A few weeks ago I ran my 4th race for this year. The last time I ran this race was in 2012 and I set a PR. In 2013 I went to Boston for the Run to Remember Half Marathon but cannot remember why I did not run it last year.
I was excited and looking forward to the race this year. It was my 3rd 10 mile race and I was hoping that it would be a much better race experience that the last two, Live Grit 10 Miler and Quarryman Challenge 10 Mile.
I was up at 5am on race day. I arrived at Soldier Field around 5:45, parked my car, used the bathroom (twice) and waited for the race to start. It was cool in the morning and I debated wearing a thin jacket. I didn’t and am so glad because the sun came out and it was HOT.
Finally it was time to run. I tried not to start off too fast. I think I did OK based on my splits. There were two runners that were talking nonstop and it was driving me crazy. One of my running pet peeves is runners that talk nonstop throughout the race. Anyway, I would pass them up and then they would catch up to me. Well, towards the end I “lost” them.
The course was flat and part of the route going south was on Lake Shore Drive. The turnaround was before mile 5. I felt great till mile 7 and then my legs began to hurt. I wished I had an ibuprofen to take for the pain. Instead, I sucked it up and kept running.
I looked at my watch after mile 9 and realized that I could probably PR. I wasn’t sure by how much but I just knew it would be a PR. That last mile was difficult for me. I remember I stopped for a few seconds right before entering the stadium for the finish line. Finish time is 1:41:56 for an almost two minutes PR (Finish time in 2012 was 1:43:49). Definitely a happy moment!
Afterwards, I got a bottle of Muscle Milk, my goodie bag and sat down to rest, enjoy my beer, and wait for friends. I couldn’t stop smiling.
I hung out with two other friends and then we went to The Weather Mark to eat. It was delicious! I was tired but also very hungry. The service wasn’t that great since we waited almost an hour for our food. It wasn’t busy so Icouldn’t understand why it took so long. But I ate, it was delicious, and I was happy.
Once at home I took a shower and a long nap. Then I ate again.
1. I am officially on summer break! Yesterday was my last day. My kids were excited but also sad. A few even cried. Before we left there was a little parade for the 6th graders. Basically they went through the school and “said goodbye” to everyone before exiting the school. Next year they will be going to another school for 7th and 8th grade. I was sad but also happy because some were in my first group of students (1st graders) when I began teaching. It is neat to see them all grown up.
2. I’ve run two races that I’ve yet to write a recap. One was the Solder Field 10 Mile (PR for me) and the Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Vermont (State #33). It was not a PR but I still felt great and finished with my second best time for a half marathon. I will write the recaps soon. Promise.
3. Marathon training has been going well. Most of my runs have been easy runs which I like. My coach has emphasized to run them SLOW. For the most part I’ve done that but there have been some runs in which I’ve accidentally run a little bit faster.
4. The academic year is over so it is time for a new calendar. I bought mine at Staples which I love. Some friends make fun of me because I use a paper calendar instead of the one in my phone. Actually I use both but I prefer the paper version.
5. Wednesday was my last math class. I cannot believe 10 weeks flew by! I had to do a five minute presentation on a famous mathematician, Ada Lovelace. Believe it or not but I was very nervous. It is weird how I can talk in a room full of 2nd graders but get nervous when it is adults. I know I messed up and forgot to mention some important facts about Ada. Cross your fingers I end up with an “A” in this class.
I registered for my final class (Geometry) which starts in August and then I’ll be done with my math endorsement. My plan is to either teach math in middle school or be a math coach/interventionist.
Any exciting plans this summer? Do share. I have the usual with relax, eat, watch movies, and meet up with friends. I just got an email asking if I was still interested in a summer job I applied for in March. It is for July 1-30th from 8am-11:45am. Perfect right?
1. I know this is late but did you watch the Boston Marathon? Wow, what a race huh? I was able to watch it with my kids on the SmartBoard at school. We saw the beginning of both the men’s and women’s and then watched halfway through the race and then the end of it. I told them to be on the lookout for Desi and Meb. Some of them remember seeing Meb win the race last year.
2. I’ve been having calluses on my right foot. It is so bad that I finally bought a bottle of callus remover. I failed to follow the instructions. Let’s just say I put on way too much because I was not seeing any results. Well, imagine my surprise after the relay marathon on Saturday (where my feet got soaking wet) when I took off my socks. The liquid and water had soften the skin and most of it was peeling off. And because I am stubborn, I took a nail clipper and began clipping away any loose skin. In the end it was so bad that I had to put on bandages. Definitely will not make that mistake again.
