Fort to Base 10 Nautical Mile 2015

August 23, 2015

1st 10NM (Nautical Miles (11.5 imperial miles))  - Fort 2 Base

Time: 2:12:38; Pace 11:33

Place: 822/1238 overall; 396/683 female; 79/136 F40-44

Two years ago I started to train for this race using a half marathon training program. It would have been the longest distance for me so far. I had to stop as I got plantar fasciitus so bad I couldn't run very far or for very long. A podiatrist told me to stop running all together and put a nice fat needle in my foot and injected me with cortisone to prevent me from running for at least a few weeks. I went and picked up my bib and shirt but I never ran the race.

The Fort to Base Race is a 10 nautical race which translates to 11.5 regular, or imperial, miles. It starts at Fort Sheridan and ends at Great Lakes Naval Base. Back in the day after high school we used to hang out at the Fort Sheridan. My dad was at Great Lakes when he was in the Navy. So, this race has some significance to me.

I am in the middle of marathon training and this was a 16 mile weekend. My regular training group long sruns are on Saturday but this race was on Sunday. Nashwa, from my training group, and I met at the Skokie lagoons on Saturday to knock out 4.5 miles of the 16. We ended up doing 5. I didnt sleep well the night before. I was so tired during the day after that 5 miles but I had to stay awake so I could get up at 4 am!

Does this shirt make me look fat? Yes, it does.

I was up at 4. Millie was at my home at 4:45 and we were out the door by 5 am. It was still dark! The reason we had to be out the door so early was that we couldn't park at the start line or the finish line. We had to park at some college and take a yellow school bus to the start line at Fort Sheridan. The last bus left at 6:15 am. It had been a super long time since I'd been on a school bus. Those seats were no as spacious as I remember. Oy.

We got to Ft. Sheridan a little after 6 am. The parking lot wasn't too crowded. There was still water in the hand washing station outside the port-o-potties.  We spent our time talking to Chuck and other Chuck's Chicks. Then, at the start line we ran into Maria, Zena and her friends. It was nice knowing some people at the race and sharing those moments together.

The weather was great! It wasnt super hot. It was a little humid but completely bearable. My calf sleeves felt hot and I wanted to rip them off the first mile but then a breeze started to settle into the course and I forgot I was even wearing them. A few drops of rain came down mid race. I finished before the complete downpour.

 

 The course was great! I was so happy to get out of the same running environment of the Lake Front path several times a week. I love CHicago and I love that I live so close to the lake and get to see the amazing landscape but I also get bored easily. 

We started out running through Fort Sheridan. It's closed down as an active military base. Part of the fort is for Army reserves and the other part is an actual town of civilians. I got my phone out to take photos and snap chat but one of my goos has leaked all over the phone. I spent a little time cleaning that up and ended up putting the phone away. 

After the fort we ran a long stretch along what I think was the Green Bay trail. The path was narrow and bikes came through periodically. Not many people were along the way to cheer us on but that's OK. I was grateful for the kid with the spray bottle!

The number of participants was low so I thought being slow was going to put me in a position where I running alone half the time. I was totally wrong. I think for a lot of people the thought of 11.5 miles is a lot less daunting than a half marathon of 13.1 miles or it was a gateway to a half marathon. It brought out a lot of my fellow slow runners! I had enough people around me all throughout the race.

Zena and I played cat and mouse the whole time. I decided I was going to run this race without doing my usual run/walk intervals. Zena did run/walk. She'd speed ahead of me then slow to a walk and I'd speed ahead of her. We chatted a bit here and there along the way. I love the way this woman runs all bouncy and effortless looking. In the end I finished only a few seconds ahead of her. I could have done a run/walk and had the same finish but there is a part of me that has to know that I can run these long distances without walking. 

I got very excited to see the entrance to the Naval base. This meant less than 3 miles to go! I took out my phone to take a Snap when I got yelled at. I still got my blurry Snap in but I didnt dare take out the phone again until I crossed the finish line.  One of the great features about this race was the decrease in the number of people I saw who had already finished. Normally when I get toward the end there are scads of finishers walking with relief and their medals proudly hanging around their necks. It's a giant bummer to see! This course took us past  the opposite side of the common area where the finish line was located. People cheered us on. I needed that push at the end. Even though they are strangers and they are cheering and shouting like they know me even when they dont I get that energy boost to keep going strong.

Around mile 10 we came upon a very steep decline. This downhill was reaaaaaally long! Normally, I like going down hill. It's a chance to give my body a rest. I can float down and take a break for 10 seconds. This down hill was long and the pavement was slightly wet. It became increasingly hard to control myself. As I neared the bottom I realizzed there was probably going to be an uphill battle coming soon.

We got a break on a long straight away. Then these motivational signs started popping up. Weird but not completely strange. And then I saw it.... after rounding a turn I saw the steepest incline I have ever encountered. I swear the pavement was 3 feet from my face. I struggled my way up. I was still running but barely. About 60% of the way up I slowed down to a fast walk. It was like out of a movie. All the runners seemed to fade off to the side and I was surrounded by soldiers. The soldiers started some military chant as they got closer. My brow furrowed as I darted my eyes all around wondering what the heck was going on. It was the weirdest thing. They really helped me get out of my head and up that  hill. At the top of the hill was a banner that read "Hero Hill."

Another surprise hit me as I came off that hill. Not one, but two photographers were there to take my photo! This was the first photographer of the race and not the best time.