I always say that I am more of a “blogging runner” than a running blogger. I do like to write about running, races and tips/tricks for running but that is not enough to call this a running blog. That said here is my running recap of the first quarter of 2014. I think all of us Chicagoland runners deserve extra props for making it through this quarter! The weather was ROUGH!
Races run this Q– 4 – 1 marathon (Houston), 1 10K, 1 Half Marathon (NYC) and 1 8K. I will provide brief recaps and photos below!
Miles run: 606 (which averages to ~6.7 per day – though I don’t run every day)
Falls: 0 – well, 0 while running. I will leave it at that!
Personal Records (PRs): 0 – I have felt good in all of my races but so far have been a bit slower in everything this year. I blame winter. I am going to crush the rest of the year!
Coldest Outside Run Temp: Under 10 degrees ambient and below 0 with windchill. I did NOT run outside during the 3 “polar vortexes.”
Pairs of Sneakers: 2 used up. Karhu Fast 3s and Mizuno Wave Rider 16s. Started a new pair of Hoka One Ones.
New Running Goodies that I tried:
- ZYM Electrolyte Tablets
- Orange Mud HydraPak
- Atayne 100% Recycled Running Shirts – giveaway still open – last day!
Popular Running Posts:
- Atayne 100% Recycled Running Shirts – GIVEAWAY (LAST DAY 3/31)
- Taking My Own Advice
- Support Alexandra’s Playground and You Can Win, Too
- This Runner’s Rambles +
- How it Went in Houston +
Brief Race Reports – I included a few “how I did” postscripts on posts that I wrote on race days. Here is a brief recap of the races I ran this quarter:
1. Houston Marathon – Houston, TX – January 19, 2014
I decided to do Houston after Diane’s raves from the previous year and when she told me that I qualified based on time from Dallas 2013. I had always heard that it was a super fast course and wanted to see if I could have a “breakthrough” run back under 3:30. (I didn’t.) I also thought it would help me to stay focused on fitness through the holidays so that I would not gain my usual 5 – 10 winter/holiday pounds. (It didn’t. It was a very tough winter for me foodwise, too.) That said, I had a blast hanging out with Diane and Dave and Diane’s family (and my new BFF Quinn – who recommended that “we run really fast for 20 miles!”) It was also nice to be warm, to wear shorts and short sleeves. We got our bibs signed by Meb! I gutted out last mile to finish just under 3:40 in 3:39.44 (8:23 pace). This was almost 10 minutes behind my goal, but I felt that it was the best I had on this day. I was not disappointed. I ran a smart race and kept a reasonably positive attitude. I would go back again!
The Results: Net Time – 3:39.44 (8:23 pace). Overall place 1102 of 6,944, Gender place 227 of 2,586, Division place 25 of 444
2. Cupid’s Love Dash 10K – Highland Park, IL – February 9, 2014
Amanda convinced me to run this 10K in the ‘burbs because they advertised lots of free candy at the finish. Hell, I am easy and have run for less. It had been snowy and frozen, but the run time temp was looking to be a balmy 15 degrees and the snow seemed like it would be plowed, so we went for it. It was very chilly for the run and the first and last miles were pretty sloppy even though they were plowed. The first mile was pretty slushy and I missed the marker. The next 4 were great… clear surface, nice and a bit hilly and I felt really strong. The last mile was a cluster. The 10K merged with the 5K (back) and the footing was bad. I just tried to stay upright! Amanda was 1st woman and 3rd overall. I was 2nd woman (by less than 1 second!) and 9th overall. We won gift certificates to Running Right and went over and got some socks and samples! And lots of candy and popcorn. A good haul!
The Results: Finish: 45:00 Pace: 7:15. Overall: 9 out of ~200. Women: 2 out of ~115 F 40-44: 1 out of ~20
3. NYC Half – New York, NY – March 16, 2014
I joined Alexandra’s Playground again this year and supported fundraising by hosting another raffle. I raised over $2300! Woot. Woot! Stacy joined me in NYC again, but this time was cheerleader and sherpa (thank you!) It was COLD again! It was 30 degrees at the start, not sunny and windy. I met a woman named Jen when we were waiting for the metal detectors (yup – that happened). She was running only her 2nd half and paced with me until mile 10. It was super fun to run with a newer runner. The course was more crowded and slightly different this year. The first 5K was slower than I was hoping to go. That said, I felt very strong and positive. When the going got tough, I thought about Alex and the Vitale family. I was proud to run for Alexandra’s Playground and to run strong, positive and inspired! I finished with negative splits for a change which was nice. I was slower than last year, but after this winter, I will gladly take these results!
The Results: Finish: 1:37:12 Pace: 7:26. Overall: 1845 out of 20,790. Women: 342 out of 11,009 F 40-44: 33 out of 1364
4. Shamrock Shuffle – Chicago, IL – March 30, 2014
I normally don’t like big races. Shamrock Shuffle is HUGE. 30,000+ runners over 8K. For some reason, though, I really enjoy it. I think because it is the start of spring and lots of my friends do it. They usually have a nice Nike shirt and fun snacks. It is a way to test the legs to see if they still work after the winter. It was pretty chilly, but was brilliantly sunny. Like NYC 1/2, they changed the course and I felt good and ran strong, but was slower than last year! Hopefully, I won’t say that for every race this year. I had fun and felt like I did my best so all good!
The Results: Finish: 34:39 (6:59/mile) Overall 1,132 of 30, 115. Female: 179 of 17,154. Age Group: 8 of 1,880.
The winner is comment #45 – Elizabeth N. Please note – I skipped my replies in the count!
Want to be a part of my 2nd Quarter Race Round Up? Come run with me at the 2014 Michelob Ultra Chicago 13.1 Marathon. I won an entry to this race last year from Kelly’s blog. And had a blast. It is a great course and 2013 gave us a great day for it!
I have one entry to give away for this great race ($90 value through 5/1!) This is a beautiful half-marathon runs along the lakefront with the sounds of more than 10 party stations. It has a great post race party with beer from Michelob Ultra (and other tasty snacks).
The race is Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 7 AM and starts at the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago.
Do you want to win a FREE ENTRY to the 2014 Michelob Ultra Chicago 13.1? If so, please make a comment below and tell me why you want to win or your fave half marathon. For a second entry, like my Facebook page. For a third entry, like the 13.1 Marathon series Facebook page. Please leave a comment for EACH ONE of the entries. Giveaway starts now and runs until Wednesday, April 9th, 2014 at 9am when a winner will be selected via a random number generator.
Don’t want to wait to see if you win? You can register to be one of the first to start and finish the 2014 Michelob Ultra Chicago 13.1 Marathon® benefiting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.
That’s all for now! Not a bad round up for the frozen winter we had! How was your 1st quarter in running?