The Best Season

It really is the best time of the year to run.  After a long, hot summer, the temperatures have cooled down.  The leaves are changing, the colors are amazing and it's beautiful running in the city, or a tree-lined path, or just about anywhere.  And after months of searching for parking near Waterfall Glen, or moving aside on the Lakefront path for the large marathon training groups going by, the crowds are now fairly sparse. 

I love to run year round.  And I tend to find something to appreciate about the weather in every season.  But the truth is, you really can't beat fall running.  My friend Tom and I enjoyed a great loop around Waterfall Glen Saturday morning.  There was no pressure to run a certain pace.  There is no important race looming.  We just enjoyed the chance to be out there staying in shape.  And there were several spots along the route where we stopped to admire mother nature's art.  We felt like we'd been dropped into a photo straight from the pages of Runner's World magazine in the 'Rave Run' section.

The last few weeks I've had the chance to run a couple different races, but for various reasons have cancelled in favor of easy weekend run with my friends.  It's not as if I don't like to race.  I've done plenty of that all year.  But fall is a great time to enjoy running in nature.  And I've been taking full advantage.

While I enjoyed the solitude of nature, my wife, was with hundreds of women enjoying a girl's weekend race in Lake Geneva.  It was the inaugural Zooma series race, including a 5k and half marathon.  They used the Abbey resort as their home base, and a lot of women stayed there with girlfriends and made a weekend get-a-way of it.  The post race party featured champagne and message and pedicures.  

It was a beautiful, scenic (if hilly) course.  Men were welcome to run as well, but I'm told there were maybe a couple dozen.  So despite plans I had earlier this summer, I was not one of them.  A recent story in Running Times magazine about men running in women's races suggested how it's pretty awkward for both genders.  So I'm thinking it was for the best that I not run.  I think they survived just fine without me!

That means the next race on my calendar is the Hot Chocolate 5/15k coming up in a couple weeks.  This has grown into a huge race in just three years.  It's a great concept, with two good distances to choose from so you can justify indulging in some of the huge variety of chocolate available at the post-race party.

I organized a group from the media team to run this race, and got more response than any other race on the calendar this year.  I guess we media folks are suckers for chocolate! The goodie bags, which are traditionally among the best in town, are another big draw.  In fact, it seems almost every runner I know is signed up for this race.

And it is a fun race, although it's been less than perfect.  Last year, construction along the Lakefront path made for some pretty sketchy stretches along the course.  This year they promise will be much better.  The folks from RAM racing, who have now taken the Hot Chocolate concept to several other cities, say this year's course will be entirely on city streets, and will be a much smoother ride.  

That's all good with me, so long as they have a cup of hot chocolate waiting for me at the finish.

Enjoy the fall running, and I'll see you on the roads....... 

 

Change in Plans

I guess some races are simply not meant for me to run.  That's all I can assume after signing up, and having to skip, the Urbanathlon for the third time in three years.  I'm not sure what it is about this race.  I love the concept, and I have been excited to run it every year.  But something always seems to come up that keeps me from making it to the starting line.

And it's a shame.  If you're not familiar with the race, sponsored by Men's Health magazine,
 let me share.  It's just short of ten miles along the lakefront and Columbus Drive.  Every couple of miles they set up obstacles ranging from rings to pull yourself through, walls to climb over, and taxi cabs to vault over.  One of the highlights is climbing the stairs at Soldier Fields.  It's a great way to put some fun and challenge into a nice run.

My wife Christine, and friends Tom Ahern and Dina Bair (left to right above) all got to run the race.  They enjoyed a beautiful morning, had a great time, and finished the longest runs they have done all year.  Congrats to all three!

Meantime, I opted to run early and hang with the kids.  I believe the DCFS prefers that young children have some adult supervision.  Which is not to say I missed out.  It's hard to complain when I got to enjoy a nice ten miler close to home with friends from the Elmhurst Running Club.  I was home in plenty of time to relieve our sitter, and was eating a big breakfast about the time my wife and the others were climbing over Cabs downtown.  

It really is nice to run easily with friends, taking in the fall colors, on a crisp morning.  My watch wasn't even working.  Because the Prarie Path is marked, I know how far we ran, but I really don't know our pace.  Or care.  I just know it was comfortable.  Several runners were back out for their first longer run since finishing last week's Chicago marathon.  So there was plenty to talk about.

There will be more races.  Plenty of them.  But there may be few better fall mornings on the path than Saturday.  And afterward, the chance to spend a little more time with the kids is always a treat.  So I have no complaints.

And I can always sign up for next year's Urbanathlon.  It couldn't happen four years in a row could it?

See you on the roads......

 

 

 

My Marathon Weekend

I was up early on Sunday.  My running clothes were laid out, and I threw them on.  After making sure my daughters had breakfast, I checked my watch, realized the race was starting in five minutes, I tore down the stairs and started to run.  On my treadmill.  

Yup, I turned on the TV, and watched the first few miles of the 33rd running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon while running on my treadmill in the basement.  It was beautiful outside.  A wonderful fall day.  My time, however, was committed to children's activities, church, and a full day of family holiday weekend fun.  

I love the Chicago marathon.  I've run it 8 or 9 times, and go to watch it as a specator on most years when I sit it out.  I've had the pleasure of interviewing several of the top elites, as well as many others connected with the race who I call my friends.  Lots of my friends were running Sunday as well.  

