Fort 2 Base 10 Nautical Miles

I found this race when we went to the Chicago Spring Half Marathon and was admiring the medal. Then we started talking to one of the organizers and I became interested in the race. They offered at 3 or a 10 Nautical Mile course and I signed up for the 10 Nautical Mile which is approximately 11.5 miles. Rick got me a Captain America tech shirt for my birthday and when I got it I knew I wanted to wear it for this race.

We started at Fort Sheridan at 7:00 AM. We went around the Fort area for about 1.5 miles and then exited and followed the running path towards the Naval Base.

Today was another humid day, but luckily the path was had tree cover so we were in the shade for awhile. Humidity is my nemesis, so I took advantage of all the refreshment stations. And as usual I had to take a bathroom break a couple of times. The path between the fort and the base was quite level, so I was able to keep a steady pace.

Many of the volunteers were members of the armed forces, you could totally see the support of the race by the different sections of the armed forces, you could tell that the Army, Navy and the Marines were present, but I heard that the Air Force and Special Forces were there as well.

Once we got into the Navy Base it took us down to the lake front and then brought us to the “hill” that everyone was talking about. It came around mile 10 and it was steep! I took a steady pace going up but I got winded when I got to the top. There were Navy personnel there and one ran up to me and said Come on Captain America you can do this, which motivated me to start running and he ran with me for a bit and the told me to finish strong and left me to run the rest of the way.

Once I saw the finish line I picked up the pace, saw Rick and my sign and finished the race in 2hrs 14min 31sec.

We got our medals awarded by men and women of the armed forces, which was a nice touch. Once we got to the food station I was handed a box. They had a lot of stuff they were giving away and I filled up my box! I have never gotten this much stuff from a race before so we took a picture of it.

After the race we met a couple of pacers and hung out with them for awhile. They will be running the Chicago Marathon too so maybe I’ll see them there, or out on the lakefront during a training run.

This was a fun race, even with the hill that they called Hero Hill, I would run this again.

Running Between the Vines

This is my 6th half marathon for 2014 and the first one of the 4 upcoming halfs that will moon me up in the Half Fanatics.

We found this race by talking to another runner at Fleet Feet and she mentioned a run up in Michigan that goes through a vineyard. Rick found this one online and we thought it was the one she mentioned, but it turned out that she was thinking of another one.

We drove up to Michigan Friday, checked into the hotel and picked up my bib and shirt at the vineyard. Went to bed early and made sure our alarm clocks were set on the correct time zone We got up early to go through my race routine. The manager of the Holiday Inn was nice enough that he had the staff start the breakfast early so Rick got some food to eat.

It was good that we left really early to go to the vineyard, because getting into the parking area tool awhile, and of course I had to go to the bathroom. The corrals were wet up by people holding pace times. I went into the 10 minute mile corral and waited there until they had the national anthem and the start of the race.

When we left we ran down the street where the entrance to the parking area was and it was backed up. The majority of the course had us run through gravel roads. There was a long stretch that had rock and bumpy surfaces that i was mostly looking down at the road to make sure my footing was secure and avoid a possible injury. Another course challenge was all the hills. This is the first race that had so many hills. That really gave my calves a workout.

The course brought us all around the countryside of Jackson and it was a beautiful morning for a race. Sunny with a light breeze kept me comfortable throughout the race. When I came up to the finish I heard a group of people yelling “Go Chaddieboy!” Apparently Rick made some friends while waiting fir my return. I finished the race in 2hrs 40min 34sec. Keeping me within my average.

The racers called Running Between the Vines, we really didn’t run between them. They had us finish by the vines and we were able to walk through the vines. They gave us the finishers medal and a etched wine glass. During the after party they had a wine tasting and had food from local vendors.

This was a nice run, beautiful scenery and we had beautiful weather for the run. I would run this one again if it aligns with my scheduling.

Chicago 10K 2014

Second year running this race and again it was fun, a nice course, volunteers well covered, and a nice medal.

This year some friends also signed up and ran the race. It was Stacey and Faith’s first 10K, the first Chicago race for a Joy, another race that Nirma and I have run together and also saw Sebastian there too.

The race started at 8 AM and we got there early to see the booths and stretch. The race started on time and it took us along the lakefront path and had us loop back to the start. We pretty much stayed together the first mile, but again I needed to go to the bathroom, not knowing if there would be any facilities along the course I veered off to the park bathroom just before the first mile marker.

I didn’t see the group until we came closer to the turn around. The course wasn’t closed off so we shared the path with other runners and bikers, who were very courteous in not cutting us off and shared the path.

I paced myself so that I didn’t walk until I got to the refreshment stations and walked for a bit while I drank the Gatorade and sip of water. I managed to keep my pace within 9 – 11 minute mile and that is a good pace for me. I am trying to run longer and taking less walking breaks.

When we approached Soldier Field I knew we were very close to the end, so I picked up the pace and when I saw the finish line I booked it and I finished in 1hr 8min 22sec, which is 38 seconds faster than last year.

I am very proud of Stacey and Faith for completing the race and beating me! And it was great to see Nirma, Joy and Sebastian. It was perfect weather for running and was a great start for my crazy race schedule for the next weeks!