Run for the Animals 10k - 2016 Race Recap

As I mentioned in my previous post - after putting in a monthly and weekly PDR prior to this year's Run for the Animals - I didn't want to just best my 10k PR (<38:10).

I wanted to demolish it. 

Pre-Race

However, in order to demolish anything I needed to get out of bed and get ready to race! After a 5 a.m. shakeout run of two miles in the city, I jumped in my car and headed out to the 'burbs. My dad had picked up my bib along with his bib (for the 5k) earlier in the week, so I met up with him at his house, put on said bib, and we headed over to the race in downtown Wheaton. After reaching the start area, I went for a half mile warmup with some striders. This was going to be the hottest, most humid race of the year - and I was starting to sweat, which is not a good sign, but I have felt hotter prior to other races.

My strategy was to negative split by running two six minute miles then gradually pick-up the pace and see what I had left after the mile two marker.

The national anthem was sung and we were off!

The Race

Mile 1: This was a dual 5k and 10k, so per usual, I had to relax and let the hordes sprint by me at sub 5 minute pace over the first 200 yards and then watch as a lot of them fell back behind me. Right before the mile "1" marker, a guy in my age group tried to make a move to pass me. As he came up alongside me, I could hear that his breathing was labored and yet mine was barely audible. I knew he was in trouble, but I still couldn't in good conscience let him pass me. I sped up slightly and I didn't see (or hear) him again until the race was over. 5:57/mile.

Mile 2: I started catching up to people I had seen way down the road earlier. 5:58/mile.

Mile 3: Things started to really spread out and then suddenly the 5k and 10k course split and I was running behind only one guy. 5:57/mile.

Mile 4: I passed that guy and there seemed to be a big gap between me and the next guy. So, I had to really focus on the arrows painted on the road to make sure I didn't make a wrong turn. Also, it was getting hot. When I grabbed water I'd take a sip, then splash the rest on my face for some brief relief. 5:54/mile.

Mile 5: The wind was entirely to my back this mile and it shows in my split. As we made the turn around a lake, I sped by the final runner that I would pass in the race. 5:50/mile.

Mile 6: The tailwind became a headwind, which offered relief from the heat, but also was working against my tiring legs. I knew I had a PR in the bag, but could sense I was slowing down and was afraid that it would result in a somewhat ugly positive split. I ignored my watch and tried to muster any speed that was left in my legs. I hate slowing down near the end of races! 6:03/mile.

Mile 6.21: Down the homestretch I could feel the burn in my lungs and my legs. It's no wonder - I have never held a sub-6:00 average pace over six miles! Soon enough I was almost at the finish line and glanced over at the race clock to see my time, but the clock was turned off for some reason. I stopped my watch and was done.  5:39/mile.

Finishing strong into the wind (see the flag on the left)!

Race Summary: 

• Official Time: 36:49.393. Official pace: 5:56/mile
• Overall Place: 12th out of 671
• Age Place: 3rd out of 40 (another CARA race podium)
• Fifth PR in a row in five different distances this year
• Beat my PR by 1 minute and 20 seconds = PR demolished!
• Mission accomplished!

Soaking up the PR

Post-Race:

I grabbed a cup of water and looked down at my watch to see what my finishing time was since the race clock at the finish line was blank. I saw that the first two numbers on my watch read "36" and instead of drinking my water I threw it up in the air for joy. One of the volunteers who saw me do this said to me, "PR?" and I said "Yes! Big time!" and she congratulated me. Then I gleefully skipped over to the results tent to get my results. After standing in line for 5 minutes, the results official told me that the 10k results weren't ready. When I went finally got the results printed out 10 minutes later, the piece of paper said I ran a 41:07!! I could see other people staring incredulously at their results and after speaking with them, they said their results were also wrong. I was not happy since I had actually PR'd and wanted the official results to reflect my real time. It made me feel slightly better that at least I wasn't the only one with incorrect results.

Since there was nothing I could do about my official time at the moment, I headed over to run the kids' 1/2 mile race with my niece and nephew. I ran most of it with my nephew who shot out fast and then had to slow way down. I tried not to coach him too much, but when he made a move (jokingly) to run on the grass to take a shortcut, I told him that I would 100x rather have him walk than to cut the course short. After he finished, I turned around and ran back to run with my niece and dad who were just finishing up. The crowd support was great for the kids and they each got a medal and a cool neon colored shirt.

