Rockin Chicago

I have been looking forward to this weekend for so long that I was afraid that I had hyped it up in my head too much and that it would be sort of a letdown but it did NOT disappoint. Hubby and I took E with us. We headed up Friday night so I could be there for the 5K Saturday AM. E was so excited be going, this was his first time in Chicago. We stayed at the Springhill Suites on Dearborn, right down in the middle of everything.

Saturday morning came early! I walked down to the start which was about a mile from the hotel down along the lake front. I picked up my number and ran into Chris (RunWestin) and PavementRunner! When I saw them, I knew it was going to be a good morning. Chicago is fairly flat so I knew this might be a good place to PR. That was my plan all along, a new PR would’ve been anything less than 26:15. We lined up right behind Shalane Flannigan at the start which scared me slightly but I went with it. Shalane was pacing the 8:00 group so I knew if I could stay close to her, I would hit my PR no problem. I was doing just that until I lost my sunglasses (15 seconds lost) argh! I didn’t give up. I kept the pack in my sights and ran hard. My first mile was 7:43…HOLY CRAP! I could tell though that I wasn’t going to be able to sustain that so I tried to slow down to 8:15 and hold it (mile 2 8:16). That’s when I realized I started too fast.. I could feel my legs turning over slower and I couldn’t make them speed up.. Mile 3 8:48finish time: 26:10!!!

New PR..mark it off my 2014 goals!


After the race, I walked back to hotel, picked up my boys and we were off to explore the city. First stop, navy pier and the Children’s Museum. E had so much fun. I loved watching him. Next up, look at big boats then head to Cole Haan to visit my cousin. I forgot to take a picture of him but he’s adorable and really tall. Go in to Cole Haan on Michigan Ave and look for the tall dark haired guy and buy some shoes.

By that time, it was 2:00 and E was delirious. The boys went back to the room to nap and I headed for the expo. To say I love expos is an understatement. The Rock ‘n’ Roll expos are the best, by far. So many amazing brands bringing their amazing products. Here are a few of my favorites:

Apera Bags   |  Jaybird Earbuds  |  McDavid Compression |  Timex Watches

 And after I had spent some money, drooled over races I probably won't get too like Tri-rock, I was about to walk out when I ran into this girl!! (BTW, there was no way to crop out the photo bomber)

We ended our night at a good friends house.  This was the first time meeting her baby so I was happy to get to snuggle him a little.

Saturday day was so full but so satisfying.  I knew that I was going to pay for it Sunday during the half but you'll have to wait to see just how it went!


Does anyone else think that the 5K mentally challenging hard?! How was your weekend? Did you race?


Check out some of these brands: Apera Bags |  McDavid | Timex | Jaybird