debated stopping to use a port-a-potty. When I only saw one at mile 12, though, I figured I'd wait until we got back to the Strip. My pace was good, my hip was hurting less, and I didn't have to use one that bad.

We turned onto the Strip and started merging with the half marathoners. We knew we weren't going to make it to the on-course ceremony at mile 15 since we only had 10 minutes to spare and 2 miles until we got there. Also, when I saw the lines at the next port-a-potty near mile 14 I realized I didn't have to use one anymore. Score!

By this time it was dark and I wasn't sure how Jason was going to see me. Sure, I had on a blinking LED ring but otherwise he was just going to have to rely on the lights of the Strip. I knew he'd be somewhere between mile 14 and 16 and then suddenly there he was!

I was still feeling super strong at this point. When Maribeth stopped to find some on-course fuel near mile 16 I kept going. The aid stations on the course were total chaos with marathoners and half marathoners all trying to get to them at once on one side of the street.

At this point the course was getting more and more crowded. I was dodging people all over the place as people on bikes rode down the center of the lanes yelling "Half marathoners to the right, marathoners to the left!" I had to cut a few corners because the crowd was so thick around the turns there was no option but to hop up on the sidewalk. I figured all the dodging I was doing would more than make up for the little bit of corner cutting.

I still hadn't walked other than at the 10K mark and once for a few seconds while Maribeth got water earlier on. I was drinking water from my fuel belt and occasionally trying to grab one at an aid station. I'd taken a few Shot Bloks (with caffeine) but I didn't really feel like I needed them. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I had two meals in my system already. The benefit of an evening race, at least for me.

Around mile 19, though, I started to get a killer headache. My irritation at all the people surrounding me began to rise and I just wanted to scream "GET THE EFF OUT OF MY WAY!" I promised myself that if I made it to mile 20 I could run-walk my way to the finish. Which is what I did. When I reached the mile 20 sign I pulled over to the side and walked for a few seconds. I looked over at another guy who did the same thing and said, "I promised myself I could walk if I made it to 20." He laughed and said, "So did I".

The course at this point wasn't particularly nice. We'd left the fun lights of the Strip but weren't quite in the historic downtown area of Vegas. Row after row of sketchy furniture stores, houses with bars on the windows and barking dogs in the front yards, and bail bond shops lined the route. Even the darkness couldn't hide the ugliness.

But I only had 6 more miles. I decided I'd run until I saw the next mile marker and then walk for a few seconds. I still couldn't find my groove because of all the people and at one point I almost got clotheslined by a woman reaching across the course to high five a spectator. Gah!!!

Somewhere near mile 21 I heard someone behind me. "Pace group coming through! Make a hole!" I turned on a guy running next to me. "What pace group is that?"

"4:15," he said.

Are you serious? Did I really stay ahead of the 4:15 pace group until mile 21? I had a fleeting image of sticking with them for the last 5 miles but knew it wasn't going to happen as they pulled away from me.

Around mile 23 I looked up and realized that my some of my "bridal party" was right in front of me taking a walk break. I never in a million trillion years thought I would catch up to them. They're sub-4:00 marathoners! But they were taking this one easy. "Go on!" they shouted. "You look great!!"

I still felt pretty great and that adrenaline boost was awesome. In fact, the adrenaline of the whole race was probably the only thing that kept my mind off the fact that my under arms and under my fuel belt were chafing all to hell even with the Vaseline I tried to slather on somewhere around mile 20 or 21. My speed burst lasted until mile 24 when I took a fairly extended walk break to drink two cups of water. I wanted to give those last few miles my all. Plus, most of the water stations looked abandoned and bombed out so I had to walk almost the full length of one to find someone who actually had water.

The Mandalay Bay loomed in the night sky and it felt like it was never going to get closer. Finally, we turned a corner and followed a driveway to the convention center area behind the hotel. I saw the finish line lit up and I pushed up a small hill. I could see the clock said 4:26:something and I threw my arms in the air.

I'd done it. I'd broken 4:30 in a marathon. I was ecstatic. My legs, however, were pretty much done. I started to stumble and a lovely medical tent volunteer grabbed me right up. She gave me water and a salt packet and I started to feel a little better. I got my medal and found my friends who'd finished a few minutes behind me.

