Saturday, March 16, 2013

Get Lucky Half Marathon Race Recap

Me and Xaarlin before the race
Since the Boston Marathon is four weeks away, this weekend was the perfect time to throw in a "tune-up" race. I had no plans on using this as a pace predictor for the full, since I am just getting back into the swing of things after my injury, and I hadn't run over 12 miles since November.

Signing Up:
The "Team Ortho Get Lucky Half Marathon" fit the "tune-up" race bill. So about two weeks ago, I signed up. One complaint about these big corporate races which I make often, is that the entry fee is advertised as $69.77 (get it? 7s are lucky!). Once you've entered all of your info and finally get to the checkout web page, a $5.50 "fee" is added. So, the final price, was an only half as lucky total of $75.32!

It's no mystery why races do this, they figure people will be attracted to a sub $70 race, but in reality the race is ~10% more. They tack a meaningless fee to the price and add almost 10% to their bottom line.  Anyway, I'll quit my complaining since I'm just glad someone was holding a half in Chicago in mid-March! Just beware, that most races cost a little more than advertised.

The Race:
I got to the Western "L" stop at about 7:30 am.



I switched to the Red Line and made it to the Roosevelt Rd. station at about 8:05. After a 15 minute walk from the train to the race, I spotted other runners much more festively decked out than I:

Runners in full-regalia for the St. Patrick's themed race.

Eventually, I made it to the Chicago Running Blogger meetup at the gear check and got to meet Xaarlin (and her awesome owl head hat) for the first time!



Apparently, we were the only two bloggers at the meetup, so we checked our gear at the tiny gear check. I think most people must have driven and used their trunks as their personal gear checks, as the line moved surprisingly quickly. 

Random "Get Lucky Half" runners #1 - "Fighting the Wind"
Since the race didn't start until 9:07 (get it?), we hung around in the cold for 20 minutes. Then we went on a 0.6 mile warm-up jog, just before the start of the race. The half marathon course ran essentially straight south 6.5 miles, followed by 6.5 miles north on the same trail. During our warm-up we quickly realized that the winds would be directly to our backs for the first half and directly in our faces for the 2nd Half. As the Tribune weather forecast put it:

"Brisk northeast winds 10-22 mph off still icy lake waters add to the day's discomfort"

So, in order to avoid too much discomfort, we would have to pace ourselves for the first half even though the temptation to run fast was present. We would have a mega tailwind for 6.5 miles!

Random "Get Lucky Half" runners #2
The gun sounded and we were off. This would be my first race ever that I ran with someone I knew! Fun! Xaarlin and I chatted as a few runners sprinted ahead taking advantage of the tailwind. We were just a little more cautious, trying to hold back to preserve the much needed energy for the 2nd half. I heard more than one person mention that once we made the turn at half way, things were going to get bad. I also heard a couple of people compliment her owl hat! I've got to get one.
Random "Get Lucky Half" runners #3
Xaarlin and I were joking that we were hoping for the winds to change direction for the second half so we would have dual tailwinds! Unfortunately the winds did not change direction for us.  We made the turn and it started to rain a little. During the first half of the race I mentioned/bragged to Xaarlin that I rarely go to the bathroom during half marathons, I just calm down a little and forget about it. Well, wouldn't you know I had to really go just after the turn! Luckily, the sole porta-potty at the turn was unoccupied, so I ducked in it and she continued running ahead and I told her I would try and catch up with her.
Random "Get Lucky Half" runner #4

Once I left the porta potty, things got really rough, as my sunglasses got completely covered in ice and I could barely see through them. The winds were probably gusting at over 20 mph and it felt like that there was a giant man pushing against me as I tried to run. Eventually, I caught up with Xaarlin and we ran together again. Despite the howling headwinds and pelting sleet coming off the lake, we were running hard. It made my legs strain and my lungs burn. It's these kind of conditions that pay huge dividends in marathon training. It is a monumental effort to move forward, so we were building lots of strength and endurance without the leg pounding that such effort normally requires. 

My ankle felt pretty good at mile 10, so I decided to "race" the rest of the way in. I told Xaarlin I would meet her at the finish line and we parted ways. I then started reeling in runners that had gone out too fast. In fact, from mile 6.2 to mile 13.1. I passed 38 runners and was only passed by 5. How do I know? Because of the very cool individual results sheet that was available to each runner shortly after the race! See mine:

My "Get Lucky" results page, very cool.

Anyway, completely exhausted, I sprinted past the 1:45 pace group 20 yards from the finish line and stepped on the last timing mat. I was done!

Post Race:
After the finish, I collected my medal and headed to gear check to quickly grab my video camera to shoot Xaarlin's finish. Unfortunately, gear check could not find my bag! I actually had to go behind the gear check desk and into the sea of bags to find my bag. By the time I found my bag, 5 minutes had elapsed. I hurried over just south of the finish line, and set up my camera. Unfortunately, I was probably less than a minute late, as Xaarlin (unbeknownst to me at the time) had already finished.

So I got some video of random runners, which you can see here, here, here and here:


After looking for Xaarlin unsuccessfully for about 5 minutes, I was starting to get mild hypothermia as the cold wind was chilling my already cold sweaty running clothes. So, I made a "bee line for the Red Line" so to speak. I did stop on the way to take a quick picture the St. Patrick's Day parade staging area on Columbus Drive. There were a few DeLoreans getting ready to drive in the parade:


DeLoreans at the Chicago St. Patricks Day Parade
As I was slowly turning into a popsicle on the "L" (I was sitting by a door), all I could think about was getting warm. So, as soon as I got home I had a hot bath and then ate some hot chili. It's good to be warm again!

