Yeah, things change pretty quickly in this corner of the woods. I have since registered for three more races:
1. Packers 5K
2. Strike Out ALS 5K
3. ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon
About these three races:
1. The Packers 5K is a doozy. In short, I've never been to Green Bay and my friend Helen is letting me come hang out for the weekend. There is a lot more to this race, though. I'll talk about it more in another post.
2. This will be my third consecutive year running the Strike Out ALS 5K (check out my recaps from 2012 and 2013).
This is a fun summertime race that benefits a great cause. In the last two years, I also gave it my personal award for the coolest post-race party, ever (getting to hang out in US Cellular Field and watch the MLB All-Star game on the Jumbotron). The organizers have improved the course this year, and I'm excited to see what other changes they have in store for us. Plus, I absolutely love this race's evening start time. So festive!
3. I've been on the fence for quite some time about running the ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon. The race sounds like a blast and from what I hear, has great swag. But, I balked at the early-August race date as well as the relatively high registration cost. However, after hearing about a Groupon deal for less than half the normal price (thanks for the tip, Erica!), I finally pulled the trigger.
So what else is going on?
I was really surprised and bummed to learn today that the Blackhawks will NOT be hosting the Mad Dash to Madison 5K this year. The Mad Dash is one of those races that I plan on doing every year, no matter what. I am very disappointed that there will be no Madness in 2014.
I wish I knew the rationale behind this decision. The race sold out in prior years, and ANY event that the Hawks host is an extremely hot ticket.
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| The Hawks are kind of popular |
I do have a theory, though. I just got an email today from the Home Team Charity Run, which is the 5K/10K race that works with the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox charities. It looks like the Home Team Charity Run is planning to host their race on September 21. Comparatively, Blackhawks Training Camp Festival is on September 22. Obviously it wouldn't make a lot of sense to have two races involving the Hawks fan base on consecutive days. The question is whether or not this was intentional or coincidental?
In any event, I really hope that the Hawks bring the Mad Dash back next year!!! I would be the very first to sign up.
And finally...
I am running the Chinatown 5K this Saturday. Several months ago I had chatted about this race with Natalie, who lives in Minnesota. She mentioned that the race sounded like fun, and I told her it would be awesome if she could come on down for the festivities! She said that she had a pretty busy summer schedule, so she'd have to see how her schedule shook out.
Today, out of nowhere, she posted on my Facebook page, "Ever seen a Sriracha bottle run a 5K? ;)"
I got suspicious and immediately accused her of scheming.
There were a few more exchanges and the sharing of this picture:
And with that, my suspicions were confirmed. Natalie will be in Chicago this weekend! What a fabulous surprise!!!!!
She'll be running the Chinatown 5K with the coolest (or rather, the spiciest!) leggings I've ever seen.
You better believe that there will be pictures. =D
So glad you're coming to Green Bay with me! :)
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to go with you!!! It's going to be a great weekend. Thanks again for having me up. =D
DeleteSounds like an exciting couple of months! Glad you found a great deal for Zooma!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marcia - and likewise, it sounds like an exciting upcoming few months for you, too, with your NYCM training!
DeleteYou know, I was really excited about the ZOOMA deal until I saw today that Lauren is giving away a ZOOMA entry on her blog. For once, I should have procrastinated on registering! LOL
So my surprise came just in time?! Bad news Blackhawks, good news Natalie. Just don't expect me to keep pace with you... You'll see in my race report I'm posting tomorrow that my training isn't exactly up to snuff these days.
ReplyDeleteYES! Good news Natalie was the perfect antidote to my disappointment about the Mad Dash!
DeleteThe weather forecast is actually not looking great for tomorrow's race. Apparently it might rain. If it does, then tomorrow will be more just about having fun for ALL of us than anyone trying to get a fast time. (Is it bad that I actually don't mind when the weather isn't good because it gives me an excuse to take things easy? LOL)
See you tomorrow!!!!!
The pants are cool!
ReplyDeleteYay for the ZOOMA race! I'll be there too.
Yes, the pants are super cool! Too bad I don't have much of a tolerance for spicy foods, LOL.
DeleteYay for ZOOMA! We'll be doing a lot of the same races over the next few months - Chinatown 5K, Strike Out ALS, ZOOMA, Disneyland Half, and Wine and Dine. Do you think you'll be able to do the Carrera de los Muertos this year? I'm already planning on signing up for it when registration opens on August !
Does it say something about me if I think the pants are less impressive than what I usually pick out?! ;-)
DeleteI have no plans to run that race since I am supposed to be in NJ.
DeleteNatalie - based on what I've seen of your other race outfits, I admittedly agree that this is a bit more on the tame side for you. =) But I do love those pants, regardless - and you got so many complements on them this past weekend! I hope your travels home went smoothly and that you enjoyed the rest of your weekend in town!!!
DeleteZenaida - bummer! Are you running a race in NJ that weekend or do you have other plans? I know you mentioned that you always give away your race shirts, so I was going to ask if that includes the Carrera de los Muertos shirt? That one is a huge favorite and is one of the biggest reasons I run the race. =D
I have plans to run a half marathon. If my plans change and I do sign up for the race, you can have my shirt. :-)
DeleteOh, and I still have the one from Saturday. I'll give it to you tomorrow.
At least it looks like you'll actually have good weather for Strike Out ALS this year! If memory serves, that race has been on a hot hot hot day for the past two years. I imagine a high in the 60s will make for much nicer racing conditions this time around!
ReplyDeleteYes! Last year the race-time temp was in the mid-90s! I was reading articles about this summer version of the polar vortex that is supposed to hit us next week. As a Chicago summer lover, I was thinking, "So much for warm weather in July!" But as a runner, I was thinking, "That's great news!" LOL
DeleteA quick check of my training schedule shows I am supposed to run 15 miles on August 2nd. Bought and registered. Thank you for sharing! I've heard great things about ZOOMA but the price always seemed steep. It will be a good practice for the Mag Mile Half. :)
ReplyDeleteWOO HOO, I am glad that you were able to take advantage of the Groupon deal! There is no better way to get a long training run done than by doing it via a race, for sure! See you there in a few weeks! =)
DeleteI love it when race calendars just bloom! Everything you've got sounds fantastic. I don't know anything about Green Bay, but I imagine they have wonderful running weather this time of year. Happy running!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amy! I am so excited to hear how your no-plan training plan for your upcoming 10-miler goes for you, too! And yes - we've had an unusually cool summer this year. Most folks are bummed about the lack of summerlike weather, but for a runner the cooler temps are a godsend!!! =) Happy running to you too!!!
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