3. My class “History of Mathematics” is sort of interesting. I am sort of kidding when I mention that the best part of my evening class is my big cup of iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts. Well, the class is not interesting anymore. Last week the teacher lectured nonstop on geometry. Let’s just say I dislike geometry and simply do not get it nor do I care to understand it. I know this does not sit well with me wanting to be a math teacher. See below the homework assignment. I mean, really? Who gives out homework like that?
4. I am thinking of signing up for the Quarryman Challenge 10 mile race taking place on Saturday, May 9. I’ve never done it but have heard good things about it. What freaks me out is that another runner (a guy that can run 6:30 minute miles) said that it is a challenging race/course. Seriously? He is a fast runner and thinks it is challenging. I wonder how it will go with me then. Well, regardless, it is on my radar and am about 90% sure that I will sign up. It is $45 and about 30 minutes from my house. Also, this is one of the races on the list for the CARA Chicago Marathon Incentive Program.
5. Are you be running the Chicago Marathon this year? Confirmation emails went out Tuesday afternoon and I know of two runners that were not selected.
A total of 71,040 runners applied to the lottery or registered via a guaranteed entry, according to race representative Cindy Hamilton. With an expected field size of about 45,000 runners, here’s a quick breakdown of the numbers surrounding the 2015 event:
64 percent of the field was accepted through the lottery. In other words, of the 54,800 runners who entered the lottery, about 53 percent got in. Those are much better odds compared to the 2014 New York City Marathon, where only 18 percent of lottery applicants were accepted.
36 percent of the field earned a guaranteed spot.
From those runners who entered with a guaranteed application:
41.7 percent will run through a charity.
23.6 percent are time qualifiers.
17.4 percent are Chicago Marathon Legacy Finishers who ran the race five or more times in the past 10 years.
11.3 percent deferred their entry from previous years.
My first relay race was Ragnar Relay Chicago in June 2012. On Sunday I completed a marathon relay and got to cross it off this list.
There were 8 girls doing this relay race (two teams: Pink Ladies and Faster than Snails). One of my teammates offered to drive to Urbana-Champaign (about 2 1/2 hours from Chicago) and we left Friday afternoon. There were two girls from the other team so it was nice to meet them and talk to them. They had food and I snacked on crackers, hummus, and sweet potato chips.
We arrived to pick up our bibs and to check out the expo. It was OK but does not compare to the Chicago Marathon or RnR expos.
I almost bought this headband.
After the expo we went to Destihl for dinner. The food was delicious! We had a few appetizers to start off along with beer. For dinner I had pasta with spicy thai shrimp. The rest of the teammates met us there and we all had a lovely time. We then said goodbye because it was late and we still had to check in the hotel and get our stuff ready for the next day.
From L to R: Lety, Liz, Rocio, Fabiola, me, Angie. We were missing Ana and Arasally.
As I was getting my things ready for the next day, I realized that I had forgotten my socks. I had originally packed everything in my Apera bag. I switched to a bigger bag because all of my things wouldn’t fit but left my socks in one of the pockets. Luckily, I borrowed a pair from a teammate.
I checked the temperature and got really nervous because all I saw was rain, rain, and more rain.
I slept good Friday night. I was up at 5am and got ready. I shared a room with 2 other girls so I waited for them to get ready before heading out to get something to eat. The hotel provided us with a free continental breakfast. Love it when hotels do that. I had coffee and a waffle. Not too much but enough for a 6.7 run.
It was cold and drizzling. I was hoping the rest of the rain would hold off till AFTER the race. It didn’t. There was a long line to get to the parking lot. One of the girls was familiar with the area and told us of a shortcut. We parked the car and got out to meet up with Ana and Lety. We quickly got a team picture and since I was runner #1, I headed over to the start line.
Team Faster than Snails From L to R: Ana, me, Lety, Rocio
I don’t remember hearing the National Anthem but I realized the race was about to start. I walked over to the start line, got in the corral and off I went.
I don’t remember too many specifics of my part of the race. Here is what I do remember:
I felt really good the first two miles. Unfortunately, I do not know my splits because the Nike + app in my phone did not work. I turned it on but somehow it turned off.
I felt tired after the first water station.
The volunteers were wonderful!
The crowd support made me happy.
I would run, walk, and repeat.
It started to rain and I had forgotten to wear my visor.
