The Summer of Races

Since my last marathon in March, I’ve become sort of a serial racer. I wanted to include shorter races as part of my training for my fall marathon for a few reasons. Training for a marathon means a lot of long, lonely runs, so if some of those runs are races, training gets 10 times more exciting. Plus I push myself in ways I never would on a regular training run. And finally, since races are essentially my best efforts, I was hoping to use these races to track my progress.

5K

Color Rush, Purdue University

            There are so many fun 5Ks out there these days! 5Ks that involve mud, obstacles, zombies, glow sticks, scavenger hunts, you name it. And I love that they exist because they are really getting people off their couches and into a pair of running shoes. This was my first time doing a themed 5K and I was pumped. A bunch of my friends, both runners and non-runners, came out for this race on the Purdue campus, which benefitted the Make A Wish Foundation. There were various places along the course where people threw color dust on us! I tried to get as much color as I could, but we actually came out of the race with shirts that were much too white. But afterwards, they gave us our own color packets to throw at each other and this was where the real craziness began! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

        

Race for the Cure, Indianapolis, IN

            I have always wanted to do a Race for the Cure, so when I saw an ad for the Race in Indy, I was stoked. It was only a couple weeks before the race, but I signed up without giving it a second thought and raised $85. A portion of all money raised by the participants of Race for the Cure goes toward global breast cancer research and another portion is used to provide funds for screenings and treatment of local patients. There were over 21,000 participants at this event and most people raised much more than I did, so just imagine how much money the event provided for this awesome cause! And that’s just from the race in Indiana… there are Race for the Cure events in every major city in the US.

            Military Park in Indianapolis was a sea of pink on race morning. Before the 5K started, there was an opening ceremony, which included the Survivor’s Parade. This was a pretty emotional event and the person on stage reminded us that one day 100% of people diagnosed will breast cancer will be able to walk in a survivor’s parade. I signed up for the competitive 5K, which started before the 5K run/walk. There were only 500 participants in the competitive run. The start of the course took us over the White River and I just remember thinking how great I felt to be alive as the morning sun reflected off the water with the city skyline as the backdrop. Towards the end of the race I didn’t feel quite as great, but when I crossed the finish line one of the volunteers said “I think you’re like the second girl to finish!” It turned out I was the fourth so I didn’t place overall, BUT I finished 2^nd in my age group and set a new PR of 23:00!

 

10K

BTN 10K, Chicago, IL

            Believe it or not, this was my first ever 10K race.  It’s a pretty cool idea, bringing students and alumni from all the Big Ten schools together for a fun race like this, which benefitted Special Olympics Chicago. Participants received a shirt in their school colors, and there was a lot of school spirit in the air. Especially with all the crazy mascots running around.

I was nervous before the start because I’d been suffering from shin splints for most of July, so I hadn’t run in a while. At the beginning of the race, I ran past the BTN cameras while high-fiving some of the mascots, and later they showed that segment of me running on TV! Since this was my first 10K, I didn’t really know how to pace myself for this distance, and went out too fast. So, the end was really tough, but, I pushed through the agony and met my goal time of 50 minutes! And after the race... the BTN tailgate party :)

Half Marathons

500 Festival Mini-Marathon, Indianapolis, IN

            This half marathon, known to runners simply as “The Mini” is the largest half marathon in the country with 35,000 participants! What brings all these runners from all over the country to Indiana? The chance to run on the Indy 500 racetrack, of course! But, be warned, running this race well requires you to be pretty aggressive and constantly on top of your mental game. There are just so many people. To run your best, you have to be continuously planning your next move to weave around other runners. Running on the racetrack was really cool, and a lot of runners kiss the brickyard, but somehow I completely missed it! Probably because I was too busy weaving and dodging. I didn’t train specifically for this half… it had been little over a month since the Shamrock marathon, so I just let my fitness from that carry me through. And lo and behold, I PR’d by 5 minutes! Overall, I’d say it’s definitely worth experiencing this race at least once, as long as you’re not claustrophobic.

           

Mahomet Half Marathon, Mahomet, IL

            This half couldn’t have been any different from the Mini. It’s put on by a small town in Illinois and there were only 300 runners. My friends and I signed up because we figured it would be a good warm up and mental prep for the Lakefront Marathon a month and a half later. And it was! Nicole and I were both feeling uneasy about our marathon training due to injuries. But the race went really well for us so afterwards, we felt much better. The entire course was on county roads among cornfields – it was a refreshing change from racing in a city. The volunteers and aid stations were just as good, if not better than a big race, and the runners were also a little friendlier. We spotted someone wearing a Lakefront Marathon shirt and chatted with him for a while about what to expect. And another perk: I actually got to take advantage of the post-race amenities, like getting a massage!

p.s. My summer of racing also included my first sprint triathlons! I’ll write about them in a separate post.