I Ran a Race!

After all that activity of the past two weeks, I settled back into the routine of everyday life. But not before I ran a race! Long-time readers know that I like to run the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle 8k in March—it's a race that I return to year after year. I think I first ran it in 1993. My youngest son said he'd run with me. This was his longest race distance so far.

The iconic Columbus Drive start line

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: Chicago Shamrock Shuffle 8k

Monday: Strength Training

Tuesday: Fluid Running

Wednesday: trail run 9.75 miles

Thursday: Strength Training

Friday: run 6 miles

Saturday: rest/travel to the lake

On Sunday morning, I was out the door early to meet my son to take the L downtown. Poor guy, he was tired after bartending the night before until 3 am, but he was ready to run. We walked the 1/2 mile to the train. The trail started to fill up with runners and after a couple stops, my son realized he forgot his race bib. DOH! We got off the train to board a return train to his apartment. Several people helpfully told us we were going the wrong way. 

He also didn't get the message about wearing green lol!

Once he got his bib, we drove back to the L to save time. It didn't look like we were going to make our corral, which closed at 8:20. I figured we'd just have to line up farther back. But as we approached the corrals, I spotted a small opening in the barrier fence around our corral. A volunteer saw our bibs and waved us in. It was 8:40. We couldn't believe our luck! Ten minutes later, we were off! 

credit: MarathonFoto.
And no, I didn't buy it. $29 for a download? I don't think so.

We ran up Columbus Drive and down Lower Wacker Drive. I was wearing my Brooks Hyperion Max--my speed shoes--and I felt good. I was actually able to keep up with my son for the first 3 miles, but my heart rate was high and I was starting to feel it. I waved him off and walked for about a minute. I only had to stop one more time and after that, I pushed through the rest of the race. We ran up the iconic Mt Roosevelt and made the turn to the finish line. I couldn't push the pace, though, but was happy with my 47:49 finish time! That gave me a 27/260 AG finish. I'll take it. Of course, I had the 'what if I hadn't stopped to walk' voice in my head, but at this point in my life, at age 62, this was a win for me!

Frankie and me

On Monday, I went back to the gym for strength training. We did a 20 minute pyramid workout starting with 1 dumbbell press (20#), 2 barbell upright rows (35#), 3 single-leg v-ups, and 4 slamball (30#) good mornings. With each subsequent round, we increased the reps by 1. I finished with my 8th round when time was called. As you can imagine, it got challenging towards the end! Doing the math, I did 36 dumbbell presses, 44 barbell upright rows,  52 single leg v-ups, and 60 good mornings. We finished with a 15 minute accessory workout 6 rounds of 3 sets each: box jumps (20"), deficit drops, high jumps, and broad jumps. 

I was excited to hit the trails on Wednesday. After being away for 2 weeks, I wondered if the deer missed me lol. It wasn't long before I saw one crossing the trail in front of me! I took a detour to the east side of the preserve and ducked into the piney woods where the deer like to hang out. I saw quite a few of them and they weren't bothered by me, so I was able to get some close-ups! Day made! 

I circled back to the west side and continued through the woods on the single track, which was muddy in spots. I also saw 2 dead raccoon carcasses, which was a little upsetting to me. Most likely, it was the coyotes. I know they have to eat, but still- couldn't they clean up after themselves? Ugh. I continued on my way, leaping over fallen trees and sloshing through some mud. I had the trails to myself. What a nice run!

Thursday's strength workout was another pyramid workout structured similarly to Monday's class. We started off with 1 barbell bicep curl (35#), 2 push ups, 3 ab mat situps, and 4 slamball (20#) kickstand squats. We increased each subsequent round by 1 rep. I finished with 10 full rounds! That's 55 bicep curls, 65 push ups, 75 sit ups, and 85 kickstand squats. We finished with 6 rounds of 2 laps awkward carries (carrying 2 different heavy objects).

It was storming when I woke up Friday morning. I was determined to get outside for my run, so I stalked the weather radar like the runner I am. The radar looked clear when it was time to go, and go I did. It was lightly raining, and there was some lightning in the distance, but nothing threatening. As I ran, the rain stopped. I had the bike path to myself until my return trip, when a few other runners appeared. This was a nice, steadily paced run. My legs were tired, so I kept it easy.

In Other News...

I don't normally pay much attention to Strava or Garmin awards, but I was excited to complete the March Elevation Challenge. I climbed 2000m (6561ft) on my runs this month! I don't think I've ever done this before, and living in the flatlands of Illinois, it would be nearly impossible to accomplish this in a month. Maybe I need to move to California!

How was your week? Have you ever had a near miss of a race start? Do you buy the race photos? Do you pay attention to the Garmin or Strava awards?

I'm posting my mini-book reviews for March on Tuesday! You won't want to miss these!

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.