Then the real "fun" began. We got our Mylar blankets and tried to find our way to the indoor gear check. The crowd was ridiculous. Hoards of people mobbing the food and water tables. The wind picked up and chilled us to the bone. There was a bottleneck at the post-race photo station that we managed to skirt around and then it was like a herd of cattle trying to move our way to the exit gate. Finally we made it inside where we found the rest of our party and tried to recover.

I felt pretty "off". A little nauseous, very headachy, stiff, and cold. Jason played his spectator role flawlessly and made sure I got whatever I needed. After about an hour of recovering we ventured back outside with our Eagle Scout "groom" leading the way to the shuttle buses.

Apparently if you read a lot of other race reports you'll see that the inside of the Mandalay Bay became standing room only with people passing out, puking, and a general scene of chaos. We missed all of that. We walked right outside, crossed the half marathon route, and got on a shuttle bus that took us back to the Venetian all in less than 30 minutes.

This race definitely had some logistical problems that put a big black mark on a lot of people's experiences. I'm one of the few who managed to PR in that sea of runners and one of the few who apparently missed the chaos of exiting Mandalay Bay and finding a shuttle. The course, other than the Strip, isn't particularly scenic and even on the Strip you sometimes feel like you're running through a drunken frat party.

All in all, though, it was a great weekend for me. Sure, I didn't have a typical Vegas experience as our post-race party involved sitting around with my friends in our comfy clothes drinking leftover champagne in a hotel suite but, to be honest, that was the perfect ending to the day. I ran this race to be with my friends and that's what I got.

Well, that and a medal. And that medal? Yeah, it glows in the dark.

Las Vegas Marathon by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 5K Race Report

In 2009 and 2010 I ran the Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 10K and loved it. I've set two 10K PRs at this race AND I get the opportunity to indulge in post-race pancakes with my work running group buddies.

This year I was torn between running the 10K and the 5K. I'd already PR'ed at the Frank Lloyd Wright 10K this year but I'd be thwarted at all of my 5K PR attempts since February.

In the end, I decided to make that 5K my bitch. I registered the morning-of, which is one of the things I love about this race. They have all the perks of a big race (including expensive professional photos this year!) but all the atmosphere of a low-key race.

My only concern was my knee. I didn't want to push it too hard and prolong my ITB issue. I mean, I do have a marathon in two weeks.

But I just couldn't pass up running this race and seeing what I could do.

I met up with some of my lunch time running group and we decided to do a warm-up. Well, their version of a warm-up is a little different than mine. They did about a quarter mile and called it a day. Uh, I thought, that's not going to work for me.

So I handed off my jacket to Jason and took off for another mile or so. I didn't have a lot of time, though. The race started at 8:45 and it was already 8:30.

I managed one more mile. It wasn't an encouraging mile. I picked it up towards the end at the 8:30 pace didn't feel so hot. How was I ever going to hold an 8:00 minute or faster pace for the race?

By the time I got to the start line I had to weave my way through people to try and find a good starting spot. Of course, it doesn't really matter since the first half mile or so of this race is always crowded. I spent most of it dodging people.

When my watch beeped at the Mile 1 marker I looked down to see 7:58. Hmmm, I thought. That might have been too fast. But maybe I can see if I can do all three miles in times that start with 7s. That would be a first for me. Why not?

I saw Jason shortly after the mile marker and threw him my arm warmers. Even though I'd been freezing at the start line at this point I almost wished I was wearing a tank top.

The 10K runners split off and I realized how happy I was to be running a 5K. I only had two more miles left and they had 5!

By the way, 3.1 miles feels really short when you've been training for a marathon.

I saw Jason again near the two mile mark but barely even looked over at him. I was really trying to push myself. It worked and I ran mile two in 7:50.

Just one more mile, I thought to myself. You've probably got a PR in the bag if you don't lose it during this last mile. 8:00 minutes. That's all. You can do anything for 8:00 minutes.

At one point I glanced down at my watch and saw my current pace in the 8:30 range. Nope, I thought. Not gonna work. You need to speed up. I'd fallen into the trap of just running and not pushing myself. So I pushed.

With a quarter mile left to go I felt like I was going to puke. A woman in front of me was shouting to her running companion, "Come on! Almost there!" Since he was running next to me I turned to him and said, "Are you gonna let her beat you? Go on!" The fact that I was able to do this tells me I wasn't running hard enough. Good to know.

Still, I rounded the corner to the finish line and pushed a little harder.

