Race Recap: Long Grove Turkey Trot 5k

Why am I not out shopping for Black Friday deals?!?! well..
1. I don't want to get trampled on (I'm short, I get hit in the face.. on the bus, going up the stairs.. Going into a store with a million other people sounds dangerous)
2. I don't really need anything... besides normal people clothes. I don't remember the last time I bought a pair of jeans or a blouse.
3. I don't want to go out in the cold to shop, I would rather go out for a run :)

I will wait patiently for Cyber Monday (BTW anyone know of any good deals yet?)
Now that Thanksgiving is over, it officially feels like Christmas season!

Thanksgiving consisted of running my second 5k, eating turkey, watching movies, eating turkey, and watching more movies, and eating cookies.

5k Recap
The 5k was in a cute little town of Long Grove. I was really looking forward to this 5k since I'm a big fan of All Community Events races and their goodies and (placing) medals. Getting there wasn't hard considering they had country roads (i think). Those roads that have a little sign with the street name and looks like your about to go into the woods.. We also used a GPS app, just in case.
Parking was free, always a good thing, and we could see the start line from where we parked. Packet pick-up was a breeze, except the volunteers looked confused at one point. I was a little dissapointed that they ran out of Smalls, and instead got a Medium, but I'll survive. The sweater was still warm and cute for wearing after the race. Gear-check was also a breeze, and it's always a good thing they bring extra bags, just in case your warm up clothes don't end up fitting in your drawstring bag :) There was a lonnng line for the port-a-potties though, which is never a surprise.

After dropping our bags off, we went and lined up about 10 minutes before the race started. We tried staying behind what looked like a high school track team. lol We knew they were going to sprint off, which was a red flag if I wanted to start off calmly.
The course started off in their small paved streets but led us past some woods, and small section of trail. The course was looped, flat and mostly paved. As we passed the first Mile, I did a really good job pacing myself, a little under my goal pace and even clocked my second mile 2 seconds slower. I was feeling good until we passed mile 2. I was starting to feel tired, and knew that my legs were going to be letting me down today. I stuck with a few guys till about mile 2.8 and sped up. At mile 3, I saw the finish line and also one of the guys coming up behind me. I was a little too late to kick my legs a little faster but still finished under my 5k PR. I was a little dissapointed with my finish and the last half mile, but there's always next time.
I ended up placing 2nd in my age group and shedding a few seconds of my 5k time. After getting our goodies we walked around the little town. My favorite part was the hot cider :) It was addicting and I kept going back for more. There was also beer for those over 21, free massages, live band (although I did not see one single turkey. Like a blown up turkey :(

I'm definitely signing up for this race next year, I really liked the course and the food. and the hot cider.


Luz

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After our long drive from Chicago, we just wanted to start racing!! The weather was perfect for running. We were both really excited for the 5k and because it was Thanksgiving.  (who doesn't love eating a lot of turkey  and other goodies )

Pre-Race:
As soon as we got to the race we saw that most of the tents were crowded with runners surrounding them.  We found the packet pick up tent and picked up our bib numbers.  We also got a brown sweater, but it wasn't the size we requested because they ran out.  After picking up our bib numbers we went to gear check which was a truck.  Gear check was smooth without any problems.  I just didn't think that they'll be using a truck for gear check haha. After gear check we went to the starting line.  The starting line wasn't really that organized and it was really narrow.

Race:

And were off!!! All the fast runners sprinted off and I tried to maintain my own pace this time.  I did my best to focus on my form and pace.  I ran the first mile at 6:15 and thought to myself okay not bad next one better be around the same time or couple seconds off.  As mile 2 was creeping up, i  soon started catching up to some of the runners who sprinted off in the start .  I was able to do mile 2 at 6:19  and was feeling okay , but things got a bit hard around the 15 minute mark.
I thought to myself this is were the race really starts.  I fought hard to maintain my pace and form. I just wanted the race to end already!  When i looked at my watch for mile 3, My pace dropped, but i got a boost when i saw the finish line insight.  I sprinted to the end with a total time of 19:51 and came in 3rd place 19-24 age group.   Most of the race was ran on the local streets, many which weren't even closed.  The local police just stopped traffic when runners were coming through.  Overall the course was very fast and flat.

