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!

Shamrock Shuffle 2014

Since I have been nursing an ankle injury for the better part of the last few months, I was only able to squeeze in four weeks of low-miles training for the Shamrock Shuffle. I got in a 40 mile week two weeks before the race which helped my endurance, but it also help set off some ankle pain  (too much, too soon?), so I took most of last week off from running to try and get healed up for the race. In any case, I still wanted to "race" the Shuffle and try and score some points for my team the Bootleg Runners Coalition. However with so many speedy teammates, I expected that my time would merely serve as a "backup" in case someone could not make it.

Pre Race
My neighbor Tad and I left for the race at about 7:20 and parked at our $14 spot just a quarter mile from the start line. Unfortunately, due to security concerns, they were only allowing runners entrance to Grant Park through a couple of access points. This took us about a mile of run/walking to get to. So, after checking my bag, I only had a few minutes for a real warm-up jog, before I made my way to the A corral to scout out other Bootleggers.

Once in the corral, I spotted fellow Bootleggers Lynton, Annabelle and Ken. After a brief chat and the national anthem - we were off.

The Race:
Mile 1: I was right behind Annabelle and half contemplated trying to run with her, but I thought the better of it as she is in Boston shape and I felt it better to run my own pace. This was a complete flashback to the 2013 Chicago Marathon, where I also ran behind Annabelle for a mile or so, later in the race. 6:35/Mile

Mile 2: I started feeling really good and started to push the pace a little too much. 6:20/Mile

Mile 3: I knew I was running too fast, so actually using my brain, I slowed down so I would have some energy for the homestretch. Flashbacks to the Hot Chocolate 2013. 6:36/Mile

Mile 4: Started to get winded but I knew I had enough energy to put this one away. 6:20/Mile.

Mile 4.97: One thing I have been doing regularly in training is using the stair climber, so hitting Mt. Roosevelt was slightly less painful than anticipated. However, when I got to the top, a guy running directly in front of me STOPPED! I put my arm out in front of me to deflect off of him and try and avoid a fall. I think he was winded by the climb, but decided to choose the exact spot where I was accelerating to recover. I had to swing to the outside to get clear of him costing me a couple of precious seconds.

Climbing Mt. Roosevelt

About to make the turn...

Way on the outside after almost falling

Anyway, with only daylight ahead of me, I sprinted down the hill towards the finish line where I heard Annabelle's name being called as a finisher. I also heard my name called as a member of the Bootleggers! Very cool. 6:19/Mile.

My Official Results

Analysis: It turns out this was my 2nd fastest 8k ever. I think I did quite well, considering my short training cycle. I also ran a somewhat sweet negative split. My next race is the Indy Mini (Half Marathon). I'm hoping that if I can run 6:30/mile for 5 miles, I should be able to run 7:00/mile for 13.1. In order to do this, I need to concentrate on endurance runs and very little on speed. Hopefully, this type of training should help my ankle stay relatively healthy. Also the BRC got 2nd place and my time counted toward the total score! Although, I was the #4 runner, it feels good to contribute.

BRC will be back for 1st place next year!

Post Race: 

I walked down the finishers chute and met up with Todd, Ken and Annabelle.

Finishers' chute with the BRC

We walked over to the packet pickup, got our stuff and made our way to the Buckingham Fountain post-race party. We bumped into Mo (who had run a marathon the day before! Wow!). The group got setup by the fountain with Mo providing a mylar blanket to sit on. Then we had some libations with Eric and Jennifer. My neighbor Tad showed up and had a beer or two before he needed to split. Then Maggie, Anne and her friend showed up and of course it was time for photos:

Eric, Jennifer and Mo (who ran a marathon the day before!)

Hangin'

Lynton, Anne and her friend

Maggie, Lynton and the Green Guys

The gang (BRC and WRCE)

Then it was off to O'Donovans with some of the group for a gut-buster post-race buffet.

The Future:
I'm looking forward to some more CARA races with the BRC and am cautiously optimistic I can keep injury-free if I don't push myself too hard (fingers crossed).

St. Michael Oktoberfest 5k: Race Recap

This was the first race that the entire Wurst Running Club Ever participated in. Even Declan who is crushing his marathon workouts and took a pass on the 5k, showed up with his entire family to cheer us on.

Pre Race:
I left my house at 5:30pm and after a quick 20 minute drive, found a spot about 1/2 mile north of the start line along Stockton.  After I picked up my t-shirt, we all stood around and chatted for about 20 minutes then I checked my backpack. Then I did about a two minute warm-up in the soupy humid air and started getting hot so I decided to cut my warm-up short. I jumped in near the front of the pack in the start corral. After the U.S. national anthem, and a german themed costume contest, the gun sounded.

Before I go over how I did, here's a photo dump of the evening:

Anne giving the thumbs up!

