Crosstown Classic 10k 2013

September 28, 2013

First 10k - Crosstown Classic 10k

Chicago, IL

Time 1:13:50 Place: 129/192 age; 1983/2559 overall; 

1271/1750 female; 42.27% age grade 

The crosstown classic is a race of North Side vs. South Side; the age old civil war within Chicago. Since calling it Cubs vs. Sox would require licensing fees they call it the Crosstown Classic. The took this war seriously. There was gear check, bike parking and corral line up for the separate sides! A little pre-race ribbing broke out where I was standing too. I loved it!

Each runner (like every good native Chicagolander)  had to choose a side when registering for the race and you had to wear the shirt given to you when running. It was a sea of 3000 blue and black shirts running down the Lakefront path. To decide who "runs Chicago" they took the average time of the first 1000 runners from each side. Unfortunately the North Side won. Whatever.

I was a little nervous to run 6.1 miles since I have only gone over 6 miles twice prior and that was months ago. Blah blah blah...plantar fasciitis strikes again! I was determined to do this! My strategy was to run for 8 minutes and walk for two. I was already running for 6 minutes and walking for 2 in my regular runs. 

After the first 8 minute interval I felt pretty good. I could have gone on running but I didn't want to injury an already sore foot. I was certain that I was walking for longer than two minutes and my usual race technical difficulties were in full effect so I changed my plan to walking for one minute at each mile marker. 

About a mile and a half in we had to run through the Aids run finish line shoot. WTF? On the way back We had to run through that again. I gave a "yahoo" out loud and he girl next me yelled "that's not ours!" Oh Damn, what a mind f&^k! The Aid run struck again when I came upon their mile 5 marker. I thought it was our mile 5 marker! I could have sworn I blocked out mile 4. I was on a roll! Then I hit the actual 5 miler marker for my race! Ugh, I thought I was almost finished. And of course, I walked at both markers. 

My foot was ready to fall off. I was in pain from about 3.5 miles on. I walked so slowly back to the train, grandma in a walker could have beaten me. To lighten the pain I started running on the sand to the side of the path. Softer surfaces are easier on the joints.

The course was out and back which can be horribly boring but this course was great because the scenery going back was different. We started in Grant Park and went South along the Lakefront path down to about 31st St. Coming back was so beautiful. The weather was perfect - blue skies, cool breeze and sunshine. Coming back up the path and seeing the Chicago skyline was the best part of the race! The curves of the shoreline make for a mesmerizing reveal of this city's beautiful skyline. 

So my time kinda sucked but I didn't really care. I did it! I have been racing for less than a year and dealing with a million other things like job duty changes, school, condo buying, body aches and pains like I have never experienced before and trying to fix it, the mental game of endurance training, and the death of my baby kitty but I completed a 10k.  Holy crap a 10k. Six point one friggin' miles. By this time next year I WILL have completed a half marathon. 

Running and being active has been the most amazing and the most challenging thing to come into my life and I love and hate every minute of it!

SO after the race and grasping the fact of what I just did, I got my finisher medal, grabbed a banana, water and yogurt. mmmmmm, I haven't had yogurt in over a year. And later I treated myself to a massage, fire mac (cilantro, poblano, siracha and jalapeno) and cheese and two beers and two scoops of ice cream. Yeah that's right. I'm sure I ate more than I burned off but who the hell cares?