Three generations of runners (10k, 5k and 1/2 milers)

We all went to breakfast at a nearby diner. After that I walked back to the post-race area to check my results and saw that they had finally posted my correct time on the results wall. There must have been a big computer snafu and hopefully they can get it straightened out by the next race. Anyway, before leaving downtown Wheaton, we all walked over to say hi to my sister's hair stylist Alicia - who is a reader of my blog and who I also see running with her training group on the Lakefront Trail from time to time!

Race Takeaway:

Despite the heat, I was able to hold pace, which bodes well for my half marathon PR attempt in July. Although the temps at that race figure to be a lot hotter, I have six additional weeks to acclimate to the heat.

Next up:

Grim Mile!

Chicago Marathon 2015 Race Recap

Race Highlights

* 2nd fastest marathon ever

* Course PR (fastest of my five Chicago Marathons)
* BQ-minus 16:54 minute time of 3:08:06 for 26.5 miles

* Post-race with fellow BRC team members
* Not as hot as I had expected 

In my previous post I stated my "A" marathon goal was to run a sub-3:05:02 PR, and my "B" goal was to run a course PR of sub-3:09:00. Due to the warm temperatures predicted for the race, I knew that it was probably not going to be an "A" type of day. So, I set out to attain my "B" goal. I accomplished that by almost a minute. One of my "running smarter" goals was to run a negative split, and although this didn't happen I got pretty close (a one minute 54 second positive split).

Pre-Race

I called a cab (no Uber, I'm old school) shortly before 6 am, and made it down to Grant Park in about 20 minutes, a few yards from one of the Jackson gate. The lines through security were longer than last year, but only took about five minutes until I was through. Unlike last year, I was not able to secure a spot in the Balbo Hospitality Tent. I found out at the expo that the tent sold out two weeks before the race.

Out in the elements before the race - no luxury tent this year!

Once in Grant Park, I checked my bag and then headed over to my corral. I bumped into Eric who was volunteering, we talked a bit and then I continued on my way.

I waited in the "A" corral as they introduced the wheelchair racers and I actually got to high-five a few of them as they made there way to the front. I then bumped into fellow BRC member Todd and we chatted for a few minutes, just before the start of the race, and then before we knew it, we were off!

The Race

First Half

The first three miles were probably the roughest mentally for me. I was unsure how my legs would hold up since they had been pretty sore during my taper and early on, I started losing confidence that I could hold pace. For some reason, my energy levels were down, my nerves were getting the better of me and I was second-guessing myself as we ran up LaSalle Street. I was wondering if I could even make it another 24 miles of continuous running. I knew I needed a boost, so for the first time in my marathon career I ate some carbs (a Shot Block) in the first three miles. Soon thereafter, my energy levels increased, along with my confidence and I grooved a good steady pace. Crisis averted. My goal was to run the first three miles at 7:25, 7:20, 7:15. I actually ran them in 7:19, 7:11, 7:15. So far so good.

While running, I tried to follow the blue dashed tangent line as well as possible. However, other oblivious runners were weaving around the line as I tried to jostle for position so I could run on top of it. I assume they had no idea that that it was even there. By weaving around they were actually not running the tangents and adding distance. Anyway, at one point in Lincoln Park the blue line swerved way out into a turn, which surely could not have been the shortest distance around that turn. So, I lost a little faith in the blue line at that point. I passed the porta-potties that slowed me down last year and kept streaming ahead. I wanted to lock into a 7:05/mile pace at mile six, but I actually did that a mile too soon at mile five.

So now, I just needed to hit a 7:05/mile pace until the finish and I would have a course PR. The temps were miraculously still tolerable and I had been progressing at a conservative pace with the wind to my back. At mile eight in front of the Treasure Island on Broadway, my aunt and uncle were waiting to cheer me on. I ditched my bottle of water and picked up another one from a spectator. I also grabbed a wet sponge from an aid station and slipped it under my hat. Of course there was a photographer right at the sponge stop to catch all of the action:

Putting a wet spunge under my hat as other runners look on!

