Back to Work

So I've not been to the gym much over the past 2 weeks for various reasons.  My wife's grandmother passed away and we had to attend the wake and Funeral.  Then my wife got sick, then I got sick.  Now I am finally feeling better so I can get back into the gym and throw some weights around.  I have the Monster Dash 5k with my wife on Oct 21st and the Super Spartan on Oct 27th.  I really need to get in some quality time at the gym to be ready for the Super Spartan.  Cant wait.

Ron

Chicago Half Marathon

On Sunday, Sept 9th I ran the 16th annual Chicago Half Marathon.  I was lucky because I was not originally planning to run this race due to the cost but I was lucky and my company covered my registration.  

I headed out to the race around 5:15 in the morning and managed to get there around 5:45 only to realize that I had forgotten my race bib at home.  Cursing the whole way, I turned around and sped back home grabbed my bib and sped back to the race.  Of course by this time there was a lot of traffic trying to park at the Museum of Science and Industry.  I managed to get parked and make it to the start line with 10 minutes to spare.

The race wet off beautifully.  The weather was perfect.  It was around 60 degrees at the start of the race just as the sun was coming up over Lake Michigan.  I was dealing with other issues around that time as well.  I was fielding text messages from my sister-in-law because my wife's step-grandmother had been rushed to the hospital and died shortly after.  So I was trying to get a hold of my wife who was still at home sleeping with no success.  I debated whether or not to run the race at that point, wondering if I should go home and get my wife.  Then I decided that the best way to honor those that are gone is to live your life to the fullest.  What better reminder that we have a limited time on Earth.  So I decided to stay and run the race.

The race started promptly at 7 AM and we were on our way.  I liked the start of the race because it was not a staggered start.  I was in the G corral, but there was no stopping and waiting after each corral.  I crossed the start line at around the 3:36 mark I think.  It was a bit of a slow start because everyone was bunched up, and I feel that I was started a little too far back with runners that were slower than I.  Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a fast distance runner.  I generally aim for a 10 minute mile.  But I was passing a lot of people quite easily in the beginning.  

I was feeling good.  Much better than I had for the past week when I was out running.  In fact I was quite surprised and how light I felt and the amount of energy I had.  The first 3 miles passed easily and I was even ahead of my projected 10 minute pace.  At around the 5 mile mark, I slowed down and grabbed a cup of Gatorade from the Aid Station (there were Aid Stations every mile or mile and a half), gulped that down and then grabbed a cup of water.  I pulled my GU pack out of my belt pouch and ate it quickly and washed it down with the water.

At the end of the 75 yards or so that the Aid Station was set up on, I started back off at a slow jog.  I gradually gained speed again and at the next mile marker (6) I saw that I had lost around a minute off my time, but was still ahead of my 10 min/mile pace.  I continued on until the 10 mile marker where I had to slow down and walk for a bit because I was starting to feel cramping in my quads.  I pulled up on the side of the road and stretched my legs for a minute, working out the kinks that were forming.  

After a minute of stretching I started back up again at an easy pace and made it to the 12 mile mark before slowing down one last time for the Aid Station.  I drank my last cup of Gatorade and a washed the taste out with some water.  I didn't wait until the end of the aid station to start running again.  By this time my quads were burning and it seemed like I could not get enough air.  I pushed on and when the finish line came into sight picked up the pace a little bit.  I crossed the finish line at the 2:16:31 mark.  Minus the extra time it took me to cross the start line, I finished in 2:12:52.  A new personal best for the Half Marathon.

The entire race, aside from pushing myself mentally, I would constantly think about my wife's Step-Grandmother.  Her death that morning made me think of the other people in my life that I have lost.  Mostly my grandparents, of which all are now dead, a friend from grammar school, people I went to high school with, close and distant relatives.  Along the route I would see disabled veterans missing limbs but proud nonetheless, elderly people supporting there friends and family, young children and overweight individuals.  Most of these people probably wish they could be doing what I was doing, even if it was just at a snails pace.  Some may even be training for it but were not ready yet, either physically or mentally.  I always keep these people in my mind while I am running my races.  These are the people that inspire me to keep going.  To run faster and longer than I normally would.  The pain in my legs and the burning in my lungs seems paltry in comparison to the struggles that many of these people deal with on a daily basis.  It is to these people that I attribute my success that day in beating my previous time by almost 17 minutes.  To the veterans who defended our nation and the men and women that still do, to the EMT's, police and Firefighters that help make these events safe, the organizers and runners, I say thank you.

Ron

Chicago Half Marathon Prep

So I'm running the Chicago Half Marathon on Sunday and I do not feel prepared.  I went for a 4.5 mile run last night and it felt like I was running through quick sand and breathing through a gas mask.  I hope it was just the humidity in the air.  Still, I managed a personal best for a 5k at 22 minutes.  Overall I ran a 7 minute mile.  That's a really good time for me.  Not sure how I did it.  I still have today, Thursday and Friday for real training and only a short run on Saturday to keep the legs loose.  For some reason I feel less prepared for this Half marathon than I did for the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon I did in July.  Maybe I am just over thinking it.  Guess I'll see on Sunday.

Ron