Post Race:

Post race after party was good.  They had many goodies and many tents offering free stuff.
Even free massages.

Pros:
-Fast/Flat course
-Goodies!! (hot cider, chewy bars, candy , etc.)
-Beer?  Not 21 so i wouldn't know
- Free sweater
- 1500+ runners

Cons
- Didn't  have our sizes for the sweater

Overall , we both liked the race and would definitely consider to do it again next year.  It was fun and they had many goodies at the end and we both PRed for our 5k distance , which is always a plus.


JV

Race Recap: Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 10k

I think 10k's are my new favorite distance after HM's :)
They're fast, but not too fast, and the distance is just in the middle.
I got the 10k itch after completing last weeks Chicago Perfect 10. The morning of the race, there we went, and I registered a few minutes before the race started.

10k Goal: have fun. It was my first turkey trot ever and first consecutive same-distance race within 7 day span. Although, I wasn't going to take anything above 50 minutes. That would be slacking on my part.

Race Day Registration: Smooooooth. 1 person in front of me, and got my t-shirt, bib, 'goodie' bag filled with bunch of fliers and my pins. Done.

2 seconds to pin my bib on. Then lined up at the gear check.

Gear Check: Not too long of a line. Second time using gear check. Usually at bigger races I avoid those lonnnng lines, but this was a smaller race so why not? Kudos to volunteers for keeping the line going :)

Course: ...no comment. It was my fault for not looking up the course map beforehand, but hey it was a spur of the moment kind-of-thing when we decided to run this race. But here is a snapshot. and it's not pretty.
I'm used to running races on the lakefront.. and with straighter courses. Can you imagine what it was like running a race, not knowing there was so many turns, it kind of felt like a corn maze. When you thought it was finally going to stop, BAM! there came another turn. and another. And when you thought the finish line was after the next turn. It wasn't. Damn it. But it was a good experience. Change is good, and atleast it kept my mind busy from my aching shins (oh yeah, wore my new Brooks, which I shouldn't have, I'm such a noob).

I may come off as mean, but why were there kids on the course?! Especially right by the finish line. A few yards from when I was about to finish, a little girl just jumped in front of me (and probably slowed me down by a few seconds), it would've been terrible if I hadn't seen her..
Which reminds me... having a 5k, a walk, and a 10k all on the same course= not such a good idea. During the last mile, I had to weave in and out of 5k people and walkers. I'm glad I wasn't going for a PR.

6th in 20-29 AG
3rd if they had 20-24 :( darn...

The mile marks and clocks were right on though! Which is always a good thing. Too bad my splits sucked.--->

(look at that first split.. what was I thinking, I was kenyan or something? no way I was going to keep that pace up, what a noob..)

I was really tired after mile 3 and regretted not signing up for the 5k instead haha. but as soon as we hit mile 5, I felt I had warmed up enough (or slowed down enough actually) to keep going. Maybe I could come close to last weeks time? & I did woohoo! I was off by 2 seconds (I blame the little girl at the end, and my shin splints... and the crazy course ;) haha.

... this only encourages me to run another 10k. Damnit...

Top left: stacks of boxes of pizza, no line!
Top Right: live band
Bottom left: cozy warm sponsorship tent with food/goodies inside
Bottom right: Free Hot Chocolate & Coffee Trucks :)

 After Party: After today's race, I could say Chicago Perfect 10 sucked. This race had alot more goodies at the end.

-boxes and boxes of pizza
-Hot Chocolate & coffee
-expo under a tent, kept us warm
-live band
-Chewy bars (but they ran out after a while :(

The only thing they could've had was a finishers medal, but hey it was just a turkey trot.





 For Mid-november, the weather has been amazing!



-Luz
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Pre-Race

This was actually our first race outside of Chicago.  Finding parking was a bit difficult, we had to drive around for a while until we found parking lot by a grocery store.  After finding parking, we had to run to registration and pick up our bib numbers and check in our gear.  The whole process went smooth without any waiting .

