Shamrock Shuffle race recap

I entered the Shamrock Shuffle at the urging of a co-worker friend. And then we didn't see each other at all during the day. In fact, he had already completed his race before I even crossed the start line. But that's OK. I enjoyed myself and probably would have entered anyway...

Hi, my name is Chris and I'm a race-aholic.

So, how did this race go down?

Packet pickup:
Packet pickup was smooth, lots of tasty samples to keep my post-work hunger at bay (I hit it up on Friday evening) and plenty of running things for me to spend my money on. I managed to contain myself and only picked up "The Stick" which had been on my purchasing list for quite some time but I'd never got around to getting. My legs very much approved of this purchase.

There were bonus points for a Hal Higdon sighting. I love being in the presence of running greats. I was too shy to go over and say hi though.

Race shirt:
I liked the technical shirt. This one will end up in my running clothes rotation but likely as a "I've got nothing clean, what will I wear?" item, only because it's a bit too green for my personal comfort.

Weather:
Given the weather forecast earlier in the week indicated that it was likely to rain, I'd put today at near perfect. Warm enough that I could race in capris and a t-shirt. A little windy in places but nothing too bad. Not too much sun, a bonus as I started to overheat by about 3.5 miles in.

Gear check:
Because I'm a CARA member, I checked my gear at the Congress Hotel in the "CARA Compound". After my gear check scare at the Get Lucky Half I figured this would be a safer option. I didn't see the lines at the race but I did see a few runners carrying their bags so I'm going to assume I made a good decision.

The race:
Based on my previous 8km time (yes, time, because I only have one other 8km race in my past), I lined up for the race in Corral G. I generally like to start a race toward the back because being passed by too many people early on sparks my competitive side. And running too fast, too early very rarely ends well.

So far back you can't see the Start line

My plan was to run the race as a progression run, increasing my mile splits throughout the race. I was also going to look for a faster time than my previous 8km race, the Rudolph Ramble in December last year. I made this decision while standing in my start corral. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember how fast I ran that race but estimated I needed to beat 10:30 min/mile to get there.

The first mile was the usual winding my way around slower runners and walkers (grrr, if you're walking in mile one then you should be starting at the back). I felt good but went out a little too fast, clocking in at just over 10:00 at the Mile 1 marker.

In the second mile I settled into a comfortable pace, which I estimated at about 10:15. Running down State Street was fun. I continued to wind my way around people and narrowly avoided being spat on by an eight(ish) year old girl. OMG! Call me old fashioned but I don't think it's cool for little girls to be spitting. Ignoring my issues with that, if you're going to teach your kid that spitting is OK, then at least teach them to pay attention to what's going on around them. Mile time 9:32 (hmm, not so much the 10:15 I thought I was at).

Mile three was uneventful. I don't spend a lot of time south of Randolph (I work on Randolph and live north of The Loop) so took in what I could but running with so many people means you have to be on constant alert to avoid tripping or crashing into someone. This mile also included my first time running on the metal grate (or whatever it's called) part of the bridges - I did not like it. Mile time 9:40.

Still in unexplored Chicago, mile four had the greatest number of corners (aka running bottlenecks) and another metal grate bridge crossing. Add to this the fact that I was now beginning to overheat (seriously, summer is going to be hard work) was my least favourite mile. Mile time 9:34 (yes, my initial race plan went completely out the window).

Mile five - the end is in sight (figuratively speaking). I love the last mile of a race. And this was no different. Coming back onto the openness of Michigan Ave was refreshing after being in the shadows of the tall Loop buildings. I was still passing people (always a positive). Nothing was hurting even though I'd run five miles the day before and this was the first back to back run I'd done in ages. The hill incline going along Roosevelt Road was a reminder of how few hills I've run since leaving Melbourne and how much Nashville is going to test me. Turning the corner onto Columbus Drive and seeing the Finish arch was lovely. A nice straight with a clear sight line to the finish is always a good end to a race. Mile time 9:20.

Total time: 48:15
Turns out my time at the Rudolph Ramble was 51:06 (10:20 min/mile average, not 10:30) so I was glad I didn't rely too much on my race plan. Very happy to come in sub-50:00 and now desperately want to do a 10km as I think I can come in sub-60:00. Given my current PR at that distance is 68:19, chasing a sub-60:00 10km is enticing.

