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Chicago Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Chicago Half Marathon
65F / 18C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 24m 4s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Up at 3:30am, picked up my uncle, arrived at 5:45am, parked in the same place as last year, right by the starting line, free parking. Win. Met up at the Oasis tent where Carson realized he left his Dexcom (blood sugar monitor) in the car. Glad we parked close. Dad left to go get it and he had the backpack with him with my insulin and stuff in it. Had to wait about 20 minutes for him to get back. Right when he got back the Oasis people wanted us all to gather together, team captains gave speeches, we prayed, took photos, etc and we were getting eaten alive by mosquitos. Horrible. They took WAY too long with stuff. Ended formal Oasis stuff at 6:35, corrals closed at 6:45 and we weren't READY. Scrambled at the last minute to take insulin, inhalers, potty stop, get belts on and EAT. I was super flustered. And itchy from mosquitos.
Event warmup:

None. Just got in the corrals barely in time.
Run
  • 2h 24m 4s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 11m  min/mile
Comments:

Carson (age 14) and his friend Matt had strict instructions to stay together during the race, so I wasn't worried when they bolted as soon as we crossed the start line. I was still flustered from the prerace rush and my watch said 9:10 at mile 1. Woah. WAY TOO FAST. I slowed down, kept running, saw Todd at mile 4. And then my right IT band started hurting. Ugh. It hasn't hurt all season but this race is on concrete and I train exclusively on a limestone paved trail. The streets were really slanted too and I could feel it.

Had a GU and salt stick at mile 5 which is when I decided to walk a little every mile. I walked some before that but only for about 10 seconds at a time. One voice in my head said I should walk and the other said RUN DAMMIT ITS A RACE.

IT band started to feel better at mile 6 and by then you could see people coming back the other way. I started looking for Carson and Matt then. That made those miles go fast. I soon saw Matt flying WITHOUT CARSON. He said Carson was right behind. Saw Carson and he said his blood sugar was low and but he was ok. So he was off and out of sight and I was like CRAP, Matt is not stopping and Carson's struggling and I'm about 2 miles behind them. So I spent miles 7-10 totally worried about Carson especially when an ambulance drove by with the lights on. Todd calls me at mile 10 and said Matt just crossed the finish line and asked if Carson was with me. NO!!!!! I was panicked. He called back at mile 11 and Carson just crossed. Whew.

But to back up, I had another GU and salt stick at mile 9 and by mile 10 my IT band was really hurting again. It was getting warm (mid 70's) and sunny and I was tired. Had to walk a lot at the end.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe train on concrete.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked to the Oasis Tent. Limped I should say.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Concrete. Would have liked it just a little cooler. Worrying about my diabetic son didn't help. Although he did awesome and finished in 2:02 despite his friend ditching him.

Event comments:

Tons of drinking stations and volunteers. Lots of bathrooms, medical help, etc. Too many bees and mosquitos in the park post race. It was crazy.




Last updated: 2014-08-30 12:00 AM
Running
02:24:04 | 13.1 miles | 11m  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Course: 1st 4 miles went through Jackson Park, then up Lakeshore Drive and back. Concrete most of the way, some asphalt in the park.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2014-09-07 1:25 PM

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Member
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Subject: Chicago Half Marathon


2014-09-08 10:31 AM
in reply to: #5047626

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Veteran
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Subject: RE: Chicago Half Marathon

Nice finish even with all the worries.

2014-09-08 5:15 PM
in reply to: #5047626

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Alpharetta, Georgia
Bronze member
Subject: RE: Chicago Half Marathon

Great job to you and Carson! Thank goodness you had your phone! 

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