Final finish time? 24:32! A 22 second PR and good enough for 5th in my age group (and, yes, there were more than 5 people in my age group).

So the Lincolnwood Turkey Trot keeps its place as a PR race for me. But this year I didn't get my post-race pancakes. I got post-race matzah ball soup instead. And some of Jason's blueberry pancakes. What can I say? I like pancakes.

Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 5K by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Illinois Cross Country Club Invitation Race Report

I've never run a cross-country race. I've never even attended a meet. Everything I know about it comes from watching the movie The Long Green Line. Cross-country seems to typically be a 5K distance over grass and dirt. A little different from my usual road racing.

So when my running club's president sent out an email stating that another area running club wanted to host an all running club cross country meet I was a little apprehensive. My impression was that we needed super-fast people to run and earn points. As someone who still gets super-excited when my average race pace per mile start with an 8 I figured I probably wasn't the best woman for the team.

Running clubs from throughout Illinois are coming together to stage the first ever Illinois Cross-Country Club Invitational. It will be a team race, with the best runners from top clubs running head to head. This will be the first of what we hope will become an annual "end-of-season" friendly competition among the clubs for "bragging rights" in X-C.

But, in the end, I decided to join the team. "It'll be fun!" everyone told me. Well, Jason had plans for Saturday so I decided to pay my $8 and show up in a field north of Chicago mid-morning on Saturday.

Most of our club's team hadn't ever run a cross-country race, either. I'd read the rules but still wasn't sure how it worked. Basically, if I understand correctly, teams are scored based on assigning points to the finish place of the first four runners and the lowest score wins. We grilled some of the team members who had run cross-country in the past and I came away with the understanding that passing people was very important. Okay. Good to know.

There were two races: Open and Master's. Open is everyone under the age of 40 and Master's is 40 and over. The Open race was first so I lined up with everyone and when the race director shouted "GO" we took off like bats out of hell. The course was almost four loops of a field and from doing one loop as a warm-up I knew there were some muddy and wet sections. How do you know where the course is? Follow the white line spray painted in the grass.

I realized halfway through the first loop that I was running way too fast. And I still couldn't keep up with everyone!

As I passed John who was taking photos I shouted, "I'm in last place aren't I?" His response? "Looking good!!" So optimistic, John.

I basically felt like death. I ran that first mile in 8:00 minutes flat. For something I was doing for fun it sure didn't feel fun. Chili and beer do not a good pre-5K meal make, for future reference.

On the second loop I managed to pass a woman. Okay, now I'm not in last place. I could see across the field and realized that now there were two women behind me. While coming in dead last would be something to write about, I didn't really want it to happen.

I was fading fast, though. And all I kept thinking was "This was supposed to be fun. This is not fun." I started to get anxious about letting my team down and I felt like my legs couldn't go any faster.

The lead guys lapped me. Thankfully one of them was from our team and since he's super nice he said, "Nice job" to me as he flew past.

On the final loop the woman I'd passed came up behind me and got in front of me. "Go for it," I gasped. "You paced yourself way better than me." I never caught her again.

I knew there was one woman behind me, though. I figured she was waiting until the last minute to make her move. She pulled ahead of me in the last 200 yards. As we rounded the corner to the finish my team started screaming for me to pass her back. I really didn't want to be last. But, in a way, I'd resigned myself to it.

But then I heard Coach Holly in my head. "Come on, Erin. You're a sprinter!"

So, I sprinted.

And I screamed.

And I passed her.

And then I needed to lay down.

But I wasn't last.

After I recovered I enjoyed a beer and a hotdog while I cheered and took pictures during the Master's race.

In the end, our club finished second in the Women's Open category so I must have helped some. Not sure how, though.

I went to this event to have fun. Did I? The race itself was miserable. But cheering for my team, taking pictures, and enjoying what may be the last nice day we have this year was totally worth it. And I've been told that my finish performance was one for the books. So, as always, even though the running may not be enjoyable, the company of my running club certainly is.

Cross Country Race by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Sycamore Pumpkin Run 10K Race Report

Sunday was the last race in the CARA Runners' Choice Circuit Competition. While I have earned a few points here and there for my running club, I was mostly running these circuit races to earn a participation award by running 111 kilometers. Since I wasn't running the Chicago Marathon nor several of the half marathons on the circuit I basically had to run almost all the shorter distance races.

