Plan Your Season

I always encourage beginning runners to sign up for a race, to set a goal that will keep them motivated to train.  Once you make the commitment to run a 5k or a marathon or any distance in between, you have little choice but to make sure you are ready to actually run it.  There are a lot of runners entered in the Shamrock Shuffle Sunday who did just that, and are entering their first race ever.  Good luck to them.   

As a runner for more than three decades, I believe I'm pretty committed to keeping a regular running.  But I still find that signing up for races, and knowing they are coming up, keeps me not only motivated, but disciplined.  Right now, knowing I have the Boston Marathon looming in less than a month or so, keeps me on a pretty strict running schedule, even if I make it up week by week.  There is really no good way to run a marathon without putting in the miles in the months leading up to it.  But I really never think much about races beyond the one in my immediate future. 

That's why the note in my computer mailbox a few weeks ago got me thinking.  My friend from college track sent laid out his planned race schedule for the entire running season.  He put it on Facebook so lots of people will see it, and it will pretty much commit him to do those races.  Greg was a tremendous sprinter for Drake University back in our college days.  The picture above is from the glory days at Drake.  I ran with the distance guys, so I rarely saw him in practice, but I was always impressed seeing he and some of the other sprinters in meets.

These days he still runs, but the distances are a bit longer.  Greg has done a couple marathons, as well as other road and trail races.  Like me, the running these days is more for fun, and to keep fit.  Here is a look at his schedule:

2009 Race Schedule.

Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 10:27am

April 19 - NCO Naperville Spring Ahead 10K trail Run
http://www.ncoyouth.org/springahead.htm

April 25 - Drake on the Roads 8k
http://www.fitnesssports.com/Apr.races/Drakefolder/DrakeInformat.html

May 25 - Ridge Run 10K
https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=PW2V7K7

July 25 - Waterfall Glen Extreme 10
http://www.xtreme10race.com/

August 2 - Muddy Buddy (Series)
http://www.muddybuddy.com/events.php

August 9 - Naperville Sprint Triathalon
http://www.napervilletri.com/

September 13 - Chicago Half Marathon
http://www.chicagohalfmarathon.com/

Greg's schedule includes a bunch of great races, and they will take him through September.  It has the benefit of giving him an idea of what kind of training he needs to every week and month.  Some weeks he will need shorter distance and more speed.  Other times he will need longer distance and some cross training. 

I'm not so organized.  I do have a general idea of some of the races I might run over the next few months, but Greg has motivated me to think ahead a little and plan it out a little more formally.  I noticed that there is only one on his list that I am likely to run as well.  That's the Waterfall Glen Extreme 10.  There are many others I am looking at, including the Rock and Roll half marathon in early August.  Maybe I will lay out my race plans in this space sometime in the next few weeks.  After Boston.

There is one race I know I'd like to do, even though it falls five days after the Boston marathon on April 25th.  It's the Run for Rett, that benefits Rett syndrome.  The organizers are the parents of a daughter who suffers from Rett Syndrome, and he is also a teacher at my high school alma mater.  This will be the 10th year for the 5k race.  It's on trails at Busse Woods, a great location that also hosts many high school cross country meets. 

I hope to run it (if I'm still walking after Boston), or at the very least, come out and cheer everyone on.  Here is the info:

Run for Rett

Sat. April 25
5K: 8:30 AM, 1 mile: 9:15 AM
Busse Woods, Elk Grove, IL
$20 preregistered by April 17, $25 after that
Online registrationat:   www.signmeupsports.com
For more information about rett syndrome:   www.rettsyndrome.org

Hope to see you out there, or on the roads....

March Madness!

I was sitting at the anchor desk Sunday morning enjoying the last half hour of the morning show.  Suddenly there pops up on the screen the starting line of a 5k that was about to begin in Lincoln Park.  We had a camera there to shoot back pictures live on this beautiful morning.  The producer told us about this at the last minute.

That's probably a good thing.  It was one of those moments when you realize you'd rather be somewhere else!  The weather was just about perfect for a run that morning.  And, had I not been asked to fill in for the regular Sunday Morning anchor, I would have been enjoying that weather at the March Madness half marathon in Cary.  I even managed to register for the race back on January first, before they closed registration the next day.

