IT’S TAPER TIME!!!!!! Also, look at that: a training week wrap-up actually posted on Monday!
Week #18 wasn’t a perfect training week for me. I skipped a speed workout, and swapped an easy run to later in the week. I think I’ve only had 3 weeks in my entire training cycle where I didn’t run 4 times. This was one of those weeks! I only ran twice. Woof. My back soreness extended into mid-week — when I FINALLY got my trigger point ball out and found the gnarly spot in my mid-back that was causing all the discomfort. This wasn’t my “peak week,” as last week had more total mileage — though this week had my longest run of this cycle. I’m excited already with all this “spare time” I found in my weekly schedule and looking forward to writing more about my excitement for this marathon.
BibRave represent, 22 miles of Greenbelt Trail, and practicing my race day outfit.
MONDAY Strength workout – no kettlebell for me this week, as I was being protective of my back. I focused on body strength work and really light dumbbells.
TUESDAY My birthday — so why not just rest and enjoy it?
WEDNESDAY I had yoga scheduled for Thursday, but I NEEDED it — and just 30 minutes at home helped SO MUCH. I spent extra time on stretching and foam rolling and hating my trigger point ball. If you’re looking for some good home yoga workouts, I can’t recommend Yoga With Adriene enough! She’s got a lot of great beginner videos, but also some amazing sessions geared towards runners… and a couple for specific issues (like my lower back soreness).
THURSDAY Easy 6 miles around my neighborhood. Since changing my work schedule, it’s been nice to have my runs done a little earlier. And it’s always great to enjoy more hours of daylight — particularly on a beautiful weather day.
FRIDAY Lots of rest to prepare for Saturday’s early rise.
SATURDAY Longest long run of my training plan — 22 miles! I met with the Capital Striders group run, joining my running buddies for an out-and-back 8+ miles on the Greenbelt Trail from Fitness Sports… and then continuing for the bulk of the miles on my own. I felt good; I ran in my race day outfit, and I practiced all my fueling and mental training. It was good to have a little warmer of a day, too, in the chance I experience that weather in Vermont.
You want to know something that pissed me off on my run though?
Getting a Personal Best on my half marathon. That’s some shit, isn’t it?
SUNDAY Recovery Day! And I planned it as such, with Pop-Up Yoga at Salisbury House and a 90-minute massage (session with a new massotherapist, and I love her!).
Beautiful gardens at Salisbury House… oh, and after directing the gardening duties at my house.
And with that, time to enjoy the taper crazies!
WEEKLY RUNS: 2 runs WEEKLY MILES: 27.7 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 389.07 miles
While it’s probably too late to train for a marathon (spoiler alert: it is), if you waited to register for the Vermont City Marathon, now is the time: Use code BibRave10 to save $10 on your registration! TWO WEEKS AWAY!
I completed the Des Moines Women’s Half Marathon (my 11th half marathon) as part of my (re)scheduled 20-mile training run. This race was a bit momentous for me, as it was my LAST race in the 30-something age group. Admittedly, I got a little choked up that morning. After finishing my 7 miles on the paved trails in Water Works Park, I lined up with the 1,800 other runners to start the half marathon.
Flat Melinda ready for Half Marathon #11
Registration and Cost: Registration was online. I was nervous the event would sell out, considering how late I signed up (only after my original weekend plans were canceled). There was an option to purchase an extra glass of wine with registration for $5 (yes, please). My cost after fees and extra booze was $81.12.
Packet Pick-up: I had a bad feeling when I got an extra email this week AFTER the “this is the last athlete email” was in my inbox (the “last athlete email” where the participant guides were also not hyperlinked). It was about parking, and that’s something that stresses me out more than it should. But since I am still unfamiliar with most of Des Moines (and still have to use my GPS to get anywhere), it’s always a concern — particularly for races. They also urged participants to pick up their bibs on Saturday; despite my plans to go early on race day, I decided to make the extra trip out to Jasper Winery.
Well, parking was annoying — mostly because it seemed no one really knew where to go; once I found the grassy lot behind the winery, I was OK. But people were parking on the front road and side road and trying to parallel park. And there were a lot of people walking in the road (wtf?!). Because I parked in the back of the building, there were no signs directing me where to go — I had never been to Jasper Winery. I saw a bunch of tents and went in that direction (even though I entered the wrong way, seemingly).
