So, I trained pretty good with the goal of running a 4:30 and not walking at all; compared to my finish of last year at 5:33 and walking a solid 6 miles of the race. About 3 weeks ago, I injured my back and stopped running. I intended to sell my bib because there was no way I was going to run. So at about 2pm on Saturday afternoon I decided I wanted to run the race. I got home from working the expo, got my stuff ready, and went straight to bed.
When I rolled out of bed my little thermometer linked to outside said ’32.7*’ So I busted out all the Under Armour I could find and suited up. Compared to last years heat, this was a completely different ball game. I road my bike over to Harrison and Michigan around 6:45. I don’t know who the logistics coordinator was for the starting region, but I had to jump two fences just to get into the starting area. I, like Amy, put myself in the 4:30 pace group for starters figuring I
would be happy to finish between 4:30 and 5:00. It was really cool seeing a mirage effect over the 30k people in front of me when I looked at the Aon building directly in front of us from all the body heat being released. Once we got going, I remembered why I loved running last year. The running part sucks, but the fans are amazing! I can’t state that enough.
Taking it easy, I made it just past North Ave. before having to water a local tree, and then I was on my way to Addison. The entire north side went great. The men with parade-like wooden riffles, twirling them to ‘Lady Marmalade’ on Clark St. was quite entertaining. Just after on Wells, I slowly passed an amazing gentleman who was going roughly the same pace as myself who had one leg. He had two of those arm supports that have wrist cuffs and was moving right along with his running partner. That was the most encouraging thing I saw all day. So I made it down to the halfway point and ran a 2:10 half. Still going strong, my main goal was to make it at least past mile 15 where I died last year. I did, and then I saw my first supporter that I contacted at the last minute on Saturday night around mile 16, this was encouraging. Everything went very well, but around mile 18 I started to feel the burn and slowed my pace a bit, but was still moving steadily. In Pillson, some generous supporter gave me an orange slice and it was the most amazing tasting thing I have ever eaten. That gave me enough juice to get to China town where I started to feel some pain in my right arch. I kept going, but finally at mile 22, I started to walk a bit. I walked until a little past mile 23, then ran about to 24, then walked until 25 and ran the last mile. Shortly after I started to walk, the 4:30 pace group pasted me. Then when I started to run at mile 25, the 4:45 group passed me.
I ended up running a 4:53.
I shaved 40 minutes off my time and made it to mile 22 before stopping. Considering I had not run an inch for the 3 weeks prior to the race, I was relatively satisfied. Maybe I can shave another 40+ minutes off next year.
Now its onto swimming season and cycling training!
See you all soon,
Josh
Monday, October 12, 2009
Chicago Marathon - October 2009 - Part II by Amy Burnstine
I am in my last semester at UIC (if I pass everything) and this includes Physical Chemistry 2, Physical Chemistry Lab, and Advanced Organic Chemistry. What does this have to do with a race report, you ask? Well, because I also work full time and overnight, and since these classes are taking a ton of time and effort, I did not have time to train like I would and should have for this race. I never ran farther than 15 miles before yesterday. That means I increased my mileage by 11.2 miles in one day. Kinda dumb. Very painful.
I knew this was going to hurt going in, so I was mentally as ready as I could be. I raised over $1000 for my charity (The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation) and thank you to those of you who donated!! Since I raised money and people were excited to see how I'd do, I felt obligated to race even though I was unprepared.
I knew I could finish, but I set no time goals for the race. I thought when I signed up I could come in under 4.5 hours. I threw that goal out the window when I hardly ran at all in past last month.
Anyway, I was at the charity tent at 5:30am Sunday morning... Way too early but I was excited and ready to go. At race start I lined up in the 4.5 hour pace group just for kicks. I have never been in such a massive crowd of people. The energy was awesome. The gun went off and we didn't move for at least 7 or 8 minutes. When we did, everyone was cheering and waving to cameras when we crossed the start line. It was crowded but I had enough room to run comfortably most of the time. The spectator crowd was amazing. People lined the streets almost the entire distance of the race.
I felt good and was running comfortably until mile 10 when I started to feel a blister forming on my right foot. I was more than a little concerned about this because that's really early in the race to start with the blisters. My shoes were broken in and socks chosen carefully so I have no idea why this happened. Oh well. Keep running.
I still felt good until mile 16 or so when I realized I hadn't seen a friend cheering for me on the course yet. What a bummer. I knew they were out there, but it's so crowded I couldn't find anyone and vice versa. I found my mom and my friend Ryan at mile 17 and stopped to give hugs all around. I was beginning to hurt here, just all over. My hips were especially painful. I think it is from pounding the pavement for so long. Whenever I train I run on the lakefront path on the sandy part for some cushion.
