Chicago Monster Dash 2014

The dash offered a 5k 10k and half marathon, so there were a lot of participants this year. Also this year a lot of people I knew were running this run. My good friend Jo ran the 5k with his friend Christina and also Dinah, Shiela and DeLauna. The 10k runners included Evangeline and Dorinda, and the 1/2 marathon was myself, Dave, Chris and Sharon.

It was a very nice day for a run. It was much warmer than last year, so I was a little overdressed with my costume this year.

The race started at 8:00, not as early as other races and we got there early, even before they had everything set up. Nice thing about getting there early was that there were no lines to the bathroom.

There were no set corrals for this race, you basically lined up at the pace that you would run. We joined the 10 min mile. The course was the same as last year, so I was very familiar with the course.

As mentioned above it was a really nice day and the temperature went up to the 70’s. I wore my Mickey Mouse outfit that I wore last year, but with my half fanatics shirt. It got so warm that I had to take my base layer off halfway on the course. With my HF shirt I met another HF on the course and we chatted for a bit and found out that we both ran the Chicago Marathon. There was another potential HF that we traded notes on Facebook but didn’t find her in the beginning, hopefully she did well and qualified to be a HF.

I noticed this year that there were not that many aid stations and much less volunteers. At the aid stations they didn’t have enough volunteers that they had the water and Gatorade on the tables instead of people passing them out. Also there was another event happening by Soldier Field, it was a walk for breast cancer, so the path was filled with walkers and runners, and got really crowded. Once I got out of that crowded point it was close to the finish line. I finished at 2hrs 49min 20sec, still within my norm, I didn’t train took much this week because my left knee was still sore from the marathon, but I feel good with my results.

It was a great day for a run, I was glad to see Jo doing the 5k, it was Chris’s first half marathon, it was Chris and Dave’s birthday and it was my last half for 2014 and the 10th for the year.

I have a couple more runs lined up to finish up the year.

Chicago Marathon 2014

Running through 29 neighborhoods in 26.2 miles around the city was a fulfilling experience and got me to enter the ranks of being a Chicago Marathoner!

For the week prior to the race day I was worried about the weather. They have been forecasting cool temperatures and a chance of rain. I was more worried about the chance or rain than running the distance. Once it got closer to race day the weather started looking favorable and it was cool with partly cloudy skies which meant no rain!

The expo was held at McCormack Place and it was huge! We spent a few hours there and tried samples, got some merchandise and got my packet for the race. I have to say I was disappointed with the participant shirt and some of the merchandise. But overall the experience was worth it than getting a T-shirt.

Race day morning I did my usual routine. I was assigned to corral K which was scheduled to start at 8:00. I wanted to get there early to see if I can find people that I know who was also running. Once we arrived downtown I knew that it would be impossible to find people, because it was very crowded and the line to go through security was long. They had a checkpoint for security that only runners could go through. So I said my goodbyes to Rick and he went to the first meet point and I went to my corral.

Once I got through security I went directly to corral K because I wanted to get close to the front because it was the last corral to be released. Once they let us go I was on my way with the rest of the 45,000 people running through this great city!

Here is a list of neighborhoods that we went through, after which I will comment on a few of the highlights of the run so that this won’t be too long.

New East Side, Streeterville, magnificent Mile, The Loop, River North, Near North, Old Town, Old Town Triangle, Lakeview East, Park West, Lincoln Park, West Loop Gate, West Loop, Greektown, Near West Side, Little Italy, University Village, Illinois Medical District, Pilsen, Chinatown, Bridgeport, Park Boulevard, Bronzeville, The Gap, South Commons, South Loop, Prairie District and Central Station.

As with all the races I needed the bathroom, I was worried because they didn’t have on at the 1 and 2 mile markers. I was thinking that may had to wait until I was in my neighborhood to go to my own place! But luckily they had one around the 4 mile mark by the 50’s McDonalds on River North!

I’ve read that there was going to be a lot of spectators and cheerers and they weren’t wrong! I saw Rick in several spots, I saw Mel in Lakeview, a couple of co-workers by our office building, and our neighbor who was volunteering at the medical station around the 15 mile mark.

Some of my favorite neighborhoods was Lakeview where we passed a senior living facility where the residents were waving at us through the windows, and going up Broadway where there were drag queens, cheerleaders and the ROTC. Running downtown is always fun, seeing the Chicago Theater, Board of a Trade and the Sears Tower to name a few. Pilsen was a fun neighborhood, with loud Latin music and the great smells of the food, although it got me hungry! Chinatown was fun to run through and Bronzeville is a beautiful neighborhood.

I lost my momentum after Chinatown and started taking longer walking breaks. When we got to Roosevelt and Michigan I was encouraged by a couple saying that to finish strong with them, so I did and that gave me a boost to go further. Once I saw the finish sign I booked it and finished the marathon in 6hrs 19min 38sec. I finished the marathon in the required time so my name was printed in the Monday edition of the Sun-Times.

I don’t know when I will be doing another marathon, but it won’t be in the near future. For right now I will be sticking to halfs. I will never rule out doing another marathon!

I want to thank those who came out to cheer, I know that there were some people I know that we’re out there but didn’t find you, but reading your comments on Facebook and Instagram after the race made it even more special! It is as a beautiful day for a run and it was a really nice course. I was just very long! As a reward we went to Aloha Grill for lunch and had a Peach Cobbler Cupcake from Molly’s Cupcakes.

For the day of recovery I got a massage at a place that had a discount for marathoners, which really helped my aching muscles, she really worked them. I got my medal engraved with my finish time. Finally we went to the Chicago Art Institute because they were giving free admission if you showed your medal or bib. Still a little sore, but I was all worth it. I can now say I am a Chicago Marathoner and I did #OwnChicago.