And then I realized that there was a line around the front side of the building for packet pick-up. The backup was because we had to sign TWO waivers before picking up our bib. WAIVERS. When registration was ONLINE. It was a little ridiculous.
My gut feeling was proving to be right — and this was a case where I didn’t want to be right!
Registrants then went to a separate table to pick up their bibs; the lines were formed by bib numbers. And then there was a third set of tables to pick up the swag bag. I also got my extra wine ticket, and took that immediately to the winery so I could relax and enjoy (it really was a beautiful day!).
All that said, I really, REALLY loved the bib design!
Expo: There were a couple tents set up outside for the race promoter and Girls on the Run, and the rest of the “expo” was inside the winery. SHAPE is a sponsor of the event and had a mini-shop with its workout apparel. There was also a giant display with every runner’s name printed. I noticed on my way out that the banners on the way out ALSO had names printed on them. I liked the integration!
That’s me!
As you exit, you can grab a glass of wine (I think they also had beer) and sit outside and enjoy the weather. My Front Porch Rosé was a perfect complement to the weather.
Swag and Medals: The half zip, a branded wine glass, the medal. Yeah, this swag is pretty awesome.
Weather: The weather, honestly, could not have been more perfect. It was 57 degrees and sunny at the start — warming up to low 70s by the time I finished.
Course and Elevation: Extremely flat — really, a perfect race for any first-time half marathoners. The start was in front of Jasper Winery and continued past Gray’s Lake into downtown, around Principal Park, connecting to the paved trails that lead back to Gray’s Lake again, and finishing the last miles on the trails at Water Works Park.
Ready to go! (I took advantage of a delayed start by getting all my extra miles in BEFORE the race)
Start Line and Parking: The race was delayed by 15 minutes BECAUSE OF PARKING. There were no corral openings — at least none that I could see walking up as far as I could fit to the 11-minute pace sign; runners filtered in from the back. They ended up having to start two different waves because they couldn’t get runners all filed in. Also, I never saw anything posted that parking was at Water Works — everything said the winery. I guess it could be assumed if you are familiar with the area… but I’m not.
Aid Stations: I was happy with the spacing of the water stops, but not too happy to get to the one at 3 miles and find it not have Gatorade as promised in the Athlete Guide that was provided the week of the race (when we got the actual email where the links worked). In fact, there was supposed to be Gatorade at the Mile 6.5 aid station (there was not); there was also definitely no “athlete nutrition in the form of bananas, Clif Bars, Fruit Strips and Twizzlers” at Miles 7.5 or 11. Those aid stations DID have Gatorade though (grape, gross).
Fans and Experience: There were EXCELLENT cheer sections and “fans” along the course, and some of my favorites were the Girls on the Run (who were volunteering at the aid stations; definitely not their fault AT ALL that the stops were not stocked as promised), the Velorosa cyclists, the lululemon Des Moines cheer squad, and the Pure Barre West Des Moines (they’re opening next week!) ladies near the finish line. I saw a lot of repeat spectators who moved along the course, spotting them again-and-again and exchanging “woos.”
Total Bullshit: I have a list of things per this race experience, but overhearing runners NOT be cool to cyclists was stoking my Run Rage. In fact, there was a lot of race etiquette lost on many of the participants of this race. They’ll learn; I can’t fault them for being new to the race mores. BUT DON’T BE DICKS TO CYCLISTS. Because you’re racing on the trails does not mean the outdoor world shuts down for you.
Finish Line and After Party: The race ended where we started — at Jasper Winery. Our finisher medals were handed to us at the end of the “chute” and volunteers passed out bottles of water. You could get individual printed results outside the finisher area — where they also had a live band, food tents, food TRUCKS… and wine. Did I mention that free glass of wine for finishers? They did one better by me by having FREE SANGRIA. Which was a good thing because the athlete food line was SO LONG, I didn’t bother. I guess that was free, too, per the tab on my bib.
And then I waited in my car for a half hour trying to exit the park because the race didn’t keep any traffic volunteers or cops on duty to assist with getting everyone out of the parking area (one giant grass lot and one light that let out about 5 cars at a time). Parking sucks. The end.
OVERALL THE GREAT: Free sangria! THE GOOD: Great weather and awesome swag. THE BAD: If the lack of race etiquette bothers you, this is not the race for you. THE UGLY: I wrote four paragraphs complaining about parking. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
TL;DR: I didn’t hate this race… but I didn’t love it. There are definitely improvements to make for next year.