As I've written before, however, sometimes life gets in the way of your running plans.  So I trudged through a long run on Saturday and got up in the middle of the night Sunday to work. Nevertheless, I'm very excited about the success some of my friends had at the Cary race.  Sunday marked the return to the roads for one of my long-time running partners, Tom.  He tore his achilles tendon a little less than a year ago, and started running again about the end of December.  As you can see from the picture, he is all the way back!  Tom ran a few minutes faster than his modest goal time.  Next up for him is the Soldier Field 10 mile race on Memorial Day weekend. 

Another friend I've written about ran an incredible time in Cary as well.  Kurt Fiene, who is legally blind, ran what I believe is an American record for a half marathon for a sight impaired runner.  At 47 years old, his time of 1:15 took 5th place overall in a pretty competitive field. He is training with a group from Elmhurst right now for The Boston marathon in April.  I have not been able to join them for a training run in the last couple months, and now I know that if I did make it, I would be watching them disappear into the distance!  Congratulations to everyone who ran Sunday!

By the way, I wrote about Kurt a couple months ago.  You can find that entry here: http://runningnewsguy.abc7chicago.com/2008/12/the-blind-shall.html 

Also, he has a fundraising team for Boston if you are interested:

www.firstgiving.com/teamtalks 

As for that Boston training, the great weather should help us out.  It's much nicer to run in shorts and a T-shirt, than bundled up in layers to fight the cold.  The footing is much better as well without all the ice and snow.  I'm planning a 20 miler this weekend to make up for the race I missed out on Sunday.  For about 35,000 of you, the Shamrock Shuffle is looming in a couple weeks.  So get out and enjoy the weather this week.  It's a great time of the year to run!  See you on the roads....

Montana

Sometimes, when training for a marathon, we get so focused, we lose a little perspective on real life.  That's why the picture here is not of me running, but dressed for a different sport.  I'm part way down a nice ski run at Big Sky, Montana.  The world looks different when you're taking in the natural beauty from the top of a mountain.

A couple of weeks ago a friend and I were cruising along on a mid-week 12 mile run through the Morton Arboretum.  It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed the run and the easy conversation.  And we marvelled at how, at this point in our marathon training, a 12 miler seemed like a relatively easy run.  Most other times it would be a run that would be take a big effort, and would probably the peak run for the week.  In this case, I had a 20 miler a few days later. 

That's what marathon training is all about.  And expanding your ability to run long is not only one of the benefits, but it's obviously the objective.  If you plan to race 26 miles, clearly you need feel comfortable running for a long time.  And I was feeling pretty good about that.

But life has a funny way of interfering with the best laid marathon training programs.   I can't recall the last time I trained for a marathon without some interruption in the middle of the program.  Last fall it was the family vacation to Florida a month or so out.  I remember clearly the fall several years ago when my wedding and honeymoon posed an obstacle.  That was of little concern to my wife, but she tolerated my shortened runs on our week in Hawaii.

I've always believed that running is fun, but it also requires sacrifice.  Runners all tend to sacrifice sleep, food, and convenience as well as tolerating the aches and pains that accompany our sport.  And that's not to mention the sacrifices we force on our families.  It's a huge ordeal whenever my wife wants to plan something on a Saturday morning which is generally my 'untouchable' time reserved for long runs with my friends.

But we also can take our focus on training too far, and risk missing out on a lot.  So with that in mind, I didn't really give it a second thought when my friend Rick (pictured with me at the top of the mountain) invited me on a five day ski trip to Montana's Big Sky resort last week.  I knew running would be a challenge there, but I also knew it was a great trip, and I would figure out the running part later.

The trip is an annual event for about 40 people, mostly guys, involved with Rick's commercial real estate firm, Hamilton Partners.  It is a time for good food, wine, skiing and conversation.  It's beautiful country, a little more than an hour away from Yellowstone National Park.  It was an incredibly generous invitation, and the sacrifice to my training program was well worth it. 