Which means I was racing A LOT of weekends.

During the hour+ long drive to the race several of us in the car were expressing our gratitude over this being the last race of the circuit.

Since I'd done so well the previous Sunday at the Frank Lloyd Wright 10K I just wanted to take this race easy. No pressure, no worries, just running it to get the miles.

After we parked the car and picked up our packets I realized just how CHILLY it was. The wind was blowing and it really felt like fall. Perfect for fall-themed race. I was wearing my shorts, tank, and arm warmers and wondered if I'd be warm enough. I did my warm-up 2 miles on the the last bit of the course wearing my wind pants and a jacket. Even then I wasn't super keen on taking either of those things off. But I knew I'd be fine once I did.

I lined up near the 9:00 minute/mile sign and did a few stretches. My hip was feeling a little sore and I'd forgotten to bring my knee brace. "Just six miles," I told myself. "You can do this." My warm-up miles had felt pretty miserable so I hoped the race felt better.

The first two miles were through the town of Sycamore and many of the residents were out cheering. There's an actual pumpkin festival later in the day so quite a few people were already out setting up booths or settling in for the parade. A nice, friendly atmosphere. My zen was broken, though, by a guy who kept trying to get people to talk to him. "I don't talk while I'm racing," one woman finally said. I tried to distract myself by silently chanting those lyrics I discovered on Saturday.

There were a lot of people in costume and I wish I could master the art of taking photos while running. I lined up behind an Eskimo and something yellow (a flapper? A bird? Still not sure) and ended up using them as wind blockers for at least a mile of the race. When you run in the country the wind whips across the fields and was right in our faces for most of miles three and four.

I stopped for water just after the 4 mile marker and lost my Eskimo buddy. Instead I found myself running behind a scarecrow, a cave girl, a fairy, and a guy wearing a shirt that said I <3 Ceilings! His running buddies informed me he was a ceiling fan. Har har. Earlier in the race I'd been behind a guy running in khaki hiking shorts and a cotton t-shirt. I wanted so badly to beat him but once we entered the park and golf course at mile 5 I saw him up ahead of me and knew I didn't want to push hard enough to catch him. Oh well. When we only had a mile left I started really pushing it. I'd been holding back quite well so far but wanted to see what else I could do. My knee felt okay but my left hip was killing me. I really just wanted to be done. I sprinted the last .2 and came in at 53:34. Hey, I guess 53:XX felt left out since my PR skipped over it entirely last week.

I grabbed an ice cold beer at the finish line and basically chugged it. Hey, why not?

I'd like to say "and thus concludes my racing season" but we all know I've got at least one more race on the docket. On to Las Vegas!

Sycamore Pumpkin Run 10K by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

Frank Lloyd Wright 10K Race Report

Several years ago I attended a scrapbook convention where I purchased a set of letter and number stickers in the style associated with Frank Lloyd Wright. Why? Because I knew the Frank Lloyd Wright 5K and 10K existed and I knew I wanted to run them some day.

Last year I didn't run it because I thought it would be too soon after the Chicago Marathon and I didn't have any idea how I'd feel. Turns out I was physically able to run but by the time I decided to sign up the races were sold out.

The year before I believe I was out of town a conference.

But this year the stars finally aligned and I was able to sign up and run the Frank Lloyd Wright 10K on Sunday.

The start of the race is just a hair over two miles from my house. Since the race didn't start until 8:45 AM and I needed to get in a long run this weekend (you know, with that pesky Las Vegas marathon hanging over my head) I decided to run to the race as my warm-up and to get some extra miles in. After the race I made plans with Maribeth to run a few more to get us up to 12 miles.

The first part of my warm-up miles was rough. My legs felt like concrete and I felt a little woozy. Not a good sign, I thought. I guess I pushed it too hard on Friday? Too much walking around a jewelry and accessory expo the day before? Who knows. Thankfully I started to feel a little better during the second mile.

I wore my OPRC tank top, my arm warmers and shorts. To keep warm during my warm-up I threw on the tech shirt I got from that 5K last weekend. I was drenched in sweat by the time I got to the race so I shoved the t-shirt in the goody bag and tossed it into gear check.

Because there was no need to carpool to a race in our own town, the OPRC group didn't really seem to meet up like usual. But I ran into a few people and chatted before the race. After a few half-hearted stretches and one last bathroom break I headed over to the start line. While I was cold standing there in just my tank and arm warmers I knew I'd be warm enough in a mile or two.

