Monday, December 3, 2012

Schiller Chiller 5k

27:39 (approximately) for 3.45 miles (Avg 8:00/mile)

2nd Woman Overall

12th finisher out of 152 

Friday:


Friday started innocent enough. I wore my new awesome sweater to work and had a nice day- later that evening was our company's "Holiday Party."

Friday night was fun at the Holiday Party- there was drinking, dancing (not me- i had a race the next morning) and good times spent with the co-workers in a relaxed environment.  I even won a $50 gift card in one of the raffles.

 
 
 
 
 
Saturday/ Race Day!
Creepy Ukrainian Church out near the race

I woke up with a bit of a hangover after Friday night's party. Guess I shouldnt have had that last glass of wine... I had 2 small pancakes and then L and I drove up to Schiller Park to participate in the race. It was an amazingly beautiful day- the kind of race day weather you dream about- (mid 40's and calm), but never seem to experience in the Chicagoland area. It was such a stark contrast to last week's Turkey Trot in the low 20's.
Packet pickup was a breeze, and after meeting up with the lovely ladies pictured below, we dropped off our stuff at the car (no bag check- no biggie) and then I proceeded to warmup a little. I ran laps around the field after the 10am 10K start, and did a few strides across the field to get my HR going. I lined up pretty much in front for this race to get a good position for the trails which was a great decision. I really had no idea what to expect on the trail (except a few trees to duck under) but figured I could handle anything thrown at me.

The race:

Ive never felt so happy running in my life. Perhaps that is an exaggeration, because this race was pretty darn fun too, but seriously- running through the woods, no music, just running, looking out for roots-branches etc was soul satisfying. Running through the woods was nothing like the hustle and bustle of the lakefront. It was amazingly peaceful!  It was quiet minus my steps, breathing and the steps of other runners. It was stunningly beautiful in the park. It brought me back to my high school cross country days which I enjoyed immensely and wished I had participated more in.
Some of the "official" race photos. Awesome and Free!!  Thanks Muddy Monk!!!

The trail wasn't too technical- some logs to jump over (easy on the way out, much more difficult on the return), some roots, some small hills, a puddle under the bridge, and a couple of trees to duck under. On the single track portion a guy behind me tripped and took a spill.  With half a mile to go my ankle rolled and luckily it didn't cause any lasting damage- there is some tightness/discomfort higher above my ankle but no swelling.

KelseyAlyssaMe, KimQueenieErinLindsay and Kim With our finish mugs :)

I had no goal going into this race- just to have fun and not get injured. When it became clear less than a mile into the race that I was in 2nd place (women), I wanted to keep my position because only top 3 male/female for each race got an award.
I must say a big Congrats to my man L for running this race!

Thank you to Kim and Abbi for inspiring me to run trails. I've loved reading about all your trail adventures this year!
For getting 2nd overall woman, I got a sweet Brooks spike bag, Fits socks, and a hydration belt- which will come in handy when I start hitting the lakefront for longer runs soon. All the water fountains are off now :(




Post run a few of us went for brunch and I had a huge omelet filled with cheese, beans, onions, chipotle sauce. Certainly hit the spot after a nice run!







Sunday:

We went to "La Colombe" for breakfast. Ever since watching "Dangerous Grounds" on the travel channel (Tuesdays 9pm est) we've wanted to go to this place. It didn't disappoint.
 




Post race thoughts...
This was my last race of 2012. Im going to end my "racing" season on a high note and call it quits. I couldnt believe that in December I was wearing a T-Shirt and arm warmers for a race and didn't feel cold.
 
This race reminded me why I love running so much. The past few months since getting injured before my goal marathon have been tough. Mentally I struggle with running more than a few short miles at a time, and average about 15 miles a week- a far cry from the 45+ I was averaging during the summer. I have a feeling that the mileage will slowly begin to creep back up now as I prepare for 2013.  Im so excited to run more trail races!!!



- xaar

23 comments:

  1. Yay! Congrats on 2nd female! So glad to hear that you had a blast. It's amazi g what a small change in scenery can do for the soul! Had no idea that the trail would be as rustic and authentically trailed as you make it sound. My grandparents live in River Grove, which is just a wee bit south of SP, and I always assumed those trails would be kinda lame. Guess I was wrong!

    And that church always catches my eye when I drive to their place. When I was you get I thought it was some type of spaceship thing.

    Congrats again! Gals to hear that you sound ready to start training again. Sounds like that downtime was much needed and very good to you.

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  2. Sounds like a really fun run. Congrats on placing 2nd overall! That breakfast looks amazing! :)

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    1. The breakfast was delicious.. I hope there is another race out there so we can go to that place again!

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  3. Congrats on the 2nd place finish. Way to end your season on a high note. That cappuccino looks awesome. I will definitely have to check that place out!

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    1. La colombe is wonderful. Im not a coffee snob, but it was definitely worth the trek to the west loop. We have a bag of ground coffee in our place from there that I smell each time I walk into the kitchen... Heaven.

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  4. Congrats on a great soul-satisfying run!

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  5. YAY! congrats on second place without even trying! Maybe thats the secret - just having fun = winning?

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    1. YES! Have fun and abandon any goals, so then you cant be disappointed.. low expectations = always exceeding them.. hehe

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  6. Yay! I am so happy you loved it and that you and L came out. It was so fun to hang out and to meet L :) Next time, bring CB!

    That is exactly how I feel on the trails - at peace, and calm. I think that is why I love it so much. And don't you think the trail race vibe is a bit different? :)

    There actually was a bag drop at the picnic tables between pickup and the food tent. I only know because I heard one of the volunteers saying no one was dropping anything off because the cars were so close! ;)

    Smart of you to line up near the front - there can be congestion on trail races. Congrats on your second overall, speedy! That is an awesome-o pace for a trail race!!!

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  7. Congrats on your great finish. It looks like you got some great swag too!

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    1. It was an amazing day. The hydration belt is AWESOME! For something I would have never considered buying, its going to get a lot of use this winter!

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  8. Congrats on second place! Glad you enjoyed running the trails. I really enjoy it the few times I've been able to get out on actual trails. They are a bit of a hike for me to get through (all the forest preserve paths closer to me are paved).

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    1. It was worth the trek. I wish there were closer trails to my place too. It was so peaceful.

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  9. Sounds like a perfect day. Congrats on 2nd place! Those are some nice prizes, especially the fuel belt!

    Sounds like a great race too, and some nice pics.

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    1. Thank you! It was so fun! Makes me want to run on trails much more now :)

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  10. CONGRATULATIONS on an AMAZING race and 2nd place!!! Fantastic swag for the winners!!! Now I am inspired to try trail running, too. Plus I have heard great things about this race organizer.

    Love the picture of you doing the double peace signs! And yay for free race photos!!!!!

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    1. Thank you! You should come out and do a trail race next year! I'll keep you posted on which one(s) i'll be doing :)

      The peace signs are a throw back to my days of living in San Francisco ;)

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  11. So glad you loved Colombe! I wish they opened earlier in the AM - 7:00 is too late for me to get to work. Ugh!

    And congrats on your win! I hope the crankle is feeling better!

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