As it turned out, however, the others on the trip include a number of really good former collegiate, and even Olympic athletes, who are now successful business people.  Rick is one of my regular weekend running partners and former coach.  He and the others fully supported my need to get some running in during the trip.

So I did manage to combine some running with skiing.  By 'some' I mean a few three milers, and a couple 6 milers.  It was nowhere near the mileage I would have done at home, but I believe it was enough to sustain my fitness.  And it was at an altitude of about 6000 feet, on pretty steep hills, which should provide a different kind of benefit. 

It was as much a mental break as a physical one.  I really didn't think about training, or worry about my mileage.  I was more concerned with getting down the mountain in one piece on skis, and polishing up my pool game in the evenings for our nightly matches.

It remains to be seen what effect the week will ultimately have on my training, and on my marathon in six weeks.  I have have the feeling it will be fine.  But the reality is that I don't expect to compete for a top prize in the race.  And I do expect to finish it one way or the other.  So, to pass on an experience like that ski trip would have been foolish. 

And besides,  I have another built-in training challenge coming up anyway.  My wife is due with our fourth child about three weeks before the race.  Life goes on.

Long Green Line

For some reason, as I train for the Boston marathon in April, I have found myself reading more books on running, and watching more movies about running than ever before.  I enjoy it, but I'm really not obsessed.  I swear, I do have other interests.  Nevertheless, I also just finished my highest mileage week in several years, capped by a pretty good 20 miler over the weekend.  I feel good, but I also know that really doesn't guarantee much when it comes to race day.  If you don't put in the work, that usually does guarantee you won't run very well.  But if you are in good shape, you still have to deal with lots of factors beyond your control, including the weather.  In any case, the latest movie I watched gives me plenty of good food for thought from a strong motivator:  Joe Newton. 

When you live in Elmhurst, like I do, you can't help but be aware of the great success the York High School Cross Country team has enjoyed for decades under legendary coach Joe Newton.  And since I ran Cross Country in high school for a competing school in the state (many years ago), I've been aware of the York Dukes for since my school days.  But I never really understood what the program was all about until I finally got around to watching the wonderful documentary on the program called "The Long Green Line".  It came out last year with a premier at the York Theater in downtown Elmhurst.

I was finally able to watch it on DVD last week, and I'm glad I did.  It was a thoughtful birthday present from my kids (I think my wife probably helped them out, since the oldest is 4).

The sport of running these days includes many, many people who were not athletes in school, and picked it up later in life.  Cross Country really bears little resemblance to most of the road races we see these days.  It is really a team sport, as much as an individual effort.  But the story in this movie has many universal elements, and I'm writing about it because I believe all runners would come away with something valuable from it.

The movie follows the team from the beginning of the school year when Coach Joe Newton begins recruiting from the freshman class.  He is a tremendous recruiter.  The team has more than 200 members in a sport where only the top 7 runners can participate in the competition.  And only the first five of those actually count for the team score. 

The Long Green Line follows those top runners, including the two runners, twins Matt and Eric Dettman, who are the captains and best runners on the team.  Late in the season they get sick, and spend several weeks recovering from a virus.  They are such strong runners, they continue, and still make strong showings at the races.  This was their senior year, 2005, the cap to their high school careers.  They want to win for themselves, but also for their legendary coach.  For Joe Newton, it was a season long quest for his record 25th state championship. 

For a movie about the seemingly monotonous topic of long distance running, there is plenty of drama.  The team is deep with talent, and that is a good thing when two of the top five runners get kicked off the team halfway through the season.  Justin Jones and Brian Marchese were convicted of arson for setting a house under construction on fire.  It was a major scandal in town, but somehow the team managed to recover and move on.

Then there is the story of Connor Chadwick, who was born with cerebral palsy.  Coach Newton welcomed him to the team and treated him the same as everyone else.  His parents (and the viewer) are moved to tears as they watch how his self-esteem improves and how he is welcomed by teammates.  Connor walked with braces until he joined the team.  But his teammates gather at the finish line in the movie to watch him cross it.  It's an amazing and inspirational story.

