Running Full Circle

Last November I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k in downtown Chicago.  It was only the second 5k I had ever done, and I totally didn't try.  Because I wasn't in shape enough to run.  But after doing it, I wondered if I could give running a real shot.  Here's what I wrote last year:

I don't really run, but after finishing my second 5k this weekend, I'm really considering starting up.  The Hot Chocolate was such a cool run.  The course went through downtown Chicago, starting in Grant Park and winding through the theater district toward the Sears Tower, then along Michigan Avenue back to the park.  The run was on a perfect fall morning - my favorite time of day during my favorite part of year, and the city was just gorgeous.  On top of the scenery, there's just something great about finishing a run.  There's random people cheering for you along the course, and crossing the finish line is just so rewarding.  I've avoided running for as long as I haven't been required to take any gym classes (so like half my life), largely because I've been too out of shape and unmotivated for it, but also because it could seriously mess my back up.  But, 3 days after the 5k, I'm still feeling great.  And I should definitely continue any form of exercise that makes me feel great.
Right now, I'm trying to lose weight and get back into shape.  After a pretty successful run of exercise and weight loss last winter, I've kind of let myself go.  It's especially sad because I have a lot of really cute fall and winter clothes that are too small.  Spring and summer were just really busy this year, which took a toll on my healthy eating habits and killed my motivation to exercise for a while.  The downturn continued and now I find myself at my highest weight EVER.  I've gotten back on board with healthier eating and meal tracking, and now I'm ready to make a plan for fitness.  I'd like to work running into my routine, as the only cardio I'm doing now is the elliptical at the gym.  In addition, I'm also considering working with one of the personal trainers at my gym.  They're running a pre-holiday special right now, and I know that being accountable to someone would help me stay motivated.  The trainers at my gym are super intense, which although a little intimidating, might be just what I need.

Before the start of the run

I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but boy did I run with that thought of adding more exercise into my routine, and eventually starting to run!  The Hot Chocolate really kicked a lot of this last year's health and fitness journey off.  It was only a few weeks later that I first met with my trainer, and within 3 months, I was starting to run.  Of course, I was only doing small intervals of running, eventually making it up to 5 straight minutes of running by April, but it was a start.  Now I'm doing 5-6 mile runs each week, and can make it at least 3 miles without stopping at all, but I don't know if I ever would've gotten there if I hadn't felt that rush of excitement in finishing a race.  So it goes to show that sometimes all it takes a little push to get started, and with enough hard work and determination, anything is possible.

Nearing the starting line

And that concludes the cheesy, lesson-learned part of the post.  On to the run itself!  There were a number of logistical hurdles involved in this run.  Pick-up for the race packets was a bit of a pain - it was only offered for 2 days, at a less than ideal location for city-dwellers and suburbanites alike.  The race got up to over 40,000 people, which made packet pick-up in such a short amount of time even more of a pain.  But I was able to fit it in with a bunch of wedding-related errands I was running yesterday, so it worked out.

Running through the seedy underbelly of downtown Chicago, headed toward Lakeshore Drive

On top of that, the CTA seemed to be conspiring against us.  Bob had to be in his assigned corral for the 15k by 6:50 this morning, so we left our apartment before 6.  We caught a train right away, but everyone got kicked off after a few stops and the entire line was shut down.  So we waited on a platform with, I don't know, several hundred other runners, as packed trains kept passing through, people shoving on.  It was a mess, but we made it to Grant Park by about 7:10.  Bob was stressed because his corral was starting right as we arrived, and we still needed to check our bags.  No one seemed to know where to actually do that, so it was a little frustrating.  But we eventually got the bag checked and got him into a later corral and he started by around 7:40.  I found my way to my corral and started at 7:50.  The unfortunate part of the transit delays is that we were supposed to be meeting friends, including my running buddy Amy, but it just didn't happen.

On LSD, near Navy Pier

As my corral started, there were WAY more walkers than there should have been.  I entered the race with an anticipated pace of 12:00/mile, and was presumably grouped with people of a similar pace.  So to get caught up by people walking not even a tenth of a mile in was a little surprising.  Don't get me wrong, I walked almost this entire race last year, but I started in one of the last corrals so I wouldn't get in the way of people trying to run.

All of that aside, I ran my best time EVER - 36:56, with a pace of 11:53.  According to my watch (which is all the way in the other room right now, so I'm not going to get it to get the exact numbers), my first 2 miles were under 11 minutes each.  I slowed down a little in the last mile, mainly because there's a huge hill toward the end of it.  I did run it this year, instead of walking it, but it was still rough and slow-going.  My only stop to walk was about 30 seconds at the water station (which was just past the point I was at in the picture above).

Finished!

This is the first organized race I've ever done where I ran the entire thing by myself, so I'm wondering if I was more focused on my time and pace.  I still prefer running with friends, since I can distract myself from the fact that I'm running, but I guess it's good to actually focus on running from time to time too.

Hot chocolate and fondue with assorted dippers

The race ends with hot chocolate and fondue, which pretty much made up for everything that was annoying about it.  I mean, who can be upset when there's a warm, melty cup of chocolate?

Comparing the numbers from this year to last is pretty cool.  I improved my time by nearly 10 minutes!  I was shooting for 38 minutes, so it was awesome to come in under 37.  This year I was faster than about 40% of the female, age 30-34 division, compared to just 9% last year; and placed about the same among all women running the 5k.  

I'm not sure that I'll do this exact run again (I say that now, but I think I said that last year too...), but I'll definitely keep on running, and I'm excited to see where I'll be after another year.