I have to admit that it just got worse from here. Ryan was running the last 9 miles with me for support, which was awesome but I couldn't even talk to him anymore after mile 20 or so. At first it was my hips, then my knees, then my ankles, then my feet. The blister was completely forgotten by now - the pain replaced by everything else. Every step sent shooting pain up my leg. I felt my toenails getting blistered and I knew I was going to lose at least one of them. The only thing that could have made this worse is chafing, which thankfully I did not have. I used a ton of assos cream on my running tights and body glide everywhere else and I think it worked.
There was a time, around mile 23 I think, when my run pace was only slightly faster than the people walking around me. I was still running, but barely. I stopped to walk the aid stations and a few times for some stride outs in between, but for the most part, I ran the whole race. I've had painful races before (Trek 100 anyone?? LOL) but this was bad. I'm just stubborn and wouldn't quit. My last mile was my fastest mile split of the race. :-) I knew it was almost over and I picked it up because I just didn't want to be out there anymore. Then I saw the finish and gave it everything I had left, which wasn't much. My face had to be a priceless *Faces of Pain* moment. But I did finish. A little over 5 1/2 hours. ugh.
The moral of the story? Prepare for races. And toenails are for sissies.
Congrats to everyone else who finished!! Whether or not you made your time goal, 26.2 miles is something to respect - even if you have to crawl across the finish line.
Happy racing,
~Amy
I knew this was going to hurt going in, so I was mentally as ready as I could be. I raised over $1000 for my charity (The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation) and thank you to those of you who donated!! Since I raised money and people were excited to see how I'd do, I felt obligated to race even though I was unprepared.
I knew I could finish, but I set no time goals for the race. I thought when I signed up I could come in under 4.5 hours. I threw that goal out the window when I hardly ran at all in past last month.
Anyway, I was at the charity tent at 5:30am Sunday morning... Way too early but I was excited and ready to go. At race start I lined up in the 4.5 hour pace group just for kicks. I have never been in such a massive crowd of people. The energy was awesome. The gun went off and we didn't move for at least 7 or 8 minutes. When we did, everyone was cheering and waving to cameras when we crossed the start line. It was crowded but I had enough room to run comfortably most of the time. The spectator crowd was amazing. People lined the streets almost the entire distance of the race.
I felt good and was running comfortably until mile 10 when I started to feel a blister forming on my right foot. I was more than a little concerned about this because that's really early in the race to start with the blisters. My shoes were broken in and socks chosen carefully so I have no idea why this happened. Oh well. Keep running.
I still felt good until mile 16 or so when I realized I hadn't seen a friend cheering for me on the course yet. What a bummer. I knew they were out there, but it's so crowded I couldn't find anyone and vice versa. I found my mom and my friend Ryan at mile 17 and stopped to give hugs all around. I was beginning to hurt here, just all over. My hips were especially painful. I think it is from pounding the pavement for so long. Whenever I train I run on the lakefront path on the sandy part for some cushion.
I have to admit that it just got worse from here. Ryan was running the last 9 miles with me for support, which was awesome but I couldn't even talk to him anymore after mile 20 or so. At first it was my hips, then my knees, then my ankles, then my feet. The blister was completely forgotten by now - the pain replaced by everything else. Every step sent shooting pain up my leg. I felt my toenails getting blistered and I knew I was going to lose at least one of them. The only thing that could have made this worse is chafing, which thankfully I did not have. I used a ton of assos cream on my running tights and body glide everywhere else and I think it worked.
There was a time, around mile 23 I think, when my run pace was only slightly faster than the people walking around me. I was still running, but barely. I stopped to walk the aid stations and a few times for some stride outs in between, but for the most part, I ran the whole race. I've had painful races before (Trek 100 anyone?? LOL) but this was bad. I'm just stubborn and wouldn't quit. My last mile was my fastest mile split of the race. :-) I knew it was almost over and I picked it up because I just didn't want to be out there anymore. Then I saw the finish and gave it everything I had left, which wasn't much. My face had to be a priceless *Faces of Pain* moment. But I did finish. A little over 5 1/2 hours. ugh.
The moral of the story? Prepare for races. And toenails are for sissies.
Congrats to everyone else who finished!! Whether or not you made your time goal, 26.2 miles is something to respect - even if you have to crawl across the finish line.
