Chicago Lakefront 50/50

Lakefront 50/50 October 26th, 2017 

On the spur of the moment this spring i decided that if I could run a marathon, there's no reason I couldn't do a 50k (it's just 5 more miles, lol, yeah okay). So I signed up for one in Chicago. It's said to be the flattest and fastest. The flat aspect was most important to me, and that it was on a paved trail next to Lake Michigan. 

Ever since my first marathon I have wondered if ultra running is more welcoming and encouraging to those of us who take longer to finish. I was disappointed in myself at my first marathon, but I was also really bummed that everything was gone... the aid stations got shut down, they closed the course, there was no food left at the finish line, just complete abandonment by the race officials and race directors.  If my friends hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't even have finished as I wouldn't have known where the finish line was even located. but I digress....

My parents really wanted to come to a race with me, they haven't been to one since my first half marathon in 2014 so we left early on Friday with the truck and camper. They decided having the camper would be helpful while they were waiting the 8+ hours for me to finish. They were correct.

Uneventful drive to Chicago, found our hotel and decided to check out where packet pickup and the start line were at.... so we drove down to the beach and there it was! 

 The start line was also the turnaround spot. The finish line was also right there! Weather forecast was for a dreary, cold day on Saturday, so we decided to order in and relax the rest of the evening.

I decided to go ahead and splurge and get a Chicago style pizza for them, and some pasta for myself. Then I found out they had never had deep dish Chicago pizza, what?!? How can that be?  I used an on-line ordering system and got food from Calo Ristorante.  http://www.calorestaurant.com/index.html

Amazing food... so good. I would eat there again in a heartbeat.  
Spending the night in a hotel with your parents is always a good time. I would not recommend it before you're going to spend an entire day running though, I probably did not get the kind of sleep a person should before attempting an event like this. 

We got up early and visited the breakfast offerings at the hotel. I had some oatmeal and Tailwind. In retrospect, I should have eaten more - but I wasn't thinking like this was an ultra and thought i would just eat some while i was running. It was pretty chilly at the start, I think it was around 45 or so, I covered up my ears and headed to the start line. It was a fairly small crowd -probably one of the smallest races I've ever run. 


 The race was 3 out and backs with the turn around at about the 5.1 mile mark. We got to know the scenery and the other runners very well. My first loop I was exploring the scenery and figuring out how where to run. The course is mostly a paved path, but I noticed a lot of runners were on the very edge, running in the dirt, so I decided to follow along. The first 5 miles flew by, but I noticed something strange on the right side of my foot. By mile 10 I figured out my foot was bleeding, it was bothersome but it wasn't painful so I kept going.
The aid stations were fun, they had treats and olives! I realize now I probably should have eaten more than just olives and Gatorade when I stopped.  My parents were always waiting for me at the turnaround - mom made signs and they waited patiently as I slowly made my way.  It was a dreary day - no sun and  lots of clouds. 

My second lap I was still feeling okay, I got to the turnaround and joked with the volunteers. About halfway back I met up with some people that I knew from a FB group, but had never met before. I stayed with them for a mile or 2. Thanks Linda and Michael for getting me through that part! Another FB friend I got to chat with was Ila. She's kinda famous in my eyes, and I love her posts. I saw her often on the course and ran with her for a bit.  

 Getting to the final lap, I was tired, but I also knew I would finish. I started chatting with a lady that I had seen several times and learned she walks the entire 50k with her friend every year. At the start of lap 3 her friend tweaked her knee, so she dropped. I decided to walk the 3rd lap, knowing that I wouldn't be last and would be close to the cutoff time. We chatted a bit, but not a lot - at mile 25, i was pretty much done talking and just wanted to be done with it. 

She slowed down considerably with about 1/2 a mile left - her friend joined her - so I decided to run to the finish. It was about 8:40 finish time. I got my medal and hobbled back to the truck, worried about what to see with my foot. I found out I had cut my toe open with a toenail, which caused a huge amount of blood to pool in my shoe. That caused some ugly blisters too.
Mom had warmed up some of the leftover pizza since there was nothing left at the race, i scarfed down a slice of pizza, changed my clothes and we were back on the road. 

 This wasn't a tough race in the aspect of the conditions, or the terrain. I definitely hurt the next day, but I don't think I was thinking I didn't want to do that again.  

Running really is mind over matter, I can't wait to do the next one.