I popped the last three of my shot blocks in my mouth and took my first Gu. Luckily in the Loop there was a station handing out entire packages of Shot Blocks which saved me from having to eat more Gu. Woo hoo! Then I spotted Todd just ahead of me and slowly made my way up to him. However, he slowed to get water at an aid station and I kept going, so I passed him. A minute later he had caught back up to me and so we ran together for through the halfway point where I saw Marcia, Emily and Erica who were cheering me on.

First half split: 1:33:06 (7:06/mile)

Second Half

Todd and I ran side-by-side through the "Charity Block Party" around mile 14, I tried to mentally block out the crowd noise to prevent running my standard "surge" at this point in the race. I kept looking at my GPS watch to make sure I remained on pace. Although my Garmin said it was the fastest mile of the day, it sure felt (and looked) like I was maintaining my pace.

Anyway, we made our way back into the Loop and I could see the sun beating down on the skyline ahead. I was bracing myself for warmer temps. However, it did not seem to be getting too much warmer. The wind was strong, but it was seemingly blowing from a different direction depending on the block. So, it was easy to put it out of my mind, even if it was a headwind because I knew that around the corner, it would be tailwind! I kept going, easily hitting my pace mile after mile and felt well. The temptation to speed up was great, but from running this race four times before, I knew that I would need every bit of energy once I got in the homestretch on Michigan Ave. 

Eventually I lost track of Todd. At mile 17, unbeknownst to me at the time, I ran in front of 2012 Olympian and current Women's Running cover runner Sarah Attar. Kelly snapped a photo of her Oiselle teammate and me:

One of us is an Olympian (source: Running Kellometers)

Unfortunately, Kelly and I did not see each other, but luckily she realized I just happened to be in some of her pictures! Anyway, I was probably not drinking enough water because I wasn't sweating as much as I should have been with the temps rising like they were. Not wanting to slow down, I even skipped a water stop or two, something I have never done in the past. Every mile or so, I would get a twinge in my left thigh which was a strong indicator that a cramp was coming on. So, I backed off my pace ever so slightly, not wanting to over-do things and completely cramp up. At mile 20.5 I spotted Annabelle and she cheered me on.

In Chinatown, there were a few spectators smoking. Cigar and cigarette smoke wafted in the air all around me and it filled my already hurting lungs. Once I caught my breath I yelled "NO SMOKING!" in the direction of one of the smokers, which ticked them off so they began yelling back at me. My admonishment probably didn't help things, as they were probably happy that they were messing with the runners' breathing, but I'm glad I said something.

After yelling at a smoker in Chinatown

On a happier note, at mile 23.5 I passed Xaarlin and Eric (again!) and Xaarlin snapped my picture:

At mile 23.5 (src)

Even though I felt strong at the time, a glance at my Garmin showed that my pace was slowing. I ran mile 23 and 24 each in 7:26/mile. I feared accelerating in order to try and get back to pace, as pre-cramp warning signals were coming from my legs. I'm sure dehydration was taking its toll, but in my mental state at the time, I did not correlate the twinges in my legs to needing water. As I turned onto Michigan Avenue, I made some mental calculations and realized a course PR was within my reach as long as I held a sub 8:00/mile pace until the finish. So, I skipped past the last couple of aid stations and just focused on getting to the finish line by putting one foot in front of the other.

I passed Ken from the BRC in front of the Weathermark on South Michigan Ave. and he was cheering and filming a video of me. I rounded the corner at Roosevelt and Michigan and bounded up the hill passing other runners on pure adrenaline. Once at the top, I looked down Columbus Drive to the finish line. I saw that the finish line clock was ticking up to (what for me was) a 3:08:00 and I could possibly score a 3:07:59 if I hauled some major booty. So I used up everything I had left and then did a sprint down the hill, but the finish line did not come up soon enough and the clock passed 3:08:00.