Hey baby, nice swag!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
2:15:19
Overall: 461 out of 948
Last race in the 30-something age group!
Females 35-39: 90 out of 161
seven things, seven days:
1. My birthday week was lovely, and it was so nice to receive cards and flowers in the mail and SO many messages on social media. Lots of ❤️
2. Pure Barre is opening in West Des Moines (actually, in Clive, but who can keep track of these suburban boundaries!)
3. I bought a GORGEOUS midyear planner from Day Designer (the packaging alone made the price point worth it!), and I LOVE the reminder and tips emails they sent that coordinate with use of the product starting on June 1.
4. I haven’t shopped at Sephora in a couple YEARS… but their birthday gift was better, and I guess Ulta doesn’t have exclusivity on one of my brands anymore.
5. Why so many businesses mess up employee development — my company uses a strength-based development program and monthly assessments, but development is often not referred to until the annual review. {via Entrepreneur}
6. There’s so much of me in this article: The Rise of Run Rage {via Runner’s World}
7. So… this is 40!
There are only THREE TRAINING WEEKS left of marathon training, and (thankfully) Week #17 was a pretty strong week for me.
That said, I’m paying attention to my lower back — it doesn’t bother me at all when I run, but I feel a strain on my right side when I’m laying down for bed or sitting up with my legs out straight (or, sometimes, when I’ve been sitting too long). I’ve had a few muscle spasms randomly at work, too, which… I don’t know if I have a knot somewhere that is just transferring to my lower back or I strained it doing a strength workout. Though I cancelled my golf lessons for the remainder of the month to be safe because the twisting-turning motion bothered me most. Hoping it’s nothing, but being mindful of it, nonetheless. I FINALLY have a massage appointment this upcoming weekend.
MONDAY Golf was cancelled due to the weather
TUESDAY I was committed to getting my easy run in Tuesday night. And it was a late run, since I attended a volunteer ceremony event after work. And yes, my treadmill still smells like burning rubber.
6 miles + 6×20 Strides / 1:11:38 / 11:09 average pace
WEDNESDAY Tempo Run on the schedule! It was a little chilly running outside in crops and a t-shirt, but the sunshine felt good. Everyone was out cutting their lawns, so my allergies sucked something major. My nose running must have distracted me because I realized within my warm-up mile that I was running too fast of a pace.
So I continued.
I stuck to faster paces for my next two miles.
And then faster paces for my next two miles. I finally completed a legit tempo workout. I DID THE WORK. ???
Warm-up: 10:03
2 miles: 9:38, 9:27
2 miles: 9:16, 8:58
Cool down: 10:45
THURSDAY Rest – was supposed to do yoga, buuuuuuut I went out for Happy Hour after work to celebrate an early Cinco de Mayo.
FRIDAY Foam rolling before bed — my quads and calves needed a LOT of work. And I had a GREAT night of sleep, holy moly. Maybe my body knew that I didn’t have to wake up early the next day?
SATURDAY Hahahahaha, just kidding. Woke up at 6am, though it was 9 glorious hours of sleep. I did a quick shakeout run — 3 easy miles + 4×20 Strides. The weather was BEAUTIFUL!
3.3 miles / 32:45 / 9:53 average pace
SUNDAY My second 20-miler of this marathon training cycle. 20 MILES… AGAIN! This felt SO MUCH better than the 20 miles that I did a few weeks ago — I felt strong and like I could run an actual marathon. I finished 7.12 miles before the start of the Des Moines Women’s Half Marathon — 1:16:49, with an average pace of 10:47 — and then finished the half marathon in 2:15:19, a 10:26 average pace.
Check out these half splits: 10:27(1), 10:29(2), 10:33(3), 10:32(4), 10:28(5), 10:45(6), 10:25(7), 10:39(8), 10:31(9), 10:30(10), 10:39(11), 10:16(12), 9:25(13). That’s a pretty consistent pace. I’m proud of the work I put in this week.
WEEKLY RUNS: 4(ish) runs WEEKLY MILES: 35.8 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 361.37 miles
AHHHHHHHH Race Day is so close! Still time to register and join me in Burlington, Vermont (if running marathons is your thang) for the Vermont City Marathon: Use code BibRave10 to save $10 on your registration!
the week:
Two years ago, I ran my first half marathon in Pittsburgh. Here I am now training for my second marathon. I’m so excited for my friends back in the ‘Burgh who are running this year again — or for the first time. Makes me a little “homesick” for running those bridges. Here’s a little #tbt to the 2015 Pittsburgh Half:
Recycled derby sign!
weekend:
A friend is coming over with wine Saturday night to help me celebrate my upcoming birthday… which means I should feel extra-awesome by the Des Moines Women’s Half Marathon (followed by wine at Jasper Winery) on Sunday.
