Feeling Lucky?

Feeling lucky used to be one of the themes for the Shamrock Shuffle 8k, which has become the largest event of it's kind in the country.  It will take over downtown Chicago on Sunday morning, as the traditional kick-off to the running and racing season in Chicago.  But even before we start shuffling, it's time to start planning for a fall marathon.

That's because if you want to run Chicago, you may need a little luck to get the opportunity.  The overwhelming response last year when registration opened caused the system to crash early in the process.  So they used a lottery system to fill the remaining slots. 

This year Chicago is using a modified lottery system from the beginning.  Unless you have run a qualifying time (3:15 for men, 3:45 for women) or have run in five of the last ten Chicago marathons, you are left to the luck of the draw.  No one can predict your chances of getting in until they know how many have entered, but it's a pretty good bet there will be plenty of folks hoping for a spot.  The lottery opened last week and goes through April 7

I know the marathon staff spent a lot of time evaluating the best system for the lottery.  They wanted to reward those who've been loyal to the race over the last decade, by giving them a guaranteed spot.  They also want to give runners a goal to strive for to achieve a guaranteed entry.  The qualifying time is not quite as difficult as Boston, or New York, but it is definitely a time that only a relatively small percentage of runners have achieved. 

I had the pleasure of doing a story on the registration process for ABC-7 last week.  Here's the link: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=9472991#.Uy4J5LaaX94.email.

There are some great options for those who don't get into Chicago via the lottery.  One of the best is in Naperville, which is putting on a full and half marathon for the second year, about a month after Chicago.  They have changed the course this year to accomodate the large field.  Last year, some of the race was on trails, and the rest on roads.  This year, it will be entirely on roads.  They sold out quickly last year, but doubled the size of the field for this year.  So there are still entries available.  I would expect they will fill up quickly once people learn the results of the Chicago lottery.

Meantime, you can get a guaranteed spot through a number of Charity programs which offer entries and training programs in exchange for fundraising.  That option is available both in Chicago and Naperville.  And it's a great way to give your run a purpose, and something to remember while you are nearing the wall late in the race!

So I wish you luck, not only as the season gets underway with Shamrock, but as we look ahead to the end of the season in the fall!

See you on the roads........

Real Madness

 

The morning began with us trying to plot our exit strategy. Where could we jump out of the race and make it back to the car?  It was very cold.  There were snow flurries.  And there was a brisk, biting wind.  We figured we had already driven out to Cary early on a Sunday morning so we might as well run, but that didn't mean we had to torture ourselves and run the entire 13.1 miles.  

For the pleasure of running a half marathon in weather conditions like this on a brutally hilly course, runners get on their computers at 6am on New Years eve to sign up for one of the 1200 spots before the race sells out in less than half an hour!  They don't call the race 'March Madness' because they're talking about basketball.

I dressed in several layers, including my warm 'Icebreaker' thermal half zip, and figured if all the other crazy people there were gonna do this, I might as well join them.  I realize that's somewhat flawed logic that my mother would probably disagree with.

 

The race starts at 8:35.  Normally, you would see runners milling around the start line for 20 minutes to a half hour before the horn goes off.  We warm up, stretch, and make sure we're loose.  

Not on this day.

My friend Tom and I stayed inside the warm high school building until 8:30.  So did pretty much everyone else.  We walked to the start line en masse and waited for about a minute before the horn sounded and we started running.  This was not about performance.  This was about survival!

Then a funny thing happened.  We started running.  At first it was pretty slow and tight, but we loosened up as we went along, and we started to warm up from the energy we were exerting.  'Warm up' is a relative term, but it wasn't so bad.  I'm sure the whose who had little opportunity to move around, like the volunteers handing out water and my friends taking pictures, had it much worse.

I ran with Tom for the first ten miles, moving along at a steady, somewhat slow pace.  We were both recovering from various ailments.  And we ran into some pretty stiff headwinds at times, but we never really considered dropping out.

At around nine miles, with a little wind at our backs, we picked up the pace a little, and pushed up a huge hill that comes right before the ten mile mark.  After cresting that hill, you head into a neighborhood for the last three miles, with several more pretty challenging hills, before finishing back at the high school.

Yeah, it's a fun course!

I finally reached the finish line.  This was about the sixth time I've run this race, and obviously I suffer from amnesia every year when signing up.  This might have been the most challenging weather I've experienced in this race.  It was also my slowest time.  But I might have enjoyed the most satisfaction from finishing it without having to employ an exit strategy!  

See you on the roads.....

 

 

Stretch it

The doctor suggested 'rest'.  It's the one word I really have a hard time with.  But I guess I went to him for answers, so I have to go with what he says.  So for the first time in a while I am reluctantly on the injured reserve list for a few days or so.  It's nothing serious, just the kind of annoying injury that nearly every runner deals with from time to time.  But it reminds me of how grateful I am to be able to run pretty consistently over the years in the first place.

But it's amazing how after just a few days off from running, I feel like a slug!  My reaction though,is whenever you are dealt something unpleasant like an injury, it's good to look for the bright side.  In this case, that means it's an opportunity to let my body get some rest for a few days.  It's something I know is important, but I rarely do it.

I am also guilty, like many runners, of failing to stretch often enough.  So even though I can't run at the moment, I can stretch.  And to help with that, I am getting a chance to try out a really neat new product, the Enso Roller. 

