TD5K Race Recap

Overall: Ok

Shot Recap:
Sign Up Process: This was a fairly easy process and I was able to complete it for my mom and I.
Price: $22 a person ($7.10/mile). I remember that I had a coupon that was emailed to me from a friend. I believe it was $5 off.
Communications: They didn’t send out too many emails, however all their emails looked like junk mail and I missed the pick-up information the 1st time I read it.
Packet Pickup: Super easy. I walked in, stated my name, and walked out with two bibs, two shirts and tons of pins!
Gear Check: This was also easy. They placed my bag in a bag, which was nice as they then put it directly on the ground.
Route: We were able to run along Lake Shore Drive, which I had never done and the traffic was light on Thanksgiving morning so there were no issues with cars zipping by. We then turned around and came back on the Lake Shore Path. It was fine, but my Garmin stated that it was 3.6 miles long.
Water Station: By the time I got to the station, there was no water….fail!
Swag: The shirt is nice, but is just cotton.

Full Recap
On Thanksgiving 2012 I completed the TD5K. It was a beautiful fall day in Chicago and a perfect day to run outside! I believe this pulled out more people than they were expecting, at least that is what I’m hoping because the logistics were not the best. The lines to pick up the packets the day of the race were extremely long and I was once again thankful that I don’t rely on this to get my bib. My mom joined me for the race so we walked around and chatted a bit before it was time to get in line.

My mom was walking the race and I am on the slower side of the races, so we lined up near the back of the pack. There were no pace markers or anything to determine where people should line up. They were letting groups go every few moments to ensure there were no clogs along the route. Once we crossed the start line (about 11 mins after the start), I started running and had to pass a lot of people already walking from the group in front of me. Also, I was being passed by a number of people that were much faster. This is where the chaos started. They really should look into having pace makers in the starting to space people out based on their pace time. That way I wouldn’t have to pass so many people carrying children on their back or 100% walkers or be passed up by super-fast people.  People were passing on the left, or the right, stopping in the middle of the road, walking 6 across….doing everything you “shouldn’t” do in a race. It was frustrating to have to run around everyone and push my way through people just to avoid running in traffic. I understand that this is a lot of people’s 1st race (a Thanksgiving day race was my 1st just one year ago), but some things should fall under common sense (i.e. don’t take 5 kids with you and then run ahead of them making them cut off adults, don’t take the entire width of the path for you and your stroller and your friend and her stroller). Maybe races should include a “how-to” guide on race manners for these types of races.

By the time I got to the water station, there was no water. FAIL! I’m not sure how you can run out of water at a race. It’s water and the only thing necessary for a race, otherwise, it’s just a morning run with a ton of other people. I’m glad that I wasn’t father back or that it was a super warm day. I knew that I would be fine, but it sucked that they ran out about ½ way through the runners.

The rest of the race was fine. Nothing special to report. My Garmin stated that the entire route was 3.6 miles and not 3.1, but it could have been due to running around people and weaving in and out.

After crossing the finish line I was hit by a wall of people just standing around in the finish shoot. The announcer told them a number of times to move, but no one really listened. Once again….Tips on Running a race would be great!

Overall it was a fine race – mostly due to the fact that the weather was beautiful and I went with my mom. The price was nice as well and I’m happy that it was on Thanksgiving (opposed to the “Thanksgiving Day” race in Grant Park on Saturday). I would do a Thanksgiving Day race again (I LOVE starting a day that is traditionally full of gluttony with a healthy 5k race), but I think I’ll try one of the other ones that are in the Chicago-land area.

Week In Review.....4 days late! :D

So, I’m only 4 days “late” for this review, but really there’s not much to say.

Monday – Barre Class at Studio Fit. This class is so much fun and tough. I completely felt it the next day and almost didn’t want to go to my yoga class on Tuesday

Tuesday – Yoga Sculpt. This really helped my super sore body to feel better. It seems to go against my logic, but it worked.

Wednesday – Rest day. I prepared for my mom to come into my home for the long weekend.

Thursday – THANKSGIVING! I started off my day with a 5k with my mom. A full review is to come, however as a quick recap, I’ll just say it’s a mixed bag. Afterwards, I cooked the entire meal and relaxed with my mom. I ended the day with pie with my Dad, Sister and her family.

Friday – My mom and I are early raisers and were up at 6, so what’s a gal to do on Black Friday at 6 am?? Shopping! We didn’t go all crazy (she’s done with Christmas gifts and I’m almost there), but I did get a Panini Press! I’m super excited to have tons of Paninis this winters…..now I just need to get some bread.

Saturday – I had a wedding to go to and my mom came along. It was a great wedding and they even had a vegan option along with super yummy vegan cupcakes! This was only the tip of the iceberg on the thoughtfulness of the couple.

Sunday – My mom and I meet up with my Aunt and Uncle for Brunch and then I sat around all day trying to enjoy the last day of my long weekend.

 

So there’s the week in review. This week I’ve been preparing for a 5k this weekend and keeping an eye out for my last race of the year in two weeks. I’m excited to finish out my running “season” and looking forward to using some of the Groupons I have for workout classes!