Race:
And were off! Both the 5k and 10k runners started off together.  I tried to maintain a relaxed pace throughout the start of the race, not trying to use a lot of my energy.  The first mile was done at 6:07 according to my Garmin. I did my best to maintain this pace , but it became more difficult as the race went on.   The course was flat and consisted of many turns!! (at least for the 10k route) The turns were not only confusing , but they only made me want to finish the race already! The route back to the finish line was packed with a lot of runners/ walkers because the 5k/10k route came together as one.  The last mile was the most tiring for me throughout the whole race.  I just wanted to finish already, but i also wanted to beat last weeks time.  I pushed through and finished 42:00 flat.  I beat last weeks time by a few seconds, but off from my 10k PR (40minutes)  Not bad for not being in top notch running shape like in the summer.  Time to work hard >:)

Overall:

Pros
-free pizza!
-free plastic water bottles
-bag with a race shirt
-1000+ runners
-timed mile markers

Cons
-They ran out of snacks. (chewy bars-granola bars, hot chocolate)
-10k had too many turns! It felt like if i was going in circles
-Age groups are not in 4 year increments.

 JV 

NEXT UP! Long Grove Turkey Trot 5k!

Any suggestions/advice on how NOT to sprint off at the beginning... it's getting to be a bit of a problem.

Anyone know of any upcoming 10ks? tehe.

Happy Turkey Trotting :)

Race Recap: Chicago Perfect 10

My morning: started out at 5am... with a cramp on my left calf that had woken me up. It seriously felt like 5 whole minutes had gone by and I was still clutching to my leg in bed :( Worst. pain. ever. My race mornings never fail to surprise me.

Anywho.

My goal for the race was to keep my time under 50 minutes and if my legs felt like going fast today, maybe even PR. (Chicago 10k finished at 49:44)

The 10k was paid for by UIC, and funded 15 of our runners in the running club. Pretty neat, so even if I didn't like the race, I wasn't going to really mind. Free race = happy Luz, regardless.

The race was pushed back by half hour.. which was good and bad. But more of a good thing, I think. We had just parked a few blocks away from Navy Pier when we heard from fellow bloggers that the race had been moved back. We were barely going to make it on time, so it gave us a few minutes to check-in our gear.

The course:
-was a bit, odd. First thing I noticed was before hitting the lake front trail, we had to run on the road, next to incoming cars. The only thing separating us from them, was a few cones spread out. Uh?
-The hills. Oh my jebus.. Was not mentally prepared for those. Or physically actually. I guess I've been running on super flat courses for the past few weeks.
-no Gatorade for the 10mile runners?

Post race:
-Bananas, bagels and Powerade. I'm not a big fan of Powerade, but after I was done, I took a bottle (not knowing what it was) and it tasted okay.
-Not enough goodies in my opinion.
-We went back to indoor warm place and pick up our gear, which was convenient.
-Gear check-in went smooth, and pick-up as well, with no lines.
-Got to meet up with two Chicago Running bloggers (Christina & Maggie) while hanging out near the gear check :)

Javier, me and Christina

Maggie, me and Javi

Overall:
-had fun, but would hesitate to register with my own money next year.
-Shirt, a tad bit small.
-Nice bling
-Ended up finishing at 48:43 (7:51 pace), which means a new PR :) and even got 3rd in my AG

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Chicago Perfect 10 Recap -  by JV

 Pre-Race:

After doing the Chicago 10k back in August and liking the distance,  Luz and I definitely wanted to do another 10k race. We were very excited for the 10k and were hoping in hitting a new PR.  We got to Navy Pier around 7:15 only to find out that the race had been pushed back to start around 8 am.  We didn't mind because it allowed us time to park the car and go to gear check.  Once we got to Navy Pier, the whole event seemed a bit disorganized .  There were people everywhere and very little room for all the runners.  We decided to kill some time inside because it was a bit chilly outside until we heard that the race was about to begin.  We ran to the start line and placed ourselves in our corrals.  As soon as we got to our corrals, the race started.