Overall:
I was very impressed at how this race is organised and managed. It's definitely the biggest race I've ever been involved in and without the great organisation has the potential to be a disaster. I read on my way home that there was a last minute course adjustment. This was not even on my radar running the race, as it was so well organised.

Is it expensive, given the distance? Yes. Does running in such a crowed race frustrate me? Yes.
Would I do it again? Definitely.

Retail therapy

Hi, welcome to my running blog where I talk about running. Or at least I would, had I been doing any.

I had yet another abysmal running week last week.

There was a pulled something, travel, forgetfulness and stabbing ear pain that put together meant I ran last Saturday and then didn't run again until this Saturday. I'm sure no one wants to know the details.

However, as everyone knows, when you are feeling decidedly not good, the best way to deal with it is to buy a shiny new something to distract you from the not good feeling.

Say hello to my new shoe(s).

I did buy a pair. But they're so bright I could only photograph them one at a time.

This is my new Mizuno Wave Inspire (left) shoe. The right shoe is equally blinding.

You know you've made a shoe purchase based on fit and function when they're in colours you would never in a million years wear in any other scenario.

My current shoes are Brooks Adrenalines (a couple of different versions). I love them but thought maybe adding some brand variety might not be a bad idea. I tried on a hundred different pairs (or maybe around seven) of shoes in the store and each pair felt so alien when I put them on. They were tighter in different places, looser in different places, flatter, higher, more springy, less springy, the laces sat differently. And it was so difficult to work out if these differences were poor fit problems or just mental barriers for me to deal with. Ultimately, I decided the Mizunos were a good alternative to the Adrenalines and I'm excitedly looking forward to trying them out tomorrow. I don't think they'll make it in the rotation to being my "go to" shoe but will add some nice variety to the mix.

Happy Easter to everyone. As Easter symbolises new beginnings to many, I am saying this is my new beginning to running and next time I'll have much running news to tell.

Get Lucky Half Marathon race recap

As you may have noticed from my earlier moaning, I felt very under-prepared for this race. My training was not what it should have been. While I knew I could run shuffle 13.1 miles, I had concerns it would be not fun.

I was both right and wrong. But we'll get to that later. Here's my take on the Team Ortho Get Lucky Half Marathon.

Packet pick up: One of the locations was reasonably central to my office in the Loop which meant I could head there during my lunch break. I jumped on the L and only had to walk a couple of blocks to get there. There was no waiting in line to get my chip or race hoody, so I was in and out in a couple of minutes.

As an added bonus, chocolate samples (mmm, chocolate) were being handed out near the train station which greatly increased my approval of the packet pick up process.

Race hoody: When I am thinking about whether to enter a race, the apparel that's included in the entry fee doesn't really influence my decision. However, it was nice that for this event it was a zippered hoody. I have so many technical t-shirts that I don't really need another one. I also don't really need a zippered hoody but it was a nice change. Overall it seems to be pretty good quality and the colour isn't too bright so I may actually wear it once or twice. OK, I'll admit it, I'm wearing it now. It's cozy. And I need cozy because...

Race weather: I won't hold this against the race but it was quite unpleasant out today. The actual temperature is not that bad but the wind is bitter. It was cold standing around waiting for the race to start (and I got there as close to the start time as I could while relying on public transit), it was cold running and it was cold after the race waiting for the bus to get home. It was also cold on the bus.

Such an inviting day for a run

Gear check: The first thing I did when I got the race was head to gear check. The second thing I did when I got to the race was try to find the end of the gear check line. It was ridiculously long. I stood in line for 25 minutes waiting to check my bag. Three minutes before the race was about to start, I was still standing in the line. Thank goodness for the girl ahead of me who very kindly offered to check my bag for me.

The race: The course was an out and back on the Lakefront Trail. Starting from next to Soldier Field it ran south to around 63rd Street and then north on the same path back to the beginning.

I went into the race planning to run it as my weekly long run. I knew I was underdone and there are so many other races I'm signed up for in the next few months that I didn't want to injure myself. I ran with my Garmin but didn't look at my time. I just ran at whatever felt comfortable.

