Chicago Quarter Marathon Race Recap

For my 30th birthday I wanted to go to Chicago and run. We were going to go anyway to check out the city and look for potential areas to live in, but it just so happens that the weekend of my birthday there were two races: a quarter marathon on April 5th and a half marathon on April 6th. I signed up as quickly as I could and was so excited about being able to run in the city and discover it in a way that I knew I wouldn't be able to by car or walking around.

The first race was the Chicago Quarter Marathon. I will admit that my favorite thing about this race was that they mailed me my race packet. It was so convenient and made our first day in the city less stressful because I didn't have to rush us around to two different packet pick-ups.

For some reason, it didn't occur to me that it would still be cold in April so I packed away all our winter clothes. This really hit me when I realized that I would be running in 30- to 40-degree weather. I had no clue what to wear! I ended up layering up with two long sleeve shirts and a light running jacket. The run itself was just as interesting as I couldn't even feel my legs the first mile because of how cold it was and it hurt to breathe in the cold air. As usual though, I hit my groove at around mile 3 and the rest of the run was easy and enjoyable. Because of the half marathon the next day, I tried to run at a conservative pace and finished in 1:04:19.

Not only was this my first run in the city I will be calling home in 3 months, but this run also happened on my birthday. When I was 20, I don't think running and moving to Chicago with my family were something I thought I would be doing, but this life of mine has taken me on one heck of a journey. 

What I Liked:

• Beautiful course along the lakefront. 
• My favorite part of the course was seeing the Chicago skyline. 
• Marching band mid-way. 
• Fleece jacket with the Chicago Quarter Marathon logo embroidered on it. 
• They mailed out a packet with the jacket and race bib. Best idea ever!
• Race started on time. 
• Plenty of water throughout the course and at the end. 

What I Didn't Like:

• The cold! I had no clue how many layers to put on before the race. 
• This has nothing to do with the race itself, but I didn't like the religious signs that were near the finish line. One sign said something to the effect of "Goad hates all sinners."
• I love the bling, so I was disappointed there were no medals. 

Next Race Recap is April 6th's Chi Town Half Marathon and then TOUGH MUDDER!!

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