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This is probably one of the fastest competitor fields in
all of Chicago. If there is a race that attracts more speed, I haven't done it. And you need to tell me about it. It probably has to do with the fact that there aren't many other races on the 4th of July and this is a CARA Race Circuit race. The streets swarm with club runners doing their warm-ups. My own included....the mighty LFLB team!
I consider doing this race a major accomplishment
considering my wife had emergency eye surgery Thursday. It freaked me out. She'll be fine and needless to say she is unable to run for a while. My son was racing and agreed to run with my sister-in-law instead of my wife. I know she talked him into it so I could race. Otherwise, I would have been happy to "race" with him.
I've run this course seven consecutive years and I can't help thinking I
should be faster. McMillan assumes 27:23 on a flat course based on my
recent 5k. I do not taper for it (see the training page). Not sure if it has been fatigue from
high miles in my marathon build-up or running the underpass hill twice
in the race.
Mile 1 is a slight downhill at the start and then flat thereafter. I managed to not do anything stupid and run too fast at the start. It actually felt easy and the first split was 7:00 flat. Mile 2 is under the railroad tracks and up the first hill. My goal every year is to get to the top of the hill before the leaders are heading back the other way. I just barely made it this year. My second mile was 6:54.
Mile 3 is always a bit slower for me. I think it's the hairpin turnaround and the second uphill portion back under the railroad tracks. I saw my son heading toward Mile 2 at this point and yelled to him. Mile 3 was 7:06 I still had gas in the tank but the last portion is a steady uphill. Halfway up the hill my gag reflex kicked in. I slowed slightly and managed to fight off the "reversal of fortune". Last mile was 6:52. I PR'd the race by 4 seconds and finished in 27:56. I still think I could race faster.
I managed 16th in my AG and if I was 3 seconds faster
I would have placed 13th. The winner in the group ran 5:54
miles! Yeah he was in no danger of me passing him....ever. One of the LFLB members posted pictures of everyone of our racers they could see so that was cool. Thanks for the pic.
Fighting off the urge to hurl in the home stretch
I walked back along the course until I found my son at about 2 1/2 miles. A third grader who likes to negotiate when we run and walk. I'm fine it and I never push him. Whatever he wants to do is OK with me. Dad, lets walk. Dad, lets slow down. Dad, my feet hurt. We ran/walked to the finish together and he did manage to sprint across the finish line. I was proud he did this race at all considering his age. All of the kids his age were doing the 1k!
I'm going out of town
next week and will use it as a cutback week. However, I will actually
race my first half this year. It is a trail race on crushed gravel so
we'll see how I do. I do not think sub 1:35 is in the cards for this
one but I should be rested from the cutback. My only other 13.1 races
have been as a pacer this year.