Jason cheered for me as the horn sounded and we were off. Based on Friday's run at lunch I knew I could hold an 8:30 pace for almost 5 miles. I figured why not go for that?

The first mile felt okay.

I passed the clock right at the 8:30 mark. Perfect. I skipped the water station at 1.5 even though I was starting to get warm and I could feel the salt starting to build up on my face. Not a good sign.

The arm warmers became mostly forearm warmers at that point and I just focused on making it to the next water station near mile 3. When we got there I stopped and grabbed some water and walked for a few seconds. Hey, I figured it worked at the Chicago Half Marathon, why not here? Miles two and three were sub-8:30 so I knew I had some time in the bank.

Near mile four we apparently went up what passes for a hill around here and at the time I saw Jason again. He and Coach Holly's husband were cheering for us. "It's downhill from here!" they shouted. I gave them a small wave but basically felt like death. My legs felt like they were coated in wet cement.

I stopped for water at the next aid station and willed myself to keep going. Mile 4 felt like the longest mile of my life. I can't believe I still kept up my close-to-8:30 pace!

When we FINALLY reached the mile 5 marker I kept telling myself we only had a mile left. My legs weren't having any of it, though. That last full mile was really rough and when I passed Jason close to the finish line I couldn't even manage a thumbs up.

I could see the finish line, though, and knew I only had .2 left. That's less than once around a track. I pushed myself as hard as I could and, of course, Coach Holly screaming at me that I'm a sprinter gave me a little extra oomph at the end.

I really couldn't believe my eyes at the finish line clock, though. My previous PR from last year's Lincolnwood Turkey Trot was 54:08. I had a feeling I could beat that since I'd already run longer distances at a pace faster than that one. But I had no idea I'd finish in 52:41 for an 8:29 pace!

I'm a little irritated that I couldn't keep that last mile closer to 8:30 (it was 8:45), but in the grand scheme of things, I managed to hit my overall goal pace right on the nose!

And then went on to run another almost 4 miles as a cool-down. I had Jason come pick me up in the car, though. I didn't feel up to running home.

The only downside to this race is that my left knee stiffened up immediately after crossing the finish line and took almost two miles of our cool down to loosen up again. Guess I'll need to wear my knee brace more often.

But with this race I've now PR'ed in every distance so far this year and I think I'm running some really smart races. Fun, fast, and educational. Yeah, I think that sums up a good race.

Frank Lloyd Wright 10K by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

PTOS & FAPTO Innovation 5K Race Report

As I mentioned last week, I signed up last minute for a 5K taking place a few miles from my hotel where I was staying on business just outside of Washington, DC.

For the first time in a long while I was at a race with no friends, no husband, no running group. And, as it turned out, no gear check. But it wasn't really a problem.

This race was sponsored by the Patent and Trademark Office Society and took place in front of their building in Alexandria, Virginia.

After parking my rental car I walked through a beautiful campus of federal buildings and into the lobby of the building. Did you know the Patent and Trademark Office has a museum? It wasn't open, sadly. Still, it was fun to see the inside of a building that I'd never really given much thought to.

The packet pick up was located on the lower lobby level. Everything in the area seems to be built on a hill so even though you go in on one level you can almost always exit on completely different one.

Source

I grabbed my race number and my t-shirt from the tables in the center and took the shirt back to my car. And, of course, pinned the bib on my tank top. The morning was chilly but the sun was shining. I kept my jacket on while I did my stretches and my warm-up jog. I decided to run to the first mile marker on the out-and-back course to get an idea of what I'd be in for. I'd looked at the elevation chart and was a little worried.

That huge hill? A freeway overpass. And, yes, it was a pace killer on the way up.

I was sweating something fierce by the time I got done and was happy to ditch my jacket. With no gear check, though, I was a little worried. So I put my phone back in the car and asked a nice lady at one of the tables if I could leave my jacket and car keys there.

Everyone at this race was really nice. You could tell that most of them work in the building or at least knew each other. There were about 300 people total and most of them were clustered in groups of friends, joking, and laughing. When the PA system wouldn't cooperate and play the National Anthem someone shouted out, "Hey! Why doesn't Jerry sing it??" And a bunch of people laughed. I guess Jerry is a good singer? Or maybe a bad singer? Anyway, someone else stepped up and we were treated to a less-than-perfect version sung by a willing volunteer.

