Race Report - Chicago Distance Classic Half Marathon - August 12, 2007

11th Overall
3rd 40 - 44 AG

*all pictures in this posting taken by Brian Gaines

I'm very late posting my race report due to the fact that I left on vacation the same day of the race and when I came back I had a really tight deadline on a work assignment. So here it is for what it's worth.

I considered this race to be an "A" race as I was going to use the results as a way to determine what my marathon goal pace would be in October. I didn't run very well here last year as I took it out quite aggressively and died big time in the last 5K, going from being in the top 10 overall to finishing 23rd. I still cringe when I remember that race. But anyway that was then and this is now and I was determined to make it a smart and strong race. I arranged to stay at the Congress hotel the night before the race, arranged for the kids to be with the grandparents, and brought my number one support guy along (that would be the husband, poor guy rarely gets any mention). It wasn't the best week leading up to the race training wise and there was a lot of work and vacation planning distraction but I felt like I would be focused when the gun went off.

I woke up at 3am on the morning of the race to the sound of thunder. There was a regular light show going on outside with plenty of rain. I lay there trying to get back to sleep but I couldn't and I got up around 4:00 and I ate my breakfast. I had told fellow chiadeads Kelly, Paul, and Brian that they could drop by my room before the race if they wished to drop stuff off and after the race they could use the shower. I was pretty sure Paul was coming and I waited for his call and I monitored the weather from my window.

The weather cleared up, Paul showed up, and Andy, Paul and I left for the starting line about 5:40ish. It was humid but not the beastly heat that had been the norm all week so I was grateful for that. We got to the starting line and I left to do my warmup and strides, Paul went to go find Kelly and Andy waited near the starting line. I felt okay during warm up but I still felt really distracted and I worried about how warm it might get. I got more positive as the warm up progressed and I headed for the starting line. I had decided to stick with the 1:25 pace group and I hope to be able to make a move ahead of this group at the 10 mile mark if I could so that I could make an attempt at sliding in under 1:25. I met Bob the pace group leader and he was upbeat and ready to go. I met a few others that would be joining the pace group and I felt that this could actually be fun. The gun went off and I became part of the blob known as Bob's group or the 1:25 group. I heard Andy's voice cheering me on but I did not see him.

Bob's group....The guy holding the yellow flag is Bob and I'm on his right side hidden from the camera.


The early part of the race was smooth as the pace was comfortable and easy to match. As a group we actually had to hold back as a few of our splits were a little fast. First few splits 6:34, 6:28, 6:25, 6:20, 6:25, 6:32, 6:29, 6:36. I heard Andy several times during this section and a few other people calling my name and I motored on. It was about 8 miles that I started to feel that things were getting a little harder. It was getting warmer and I regretted not taking any GU with me. I had planned on it but I left the hotel room without it and I didn't return to get it when I realized I didn't have it. I put that out of my mind and focused on trying to keep with Bob's group. The group seemed to keep humming along while each incline caused me to slip a bit from the group until I would catch up again on a flat or decline. The 10 mile mark was a really good 1:04:50 for me but I had serious doubts on being able to stay with the group much longer. I lost Bob's group about half a mile after that slipping to more like 6:35's. I was with another cluster of runners at this point and they helped keep me going at this pace up to 12 miles. My 13th mile at 6:56 was definitely a low point but I didn't lose faith as I knew I was still running better than last year and hell I was flipping almost done! The multiple tight turns in the last mile of the race didn't do much to help with a struggling pace but I would say it was really more the humidity and heat that I was kind of fed up with that contributed to that mile. It was in this section that I heard Andy and Brian cheering me on and Brian took some really great pictures of me. Thanks Brian! I made the last turn for the finish, turned on the sprint and finished in 1:25:41. I talked with Bob in the finish area and I spoke with several men from the pace group. I promised to stick with them to the end next year and I thanked Bob for his work.

Overall I was happy with my time as I beat last year's time and it wasn't the march into hell it was last year. It seems as if the 10 mile mark is kind of a threshold for me as I had a drop off after 10miles in my half marathon in March, of course the drop off in this race wasn't as bad and the whole race was at a much faster pace. Somehow though I just know I should have been under 1:25.


Andy and I returned to the hotel (slowly, I was tired) and I showered. Paul, Kelly, and Brian showed up after their races, changed and we all went to get a bite to eat. It is always fun getting together with friends after a race to share our experiences and I got a look at Brian's pictures of the race on his digital camera.

Now my vacation started and it was off to the Wisconsin Dells for a week of family bonding, very little running, and a lot of time playing in water and going down the slides. It was a blast and much needed vacation.

Congrats to all who ran the race!