Race:

As soon as I crossed the starting line, my Garmin wasn't working properly. I had to mess around with it until i finally got it working again.  After that i tried my best to get into race mode.  I found it a bit difficult getting into "race mode" because the start was crowded and the route was a bit narrow.  I accidentally stepped on a runner in the process.  I tried to put all that aside and focus on my running form and pace.  As we left Navy Pier and hit the lakefront trail , everything seemed okay until it started to get more and more crowded.  10 Miler runners and 10k runners were running with one another.  Adding to that were the bikers along the route.  There was also confusion with the clocks along the route.  The times that were being displayed along the mile markers were different for the 10 milers and the 10k , but there was no clear indication on which one was the correct time for the 10k people and the 10 miler people. At the turn around, i just wanted the race to be over already.  I was happy that i was halfway done, but i knew that i wasn't going to PR or anything.   I tried my best to focus , but i just couldn't get into my zone.  I pushed through those last miles until i finished!!

Post-Race:
The race overall for me was okay.  I liked that there was:
-finishers medal
-enough people so it can be competitive
-parking close to navy pier
-cool looking shirt, but i heard that it runs small along the arms
-weather?
-Timed

Cons
-Route was packed with people at the start and along the race
-Clocks caused confusion among runners
-not enough goodies at the end
-Aid stations were dead only few volunteers giving out water without any cheering

Other than that I'm looking forward  to our next race which will happen on Thanksgiving Day (the Long Grove Turkey Trot).

We're both hoping to PR for the 5k distance!!

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McSpeedy & I :) ♡

UIC Running Club

Freedom Isn't Free 5k



Well that kinda sucked...
I learned my lesson never to go out with friends the night before a race. Bad idea.
I ate a good filling breakfast after a 4 hour nap.. and tried shaking off the hangover. I was feeling better by 10am. Thank goodness the start time was at 11 :)



mmm... Hot Chocolate and an egg McMuffin

The course was flat and easy, go out west, loop around a small park and back. Simple. Ha... As soon as the runners when out, I knew my body was not prepared to sprint off the start line, but I did and clocked my first mile at 7:10ish. eek. Not good, too fast for what I had in mind. My stomach felt it. Other runners always say, don't go out too fast on the first mile, it's going to bite you in the ass later. And it did. Second and third mile was def slower.

A 5k is way different than a half marathon, which is what I've been doing all summer. I registered a few days before the race, and had not been thinking "short=super kenyan fast". I guess the short distance messed with my head and so did the speed. The first half, I felt my form was all over the place, dunno if it was just me.
I didn't even have it in me to sprint when I saw the finish line. I saw the clock at mile 3, showing 22:30something... I kissed my sub 23 goodbye. I was not about to puke. lol so I just kept running at my pace.

Finish Time 23:51
1st Place F 20-24
9th/242 Female

Pros: -11am start
-burgers and hot dogs afterwards
-very well organized race (~400 runners)
-great cause (all proceeds went to the Cpl. Conner Lowry Memorial Scholarship Fund at Brother Rice High School)
Cons: none :)

Good race, not gonna complain. I am now anxious to run another one. Soon.
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5k Recap - JV

Pre-Race

Our first “official” 5k race. We both have ran 10ks, 15ks, half marathons, 20 milers, and even a marathon, but we never found the time to squeeze in a 5k race. We were both really excited until race day finally came. We were sleep deprived, nervous, cold, and had terrible headaches. Nevertheless, we somehow managed to arrive at Brother Rice High School with hopes of meeting our expected finishing time (my goal 18:45+something, Luz’s goal 23 something). We picked up our packets at the race and ran back to the car. From there we can see the Marines putting on a show for everyone. People were gathering around the tents and booths that they had set up. We can also see the people that were lining up at the start line. We chose to wait inside the car until it was time for us to go to the starting line. As we saw more and more runners arriving, we started to get more nervous and excited at the same time. We just wanted to get it over with already!

Race:

10 second count down! Luz and I wished each other good luck and we were off!