Weekly Recap - one day late...

So last week I was all set to jump right back into training, especially considering I have 2 5ks and a 10k before the end of the year. However, I didn't. I just didn't. I hung out with friends, I cleaned my house, I did some shopping, I sat on the couch all day long….almost anything by running.

One thing I DID do is my Yoga Sculpt class on Tuesday night. I love this class and am sore the next day. We had a substitute teacher and she was great at talking us through the moves. However, she had us face the windows (to use as a mirror). However there was (what I assume) a Hot Yoga class going on across the street. It took me about 1/2 the class to understand what was going on as I would just occasionally see half naked people out of the corner of my eye. Let’s just say, it was distracting! J

I’m heading back there tonight. Mostly because there is a Trader Joe’s close by and I need to get some stuff for Thanksgiving, but also because I love the burn! The plan for this week is a little backwards and I have a 5k on Thursday and then my mom is staying with me through Saturday.

How do your training plans change due to the holidays? Do you stick with them or plan around them?

Chicago Perfect 10 Recap

Chicago Perfect 10
Overall: Good race!

Short Recap:
Sign up process: I did this a while ago, but don’t remember anything difficult about it.
Price: $32.00 (or $5.16/mile). It’s a little on the pricey side for per mile, but the medal is pretty sweet!
Communications: They didn’t send out too many  emails (unlike my other 10k this year which sends out emails almost every week). I liked the amount they sent out – enough to remind you the race is coming and provide great information, but not clogging up your emails.
Packet pickup: 4 different days in the city and suburbs and over the weekend and evening hours.
Gear Check: Very smooth and easy!
Route: Nice and unique, but not closed to public and was somewhat congested
Water Stations: The one station for the 10k was only on one side of the path and no one was taking it on the way out (I assume because they thought there would be another one)
Medal & Shirt: Both great! Long sleeved shirt and a medal that spins!

Long Recap:
On 11/10/12 I completed the Chicago Perfect 10k race. It was my longest race to date (I’m still a newbie)! Overall it was a good race, despite a few hiccups. I got to Navy Pier with enough time to spare and walked slowly to the expo to drop off my bag. It was super easy and the volunteers were nice. I then walked around Navy Pier and waited for the race to start. The race was delayed by 30 mins, but then the 10K started off earlier than the new times. I guess this was announced on Facebook, but I am not “friends” with them, so I found out about it from someone in line. Also, they had a guy walking around screaming it. Later I heard that it was due to a vendor not showing up or due to parking issues. If it was a critical vendor, then I get it – but if it was someone for the expo (there was an empty stall) or due to parking, I don’t get it. People should know that parking and traffic will be bad around the race and leave early enough to not be late to their race. I didn’t have to struggle with traffic (Thank you CTA!) and was spending my time walking around stretching and playing on my phone. After the 10 mile runners left, I lined up near the back of the starting areas and couldn’t hear anything that the speaker was saying. All of a sudden, we were walking forward and then crossing the starting line!

The route was great! It was along the Lakefront path, but all the other races I have done start around Lincoln Park or Montrose Harbor and go north. It was great to be able to run south and go by the Shedd and other Chicago sites. There was a HUGE hill early on and luckily it was downhill – I wasn’t looking forward to going back up it, but I had a few miles to go before that. There

There was a water station around Mile 2, however it was on the other side of the path and there were faster runners on that side. Also, the volunteers weren’t encouraging anyone from our side to take water, so I thought there would be another station a bit further down for us. However, I was wrong. As the weather was nice and cool it wasn’t too bad, but I was completely thirsty by the time I got back here and took two cups!

There was some congestion going the other way around Shedd and the runners spilled onto the other side of the path. It looked like it was both 10 milers and 10kers on that side and most people seemed to understand their pace and moved where they needed to be. Once I got to the turn-around, I was pushed in with the 10 milers that were at their 7 mile mark. This means that I was now running with those going about 8 to 11 mile pace. I felt bad for people having to now go around me, but I hugged the right side and soon enough the fast ones passed me by. The hill I mention before wasn’t too bad. At this time I was drafting off a couple nice ladies and trying to keep pace with them and not walk the entire way back to Navy Pier. They started slowing down and walking the hill, but I decided to plow through it and run it! It felt great and I soon took a walk break and it actually felt better to run. From this point on, I ran most of it and only walked when I felt I couldn’t run anymore. 

There we almost no spectators along the way and some of the volunteers were just holding their flags and staring into space. It would have been nice to have some more cheers along the way, but if I need a cheer, I just asked the volunteer to smile and wave and they mostly would. It’s surprising how much a smile can make you feel better and keep pushing on.

I was aiming for a 1:25 to 1:30 time and knew I was going to come in right in the middle of the two (I finished at 1:27:30). It did mean I had to continue to push myself and it was great to hear the cheers along Navy Pier and see other runners clap and cheer. Crossing the finish line was great for me – I did my longest run and was right on pace for my goal time! Oh, I also got a cool medal!