The term 'long green line' comes from the race strategy for the team.  They try to get the runners to run the race in a pack, preferably at the front.  They want everyone on the team to run together to push each other along, and to discourage the other teams from believing they can compete.  It can be a pretty intimidating sight in a race to see a group of green uniforms worn by the legendary York team in front of you.

The following quote is from a review of the movie in the Daily Herald.  It's spot on.  Then 76 year old Coach Joe Newton has used the sport of Cross Country running to teach simple but important lessons to high school boys for the last 50 years.  "Always do your best", "be on time" and "it's nice to be great but far greater to be nice" are mantras, which have turned the Boys Cross Country team at the public York High School in Elmhurst into the most winning high school team in any sport in America.  Along with mastery of their sport, Newton turns boys into men, who carry his teaching and his love for each of them throughout their lives.

Every team at York, I'm sure feels the pressure to live up to the high standards set by previous teams.  I'm sure if you don't win the state championship there, you really feel a sense of disappointment.  This year's team, for instance, lost the state meet by one point.  That's a pretty incredible effort, but it still goes down as a team that didn't win it all, and has no trophy to contribute to an already crowded trophy case.

The 2005 team will go down in history at York as one of the teams to bring home the state trophy.  They overcame all the distractions to win the state meet easily.  That is good news for the film producers and crew, who dedicated the season to the movie, and had no guarantees about how it would turn out.  It turned out well for the team, and for the movie. 

So whether you ever ran cross-country or even run at all, I recommend the movie.  It is a look at real life, and real champions.

See you on the roads...

The Hustlers

I'm not sure what it is about the Hustle Up the Hancock that has captured the imagination of so many people. Stair climbs have become very popular as a way of raising money for charity.  I know of probably ten of them in the Chicago area currently. But the Hustle is, by far, the most popular.  It sells out all 4,000 spots immediately on the first day they open registration every year.  this was the 11th year, and I have done it most, if not every year since they began. 

Let me say right off that I do not enjoy it!  Climbing stairs in a small, musty, crowded, stairwell is not my idea of fun.  I'm not even sure it's really a great workout, unless you do it a couple times.  I always call it about 15 minutes of hell, because that's usually about how long it takes me to climb the thing.  Of course, the view from the top is priceless, and makes you forget about what you did to get there.

As for the exercise part of it, I will admit you get your heart rate up pretty good.  It's only for a short time however, so it's not really suited to long distance training.  I figure the day after a long run, however, it fit in just fine with my Boston training program.

The most important aspect of the Hustle up the Hancock race is the money they raise to fight lung disease for the Respiratory Health Association of Chicago.   This year they are already at about one million dollars and still collecting.  Unfortunately, that is still about $300,000 short of their goal.  I hope they make it.

The next most important part is the competition.  I finished more than five minutes slower than the top finishers.  Winner Terry Purcell is pictured with Mike Adamle, and 2nd place finisher Christopher Schmidt.  My competition every year in this event (usually) is Mike.  They started a media competition a few years ago, and since then, we have a reason to give it our all.  There's a trophy involved after all!  So all the television and some radio stations get media teams together.

Our team consisted of a great group including Karen Jordan, Steve Dolinsky, Ravi Baichwal and producer Jamie Garton-Insko.  Everyone did very well, and most beat their goal time.  Steve laid down the gauntlet, vowing he will beat me next year.  Good luck! 

I was hoping to break 15 minutes this year, but I fell a few seconds short.  So much of this run is in your head.  I knew I was on pace to get close to my goal time early at about the 30th, and then the 60th floors.  But as I approached the top, I didn't kick it in.  I try to keep a steady pace, without running up.  It's the familiar story though.  If I'd known how close I was, I had enough left to kick it in for the last couple flights.  Oh well, maybe next year.  In any case, I believe my time was still good enough to win the media competition.

That's one of the aspect of this race that is definitely different from most road races.  Since only one climber starts at a time, you can't really focus on anyone else.  You are racing against the clock, like a time trial.  You don't know how you fared against everyone else until they release the results later.  I think many of us believe we could do better if we were racing side by side against other competitors.

Regardless, it was a nice diversion to the training runs.  Now it's back to the roads.  The clock is ticking!

