Baby, It's Cold Outside

All the leaves have pretty much fallen off the trees and the holidays are nearly here, which can only mean one thing in Chicago, winter running season. I broke out my winter running gear for the first time last weekend. It was a sad day. Fall is my favorite season to run, so it's depressing for me to think about needing to bundle up before going out. Running consistently and staying in shape just gets that much harder.

Last winter while I was training for the Arizona Marathon, I was able to run outside pretty much until the race in January as there wasn't a whole lot of snow until the new year. February ended up being the only month where I needed to confine myself to a gym treadmill in order to keep running.

This year my tentative plan is to stay in half-marathon shape throughout winter. Doing a couple easier runs during the week between 4-6 miles and a long run every weekend in the 10-14 mile range. Since I am not planning on doing another full-marathon until at least April or May, I am not going to kill myself doing any runs longer than that or getting out more than 2-3 times a week. I'll continue to run outside as much as possible, but when the snow and ice sticks around it'll be time to hit the gym for the shorter runs. For me, long runs need to be done outside, there is no way I will do any more than 4-5 miles on a treadmill. I'd go crazy.

It is Chicago, we had some 70 degree days last week, but that's highly unlikely again. Who knows, maybe we'll get some more 50 degree days and the shorts can stay out for a while longer,
but it's time to buckle down for another long midwestern winter.

Race Report: Hot Chocolate 5k

I unofficially closed out my 2008 racing season this weekend with the inaugural Hot Chocolate 5k. I say unofficially because while I am not registered to run another race this year, I could be convinced to run another one this year if the opportunity presented itself.

The race began at 8 a.m. at Montrose Harbor on the lakeshore-a familiar location for races in Chicago. It was the end of daylight savings time so we all got an extra hour of sleep thankfully. This was my first race in Chicago managed by Running Away Multisport, an endurance sports store on North Ave. They have the best race packet goody bag that I've ever seen. My goody bag included a sweet fleece jacket, and a nice wicking RAM running cap. It's great to run a race and get something other than a t-shirt. After running a dozen races this year, I really don't need anymore t-shirts-technical fabric or otherwise.

The weather on race morning couldn't have been more ideal, low 50s and overcast. Perfect for shorts and long-sleeves. My goal for the race was to PR and break 23 minutes for the first time. There was also a 15k race on the same morning, but I wanted to PR on the 5k distance for my last race of the year. The 15k started 10 minutes before the 5k so we waited for a couple thousand runners to get through the chute before us. Most of the runners were going the longer distance.

At about 8:10 a.m. we were off and running. When I line up at a race I always try to line up towards the front, but not the very front. Usually I start too far back though and have to weave in and out of other runners for most of the first mile. This race was no exception, but luckily it opened up within the first quarter mile and I was towards the front of the pack quickly without losing much or any time due to other runners. I hit the first mile in about 7 minutes even. I was feeling good but starting to feel the burn. I kept passing people. I hit mile two in about 7 minutes as well. One mile to go and now I was hurting. My breathing was more labored than its been for a long time. The course winded all the way around the Montrose Harbor point. I was passed by a couple people on the last mile as my pace slowed slightly. I knew I wouldnt have much for the kick. I saw the 9 mile marker for the 15k and that meant only .3 miles to go. The finish line was in sight and somehow I found a kick for the last .2 miles. The time as I crossed the finish line was just over 22 minutes. A new PR by a minute and after I found out my chip time my new PR is 21:50. I not only ran my first sub 23 minute race, but my first sub-22 minute. I took nearly a whole minute and a half off my PR. I finished in the top 50 overall and 8th in my age group. At this point I dont know much faster I could go since I was pretty spent afterwards, but a sub 20 is probably possible someday with more training.

To top it all off, the race had an amazing post-race chocolate and candy tent with hot chocolate (hence the race name), s'mores, and lots of candy bars. I wasn't able to stick around and enjoy too much sugar, but I grabbed a hot chocolate and stuffed my pockets with candy before leaving. The course was definitely a new route for me, but the race was really well managed, and had a great goody bag and post-race party. I would definitely do it again. A perfect end to the racing season in Chicago.