Mustering a sprint to the finish

  Second half split: 1:35:00 (7:15/mile)

Results 

Analysis: My official time was a 3:08:06 for an official pace of 7:11/mile. My Garmin shows that I ran 26.7 miles for a 7:02/mile pace average. I got my course PR by almost a minute. I also BQ'd by 16+ minutes, which means I'm pretty much assured of getting into the 2017 race if I so choose. I re-qualified for the 2016 Chicago Marathon next year, but also I'm now a legacy finisher and I can run Chicago without qualifying for the next four years! Now I can go all out during my (hopefully cooler) spring marathon and really focus on running my PR pace for the entire race.

Enjoying my post-race 312

 Post Race

After drinking water, a Gatorade shake and grabbing my beer, I headed over to the changing tent, got dressed and walked the mile and a half trek back through the race crowds to the Weathermark on south Michigan Ave. I stopped at Jimmy John's on the way and ate a sub sandwich as I negotiated the crowds.

I met up with the BRC - everyone cheered and the bell behind the bar was rung in my honor. Declan was there with his kids - he had just BQ'd the day before in his 2nd marathon ever!

Todd, Declan, Annabelle and Declan's daughter

After chatting and laughing for a couple of hours, we went out on the street to watch and cheer the 5-hour marathoners. I said my goodbyes, and then joined Declan and kids for a ride on the Red Line before I transferred at Belmont.

Perhaps next spring's marathon will include some PR weather so I can be more aggressive from the start and then get my legs to cooperate so I can hang on at the end. But all-in-all it was a fantastic day. So many friends and family cheering me all day long made me feel like a rock star!

The Grim Mile 2015 Race Recap

I had never raced a mile on a track before. I had, however raced two "road" one milers in 2011 - the Navy Pier Mile and the Main Street Mile. Since these were both on the road, I was excited to see how I would do with an "official mile" at the Grim Mile held on Friday night. Perhaps I would feel a little like Roger Bannister for five minutes and change. After the evening was over I really fell in love with the format. If steady paced marathons are the slow drip of endorphins, then all-out mile races are a large syringe shot right in the jugular. I was flying high after this one, and realize that I could easily get addicted to this distance and the track (if I'm not already)!

Welcome!

Pre-Race:

I drove five miles due west of my house and arrived at the Luther North High School track where there was plentiful street parking.  I went in the high school's gym and got my bib and race singlet (first "free" race singlet ever). I went outside where they were holding the heats for kids and teenagers, and pinned my race bib on. I spotted Zoe who was hanging out, watching the heats unfold. She had decided to enter the women's elite race which would not be held for another 1.5 hours.

Hanging with Zoe before our respective heats

This was a casual race which was reminiscent of a high school track meet where the only distance was one mile. The track itself was old school, pre-metric, so each lap was a quarter mile, instead of the standard 400m, which meant that we only had to do exactly four laps. They had a concession stand that was open selling refreshments and multiple massage tables set out by Athletico. This was a sporting event for spectators to linger at and enjoy and it was free! 

Just before my heat, we went for a shakeout run around the block and then watched the successive 10 year age groups compete. I made a game out of trying to judge who was going to win, based on the pain reflected in the participant's facial expressions as they zoomed past each lap. That's the cool thing about a track race - you can watch an entire race unfold in front of your eyes and watch the form and the faces of the runners up-close all without having to move a muscle. Road races are obviously harder to keep track of when you're spectating live, as you only get to see a small chunk of the entire race.

Finally around 7:30, it was time for my age group race.

Milling around waiting for our race to start

My goal for the race was to run somewhere between a 5:15 and a 5:20 mile. 5:15 was based of the McMillan Calculator using my 5k time from April (18:10).  I really wanted to go sub-5:00, but I also wanted to run a decent, controlled race and not flame out just because my goal was unrealistic. By the way, a 4:59 mile according to McMillan is equivalent to a 17:18 5k! So, maybe it's out of my reach - for now.

Anyway, they actually used a starting gun for each heat (again very old school) and with a BANG! We were off!

The Race:

Mile 0.25:  There were three women and three men in our heat. The other two guys shot out ahead of me, and I did not give chase, as I was really only trying to hit my goal for a 1:20 first lap. I kept checking my Garmin to make sure I didn't over-speed. Near the end of the first lap, I gradually made my way up to the guy in 2nd place....

Lap 1 in 3rd place

and by the end of the first lap came up to him and started to make my move. 1:19 (5:15/mile pace).

