October first. What a great day for running. The cooler temperatures are making for great running weather, and the fall always brings me back to cross country season. The only question for this weekend is, what's a runner to do? There are lots of great runs throughout the season, but on Sunday there are three races on one day that I personally would love to run.
First there's the Banco Popular Chicago half-marathon starting by the museum of Science and Industry. I have run this one several times, and it's really a great run. A good portion of it is on Lake Shore Drive, which is a rare opportunity in itself. One of my neighbors is trying it out this weekend. It's the furthest he's ever attempted to run. So good luck Matt. Lots of others who are training for the marathon will be using it for a training run. That's also fun. In any case, it you are looking for a longer race this weekend, I highly recommend it.
Lots of runners who were unable to sign up early enough for the Chicago marathon are instead going up to Milwaukee this weekend. It's a great idea on it's own. I was seriously considering running up there this weekend if the calendar worked out. It didn't. But some of my friends who've run it say it's great. It's a point-to-point marathon along the lakefront for much of the run, and if the wind is with you, it can be very fast. Plus it's only a few thousand runners, as opposed to the crowded Chicago field. I ran into Coach Bill Leach today putting his runners through a last minute tune-up. He's got a dozen Chicago runners going up to run. Good luck to them!
Finally, there's the PAWS run/walk in Lincoln Park. This is actually where I will be on Sunday. I'm one of the emcees. I don't even get to run! But it's a great event for runners, walkers, and their pets. PAWS is an acronym for 'Pets Are Worth Saving'. It's a great organization dedicated to finding homes for stray dogs and cats. The run helps raise funds for their efforts. I've run this several times in the past as well, and it's always a good time on the Lakefront running path. The run is an 8k. Registration is available through the weekend, including on race day starting at 7am. Maybe I'll see you out there!
Sunday's weather is supposed to be ideal. As far as my running on this great weekend, however, I have no races at all planned! I'm doing a 20 miler on the Prarie Path Saturday, and taking Sunday off!
Oh well. Hope you have a good weekend of running, and I hope you get out to one of these great races!
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