F^3 Lake Half Marathon Race Recap

On Saturday I completed the F^3 Lake Half Marathon and have finally thawed out! In all seriousness, I really enjoyed the race and while cold, the weather was tolerable. For those wanting the quick story, I did not PR but had one of my most consistently paced races to date. Read on for the full details of race day.

Race Morning

The plus side to a winter race is having a late start. The race was scheduled to start at 10 am, which meant that my 7 am wake-up time felt really late compared to other races. I had already prepared my race day bag and clothes the night before, so I woke up and started to eat and hydrate. I was still on the fence regarding my wardrobe because the "feels like" temp was 19 degrees with some wind, but I knew that adding more layers would likely cause me to overheat.

All of Flat Heather's Layers

My husband and I drove into the city where we were able to park in a garage attached to Soldier Field which is where the race would start and end. One of the perks to this race was being able to stay warm inside the United Club in Soldier Field and I only had to walk a few feet away to the start. My husband was also able to hang out inside the United Club during the race and the race coordinators had real time monitors tracking runners on full display. I felt this was a great perk and I enjoyed being able to stay inside and stay warm, while having access to running water in the bathrooms (no porta potties!!!!). The race coordinators informed runners that there were a few icy spots on the path, but they had salted and I appreciated this information ahead of time. 

There was a warm-up that took place before everyone made their way to the start. There was a wave start to stagger people, but by the time I crossed the start line, only 9 minutes had gone by which was relatively quick compared to other races I have run.

The Race

The course started with a lap around Soldier Field, then jumped on the Chicago Lakefront path heading south. Starting to the south was nice because the wind was at my back, but this meant that heading to the finish would mean running into the wind. Once on the path, I warmed up quickly and settled into my race pace. About a mile in I reached a spot where cones had been set up to mark that there was ice, but a race volunteer had salted the spot more than adequately and was there with more salt in hand. I was really impressed with this. There were several other spots along the course with cones alerting runners to either construction on the path or ice and it was well marked that I was never concerned. 

The course was beautiful and I enjoyed looking out on to Lake Michigan. I have always felt an affinity to water and enjoy running around or near water and this was no different. Because it is winter, there was little to no foot traffic on the path and the runners took over. Until the turn around at mile 7, the path was wide enough to handle all of the runners. Once the course was split with those headed to the finish, I did lose some of my space and felt a bit cramped. I was often stuck near a pace group that was using a run-walk technique which resulted in them running fast to catch up and cause me to move to the side, but then they would walk and I could have space again. This "game" ensued for about half the race and I was glad when I could get away from them.

I felt good settling into my race pace but reminded myself to hold back a little in the earlier miles because I knew I needed gas in the tank for the end. I used my "running in color" method from Coach Jenny and stuck with easy effort for the first 5 miles, then notched it up a bit into the yellow zone until the last 5k.  I fueled around miles 4 and 8, but there were aid stations about every 2-3 miles. Once I hit mile 7 and turned around to head to the finish, I felt the cold as I faced the wind. At that point my clothes were wet and sweaty so I knew it was going to be harder to finish as fast as I wanted. Miles 8 and 9 were my slowest miles but only by about 10-15 seconds. Once I knew I had about 5k left to run, I kicked it up a notch into the red zone with a harder effort that I knew I could support to the finish. I could feel that my legs were cold and it felt like I had to force them to move, so I quickened my stride to take smaller steps and increase my cadence. 

The last 5k of a half marathon is my favorite. It wasn't always, but once I realized the art of pacing the intensity of the last few miles makes me feel more alive than anything else. In the past I would slow down and the last few miles would be the hardest. Once I started training with Hansons I learned how to pace myself so much better, and it was exhilarating passing people who were walking at the end. I feel for those people and hate to see anyone have to do a death march to the finish, but it also makes me feel good that I get stronger the last few miles. The entire race I pictured Desi Linden at the Olympics and how she held to her pace the entire race. She didn't win, but where others would surge and then fall back, she kept moving forward. I saw people run ahead of me but who I would pass shortly after when they were gassed out. I used to make those mistakes myself, and in this race more than others I really became aware of how much I have progressed at this distance. My legs hurt, my stomach was cramping up, I was cold, but none of those things mattered. My legs kept moving forward and I gave it all I had. 

A few feet from the finish line I saw my husband and it gave me a final push to surge to the finish. Once I stopped running I was instantly cold, but there was some delicious hot cocoa to sip while I grabbed some food and received my medal. The colder the weather...the bigger the medal!

Post Race

I walked inside Solider Field where I was able to change out of my wet clothes which were making me very cold, and into warm/dry clothes. This felt like heaven! There was a post race party at a local bar, but I was tired and my stomach had been bothering me for the last few miles of the race so I opted to head home. 

After a warm shower and some food I finally warmed up. I was definitely sore but nothing compared to marathon soreness. Later in the evening I used the R8 Roll Recovery as softly as possible and this helped to flush out a lot of the fluid in my legs. I am still inflamed and sore a few days later, but I can already tell my recovery is much quicker than usual thanks to the R8! 

All in all, I missed my personal best by 1:20 which considering the wind and being a winter race is pretty fantastic. As with my last half marathon since training with Hansons, I felt strong and confident the entire race. I held to my pace consistently and despite not receiving a PR, I am really thrilled with the outcome. Running a winter race is not easy and I enjoyed the challenge and was reminded of how much I love the thrill of a race I will never win. I don't feel like anything was a failure. I know not every race will end with a PR, but looking back over the 4 years I have been running the half distance, I have taken more than 10 minutes off my time. I have learned the art of pacing myself and finishing strong. I no longer feel like a "newbie". I still have much to learn, but I feel like a seasoned runner at this distance. This is a confidence I have yet to feel for the marathon, but for now I am enjoying the high of finishing a great race. It also felt good to "feel" something intense again. At times I feel a bit lost without a job, but it felt good to be reminded of just how strong and capable I am.

I received a donation to Team PAWS that came in while I was running. I saw the notification pop up on my Garmin and that gave me an additional boost to remember why I run. 

I am headed off for a mini vacation somewhere warm which will be the perfect way to recover and regroup. I still have yet to decide what my next spring/summer race will be, but I plan to enjoy some time off while I decide.

I would absolutely run this race again for a winter race. It was managed well with a lot of perks that larger, spring/fall races can never have due to size and space. I am sure there are years where this race is much colder and snowier, so I am lucky the weather was mild by Chicago standards to make it a fun fast race.