Race Season Begins with PRs!

So maybe I should have waited to create this blog until race season had officially begun, or marathon training for that matter, but I was so excited when I signed up for the Chicago Marathon back in February that I couldn't wait to announce it to everyone.  The excitement wore off though, and nerves set in.  I didn't have anything exciting to blog about (not like writing about running is exciting though) so this site was left untouched for I don't even know how many days.  Apologies for not keeping up with this, but now that race season and training is really underway hopefully I'll be keeping this up to date at least once a week, if not more.

Every year race season in Chicago starts off with the Shamrock Shuffle 8k.  This is the first year I participated, and let me say I can not wait to run it again next year.  What a great race to start the new race year off!  Running through the streets of downtown on a crisp morning was so much fun.  The weather is always unpredictable for this March race, but this year we got lucky with a sunny, 50 degree morning!  Thank you global warming and the unseasonably warm March Chicago was blessed with.  I've been working really hard to not put time goals on my races, but rather goals to run the best I possibly can for each race.  With that mind set I can't psych myself out and be setup for letdowns, and most likely will PR instead.  Seeing as this was my first Shamrock Shuffle I can't technically call my time a PR, but my min/mile during a race was a PR so that has to count for something!  I finished the race in 46:59 (around a 9:25/mile pace)!  I was very happy with my time as I have never broken 10:00/miles during a race before today.  What a great sign for the rest of the running season.

Shamrock Shuffle 2012 results

After this race I was ready to go.  A week later I did a 7.5 mile run, and it went really well.  I felt great afterwards, and confident that I was going to continue to get better at running and improve my times.  Unfortunately I didn't have any races coming up before the Soldier Field 10 mile in May.  Then I got an email from Catholic Charities including a discount code for the CARA Lakefront 10 miler April 28.  With my CARA discount + Catholic Charities discount the 10 miler would only be $25!  I prayed that I wouldn't be scheduled to work that morning, and two weeks before the race I got my schedule with that morning off, so I signed up!

Then...I got sick.  Something nasty was floating around my group of friends, and half of us were out for about 2 weeks with some sort of bad flu/sinus infection.  I was determined to still run the race even though I was sick, and decided my only goal was to cross the finish line.  On race day I felt good enough to do that, and guess what?  I PR'd!  1:39:19 averaging 9:55/mile (the first 7 miles I was averaging 9:40/mile, but then my sickness kicked in and attacked my lungs and really slowed me down)

This was my 3rd 10-mile race, and I finished it 13 minutes faster than my first one!  PR-ing WHILE being sick?!  I never expected to do that so I was ecstatic.  I kept thinking, imagine if I hadn't been sick.  My time would have been even better.

So there is my running update until this point.  I'm hoping to get 5 miles in tomorrow, as long as my calves aren't giving me any trouble.  Keep you all posted on my continued running successes this season!

xoxo