What’s a little “accountability Monday” on Friday? One of these weeks I’ll get back on scheduled (likely, during my taper).
Came upon this awesome mural on the backside of Exile Brewing Company during my downtown run.
Look, marathon training is not all awesomeness and easy and rainbows and butterflies. Even someone fit and focused and goal-driven can succumb to the exhaustion of a 20-week training cycle (IT: ME). I’m determined not to quit, but my wheels are falling off and I’m feeling some unnecessary pressure from… somewhere, I don’t know.
MONDAY I didn’t have a specific strength training workout scheduled, but my coach provides a couple GREAT ones — including one where I can use my kettlebell. I wanted to change it up a little bit, so I did a round of one those Spell Your Name workouts found all over Pinterest (yeah, it included some burpees!). I followed that up with a round of my coach’s KB strength workout.
Peek-a-boo. I see you, Des Moines!
TUESDAY A little different scenery for my evening easy run, as I had the Grand Blue Mile on my schedule with my husband — he’s not a runner, so this was SO much fun for me. Beforehand, I finished 5 (humid) miles from downtown to Gray’s Lake and back. It cooled off A LOT before the Mile race started, so much so that I had to go back to my car to put on my long sleeve.
Grand Blue Mile results: 10:00.40
WEDNESDAY I needed another rest day. Just feeling… off. So, no speed workout this week.
THURSDAY My first meet-up with the Green Runners, as we focused on cleaning up the area around Drake campus — to coordinate with the Relays. What a fun time! These group runs happen almost every Thursday for the next few (warm) months, and rotate around different locations in the metro area. It’s a fun group that caters to all running abilities (and even good for walkers) — you should join us! But get ready to do some squats. 😉
While it was mostly walking on this route due to the neighborhood and traffic, we got in a mile.
FRIDAY If I had any plans to make up workouts, it wasn’t tonight! Though I enjoyed hanging out with the husband, watching movies and fattening up on Jeni’s Pistachio & Honey ice cream.
SATURDAY It’s been a couple years since I took a DNS, but I decided not to run the Drake Half Marathon on Saturday morning. This impacted my plan for my 20-mile run, but I planned to recover some of that mileage on my treadmill at home. I ended up with 8.69 miles before the machine started smelling like burning rubber so badly that I had to turn it off. Seriously, can someone recommend a better brand of treadmills?
SUNDAY I needed some redemption on my missed mileage from Saturday and a skipped run from mid-week; and despite the TERRIBLE weather conditions, the radar showed about an hour of no rain on Sunday morning (though, still 40 degrees and high winds, because Iowa). I was able to get in 8 miles before the rain started again. I felt good DURING the run — and even my paces were faster than I expected for an “easy” — though afterward, WOW, I felt positively drained.
Don’t I look thrilled?
Even after a recovery muscle soak, my body felt sore and awful. I don’t generally feel sore after running, so it’s annoying and a little frustrating. So, no double digit long run for me in week #16, though still over 20 miles and 4 runs for the week. AND another 100+ mileage month for April!
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 runs WEEKLY MILES: 23.85 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 325.57 miles TOTAL APRIL MILES: 113.3 miles
Only a month away until Race Day! Still time to register and join me in Burlington, Vermont for the Vermont City Marathon: Use code BibRave10 to save $10 on your registration!
the week:
So… yeah. Can I remain 30-something in this blog space if I’m actually 40? I knew this moment would come, and I don’t yet have a plan for the change. I know that I want to continue to blog — blogging been a part of my life for 15 some years, and I’ve been posting here for about 6 years. I’ve been waiting for a “big idea” lightbulb moment. And since that hasn’t happened yet, I’ll remain here as a 30-something in spirit.
weekend:
Having a kind weird weekend — I’ve been feeling something wonky in my right knee intermittently for a week, along with my left arch feeling sore since Illinois. And now my lower back is bothering me since Friday. I don’t have it in me to run outside in 30-degree temperatures and rain. And when I attempted to make up some miles on my treadmill, the machine started smelling like burning rubber and I got nervous about the motor burning up (or the thing catching fire) and had to QUIT. Things are rough over here right now.