Some of the WRCE gang pre-race in our "dirndls" (picture taken by a giant Red Eye box)

Mo at the finish line doing her patented
 "Mo Bot" as her fans go crazy (sorry about the blur, the finish line was in the dark)

The Red Eye Box near the finish. He took the WRCE group picture above.
 Man, he must have been hot and sweaty!

Mo showing off her cool "Run for Beer" headband

Erin and Anne near the finish (again it was dark)

Declan with the Wurst Running Sign Ever. Way to spell. "WURS"?

Declan and the happiest kid on earth!

Chillng post race with free Oktoberfest beer and food at Rocco Ranalli.
That's Eric and Jennifer on the right.

The Race:

I wanted to use this race as a marathon pace predictor for the Chicago Marathon, which is in three weeks. However, there were some factors that would potentially slow me down. First of all, it was going to be hot and muggy as the forecast was for 88 degrees at 6pm. On top of that Eric informed me that the paths were full of rain water and mud. On top of that, I had not tapered at all for this race. This was my second run of the day and I have been doing double runs every single day this week (hey, I'm training for a marathon). So, obviously these things would likely prevent me for going super fast.

Mile 1: Everyone in the front pack shot off fast. I glanced at my watch and we were going at a 5:45/mile pace the first 300 yards. Erin's husband took my picture and Erica, who was running just behind me sidled up to me and asked me what I thought my race pace was, and I said I didn't know, since I was training for a marathon. I then told her I guessed about a 6:05 pace. She said that would be a PR pace for her so she wished me luck, and I sped forward. I set my sights on just trying not to overdo it in mile one. We came upon quite a few large puddles and I had to swerve around them and other runners who were running just to the side of the water. Hey, at least the wind was to our backs. 6:18/mile.

Mile 2: This is where I started to get over-heated and my shirt was getting soaked. We swerved around a couple more puddles before the turnaround and then headed back south. The wind was in our faces now, but provided little relief. Some runners ahead of me went OVER Fullerton instead of under it. There wasn't anyone at the split in the path to direct them. I think they were mad.  6:21/mile.

Mile 3: At this point I was just trying to hang on. The heat, my tired legs, and my soaked dirndl shirt were all dragging me down. Luckily Declan and his family were there to provide cheers of support. A couple of random girls told me they liked my "halter top" shirt. 6:26/mile.

Pic that Declan's wife got of me just before the finish (source)

Mile 3.1 I could see the finish line clock up ahead as it was nearing 20:00, so I used up what little fumes I had left and sprinted passed the finish line just so I could finish sub-20.  5:31/mile.

Stats:
Official Time: 19:54
Official Pace: 6:25
Overall Place: 16/501
Age Group Place: n/a (race does not have age groups)

Analysis:
As far as a pace predictor, a 19:54 5k translates to a 3:10:45 marathon.

I think that a 3:10:45 is attainable for me. That is, if the weather conditions are cool on race day and my marathon training continues on the trajectory it is on. Coincidentally, I ran a 3:10:40 at last year's Chicago Marathon. So that would be wild if I ran the same exact time as last year! Of course, there are lots of variables to factor in, but I do actually feel that I am at least as good as shape as I was at this time last year. I will make a final pace decision in the next couple of weeks, but this gives me a good indication of what fitness level I have now.

Conclusion:  A fun race, even if the conditions weren't ideal. Nice after party with free beer and food. I am happy with the progress I'm making with my marathon training and this race validated that I am at a good spot right now.

Sausage Fest Fun Run Recap

Declan's Daughter Loving Sausage Fest

Last night was the First Annual Charity Fun Run and Sausage Fest (aka "Wurst Fest") which took place at Anne's. I arrived there around 6:30pm, just in time to help lead the fun run. I stupidly wore my wool IceBreaker shirt, which although it has the advantage of being odor-free, it has the disadvantage of getting super sweaty looking super fast. Needless to say, it looked like I had stood under a sprinkler when I got back from the run. Luckily, I changed into my Chicago Brauhaus t-shirt shortly after our return.

Here is the awesome 3.1 mile sausage course laid out by Maggie:

Sausage Fest Charity Run Map

I helped Bob and Maggie lead the sausage runners, and I also acted as the official sausage photographer. Suffice it to say there were lots of Chicago Running Bloggers in the group, and a fun time was had by all (except when I heard a few grumbles when I led the group over the grass in Welles Park)!

Here are the pictures. Instead of spending time tagging everyone, I will just do a photo dump for other bloggers to borrow and then they can tag as they want!

Chicago River Bridge at Montrose:

Oh yeah, there were butt shots:

In Horner Park

 After about 30 minutes, we arrived back at the party to find Sausage Fest in full swing:

Declan had to get his butt shot in, as he was resting and didn't do the sausage run

Anne's dog doing a keg stand

Sausage Time!

Raffle Time!

#WRCE minus Declan and Erin

T-shirt of the night?

A fabulous time was had by all. Looking forward to the next sausage get-together!