Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy 2016, and races I'm considering this spring

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed ringing in 2016! Adam and I celebrated with some friends at NellcĂ´te, a neighborhood restaurant about 2 blocks from our home. (Yes, the convenient location was a HUGE plus!) The event was Moulin Rouge-themed, complete with burlesque performances. It was so much fun!

Here are a few pictures:
From L to R: me, Adam, Marlen, Steve, and Mari
Not pictured: Wade and Urosh
The festive decor.
Women decked out in high heels + balloons on the floor = lots of popping noises all night long!
Cheers, cheers, and cheers!
I know this looks like massive consumption, but I honestly only had about one glass of champagne the whole night.
Fun cabaret-themed touches
I am pumped to get rolling on making 2016 even better than 2015!!

From a running standpoint, I am regaining my spirit after dialing back for most of December. At this moment, I still only have one "definite" race on my calendar (the Shamrock Shuffle). But I have finally started considering a few other spring races. Better late than never, right?

First, I'm looking at two new-to-me races:

Chi Town Half Marathon
I've never run this race, but it's been on my radar screen for several years. As a general rule, I like city races, and the April 9 race date is very workable. The organizers also host the Prairie State Half Marathon in October that I've run three times with good experiences.

I will admit my considerations are being swayed by the race medal. It looks really cool!
Pittsburgh Half Marathon
This is another race that I've long had on my radar screen because it's Adam's hometown. I've heard countless testimonies on how phenomenal the event is. It has come highly, highly recommended from everyone who has ever run it. Signing up would also force me to put in some much-needed hill training!

On the downside, the race is really expensive. More than four months out, registration prices are already $100 and are going up to $115 next week! Plus, my workplace is going through transition and the May 1 race date may potentially conflict with month-end close timing. Hopefully I'll get schedule clarification veddy soon.

Next, there are three races I've done in the past that I'm considering repeating:

Cinco de Miler
I had a great time running this race last year. The race shirt and medal are among my all-time favorites, and the post-race party was a blast!
Last year's post-race loot
The catch is that this race takes place on May 7, which would conflict with...

Wisconsin Half Marathon
I loved this race when I ran it in 2013. The course is so beautiful and the atmosphere is so friendly and down-to-earth. It would also give me a fantastic opportunity to see my good friend Katie, who lives right in town!
Katie and me at the post-race party in 2013!
Why must so many spring races take place on the same weekends? Sigh...

CARA Live Grit Lakefront 10-Miler
The 10-mile distance is my favorite - and there are only a handful of 10-mile races out there! I consider this race one of the classic Chicago races. Registration is affordable and this is a true runner's race. I've run it three times and always had good experiences. The drawback is the March 19 race date, which is a month earlier than usual.
Any suggestions on other awesome spring races? What races are you most looking forward to in the coming months?

--
Linking up with MarCynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five.

18 comments:

  1. I'd love to do CARA again this year (it's really one of my favorites) but that March 19 date doesn't work for me. I'm scheduled to work that day plus I'll just have run Sarasota the week before. Grrrr. Did you see they're also holding a 5k that day? That makes me a little unhappy too. I kind of liked having this one just for us distance runners. Selfish. I know.

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    1. Bummer that March 19 doesn't work in your schedule! Although, on the positive side, it's nice that you know your work schedule so far in advance. That makes planning a lot easier! Yay for Sarasota the week before! Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing CARA was adding a 5K that day, too. I guess it's part of the push to cater to as wide of an audience as possible and to leverage existing race permits/effort???

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  2. Wow it looks like you have some great race that you might do. I love the Chi Town Medals. I never heard chicago referred to Chi town until I went to U of Iowa

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    1. Thanks Nicole! Someone was saying yesterday that most Chicagoans don't even refer to the city as Chi-Town, LOL. But I think it is very appropriate since the city is such a collection of neighborhoods. I've heard U of Iowa is a super-fun school!!!

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  3. I'll be at Disneyland for a spring race! I haven't raced at DL yet and am really looking forward to it.

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    1. Woo hoo! Which DL race are you doing? Tinker Bell? I am super excited for you - you are going to have so much fun!!!!!!!!

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  4. I wonder why it is much earlier this year. I think this race is always in April? I did not see it on your list but no Shamrock Shuffle?

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    1. Erin mentioned there were some massive politics behind race date permits (not surprising in Chicago, right?). Apparently it's kind of a free for all. I am running Shamrock! It's the only spring race I am officially registered for right now. I will definitely be adding to it, just a question of which ones!

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    2. Yeah, another event beat them out for the April date they wanted. Sucks, right?

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    3. I am curious about this event that beat them out for that race date!!! Will be keeping my eyes open...!

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  5. Pittsburgh!!!! My hometown as well. This will be my 5th year running the half and I'm an official blogger for them so if you decide to sign up use code ADAMS2016 for $10 off. I love Chicago and just ran a half in Wisconsin this past fall - it was beautiful there! Thanks for linking up with us!

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    1. That is so awesome, Mar!!! It is quite a testament to how awesome the Pittsburgh Marathon/Half is for you to be running it five times. Thanks for sharing your discount code!!! If it works out, would love to meet up during race weekend. Likewise - the next time you are in Chicago, please do not hesitate to get in touch. =D Thanks for co-hosting the link-up!!!

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  6. Oh, that's a bummer about the Cinco de Miler! I'll hopefully be asked to work at Wisconsin again so I'll already be committed that weekend, too.

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    1. Yes, total bummer about the Cinco de Miler conflicting with Wisconsin! It feels like there are a couple of weekends where ALL the races take place, right? I have to believe you'll be asked to work Wisconsin again - you are the perfect volunteer!

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  7. I also love ten milers. I think they are my fav distance outside of the marathon (which I think deserves its own category!) :)

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    1. Aren't 10-milers the best? Long enough that you don't have to run at puke speed, but not so long that the miles become mind-numbing. I completely agree with you on the marathon distance deserving its own category - it's such a different challenge!!!

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  8. What a fun NYE!!!!

    Do you think this will be the year you find the right balance of races for you?! :) Did I see you signed up for Pittsburgh? It will be fun to race something new!

    I will probably do the Wisconsin Half! I have to keep the streak going. That's all I have on my spring radar :)

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  9. The Chitown Half is where I got my half PR! I haven't run it since, but it definitely holds a special place in my heart because of that :) This will be the first time since 2013 that I haven't run the Lakefront 10. The date is just way too early. I'm doing F3 in a couple of weeks and have no desire to jump right back into training after that. I want to take most of February off running, not spend it all training for a double digit race!

    Bethany @ Accidental Intentions

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