2014 Shamrock Shuffle 8k

Hello, hello!

This past Sunday I ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle for my third year in a row.  The race is one of my favorite for many reasons:

– It is the ‘official’ start to race season

– You get to run through the River North/Downtown Loop neighborhoods

– It is usually the start of warmer weather

– People always have awesome outfits

This year I was in the first wave of runners – corral D that started at 8:30 a.m.  Brian and I got down to the starting area with plenty of time for me to take pictures and visit the beloved porta potties 🙂  Brian did not run the race with me this year, but he always loves to come and watch for the post race celebration.

I was a little nervous lining up at the start because I had just ended an amazing week long vacation in which I ate and drank … A LOT.  I did manage to get a bunch of runs/workouts in, but nothing over 3.5 miles.  Needless to say, I was just going to enjoy the run and not go into it hoping for a PR.

Bank of America sponsored races are always very well organized, so the race started exactly on time and we were off!

As I mentioned earlier, the route is one of my favorites.  First we ran north from Grant Park towards the River North area and then turned West all the way down to State Street.  Then we swung a left and ran south all the way down State passing the famous Chicago Theatre!

Once we hit Jackson st. we ran west again passing my work and the Chicago Board of Trade.

It’s funny running by work when I’m not actually going IN the building 🙂

At Lasalle we turned right and went north until we got to Monroe… there were a few more twists and turns after that – you get the idea.  Eventually we were back on Michigan Ave. headed south towards Roosevelt Rd. and the infamous ‘final stretch hill’.  Right before “the hill” I saw this runner with an AWESOME sign pinned on her back.

hehehehe

The whole time I was running I was totally in the zone and enjoying the awesome sunny weather and the 30,000 runners/spectators.  I honestly was not even paying attention to my time, but I ended up running a pretty decent race!

43:34

Better than last year’s Shamrock Shuffle time, but not a new 8k PR.  I was a happy camper nonetheless, and ready for some BEER.

Brian and I spent about an hour sipping on some light beer and taking in the spectacular view.

I love you, Chicago.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day (plus, my last day before heading back to work – boo). This relaxing state included and awesome brunch we threw together full of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, mimosas and fresh pineapple.

Hit. The. Spot.

I also took the time to plan out my training plan for the month of April.

I cannot believe how quickly the first quarter of the year went by!  My mileage is starting to rack up and I am pumped to start running my long runs with my good ol’ running buddy – the other LINDSAY!  I’m not sure how you train for a half marathon or full marathon without a running buddy.  So much motivation!

Great news friends… IT’S HUMP DAY!  Cheers!

2013 Shamrock Shuffle Recap

Yesterday was a WONDERFUL day…

I awoke as I do on any racing day, groggy eyed and pissed off at my alarm clock.  But to my surprise, someone was waiting for me at the foot of my bed wide awake and fully energized.  Bailey’s Sunday morning attitude was just what I needed to get out of bed and start my morning routine.

After a quick walk with my little nugget, I went to the kitchen and toasted whole wheat bread and topped it with peanut butter and sliced bananas.  This delicious pre-race fuel was accompanied by some home brewed coffee courtesy of Brian 🙂  Yes, I asked him to brew me my coffee because he knows how to make it the best!

Brian went back to bed as I blogged and ate my breakfast, anxiously awaiting the moment I had to start getting ready for the race.  The voice of Van Morrison lulled me in the background, getting rid of any pre-race jitters.

Once 7:00 a.m. hit, I got dressed and double checked that all of my gear was in my drawstring bag that I would bring to the race.  iPod, phone, deodorant, bib and pins, extra hair tyes, long sleeve under armor, sweatshirt, sports tape, sunglasses, keys, wallet – yup it was all there.  It was time to make our way to Grant Park.

It was an absolutely beautiful day in Chicago.  The weather was perfect for running – Sunny, mid 40’s – low 50’s.  Brian and I got down there with about 20 minutes to spare before my corral closed so I made a quick port-o-john stop and was all set.  I felt great going into the run, my breakfast was sitting well and I had a lot of energy to burn.  I had a handful of friends who were running the race as well, but in a sea of 40,000 people it was too hard to find everyone.

When I got into my corral, I decided that it was just a tad too chilly to only be wearing my dri-fit t-shirt so I added my long-sleeve under armor last minute!  Special thanks to Brian for holding all my gear while I ran the race 🙂

Chilly

At exactly 9:15 a.m. we were off!  The first two miles literally flew by – I knew I wanted to keep a 9:00 minute pace, and felt that I was on the right track.  The course was really fun, we traveled north on Columbus Dr. and turned left on Grand to circle back south on State Street.  We then made our way through the financial district of the loop (past my office!), crossed the river and then headed back east down Harrison.  I’m pretty sure I had a smile on my face the entire race, it was just such a great day and my legs felt great.  I remember feeling really nostalgic around mile 4 remembering how exactly one year ago it was extremely difficult for me to just run 1 mile.  I was so grateful that 5 miles came more ‘naturally’ to me.

As many Chicago racers know, most Grant Park runs end on the southern point of Grant Park – which meant we had to tackle “the hill”.  That hill on Roosevelt Rd. is just killer.  I remember mentally telling myself to keep my legs moving and not to slow down my pace because the finish was right around the corner.  I owned that hill!

Once I made it to the top and saw the finish line – I picked up my pace and sprinted 🙂  I finished with a big smile on my face!

The end of the race was so well organized, loads of volunteers were handing out Gatorade, water, bananas, and some free snacks.  I grabbed one of everything and then B-lined to the beer tent where Brian was meeting me.

Happy, happy girl.

We relaxed by Buckingham Fountain, enjoyed a couple brews and admired the beautiful view in front of us.

Life is good.

We spend a little over an hour there before we decided to head back north and grab some FOOD.  — By this point I was starving and a little buzzed after only two beers on a mostly empty stomach! 🙂

I chose France’s deli as my post-race lunch and boy was it a delicious choice.  I ordered a spicy Bloody Mary, a grilled chicken club on pumpernickel bread and a side of fries.  This hit the spot!!  The plate of food was huge, I could not finish it all… but Brian had no problem helping me 🙂

Overall, this race was a GREAT way to kick of the race season here in Chicago.  I cannot wait for the next couple of runs I have scheduled!

Ta Ta for now!