Making my move into 2nd Place after lap 1

Mile 0.50: I felt remarkably comfortable at this point, I guess all of my track-work was paying off. I kept behind the guy in the lead and started to separate from third place. 1:18 (5:10/mile pace).

Still in 2nd Place during lap 2

Mile 0.75: The leader swerved to lap a couple of runners who were taking up lanes one and two and a few seconds later I did the same. I was trying to keep good form and to focus on the leader and let him "pull" me along! 1:17 (5:10/mile pace).

About 30 feet behind at the end of lap 3

Mile 1.0: About 300m from the finish, I made my move. I wanted to at least be even with first place as we took the final turn, so I got right behind him, then quickly thereafter, we were running neck and neck. Then suddenly, boom goes the dynamite, I hit the accelerator like I have never hit it in my life, assuming he would make a move to chase me, I did not want to leave anything on the table.  I just kept pumping my arms and driving my legs as fast as possible.  1:10 (4:42/mile).

Making my move in the final straightaway

Flying towards the finish

Mile 1.05: My feet were flying so fast that it must have been someone else running this race. I have never seen my Garmin register anything below a 4:00/pace before! I crossed the finish line five seconds ahead in first place! 0:11 (3:49/mile)!

The moment my Garmin went below 4:00/mile pace for the first time ever!

Finished!

Stats:

Official Finish Time: 5:13.20

Official Pace: 5:13/mile

Garmin Pace: 5:01/mile

Place Overall: 1st out of 6

Analysis:

Since this was my first track mile - instant PR! My pacing was pretty spot on for my goal, and I even ran 2 seconds faster than plan, mainly in part to having a competitor who was evenly matched with me.

I don't know how I didn't run perfect tangents as I ran an extra (0.05) according to Garmin. I did a little passing, but really can't figure out the extra distance. Oh well. I am now interested in buying track spikes as I looked out of place racing with my road shoes! Those new spikes would likely get used soon, as I am seriously interested in trying to run more track races, perhaps an 800m next?

Awards ceremony with Mr. Grim (on the right)

Post Race:

I chatted with my fellow competitors and their coaches who were all analyzing my race and saying nice things. I then made my way back to sit down and watch the elite women's race (which Zoe won!), and then the elite men's race. Then it was time for the award's ceremony and we got to pose with Mr. Grim himself. I jumped in the car and headed home, completely pumped full of endorphins from the evening's events. Here's hoping I can get back to the track for another "fix" soon! 

Next Up:
Chicago Rock n' Roll Half.

Shamrock Shuffle 2015 Recap

As I mentioned in my last post, I was unsure of my fitness going into this year's Shamrock Shuffle 8k. Basically, I have cut down on my mileage and have been following the "run slower to get faster" philosophy for the first time in my life. I was definitely in better shape than I was going into last year's race, but the weather, especially the forecasted 30+ MPH winds out of the south were a wildcard that made me unsure of how things would go.

Pre Race
I woke up at around 5am put my running gear on and went for a two mile slow "shakeout run". Then I got my backpack together and walked to my neighbor Tad's house and we left for the race at about 6:40 and got to his $14 "Park Whiz" spot in about 20 minutes. The spot was only a couple of blocks from one of the entrance gates in Grant Park which was pretty sweet. Tad is a CARA member, so we walked over to the CARA hospitality room at the Hilton. Unfortunately, I was not allowed in the room (since I'm not a CARA member), so I sat in the warm lobby of the hotel in a comfy leather chair until 7:30 when I got up and walked over to the CRB group picture on Columbus Drive. I bumped into Lynton (who else?) and then found the blogger picture:

You may have seen this picture on about 10 other blogs (src)

Then it was over to bag check and a leisurely stroll to the "A" corral. Once in the corral, I bumped into Ken, Annabelle and John B. It got a bit chilly, but luckily I had on a disposable cotton hoodie which I threw towards the fence once the air horn sounded.

