On Sunday, Sara and Pat, Jacob and Sandy and I ran the Chicago
Rock and Roll Half Marathon. It was the third time that Sara
and I ran and the first time for Pat, Jacob and Sandy. Pat had run a half
before but this was Jacob and Sandy's first. It was an absolutely
wonderful weekend. I won't bore you with all the details of our weekend
(Sara the bus driver, over eating, ice cream, beer, a wonky calf muscle, the
muscle roller). the weekend reinforced my belief that Deb and I have the
most wonderful children (and children-in-laws and children-in-laws-to-be).
The race
was Sunday and began at 6:30 a.m. We were worried about heat but
fortunately, there was cloud cover for most of the race. Race start
temperature was in the upper 70s, rising to 85 after a few hours. The
course started in Grant Park and was very well organized. There were none
of the foibles that I read about at the R and R Marathon in Las Vegas.
We parked about a half mile away from the park but even with 28-29,000
competitors, there was little traffic or need for crowd control. Amenities (porta-pots, first aid, pre-race water,
information, etc.) were well done and clearly marked. I actually forgot to
apply Body Glide and was able to find a first-aid tent that had plenty.
On the course, there were at least 9 water stops, each with water and some type
of electrolyte drink, generally Gatorade. First-aid tents were equally
plentiful, equipped with ice, first-aid supplies and a mountain of
body lube. Chafing was definitely not a problem. Crowds along the
route were plentiful, with lots of cheering and encouragement. There were
also LOTS of bands on the course (one every mile or so), each different. I
hope I don't see any more spandex.
Our race strategy was to run together. Sara and Pat were in pretty good
shape, given Sara's plantar fasciitis problems. Jacob and Sandy worked a
little less that Sara and Pat but were fit nonetheless. We started slowly
for the first mile and built from there. It was crowded but not so
crowded that you couldn't run fast if you wanted to. The corrals,
segregated by projected finish time, are a great idea for experienced runners
but are kind of a waste for run-of-the-mill runners who only wanted to finish.
Most people have no idea what time they can run and end up either
clogging up the corral or running faster than those around them for the first
3-4 miles. We decided to just run with the people around us. I got
a little antsy a few times but once I realized (and accepted) that we were all
in this together, the race became a good long, Sunday run. Truth be told,
it took me about 6 miles to rid myself of the "gotta go faster, this is
too slow" mentality.
Post race, we left immediately and returned to our hotel for showers. I
had absolutely no soreness or pain and didn't really feel tired. Pizza
and beer were on the menu for lunch, followed by a nap.
When we got home, Sam and Ben greeted us with smiles (as did Lola and Oxford, Jacob and
Sandy's dogs), a clean house, and all the things done that we asked of them.
What more could we ask?
The bottom line for this weekend - I spent four days with 5 (Deb, Sara, Pat,
Jacob, Sandy) of the 7 (add Ben and Sam to the prior list) most important
ADULTS in my life. My kids are all unique, all special in their own way,
and I love them all. Now, I just have to figure out how to get Ben and
Sam to join us.
My children have grown to be peers, friends and most important, wonderful,
caring human beings. They are no longer children, regardless of how I
treat them.
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