You know, in case you wondered what 40-something blog posts would be like.
seven things, seven days:
1. Took a DNS for the Drake Half marathon. I just didn’t have it in me.
2. Golf season has arrived (amidst the snow showers in the forecast, WTF), and I’m finally spending my Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card from LAST Christmas on a new pair of golf shoes.
3. I found an additional VISA gift card, as well as a Dunham’s (hopefully those still exist?) and another for Amazon. Maybe I need to clean out junk drawers more often?
4. Is running contagious? {via NYT}
5. This food article spoke right to my soul (and inspired me to make a gluten-free carrot cake this weekend): The Nonnegotiables of Good Carrot Cake {via Taste}
6. Sports Psychology: The effects of loss aversion (sorry in advance about the auto-play video) {via Stack}
7. A guide for giving your cats their annual performance review — OMGGGGGGG ???
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
All bundled up for the Illinois half marathon, SO CLOSE to race day, and Chocolate Milk forever and ever. Amen.
It’s crazy to think that I’m on this “other side” of marathon training. With less than 5 weeks until race day, I’ve experienced about every type of weather forecast and every type of emotion. And to be truthful, I really wish training was over. I know that it’s good to have this insight having DONE all this training thus far to maybe not do a 20-week training program next time and that I’m capable of getting through the next few weeks. Though my focus and resolve to deal with every day bullshit (and the weather) has waned, and I’m really ready for it all to be over. Only a few more weeks until taper time, but I already feel like giving up.
And yes, I’ve got another marathon yet that I am training for this year. I KNOW.
This week I was proud to get all my runs done (despite having messed up my watch somehow TWICE), and I did all my strength and core workouts. *fist bump*
MONDAY Rest day. OH GLORIOUS REST DAY.
TUESDAY An easy run on the schedule, ending with 6×20 Strides and my at-home kettlebell strength workout. My warm-up routine for this day starts with foam rolling, and besides my calves, everything feels OK. Somehow, I messed up my watch when I got an incoming text — and somehow forwarded to my splits, and had to restart the workout. I finished 1.15 miles on the first cycle (12:01 average pace) and 5.44 total miles on the 2nd cycle.
Felt really MEH about this easy run, but got it done. And then I felt like I tweaked something in my right knee coming out of a side plank. I guess it’s time in marathon training where THAT starts happening, too.
WEDNESDAY Another easy run, ending with 4×20 Strides and a core workout. Despite the weather not being too bad during the week, I opted for both easy runs on the treadmill. I messed up my first Stride by almost forgetting about having to do them, and stopped the treadmill.
4.27 miles / 11:50 average pace
Lots of foam rolling before bed, and spent some additional time with my Moji foot roller on my arches.
I was supposed to take it easy and have fun. Though I’m pretty sure that a PR is not exactly easy – but it felt easy! And I had fun! I mean, I was definitely sweating by the end of it and had that “high” of being able to push myself to the finish. Bonus: I ran by feel and didn’t look at my watch until I crossed the finish line. THAT FELT AWESOME.
A cold day for the race, but my cranky mood about weather turned quickly when I realized how much fun EVERYONE was having (I wanted to have fun!). My official finishing time made this my 2nd fastest half marathon. I felt strong; it felt easy. Go read my recap!
SUNDAY Rest (and travel) Day — back home to Iowa and time to eat ALL THE THINGS.
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 runs WEEKLY MILES: 27.16 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 301.72 miles
Only a month away until Race Day! Still time to register and join me in Burlington, Vermont for the Vermont City Marathon: Use code BibRave10 to save $10 on your registration!
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to The Illinois Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
The college was celebrating its 150th birthday, and race day was a PARTY. When the Race Directors said that the city gets behind this race, they really meant it. And with the spectators having so much fun, I was feeding off that energy.
Location: Champaign-Urbana, Illinois!
Registration and Cost: As my disclosure states above, I received a free entry to the Half I-Challenge series. If you register for the race early, you can run the half marathon for as cheap as $60. There are several incremental increases as the race approaches; expo registration (pending availability) went as high as $90. The Half I-Challenge for the half marathon and 5K starts at $85 and goes up to $140.
Pre-Race: The communication from Illinois Marathon RDs was EXCELLENT leading up to race weekend. They utilized Facebook and Twitter and interacted with participants, and sent out several emails regarding race info, packet pickup, and after parties.