See you out on the trails....

Oh, My Aching Back

I hit the ground so quickly I barely knew what happened.  One moment I was running along taking in the neighborhood.  The next, I was staring at the concrete sidewalk, thankful I was able to break my sudden fall with my hands rather than my nose.  My favorite running gloves didn't fare as well.  And my skinned knees were screaming.  But as I looked around, it seemed noone witnessed my mishap, and there was really nothing to do but get back up and keep going. 

I was just running along on an easy 4 miler Sunday.  Just keeping the legs going after a pretty difficult 17 miler the day before in Barrington.  Back pain, however, made running a little precarious.  My lower back has been killing me for about a week.  I've been getting my runs in, but it's been difficult and painful.  It feels like my lower and upper body are meeting at one point in my back, and every time I make a wrong move, the points dislodge, and I clutch my knees in pain to avoid falling completely to the ground.  It happened at least a dozen times during the 17 miler.  Believe me, that was a long morning!

For some reason, perhaps overconfidence, I had one of those 'dislodging' moments on the Sunday run, and was on the ground before I was able to catch myself.  I'm used to seeing my 3 and 4 year old daughters have crashes like these all the time.  They look around, start crying, and ask Daddy to kiss their boo-boo.  Unfortunately, there was noone around to take care of mine.

In any case, it makes me appreciate even more the good health I've been blessed with.  Just a couple weeks ago, during a run, a friend told me about his recent back troubles.  I thought, "thank goodness I haven't had any problems with my back for a few years".  Well, I thought too quickly. 

I don't have any idea how I developed this problem.  It could have been related to running, but more likely, running just aggravates it.  I've gotten careless lately, picking up kids and other things using poor form, and putting a strain on my back.  I have poor posture generally.  And I don't do nearly enough to strengthen my core muscles, even though I know how important that is. 

A number of friends on Facebook offered suggestions on how to help heal my back.  Some were very helpful.  It's amazing how common back problems seem to be.  I vow to be better at strengthening my back and core once it gets better.  Really, I promise.  Now, get better!

Now, on to another subject.  A running friend of mine, Amy Sanders, recently suggested a good book on running, and I thought I'd pass it along to you.  It's called "What I talk About, When I Talk About Running".  It's written by novelist Haruki Murakami, who is a veteran of more than 20 marathons.  He's been running for 30 years, and the book reads a little like his running journal.  In one section he writes about training, and breaks it down in a way I haven't heard before.

“As long as you explain your expectations to them by actually showing them examples of the amount of work they have to endure, your muscles will comply and gradually get stronger,” he says. “If, however, the load halts for a few days, the muscles automatically assume they don't have to work that hard anymore.”  

Finally, congratulations to Jeremy Borling!  The 28 year old former North Central College runner can add the title 'Austin Marathon Champion' to his resume.  He won the race last weekend in 2:30:05.  Jeremy is Web Manager for the Bank of American Chicago Marathon.  According to the Austin American Statesman newspaper (which gets credit for the photo as well), Jeremy saw a pack of runners taking it out fast early in the race and decided not to go with them.  That was a good decision because that pack was apparently only running the half-marathon!  He was actually leading the marathon, and he led the entire way, finishing more than a minute ahead of second place. 

I never have had that problem in a race.  Of course it's been many, many, years since I was close enough to the front of a race to see the leaders! 

I'll see you on the roads....

Beach Birthday

I knew for several weeks that my wife had a surprise trip in the works for my birthday last weekend. I knew it was going to be somewhere warm. And I knew that meant I would be able to leave the running tights and jackets at home. What I didn't realize was that I could have stayed in Chicago and done the same thing! 60 degree temperatures in February. Go figure!

Several friends sent birthday greetings on Facebook, and offered wishes for a great Birthday run. They know me too well. Of course, I was looking forward to that Birthday run as much as anything for the weekend. What they didn't know, and neither did I, was that I was going to be running along the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, joined by two good friends!