Next up? Not sure yet. I am looking at a spring marathon, possibly the new Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha in early May. As the weather cools off I am just looking forward to some easy running a few days a week to stay in shape.

Dick Beardsley Fun Run

Monday was an exciting day for me. My running hero Dick Beardsley visited Chicago to do a special fun run at Fleet Feet Sports at their Wells Ave. store courtesy of New Balance.

If you aren't familiar with Mr. Beardsley, he is a running legend that hails from the great state of Minnesota, like myself. He still owns the fifth fastest marathon time for a US male. He won the London, Napa and Grandma's Marathons, but is probably best known for his very close second place finish to Alberto Salazar in the 82 "Duel in the Sun" Boston Marathon. He actually lived in my hometown in MN for a while, but that was before I was a runner myself. You may remember that I saw him at Grandma's Marathon earlier this year and he signed my bib for me.

He is just an incredibly inspiring guy and I look forward to any opportunity to see him. He went through a lot of trials and hardships after his competitive running days and came out on the other side with a positive attitude and a desire to share what he has learned with others.

Dick got stuck in traffic from O'Hare getting to the store, but arrived only a few minutes late, changed and went out for a nice easy run with about 15-20 folks including myself and my friend Brian. The run felt great. Brian and I ran about 5 miles at a nice tempo. Afterwards we met back up at the store and he talked with the group for about 45 minutes. If you have never heard him speak, regardless of whether you are a runner or not, you should check him out. He is a fantastic speaker with a lot of funny and touching stories. After speaking with the group he signed some books for people and special New Balance posters printed just for the event. It is very cool and I look forward to hanging it up.

Thanks to New Balance for making his trip possible. Please bring him back again soon, and thanks to Mr. Beardsley for being such a great, inspiring guy. It made my week.

Race Report: Bank of America Chicago Marathon

On Sunday October 12, 2008 I ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. It was my third marathon of 2008. All week we watched the weather as the forecast climbed until they were predicting temps in the 70s and 80s again on Marathon Sunday. I was just hoping for an overcast day to keep the heat under wraps. Sunday morning rolled around and temps were already in the mid 60s at 5 in the morning with not a cloud in sight.

It was going to be hot.

I met up with my friend Brian and his girlfriend Amanda and we headed downtown to the race start. I didnt even need to wear a long sleeved shirt. We made it downtown using public transportation with no issues and walked to Columbus and Congress. After a couple bathroom trips and standing around watching the sun rise, I found my way to the D Corral to line up. There was lots of space in the Corral which was nice and I found the sub 4 hour marathon pacers. I was aiming for a sub-4 hour marathon, but knew that the weather was going to be challenging. When they removed the barrier for the open corral prior to the start things got crowded quickly as the faster runners that didnt make a corral time pushed their way towards the front. It was annoying. I thought the Corrals would be started before the Open Corral was released, but that apparently wasn't the case.

Once the race began, it took me less than 5 minutes to reach the actual starting line and off we went. I was expecting a slower first mile with the large crowd but we still managed to hit our 9 minute mile pace right on target. It went so quickly that I didnt even notice the mile marker. The crowds were just incredible downtown. Tons of people cheering everywhere. I felt good as we made our way back down into the Loop and up LaSalle, finding my pace and stride. The tall buildings downtown provided plenty of shade from the morning sun and kept the temps down in the low 70s. I stayed with my pacers.

As we made our way to the northside, the crowd support continued to be great. My favorite part of the race was turning south on Broadway from Addison. I connected with a friend Lara on Addison and waved as I made the turn to a huge, loud yelling crowd of people. It was so inspiring that I couldnt help but pick up my pace unintentionally. Heading back towards downtown I ran into my friend Tom and Brian's girlfriend, Amanda near mile 10. They ran with me for one block, took a few photos with me and I continued on my way.

