Team Chocolate Milk Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon Race Recap

The race morning was finally here! What I love about travelling to other states is when I travel through different time zones and the wake up time for the race isn’t as early as it feels!  I woke up before 5:00 a.m. CT and had my tea and oatmeal and got ready.  I was supposed to meet Susanna at the Bean but I had to walk from my hotel and when I arrived it was almost 6:00.  I also had a funny situation happen to me… I couldn’t get out of my room!  The hotel was very old and the paint on the doors made the door stick so I couldn’t pull it open!  I started to get a little scared that I’d have to call someone to help me get out, but I finally got it open.  (This stuff seems to only happen to me).

When I walked out of the hotel I immediately felt the rush of heat towards me. It was extremely hot and humid. There were heat warnings for the day that it was going to be up in the high 80s with high humidity. I planned ahead of time by making sure that I filled my fuel belt with Nuun.  I met up with Susanna and Liz Driscoll but was too late to get my photos at the bean.

So when I am at the start line area Susanna and I headed over to the VIP area.  I met up with fellow Team Chocolate Milk runners and got some pictures.  I met Jean Draper, Peter Dettmer and Loren Rappaport Sanders there.  It was great to finally meet some team members.  The VIP tent was a great experience.  There was food, a gear bag check area, couches, water and drinks, porta potties and lots of race support.

Jean Draper and I

Loren Rappaport Sanders, me and Jean Draper

Peter Dettmer and I

It was time to lineup for the start of the race and Susanna and I started in the same corral together.

At the start line

Our plan was to run four minutes and walk one minute for the beginning of the race and see how we felt during the race. I hadn’t done for and one in quite some time so I wasn’t sure how I would hold up but it worked out nicely for the first 4 miles. Then it was just too hot so we dropped it down to 30 seconds walk 30 seconds run.  I was happy that I was able to maintain a 4/1 ratio but in conditions that warm I wouldn’t have been able to maintain it for the entire race.The race went through most of downtown Chicago and luckily the buildings provided shade. It was also great to find bags of ice at the medical tents. We put the ice on our necks and heads to help cool us down.  We needed to do everything we could to keep cool. Around mile 6 I noticed that the runners were quieter. Everyone was digging deep to work through the heat and get through the miles.  At that point in the course there wasn’t much entertainment.

At mile 7, we spotted Loren.  Susanna and I went to gather her up and have her run with us to the end.  Loren was struggling with bad calf cramps.  She got some medical grade Gatorade at the med station and was walking when we saw her so I told her to join us doing the 30/30 intervals.  She did and she said he was liking those intervals a lot.  It helped loosen her up a little and you saw her spirits lifting.  We told her that around mile 8.5 our Mickey Milers team supporter would be out with frozen water and oranges.  I couldn’t wait to get some of those oranges!  We found Charlie Gessner right around the point where Laura was and had a little visit with her while we refueled with some oranges and frozen water.  It’s great to have supporters out on the course for us.  Especially when they were a chicken hat despite the heat!

Loren, Charlie, Laura, Susanna and I with our great support Laura Smith Ozo!

After a little pick me up we headed back on the road to getting closer to the finish.  We came up to the Mile of Music I believe around mile 11 which was a good pick me up for me.  I wish ALL 13 miles had that type of entertainment!  We also picked up another runner at mile 11 who was running her first half and was disappointed that her first half was so challenging.  She stuck with us till the end and at the last .25 she made her push to the finish.  We helped Loren keep it going despite the cramping still acting up.  She wanted us to leave her; but as promised, we leave no one behind!

This race was one of the hardest.  Any summer race is hard; but this is up there on my list of hot races.  We were smart about it and didn’t push too hard.  There were a lot of runners down on the side of the road or at the med tents.  When we finished Loren and I got pictures at the Team Chocolate Milk tent and enjoyed a refreshing chocolate milk; and then I had to say goodbye to the girls and rush back to my room to shower and pack and catch the train to my flight home.

I made it to the airport with little time to spare.  Security took a while to get through and then just as I went through, it was time to board the plane, and silly me, I was standing in the wrong boarding line!  I was in the Raleigh, NC boarding line.  Thankfully I realized it before it was too late and got on with just a middle seat as a choice.  Poor guys sitting next to me had to listen to my snoring because the minute we were up in the air I passed out.  I felt extremely exhausted.  I think the heat just got the best of me.  Fortunately I didn’t get heat sickness where I had a dehydration headache.  I attribute that to using Nuun during the race to keep up with my electrolytes.  But the heat did take a lot out of me.  I also felt like that when I landed and my family picked me up at the airport.  We went out to dinner and ice cream and I couldn’t wait to got to bed!

This was a great race and I plan on going back next year to run it.  I am hoping to convince some of my other friends to join me!  What an incredible city and I did enjoy the Rock ‘n’ Roll Race.  Now that I see you can receive bling for running multiple Rock ‘n’ Roll Races, I am going to have to look into more of the R’n’R races!

Thank you Team Chocolate milk for the race entry and gear and for the experience to run in an incredible city!

Watch the video recap of my race day!