Chicago 13.1

I ran my first half race of the season yesterday and as much as I was happy that the weather was "warm" I have to admit it was just too warm.

I left my house around 4am to make sure I was at the parking garage before the 5:30am shuttle pick up. I got to the garage around 4:30 and it wasn't even open yet! I was the second car in line. The garage opened around 5 so I made sure to park in an advantageous spot. I was anticipating another long wait to exit the garage once the race was over (similar to the Monster Dash fiasco).

Got to the race location - South Shore Cultural Center - at around 5:40. Because I had no gear to check in, I then had to find some nice soft concrete to sit on until the race started at 7:13. That's probably my biggest complaint for these races. You rush rush rush to get there and then you wait. I understand the need, just not happy about it.

Anyway, it was at least 75 degrees at that early hour and for as much as they were forecasting thunderstorms, there was nary a cloud in the sky. I did not want it to rain, but I knew that trying to run in this heat and humidity in full on sun was going to be a challenge.

They started the race in waves so that everyone wasn't bunched up together. I was in wave M. I crossed the start line at around 7:40. By then the temps were easily close to 80. I felt pretty good til around mile 4 where we were running along the lake and the sun was just unbearable. I started walking at this point. My pace went from 10:30 starting out to easily 13 mins. But I honestly didn't care. My heart rate was close to 150 and I could feel the heat exhaustion. They flagged the race as a red when I got around mile marker 6 but everybody kept going. At mm 7 they gave out ice cold towels (size of a wash cloth) which was awesome. I put it on the back of my neck and it helped a lot.

I kept jogging and walking from mm 7 to 8 and as I approached 8 the flag was black which means the race has been called off due to extreme heat. The race info they gave before the race said that shuttle buses would be dispatched along the course to pick you up and take you back but I never saw any stopped buses. So technically you would have to stop running immediately but because the course is along the lakefront and is a public path, you could keep running. The timers were shut off so you wouldn't get a final time. So I tried jogging every now and then just to get done.

Since I was going to pass the parking garage on my way back to the finish line, I was just gonna stop there and leave. But at this point I had paid over $100 for this race and figured I got this far, I am going to finish!

And I did finish strong. I jogged the last mile and crossed the finish line at 2:49 according to my Garmin. They actually gave out the finisher medals which I was very happy about because technically they didn't have to. I wasn't really tired from running (since I walked a lot) but I was extremely sore and soaked with sweat and exhausted from the beating sun. I immediately walked back to where the shuttle buses were (bypassing my free slice of Malnati's Pizza) and got back to the parking garage within 15 mins of finishing the race.

I saw the cars lined up to exit the garage and prepared myself for a long wait. But I did pick a good spot because I got in line and out the garage in less than 5 mins!! I was so happy. And by the grace of God did I find my way back to the expressway going the Stoney Island route. The area around the museum is absolutely gorgeous with all the trees and parks but the streets intertwine and crisscross in every direction that it's easy to get side tracked. My GPS couldn't find signal so I literally just found the right way by luck (and God).

I was actually feeling a little sick on my ride home. The temp gauge in my car said 93 degrees and it was only 10:45am. I drank two bottles of water and took 2 Alleve but I think my problem was lack of food. I drank 6 oz of my protein shake and a handful of crackers with peanut butter close to 2 hrs before the race. I had a banana and granola bar after the race. Yeah, I needed food but I needed a shower more. Man did I stink! I couldn't stand myself. I had the air on at first but was getting chilled since I was soaked but when I opened the windows it was too hot.

I came home, jumped in the shower and really just wanted to sleep but knew I had to eat. I got less than 6 hrs of sleep the night before because I was anxious about making sure I wake up early enough to get to the parking garage and that I didn't get lost enroute.

We were suppose to go to the Q101 jamboree that afternoon but I was just wiped out. We had lunch and ended up coming back home. I slept on and off from 3:30 until 7:30pm. And I could have slept more but was hungry again :)

I was checking facebook when I woke up and discovered that a 22 year old guy died from heat exhaustion from running the race! I wasn't too shocked because as I was coming up to mile marker 4, I saw what I call the ultra marathoners coming past me to their mm 9. That means they were running at about a 7 or 8 min mile pace which is just ridiculous for the weather conditions. I wonder if one of the guys I saw was the one who passed away. It was obvious by looking at them that they were under heat stress. This is why I don't take these races all that seriously. I just do them for fun. I'm not trying to set records. I don't need to be the first across the finish line. I didn't want to slow down and end up walking but I knew I was being an idiot if I didn't. I accepted that I wasn't going to be able to continue running. My fear is dying like that poor kid (yes at age 22 you are still a kid). I pray for him and his family. It's hard to imagine someone that young and obviously that physically fit to die but your body can only take so much, no matter what your age.

I was not upset that they called off the race. They care about the welfare of the runners and that is admirable. Overall, this was an awesome race. They were super organized and kept great communication throughout. I would definitely do it again. The scenery along the race route was absolutely stunning! Especially on such a sunny day.

Now I get to look forward to the Rock n Roll Chicago Half in August. I'm hoping it's not as sweltering as this race but being in August, who knows.