On August 2nd I ran my first half marathon in the Chicago Rock n' Roll Half Marathon and it was a great experience. I'd been thinking about doing it for a few months but when I finally decided to commit to running the race had sold out. I went to Craigslist to see if I could find one to purchase and finally two days before the race I got a bib.
Since I got the bib last minute I didn't really have any expectations and hadn't trained expect for my occassional runs and bootcamp. The day before the race I decided to head to Fleet Feet to get fitted for some new running shoes, I know the wrong thing to do but I decided to take my chance. I did run in my new Nike Zoom's, they are like running on clouds, and they did me well no blisters. Of course I had to buy some new running gear so $250 later I was hooked up with shorts, shoes, top, socks, and my new gadget the Nike Sports band. I love it! The morning of the race I was feeling very excited I was up early and headed downtown to Grant Park around 6:00am and met a friend from bootcamp that was running her first marathon as well. There was over 18,000 people registered so they had a tiered start which made it much easier to get going.
I got my iPod all set, oh did I forget to mention I bought a new iPod Nano as well with the running strap of course. I'm finding running is becoming an expensive addiction. Anyway it was a perfectly gorgeous day for running, blue sky and moderate temp. The first half of the race weaved through several downtown neighborhoods and then moved down the lakefront past Soldier Field. Scattered throughout the race were various rock bands which gave me something to look forward to every few miles. The best spot was at the 10 mile turn when we started back along the lake. When we made the turn it was the most spectacular view of the city and just made me appreciate why I live in Chicago.
As I came around the Aquarium, another great spot, I felt like the last mile was the longest. I was feeling really good and decided to make it a strong finish. When I came down Columbus Ave with hundreds of people cheering on all sides I felt like a rock star. I finished in 2hr 19min which for a first timer was pretty good from what I was told.
Well, now I've got the bug and have signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon in September and thinking about doing another Rock n' Roll race in Las Vegas and New Orleans. I never thought when I started this journey I would have every run a half marathon but I'm so proud of myself for accomplishing and encourge anyone to set a goal and go for it!
Since I got the bib last minute I didn't really have any expectations and hadn't trained expect for my occassional runs and bootcamp. The day before the race I decided to head to Fleet Feet to get fitted for some new running shoes, I know the wrong thing to do but I decided to take my chance. I did run in my new Nike Zoom's, they are like running on clouds, and they did me well no blisters. Of course I had to buy some new running gear so $250 later I was hooked up with shorts, shoes, top, socks, and my new gadget the Nike Sports band. I love it! The morning of the race I was feeling very excited I was up early and headed downtown to Grant Park around 6:00am and met a friend from bootcamp that was running her first marathon as well. There was over 18,000 people registered so they had a tiered start which made it much easier to get going.
I got my iPod all set, oh did I forget to mention I bought a new iPod Nano as well with the running strap of course. I'm finding running is becoming an expensive addiction. Anyway it was a perfectly gorgeous day for running, blue sky and moderate temp. The first half of the race weaved through several downtown neighborhoods and then moved down the lakefront past Soldier Field. Scattered throughout the race were various rock bands which gave me something to look forward to every few miles. The best spot was at the 10 mile turn when we started back along the lake. When we made the turn it was the most spectacular view of the city and just made me appreciate why I live in Chicago.
As I came around the Aquarium, another great spot, I felt like the last mile was the longest. I was feeling really good and decided to make it a strong finish. When I came down Columbus Ave with hundreds of people cheering on all sides I felt like a rock star. I finished in 2hr 19min which for a first timer was pretty good from what I was told.
Well, now I've got the bug and have signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon in September and thinking about doing another Rock n' Roll race in Las Vegas and New Orleans. I never thought when I started this journey I would have every run a half marathon but I'm so proud of myself for accomplishing and encourge anyone to set a goal and go for it!
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