Race Report: Title 9k, Chicago Edition, 10/21/12

First race after the marathon, and longest run to date as well. I felt…well…MEH about describes it. Hadn’t slept well the night before and seem to be fighting off some kind of cold. Not nearly enough to keep me from running, though. So hopefully you saw my previous post about the awesome race good bags for this race. LOVE! I intend to run this race again. I forgot to mention in that post that participants also got a coupon for $20 off any purchase over $100. I’m strongly considering a new shirt or something, as I love Title Nine clothes almost as much as I love Athleta…although technically I will save more many by not spending a dime. Sigh. (This moment brought to you by “personal growth.”)

Anyhooooo, it’s just a 9k…is all I kept saying to my “coach” whom I will now refer to as BB. It’s just a 9k, I also told myself. I’d planned to leave the house by 6:30am (with a 9am race start) because Lincoln Park is terrible for parking. But since I was up in the middle of the night from about 1:30 until sometime after 3:30, 6:30 turned quickly into 7:20ish. Traffic was a breeze and I soon found myself winding up Stanton Drive at the southern end of Lincoln Park. I spied a spot immediately south of Fullerton, and just a block or so shy of the start line. And with one try, BOOYA! (Don't sweat the technique--I got skills, baby!)

It was already a great day. I’ve never parked so close to a race start line. So since I was still early, I sat and chilled, listening to a podcast and eventually talking to BB. In complete obliviousness—hey, I’m a block away from the start line—BB asked if I should be headed over to the start line. Details, details! So I moseyed on over at about 8:45ish.

As the race was kicking off, I realized in talking to BB that I hadn’t set up my iTunes (or even put my phone in my armband, nor had I gotten my Garmin ready to start.) Done in a flash, I was ready to roll as I crossed the start line. We had the old school timing chips on our shoes, which gratefully were not as old school as the few races I’ve run where people with clipboards took down numbers at the finish line…

So the course was ok, simply on the lakefront path. But it was a nice fall day for a run. Just shy of 50 degrees. The first 3 miles were eh. I wasn’t feeling tired or anything, just blah. And in the last 2+ miles I kind of decided that I’m done with races this season. I’m ready for my rebuilding phase that BB has helped me map out. I’m ready to come back stronger, but yet I’m also ready for a break from races for the time being. This isn’t a decision about the Chicago Perfect 10 race coming up in a few weeks, but that’s where my head was at yesterday. During the last ½ mile I saw a woman’s family meet her. Her two boys and a girl started to run with her. The two younger ones ran about 2 minutes before turning back for their dad, and the mom and older son went on to finish. That was really nice to watch.

At the finish line there was one last surprise….Title 9k finisher bottles. Sweet!

Everything about this race had a nice “woman’s touch,” dare I sound sexist. I grabbed a banana, several orange pieces, a piece of bagel, water…and that was all she wrote!