Summary:
  • I got to run with Xaarlin. Awesome!
  • Cold and wet conditions
  • A Lakefront Trail course, which could have been bad, but it was not overly crowded
  • A little over-priced for an open course which I could have run on anyway, but I needed this race for a tune-up for Boston.

Next up: 

16 miler next weekend then my taper starts!

26 comments:

  1. well done Pete. no pain means that you are going to run Boston with no problems. i ran lucky 7 too but, it was so many people.
    the wind it was terrible, i'm guess nobody got personal best or negative split right?
    congrats!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks and congrats to you for running and finishing in the cold winds. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will have no problems going forward. Just need to keep my mileage decent next week, run my 16 miler on Sunday then start the taper! Yeah, I don't think it was a day for PRs for most people! :-)

      Delete
    2. i'm planning 16-18 miles in barrington hills this sunday. you should try a real hilly course like that.

      Delete
    3. Good luck on your run on Sunday. I probably do need to run some hills, but I think I will run mostly flat long training runs and suffer on the hills in Boston when I get there! :-)

      Delete
  2. That results page is pretty cool. A friend wanted me to do the 7K with her (she originally registered for the half, so i would have been running by myself, but downgraded at the last minute because she hadn't trained enough) but I thought it was a little pricey, I think being close to $60 after fees. Glad to hear you had a good run and that your ankle felt good! I'm especially impressed by your ability to sprint at the end, despite being exhausted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, the race is pricey for the course. I normally don't want to pay more that $25 for a lakefront trail race, since I can run there anyway. Anyway, at least they let your friend downgrade, that is a nice option. Thanks, my ankle is still good, knock on wood! :-)

      Delete
  3. I hadn't noticed the details on the results page - it is cool! Thanks for pointing it out. I might have to increase my rating for the race now.
    I'm glad you had a positive (albeit chilly!) race.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No problem. Yeah, I wish all races had detailed results like this one.

      Delete
  4. Was so lovely to finally meet you! Thank you for sticking with me through 10 miles, they flew by quick. I would have certainly slowed down a ton after mile 7 if it wasn't for your company (and I slowed down 50 sec a mile! Yikes) not sure if it was all mental defeat because of the wind or just the wind and sleet.

    I was wishing I wore glasses for this one, but after reading yours got iced over, I guess I'm glad I didn't wear mine :)

    Damn! Nice sprint to the finish! (But that's probably more like your normal pace) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it was lovely meeting you too. I am very glad I stuck to our pace and had your company for the first 10 miles. It did make the miles go by faster. By the end of the race, I was completely spent and can't imagine approaching the race strategy any differently than we did. The wind did challenge us mentally and it would have been easy to give in and walk (like the woman in the orange hat we had problems passing), but you toughed it out and ran strong. You should be proud of your effort and if you do the same effort at a less cold/windy race you will shatter your PR! :-)

      Delete
  5. Congrats on a great finish! Sounds like pretty miserable conditions though. Last year it was unseasonably warm for this race (Kelly/Running Kellometers and Sarah/Gingerfoxxx ran it). Chicago weather is so "fun."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Actually, your race sounds more miserable! At least half of our race had a cool tailwind. Glad this year's race was held when temps were slightly below normal.

      Delete
  6. Maggie's right, it actually reached 80 degrees last year! Great for spectators though (and the parade!) Looks like they changed the course a little to, i think the start finish was grant park last year? I saw the crowds at the start of the race during my training run, but decided to turn into that headwind :) Great finish - those ice pellets were brutal!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, 80 degrees would have been ideal for the spectators, but for the runners, not so much! Yes, they did change the course, apparently. Maybe it was too close to the parade staging area? Yeah, I need ski goggles for this weather!

      Delete
  7. Congrats on the great race time and finish. I agree with the over priced races. This is why I love doing the smaller races. They tend to be much cheaper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Yeah this one was pricey and if it is the same price, I may not run next year's race. I have run cheaper races with better (i.e closed) courses and more on-site amenities. However, it is perfectly timed for a warm-up for Boston!

      Delete
  8. Nice job reeling in those runners! There was very little reeling in for me this weekend. I'd do it again, though agree it was a little on the pricey side.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Congrats to you. Just finishing this one was an accomplishment, I am lucky I had a little juice left for the last 3 miles.

      Delete
  9. I've never seen race results like that before.. especially telling you how many runners you passed. How cool!

    Also way to go running along the lake on Saturday! The weather was pretty awful. Only a few more weeks until it gets nice though (hopefully...).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, you could actually see how many you passed (or were passed by) from the start to 10k and then the same info for 10k to finish! Pretty cool. BTW, most of all, I'm hoping for favorable marathon weather conditions on April 15th! How about 45 degrees and sunny with a tailwind?! :-)

      Delete
  10. Nice job speedy! You are totally back on track! :) Okay, really close to being totally back on track :) And that makes me happy!

    Was this REALLY your first race running with someone else?! Oh! I know why! You're faster than everyone :)

    My husband LOVES DeLoreans. I better send him this pic.

    I get annoyed when there are hidden race fees too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, it is good to be on track. I am just taking everything a little slower and a little less far than I would typically. Yes, I think it was the first race that I ran with someone else. I may have run a mile or two with someone at the beginning, but never for 10 whole miles!

      Delete
  11. Great job on the half! Nice pace! I heard about the wind at that half! Sounds brutal! Loved the way the results sheet had that listed too! I was thinking..."You were counting??" Haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, it was brutal. Yeah, I guess I may have to actually keep a count myself next race. Hopefully the number of people I pass won't be a negative number! :-)

      Delete
  12. Congrats! You guys were troopers in that weather. I only run 7 and I couldn't get over the wind!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. It was tough. Good job on at least getting 7 miles in! :-)

      Delete