Shamrock Shuffle

April 3, 2016

The Shamrock Shuffle was scheduled the same weekend as the Lincoln Presidential Half, so it was a busy weekend for me for running. As mentioned in last year’s post regarding the Shuffle, this is the very first run that I signed up for, so as long as I am able I will run this one. This 8K has been known for the kickoff for spring and the running season.

I was placed in Corral F, which was part of the second wave, so I didn’t have to get to the start early, which our kick off was at 9:00 and the corrals closed at 8:45. I dressed warmly from experiencing the cold weather in Springfield. It was projected to reach into the 60’s in Chicago, but the morning temps were sticking around the 40’s. So I was glad that I wore layers.

They let the first wave at 8:30 right after they had the national anthem. They closed the first wave corrals earlier so we were seeing a lot of people from the first wave try to get into corral E. This is the first time that I saw a lot of pushy and rude participants towards the volunteers. There were quite a few people trying to sneak into an E with bibs for F‐H. Once they closed wave 2 corrals, then the people started getting pushy and angry because they couldn’t get into the corral that they were placed. We all knew when the corrals were going to close, you should be prepared to arrive there in plenty of time, or else abide by the consequences…starting at the last open corral.

It was really cold waiting for our corral to start; once we did I was glad to get moving. With the cold wind it was hard for me to catch my breath, so for the first mile and half it was a challenge to get started. Also my left knee started cramping up, but once I loosened it up it felt better. Despite it being cold, I am glad that the wind didn’t pick up. There were some spots where there was wind but it didn’t last long.

The highlights from this race is running through the loop, which consisted of State street, I always like seeing the Chicago Theater, the Financial District and running down towards Harrison then heading back east. Once we hit Michigan Ave we went south and that was the indication that we were almost done. Turning left on Roosevelt and going over the bridge and turning left on Columbus and then from there the Finish is in sight.

I finished the run in 1hr 1min 48sec, a bit better than last year and my pace was a bit faster than the Lincoln half the previous day. I did enjoy this run, despite the cold weather. I could tell that I need to train more for the challenges coming up this year which entails back to back runs in one weekend!  

Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon

April 2, 2016

This is the 4th time running this and it happened to be my 30th half marathon. Located in Sprinfield, IL this race is one that I enjoy. It is about 3 hours drive from Chicago, so it was far enough for an overnight stay.  We stayed at the host hotel so it was really close to the start.

A half fanatic coordinated a meet up for a photo at 7 near the old capital building. Only a few showed up.after we took our picture Rick and I took our usual pictures by the Lincoln statue and at the Lincoln Museum. We still had plenty of time before the start so we hung out and we met another fanatic who was from Maryland.  I also got to take a picture with the guy with the penny costume.

After the national anthem they added something new, the fired a cannon to start the race. The course followed the same course as last year. I liked going through the old historical section, the street is gravel which is my favorite terrain to run in. Last year they had a guy playing taps, but this year he wasn’t there but instead they had Abe and Mary Lincoln giving out high fives.  The course went through the residential areas of Springfield and a couple of parks. We again went through the cemetery which was another highlight where you can see the Lincoln tomb, and that was a indication that the race is almost done.

It was very windy and the temperature was in the 40’s so it was quite a challenge running through that.  It is always nice to see the community out cheering, there were a couple of people handing out tissues, this one kid was passing out bottles of water, and at the part of the course that was on a running track a group of people were passing out popcicles which would of been good if it wasn’t that cold. Nonetheless I thanked them for their support.

I saw Rick at a few spots along the course, which is always nice to see.  For my first run of the year I felt good and I finished in 2hrs 49min 28sec.  We hung out at the finish and took my finisher photo with Abe and Mary Lincoln, and a couple of people in period costumes.

We headed back to Chicago to drive through the weirdest change in weather, sunning to snowy and then back to sunny. Not a good sign for the next race which is the next day.