The Race:
Mile 1: From the start, I was right behind Annabelle (what else is new?!) and she took off ahead of me along with the masses. Usually, I have to force myself to hold back during the first mile, but for some reason my legs were not letting me run a fast pace, so I just went with whatever pace they were giving me. Although I felt like I was getting passed by quite a few runners, I knew that the Shamrock Shuffle is famous for people overdoing it in the first 3.1 miles - then flaming out. So, I wasn't worried that my pace was just a little slow. 6:40/Mile

Mile 2:  It was a little windy here and there, but since we were in the heart of the Loop, it wasn't too bad. I tried to stay tucked behind groups of runners wherever possible. I passed John and started to pick off runners here and there. 6:19/Mile

Mile 3: More of the same, windy, and tucking behind runners. 6:24/Mile

Mile 4: I stepped on the 5k timing mat at 19:59 exactly. So, I guess I definitely proved my sub-20 pacing cred. Anyone need a pacer?! I was still behind Annabelle, but I sensed that I had a lot of speed saved up in my legs. So for the first time in my racing career, I passed Annabelle (disclosure: she has been taking it easy in training, so I'm sure she will dust me next race). I then proceeded to haul up the Franklin Street hill and started really laying on the speed. 5:52/Mile.

Mile 4.97: Since this is the shortest race I've run since April of last year, it was exciting to know that after only four miles I was almost finished. I stopped tucking behind runners and just put my head down, ran into the wind and started picking off tons of runners along Michigan Ave. I easily crested the hill at Roosevelt Road. Then, as I made the turn onto Columbus Drive, perhaps the best race picture of me in quite awhile was taken while I was turning while airborne:

Turning onto Columbus Drive while airborne

I then started my descent towards the finish line and it was a mad dash down the final 200 yards:

"Shuffling" near the finish

I heard my name called by the race announcer and I was done! 5:52/Mile.

Finishing "strong" ha, ha.

Analysis: This was my 2nd fastest 8k ever and only 38 seconds off of my 8k PR. My last two miles were on a 5k PR pace. If it had been slightly warmer and slightly less windy, I may have been able to get sub-31, or maybe even flirted with my PR. The results of this race might give me the confidence to at least attempt a 5k PR at the Ravenswood Run in four weeks. I hope to be even speedier as I will have had a few more track workouts by then. It also helps boost my confidence in the "run slower to get faster" philosophy that I have been following.

Post Race: 

I walked down the finishers chute and met up John and we walked over to bag check.

Me and John Post Race

We got our stuff and made our way to the Buckingham Fountain post-race party. We scored some beer and met up with Annabelle:

Meeting up with Annabelle post race

After chatting a bit, Annabelle and John took off to go to the BRC after-party, so I walked to the other side of Buckingham Fountain and found Lynton, Eric and Mo. Then after awhile Eric and I took the Green Line over to Kaiser Tiger. There we met up with Xaarlin, Erin, Maggie, Jenny and the rest of the crew for brunch. I feasted on a bacon waffle and an Irish banger and washed it all down with a Bloody Mary (with bacon and a beer chaser). Yum!  Maggie kept us laughing through brunch with her witty humor. After brunch, Erin and Jason graciously gave me and Eric a ride to the Brown Line for the trip home. Thanks guys!

The Future:
I'm looking forward to my 5k and Half Marathon race in the next two months. If I just keep doing what I'm doing and not do too much, I should be in good shape for to shoot for at least one PR!

Hot Chocolate 15k 2014 Race Recap

Since I didn't start running 15ks until a few years ago, the annual Hot Chocolate 15k gives me an opportunity to use some of my residual marathon fitness for a potential PR. However, approaching this year's race, I had run barely any training miles, which made me less confident that I could PR.

The Expo:
The expo for the race is somewhat inconveniently located at McCormick Place. This means I need to drive 22 miles round-trip, through city traffic to get my packet for a race distance that amounts to an extended 10k. But since the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k is such a popular race (the 5th largest race in the nation in fact), "The Hot Chocolate People" could probably hold the expo in another state and they'd still get people to come in droves.

Anyway, as background info, the expo in 2012 was a disaster as people were waiting for up to three hours in the bitter cold in a parking lot just to pick up there race bib and hoodie. Last year, the packet pickup was indoors at McCormick Place, and it was spread out over three days instead of two. This year's expo, was even better. They used the closest exhibition hall to the parking garage, so it was an easy in-and-out.