Swag: Each race had its own drawstring race bag and t-shirt. The half marathon shirt is great — a bright neon yellow short-sleeved tee with a more breathable tech material. I also love that it’s v-neck. The drawstring bag for the half has a mesh back and extra zippered pocket in the front. I have SOOOOOO many drawstring race bags now; I wish that there was only one for the Challenge runners.
Weather: While I knew it was going to be chilly, race day was downright COLD — at the start it was feels like temp of 35. I was a little cranky about it, but also glad that I had an extra long sleeve. It was also pretty windy, so that added to my pre-race chill.
Course: The course for the half marathon was basically flat — and it was fast. A lot of it was run through neighborhoods and some through paved trails in a park, but none of it was boring.
Start Line: Definitely not as crowded as the day before (thankfully). Not the same start location as the 5K, but still on campus near the Stadium and only a .5 mile walk from my hotel. There were wave starts and a countdown for each start.
Aid Stations: There is an oranges station sponsored by Meijer around mile 6, which was a nice surprise (I love oranges during races!). There were a few hydration stations with water and some with Gatorade (I missed the first Gatorade stop because I didn’t realize until I was already at the water tables). I got a strawberry-banana GU (my favorite!) at mile 6.5-ish, too. I was able to store my GU for later on when I had some awful stomach grumbling from hunger (I carried some Figgies & Jammies with me, but didn’t feel like “eating” during the race).
Finish Line: Muscle Milk (chocolate and vanilla) and bottled water on the field. I walked all the way up the stadium seats until I realized that I forgot to pick up my Challenge medals back in center field. After walking back UP the stairs, I saw the signs…
ERMAGAHD GLUTEN-FREE PASTA AVAILABLE IN THE CONCESSION STANDS!!!
I was more than a little excited (thanks, Biaggi’s!).
Fans and Experience: Crowd support was probably the most engaging and fun of any race in which I participated. There were signs everywhere (my favorite: “We’re blocked in our driveway, run faster!”) and spectators lined the streets and neighborhoods — high-fiving and cheering and handing out samples of beer and makeshift water stops and tissues to runners. I find some of the larger races to be overwhelming with people, but this was the perfect amount of energy; I was really feeding off it. It reminded me a bit of the neighborhood support when I did the Akron relay.
I particularly loved the genuine “Welcome to Champaign” (was that the mayor?) greeting as we ran through the downtown area and the “Finnish Line” (hilarious!). There were Cheer Zones and live music (I loved the multi-instrument band with the accordion and brass — I wish I caught the name of their group) and even Elvis! The entertainment was awesome throughout the course. Around 8-9 miles in, some friendly neighbors were passing out cups and cans of beer — not for me, obviously but if there was something gluten-free, I may have taken something; I was sincerely loving the energy.
Even better, the RUNNERS seemed to all be having equal fun.
After Party: The 27th Mile celebration was just outside Memorial Stadium, similar to the party the night before — free beer for participants and free cake and live music. After walking back to my hotel room, it was breakfast, a hot shower and a long nap; and then a friend drove in to hang out over night. I needed to fuel, so it was (gluten-free!) burgers and buffalo chicken dip at Scotty’s Brewhouse first, and then we drank wine and ate stinky cheese and caught up in the hotel room afterward. The weekend overall was a total blast.
Water, chocolate milk, coffee… I like options (and the hotel was EXCELLENT at keeping the breakfast going a little late for runners)
OVERALL The Great: THIS RACE WAS AWESOME. SO FUN. ALL CAPS. The Good: I negative split the 2nd half of my race — WHOOP! The Bad: Blah, weather. Tolerable, but I thought winter was over! The Ugly: As runners are approaching the stadium for the finish line, the course kinda narrows; well, I came up to a band of walkers spanned across the distance. It was irritating, and I got a little run rage-y — I may have yelled at them to move left (sorry).
TL;DR: My weekend in Illinois was incredible. A 5K PR and my 2nd fastest half marathon time — and probably the best overall race energy and experience. They put on a great event there in Champaign-Urbana, and if you’re looking for some fun (or a PR), I would definitely add this race to your calendar.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to The Illinois Marathon 5K as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I’m breaking down my trip to the Illinois race weekend into two posts. This first post will include the 5K portion of the I-Challenge and the Expo. The second will focus on the half marathon and overall race weekend experience.
