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 third quarter of 2015.
# of Races Run this Quarter– 7 – 3 Half Marathons (Rock N Roll Chicago, Oak Brook and Hub City), 4 5Ks (Bastille Day, Esprit de She, Humboldt Park and Mag Mile Women’s). I will provide brief recaps and photos below! I had two DNSs Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 and Big 10K 5K. I was all raced out after Grandma’s and decided to play it safe.
Rave Run Location: Healdsburg, CA. We ran 9.4, 15 and 4.4 miles and took photos on the last day. Loved it!
Miles Run This Quarter: 686.8 – which averages to ~7.4 per day – though I don’t run every day. 51.7 miles were in races.
Falls: None that I can think of! Whoo hoo – 2 quarters in a row. I think that must be a record for me.
Personal Records (PRs): 0 – no surprises here. I did not run any new distances or super fast courses.
Toughest Conditions: Humidity at the Oak Brook Half was killer. I was so out of it after the race. That weather is not for me! Summer racing is tough. This was my slowest half in 4 years.
Pairs of Sneakers: Still wearing my Karhu Fast 4s and Hoka Cliftons. I have been enjoying a pair of Brooks Pure Flows as a travel pair, as well.
New Running Goodies that I tried:
- SUB Sports Compression Capris
- CEP Compression “No Show” Socks and Light Weight Sleeves
- Racefood Fast Bars – New Flavor
- SOS Rehydrate – new packaging
Popular Running Posts:
Races Planned for Q4: Prairie State Half Marathon, Rock N Roll Denver Half Marathon (what altitude??), NYC Marathon, hopefully some Thanksgiving something – depends where we go and ??? Any suggestions?
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. Bastille Day 5K, Chicago, IL – July 9, 2015. This race is actually two races. It is a 5K and an 8K. I ran the 5K. I was the first woman to cross the line. I was beat by another woman on net time. We never saw said woman and she had no other race results anywhere online. Womp womp. A near win? A near loss? Oh well… can’t complain about second female overall two weeks post Grandma’s marathon.
The Results: Net time: 21:09 (6:48/mile pace). Overall place 18 of 331. Gender place 2 of 189. Division place 1 of 16 in women 40-44.
2. Rock n Roll Chicago, Chicago, IL – July 18, 2015 (recap). I was offered a free entry into this race so I said yes. I stopped signing up for this race a few years ago because it is always hot as blazes AND it is expensive. Well, free is free, plus I was sponsored by Humana and paid to write some blog posts about the cool stuff they are doing around health and fitness in the race series’ cities. It was super hot and humid – even at the start. I ran a smart and controlled race and fulfilled my goal of finishing with a smile on my face and feeling good.
The Results: Net time: 1:44.02 (7:57/mile). Overall place 474/12025. Gender place 130 of 7171 (top 2% of women – it was really warm so this was a relatively strong run). Division place 8 of 798 in women 40-44.
3. Esprit de She 5K, Chicago, IL – July 23, 2015 – I was a race ambassador for Esprit de She again and got a posse of friends to sign up. It was a relatively mild night and we had 5 friends in the 5K and 1 in the 10K. Amanda crushed this and won by 90 seconds! I was third, Allyson was fourth, Stacy was sixth and Liv was ninth. 5 in the top 10! Woot. Wendy ran a great 10K and finished fifth. We all got age group awards and tons of goodies from awesome sponsors. Most importantly, we had a blast. We’ll be back next year!
The Results: Net time: 21:31 (6:56/mile). Overall place 3/536. Gender place 3 of 531. Division place 1 of 138 in women 40-44.
4. Humboldt Park 5K, Chicago, IL – August 29, 2015– This was my only race in August which felt strange for me. I also ran there in the rain (6.5 miles) and ran home in the rain (6.5 miles) for NYC training. Stacy and I ran over and met Kelli. Kelli fell in a hole on the way there, but she still was the first woman. I was second and Stacy was seventh. It rained on our way over but the race was really nice and it was fun to run in a different spot in the city! It was great to be cheered by Molly C. who works for RAM Racing.
The Results: Net time: 20:51 (6:42/mile) – best this year, I think. Overall place 23/495. Gender place 2 of 305. Division place 1 of 37 in women 40-44.
5. Mag Mile Women’s 5K, Chicago, IL – September 6, 2015 – The last 3 years I ran the half marathon in this terrific Fleet Feet event. Last year, I was slayed by the heat and humidity and swore off it. I opted for the 5K with Stacy and we cheered for Amanda, Kristin and Kelli in the half. We had the opportunity to attend a yoga class and a fun run with special guests Lauren Fleshman and Summer Sanders. We are crazy fan girls and loved the opportunity to talk to and run with both of them and, of course, take photos. On race day, it was toasty and I was delighted with the choice to do the 5K. I ran the first two miles with Amanda and tried to stay as close to Lauren (who was doing a “fun” run) as possible. I finished well and we had fun cheering on our friends, too.
The Results: Net time: 21:03 (6:42/mile). Overall place 6/932. Gender place 5 of 894. Division place 1 of 117 in women 40-44.
6. Oak Brook Half Marathon, Oak Brook, IL – September 7, 2015- Yes, I am aware this is two days in a row. This hilly, suburban half has been on my radar for years. This year, Zack, Sarah and Kate came with me and we tackled it on a humid, hellish day. I was a sweaty puddle and really struggled with the last 3 miles. I could not wait to be done. I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and chatting with people, but man the conditions were tough for me. I’d like to try this on a cooler day. Maybe I will give it another shot!
The Results: Net time: 1:45.32 (8:03/mile). Overall place 88/846. Gender place 24 of 413. Division place 4 of 61 in women 40-44.
7. Cancelled – Fit Foodie 5K, Chicago, IL – September 12, 2015 – I was an ambassador for the Fit Foodie 5K which was debuting in Chicago. The race is sponsored by Cooking Light and Health Magazines. The course was flooded by an insane flash rain storm and it was really cold, too. It was almost unbelievable compared to the previous week. We still loaded up on tons of loot from amazing sponsors. I hope they will come back next year so we can run!
7. Hub City Half Marathon, Crown Point, IN – September 13, 2015- Yes, I am aware this would have been two days in a row…two weeks in a row. Wendy and I fell in love with Tim F. and Hometown Happenings when we did the progressive race last year. He gave us free entries and we brought Josh, Ryan and Emily with us to run this inaugural half marathon. The race was small and we were worried about getting lost. The course was super well marked and the volunteers were amazing. We got a perfect cool, sunny day and loved the rolling hills. Josh helped Wendy to hold back in the first half and then she crushed the back 5 and won the women’s race. I was third and almost kicked it in for second. I hesitated on some grass. Rats! Ryan was third male and Josh got an age group award. Wendy and I won cool horseshoes and entries for next year as 1st woman (Wendy) and 1st Masters woman (me). We’ll be back!
The Results: Net time: 1:40.22 (7:40/mile). Overall place 18/187. Gender place 3 of ~100. Division place 1 of 19 in women 40-44.
How was your third quarter in running? Please tell me about it in the comments!