All the runners rushed passed one another in hope of being the first one to cross the finish line. With all the excitement of the race starting, I didn’t notice that I was going a bit too fast than what I was supposed to go. First mile was done at 5:58. I tried to keep that pace for the next two miles, but I found it harder to keep as the race went on. By now, there were only two runners ahead of me so I felt pressured to keep close to them, but they slowly got further and further from me. Second mile was done by 12:30ish. By the second mile a few runners passed me up. I didn’t let it discourage me because I still thought I could meet my goal time. By the time mile 3 came long I just wanted to finish already. I looked up at the clock and it said 19:20ish. I missed my goal, but I still wanted to finish strong. With the finish line getting closer and closer, I finished with a sprint and a time of 20:04. Not bad for being sleep deprived and not preparing mentally .

Post-Race:

At the end of the race, we just wanted to eat so we went to the cafeteria and got free burgers and hot dogs for all the runners. That is when we found out Luz got first place in 20/24 female group!! She also got this cool medal that was engraved. I'm so proud of her !! Wohooo!!

We both liked the race a lot. Definitely doing it again next year. We liked that the race took place on the streets. Each mile marker had a clock displaying the time. There were some supporters along the route. There were some volunteers along the route giving water/Gatorade. It was timed using B-tag chip and who doesn’t love free food!? The whole race was a great experience for both of us. Even though I didn’t meet my goal, I now know where I stand and know what I need to do for my next 5k race. Hopefully I meet my goal next time with what I learned from this race.


McSpeedy & I

JV @ the start line

Pre-Race Jitters

Ahhh! So, I don't know how to feel about tomorrow's race...but I do feel very nervous.
Should I feel confident? Overconfidence can sometimes bite you in the ass. Under-confidence(?) can keep you from pushing yourself. This morning I ran 2 miles, just to see how my body was feeling. I ran in my new Asics Kayano 18, and felt like I was running on clouds. :) ah.
But I'm not going to run in them, since I'm not sure yet how they'll hold up after miles 9, 10, 11, 12, and that last .1

I took wednesday, thursday and friday off. (friday by accident, was suppose to run before work, oops!)

I felt like I have been on vacation. And I haven't really been strict about my eating, woops :(
So I'm not going to be surprised if I gained a little weight. Thank god the race is finally tomorrow so I can go back to my workouts. I didn't want to get injured or be sore days before the race. I was actually being patient :) yay me. I also got all my last minute goodies in the mail Wednesday. I am addicted to online shopping at RunningWarehouse. Free 2-Day Shipping! :D come on. nothing better than that.

So MONDAY! Will be "Day 1" back on my Tone/Lose 10+lbs Plan

Wednesday Food Log

Breakfast 
Coffee
Banana
Bagel thin + PB
yogurt
munchkin

Lunch
Grapes & Watermelon
side salad
bagel thin w/ cheese wedge

Dinner
Homemade chicken salad

Night Snack
Cereal + Milk :( oops lol

Thursday Food Log

Breakfast
the usual


lunch
pears
applesauce
bagel w/ cheese wedge
side salad

Dinner
@ Jason's Deli
-Salad bar w/grilled chicken
-yogurt w/ apples,banana bits, and grapes
-chocolate pudding
-vanilla cone

yumm! :) can't help indulge a little 

Snack
POP! Chips

Friday

Friday was just hectic. Still not an excuse for my bad eating today

Breakfast

Munchkins

bagel thin w/ PB

banana

Lunch

watermelon

couple of Air Heads

Dinner

side salad

bagel w/ cheese wedge

graham cracker cookies

mexican - tostada w/ sour cream, salsa and beans

Night snack

milk + cereal

cookies :(

**you can see I eat about the same food everyday.. I don't get bored of it. But I do need to restock my fridge :( lol

Definitely a bad day, it maybe the nervous-ness of the race coming up, hormones or just issues right now. But this morning is a new day and had watermelon for breakfast after my 2 mile run :)

PACKET PICK UP DAY TODAY!

WOOT WOOT! Let's see what goodies I score ;-)

Posting pictures later. 

ps. I'm working on my Recipe page... slowly but surely.