I've used foam rollers before to stretch sore muscles.  They seem to work pretty well.  The idea is to move sore muscles over the roller to stretch them. Work out kinks, and increase blood flow.  The Enso roller takes that several steps forward.  The roller discs are of varying sizes and can be moved to various positions to cater to different parts of your body. 

They recommend positions for the discs for your calves, hamstrings, spine, and almost every other part of your body you might want to stretch. 

I found it to be more effective than a flat roller because when positioned correctly, it can reach deeper muscles and offer more firm pressure.  It's good for treating muscles that are already too tight, or to stretch muscles so they don't get too tight in the first place.  Give it a try.  There is no downside.

Meantime, my forced break meant I was unable to run the Charles Tillman 5k Saturday morning.  The race went well, though the cold and snow made for less than ideal conditions. I was able to watch from home because ABC-7 interviewed Peanut himself live from the race Saturday morning.  Here's the link: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources/lifestyle_community/community&id=9458422

It was a relatively small race but it benefitted a great cause, Tillman's Cornerstone Foundation.  It also offered a really nice first prize for the winners.  The male and female winners won an all expense paid trip to run a really fun race in Denver later this spring.

 The winners, Emil Bojanov and Lena Josifi, will join a race that will be run simultaneously in cities around the world.  It's race without a finish line.  Literally.  The runners start, and then a 'chase car' starts a half an hour later.  As the car catches the runners, they are eliminated, until the last one still running, who is declared the winner.

This was Lena's first race after a long, injury-induced layoff.  She tells me she wasn't expecting to be in a position to win, but found herself in contention with a half mile left, and let it all hang out.  

Regarding Wings for Life, she says,

The no-finish line format is unique and will allow me to run a pace/distance that I feel comfortable doing. It eliminates some of the pressure of being tied town to a watch. The fact that people in cities all over the world will be running at the same time gives the race a sense of community, it shrinks and brings the world together. More importantly, we will all be running to support spinal injury research in hopes of eventually finding a cure. Coincidentally, this aligns with my dream career path, as I hope to become an ortho or neurosurgeon and work with athletes dealing with brain/spinal cord injuries due to contact sports. 

It should be a lot of fun.  I wish they were doing a race in Chicago, but alas, not this time.  Hopefully, next time they will, and I will be back from my little layoff!

See you on the roads..........

 

Charity Starts at Home

 The prairie path was nearly impossible to run on in places.  Yet there we were, about 150 of us runners making our way gingerly over the snow and ice.  Whenever we got a chance, we moved over to the road.  But I heard no complaints.  We were there because we wanted to be.  And, unlike many races, the reason we were there was at the forefront of our thoughts.

It's one of the most refreshing ideas I've run accross.  This was the third annual 'No Frills half marathon' in Elmhurst.  It's the brainchild of a couple of moms who decided the hefty race entry fees so many runners pay could help benefit a local family every year.  So they put on a race without all the extras that many runners don't really care about anyway and instead give all the money raised to the cause.  They raise thousands of dollars to help a family in need of help.  This year, the beneficiary is a family with a child suffering from a brain tumor.

It's not a big race.  In fact, it's not really even a race for most of the runners.  Three years ago they had 60 runners and considered it a big success.  Last year, they got 100. This year they added another 50.  Each year they have gotten more and more community support and donations.  Volunteers take care of the water stations and crosswalks.  And there is a big raffle at the post-race party.

Lots of races do things like this, but rarely is it such a grass-roots effort, where, literally 100% of the money goes to the cause.  It's a good feeling to be part of something like this, and makes us proud to be runners.

If you missed it though, this weekend, there is a little more formal race benefitting an equally deserving cause. The Charles Tillman 5k at Soldier Field Saturday is inaugural event that benefits Tillman's Cornerstone foundation helping promote organ donations like the heart his daughter Tiana recieved when she was just 6 months old.

 

Tillman and his wife Jackie have four Children.  He won the NFL's prestigious 'Walter Payton Man of the Year' award this year in recognition of his charitable efforts.  So I got the Bears star and Jackie to sit down for a couple of questions.

 

JG: Why did you decide to host a running race?

CT: We have worked with universal sole a couple of times in the past and they offered to help us put on a race. Raising money for our foundation is always our focus and that's what this 5k is doing!

JG: I understand Jackie you're the runner in the family. What types of runs do you most enjoy?

 

JT:  I think a 1/2 marathon is a perfect run. My favorite race is the Ragnar. I have done it 3 times in a different state each time. I have run the Chicago marathon 3 times to raise money for our foundation.

JG: Charles did you run track ever?

CT: Yes. I ran track 7th grade all tHe way through high school.

JG: Obviously you have great speed as a sprinter.  What do you think about the  5k?

CT: I'm a quick burst runner... Long distance I get bored with but I do run with my wife occasionally!

JG: Is your family participating? Any of your kids into running?
CT: We have 4 and the I think our oldest will run. The others are a little to young to be into running. They never stop running around the house but that's different.

Inaugural Peanut Tillman 5k Run/Walk
Saturday, March 8, 2014 9 a.m. at Soldier Field
Benefiting Cornerstone
Presented by Universal Sole

www.UniversalSole.com

It should be a nice race, and a nice opportunity to meet this Bears star who, unfortunately, may soon be in a different city, thanks to NFL free agency.

 

See you on the roads......