2015 Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon

Friday Fly

My first Rock 'n' Roll Tour city that I have not been to before. Early morning 6 am flight on time to get me to Chicago just after noon. Southwest Air only flies to Midway airport. I didn't spot any runners (or mainly anyone wearing a Rock 'n' Roll shirt) at the gate. I snagged a window seat in front of the wing, next to an older couple who had cups of coffee. I suspected they may use the restroom during the flight, and that would allow me to use it as well. I hate asking for others to move, but if they are just coming back, then it's a bit easier. As we approached Midway, the plane made a U-turn over Lake Michigan, which is a huge body of water. As we exited the plane on to the boarding tunnel, I noticed the heat and humidity. I planned to take the train to my hotel, but had to purchase a ticket first. Not unusual to see a long line at the machines. Decided to purchase the 3 day CTA pass, since it's easier to just scan the card instead of handling loose change. Orange line train originates at the airport, great views of the city skyline on the way downtown. Transfered to the Green line to get me within a few blocks of the hotel. The Expo is adjacent to the hotel, so no rush to get there. After unloading everything in my hotel room on the 25th floor, I headed over to the Expo to make sure I knew the way. McCormick Place turns out to be the largest Convention Center in North America, and I had to ask for directions after a futile attempt to find it on my own. Adjacent (indoor, too), but still over a ¼ mile walk. I picked up my bibs and shirt, and hung out with some of the runners I knew, but got hungry, and headed out for lunch. I was hoping to come back to the Expo as Elvis before the 7 pm close. I decided to take the same Green line into downtown Chicago. Walk from the hotel about ½ to the station. In exploring, I found the Giant Bean (official name Cloud Gate), and started to take some pictures. It was getting late, so lunch ended up begin dinner as well. Had a burger at Shake Shack (none in California, yet), where I first tried when I was in DC last March. Got too late to go back to the expo, so I just did some more exploring before heading back to the hotel. I had a 5k on Saturday, so I did need to sleep somewhat early.

I was amazed at everything I could see from my hotel window. A great view of downtown skyline, the lake, and Soldier Field. Taylor Swift was having a concert on Saturday and Sunday night, and I had a clear view of the stage screen (although small). The Hyatt Regency also had TS festivities pre-concert from 2 to 6 pm, and seemed to be the hotel of choice being only a mile from the event site. Large groups of teens and pre-teen girls that appeared to be Swifties chaperoned by a single parent Mom. Showered before sleeping to wash away all the day's sweat residue. Saturday's forecast was very hot and humid, with a heat index over 100 in the afternoon.

Saturday 5k

5k race started at 7:30 am. My 'costume' was Hawaiian, with head, wrist, and ankle leaf decorations. I decided to try out the CTA bus, which runs right in front of the hotel. I got off close to the Bean, and find my way to the start, but it's still early at 6 am, 76°F, 77% humidity. One of the organizers at the race had an idea for "Party Rockers". This all started at San Francisco, where we had a group of runners (mostly Tour Pass Holders) that would motivate the runners on the course by playing music, and breaks for dancing. I was part of that group. For the Chicago 5k, the plan was to have hand held bluetooth speakers streaming the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Radio music station on iHeartRADIO. We also wore special "Party Rockers" vanity bibs. We stopped along parts of the course to re-join, then high five the finishers. The 5k course is along the Lakefront trail. I was worried that 'trail' meant dirt, but 3 miles isn't a problem barefoot. The Lakefront trail is a popular area for bicyclist and runners. Even as the start and finish line were being set up, there were plenty of athletes getting a workout, most hoping to beat the high heat later in the day. Asphalt a bit rough at the start, but smooths out within a few hundred yards. The Party group (about 24) started in the earlier corral, but everyone is much faster, and I am left behind. I see them at about a half mile, giving high fives to runners. I run ahead, knowing that they will likely catch up to me again. The route headed away from the Lakefront Trail fro a loop around Lower Hutchinson Field. Road surface slightly rougher, but manageable. At mile 2, we headed back to the trail, then I spot some of the Party Rockers headed into the loop. As we are getting closer to the finish, some of the group catch me, then we stop about mile 3 and form another high five line. At this point, I'm averaging a 16 minute per mile pace. A 10 minute break, then we finally head to the finish in a group. Official finish time 58 minutes, 18 min/mile pace.

There was a meet up sponsored by Pro Compression, Protein Bar, and #WeRunSocial at 9 am on State and Lane about a half mile from the Bean. I noticed our Party Group was lined up in front of the finish line dishing out more high fives, but I really wanted to go to the meet up. I started to walk over, but was kind of lost going through Millennium Park. There is so much stuff around. I saw a huge outdoor Giant climbing wall, then as I passed the grassy are in front of Jay Pritzker Pavilion there was a outdoor Yoga class just finishing up. By 9 am, 83°F, 74%. Did I really want to hang outside much longer? I was getting hungry, and really needed a shower. Since I was so unfamiliar with downtown, I decided to skip the meet up. I grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonalds (hey, I'm not here to eat, just run) and headed back to the hotel. I would be going out to dinner in the evening, so I did get my taste of Chicago.

