Race Report: Penguin in the Park 5K

Last Friday was a father-son adventure! Ryan and I headed out to Decatur, IL to meet up with several of our friends from the W.I.S.H. racing team (We're Inspired to Stay Healthy), including my running partner Mike and his wife Liz, to run in a 5K race sponsored by John "The Penguin" Bingham. We were also going to be meeting up with my daughter Laura who lives down there because of Millikin University.(which is John's alma mater).

The 3.5 hour drive with Ryan was very fun. We made good time and had the chance to visit Laura's office, stop by packet pickup to get our bags and bibs, have dinner with Mike and Liz, and then go see the movie "John Carter". And still be in bed by 10:30pm to get a good night sleep before the 9AM race start.

On Saturday morning, we both got into our running gear and headed to the dining room to have a simple breakfast before Laura picked us up to bring us to the Fairview Park for the race. To our pleasant surprise, The Penguin himself showed up for breakfast and ate with us. How cool was that! I have met him several times so John wanted to learn more about Ryan. We all ate our cereal, bananas, and toast while we had some laughs. After John left, I asked Ryan if he knew who John was. He said "No, I just figured it was one of your running friends". When I told him that John was the race sponsor, Ryan was very impressed and even more excited to run the race.

We got to the park around 8:15am and immediately hooked up with the rest of our team. And after a few minutes, John came over to say hello. It turns out that one of our team members, Jim Welch, was going to be pacing John during the race.

It was really awesome of have WISHers running with us who knew Ryan from the Disney World Marathon Weekend in January. They treated him like one of the team rather than just 'my kid' and Ryan really appreciated that. I also met up with a friend John (a different John) and his daughter which was very nice -- John has lost a bunch of weight as well and has taken up running to improve his fitness. I drive 3.5 hours from home just to meet up with a bunch of friends to run with. Go figure!

The race started and we were off! Running with Ryan meant no chance at a PR time, but what it offered was much better -- a great shared experience and bonding time with my son. We ran a 3/1 run/walk strategy which was good for Ryan since he didn't really train for the race. There were several hills on the course, which took us through a very pretty, green park with a couple of bridges and sections with both asphalt and limestone.

Ryan did pretty well. He was plagued with side cramps on and off but he kept on going. The walk breaks were helpful in that regard. But our run segments were at a good 10:30 or better pace. When we got close to the Finish Line, Ryan announced we were sprinting to the end. I kinda let him go at first, but then thought I should catch him. But I ran out of road. Ryan crossed the Finish at 33:18, with me right behind him at 33:21. I was very impressed with the time, given that this was Ryan's first chip-timed race! He was quite pleased (as he should be)!

After the race, the team headed to the Griswold Gym for a post-race meal which was quite tasty. That was where we got our official finish times. Ryan got a copy of John Bingham's "The Accidental Athlete" and John autographed it for him. Laura was at the finish line and came to eat with us. She even got some video of our finish which is somewhere on YouTube/FaceBook.

After eating, we got cleaned up and checked out of the hotel. Then we went to see "The Hunger Games" (good movie), and then went to see Laura's new 2-bedroom apartment, which was very nicely appointed and comfy. Then we got a snack at a local coffee shop, and finally drove back to the house. It was a great day, a fun race, and a memory that Ryan will cherish. I know I will.

Race Report: Schaumburg 5K Turkey Trot

The best part about this race was that it was only 1/2 hour away from my house, and the race did not start until 9:30am. So I did not have to wake up in the wee hours of the dark morning in order to get ready and then drive. I got up at 6:45am and didn't leave the house until 8am. I arrived at the parking area and then hopped on a school bus that ferried us to the start for the 5K. Made my pitstop at the porta-potty and then took a walk around the gathering area. Not much to see, really. Maybe three vendor tents and that's all.

I saw a lot of people wearing their Hot Chocolate race jackets, which was cool because I was wearing mine too! It was a very overcast, windy day (again), and the HC jacket is a great windbreaker and keeps you pretty comfy (and if it rains, which was expected, it will offer protection from that as well). So I spoke to several people before the race, using the HC race as my convo starter. It was a fun way to meet people since I had no buddies running with me.

The race was both a 5K and a Half Marathon, with the 5K starting after the Half runners. The race was being held in a large park area, with the start of the race on the grass. I hate to say it but this race was just not all that memorable. It started on time and I started at a 9:45 pace and pretty much kept that pace for the whole race. It started raining right before Mile 2, which wasn't too bad. But I was glad it started with only a mile to go.

What I didn't like about the race was that it was on a bike path that was very narrow. The 5K runners had to stay to the left of the path because the Half Marathoners were running on the right. That meant we were running on a 3-person wide path! It was not optimal, and it made it hard to pass people -- you had to run in the grass to the left of the path to pass, or, push through people who were running alongside one another. Very annoying!

I finished the 5K race with an official time of 30:02. Not as fast as my Thursday time, but I still felt good about the run overall. I was 181st out of 550 runners, and the finish time was my second fastest to-date (my fastest was two days earlier). After the race, I was pretty much ready to leave but the buses were all for Half runners for some reason. So I decided to run to where my car was parked -- probably a 1/2 mile away.

Well, this was my last race for 2011. Since April, I have run a total of 13 races for the year. It is still hard for me to believe that I am actually running between 10-20 miles a week. Even as recent as this February, I would have never given running a second thought. But look at where I am now. Another example of how God works in our lives, making the impossible a reality.

This will be another high mileage/activity week for me. I plan to run 18+ miles this week and put in 3 hours of Cross Training (strength training and swimming). I have two more Long Runs scheduled for December before I start tapering down in preparation for the Disney Marathon weekend. Let's do this!