The race was chip timed but I didn't want to start too far in the back lest I get stuck with walkers or less experienced runners. I had some delusional visions of winning my age group or some such thing since it was a small race.

I'll tell you, though, those DC-area runners are FAST. Or at least they go out of the gate fast. But I'd already run up that hill so I knew what to expect. Which means I wasn't too worried when I slowed down on the uphill.

My Garmin beeped exactly at the 1 mile marker. Exciting! 8:16. Hmmm, not as fast as my last 5K. Oh well.

There was a water station before the turn around point but I eschewed water. We saw the race leader go by the in opposite direction minutes ahead of everyone else. Then it was our turn to do the 180-degree turn and head back.

The Garmin beeped after the mile 2 marker which had me slightly concerned. But then it was time to tackle the big hill again which was slightly less steep from this side. Still, it wasn't easy. I didn't even look at my pace.

A slight downhill and then a long, gradual incline up to the turn to the finish. And then another hill! What? Where did this one come from?

I'm not in this photo but you can kind of see that final hill


I did my best to power up the hill and passed the mile 3 marker at the top. Then, suddenly, I was at the finish line.

The clock said 24:50-something and in my either sleep-deprived or oxygen-deprived state I was bummed. 24:50-something? What a poor showing! Especially when I looked down at my Garmin at it said 3.04 miles instead of 3.1. Bummer!

It wasn't until I looked up the race results later that I realized I'd actually run a pretty good race! I wasn't able to stick around for the awards ceremony (had to get back for conference stuff) and they were only doing awards two deep in 10-year age groups (so I was in the 30-39 age group). Turns out my official results are a time of 24:50 which was good enough for third in my age group and tenth woman overall!

Too bad the race was a hair short so I'm not counting it as a 5K PR. Still, that time translates to an average 8 minute mile even with some decent hills.

And too bad I forgot to reset my Garmin before going for another run a few days later so my stats (and map) are all messed up.

Finding this random race to run was a great decision. Sure, I could have slept in on Sunday morning before the conference started. But this way I was able to see somewhere I'd never been, run a small, fun, friendly race, and get in a workout. All wins in my opinion. So, if you've never done it, I highly recommend searching for a fitness event in the area where you'll be traveling. You never know what you'll find!

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Race Report

I don't even know where to begin. When I told people in my running club that I was doing Milwaukee I got a lot of "Oh, that race is great!" and "That's one of my favorite races!" comments. Having only ever run one other marathon I had no idea what would constitute a great marathon for me.

I'd heard varying things about the course. It's hilly, it's not so hilly. There are no spectators, spectator support is great. I honestly had no idea what to expect and didn't even look up any other race reports online until Thursday or Friday of last week. The only thing I heard consistently was "Watch out for the downhill at mile 23."

At the last minute (i.e. Saturday evening) I decided I wanted a knee brace for my left knee. I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry and I knew I could always ditch it at an aid station or mile marker and pick it up after the race. Just one of the perks they advertised at this race. Kim and I did a three mile run on Saturday night just to shake out our legs and the knee brace was fine after some adjusting.

So at 4:00 AM on Sunday we got up and met our ride at 5:00. Since this course is a point-to-point race we had to get to the start and have someone pick us up at the finish. Thanks to an offer of a carpool from one of Kim's running club buddies our husbands got to sleep in and meet us during the later miles.

I stepped out of the car at the start and immediately began to wonder if I'd under-dressed. A tank top and shorts felt pretty chilly in the 40^oF morning. Thank goodness for my throw away jacket and gear check! After a quick port-a-potty stop and some last minute race prep I shed my warm-up pants and we walked to the start line.

Much different than Chicago! I could see the actual start line. The race directors had a sense of humor with pace signs that ranged from "Under 2:02" (the world record marathon time is 2:03:38, FYI) to "Same Day" and the atmosphere, while buzzing with energy, felt more laid back. We positioned ourselves just in front of the 5:00 hour pacer since we thought this would keep us from going out too fast and since our goal was just to finish under 5 hours. I did a few stretches and then it was time to run!