For the first 1.5 miles my feet and hands were blocks of ice. The running was easy, particularly as the wind was at our backs. I made the most of it knowing a tailwind now would mean more work on the way back. It wasn't a huge race (about 1,200 finishers) so the path wasn't too congested and because I always start toward the back of the pack there wasn't a lot of weaving in and out.

I haven't run further south than around 31st Street before which meant much of the course was new to me. I really like seeing new parts of Chicago and enjoyed being able to just run along comfortably and take in the sights. I was feeling good through miles 3, 4, 5 and 6 but beginning to worry about how I was going to feel once I hit mile 10. I had figured that would be my hurting point.


Then there was the turnaround.

The 6.5 miles (give or take) to the finish line were the not fun I had anticipated for the race. A 15 mile per hour headwind from the north isn't enjoyable at the best of times. Add to that the icy snow that kicked in and you've got one unhappy camper. Mile 10 became the least of my problems as I still had to make it through miles 7, 8 and 9! Unhappy or not, I wasn't about to quit, and just put my head down and ran. I'm glad a got a little sight-seeing done on my way south because there wasn't much going on heading back north. I was overtaking a lot of people but so many were walking at that stage I didn't take much comfort from it.

As it turned out, I didn't end up feeling any worse for the rest of the race. Mile 10 went by as did mile 11.

Because a race is a race, even if I'm using it for a training run, I did pick it up a notch when I hit the 12 mile marker. With the wind and tired legs, it didn't feel like I'd made much of a difference though.

When I got to the finish line, I was astounded to see the race clock say 2:1x:xx. I can't remember the exact time but the fact that it was sub-2:20:00 was surprising.

I crossed the finish line with a watch time of 2:15:17. My official result is 2:16:04. Whichever time you use, it's still faster than my time for the F^3 Lake Half Marathon and a(n accidental) Personal Best.

This is what an accidental personal best half marathon time looks like for a back of the pack runner. I'm pretty happy with the consistency of miles 8 to 12 given the conditions.

After the finish line: I was handed my medal.

And a bag with a bagel, banana and piece of chocolate. I really like that they packaged this up, it's so much easier to carry when you're not juggling four different things.

And a space blanket... SO GOOD!

I received an email with my result about two hours after I finished the race. Another thing I liked about this race.

Overall: Would I run this again? I'm not sure.

The two main "cons" for me were the weather and the gear check. I can't really hold the weather against the race as I heard last year it was 80 degrees. But the gear check was a definite turn off.

The good post-race organisation was a definite "pro" and the fact I PRed is certainly adding a rosy glow to the whole event.

I am now going to spend the rest of the day doing nothing. I may not have felt under-trained when I was running today but my legs are definitely feeling it now.

Good running

After all my doom and gloom last week, this week has come up much more rainbows and lollipops.

Here's my sunshine (you know, because you need the sun to make a rainbow):

5K time trial win. Not so much that I beat everyone else but more that I totally beat myself. I don't do a lot of timed 5K running. I like to think of myself as a long distance gal (or more accurately, I'm slow and it's less obvious if I run long). But I killed my last timed 5K run. A knocked off a whopping 4:30 minutes. I was stoked to take that much of my last Half Marathon best so to do it on a 5K was pretty cool.

Half marathon PR. Full details in my Get Lucky Half Marathon race recap. Approximately two minutes faster than my F^3 Lake Half Marathon time in January.

Now, I just need to take this good running mojo into next week and beyond.

One step forward...

Two steps back.

That's how I feel this week.

I remember running in December and January and feeling great. I remember feeling just a little invincible.

Where did this feeling go?

Now I feel tired. And sore (not injured sore, just sore sore). And kind of defeated.

Maybe it's just because today is overcast and rainy. Maybe it's because I had a pretty average week at work. Maybe it's because I haven't been sleeping so well lately. Maybe it's just because.

I guess the trick is to take a leaf out of Dory's book and just keep swimming (or running, as the case may be).

Yep, the look on Marlin's face is exactly how I feel. And seeing this makes me laugh and tell myself to just get over it. :)

MIA

My running has been a little patchy over the past couple of weeks.

Patchy running is not a good idea when I have a half marathon to run in three weeks' time.

I managed to get in my scheduled (as per the very slap dash training plan) 10 miles today after attempting to run them yesterday. My stomach flat out refused to play nice yesterday and I gave up after 5 miles.

