2016 Shamrock Shuffle Race Recap

After taking 2015 off (from this race, running, etc.), I was back to do the Shamrock Shuffle this past weekend. When my friend Jessie asked me in February if I wanted to stay downtown with her and do the race, I considered it. After feeling good and strong at the Frosty Footrace 5k, I decided to go for it. With 5 weeks in between the two races, my original intention was to actually train for this race, since I hadn't logged anything even close to the 8k distance since running the R&R Las Vegas Half back in November, 2014. But then winter weather continued to be pretty blah (and by "blah" I mean full of blustery days - because when it's somewhat windy elsewhere in Chicagloand, it's pretty f*cking gusty by me!) and I wondered if maybe I should just enjoy a weekend downtown with my BFF and spectate the race instead. But in the end, I decided to just run the race for fun.

Race prep

Adding to my not-so-high hopes about my race performance was the fact that this weekend ended up being really busy. In addition to the Shuffle, Jessie and I decided to check out xaarlin's Mikkeller Running Club on Saturday. And on Saturday night we had dinner with Jessie's mom and our old roommate and then - just as you do the night before a big race - went to an 80's karaoke bachelorette party. And stayed out way too late. And had too many beers. But what is it the kids say? YOLO?

Sunrise-ish

So as you can imagine, the early hours of race morning were a little rough. Fortunately our hotel was right across the street from Grant Park (and also on the race route), so that made things a lot easier than when I actually lived in Chicago and had to take the CTA down to the race. Which is to say, if I do this race again next year, I will most definitely be playing the part of suburban tourist again and getting a hotel. Being in Wave 2, I was still cozy and warm and finishing my much-needed coffee in our room when the race started at 8:30, which was pretty awesome. I also didn't need to bother with gear check. I just took some hand warmers with me and huddled up with the rest of my very crowded corral before the race started.

I did run outside for a quick photo opp with Jessie and her mom before the Wave 1 start
(then promptly turned around and returned to the hotel)

My current 8k PR of 56:49 was set at the 2014 Shuffle, and given that most of my runs have been in the 12:00-13:00 pace lately, I knew a PR attempt was out of the question. So I set a time goal of 1:05, thinking a 13:00 average pace would be doable, especially if I ended up taking walking breaks because I wasn't prepared for the distance. So when I crossed the start line, I resisted the urge to take off too quickly, as I've done in years past. Slow and steady wins the race. Since my Garmin (like everyone else's, I'm sure) was showing some wonky paces (pretty sure there was no time that I hit a 6:00 pace, despite what my watch showed!), I did my pacing based on feel. I was happy to see that I passed the mile 1 marker at 12:29 - right on target! Since I was feeling so good, my initial plan was to run the first 4 miles at around that pace so I could leave some gas in the tank for a strong finish.

The next few miles ticked away pretty easily, except for the massive wind tunnel during mile 3. But other than that, I was just listening to music, enjoying my time running through the city (something I appreciate a little bit more now that I'm no longer a resident of it), and giving high-fives to everyone I could on the sidelines. I swigged a little Gatorade at the first aid station because I was starting to feel hungry, but that was my only walk break. I hit mile 2 at around the 25:00 mark, so right on pace with the first mile. At that point, I somewhat stopped paying attention to my watch and just continued to run based on feel. I did start speeding up a little once I got through the worst of the wind, just because I felt pretty good and like I could push myself harder than I was. According to Garmin, I ran negative splits in miles 2, 3, and 4, even getting to a sub-11:00 pace for the last two, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. If I was running that fast, it sure didn't feel like it!

I hit mile 4 at around 50:00 in, so I still had 15 minutes to meet my time goal! My legs felt good but were starting to get tired, so I slowed down for the last couple of blocks on Michigan Avenue in preparation of the climb up Roosevelt. I ran that entire thing, and will say, delighted in passing everyone who stopped to walk. All of the involuntary suburban hill training is really paying off! I reached the top of the hill at 1:01:30, so I knew the 1:05 goal was totally in sight. I gunned it as much as I could, passing even more runners in the very long finish chute. My final time was 1:03:30, so 1:30 quicker than I was hoping for!

I'm extremely happy with my time, and even more excited that I was able to run a smart and consistently strong race. I don't know exactly how it's happened, but ever since I came out of running "retirement" earlier this year, I'm more determined and mentally a lot stronger than I was the first time around. Once I really got going in this race, I told myself I wasn't going to take any walk breaks, and I just stuck to it and kept on running. And although the distance seemed a little daunting compared to my usual 2-3 mile runs as of late, I told myself I could do it, and I did. It may be because I do know what I'm capable of doing as a runner if I really try and do the work. Or maybe life making me a stronger person in general over the past couple of years has made me stronger in other areas. I'm not sure, but I do like feeling confident about running again.