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!