Zach Runs Chicago

Pre-race rain left the base camp a bit soggy for the ABC7 Gibbons 5K As I mentioned last week , I went in for a double header this past Thursday with the decades old ABC7 Gibbons 5K at 6:25pm and the newly minted Monsters of the 5K/10K at 7:15pm . Since I went over the basics regarding each race in previous blogs I'll just touch on race day highlights for each here. Pools of post-race water at the ABC7 Gibbons 5K First off, the ABC7 Gibbons 5K was a lot bigger than I had anticipated. While there were only 747 chip-timed runners (I know this from checking the results ) there were a lot more 5K fun run participants and 3K walkers. Pre-race the announcer claimed that registrations were up "about 45% this year over last year" so despite the race having been around for a while I'm not sure if they were ready to handle this many participants... at least at the starting line. The starting line began on Columbus just south of Balbo and snaked around down Balbo...

Last year the Universal Sole Four Mile Classic took place on an incredibly windy day in Dusable Harbor . A day so windy that one of the covered tents from the basecamp got blown straight into the lake. It may have been windy but it was still a great race with an even better post-race party (seriously, all-you-can-drink 312). Well, that race is coming back for another go-round, but this time it's moving farther north to Montrose Harbor - where the first official Burgers and Beer 5K was hosted (also by Universal Sole). The press release says that runners can expect " the usual USOLE perks (swag, beer, prizes and a great party)" along with a "flat, fast 4 mile run along the northern stretch of the Lakefront Path." And they also have an post-race party planned. This one will be on the roof top of Lakeshore Sport & Fitness in Lincoln Park where they'll host a "killer raffle" with Goose Island beer and food. I can't miss the promise ...

If you're a runner (and if you're not at least somewhat of a runner, this blog will probably be really boring to you) then you probably know that your biggest expense for this relatively simple and otherwise incredibly cheap sport is your shoes. Not because there aren't cheap running shoes out there, but because cheap running shoes are not really going to give you the support that you need (or at least not for very long) and because even good running shoes need to be replaced every 300-400 miles or so . I typically try to buy locally - both Fleet Feet and Universal Sole have great rewards programs and I shop at both - but I go through a lot of shoes and a few years ago I joined a mailing list that one of my friends turned me on to (he's on it mainly for hiking and camping gear): The Clymb . On the site they describe themselves like this: "The Clymb offers insider pricing on premium outdoor gear, trend-setting apparel, and human-powered adventure travel p...

In 2012, Burgers & Beer went from a monthly fun run put on by Universal Sole to an official 5K with an inaugural run in Montrose Harbor . The first race was so popular that last year they moved it to The Park at Lakeshore East. And it looks like it's grown again because this year it's moved to Soldier Field. Both the first and second year races were great (what's not to like about burgers AND beer?) so I think it's safe to assume that the third annual run on the evening of July 14th will be as well. If you're interested in signing up , the discount code bnb2014 is good for $5 off registration

Night races are really starting to be a thing. And though I was a bit of a naysayer at first, I'm coming around. There's something cool about running on a course in the dark with a bunch of other people, especially when there are sweet lights and music and all that good stuff. After driving back to Chicago on the night of Operation Pink Sky I headed downtown for the Energizer Night Race for a Brighter World. That's a really long title that somehow makes the race sound both better and worse than it actually was. As I said in my Newcity review , putting a brand name at the front of a race title gives it a corporate sound - but this race didn't have that feel at all (despite the giant Energizer bunnies sprinkled around and the Energizer bunny ears everyone was wearing). Maybe it was just the fact that it was a night race but it felt much more laid back than a corporate race would. Also, everyone had headlamps on which didn't help much at dusk but definitely loo...

Once again we're heading into a weekend where the temperatures are not just sub-freezing, but dipping down into the single digits. Although part of is a little disappointed that I'm not running Universal Sole's latest Trail Challenge in Willow Springs tomorrow morning, part of is a little glad that I don't have a car and everyone I asked wasn't available to drive out there. Because it's going to be cold again tomorrow morning and my house is going to be way warmer than a trail run. Still, if you're planning to head out there, I'd still take a ride - because 4-5 miles in the woods in 10 degrees is still somehow appealing to me. Seriously, if you're running this race and have room for someone to bum a ride - let me know. Otherwise I'm hitting up the nice, warm treadmill at the gym this weekend.

The Park at Lakeshore East before the race With Universal Sole recently opening a new location in The Park at Lakeshore East , their super-catchily titled Burgers & Beer 5K moved downtown with them for its second annual running (from Montrose Harbor last year ). They also moved it up from the end of August to the middle of July, which may have contributed to the increase in entries. Though the race announcer attributed the rise in entries (entries more than doubled from 609 last year to 1229 this year) to the relocation downtown, I'd say excellent word of mouth, a very eye-catching title and an race earlier date also contributed to the race selling out. But, the race directors are right, the Park at Lakeshore East is a nice little hidden gem of a downtown park that other races really haven't taken advantage of yet. It definitely didn't hurt that the second annual race was held in such a beautiful, centrally-located location.

Around mile six or so - before my phone froze Before I say anything else about the race, I think it's most important to note that there was a yeti on the trail. The yeti is like Bigfoot, except that he's from Nepal. Somehow this mythical creature was able to sign up for the race, get a bib and start with the rest of us. Luckily I snapped a photo of him as he was about to attack me. That photo is on twitter and on my Newcity review . I hope scientists can use the evidence that I gathered to prove that the yeti does exist, and that he enjoys freezing cold, mid-to-long-distance races. Also, it looks like he somehow figured out how to put on sunglasses and headphones, two accessories that I forgot. Even the Abominable Snowman knows: preparation is key.

Since I had been keeping a close eye on the weather reports over the last few days I was a little disappointed this morning at how accurate they all turned out to be: 45 degrees and raining. I was talking to another runner on the way to the starting line and remarked that the only change in the prediction for this morning was from a 70% chance of rain at 9am to an 80% chance of rain at 9am. She looked at me for a second and then said, "Well it's 100% raining right now so I don't think it matters anymore." Touché.

Monday night I ran Universal Sole 's inaugural Burgers & Beer 5K. It's a race that grew out of a monthly run of the same name that Universal Sole has been doing for the past three years and it definitely had a grass roots feel to it with a pretty small basecamp (including a small Goose Island beer garden and a burger station - shown to the right) and race co-directors Joel Feinberg and Kimberley Stedman serving as co-announcers before, during and after the race. There were about 600 runners overall, which is a pretty good-sized field for an inaugural local run. I would guess that including the words "Burgers" and "Beer" in a race's title is a pretty good way to get people interested in it. 

Those tiny dots are jets Yesterday I avoided a six mile training run by going to a bar to compete in the national trivia finals. My team (I use that phrase loosely as I was only an alternate) ended up in 5th place - and I helped drop us many points right off the bat when I thought the first question might be in my wheelhouse: What sport has been in every Olympic games since 1896 (except for the 1900 Olympic games)? I swore it had to be marathon... but it was wrestling. Running-obsession fail. I was too excited about the fact that Brynn and I are running the Athens marathon in November to think about any other sports really. But one of the teams in our bar placed nationally which was pretty exciting. So I traded six miles for drinking and discussing how many points a Backgammon board has (24) and who was the first sitting president to visit the New York Stock Exchange (Reagan). My marathon training certainly doesn't thank me... but my legs do.