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| Mingling at the start of Shake It Off |
Running is inherently a bit of a selfish sport. It is all about me (you) so to say. That is why I prefer to spend my race dollars
on events that benefit good charities in a big way. Today was the 2nd Annual Shake It
Off 5K to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation organized by Team Fox’s own
Jimmy Choi and his hard working wife, Cherryl.
Not only is the Michael J. Fox Foundation a tremendously efficient
charity and Shake It Off a fun event but Jimmy suffers from Parkinson’s Disease
and still pulls this all together.
Last week was busy for me.
I spent the week locked in a hotel on a consulting assignment eating
poorly, drinking too much wine, sitting on my rear end and keeping weird
hours. When I woke up this morning, the
last thing I wanted to do was run, let alone go run in 23 degree weather with a
bit of a wind. Yet, as usual, once I
convinced myself to get out of bed and was into my running clothes the whole
thing didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
I had my usual half a pot of coffee and ate a granola bar and left the
house for the short five mile drive to Johannsen Farm in Bolingbrook, IL where
there was a huge lot to park in. Free
parking. Skip those city races and
support something local. Give the
parking fees to the charity as a donation.
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| Yes, snow on the ground. |
The race started at 9:00 and I got there about 8:10. Given the temperature, I decided to sit in
the car a bit listening to NPR and I enjoyed seeing people streaming the two
blocks to the small park where the race started. There were a lot of families, some of my
friends, young people, older people.
About 8:20, I decided to run slowly to the start of the event and then
run another mile to warm up and to stay warm.
The race was held on a local trail so I did a short out and back to
check out the conditions – a little ice, a little mud but overall, it looked
great. When I got back to the starting
line, I went to the port-o-potty and there was no line (which is always a big
deal) and then grabbed a bottle of water to take a few sips after my little
warm up.
By 8:45, the Bolingbrook Fun Run Club was out in force and
we took a bunch of group pictures. If
there are no pictures or you didn’t track your run, it didn’t really
happen. It might have been cold, but the
sun was shining brightly and everyone was so happy to be there so it did not
feel cold at all.
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| Bolingbrook Fun Run Club out in force to Shake It Off! |
Just before race time, Jimmy told the crowd a little about
his Parkinson’s diagnosis and the amazing number of half marathons and
marathons he has run in the few short years he has been running. He then introduced a friend who sang an
absolutely beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. A pure, clean acapella version without all
the silly runs people add these days.
And then we were off…. This event was not chipped time so
instead of hanging in the far back, I lined up in the 9:30 to 10:59 pace area
and towards the front of it. Besides the
timing issue, I wanted to be ahead of the running strollers. The path isn’t very wide and I knew I would
struggle to get around those things. As
it turned out, my starting place was just about right as I passed very few
people after the initial half mile or so.
The course was an out and back course and after an initial
downhill and a final uphill, almost pancake flat. On a summer day, the course would be brutally
hot on a sunny day but on a cold, early spring day the open sunshine was beautiful
and welcome. Trees and bushes are
starting to bud out now and everything looked nice and green. I ran most of the first mile and finished my
first mile with a 10:04 pace which is a tad fast for me. Realizing this, I started doing more of a 2
to 3 min run and then walking 45 or 50 seconds. Along the way, I found a few people who were
great pacers but I would lose them a bit when I took my walk breaks. I had not set a goal for this race but as
things were going well, I decided mid race that I would like to crack 33
minutes (which I’ve never done before.)
Most of the time, these days, I run without music but I decided
on my way out the door this morning to grab my Shuffle. I’m glad that I did as I used the music to
help establish a pace and as a back drop for just enjoying all the people, the
sunshine and the fun. There were people
stationed along the course with motivational signs, kids running with their
parents, orange balloons for Team Fox, friends passing yelling “Go Kristin” and
everyone seemed happy. Really, races don’t
get much better. There was one water
station at the mid-point, just enough for a 5K.
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| Official time was 32:34. I left my watch running a bit. |
As I was taking my final walk break, someone said to me “Come
on, we can see the tent” and I took the challenge and ran the rest of the way
in with her. Turns out she is a member
of my running club that I don’t really know.
I really appreciate her little push at the end as I finished in
32:34! In fact, it was probably a little
bit less than that as there was no starting mat at the beginning and I wasn’t
at the very front. Now, I’m wondering if
I can break 30 minutes? Maybe by the
fall with all the marathon training coming up over the summer.
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| Post Run group photo. Notice all our medals! |
After the run, we took more pictures --- of course. I was getting quite cold so I left before the
final results were available and before the raffle. Rumor has it that I won something in the
raffle but I don’t know what. So, I
grabbed an Andy’s custard sample to take home and ran back to my car.
Results have been posted and I was 5th in the 51
to 60 age group. I will take it!
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| Great medal! |
A lot of money raised for a great cause and a huge amount of
fun! Jimmy and Cherryl Choi do amazing things for
Team Fox and for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
If you’re reading this, consider coming out for next year’s run! Oh, and the medals are amazing for a 5K - very nice!