At the expo with the marshmallow people

Want chocolate-related wear? This expo is for you!

After picking up my bib, I needed to find a race official so I could change my assigned corral.  I was assigned corral C, which is pretty far back for this race. Luckily, I found a booth at the expo where I could plead my case to a race official for a corral change. Unfortunately, the woman in charge of corral change requests said that no one could not move up corrals, only back. With 14,000 15k runners and 20 corrals, I'd estimate there were 700 people per corral. Last year I finished in the top 150, so theoretically, I would have to pass about 1,000 runners to get to run with people my speed. So, unless I got lucky and was able to sneak up a corral or two, I would be stuck in "C" and have to do some major weaving early in the race.

Pre Race: 
I was all set to take the 45 minute "L" train to the race, but was running slightly behind schedule, so instead, I hopped in my car, and with LSD completely empty, made it to my $15 garage just north of Grant Park in just over 15 minutes. I exited the parking garage and took this picture:

Looking down at Columbus Drive before the race

I then met up with a random woman from California who was lost, and we chatted for about 10 minutes as I walked her to the race entrance to the race in Grant Park. Once we parted ways, I used one of the thousands of porta-potties they had set up. Seriously, this is the most porta-potties I've ever seen at a race! Why so many? My guess is that due to past foibles, the race organizers have now gone out of their way to make the race weekend as pain-free as possible.

With ten minutes before the corrals closed, I made my way over to the "C" corral. Apparently, lots of other runners had the same idea, and unfortunately, there were just as many runners headed towards us, perhaps headed to bag check. So, everyone stopped moving completely, no one wanting or able to let the other go the way they needed to go. It was a complete cluster. So, as the announcer said "five minutes until the corrals close" and the urgency built for us to move, people behind me were shouting "push, push!" because they were afraid they'd be locked out of their corrals. Pushing in a large crowd is never a good idea and luckily no one did. Finally, a race official with a bullhorn saw the massive log jam and somehow expanded  the passage way just enough so that we could head slowly, in single file towards the corrals and the other people could go the other direction. Disaster avoided. Whew.

I entered the "C" corral and made my way to the front to see if I could "sneak" up to "B". As luck would have it, a course marshal lifted the rope for me and I was soon in "B". So I made my way up to the front and another marshal lifted the rope for me and voilà! I was in "A"!  I knew Lynton was running and figured he was up front somewhere. I spotted him right away and we stood and chatted for the 15 minutes before the horn sounded. I spotted a few runners who climbed over the eight foot fences to break into the "A" corral. Coincidentally, it was in the exact same spot that I saw people jumping over the porta-potties to crash Lollapalooza this summer!

Race Strategy: 
I averaged 15 miles/week of running over the last four weeks. I did not run at all for the previous 10 days due to a sore Achilles tendon, so I had little idea of how to pace myself, or even if my Achilles would even hold up pain-free for the 9.3 miles. I figured if all was well physically, I could at least average 7:00/miles for the entire race, so my strategy was to run 21:xx for the first 5k, see how I felt at that point, then either maintain that pace or speed up for the remainder. I thought it would be nice to break my 15k PR of 1:02:38 (6:44/mile), but I would not concern myself with hitting that pace. My only goal was to run an honest pace and see how I would hold up over the distance.

Did I mention how massive this race is? src

Mile 1 to 3.1 (First 5k):
I've said this before, but the main thing I love about the Hot Chocolate race is that it's a chance to revisit parts of the Chicago Marathon course only a few weeks after the marathon. So, while the memories of the race are still crisp, and the painted "blue line" from the marathon hasn't completely faded on Michigan Avenue, you get to line up at the same start line, run along the same 3 mile stretch of Michigan Ave. and then end up at the same finish line. For me that's a huge bonus. Anyway, the national anthem was sung and I chucked my disposable clothing and we were off! Lynton took off ahead of me, and I ran up Columbus Drive to Lower Wacker by myself. This is the least exciting (and darkest) part of the course. I let all of the fast 5kers speed by me and chilled. We ran up on Clark St. and through the middle of the Loop where the first "aid station" were kids handing out bags of chocolate. I saw one guy take a bag, I guess he had to carry it the rest of the way or throw it on the ground when he tired of holding it. Then it was over to Michigan Ave. where after we parted ways with the 5kers at Mt. Roosevelt, I found the "blue marathon" line (that follows the tangents) and decided to run on top of it for awhile. My Achilles was feeling okay and would remain so for the rest of the race. 21:15, 6:49/mile.