The good news is, even though my running has been patchy, I am hitting my long run targets. The bad news is my mid-week running has been appalling.

I actually really like getting in a run before work during the week. My day is always so much better after a run. The comfort and warmth of my bed in the morning has been overriding my running conscience recently though. This was not helped by travelling for work and being forced to run on the treadmill at the gym.

I. Hate. The. Treadmill.

I worried that there is going to be more work travel on the horizon. A lot more travel. So I am going to have to make peace with the treadmill and reinstate non-negotiable mid-week running.

Especially as:

Yes, despite the debacle that was the registration process for the Chicago Marathon, I am a confirmed entrant. I am fairly terrified of the idea of doing this but also massively excited. I was so excited that I was stalking the site, waiting for the registration to open on Tuesday. Luckily my stalker-ish tendencies paid off as I was registering at about 11:50 and done by 11:56, even though the official registration open time was 12:00. I think by getting in early I avoided the system overload and subsequent meltdown that caused so many others so many problems.

I may be able to grind out a half marathon on my current training base, patchy weeks or not. But there's no way I'll get away with skipping workouts and fuelling myself on vodka and bar food (another side effect of work travel) and finish the marathon, let alone achieve the finish time I would so like to have.

Please feel free to remind me of this frequently, as I am sure I will soon forget. Especially if I have a vodka soda in my hand.

It's a matter of perception

During my time at university, I spent a significant amount of time studying psychology. It was a field that I found extremely interesting but one I ultimately discovered was not the right career choice for me. Luckily, all that studying didn't go astray - I get to use things I learned in my Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Human Associative Learning and Perception and Attention courses quite frequently. I don't use what I learned in my Psychopathology course too often though - but that's a good thing.

Having spent so much time studying psychology, it shouldn't come as a surprise to me then how my perception of the following three things has changed in the six months since I moved to Chicago.

1. Distance, particularly how it relates to running
Anything less than five miles seems like nothing to me now. Which is not to say that I find running five miles (or greater) easy. Five miles just doesn't seem that far.
I believe there are two reasons for this:

Reason A - the more I run and the further I run, the more running becomes routine and therefore the "shorter" distances become "easier". It would appear that the concept of training is a sound one!

Reason B - I am still hardwired to think in kilometres. Therefore, when I hear five miles, my sub-conscious thinks five kilometres. This is an example of how much "auto-processing" happens in our minds and that sometimes we really need to challenge our thinking. I'm not going to challenge my thinking here though, it's a very handy mind twist to have in my arsenal.

2. Weight
I want to run more and I want to run "better". Better is relative only to me and my ability. I've been getting faster and I've been suffering fewer injuries (yay!) and while much of this is due to more consistent training, some is also due to losing weight over the past 12 months.

I try not to get too obsessive on this topic as I don't believe it's good for me to do so. I've been chipping away at losing slowly, making small changes here and there to find a way of life that's sustainable for me. I think I'm about 1/3 of the way to where I want to be (I'm not stuck on a hard number - I set small progress goals but my ultimate goal will be decided at what feels right).

Moving countries was not easy - I had to learn new brands, new foods and new ingredients - but that made it fun too as I had new thing to experiment with. Changing from kilograms to pounds has been mind-tricky though, and not in a good way. My default brain setting for weight is kilograms. So, similar to the miles/kilometres thing, when I hear five pounds my sub-conscious says five kilograms. This means I think my changes are more successful than they really are. I am definitely challenging this mind twist - visual comparisons of one pounds versus one kilogram are helpful.

3. Temperature
I love winter. I love cold weather. I love snow.

Look, snow!
At the turnaround on my Saturday run

I get cold, don't get me wrong. But I would rather be cold than be hot.

The more time I spend in a Chicago winter, the lower the temperature my definition of cold kicks in at. If it's 20 or above, I'm defining the temperature as "cold but not that cold". Six months ago that definition applied to temps in the 40s.

I think this is more acclimatisation than a change in temperature scales because the difference between celsius and fahrenheit is just too hard to translate in my head. I think choosing to love the cold helps too - that's Cognitive Psychology 101 (you feel what you think). Hmm, note to self, should probably stopping saying I don't like hot weather.