
Hey everyone!!! Yesterday I participated in the ZOOMA Women’s Half Marathon. It was so much fun, and I really had a good day. This was not a race I had originally planned to do, but it appeared one day on Groupon and I couldn’t pass up the Groupon (instead of paying like $125 for entry- I paid $50) – yeahhhhh.
I couldn’t resist this for a few reasons: 1) I remember seeing this race advertised last summer – and it seemed like fun 2) it was so cheap (thanks groupon) 3) I am a lot more motivated with my training when I am able to incorporate races into my training.
Overall it was a well organized, and well executed event. The course was perfect for the amount of people signed up. Packet pickup was simple and and easy. There were two packet pickup days/locations, I went on Friday, and Pat came with me it was at the Aqua Building (which Pat and I are obsessed with – if you have ever been on a Chicago Architectural tour – you know the building – if you haven’t it is the building in downtown Chicago that has the curvy/mismatched balconies)….Anyways…. Packet pick was fast and easy, the “expo” wasn’t huge, it was nice that there were vendors there all the same. The goodie bags were awesome -they are small reusable bags, with a tech shirt, a hat, and some socks (nice swag).
Aqua’s restaurant Filini was having a pasta special for both the packet pickup, and Lollapalooza goers staying at the hotel, so Pat and I decided to eat dinner there.
It was delicious, and the restaurant is really cool on the inside!
After that I went home, and Casey and streamed some Lolla shows, she helped me tape my knees, and I did my usual pre-race prep (set out my clothes, set out my food, pack my bag etc).
The morning of I got up and had breakfast. My long run for the this weekend was a 16 mile run for my Nike training program. So with doing a half marathon I knew a majority of the 16 miles would be done in the race. Therefore I would need to run three another time – either right before or after. I ultimately decided to do a light 3 mile jog/run from my apartment to the start line.
The race itself was small, and well organized – the course was familiar- the Lakefront Trail, and for the amount of runners – the trail was perfectly accommodating- and perfect because the day was a bit humid, and the breeze off the lake was really nice. Additionally the course went through on of my favorite areas of the trail -Promontory Point Park.
Overall – it was a fun race, it was well organized, there were aid stations a plenty, the volunteers were wonderful (at a few they even offered to fill my hand-held), the course was accommodating to the amount of individuals registered, and the post race party was nice as well – even though I didn’t really capitalize on it (at the end I was hot, and tired, and just wanted a cold muscle milk, and a cold bath). I did bump into some ladies from run club along the course, and at the end, so that was nice as well. They also offered a shuttle back to the downtown area from the race site.
In terms of my performance – I was very pleased, it was another humid day (typically something that screws with me), and I ran 3 miles prior to the race starting. My time was 2:16:33 – which is only a minute slower than my best time – AFTER running 3 miles. I was pleased to say the least!
My goal was to run all 16 miles, at a consistent pace (which I did), and fuel adequately along the way. I had my hand-held, and a pack of Margarita Clif Bloks. Goal: met. The bonus of the race being so cheap, was it was a lot easier for me to think of it as “just another training run” – only with a bib. I think that mindset really helped me be successful.
I would do this race again – however at the time I signed up, if I had paid full price it would have been pretty expensive. The medal was cool, and the small piece at the bottom is detachable (it’s a necklace).
Afterwards I made a little recovery cocktail with some Nuun and La Croix, and Pat treated me to a sushi extravaganza.
Since there are various ZOOMA events across the country – I would definitely recommend a ZOOMA event. Stay tuned this week for some more Marathon Training updates, and neat stuff.
Very proud of you! GREAT JOB!!!
Thanks mom!
Thanks for joining us, congrats on your race!
Thank-you! I had a great time!
I was visiting family in Chicago that weekend, and the Groupon caught my eye too! Couldn’t pass it up! Although, I think I would have been a bit disappointed if I did pay full price. I like the larger runs, because for portions of this one I was just running by myself, like a training run. Thanks for the tip about the medal, I didn’t realize the bottom was a necklace! Nice finish time!!
Thank you! I know – I can appreciate small races – but I feel like they should come with a small(er) price tag. This was very different vs the past two races I did as the weeks prior I did Rock N Roll Chicago which had 20,000, and the B1G 10k which had like 10-15,000 runners. I had the same feeling between miles 9-11 – it was like a training run with convenient water stops haha.