Mile 3.1 to 6.2 (Second 5k):
I continued running on the blue marathon line for as long as possible, until we veered off onto the eastern edge of Michigan Ave and the line veered off to the west. As we ran on MLK Drive, we did a sharp turn north again for about a half mile, then did a hairpin turn around a pylon and headed south again. This is different from last year, but I think the crazy hairpin turns were created so they could avoid having us run on LSD. During this stretch, some woman who had apparently forgotten her headphones, had turned up the music up on her phone speaker! This was a quiet part of the course which was ruined by her music. Everyone around her could hear whatever crap song she was listening to. Way to break the chill race atmosphere in an uncool way! Please people, if you must play music, wear your damn headphones. No speaker phones on the course! 20:55, 6:45/mile.

Mile 6.2 to 9.3 (Third 5k):
As we headed eastward at the 10k mark, the lake appeared. Then the course heads north again along the access road along LSD. At this point, I was completely sick of hearing the music blasting from the runner's phone, so I decided to speed up by doing a mini-surge. Within a few seconds, I could not hear her music any longer! Whew! We did another short hairpin turn (apparently to burn up more miles), right before the McCormick Place tunnel. I took my sunglasses off for the trek through the "Smelly Tunnel" and then headed down the hill. I glanced at my watch and realized a PR would be within reach, so I started to slowly lower the hammer and speed up. One more hairpin turn and a hill was to be had before heading back up to Columbus for the homestretch. I heard Ken yelling "Go Pete", but had already run past him before I realized it was him. I sprinted full-tilt down the hill, towards the finish. 20:05, 6:28/mile.

 They posted videos of the race finish and I took some screen grabs:

PR!

Result:
PR accomplished by 29 seconds!

Basking in my PR by a huge mug of hot chocolate!
Note, the cool "candy bar" medal

Time: 1:02:09

Overall: 102/14,178

Age Group: 5/384

Official Pace: 6:41/mile

 5k Splits:

1st 5k: 21:15

2nd 5k: 20:55

3rd 5k: 20:05

Analysis:
If there is one thing that the Hot Chocolate delivers for me is PRs! This might be my only PR for the year, so I am happy to take it home. I had little expectations from this race since I haven't really run much over the last four weeks and I was not sure how my legs would hold up with my injury. Anyway, I am hopeful that with a little more strengthening and a resumption back to normal training, I can at least get a decently speedy time at the Schaumburg Half Marathon.

Post-Race:
I searched in vain for Lynton in the finishers' chute. He had run a sub one hour race so he was likely long gone before I finished. I collected my gear and could hear the announcer say, "last call for 15kers to start the race"! So, there were still people starting the same race I had just finished! Anyway, I waded through the thousands of people in the after-party area...

Thousands who ran for chocolate

...to get my fondue and hot chocolate:

Finisher's Fondue Mug

The chocolate fondue was nice and messy and there was chocolate all my face and jacket, so I won't be posting any pictures of my slovenly ways. Note to self: For next year's race, I should bring a flask of Peppermint Schnapps to help "flavor" the cup of hot chocolate. Anyway, after throwing out my mug, I walked back to my car and and left Lower Wacker, just as they were starting to unload the trucks for yet another Batman vs. Superman filming.

Conclusion:
Again, this is one of my favorite races of the year. Easy parking, thousands of porta-potties, beautiful finisher medal, and a chance to run through downtown and Michigan Ave. are huge bonuses. However, the new course with the several hairpin turns near the end, leaves a lot to be desired. It's like the race organizers can't figure out what to do with the runners after they get south of the Loop and so they just run us in loops! Also, they need to figure out how to prevent the mob scene cluster of people trying to get to/from the corrals. If this happens next time, and it turns into a shoving match, things could get ugly. Anyway, the majority of the race was awesome, so I'm looking forward to next year's edition and another PR (hopefully)!