I wish I could give you a mile by mile play by play but I can't. Actually, you're probably happy about that. Anyway, I remember ditching my jacket at mile 1. I remember how beautiful the trees looked as we ran through wooded rural areas. I remember that we could see everyone's breath in the morning air. I remember that our husbands texted Kim to say they'd see us just before mile 12.

I remember thinking we might be running too fast so we kept telling ourselves to slow down. Didn't want to waste all my energy early, a mistake I learned from at Chicago.

I remember smiling. I remember thinking about how much fun I was having. My hip didn't hurt. My knee didn't hurt. My shin didn't hurt. I was in awe at how great I felt. We passed the 4:40 pace group around mile 8 and they never caught us again.

We took our scheduled walk breaks every two miles and occasionally stopped at water stations to fill up our fuel belts. I took my shot bloks every two miles and switched to alternating regular ones with caffeinated ones at mile 10. I hammed it up for Jason and Kim's husband Steven when we saw them on the course.

Kim and I talked but I don't remember what we talked about. We checked in with one another every so often and we both seemed to be doing fine. I would say that with the exception of one short steep uphill the rest were so mild as to not be noticeable unless you pushed yourself too hard. There were some downhills, though, but I'm strong on downhills so I barely even noticed.

At some point we left the wooded and rural areas and ended up in more residential neighborhoods or running along slightly more major streets. This part wasn't as pretty but every so often you would catch a glimpse of Lake Michigan behind the houses and I would marvel at how beautiful it looked with the sun sparkling on it.

The majority of the course was shaded so it really was the best of both worlds. A beautiful sunny fall day that was cool and shady enough that I felt great. The spectators were great, too. Not too many that it felt overwhelming, but enough that you got good support. We heard "Go Team Purple!" and "Go Twins!" a lot. People may think wearing matching outfits is cheesy, but I think it's great.

Eventually we came across two of Kim's running club friends who were out cheering for us in the later miles. One of them ran with us for almost a full mile which I think gave Kim a much needed boost and made the mile go by really quickly for me.

We saw our husbands again near mile 22. "How are you doing?" Jason asked. "GREAT!" I replied, grinning like a fool. I really was. Just four more miles, I thought. That's nothing. The downhill at mile 23.5 wasn't even that bad. Not the "quad-killer" I'd been told it was.

Kim was starting to flag, though, and I did my best to tow her along. I kept thinking it was too bad we weren't tied together like the "Jennipede" that was taking place during this race. 64 people tied together trying to break the world record for most people chained together to finish a marathon. They were raising money to support Jenny Crain, an elite runner who was hit by a car and suffered serious brain trauma.

Eventually Kim told me to go ahead. She was running a great pace but my legs wanted to go faster. I felt horrible for leaving her but thought if I was in front and she could still see me that I would be her rabbit. The last two miles were the only time I started to feel a little tired but I think that's because we were running in the full sun. Kim caught me at the last aid station and we walked for a bit together at mile 25. I didn't really need to but I thought it would help her out. I already knew I was going to blow my original goal out of the water and that's all that mattered to me.

Then at mile 25.5 a volunteer was calling out times. Throughout the course the volunteers at the mile markers would tell you what your finish time would be if you kept up that pace. When the volunteer at 25.5 shouted out "4:32!" I thought, "Oh my god. Does that mean I could finish in 4:32? I started almost two miles after the clock started. Could I finish sub-4:30???" And I took off.

I crossed the finish line feeling great.

In fact, I felt amazing. I didn't leave the finish chute right away but instead waited for Kim to finish. When I saw her a minute or so behind me I cheered my heart out and grabbed her in a huge hug when she crossed the mat.

Post-race I didn't even feel that bad. I actually felt worse after Ragnar. I mean, I was tired and my feet were sore but it was nothing compared to Chicago. No tears of exhaustion. No leg pain. No state of delirium. Just pure elation. I wanted to break 5 hours. 4:45 seemed like a good dream goal. To finish in 4:36:58 seemed unreal.

Now I know why so many people said good things about this race. Maybe I'd feel that way about any race if it went as well as it went on Sunday, but perhaps there's a little bit of magic in Milwaukee.

If only that magic would extend to making the huge blister on my right big toe go away we'd really be in business. But, really, if a huge blister and sore calves and hips is all I have to give for a day that will go down as one of the best in my life? I'll gladly pay it.

Milwaukee Lakefront Marthon by snmnstrz21 at Garmin Connect - Details

P.S. You can also read Kim's report here.