***For JUST the race recap, skip down to "RACE RECAP" :)
For context about this race (course), check out my race recap on Chicago Athlete’s website here.
Mile 2 – 6:08. OOPS. My bad. “So at what point on the course do we see your house?” Thanks for keeping the conversation fun, Drew.
Mile 3 – 6:03. I mean, this is the infamous 10-mile hill that you go down, so no surprises here.
Mile 4 – 6:20. Yep, this is the pace I was predicting. Honestly, this is one of the miles that just KILLS me. It’s a gradual incline but my legs always seem to want to crap out at this mile, so I really actually focused on it in training and thought I might be a little better than what I ran.
Mile 5 – 6:23. Oh boy. This is definitely one of the faster miles on the course, so I knew this could mean trouble later on. Fortunately, former coach Dave Walters was running past me at this point.
Mile 7 – 6:45. The hill in here is a newer addition in recent years and just gets me every time. I’m not sure that I’ll ever get the QOM on this hill!
Mile 8 – 6:27. This is truly the hardest part of the course for me. “Winding Hill” feels like you’re climbing up a mountain. Luckily, volunteers are at the base handing out gels and volunteers are at the top handing out water. Plus, once you get down this hill, you’re at the intersection where you see runners heading in towards the finish, so there are lots of cheers to keep you moving!
Mile 9 – 6:08. This is ALWAYS my fastest mile, but I knew this time around might not provide that. I was pretty happy with the result and hopeful that the next 3 miles would feel as good as this one did.
Mile 11 – 6:44. “Sneaky Hill” is appropriately named as it is deceivingly difficult. I am pretty sure my “run” looked like a walk at this point.
Mile 13 – 6:24. Just after mile 11, you hit the corner where you see runners going down the 7-mile hill, only you’re on the other end this time. Running into the neighborhood means you’re almost finished. One more water stop and one more hill and the finish line is in sight.
Finish – 1:24:47. 1st overall female finisher.
THANK YOU to all of the spectators,
THANK YOU to my running buddies (next time I promise to last longer since I super enjoyed running with you!),
THANK YOU to the Hillstriders for a great race,
THANK YOU to my friends who came out to support us,
THANK YOU to Saucony for such awesome footwear (and apparel) that kept my feet moving, and
THANK YOU to the best husband and coach in the world for getting me through this race.
Time to start ramping up the training again, because I’ve got some big goals this year!