Chicago Distance Classic: Race Report

On Sunday, I think I woke up earlier than I ever have. I'm pretty sure I've stayed awake later than 3:30 am, but never actually set my alarm to wake up at that time. To me, that says my dedication to running is starting to reach insane levels. In 30 minutes, I was set to go and hopped in the car with my hubby to head to the city.

We arrived in Chicago WAY earlier than we needed to be there, which was really nice. We made it down to the city around 5:20, were able to find cheap parking, and I sat in the car, lacing up my shoes and getting ready for a good race. We stopped for a bagel and then headed to the Hilton Chicago to sit in the lobby, relax, and get ready. Although it was an early start, I was really happy to have the time to just chill pre-race.

By the time 6:00 rolled around, I was ready to roll. I met my running buddy, Lauren, and we were off in search of the starting line. We found the 2:45 pace group and set ourselves somewhere around there. And then the waiting began. CDC did a "wave start" this year. So the first bunch of people were let out, and then we waited. And then another group, and we waited some more. You get the idea. Around 7:00, we finally began our race.

Miles 1 - 2 were stellar. I was loving the race, enjoying the city sites, and happy to be out there. Miles 3 -6 on Lake Shore Drive were kind of... well... annoying. Most races in Chicago are advertised as being "flat." It's why so many people use the Chicago Marathon to qualify for other races, like the Boston Marathon, and set records. Chicago is known for flat, fast courses. All of the miles on Lake Shore Drive were on highway entrance/exit ramps. Not really enough of an incline to be called hills, but just enough of an incline to be really annoying for the first several miles of the race. By the time we got off the highway, I'd had enough.

Warning: Too Much Information Ahead...
Another "special" part of the first half of our race was the porta potty stop. I've already mentally blocked out most of it, so I don't have any idea where it was along the course. All I have to say is, if you have to go, go... but please don't poop ON the seat. The idea is to get it in the toilet. *shudder* It was truly one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen. This was, of course, after waiting in line for 10 minutes for this potty. So you know I had to suck it up, stay towards the front of the seat, and just go. The whole stop was annoying because there clearly were not enough bathrooms, so it added lots of minutes to our time. In a 13.1 mile race, a 10 minute potty break is nearly 1 minute per mile! This did not make me happy.

Miles 6 - 7 were fun. I was happy to be turning around and on the Lakefront Path. The breeze was wonderful and Lake Michigan was beautiful.

I like to call Miles 7 - 9 "Where is the mile marker?" During almost all of Mile 7, I was looking for the Mile 8 sign. Once I saw that, I think the running mantra in my head was, "Just make it to 9... just make it to 9..." For some reason, 5 miles still sounds like a huge chunk in my head. However, when Lauren and I made it to Mile 9, we celebrated. 4 miles left! Hooray. We decided that for some reason, there's a huge difference between 4 and 5 miles.

Mile 9 is about the time the tiny nagging pain on my baby toe started to get a little worse. I knew I was going to have a blister there. We kept on, though. At Mile 11ish, we saw our fabulous TNT Coach, nicknamed by my dad as "Fast Eddie." Ed ran with us for a while and really helped lift our spirits and keep our pace consistent. We were in good spirits to finish the race. We also saw my husband and Lauren's boyfriend at Mile 11 1/2 ish. They were waving "Go Lauren" signs and looking content.

The last mile was the best. We ran all out and were really looking forward to the end... and food. For some reason I was really hungry for the last 2 - 3 miles of this race. I didn't do anything different pre-race except the early wake up call. My guess is that my body needed more food since I'd been awake for longer.

As we rounded the corner to the finish line, we could hear the speakers blaring the "Rocky" theme. Lauren and I laughed out loud and ran hard the rest of the way in. It was a fun finish. And then... immediately to the bananas! Yum! I got my penguin medal, and was really pleased with the race we'd run. Lauren's watch said we'd finished in about 2:50. (She stopped the clock for about 3/4 of the brutally long potty break.) Official time was 3:01:35. I've heard rumblings that the course was .3 - .5 miles longer than it should have been, and I know our potty break slowed us up, so although it was slower than my goal... I'll take it.