At mile 12 I was starting to struggle. I needed to find a bathroom and the heat was rising. I knew I couldnt stay with the pacers for much longer. At the half-way mark I started losing the pacers and at the mile 14 water stop I found a port-o-john. I tried to remain positive, but I knew this was the beginning of the end. I pushed through the west side, still keeping a sub-10 minute/mile pace, but walking through some water stops. At mile 18 I stopped and said Hi to a friend Megan who was volunteering for the race. Around this time they raised the color coded threat system to red instead of yellow. Great...just what I needed. I pushed onward to the southside, my goal pretty much out of mind at this point, but a PR still clearly in sight.

As I hit Chinatown I saw the temp on a bank as I passed: 87 degrees and no shade to be seen. My worst stretch was on Wentworth heading south towards US Cellular Field. There was no shade, you are next to the interstate and crowd support was less than ideal. As I hit the International Mile, the southern most point of the course, I was still on pace for a PR, but didnt have much time to spare. Heading north on Michigan I pushed myself as hard as I could to keep running, only walking one more time at mile 23 through the water stop. After mile 24 I pushed myself to run until the finish. Without the open hydrants, hoses and misting stations there was no way I could have kept going. I was soaking wet. At mile 26 the Roosevelt hill is a real killer, but a great chance to pass a lot of people. I tried to enjoy the crowd support as I ran the last .2 miles to the finish, but was relieved to be done with this hot race as I crossed the finish line in 4:25:17. Not my goal, but a PR nonetheless.

The 27th mile was the most brutal. We were forced to walk another mile down a chain link fence with no shade or place to sit. Finally after grabbing some waters and snacks I found my way out of the labrinth to a shady place to sit and ponder yet again why I made this decision to do this to myself. I am either stupid or insane. I made my way to the runner reunite area and found Amanda and Brian. Then later I met up with PJ who ran his first marathon, and finally I found Cassie who finished with all her kids from the mentoring program.

Hot weather aside it was a fantastic race. Plenty of supplies, water and gatorade. Unmatched crowd support. There were people on the sidelines pretty much everywhere except a couple small stretches on the west and south sides. I dont know yet if I feel the desire to run Chicago again, but I would definitely volunteer at least.

Who knows, maybe I will change my mind. I was already considering where I'd run my next marathon before I went to bed at 8 that Sunday. It is an addiction.

Congrats to other runners out there and thanks to the organizers for a great day.

Pre-Race Jitters

On Sunday morning I run the Chicago Marathon. This will be my third marathon this year and by far the largest one with 45,000 participants. Although the weather doesnt look like it will be entirely favorable I am going to attempt a sub-four hour marathon. Luckily, I qualified for the D Corral which should help me achieve my goal with fewer runners on the course when I start. The weather is looking like it will be low 60s in the morning and potentially could hit 80 degrees by mid-day. It won't be as hot as last year, but still, not exactly ideal long distance running weather. If it stays overcast during the morning, at least that would help.

I visited the Expo today while I was downtown for work and picked up my race packet. This was my favorite Expo that I've attended so far. Everything was attractive, very well-organized and efficient. I had no issues. I was able to pick up all my stuff and basically walk around the entire Expo, as well as do some shopping within an hour. I probably would have spent more time walking around, but I had to get to work and I didnt want to come back downtown on Saturday when it was going to be crazy busy.

I'm feeling mixed emotions of excitement and anxiety about the race. I know that I can pull out a sub-four hour race, but mentally I need to be prepared to get from 18-23. If the weather outlook was better, I think I could be more confident. While I dont think I've ever hit "the wall" in my previous two races, I always feel the need to stop running at around this time and have ended up run/walking the last few miles. If I can just get through those miles perhaps by breaking them down mentally into smaller chunks, I think I can do the last 3 without walking.

My training has been going okay. I initially had planned two long runs more than 20 miles, but due to high temps and being sick one week, my training plan was cut a little short. I did run a solid 18 miler and a 21 miler, both during warm temps, so if I can keep those in mind, along with my great half-marathon experience, I will be confident and ready to go on Sunday. I did some speed work, although not consistently every week as I originally planned. I mixed in some great tempo runs the last couple weeks, which I think were a big help.

If you are in Chicago, come out and support the race, it will be a beautiful fall day to spend outside. Course info can be found at ChicagoMarathon.com. I will post a race report as soon as possible.