Happy racing,
~Amy
Chicago Marathon - October 2009 - Part I by Joe Imbrogno
I'll start with the night before the race. I went to a friends house to celebrate her birthday, and since everyone but me and a friend, who also ran the marathon, was drinking, she made me coffee. Feeling obligated to finish the whole pot (a little over three cups worth), I had a nice caffeine buzz by the time I left at about 9 pm. I hardly ever have caffeine anymore (except when it's in energy gels), so I did not fall asleep until sometime between 5 am and 6am, when my alarm went off. Not exactly what I was hoping for before my first marathon.
But cutting to the race, the first few miles were pretty slow with so many people running around. It was kinda chaotic. After a while, the mobs dispersed a little, and I was able to run at my own pace. At around mile six, I found myself running alongside a pretty girl in tights, running
slightly faster than my pace, but still tolerable, so I stuck with her until about mile 16, when she started going too fast for me to hang with, but she did help to keep a nice pace. At around this time, I still felt strong, but the legs were definitely starting to get a little heavier, but nothing I was concerned about. At around mile 19, I think at about 18th and Ashland, maybe, we ran through a very Mexican neighborhood, which was definitely my favorite. The streets were mobbed with people cheering and people banging on various percussion instruments, and horns. Just what I needed, because the miles were starting to become difficult here.
Before the race, I told myself that, unless I was injured or in a real bad way, I was going to go as hard as I could for the last 3 miles, everything I had left. And I was feeling pretty bad, but I thought that going just under 4 hours total was still a possibility. So, I tried to push it, and
after 1.5 miles of this, the legs said knowck it off, so I had to slow down, as my hamstring started twitching. The final mile seemed like the absolute longest mile of my life. When I finally crossed the finish line, and slowed to a walk for the first time in over 4 hours, my legs were striding still as if I was running, so that was a pretty cool, but wierd feeling.
This race, just like any big race, was, at the same time, a very humbling and inspiring experience. Of the people I saw that finished with times similar to mine, I was definitely the most wiped out. So many people were jumping around and talking and celebrating, while I was finally becoming aware of just how much my legs really were hurting. All these people just inspire me to be better, and smarter.
And no, if you're wondering, I was not able to go under 4 hours. All in all, I am still quite happy because my 5k splits were all similar, and my half way split was 2hr 1', and a total time of 4hr 5'.
I felt bad for ignoring my legs for so long yesterday, but they are making up for it today, as I can hardly walk. But it was still worth it.
Thanks for reading,
Joe
But cutting to the race, the first few miles were pretty slow with so many people running around. It was kinda chaotic. After a while, the mobs dispersed a little, and I was able to run at my own pace. At around mile six, I found myself running alongside a pretty girl in tights, running
slightly faster than my pace, but still tolerable, so I stuck with her until about mile 16, when she started going too fast for me to hang with, but she did help to keep a nice pace. At around this time, I still felt strong, but the legs were definitely starting to get a little heavier, but nothing I was concerned about. At around mile 19, I think at about 18th and Ashland, maybe, we ran through a very Mexican neighborhood, which was definitely my favorite. The streets were mobbed with people cheering and people banging on various percussion instruments, and horns. Just what I needed, because the miles were starting to become difficult here.
Before the race, I told myself that, unless I was injured or in a real bad way, I was going to go as hard as I could for the last 3 miles, everything I had left. And I was feeling pretty bad, but I thought that going just under 4 hours total was still a possibility. So, I tried to push it, and
after 1.5 miles of this, the legs said knowck it off, so I had to slow down, as my hamstring started twitching. The final mile seemed like the absolute longest mile of my life. When I finally crossed the finish line, and slowed to a walk for the first time in over 4 hours, my legs were striding still as if I was running, so that was a pretty cool, but wierd feeling.
This race, just like any big race, was, at the same time, a very humbling and inspiring experience. Of the people I saw that finished with times similar to mine, I was definitely the most wiped out. So many people were jumping around and talking and celebrating, while I was finally becoming aware of just how much my legs really were hurting. All these people just inspire me to be better, and smarter.
And no, if you're wondering, I was not able to go under 4 hours. All in all, I am still quite happy because my 5k splits were all similar, and my half way split was 2hr 1', and a total time of 4hr 5'.
I felt bad for ignoring my legs for so long yesterday, but they are making up for it today, as I can hardly walk. But it was still worth it.
Thanks for reading,
Joe
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Race Report - Florida Half Ironman
HOT HOT HOT!
Sorry, team. While I did not wear the team uniform, I still felt as though I represented the team well in Florida this past weekend.
After working for three long days, on my feet, selling TriggerPoint Therapy equipment at the Ironman expo and doing Irish car bombs in downtown Disney two nights out from the race, I was sure I wasn't going to finish the race nor set a PR.