Turning 45 could be pretty depressing. I think the term 'mid-life crisis' was invented for men who turn that age. My youth is clearly in the past at this point. My physical ability is diminishing. There are likely no P.R.'s in my future, unless they involve a distance I have never run before! Of course, I'm about to have four children under the age of five, so that will keep me young for some time to come. But regardless, turning 45 was what I had to deal with this last weekend.

Thanks to my wife, however, there is no mid-life crisis going on. I didn't know our destination until we got to the airport. My wife advised me how to pack. I was excited to learn we were headed to Ft. Lauderdale. The last time I was there was to cover the Bears in the Super Bowl. When we landed, I learned we were staying at the same hotel where I had done a story about the Indianapolis Colts. Their accommodations were much nicer than the Bears that week. The Colts were on the beach. The Bears were near the airport. The surprises didn't end there, however.

When we got to the hotel lobby after checking in, we were greeted by two other couples from Chicago. I had no previous idea they were coming.  Surprise number two!  They are good friends of ours who made the trip to help celebrate, and make the weekend even more memorable. And, coincidently, the guys are also occasional runners!  So they were up for a morning run on my Birthday!  John, on the left, ran his first 5k just a few months ago.  Tom has done a number of races, and is getting back in shape for more.  He is on the right in this picture I took along the Ocean Drive path on the strip in Ft. Lauderdale.  They both know I am training for a marathon, but they were troopers, and volunteered to go as far as I wanted. I'm sure the nice weather had something to do with that as well.

It is just about the time in my marathon training when I'm starting to get a little weary. The training is beginning to feel a little like work, and I'm starting to get nagging little injuries and soreness. So it was really great to change the scenery and run with some different partners. I managed to get in a five miler one day, and eight the next.  Running along the water is one of my favorite things to do.  My thoughts drift off, as the waves roll onto the beach.  The miles just seem to roll along like the sea.

I did my long run the day before we left, so I wouldn't keep my wife waiting around for me while on vacation.  As it turned out, she wouldn't have minded a bit.  I believe she enjoyed relaxing away from the kids for a couple days as much as I. We were happy to share the opportunity to wake up early with them with their Grandma for a change!  We were also grateful to her. And I was grateful to my wonderful wife, and friends, who went to such lengths for my birthday. It was really a beautiful weekend, as the picture of the sunset I took from a sailboat, suggests.

One of the things about birthdays is that they are mile markers along the course. We don't know how far we have to run before reaching the finish line, but I hope I'm no closer than the half-way point of this race. I'm training for an ultra-marathon in that regard. But birthdays at this point also tend to have us contemplate our mortality on some level. We've all lost friends and loved ones much too early. One of my friends who managed to recover from a life-threatening heart ailment to keep his streak of consecutive Boston Marathon finishes alive reminds me of that.  Mark Buciak has run Boston every year for more than a quarter of a century, and the streak has no end in sight. But Mark does want to share what he has learned about heart disease, and how you can detect potential problems early. Below is information on his upcoming seminar.

Meantime, I'll see you on the road...

The road to Boston Training Program is pleased to present this important seminar in the spirit of National Heart Health Month.  A panel of 3 exercise physiolgists who form the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation will answer your questions, as well as these:  How does your heart work?  How does a runners' heart react to stress?  What can you do to reduce your risk of heart disease?

Coach Mark Buciak is a veteran of 52 marathons, including 29 straight Bostons, and one open heart surgery will be your host for the evening. 

Date:  Thursday February, 12th

Location:  REI, 1466 N. Halsted St.

Time: 6:30-8:00

Cost:  Free, but please RSVP to WWW.theroadtoboston.info

Free parking with validation. Refreshments provided by Whole Foods Market.

shamrockin

  Maybe you aren't one of us crazy people who enjoy running in the winter.  Outside.  In the single digit temperatures after 6 inches of snow.  Yeah, we are, perhaps, an unusual breed.  There are lots of us.  But I realized there are lots more people who prefer many other activities to that.  Like sitting on the couch with a bowl of soup.  Kidding.  Perhaps working out on the stairmaster or treadmill at the gym.  But, for most every kind of runner, we can agree on one thing.  The Shamrock Shuffle generally kicks of the outdoor racing season in Chicago.

