Fleet Feet Sports Soldier Field 10 Mile - Run10 Mile


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Fleet Feet Sports
55F / 13C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 1h 40m 15s
Overall Rank = 7189/15,000
Age Group = F 30-34
Age Group Rank = 768/1592
Pre-race routine:

Toast/banana/gatorade/coffee

Event warmup:

Got there MUCH later than I would have liked due to riding with a friend, and because the pre-race was so chaotic I didn't get to stretch or warm up at all. I did however, get to run a few laps between bathrooms at Soldier Field searching for a smaller line. Not enough porta-potties for 15,000 runners. I think they had the same amount of potties on site as they did for the Run to Remember, which was 3,000 runners. Also had a very hard time finding gear check. Once I found it though, it was well-organized and well-staffed. But all the running around ruined any hope of stretching.
Run
  • 1h 40m 15s
  • 10 miles
  • 10m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

Ran into a friend at mile 7 who was feeling very tired and we managed to run together the rest of the way. Nice company!
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. This was exactly how I envisioned it. I wanted to run 10 minute miles and finish at 1.40. I would have been happy with 1.45. But I got 1.40! GREAT day!
Post race
Warm down:

This is a funny story. It was kind of cold out, and there was a dense fog with 100% humidity. After the race, we lost someone in our group and waited in the stadium FOREVER to find him. We hit up the first aid tent, and while my friend was explaining the situation, these volunteers kept asking me if I was ok. I didn't know why until Emily pointed out that I was so cold I was shaking and my teeth were chattering - despite that I was wearing a blanket and a fleece over my soaked running clothes. A doctor actually approached me and said - ARE YOU OK!? I'm like, "I'm fine, just cold!" And he ran back and got a space blanket and wrapped me up in it and then rewrapped my blanket and I stopped chattering almost immediately. So, thanks to the volunteers for being so awesome and worrying about me - I swear my skin is just very pale but maybe I was looking a little blue at that point :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I would have had to train faster to run faster. Maybe could have picked up a minute or 2 today if that bottleneck didn't happen at mile 6, but doubtful because I may have run out of steam later. This was a pretty good effort on my part and though it's not fast, I'm happy.

Event comments:

Great day. They probably need more port-a-potties, but that's my only complaint! It's a well-organized event with great volunteers and a wonderful course. Will do it again.




Last updated: 2011-01-12 12:00 AM
Running
01:40:15 | 10 miles | 10m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/1592
Overall: 0/15,000
Performance: Good
Course: Flat course. Started outside of Soldier Field and headed south, ON Lake Shore Drive! That felt a little crazy because cars go so fast but also pretty cool because the cars drive past and the drivers yell like crazy and honk at the runners (saying "YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY! GO RUNNERS!") At the mile 5 turnaround, you go North on the Lakefront path. It gets very tight at times. I was trying to stay with the 1.35 pacers when I saw them at mile 6, but unfortunately it was too crowded to stay with them. Luckily, it opens back up after about a mile of bottleneck. The last few miles are quite nice along the lake. Then you finish on the 50 yard line of Soldier Field. It's pretty cool to run into the stadium and through the players tunnel onto the field. Nice to get to run on the turf, too. That was very special. Wish I could run on it all the time!
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5