Saturday Expo

Took the bus back again, only because it dropped me off closer to the hotel. I had a Half Marathon to run on Sunday, so I needed to minimize the walking. Friday's total walking was about 5 miles. With the heat advisory, I canceled my plans to do anymore outdoor exploring, and instead spend time at the Expo. Staying at the hotel adjacent to the Expo has it's advantages, I can suit up with guitar and just walk over, no change of clothes needed. You can only walk around the Expo so much. To kill some time, Elvis did some product endorsements, then I chatted with some of the people working the booths. The free food samples held me over until dinner. There was a book signing with Meb at 2 pm, and a long line formed a few minute before his arrival. I sat down on the bench on in front of the line, since there was only one lady sitting there. Meb arrived, and we fist bumped before I left to get ready for dinner.

Saturday Dinner

At 3 pm, 91°F, 61%, heat index 103°F. Dinner was at 5 pm, but it would take about an hour to get there. Although the bus is not the classiest form of transportation, it does minimize my walking. I could have transfered to the train, but then I would have to transfer back to the bus anyway. Since I was still unfamiliar with the CTA, I wanted to minimize the number of times I changed routes. By using bus only, route 21, to route 9, took me a few blocks from my destination. As I headed to the bus stop, the ground was already wet, and the thunderstorms were moving in. An 8 mile trip away to Pequod's Pizza. I saw a few lighting bolts, and brief heavy rain. Chicago is relatively flat, so pooling of water is common. As the bus drove by, some spots were so deep that the entire sidewalk was covered by the splash. Not a good time to be a pedestrian. Several groups boarded the bus were just trying to get out of the rain. When I got off the bus, the rain pretty much stopped. I had to walk over a bridge on the way to the pizza place, and noticed road where the cars where driving was made of steel grating, which allowed debris to pass through. I guess this minimized ice and snow forming, but you can see the river below. At least the side walk was solid, I couldn't imagine running barefoot over the grating. The rains cooled things a bit, by 6pm, 80°F, 71%. Pequod's Pizza is a small place, and very crowded. Wait was about an hour. I was meeting up with a friend (and her fiancée) from San Diego who moved to Chicago a few years ago. Deep dish pizza with a crispy cheese crust, yummy. They gave me a ride to the Train station (about ¾ mile away) where I took the Red line to Roosevelt, then bus route 3 back to hotel. Sunset at 8:30 pm, and I got back around 8pm. Needed to wake up at 3 am, only 6 hours to sleep.

Sunday Half

Normally I always wake up before the alarm goes off, but not this morning. Only the 2nd time in 5 years of racing where I needed the alarm. If you don't sleep early, you don't wake up early. It doesn't help that I ran 3 miles the previous day, and walked an additional 6 miles. The Hyatt Regency provided a shuttle to Roosevelt (just over a mile away), and it's just under a mile to the finish line. The first shuttle left at 4:30 am, and I got there a few minutes before, and there was a crowd already there. As we exited the bus, I thought about taking the Red line, but that would only save a half mile, since the train station is away from the staging area. Since everyone that walking over, I figured I'd just join the crowd. The Party Rockers were going to meet at Buckingham Fountain at 5:45, so I had some time to walk around. At 5am, 77°F, 85%, wearing a wig, I was already sweating. It's so difficult navigating when you don't know where you are going. I saw a fountain close to the Bean on Friday, and thought that was the meet up place. Turns out that is the Crown Fountain. Luckily I had an iPhone, so I looked up Buckingham, and it was on the other side close to the finish. I finally got there at 5:45, but no one from our group was there. There were other groups, so it seemed like a good spot to meet. Finally someone from our group came, and we chatted for a few minutes, then the organizer came and said that he has more Party Rocker bibs at the RnR Heavy Medals Booth (he an Ambassador for CGI, the race organizer). He also said that we could leave our stuff at the booth (I have to go there after the race anyway) so we wouldn't have to use the Gear Check.

I placed my Party Rocker bib on my shirt. My race bib was on my leg, as I normally do for Elvis, since my guitar covers my mid-section. We took a few group pictures, and headed into one of the earlier corrals and started at 6:40 am, only 10 minutes from the gun time. This would be the last time I saw any of the Party Rockers on the race course until mile 9 where there is a ½ mile out and back. I had no idea where the course would take me, or what the conditions of the road surface I would encounter. I did bring my Xero sandals just in case, but have never actually used them during any race.