Location: Champaign-Urbana, Illinois! A nice little 5-hour road trip from Des Moines.
Road trip rest stop #1: At least I know that I hydrated properly!
Registration and Cost: As my disclosure states above, I received a free entry to the I-Challenge series (5K and half marathon). If you register for the race early, you can run the 5K for as cheap as $25. There are several incremental increases as the race approaches; expo registration (pending availability) went as high as $50. The Half I-Challenge for the half marathon and 5K starts at $85 and goes up to $140.
There are four different distances as part of the Illinois Marathon weekend: the full marathon, half marathon, a 10k and 5k. There is also a youth run, a marathon relay, and the challenge races that all include the 5k on Friday night and one of the distances on Saturday.
Me and Alma… and Alma… and Alma.
Expo and Packet Pick-up: The Health & Fitness Expo opened on Thursday (4-8pm) and continued Friday from (10am-7pm); I drove in on Friday and made it to the expo around 3pm (after checking into my hotel). The expo takes place at the University of Illinois Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) and, after parking, was easy for this out-of-towner to find her way. Arrows directed you to the bib pick-up area first — I didn’t experience any lines in the afternoon.
After picking up my bibs (separate bibs for the half and 5K), registrations are then directed to the large gym area for the vendor area and swag pick-up. There were a large number of vendors, a series of speakers — including marathoner Dick Beardsley — and several photo opportunities. I really enjoyed the experience and layout, and spent a good amount of time looking around (and, of course, shopping). Biaggi’s restaurant was also hosting a Pasta Feed at the Expo — and they had gluten-free pasta (YAY!).
Parking was a little annoying from a time management perspective, but there was plenty of it and it’s free. Signage was very helpful around campus to direct where to park — and look for all the volunteers with orange foam fingers. You just might have to do some walking, and the Expo gets busier as people get out of work.
Swag: Each race had its own drawstring race bag and t-shirt. The 5K shirt is short sleeved and the typical boxy fit that comes with unisex sizing. If you’re local to the area, there were a BUNCH of race and product flyers — many with discounts.
Weather: The weather was much chillier than I expected at 48 degrees (and super windy). And I’m REALLY glad that I packed that extra pair of pants and a long-sleeve layer.
Course: All of the races for the weekend started near the State Farm Center and ended at Memorial Stadium. I don’t know much about the area, but it was fun to run through campus and Champaign at nighttime. There was a great energy along the course, with a lot of students cheering from the sidewalks and porches around campus. I did my fair share of “woo’ing” with spectators.
Start Line: The 5K started at 7:30 pm — and at a half hour before start time, it was SO CROWDED. All of the runners couldn’t even fit into their corrals, and there was quite a long wait in between waves in order to fit all the people in as each corral moved forward. It kind of made me nervous for the half marathon start. Maybe that bottleneck could be alleviated with entry open to both sides of the corrals?
Bib Rave Pros!
Aid Stations: There was a water stop on the course about 2 miles in, though I didn’t need to stop.
Finish Line: The big appeal of the Illinois Marathon is the 50-yard finish inside Memorial Stadium. Imagine my surprise to learn we would be doing the same for the 5K! It was a really cool experience, though you couldn’t linger long on the field. Inside the concession area was free food for finishers: Jimmy John’s sandwiches (sadly no lettuce-wrapped), bananas, and Nature Valley granola bars.
After Party: The 4th Mile party outside Memorial Stadium was the celebratory kick-off to the 5K and race weekend. All participants got a free drink (lines were fairly long by the time we finished our races) from Riggs Beer Company. There was also live music, food trucks, and FREE CAKE to celebrate the 150th birthday. All of this, sadly, not meant for the gluten-free runner. I was positively shivering from the cold (I had to purchase an oversized men’s sweatshirt from one of the vendor booths to get warm) and unfortunately, couldn’t stick around the party too long.
Speaking of birthdays, the 5K medal is a balloons bouquet celebrating the sesquicentennial. And for me, it also celebrated a new PR! HOLY CRAP. I ran the race by feel and… it felt easy. I’m just so ecstatic to have that feeling and see those splits — while also having so much fun.
OVERALL The Great: I wasn’t planning for a 5K PR, so that was a GREAT surprise! The Good: Despite being cold, I was having fun. The Bad: Not the races fault, but my hotel room was right outside the elevators. Whomp, whomp. The Ugly: Entry to the corrals was pretty backed up, and people were getting irritated and pushy. I hate pushy people.