That means many different things to different people.  I know runners who train all winter for it, then slack off during the warm months.  There are others who make sure they are in shape to finish the 8k distance, but really use it to get their running season started.  And many others view the race as a goal in itself to finish.

All these objectives wrapped up into one race have helped make the Shuffle one of, if not the largest 8k race in the country.  It has grown rapidly.  I remember when there were a few thousand runners making their way through downtown.  This year, they capped the entries at 32,500 runners two months before the race.  Yeah, running has become pretty popular.

One of the big changes they are making for this year's race is to offer an elite team competition.  The Shamrock has always attracted a number of elite athletes at the front.  Most notably, Olympic Marathon Silver medalist Deena Kastor smashed the American record at the 8k distance in 2005.  She ran 24:36, beating the previous record of Lynn Jennings (set in 1991) by 26 seconds! 

There will be plenty of elite individuals on hand this year, though Carey is not ready to confirm the list at this point.  As for the team competition though, he says there are several high profile teams in the midwest that he hopes to attract.  That includes the famed Hanson-Brooks team from Michigan, and the Fleet Feet racing team from right here in Chicago.  A number of Olympic trials qualifiers have come from those and other area teams.

They're offering prize money for first through fifth place among the teams.  It reminds me of cross country, where you can run for something greater than your own personal goals.  Only the top four runner's times will count toward the competition, as opposed to the top five in cross country.

Even though the field is full, they have reserved some spots for the teams who still want to enter, but they have to meet the strict qualifying times.  For men that means an 8k time under 27:00, and for women under 32:00.  So it's not for everyone.

Carey Pinkowski tells me this might develop into the start of an effort to make the Shamrock a National Championship for the 8k distance.  As you know, Carey is race director for both the Shuffle and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.  The first 2 and a half miles of the 8k course are the same as the start of the marathon course, so there's an added attraction to runners from out of town who want to familiarize themselves with running here before they begin training for the big race in the fall.

And of course, there is the legendary post-race party and concert.  This is probably the best post-race party in the area, partly because the runners are able to recover from the relatively short distance enough to be able to enjoy a beverage or two, and still have enough energy to dance around a little.  And the music is always great.  They have narrowed down the choice to a couple of bands who have played in the past, but they are not ready to release the name yet.  I'll keep you posted.

And I'll see  you on the roads....

Late night in Old Town

We've all seen those stories on the news about those crazy people who wait in line for several days to be among the first to see the latest 'Star Wars' movie.  Or to get their hands on one of the first WII games, or I-phones.  But when was the last time you saw people waiting breathlessly for midnight for the world premier of a running shoe? 

Kind of crazy right?  But more than 250 people crowded into the Fleet Feet store on Friday night starting at 11pm for the unveiling of the new line of UnderArmour running shoes and clothes.  250 people at midnight on a Friday night!  That's crazy! 

I know I'm crazy, because I wanted to be one of them.  Unfortunately, I had to run 16 miles the next morning at 6:30, and I didn't think that was the best way to prepare.  But the runners who made it out obviously let nothing, including the single digit temperatures, deter them.

They got a chance to try on the shoes, and even go for a run in them.  And they got to be among the first anywhere to be able to buy them.  Wearing blinking lights, the group went on a run along the lakefront path from the store.  I'm sure some of the bar patrons along Wells were thinking they were seeing strange illusions as the pack of runners passed by!

I don't know how many of the runners were drawn to the event by the chance to see the UnderArmour shoes, or just by the chance to hang out with other crazy runners at a truly unique, fun event.  I'm told they did sell several pairs of the shoes that night, and many more people gave them a test run.  But this was the type of run that helps give the Chicago running community the great reputation we have!

As for the shoes, I have a pair of prototype UA running shoes, from a fashion show event at the store a few months ago.  I've run a couple times in them, and they are comfortable, but a little stiff for my tastes.  I'm not sure how the finished product is.  Like most runners, I really can only run in a couple specific types of shoes, and these are not among them.  But I'd be curious to hear what other runners think of them.