Swim:
The race began with a no-wetsuit swim in 79 degree water at 6:30am. Unfortunately, they thought it would be a good idea to start the Diasbled Wave Competitors directly after the Elite Wave, followed by the oldest males, then finally the M18-24; I regretably kicked a couple amputee competitors in the face as I swam by them... Sorry!
Surprisingly, I set a PR in the water... added arm mobility and crystal clear, no wake conditions led to my 35:08 swim time for 1.2 miles.
T1:
Transition, for as long as the run to it was, came to a surprising time of only 2:43 minutes due to not having to get a wetsuit off. There was a long run (a little over 1/4 mile) into transition that led to a longer than normal T1 time.
Bike:
The 56 mile bike course was very flat (very few rolling hills) which began very fast and I decided to not listen to my PowerTap until half way through the course.... bad idea! I suffered during the last 20 miles where two race packs of 30-40yr old males were purposefully drafting off one another.... This should be a lesson to all: Florida races, due to their flat conditions, typically result in drafting although the rules clearly state that it was a non-draft legal event!
The last half of the bike course did not have ANY refs on the course, and resulted in several race packs of blatant cheaters. So be it; I proudly rode solo and stuck to the rule.
Time= 2:37:19 Av Speed= 21.4 mph Power/Wt= 2.61 watts/kg
T2:
The transition area was quite large in a grassy field next to the horse stable in the Fort Wilderness Lodge in Disney world. This made it easy for those running through transition with cleats on. Yet, I decided to do as normal and dismount barefoot. I ran a quick T2 in 2:00 minutes and ran out as fast as possible... Ya gotta look good in transition as most of the spectators swarm around this area. :-P
Run:
The run was a flat course through the Fort Wilderness Lodge which was a ~4.5 mile loop you had to complete 3 times. The course encompassed 1 mile of asphalt running, 2 miles of grass running which ended up being the worst past of the course, and a 1 mile finish on asphalt once again.
I began the run course around 10:30am when the weather hit hard at 90 degree and 70% humidity. With trees surrounding, there was a stale air that prevented any release from the heat.
The only nice thing about the 3 lap course was that I was able to get elbowed by the leading woman who was on her second lap while I was only completing my first mile and managed to 'get in her way' as she came flying by me. Upon entering the dirt/grassy/unpacked portion of the course, you could feel the immediate, deafening heat that poured upon you. After one lap of misery, I realized the best strategy for battling the heat was NOT cooling your head with water or drinking cold water or chewing ice... Luckily, I wore a one piece trisuit which I packed with cold sponges first followed by cups of ice around my core in front and back.
*OK, Ex. Phys. students, as we all know, cool the core and cool the engine.*This trick worked wonders and allowed me to cruise through the second lap with very few heat related stumbles.
The final lap was quite easy, with little surprises and my best pace, realizing the death march that was approaching in the hot dirt portion of the course. Yes, half the race field walks during the grass portion of the course; it's an unfortunate reality of Florida and this race course.
With little run training this season, working three days on my feet prior to race day, I was quite satisfied with my 13.1 mile run time of 2:18:41 with a pace of 10:36 minute miles.
Overall:
My total time was 05:35:50 with a solid swim and bike time. The run was an unfortunate result of heat, lack of rest, and undertraining.
The race as a whole is an excellent, worth while, destination race that I'd encourage anyone to attempt to finish. While it may be a flat, fast course, the weather is your true enemy. No race in the Ironman circuit is designed to be easy; so yes, just finishing this beast is an accomplishment.
Even the Pros at the event admit that it competes with Kona as one of the hardest races in the Ironman circuit in terms of weather conditions.
As always, I was happy that I was able to train with the UIC Cycling and Triathlon team to prepare for this race and keep the team in my heart as I was racing.
Best of luck training and racing this summer.
Always try to push your personal goals and set records to achieve your best.
Happy Training,
Steve Ratchford
Monday, May 4, 2009
USAT Collegiate Nationals - 2009 - Joe Imbrogno
The morning was very cold, which probably turned out to be a good thing,
because it made the 53 degree F water (or about 12 deg C for cameron!)
feel surprisingly tolerable, with a wetsuit of course. As this was only my
2nd triathlon ever, I knew what to expect a little more, but am still very
inexperienced, which is why it was so much better to race with the tri
club. Having other people there racing with me surely calmed my nerves.