But I was home watching on TV, kicking myself that I wasn't among the runners winding through Chicago.  I had already endured several dozen inquiries during the week about whether I was running the marathon this year.  Despite the fact that I've done dozens of races, this year, and have been training pretty well, the Chicago marathon is the only race that registers on the radar for most of my non-running friends.  

That's fine.  Like I mentioned earlier, I love the Chicago marathon, and I am proud of the important place it holds in the world of distance running.  It encourages thousands of people every year to accomplish their fitness and fundraising goals.  Their personal stories are inspiring.  It has become a huge event, and brings millions of dollars in economic benefits to the city.  I could go on and on about the benefits.

But the race itself was amazing this year.  I watched with great interest to see whether Ryan Hall could find a way to win his first major international marathon.  I wanted to see how Moses Mosop would fare, in just his second marathon after the amazing race he ran this spring in Boston.  Kenyan Wesley Korir was also on my radar after meeting him on Friday.   And Liliya Shobukhova was also a great story, as she tried to win an unprecedented third straight race.

 

 
If you follow the sport, you probably already know how it turned out.  Mosop set a course record despite an achilles injury that hampered his training.  Ryan Hall ran a very strong 2:08, but finished in 5th place.  Korir ran a p.r. and finished in 2nd.  And Shobukhova also ran an incredible race winning in 2:18.  My friend Tom Smithburg snapped shots of the leaders as they ran by on the course.  He also sat out the race this year, but says he had a blast watching it as a fan.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowlege the tragic death during the race of North Carolina firefighter William Caviness.  By all accounts, he was an experienced runner, in good condition.  It is an unimaginable tragedy for his family, including two young children.  And it is a sobering reminder for the rest of us, that we should savor every bit of the joy we get from running, because we never know what it all might end.  My prayers are with his family.

So now the marathon is over, and for those who ran it, now is a time for celebration and recovery.  Congratulations!  For the rest of us, there are more races on the schedule!

See you on the roads......

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like....

 
Marathon time.  The crisp, cool weather in the morning announces the end of summer, and the beginning of fall.  For many, that can be kind of depressing as we prepare the transition to the frigid winter months.  But for runners, there is be no better time.  The past weekend provided perfect running weather, and I took full advantage.

A number of friends were running marathons in Milwaukee, or the Twin Cities, and they enjoyed great weather for those.  But the big one for most runners in the area is now just days away.

You can tell it's marathon week in Chicago, because the runners are tapering, and apparently took it pretty easy over the weekend.  my first clue was that I was able to park in the parking lot at Waterfall Glen for the first time in months Saturday.  With all the training groups out there all summer, we were forced to park on the street about a half mile away from the entrance.  But the crowds are gone, and the path was ours.  

For marathoners, the work is done.  The miles are logged, and now it's really a mental game until the horn goes off on Sunday morning.  The race, for many, is the celebration of all the hard work that got you to the starting line.  And it's usually a great celebration shared with a million or so of your friends along the route.  But in anticipation of Sunday, as Tom Petty sings, "The waiting is the hardest part."

I know from plenty of experience what it's like race week.  You are excited, nervous, and have lots of extra energy because you have cut back significantly on your running.  And, if you're like me, you have nagging doubts about your fitness, or some little injury that has become amplified in your mind because of the task you are about to embark on Sunday.   Trust me, it all goes away once you start the race.

If you'll allow me to act for a couple minutes as a coach, let me offer a few nuggets of advice.  Those are universal feelings.  Whether you are a first-timer, wondering whether you can finish the distance, or an elite athlete wondering whether you can hit your target splits, everyone seems to have too much thinking time on their hands in the final days leading up to a big marathon.  

 
 
I think the best way to deal with it is to turn the energy into a positive, by mapping out your strategy.  Set your goal, and think about how you want to accomplish it.  If it's simply to finish, maybe you want to figure out the training pace you have been running, and map out a few of the mile splits (5, 10, half marathon, 20 miles) and put your goals on paper.  If you are aiming for an ambitious time, you can do that math and maybe figure on a few different mile splits.  Write them down, but then put it aside and try to relax.  

You will have no trouble focusing on your goals come race day.  And once you have figured them out, you should feel confident that you have done all you can and try to keep your routine as normal as possible.  You want to do all the stuff you have read about, or tried in previous races.  Hydrate, sleep, and load up with carbs.  Those are all important, and others are much better experts on those subjects than I.

One other thing my former coach told me that has proven invaluable in marathons regards your splits.  The ideal marathon pace is to run negative splits.  That means running the second half faster than the first.  In my nearly 20 marathons, I have accomplished that exactly once.  But, the way to do it is to fight the temptation to go out fast.  You've been tapering, and have all that extra energy stored up, so you're ready to explode at the start. Don't do it.  

Go out easy.  And keep it easy for a few miles.  Don't worry, you will make up the time as the crowds thin out a few miles into the race.  And don't panic about your early mile splits.  You will find you naturally start to run a little faster 6 or 7 miles into the race as you loosen up anyway.  Lots of elite marathoners like to say the race starts at 20 miles.  That is very true.  But getting to 20 miles in good shape should be your objective.  So take it easy, and enjoy the crowds cheering you on.  

Have a great race, and once you are feeling recovered, I'll see you on the roads......