My eighth Rock n Roll race of the year was in Chicago. What an adventure that was! This was the quickest turnaround trip I think I’ve ever done for an out-of-state race. I had a class the morning before my trip that kept me on my toes. After my class was over. It required a bit more preparation than usual to pull off…
1) My pasta dinner needed to be pre-cooked and pre-packed
2) I packed 24-hours worth of food and toiletries in a single carry-on (I love it!)
3) My signed race release was in my handheld hydration pack for the race
4) My flight clothes were packed in my school bag
5) My race clothes doubled as my pajamas
My class was out at 4pm, and my flight was set to leave by 6:10. Boarding was at 5:45pm, but after many many delays we ended up departing at 10pm!
I was so tired. I ate an extra round of airport linner (that’s what I call lunch and dinner). I enjoyed my pasta on the plane, and landed in Chicago at around 1:30am. I was exhausted and decided against picking up my rental car, especially since I slept so little the night before. After calling a Lyft, I finally made it to my Airbnb by 2:30. I prepped my race gear and was asleep by 2:45.
My alarm went off at 5:30am. I had only had a few moments to wake up, get dressed, and head out. Most of my journeys to the start line are fairly uneventful. However, this one truly takes the cake…
What I should’ve done was taken the train…it would’ve taken me pretty close to the start line without much fuss. What I ended up doing was calling a Lyft driver. Most of the time, Lyft drivers are pretty awesome and they take directions pretty well. This one completely refused to take directions from me, or from Google Maps. He insisted on using his in-dash Tom Tom, which doesn’t live update traffic conditions based on road closures. He kept talking down to me for the entire ride, even though I told him that I was in a rush, and that he should just take directions from Google Maps. He also kept ignoring road closures and the police had to intervene. It was a mess.
I was in a rush because I had only 20 minutes to get to the start, and to pick up my bib. Again, this was a start like no other because I was picking up my bib at the solutions tent. It’s unlike me to grab my bib the morning of the race. It’s certainly hectic, but I didn’t anticipate getting in so late, nor did I anticipate such a terrible driver. He kept driving farther and farther from the start line, and at the earliest opportunity I had, I got out of the car and began running to the start! I’ve never done that before, but I absolutely had to do what needed to be done to get my bib. It was about 1.5 miles to the start. I made it in the nick of time. Quite literally, I showed up as the first wave was taking off! By the time I got my bib, the first five waves had left. I was able to pin on my bib and hop into my corral. A few minutes later, I was at the start line.
Once we were off, the runners went winding through the streets of Chicago. I know I say this every time, but this was definitely one of the best courses on the race circuit! It was a completely flat, urban course. I loved being downtown and winding through the urban attractions. I’d been there once before, for Erik’s birthday a few years ago, so I recognized some of the buildings.
Some of my things I noticed about running through Chicago: lots of Dunkin Donuts, lots of theaters (like, plays…not cinemas), plentiful public transit, tons of event venues, and plenty of places to eat! If I had more time, I would love to take an eating tour of the city. 🙂
I finished with a lackluster time, which was fine, given 2.5 hours of sleep…
I was tired, but not exhausted. I followed my :40/:40 intervals, kept well hydrated despite the humidity, and slowed down whenever I needed to. I earned my bean!
We ran right past Buckingham Fountain, so I went back for a quick photo before I left to shower and fly out of the city…thus concluding my less-than 12-hour journey in Chicago.
This was a difficult trip in many ways. Even though it all worked out, the logistics cut quite close on all accounts. I’m not sure what I could’ve done differently except…well, everything. This being race 8 of 15 was really stressful. I suppose it would be in good practice to have such a disaster of a weekend occur halfway through a 15-race challenge!
The rest of the year needs to be booked pretty tightly for me to get to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame goal of 15 races. I have Virginia Beach, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Denver all logistically figured out. The only ones that are left to figure out are Savannah and Philadelphia.
Although I try not to think too far ahead, I’m thinking to my 2018 goals as well. What will be my triathlon goal for next year? I’m still twiddling my thumbs and considering my options, but I’ve already began merging my running training plan with a triathlon training plan.
Amara in Training 