The post run food was ok. The bananas were way overripe, but yummy! There were also beagles, but I didn’t take one due to dietary restrictions. I made my way to the expo and picked up my bag and continue to walk around. I got some SWAG from the vendors and enjoyed a banana before walking over to the buses to go home.

Overall it was a nice race! I will most likely do it next week --- maybe I’ll try the 10 miler!

Second Week Recap!

So…second week of blogging and a race to boot! But let’s backup and start at the beginning of the week…

Monday: My mom came into town this week and  I decided to take it easy and hope I wouldn’t suffer on my race the upcoming weekend. We hung out and chatted the night away.

Tuesday: My mom and I stayed up late to watch the election returns, so no workout or thought about workout.

Wednesday: My mom left in the morning and after work I sat down for “just a few moments”….and ended up waking up at around 8:30 pm. I decided just to roll over and continue to sleep, figuring my body needed sleep more than a run.

Thursday: After three days of not working out, I figured I should do something before my longest race to date…so I set out for a 3 mile race. As soon as I was well into it, I realized that my foot pod wasn’t working L I did what I thought was 3 miles, but it was closer to 2.5 when I checked it on Google Maps. Oh well! I wasn’t feeling the run at all and was struggling the whole time just to keep moving. I was hoping that this wouldn’t repeat itself on Saturday!

Friday: Rest day and packet pick up. After work I rushed to pick up the packet with the horror stories of the Hot Chocolate in the back of my mind. I was just hoping to be able to run in and run out to make it home for dinner plans and I made it with time to spare! The pick-up was super easy!

Saturday: Chicago Perfect 10 – overall the race was great! I was hoping to finish between 1:25 and 1:30 and came in right at 1:27:30! I did the run 2 mins/walk 1 min thing and was able to run for longer stretches on the second half. I still felt I started off to fast, but need to download my times off my Garmin to really know. Overall it was a great race and I will most likely come do it again (one of the few races that I have done this year that I will do again!) I’ll be posting a full recap later this week so stay tuned in! After the race, I ran some errands and then fell asleep early!

Sunday: Rest Day – After hearing Elie Wiesel speak, I walked around Chicago a bit and enjoyed the warm weather.

 

Plans for this week

I am not as sore as I was after the 7k I did earlier this fall so I hope to be able to bounce back and continue with training for my last three races of the year (TD5K, Santa Hustle 5K and Jingle Bell 10K). Also, to get a race recap of the Perfect 10 up within a few days.

Exciting news: I signed up for the Pile On The Miles organized by Run Eat Repeat! And I think you should too! ;) http://runeatrepeat.com/2012/10/23/pile-on-the-miles-2012/!

Stay tuned for a recap of the Chicago Perfect 10!

The week in review..

Well, it’s my second blog post. It’s harder than I thought to think of a snazzy topic to write about, so I’m just going to write about this past week and what my plans are for the upcoming week.

I’m 6 days away from my longest race to date (a 10k), so this past week I have been sticking to my training plan as close as I can.

Monday – 2 mile run. I did this in my neighborhood. There was nothing special about it, just went out a mile, turned around and came back.

Tuesday – Cross Training. I went to Yoga Sculpt and ended up being the only student! Whoo-hoo for personal training for the price of a class! The teacher really was able to push me and adjust me more than before and it kicked my behind!

Wednesday – 3 mile run. I kinda forgot that kids go trick-or-treating on Halloween night. I’ve never had a single tick-or-treater since leaving the dorm in college many moons ago and don’t have children myself, so I was completely surprised when I turned a corner on my run and encountered little princesses and superheroes! I was going to do 3 miles in my neighborhood, but ran as fast as I could and not knock anyone down to a nearby park and ran laps. No the most exciting, but I was glad the library was close by as I really had to “go” half way through my run.

Thursday – Rest day. After work, I went to dinner with a friend and then relaxed.

Friday – Cross Training. I tried out a new Barre class and it was so much fun! The group was great and the teacher was really encouraging. You could tell a lot of us had never done this type of class before (yoga with some weights and small movements and the help of a ballet barre). Everyone was laughing at themselves embracing their inner prima ballerina.

Saturday  – I was planning to run to a class and then take the bus home, however I got a ticket to see President Obama in Milwaukee at the last minute, so I skipped all my plans for the day and spent it standing around (for 8 hours) and talking to people and listening to Katy Perry and President Obama.

Sunday – Needing to make up for yesterday, I decided to run 5.5 miles to another Barre class. The run was great! I went around Wrigley Field (one of my favorite places in Chicago) and through a number of neighborhoods and made great time. As for the class --- I don’t think I’ll be trying this after another long run! My legs were so tired from standing on Saturday and running 5.5 miles that they were shaking right off the bat in the class. I kept pushing myself, but was complete excMy legs were tired enough from the run and then we did a lot of leg work! My legs sure are hurting today.

This upcoming week, I just have two short runs and then the 10k on Saturday. I feel very prepared for it and am just focusing on trying not to start out too fast. I’m horribly bad about this, but think I’m going to do the run 2 min/walk 1 min routine for the 1^st half of the race and then see what I feel like. I would hope to run the 2^nd half but don’t want to burn out before the end.  What do you do to pace yourself at the start of a race?