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Rock and Roll Chicago.

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Kenny B.
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Jim fredericks
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Post  Jim fredericks Sun Aug 14, 2011 5:04 pm

I started this year with the goal of starting and finishing 2 half-marathons. I got the first one notched in May in Green Bay and took on the Rock and Roll Chicago Half-Marathon this weekend for number two. It has been a very hot and humid summer so training conditions were not ideal. Not an excuse, just the fact that training was less than ideal.

The expo was at McCormick Place. It was decent sized and well organized. The tech shirt was pretty decent. Driving down Michigan Avenue to the Palmer House Hilton it started pouring rain. The weather would be a factor on race day. I have run the Chicago Marathon three times and this was my fourth and probably last time in the Windy City. It is a great city but way too expensive. Everything is overpriced. It is worse than Vegas. I mean $19 to park at the expo, $61 to valet park for one night at the hotel! Are you kidding me?

Race day morning started out looking not too bad but quickly deteriorated. It was very humid and the dark clouds started rolling in off the lake. The course stayed mainly in the downtown area. There were some stretches that I recognized from previous Chicago Marathons but this one does not go into the ethnic neighborhoods. There were a lot of bands on the course and enthusiastic volunteers. It goes as far south as McCormick Place and then around Soldier Field and back north toward Grant Park where the start and finish are. I resisted the temptation to shout out to all the Bears fans as we ran by Soldier Field that it is the place where the Packers won the NFC Championship last season.

By 5 miles in my shirt was drenched in sweat and plastered to my skin. Then for mile 6 it rained on us. Moderately at times. The rain stopped but then started again during the 12th mile and stayed all the way to the finish. My quads were starting to cramp in the 11th mile and I had to walk it out a bit. My time sucked. You can look it up if you really want to know. A good 45 minutes off my PR that was set about 3 years ago. But I finished. Mission Accomplished. I got myself back out there this year and I finished 2 races. It wasn’t pretty but I did it.

I give this race pretty high marks. The Rock and Roll people do a good job and there was plenty of water and aid available on the course. The finishers medal was pretty cool too.

So now what? I have a couple of thoughts on how this year went. The positive is that I got back out there and finished 2 races, but there is always room for improvement. For one thing I am 25 pounds heavier than I was 3 years ago. This will not stand and I will remedy that situation starting now. Another thing is that I can’t train in the summer months like I used to. Maybe it is an effect of getting older, maybe it is all the changes that have happened in my life lately. But training in the summer is not cutting it anymore. To remedy this I am looking at 2 races for next year. One in May and one in December. This way I can do my training in Spring and Fall.

I am happy about how things have gone this year but I know I can do much better. And I will. Any suggestions from all the great running people I have had the pleasure of being associated with all these years would be appreciated. Thanks for reading my rambling.
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Post  Stephanie Sun Aug 14, 2011 5:12 pm

Good work Jim! You set goals for your year and went out there and achieved them! Definitely something to be proud of!! I too am not a warm weather runner so I feel your pain & frustration with the heat. It's good that you know you don't like the heat so you can plan your next races accordingly. I'll be doing the same. I hope you have some time to relish in & celebrate your achievement today. You finished and that's all that matters!! Smile
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Post  Bob Sun Aug 14, 2011 5:20 pm

Way to get at it, Jim, and get 'er done.



You've been around long enough to know what it takes. Consistency. But, as we all know, as our lives go on, and things change, it's not always so simple to do.



Congrats on your finish.
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Post  Jim Lentz Sun Aug 14, 2011 5:46 pm

Nice job on the race, Jim.
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Post  Michele "1L" Keane Sun Aug 14, 2011 8:27 pm

Congrats, Jim on getting it done. That should make you feel like a runner again!



You are taking a bit of a risk with May weather, but are not both Green Bay and Madison in may? They have half marathons too. Another great May race (a city that I loved!) is Fargo and they have a 5K, 10K, Half and Full marathon. It is not an expensive place, you could probably even drive (don't shoot me as my geography is bad, but Fargo is on the MN border which can only be a few hrs from WI). The entire city comes out in full force to support the race by either running or volunteering, and I'm sure the area can really use the economic boost with the flooding issues in that area of the last few years.
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Post  Chris M Sun Aug 14, 2011 10:18 pm

You said it in your report..."Mission Accomplished". Way to get back out there and after it. Where to go from here? To another race. Have one on your radar within the next 2 weeks and recover well from this one and then start building up to the next one. Great job getting it done and keep going!
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Post  Kenny B. Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:12 am

Wow. Just reading your report sounded rough. The good news is you came away with what is needed to accomplish doing well in the near future. I think summer training can be brutal when preparing for summer races but not sure you have to give that up entirely as you can utilize a TM to your advantage. If not base building during the summer seems ideal.
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Post  Jack_Scaff Mon Aug 15, 2011 10:43 am

I have no clue how you guys run in those conditions. Good luck on getting to where you want your weight to be - that is my issues as well (or one of them at least).
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Post  fostever Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:08 pm

Good job on the finish. I bike marshaled this and thought the weather was actually good. It was kind of chilly in the morning and the sun barely broke through with some nice little light rain burst to keep things cooled off. It was kind of windy though coming from the north. I agree with the way they soak you on the parking, I guess that's the advantage of living here and taking mass transit!
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Post  dot520 Mon Aug 15, 2011 2:13 pm

Good job on getting the second one done, Jim! I know what you mean about Chicago. I love it but it sure eats into the racing fund. This is one town where I like to bring friends to the races to share expenses.



What are you thinking about for May? What about the Indy Mini? Course fee isn't outrageous and you don't have to stay downtown, you can stay in the burbs and easily find $10 parking on race day. Just a thought. It's not just a race, it's an event!
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Post  Jim fredericks Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:56 am

Thanks for all the kind words and feedback everybody. Much appreciated. Bob hit it right on the head. It takes consistency and sometimes life gets in the way. I am thinking about a Spring race already. Will look at Indy for sure but I am tempted to go back to Green Bay because they moved it back to a week later which would be ideal. Then do Las Vegas in December and have the Summer who work on base and cross training. Already thinking about next year!
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Post  Dave-O Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:41 am

I'm playing catch-up on race reports, but well done.
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