To summarize my race:
The water was quite cold, although not terrible but while swimming i
couldnt see my hand in front of my face, and consequently swam into much
debris and other swimmers. Also, I can only breathe on my left side, so I
really couldn't notice that a current kept sweeping me off track, and i
spent way too much time trying to right it. Now I will have to force
myself to learn that which I have been avoiding for so long: bilateral
breathing!
The bike course was shockingly hilly (to me at least) and the wind made
aero bars essential the entire time. It was a fun course, as I hit almost
40 mph down the hills, but a tough one (going up the hills, i hit as low
as 7 or 8 mph!!). The final climb right before the transition to the run
was the last thing my quads needed before the 10k.
The run course was as nice as you could ask for, nice and flat, but
relative to the morning temperature it got pretty hot. and after the bike,
I felt like the part of the quad that comes down by the inside of the knee
was going to charlie-horse the entire 10k. Luckily it didn't and given the
issue I was pretty satisfied with the 10k split. I definitely need to work
on running right off the bike, though.
So, all-in-all, while not particularly happy with my time, the race was
still a ton of fun and very educational, as i now know some of the little
things i can tweak and work on and where i can improve (everywhere!). The
race just made me more eager to train and compete in more events like this
over the summer.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Regionals - Ohio State
Seth Meyer was the our only rider able to make the trip to regionals this year. Here's his report (also at seth-meyer.com):
It’s funny how you can have so much to say about races immediately afterward, but, if you don’t get it down quickly, they just seem like one big blur a few days later. Well, here’s what I can recall from the blur:
Road Race: Four 20-mile laps in near the Hocking Hills area in Ohio. I have good memories of this place, thanks to past races. This year was a bit different, though. Two things: 1) It was the first race we had in 85-degree weather this season. Despite getting two bottles and a gel per lap, the heat still took its toll. 2) Having gone 26 days off the bike up until Thursday, I was definitely missing something. Still strong enough to go with some moves on the climbs, but I would get in them, have to sit on, and eventually get dropped because I just lost so much fitness. I hope it comes back soon! Meanwhile, I actually tried to participate in a field sprint and didn’t crash anyone out. So that’s good. I was 5th in that for 18th in the race. Pity to miss the breaks, one of which I surely would have made without the rib injury.
Criterium: The wind picked up just an hour or two before our race, and that changed everything. What we thought beforehand would be a fast course with a bunch of eyeing for last-chance double regionals points, turned into a pure sufferfest on this course that seemed to have only 10% tailwind and no shelter anywhere. About 2/3 of the field eventually dropped and what was left were three separate groups. I made it about 30min in, and was disappointed to see on the PowerTap afterward that my average was just 290 normalized for that 30min—a sure sign I need form back. I did a 20km TT at 320 non-normalized in March. Then again, I didn’t do an eighty-mile, eight-climb death march the day before. Still, I wish I would have been up there.
Oh well. It sure was fun. And, even though it was tough, it was nice to be under the hot sun for once. I hope I get that missing fitness back in the next few weeks. It would be nice to race from the front again!
It’s funny how you can have so much to say about races immediately afterward, but, if you don’t get it down quickly, they just seem like one big blur a few days later. Well, here’s what I can recall from the blur:
Road Race: Four 20-mile laps in near the Hocking Hills area in Ohio. I have good memories of this place, thanks to past races. This year was a bit different, though. Two things: 1) It was the first race we had in 85-degree weather this season. Despite getting two bottles and a gel per lap, the heat still took its toll. 2) Having gone 26 days off the bike up until Thursday, I was definitely missing something. Still strong enough to go with some moves on the climbs, but I would get in them, have to sit on, and eventually get dropped because I just lost so much fitness. I hope it comes back soon! Meanwhile, I actually tried to participate in a field sprint and didn’t crash anyone out. So that’s good. I was 5th in that for 18th in the race. Pity to miss the breaks, one of which I surely would have made without the rib injury.
Criterium: The wind picked up just an hour or two before our race, and that changed everything. What we thought beforehand would be a fast course with a bunch of eyeing for last-chance double regionals points, turned into a pure sufferfest on this course that seemed to have only 10% tailwind and no shelter anywhere. About 2/3 of the field eventually dropped and what was left were three separate groups. I made it about 30min in, and was disappointed to see on the PowerTap afterward that my average was just 290 normalized for that 30min—a sure sign I need form back. I did a 20km TT at 320 non-normalized in March. Then again, I didn’t do an eighty-mile, eight-climb death march the day before. Still, I wish I would have been up there.
Oh well. It sure was fun. And, even though it was tough, it was nice to be under the hot sun for once. I hope I get that missing fitness back in the next few weeks. It would be nice to race from the front again!
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