My kind of town, Chicago is
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:50 pm
Some of the thoughts that went through my mind at the time...
Prerace: better stay away from the Robax, even though the lower back is tight as hell... why did I get to the race site 90 minutes early?... holy geez it's cold; the non-Canadians are screwed... hey, that's the fountain from the opening credits of "Married With Children"... screw it, I'm going to wear the arm-warmers I bought at the expo even though I barely fit into them and my running buddies will mock me when they find out...
First 10K: sweet 6 second start differential from the front of the "A corral", but it's still a bit crowded... watch your step, these roads are anything but smooth... armwarmers, 2 layers of gloves, a skullcap under the hat, my heavy shorts, and I'm still cold... finally some running space to get around people... I'm only speeding up to get warm, 2:5x will be fine today... was that just a 6 minute mile? oops, I better dial it back... 38:47, 3:52/K
Second 10K: remember to look for Wrigley Field as I make the double-left turn... there it is, that makes my day... apparently I'm running near someone named "Kyle", if the thousands of "Go Kyle" cheers are any indication... tailwind is helping with the cold, I think I'll ditch the outer pair of gloves, straw tucks nicely into the orange ones... I know it's a cold day to be a spectator, but I figured Boystown would muster up more enthusiasm than that... skullcap is now in a pocket; I don't care if it's going to make my pictures look ridiculous, I paid $20 for that thing... 37:37, 3:46/K
Third 10K: this is exactly the kind of start I needed last month at QCM when I was going for a PB; too bad I'm wasting it on a fun race... halfway at 1:20:28, I wonder when the wheels come off today... hey, there's Richard Whitehead (the double amputee); he's a big dude and his stride is like backwards-skating with time reversal; what's he doing way up here? [a new 2:51 WR, it turned out]... lots of turns in this course, kind of makes it easier to divide things into little chunks... that's the fifth time today I've splashed a shrieking aid station volunteer behind the one I've taken a cup from; tough job, but this aspect of the race is probably better than Boston or NYC... still feeling fresh, maybe I'm racing this thing after all... 37:17, 3:44/K
Fourth 10K: time to get moving... not really thirsty, but I should keep sipping Gatorade for the sugar... starting to pick off quite a few elite women... holy crap, didn't think I'd see a 200 pounder running this pace... 2.5 straight miles of Michigan Ave., here I come... aw nuts, the wind shifted again and that digital sign said it's still 31 degrees... 37:10, 3:43/K
Last 2.2K: PB is in the bag but I'm going to squeeze every last second out of this race... so many shuffling runners; I need to fire up my mental jukebox to keep my turnover high: Ray Charles' Busted does the trick perfectly with its triple beat... that guy looks strong, I think I'll tuck behind him... too slow, I'm still not huffing and puffing... stupid Arctic wind, you can't keep me from sub-2:40... push harder, I want 2:39:29 so that I can legitimately round down... right turn up the cement Mount Roosevelt, can't believe that there's still a runner every ten feet... push harder, the finish is only a long block after the upcoming left turn... dammit, I can see the finish line clock in the distance ticking towards 2:39, oh no you don't, I've got six seconds of chip time you stupid clock... across the line, stop the watch, 2:39:00, probably minus a second or two, which means... 8:08, 3:42/K
Final Result 2:38:59, 3:46/K: did I just do what I think I did? nah, nobody runs a 5 minute PB on a vacation race after losing some of the summer peak... cool: free beer!... why yes, I do want a photo taken of me with medal, beer, space blanket, and a banana... yay, no Boston-like lineups at the gear tent... double-yay, lots of warm dry clothes... triple-yay, I can finally check out that brewpub down the street from my hotel (how many other runners could finish off the 8x4oz. sample tray and an entire pizza before noon?)
Prerace: better stay away from the Robax, even though the lower back is tight as hell... why did I get to the race site 90 minutes early?... holy geez it's cold; the non-Canadians are screwed... hey, that's the fountain from the opening credits of "Married With Children"... screw it, I'm going to wear the arm-warmers I bought at the expo even though I barely fit into them and my running buddies will mock me when they find out...
First 10K: sweet 6 second start differential from the front of the "A corral", but it's still a bit crowded... watch your step, these roads are anything but smooth... armwarmers, 2 layers of gloves, a skullcap under the hat, my heavy shorts, and I'm still cold... finally some running space to get around people... I'm only speeding up to get warm, 2:5x will be fine today... was that just a 6 minute mile? oops, I better dial it back... 38:47, 3:52/K
Second 10K: remember to look for Wrigley Field as I make the double-left turn... there it is, that makes my day... apparently I'm running near someone named "Kyle", if the thousands of "Go Kyle" cheers are any indication... tailwind is helping with the cold, I think I'll ditch the outer pair of gloves, straw tucks nicely into the orange ones... I know it's a cold day to be a spectator, but I figured Boystown would muster up more enthusiasm than that... skullcap is now in a pocket; I don't care if it's going to make my pictures look ridiculous, I paid $20 for that thing... 37:37, 3:46/K
Third 10K: this is exactly the kind of start I needed last month at QCM when I was going for a PB; too bad I'm wasting it on a fun race... halfway at 1:20:28, I wonder when the wheels come off today... hey, there's Richard Whitehead (the double amputee); he's a big dude and his stride is like backwards-skating with time reversal; what's he doing way up here? [a new 2:51 WR, it turned out]... lots of turns in this course, kind of makes it easier to divide things into little chunks... that's the fifth time today I've splashed a shrieking aid station volunteer behind the one I've taken a cup from; tough job, but this aspect of the race is probably better than Boston or NYC... still feeling fresh, maybe I'm racing this thing after all... 37:17, 3:44/K
Fourth 10K: time to get moving... not really thirsty, but I should keep sipping Gatorade for the sugar... starting to pick off quite a few elite women... holy crap, didn't think I'd see a 200 pounder running this pace... 2.5 straight miles of Michigan Ave., here I come... aw nuts, the wind shifted again and that digital sign said it's still 31 degrees... 37:10, 3:43/K
Last 2.2K: PB is in the bag but I'm going to squeeze every last second out of this race... so many shuffling runners; I need to fire up my mental jukebox to keep my turnover high: Ray Charles' Busted does the trick perfectly with its triple beat... that guy looks strong, I think I'll tuck behind him... too slow, I'm still not huffing and puffing... stupid Arctic wind, you can't keep me from sub-2:40... push harder, I want 2:39:29 so that I can legitimately round down... right turn up the cement Mount Roosevelt, can't believe that there's still a runner every ten feet... push harder, the finish is only a long block after the upcoming left turn... dammit, I can see the finish line clock in the distance ticking towards 2:39, oh no you don't, I've got six seconds of chip time you stupid clock... across the line, stop the watch, 2:39:00, probably minus a second or two, which means... 8:08, 3:42/K
Final Result 2:38:59, 3:46/K: did I just do what I think I did? nah, nobody runs a 5 minute PB on a vacation race after losing some of the summer peak... cool: free beer!... why yes, I do want a photo taken of me with medal, beer, space blanket, and a banana... yay, no Boston-like lineups at the gear tent... double-yay, lots of warm dry clothes... triple-yay, I can finally check out that brewpub down the street from my hotel (how many other runners could finish off the 8x4oz. sample tray and an entire pizza before noon?)
Congratulations, on a smokn' race and PB ... 
.Your Awesome! Keep up the good work!
