Wednesday, July 17, 2013

2013 Strike Out ALS 5K race recap

Last night was my second year running the Strike Out ALS 5K.


I ran this race last year, had a great time, and came away with an unexpectedly good finishing time. This year I had been toying with the idea of trying to run a sub-27:00 5K, but that idea quickly went out the window when Mother Nature decided to take a stance. The temperature was at 92 degrees when I left the office right at 5:00.  WOW.  It was a steambath out there!  No PR-attempts for me that night.  Just the plan to finish in one piece and enjoy myself.

Erin and I headed to the race together.  I had been worried enroute about both rush-hour traffic and parking. Thankfully, we got to the race site at US Cellular Field quickly and parked immediately.  Packet pickup, gear check, and the portapotty line were all a breeze, as was the Chicago Running Bloggers pre-race photo meetup.  After attending the race by myself last year, it was nice to have a lot more company this year!
From L to R: Eric, a friend of Eric's, Lindsay, Kelsey, Zenaida, me, Erin, Jennifer, and Chris  
Unfortunately I had forgotten to bring my Garmin to the race.  However, given the steambath heat and humidity precluding any reasonable racing effort, it was probably just as well that I didn't have it.  I considered trying to warm up before the race start, but quickly decided that it wasn't necessary.  Just standing in the crowd waiting to start, I was already sweating profusely.

Once the race got underway, I started out running with LindsayErin, and Kelsey. I looked around and you could definitely tell that folks were taking things cautiously due to the extreme heat. Just about everyone was jogging easily and I didn't see anyone sprinting out of the gate.

Unfortunately right at the start we saw a woman collide directly with a street pole (OUCH!), which narrowly missed causing a runner pileup right in front of us. That poor woman - it hurt just to witness her collision!  But to her credit, the woman barely acknowledged the hit before continuing on.

Lindsay and Erin gradually started pulling ahead, and Kelsey and I continued on together. We kept up a running conversation for about the first mile and a half. Then, exertion started hitting and we reduced our conversation to focus on moving forward. The heat was killer and my legs felt like lead, which made the 5K distance feel much longer than it really was. I was glad to be running with Kelsey as it helped take my mind off of the discomfort, and we just kept plugging along.

The final mile of the course included a long stretch through the hallways inside US Cellular Field.  After baking in the sun, it was such a welcome respite to be indoors. However, I was feeling pretty beat up by that time and the hallways seemed to go on forever. Every time we turned a corner I was hopeful that we were about to emerge onto the playing field to the finish line.  This happened probably eight times.

When we finally did take our last turn onto the playing field, we saw an ice cream freezer right by the entrance.  At that moment, the thought of ice cream had never sounded so good.  Ever.  (I made up my mind at that very moment that if I ever get to rule a summertime race, I will find a way to have ice cream at the finish line!!!)
With that, we found ourselves running along the warning track on US Cellular's playing field! It was surreal. Neither Kelsey nor I had the gumption to sprint to the finish, so we just kept our pace and enjoyed the surroundings.  My official finishing team was 31:11.

After reuniting with some of the other Chicago Running Bloggers, Erin and I made a stop at the concession stands and then settled into some seats at the field.  We hung out for a bit and took in the serene ballpark atmosphere, having the entire field open only to runners and spectators, and the MLB All-Star game being broadcast on the Jumbotron just for all of us.
Right: The stands
Upper left: the MLB All-Star game on the Jumbotron
Bottom left: the dugout, adorned by a display of the various Chicago White Sox logos over the years (thanks to Erin for noticing this detail!)
Ahhh. I was reminded once again of how easy it is to appreciate the allure and grandeur of MLB ballparks. Same as my experience last year, this race has the coolest post-race party that I've ever attended. What an amazing way to enjoy a summer evening in Chicago.

Baseball afficionados and/or anyone that supports the ALS cause, this race has your name all over it!

12 comments:

  1. I think 31:11 is pretty impressive for as hot as it was and as easy as you took it. Well done!

    That's pretty cool that they let you hang out inside the stadium (while they play baseball!) after you finish. Nice touch. I once passed up a race (the scheduling wasn't right) that ended in Cowboy's Stadium. I'm kicking myself about it now because I haven't had the opportunity to run a race like that since. Did they play Lou Gehrig's famous speech? It makes me cry every. single. time.

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    1. Thank you so much, Amy! It's actually really nice to run a race without even worrying about the time at all. I could get used to this. =D

      Oooh, a race that finishes in Cowboy's Stadium would be awesome! But I am sure that the opportunity or something similar will come up again for you in the future. I've actually never heard Lou Gehrig's speech! I will have to go look for it on youtube!!!

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  2. Way to push thru and finish in that heat. It is brutal this week! I agree stadiums are always fun finish line venures.

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    1. Thank you so much, Marcia! I wish they had a race that finished inside the United Center - then you could run a series of races finishing inside all of Chicago's major-league stadiums!

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  3. Glad you ran it smart and enjoyed the location! Better to leave with a pleasant memory than a few minute faster time and a grumpy recollection!

    And thanks for saying it was a woman, when it was really me running into the pole.. woops

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    1. Thanks, Declan! You are right, it is not a good feeling to kill yourself during a race with bad weather - I've made that mistake in the past and regretted it big time.

      So that was YOU running into the pole, eh? I am impressed by your lightning-quick recovery. =D

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  4. The 5K I ran on Wednesday night had ice cream at the finish!!! Best post-hot-race treat ever.

    It was fun to hang out in the stadium with you after the race. Such a unique experience since usually baseball games are chaos. Fun chaos, but still loud and rowdy!

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    1. Note to self: participate in that Friendship race next year! It's so refreshing to hear about races with low entry fees that offer such great food (i.e. a lot of races outside of Chicago city limits, LOL).

      I had a blast hanging out with you at the Cell afterwards, too! You personally can't beat that for your first-ever visit to US Cellular!!!

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  5. Thank God I had you to run with! This really was the 5k that never ended...

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    1. Thank God I had you to run with, too! 3.1 miles never felt so torturously long, ever. It was so great to catch up with you!!!

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  6. That is a cool post race party! Congrats on pushing through a tough race. That is fun you got to run with Kelsey. I love her :)

    Oh gosh. Running around in the stadium and not knowing which door you get to take?! Evil! Maybe they should make some "build your own 5K" route... "what is behind door #1?!" (yes, I realize I am making no sense.)

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    1. Thanks, Kim! It was awesome running Kelsey - I love her, too!

      "Build your own 5K" is such a great idea! It reminds me of the "Choose your own adventure" books that they used to have. Maybe behind each door could be different selections of post-race food, e.g. ice cream, pizza, smoothies, etc., etc. LOVE IT!!!

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