A bit cooler than yesterday, but still hot and humid, as I began in a slow jog. We headed around the New East Side, and just after the first mile, I saw a bridge crossing the Chicago River. I looked ahead, and saw the metal grating, and jumped up on the sidewalk. Another problem with the grating is that you can see the river below. The spacing is so large even runners with shoes have to be careful not to catch the toe of their shoe. Compare the picture of the grating spacing with my foot. I spotted bags of ice on the sidewalk, and grabbed a few cubes to stuff under my wig. Ice will last up to 30 minutes, and does wonders in keep my body temperature under control. Just after mile 2, we crossed back over the river, with the metal grating again, only this time, the sidewalk was blocked by a concrete barrier, so I couldn't jump to the sidewalk. The bottom of the barrier had an elevated one foot wide smooth section, that I tight roped to get to the other side. Now I had to keep an eye out before we cross another bridge. Next crossing, I jumped up on the sidewalk while I could, but missed the MarathonFoto photographer stationed on the road. On the fourth (and last) crossing there was no barrier, and I just had to feel the metal grating with my bare feet, but within a few steps, I said no way. The spacing did not allow for a even distribution across my entire sole, and I was afraid my toes would get damaged at some point.

Running downtown was so awesome. So many sights to see, Chicago Theater, Trump Tower, Willis (Sears) Tower, and more. I wished I would have taken more pictures, but I was too busy absorbing all the views. We headed south away from downtown on Michigan Ave after mile 6, and more familiar streets. Since I had taken the bus on this street several times, I knew the road surface would be good. One of the nice points of an urban race is having spectators all around, many Elvis shout outs. At mile 9, we headed into a ½ mile out and back, and I stayed close to the inside edge to high five the entire way. One mile of high fives is enough to make one's arm tired. The 10k course was changed from the original plan, and started at the last half of the half. Originally the 10K would have started with the Half, and diverted off. I think the change threw off the aid stations, as there were not enough volunteers to hand out water the last half of the half. Ice was out at mile 9, so Elvis was not happy. At mile 10.5 we turned north to the finish on Lakefront Trail, and there were a series of speakers blasting music all the way to the finish. There was a tunnel under McCormick Center that provide relief from the sun, but air circulation was not optimal. Flashing lights along the side walls similar to other cities was a nice touch. I met one lady who wanted to finish with Elvis, so we positioned ourselves for a clear view. Standard race food at the end, but popsicles were nice bonus on such a hot day.

Post Race

Andy Grammar concert was already started by the time I finished around 10am (84°F,61%) at a slow 03:20:47. I picked up my six string guitar heavy medal, my remix challenge, grabbed my gear bag, and headed to the Beer Garden to meet up with the fellow Party Rockers. I normally change out of Elvis after the race, but since Elvis had been so popular, I decided to entertain the masses as long as I could. I forgot a hat, so the wig actually kept my noggin sun free. I had several more picture requests, and chatted with other runners while Andy was playing. I actually have one of his albums on my iPhone, but had not listened to it much before. Near the end of the concert, he sung "Honey I'm Good", which was recently a top 10 hit. As I headed out, I found some more ice, and stuffed a few more cubes under my wig. Concert over around noon 88°F,59%, but I was still comfortable dressed as Elvis, so I decided I might as well head back to the hotel in character.

Needed to get back to the Hotel to shower and check out by 2 pm. Michigan Ave was open again, but all east bound streets towards the Finish Area were still closed making traffic heavier than normal. Since the CTA bus was operating again, I waited at the bus stop with a few other runners. I was looking for either Route 3 or 4. Several more Elvis shout outs, and a few picture takers from passing cars. After about 10 minutes, the 4 bus came, and the 3 was suppose to be 7 minutes or so. I decided to get on the bus to get out of the heat. Surprised that I was the only rider. The 4 does not take me to the front of the hotel, but just on the west side of McCormick Center. The doors to the convention center were open, even though there were no events going on. About ¼ mile walk inside an empty (but cool) convention center to get back to my room.

Sunday Flight back Home

By the time I showered and packed, it was around 2 pm, and I was getting hungry. My original plan was to maybe grab some lunch at O'Hare airport, but that would be another hour. There were several restaurants in the Hotel, but they were pretty crowded. As I sat down to plan out the rest of the afternoon, I noticed people eating outside, and then saw there was food outside. There was Taylor Swift karaoke going on, then it occurred to me that this was the pre-show party. Reasonably priced food, so I got a ⅓ pound burger, and a side of potato salad. Bus route 3 arrived at 3 pm, so I took that to Roosevelt, then transfered to Blue line to O'Hare. I was a bit tired, but I was able to see parts of Chicago that I didn't before. O'Hare airport is huge. I could only stay for 30 minutes before I had to head back to Midway airport. Back on Blue, transfer to Orange at the Loop, then to Midway. My ticket was TSA Pre-✔, so I was able to speed to the gate. My boarding position wasn't super great, and the flight departed after sunset, so no window seat required. I found a center spot on the 2nd row on the right. Flight attendant was somewhat humorous, which made the flight more enjoyable. I dozed a few, but it's hard to sleep in the center seat. I got back to San Diego at 11 pm, and didn't get to sleep until around 1 am. I had to work the next morning, so just 4 hours of sleep.

Post Race Coverage

From one blog: "Most races I do I usually spot a few people dressed up, this guy was dressed as Elvis obviously, but the crazier thing to me is that he’s not wearing any shoes! That has gotta hurt."







From another Blog , a picture: