Rite of Passage

What makes someone feel like a “real” runner? I think I’ve got the answer. Losing one’s first toenail! Yep, lost my big toenail in one big piece yesterday and I feel like a real runner. I knew it was going to go as my toenail had turned black after my first half marathon. It was kind of a fascinating process. First, the black nail, then the nail slowly started separating from the nail bed, and then off it came in one big piece, nail polish and all. Toenails, or lack thereof, tend to gross people out so I’m keeping it covered. But, deep down, the loss of the toenail makes me feel part of the larger running community. What made you feel like a “real” runner?

My First Half Marathon – It Pays To Grow Old

Wow, I really haven’t been posting in a long time.  I didn’t realize that I never recapped my first half marathon.  I think the first race of every distance is such a heady experience.  And of course, it’s a guaranteed PR! 

Earlier this year, I signed up for the Alexian Brothers Half Marathon that is run in the evening of July 20^th.  But as my training distances extended, I thought “I am going to be ready to run a half long before July 20^th” and I signed up for the Inaugural Fox River Trail Half Marathon on May 12^th, Mother’s Day.  Besides being nearly ready, this impulsive decision was pushed along by someone on the Bolingbrook Fun Run Club (BFRC) posting that there was a Groupon available at something like $40.  Not much more expensive than most of the 5Ks.  So a bunch of us signed up and nothing….not even an email confirmation from the organizer.  A few weeks went by, and still nothing.  At that point, one of the women in BFRC called the organizer who said “we will send a confirmation email sooner or later”…more time went past and still nothing.  Meanwhile, I made the mistake of Googling the name and organization of the race organizer, Dean Reinke and Reinke Sports Group, and found out that these folks are kind of notorious for poor communication, not well supported races and even occasionally cancelling at the last minute and not

refunding money.  Needless to say, I started to worry about how this race was going to go.

As race day approached, we finally received an email that just said “you’re registered.”  That was better than nothing, but didn’t relieve a lot of my concern.  It didn’t help that the night before packet pick-up and email came out saying “we need volunteers for packet pickup” and packet pickup was scheduled for a two-hour window at a local hotel.  We have so many running stores in the area and they ALWAYS handle packet pickups – what better way to get people into the store?  Yet, Reinke Sports couldn’t get a store to do this?  Packet pickup was uneventful but the promised technical shirt for half marathon participants was not to be.  Instead, a regular cotton t-shirt was given out.  Personally, I like the cotton t-shirts to wear around afterwards with jeans but the hype for the race was for a technical shirt.  However, the fact that packet pick-up happened helped qualm my fears that the race might not occur.

Mother’s Day turned out to be a bright, chilly morning (temperatures in the 40’s.)  BFRC met at a nearby pancake house and hung out together before the race started.  As anticipated, Reinke Sports group’s support was minimal.  First, there were only two port-a-potties for over 200 half marathoners and an even larger 5K field.  Many runners were still lined up when the race started.   Second, there was no starting mat, the starting line was just a stripe of duct tape across the street.  Even worse, the starting line was not where the finish line was and there was no one directing people to the starting line.  Yikes!  I only found the starting line by asking one of the two or three people associated with the race where it was.  Once the race was underway, things got better (until afterwards.)  The course, which followed the Fox River Trail from Aurora to Batavia and back, was absolutely lovely on a spring morning.  The trees were finishing leafing out, flowers were blooming, fish were jumping in the river and I saw a number of beautiful birds including a Bluebird and an Oriole.  I carried my own water but there appeared to be enough water stops and port-a-potties on the route.  I started running with Lorraine, one of the other women in the BFRC, and ran for about 5 minutes before breaking into a run 70 sec./ walk 50 sec. routine for the remainder of the run.  Poor Lorraine, our overall pace was about the same and we continually ran past each other depending upon where I was in my run walk cycle.  At one point, I asked her if she was ok with it and she said “run your own race”, so I did and finished in 2:39.  A PR!  Well, it was my first Half.  Not only that, but it pays to grow old as I was the first woman in my age group.   The little Lucite age group award means a lot to me.

Reinke Sports group had advertised a party afterwards with lots of food and music.  Guess what, by the time I was done, the food was all gone and the music was a guy with a boom box.  Oh, and if I had come in just a bit later, there wouldn’t have been any finishers medals left as they gave them out to the 5K finishers.  I had a great day but it wasn’t because of Reinke Sports group.   I might run this one again but only if there’s a discount coupon.  I suggest that Mr. Reinke team up with a charity and make this a real event. 

