- Mile 1: 10:03 - In retrospect, I started out too slow. But, I wanted to conserve my energy. And, we ran under a tunnel by McCormick Place which was dark and scary. The road was also not paved particularly well and I did not want to fall. On the way, I saw a sign that said Smile if You're Not Wearing Underwear". That made me chuckle.
- Mile 2: 8:30 - Another hilarious thing I saw was a guy running decked out in Packer gear. He got another runner to take a picture of him giving a thumbs down behind the back of another runner wearing a Walter Payton jersey.
- Mile 3: 8:21 - Best mile of the day! - I think part of this was that I didn't want to see any more men pulling off to pee off to the side of this bridge that we ran under. I'm super jealous that men can pee standing up where as we women have to wait to use an actual restroom. Though I did find this hilarious article for those of you who may want to give it a shot. I will pass! Along the way, I stopped by aid station #2 for some water and was pleased with myself for being able to keep running while drinking from my cup. I liked how trash cans were placed by the aid stations so I was able to put my cup there instead of dropping it on the ground.
- Mile 4: 8:27 & Mile 5: 8:38: I slowed down a tad bit, but overall, I still felt pretty good. We climbed over a little curb to get to the lakefront trail at the turnaround point. I liked how the race organizers put a ramp over it and there was a huge sign that told us to be careful going over the curb.
- Mile 6: 8:47 & Mile 7: 8:37: My left leg decided to act up a little bit after Mile 5 and I started to panic a little bit. Once again, it was my ITB and my leg was a little stiff, but what the hell. I decided to just push through the pain and slow it down some. I tried to focus on my form hoping that would fix the problem. For the most part it worked. My split times were still good and I was still on pace to finish under 1:30.
- Mile 8: 8:41 & Mile 9: 8:49: The wheels began to fall off the bus a little bit at this point. There are parts of the course that are also very tight and narrow. So, you really have to watch where you're going especially if you are trying to pass other runners. I never like to run right in the middle whenever I run a race - I like to be on the far left or right. Mainly, I have less people by me and also so I can pass more. I was pleased with myself for being able to pass and not get into any accidents. I came into Mile 8 at around 1:09 and I knew that I'd break 1:30 because there was no way that I'd run the last 2 miles in 20 minutes.
- Mile 10.03: 8:58: Second slowest mile of the day, which is really no shock to me since I tend to crap out toward the end of the race. I tend to take it out too fast in the beginning and am just struggling to hold on at the end. I knew we were getting close after I hit Museum Campus drive where my corral was. We went into another tunnel and I could see the light coming and other runners turning the corner. The field was coming up soon! As I hit the field, it felt exhilarating running where the Bears play. I had a pretty epic sprint to finish up the race as well and passed by a good amount of other runners.
After the race, I picked up a couple bottles of water and called my boyfriend from inside the tunnel. He was able to see my finish on the Jumbotron! We decided to meet at our meeting point, which was by the Naked Juice truck. I grabbed my medal and finisher bag and met him outside.
It was SO COLD so I'm glad that I brought some warmer clothes with me. I exchanged my shirt for a larger size and went back into the stands to try to watch my dad finish.
Turns out he finished in 1:49:10 (10:55 mile pace) (clock time of 2:37:14). Jim and I missed him finishing and I was getting really worried since the clock was approaching 3 hours before I finally got a text from him. He had finished and was already over at the post-race tailgate section having a beer. So, we left the stadium to meet up with him.
Overall, I had a great time at the race and I was glad that I did it. I was really pleased with my time as well. I'm still worried about my ITBs so I probably will have them checked (again). Oh, and sorry about the weird pictures - I have no idea why they came out like that.
Upcoming Races:
North Shore Half Marathon on June 2nd in Highland Park
Run for Boston 5K on June 15 in Libertyville
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