Chicago Monster Dash-- Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Chicago, Illinois
United States
Team Ortho
40F / 4C
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 22m 38s
Overall Rank = 1606/2405
Age Group = F 40-44
Age Group Rank = 120/197
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 5:30; did my usual brief stretch routine, then ate my typical breakfast (yoghurt, whey powder, fruit, oats) and drank a decent amount of water. I'd booked a taxi to take me downtown, as the El didn't start running on Sunday until after 7, which would have made me late for the 8AM start.
Event warmup:

Met a friend down there, so we walked around a bit before going to our respective starting places (she was run/walking; I was running). Stretched a bit, but otherwise didn't do much (besides visit the porta-potties, of course!). I was trying to deal with nerves by treating this as much as possible as a long training run...albeit one with several thousand other people, many in costume. OK, so not so typical, then!
Run
  • 2h 22m 38s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

Overall, the run went pretty smoothly-- not my best run, but not my worst. Took the first couple of miles to warm up, then went along as steadily as I could from there. At around mile 8 or so, my quads started to complain, but I ignored them as best I could and kept going. One of the downsides to their last-minute course change is that there weren't mile markers every mile on the second half of the course-- so we went from mile 8 to mile 10 in what seemed to be a ridiculously long mile 9, and then from there to mile 12...not ideal on the psychological level, I have to admit!
What would you do differently?:

Probably do more run-specific training beforehand, really. I didn't follow any structured program, but will for the next one. (Yes, there WILL be a next one!) 'Twould be nice if I wasn't so stressed as well, but since there's no guarantee of that anytime, I figure I'll go with better training! :) I think I'd also drink more, and earlier-- I was trying to avoid the tummy-sloshing feeling, but chances are a more steady intake of Vitalyte would have been good for me. I ended up walking through the last 3 water stops to wash down the minuscule amounts of gel I could get out of a full gel flask-- major flask!fail on the squeezability factor, gang. Must investigate other options on that score.
Post race
Warm down:

Got through the finish chute, then grabbed some food and walked around while choking down a cheese stick and half a banana, drinking a bottle of water in record time. Stretched a bit, then walked to the El, stood in the blessedly heated area until the train came (temps stayed cool yesterday-- must've been in the mid-40s, tops), and rode the train home. That was the worst part, actually-- my legs were DETERMINED to stiffen and cramp up on the train, so I kept rubbing them as much as I could. But WOW, did that hurt! Got home and immediately flung myself into a hot Epsom Salts bath, which helped a lot (I'd originally thought of doing an ice bath, but too much time in sweaty clothes on a cold day put paid to that idea). Managed to drag myself out of the water just before falling asleep in it (!), then showered and got some warm sweats on. I knew I should eat something, but wasn't terribly hungry-- made some oatmeal with soy protein powder, which seemed to be just the right kind of bland-yet-substantial snack I needed before hunger for lunch eventually kicked in.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training, probably. Some fatigue. Not fueling quite enough during the actual race (though again, I didn't feel particularly hungry as I went). I should definitely work on nutrition during races for next season.

I'm getting a massage later today (the day after); I have to say, once I took some ibuprofen a couple of times yesterday and did my evening roller and yoga routine, my legs actually don't feel too bad today. Of course, sleeping for 9 hours helps, too! :)

Event comments:

For its first year in Chicago, this didn't go too badly, despite the course change. There were plenty of water stations, and volunteers with megaphones on some stretches to cheer us on. Post-race, there didn't seem to be much going on, so I got out of there ASAP because I was already starting to get cold. I do have to admit that it was fun seeing people lining up in a huge array of costumes on Hallowe'en! The lack of regular mile markers on the second half of the course is the only major flaw I can think of, really.




Last updated: 2010-08-12 12:00 AM
Running
02:22:38 | 13.1 miles | 10m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 120/197
Overall: 1606/2405
Performance: Average
Avg HR= 160
Course: They changed the course at the last minute due to "circumstances beyond [their] control," so we ended up going North rather than South along the lakefront. That meant that we had the wind at our backs coming back, which was great-- at times I could feel a literal shove in the small of my back when the wind picked up! It also meant that I got a really good sense of just how far 13.1 miles is, since I know the landmarks on the North side pretty well-- seems stupid to say it now, but that's a long way!
Keeping cool Good Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 3