I was running in new shoes and they felt really good. Ha, little did I know what was happening in my right foot (too much callus remover and a lot of water is NOT a good combination).
One water station was after mile 2 and the next one was after mile 4. That worked out for me since I had a short run but not sure if marathon and half marathon runners will agree with me.
Between mile 5 and 6 there were signs along the course with several facts about the University. I don’t remember the exact words but I do recall reading about REO Speedwagon, PayPal, YouTube, and a Nobel Prize Winner.
I saw a sign on the floor and I thought it was the the 6 mile marker. I told my teammates I would send them a text when I got there since the exchange was at mile 6.7. There the volunteers were giving out oranges. Yummy! Up ahead I saw the actual mile marker. Oh well.
Finally, I saw the exchange spot. I removed my belt and put it on the next runner. I was done but I was also very cold.
We got in the car and drove to the next exchange which was about 10 minutes away. It was raining so much harder and I felt bad for the runners. Runner #3 got her stuff ready and then we left to meet runner #2. We finally got a text from her that she was at mile 13.
Runner #2 is done!
Two legs done and two more to go. The next exchange took a bit longer. I drove this time because the owner of the car was running. I am OK driving but get nervous driving other people’s cars. Luckily, nothing happened and we arrived at the next exchange spot. Lety was nice enough to get coffee for the both of us. It felt good to drink something warm. Earlier I had changed my top but left my skirt. I was getting colder so I changed into capris. Not sure why I didn’t do that before.
Love my colorful shoes!
We got a text from Rocio that she was at mile 20. We were meeting her at 20.5. One of the volunteers told us that the race was cancelled because of the weather. We were like “What?!?” We couldn’ believe it. We kept walking and asked another volunteer and she was not aware of the news. Ana was the last runner and she said that she would run no matter what. We saw Rocio and Ana took off to complete the race. We told Rocio what we were told about the race. On our way to the finish line, Ana sent us a text. Yes, the race was cancelled and time would not matter. She would keep going till the buses arrived. She called me and I asked her if she wanted us to pick her up. She said no and I told her that we would meet her before the entrance of Memorial Stadium.
It was raining even harder. We arrived at the stadium and went inside. It was pure chaos. There were so many people there.
Definitely not a signage you want to see at a race.
While waiting for Ana, I used the bathroom and got some pizza. There was also water, bananas, and bags of pretzels. She texted us at mile 24. We waited a little bit before heading out to meet her so that we could cross the finish line together. While waiting we cheered for the runners. Some looked tired, cold but also excited to be almost done. We waited and finally saw her.
We ran inside the stadium. We held hands and crossed the finish line together. Finally done!
Our finish time is 4:29:47.
Even with the nasty weather we all had a great time! We made the best of it and felt thankful for being able to participate in this race. We ran, laughed, motivated and helped each other out. And the rain did not stop us. Definitely teamwork! We had so much fun that we are already planning to do it again next year.
Have you ran a relay race? Which one and how was it?
1. The hunt for the “perfect” running shoes is back on. The Asics Cumulus are not working out for me. I went to Fleet Feet to try the Brooks Ghost 7. Oh, they’re so comfortable. I knew I had to get them but could not decide on a color. Yes, I am one that has to pick a cool color. I decided on a pair (see below) but then when I got home I changed my mind so I ordered a different pair. The second pair looks nicer right?
2. I am keeping up (I’ve missed a day or two) with the Kettlebell Swing Challenge but it is getting tough.
3. Tomorrow is the IL Marathon . I am runner number 1 and my leg is 6.7 miles. I met with the rest of my team on Sunday to go over logistics, nail down on what to wear, and just to hang out and talk. I also gave two of them (one of the girls was in CA) a bag with a pepper spray, two Hammer gels, and a packet of Justin’s Hazelnut Butter. We’re all very excited and cannot wait.
4. I love getting pictures/drawings from my students. Translation: Teacher, you are the best teacher I’ve ever had. Sometimes they also give me candy and chocolates.
5. Tuesday afternoon was the deadline for me to register for the Chicago Marathon. Now begins the training before the training for the marathon. 🙂
6. These ads were an eye opener for me. I’ve drank Nuun (I am obsessed with the Kona Kola flavor) but now after seeing the comparison with Hammer Nutrition’s Electrolytes Fizz Tablets, I don’t think I will drink it again.
How are you doing in the Kettlebell Swing Challenge? What do you drink when you run, bike, exercise?