Anyway, the event lasted until 2am.  So the runners were leaving the store just as the bars were closing.  But they were feeling much more healthy!  And while I was asleep for a couple hours by that point, I was missing out!  I'll have to try not to let marathon training keep me from fun running events like this in the future!

One final note:  The Shamrock Shuffle officially sold out late last week.  32,500 runners are signed up, and if you are not one of them, you are too late!  I had a conversation with race director Carey Pinkowski earlier about the Shuffle, and a couple of wrinkles he's thrown into the race this year for the 30th anniversary.  I'll share that conversation in my next entry.  Til then, I'll see you on the roads....

Climbing to the top

  I don't know who first thought of the idea of racing up stairs as an athletic contest.  And I don't know how he or she convinced someone else it was a good idea.  But I do know at about the 40th floor of the AON building climb Sunday I was wishing noone had ever thought of it!

These climbs have become really popular.  The three tallest buildings in the city all host one of them, and several others in the burbs are doing them as well.  Whether they are really good athletic contests or not is a good question.  But either way, they are really a great vehicle for fundraising.

ABC-7 has been a sponsor of the Step Up for Kids climb at the AON building for many years, and I have taped the Public Service Announcements for the climb since the station got involved.  That also means I have to do the climb every year.  And there have been some memorable ones, like the year I brought my 8 week old daughter up in one of those strap-on carriers.  She may forgive me for that eventually.  Another year, the climb fell on the day after my wife had thrown a surprise birthday party for me the night before.  I made it to the climb in the morning, without going to bed the night before, still smelling like the bar we had been at.  Needless to say, I returned home immediately after and went to bed.

It always seems like I have an excuse for taking it easy on the way up.  This year it was the hard run I had done the day before as part of my marathon training.  And to top it off, I failed to start my watch or put the timing chip on my shoe at the start line.  So I don't really know how I did. 

I believe (from the time of day on my watch) it was somewhere near 15 minutes, which would place me in the top 150 finishers anyway.  The only reason I am curious about it, is because a little rivalry has developed over the years with Mike Adamle from NBC-5.  Mike is a great athlete, a former Bear, and Ironman triathlon finisher.  I'm told he was at the AON climb, but I haven't been able to find his finishing time. 

Regardless, he and I face off every year at the Hustle Up the Hancock stair climb next month.  They have a media competition there.  He won the trophy two years ago, and I won it last year.  And I heard he was talking a little trash at a preview event a couple weeks ago, saying he was out to reclaim his trophy.  Well Mike, we'll have to see about that!  I might have to take it a little easy on my long run the day before that climb!

All of that, of course, is just for fun.  None of us media types are even close to being in the same league as Terry Purcell.  He won the Step Up for Kids event again this year.  He wins it every year, as well as the Hancock climb, and the Sears tower climb.  Terry finished in 9:27.  That's right, he pretty much sprints up the stairs!

Afterward, he told me he continues to improve his times despite pushing 37 years old.  Ten years ago he won the prestigious Empire State Building climb in New York.  He says he was in the best shape he's ever been in for that race, and since that time he's tried to get back to that condition.  I'd say he's doing pretty well.  He trains mostly by running.  The tallest building where he lives downstate is only about ten stories.  He also told me he has no desire to run a marathon.

For the rest of us mere mortals, the climb is just a good (as in enjoyable) time.  The view from the top, at the Mid-America club is amazing, as is the spread of food and drink.  The live band adds to the party atmosphere.

And the fundraising is equally impressive.  They are still gathering donations, and tallying the totals, but they expect to be close to their goal of raising $600,000 for Children's Memorial Hospital support services.  It's an important charity, and supported by dedicated people.  Thanks to all who helped out, and made this year's event a sucess.

As for the conditioning aspect of the climb, I believe it must be good, considering how hard I was breathing at the top.  For a runner, a big part of training with speed work is to get your heart rate up.  Stair climbs definitely accomplish that.  And considering the temperature outside that day was about four degrees near the lake, it was especially nice to be able to get a workout indoors!

Now it's back to the grind, but at least is seems like the real harsh winter weather is taking a break for a little while.  I never thought 20 degrees would seem balmy, but it sure feels nice compared to zero degrees. 

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