My first Half is under my belt.  I have the Alexian Bros. Half in July and then the Oregon Wine Country Half on Labor Day weekend in Carlton, OR.  Then the next 1^st, the Chicago Marathon, a guaranteed PR!!

Back from Hiatus – 2X The Run

I didn’t plan to take a hiatus from the blog.   Just did.  Time flies.

I completed my first double race day on June 1^st.   This was a first for me but I was up to it.   My morning run was the Walter Payton Sweetness 8K in Yorkville, IL.  I had never done this run before but it was for a good cause and it was a mostly residential course through tree lined streets.    The Payton Foundation is such a notable name in the Chicago area and they had a bunch of big name sponsors.   The 8K race started a little after 8 AM with Connie, Jarrett (and his little son) and Britney Payton all up on a cherry picker sounding the horn to start.  We left the high school and did a flat two miles through a residential neighborhood and then made it back to the high school over a grass field.  Once back at the high school, we joined up with the 5K runners and headed towards the river for a little downhill running.  I passed a lot of the 5K walkers, some of them very young and very cute.  How great is that to get your kids out doing these things with you?  We then had a short run on a gravel trail (not fun to run on) and then up a long, not to steep, incline.  At the top of the incline, we turned around for a nice long, not so steep, decline.  But then….then, there was this steep uphill section before returning to the school.  I think almost everyone except the very front of the pack walked this hill.  This was my first 8K so I PR’ed coming in at 58:10 (2^nd in the 55 to 59 age group.)   It wasn’t a really hot morning but it was very humid and I think this slowed everyone a bit.  The Bolingbrook Fun Run Club had a great showing and some of our members won or placed in their age groups.  I really like showing up for these runs and having club members there.  No more showing up and being entirely alone.

My second run was the Naperville 5K Glow Run for Reading that started at 8PM, just 12 hours later.  This was a fundraiser for the Jeanine Nicarico literacy fund.  Jeanine was a 10 year old that was abducted from ^th Avenue Station and waited to see if any club members showed up.  Sure enough, there they were – Michael, Joann, Sherry, Tom and Sandy.   Outside of 5^th Avenue Station, there was a tent set up with music, beer and food and a party atmosphere prevailed.  We took our standard club picture and then went to the starting line.  Only the starting line wasn’t marked well and everyone had to turn around and then the slow people were near the front and the fast people near the back, it totally messed up the start.  At least this was a fun run, so it didn’t really matter.   The run was fun but it was very, very humid and seemed to make it difficult for all to breathe.  Although this was supposed to be a glow run, it happened a little too early for everyone’s glow sticks and lights to really be seen.  I finished in 38 minutes, not exactly a PR but it was fun to be out for the 2^nd time in one day.   Although it looked like there was a good party going afterwards, I said my goodbyes and went home for dinner.

her home and murdered 30 years ago.  The story remained in the news for years as a man was convicted multiple times for her murder but was later exonerated when DNA evidence and a confession led to the real murderer.  We moved to Naperville after the murder happened but it feels personal as the family didn’t live that far from us.  Circumstances of the murder aside, this was my first Glow run and my first night run of any kind.  With race time about 2 hours away, the skies opened up and it began to pour. I drove to the run and sat in my car until 7:30 pm while the rain continued.  At 7:30 it lightened up a bit and I made my way into 5^th Avenue Station and waited to see if any club members showed up.  Sure enough, there they were – Michael, Joann, Sherry, Tom and Sandy.   Outside of 5^th Avenue Station, there was a tent set up with music, beer and food and a party atmosphere prevailed.  We took our standard club picture and then went to the starting line.  Only the starting line wasn’t marked well and everyone had to turn around and then the slow people were near the front and the fast people near the back, it totally messed up the start.  At least this was a fun run, so it didn’t really matter.   The run was fun but it was very, very humid and seemed to make it difficult for all to breathe.  Although this was supposed to be a glow run, it happened a little too early for everyone’s glow sticks and lights to really be seen.  I finished in 38 minutes, not exactly a PR but it was fun to be out for the 2^nd time in one day.   Although it looked like there was a good party going afterwards, I said my goodbyes and went home for dinner.

My next official runs don’t occur until mid-July and then it is two in one week.  In the meantime, marathon training has begun and I’m ready.