Notes
Mile Seven is obviously long but not sure which mile was short. Splits are as recorded.
Overrun distance equals 0.1668 according to course certifier. Total distance equals 13.2762 versus a course supposed to be 13.1094. Average mile pace for total distance 8.5566 minutes per mile. This equates to an adjusted time of 1:52:11 for a course measuring 13.1094 miles.
Race #6 of the 2008 season took place in Chicago on August 10, 2008 with the running of the Chicago Distance Classic. The half-marathon distance began in Grant Park (downtown Chicago) and proceeded south past the Field Museum and Soldier Field, under McCormick Place, down Lake Shore Drive before turning and coming back along the bike paths along Lake Michigan. The weather was almost perfect with temperatures of 62 degrees for the 6:30am start with a moderate breeze coming from the North. Add this to the fact that the course was very flat meant excellent conditions for a run.
For reasons unknown the CDC does not allow race day packet pick-up which meant Lori, the kids, and I enjoyed a wonderful Saturday in Chicago the day before the race. We explored the Race Expo, walked through Grant Park making our way to Buckingham Fountain, and eventually spent most of the day at the Museum of Science and Industry before coming home that late afternoon. The next morning I was out the door at 4:07am, arrived in downtown Chicago just after 5:30am, found a great parking spot, and made my way to the starting line finally beginning to relax. My last half-marathon was run in 2:05:45 so the major goal was to break two hours, a task made easier with the fact that it was 17 degrees cooler, much less humid, and the course contained very little hills.
I thought the start was very well done. The race was invoking waves for the first time ever so the runners were segmented into four waves that would start two minutes apart. I was corralled into the second wave so the first horn went off (to very little fan faire) and we started walking/trotting to the start where we stopped and waited for our own horn. Once off we began running down Columbus through Grant Park eventually making our way to Lake Shore Drive which was open to traffic in the far two left lanes. I was through mile one in 8:41 almost perfectly. Mile two sent us through a long tunnel that is the loading docks for McCormick Place. I’d guess we were underground for about a half mile before reemerging to fresh air on the other side. Mile two in 8:33 and I’m already calculating that I have over a minute of cushion for a two-hour pace.
At this point we’re beyond downtown running down a non-descript divided “highway” with cars screaming past us in the left lanes following the route I drove yesterday to the Museum so the scenery was a bit lacking. Mile three in 8:29, feeling very good and telling myself to relax. Mile four in 8:36 and a total elapsed time of 34:19 which meant I was more than two minutes ahead of goal pace at roughly the 1/3rd point. Mile four of Hospital Hill was completed in 34:32 so not much difference.
Mile five in 8:41.
Mile six in 8:17.
Mile seven contained the turnaround along the boardwalk of the beach. I look at my watch at least four times per mile and had been running even splits throughout the race so was surprised to look down at 8-ish minutes and still not see the seventh mile marker. When I passed 9 minutes I just assumed I missed the marker and would re-synch my pace at the eighth. However, I actually passed the 7th marker with a 10:01 pace so I knew something was up. I figured the 8th mile would just be short and surprisingly didn’t think about it much.
The mile eight split was 8:28 so it didn’t seem short. My total elapsed time through eight was 1:09:46 compared to 1:11:18 at HH. I was still three and a half minutes ahead of two hours so I was still feeling great.
Mile nine in 8:28
Mile ten in 9:06 and a total elapsed time of 1:27:20. I still wasn’t confident I was in the clear and was still concentrating on form and focusing on four minutes at a time. I felt pretty good and the legs were getting tired.
Mile eleven in 8:08 and it’s generally assumed that mile ten was a bit long while eleven was short. I made it to mile 12 with a split of 8:33 and now started to enjoy the experience. Total time now was 1:44:01 so I knew I had 15 minutes to run the final 1.1 and knew I’d make it. I ran the final mile in 8:49 and the final tenth in 0:46 for a total chip time of 1:53:36.
There was some unfortunate controversy after the race as the certifier admitted to running the wrong course which added 0.1668 miles to mile seven. This is typical for Chicago but it still is disappointing they didn’t get the distance correct. The course was certified at 13.1094 miles but the lead car (with the certifier riding in) took us too far down the boardwalk so the new distance was 13.2762 which added about 86 seconds to my time. Good grief. This means my average mile pace ended up equaling 8:33 per mile but my official total time remains at 1:53:36.
All in all, a great experience and a very satisfying PR. I’m not sure this will make the 2009 racing schedule however for a variety of reasons. Attached are some pictures for your enjoyment and mockery.
Link to official results as well as explanation of the overrun: http://www.chicagodistanceclassic.com/results.htm