Turn it up to 11 - Rock n Roll San Jose 5K and Half Marathon 2015

Rock n Roll San Jose weekend is a destination for top runners. Between the 5K and half marathon, over 100 elite athletes were going after world, masters or event qualifying times. According to Race Director Tracy Sundlun, more than 40 half marathoners were in the 65 - 75 minute range (when you don't even talk about HOURS in your finish time, you know it's serious). Add to that the likes of first year Master's division record holders Meb and Deena Kastor and the weekend was shaping up to be epic. And all of this was happening in our backyard!

We know two people on this banner and one who was SUPPOSED to be on the banner. 10 years running!

I was on a personal mission to improve on my time at Rock n Roll San Diego earlier in 2015. I walked a sub 2:30 half for the first time in San Jose in 2012 and recorded two sub 2:25 races the two years since. I thought my 2:22:28 PR was within reach after a good two months of speed work.

We hit the expo Friday afternoon with our dogs Sprint and Dash. The fur-kids weren't allowed in the expo, but we waited outside greeting visitors and seeing our friends in person for the first time. A few of the CGI staff took breaks to say hi in between their expo duties. Ann has been on the road for a better part of three weeks and appreciated the fuzz therapy. Jim, Beth and Joe also met the dogs before Susan had to rush home to beat traffic. Tracy went so far as to suggest we change their names to "Rock" and "Roll". Perhaps with a sponsorship incentive, we could be convinced?

Susan catches up with Ann Wessling who had spent the last three weeks on the road and was badly in need of puppy therapy. Not shown was an assortment of Salted Caramel snacks, milk bones for Thor and sunscreen - the Annie care package.

A VIP welcome for Joe Harris. Thank you so much for the Amazon gift card! The puppies are going shopping!

The 10-Year Anniversary Half Medal

Walking around the area the night before the 5K, we saw San Pedro Square decked out in RNR swag.

The plan for the Saturday 5K was the standard shake out. This time for me, walk just around a 12 minute mile. The Gypsies seemed to have a range of aches and pains this time of year and between backs, necks, feet, bronchitis and allergies, we all fell into a good relaxed pace. Susan and I hung out with Beth and Al jogged up front with Jim. 

New fish-eye lens attachment for the iPhone. I didn't have a cleaning cloth so it's a bit blurry.

An IN Focus RNR Gypsy starting line pic at the 5K.

We had a good 36 minutes to catch up on what had happened since RNR Chicago. I walked a full out sprint at an 8:30 pace for the last 200 meters and felt great. We got a quick recap of the 5K from race organizer Colleen (her first event as lead!). Deena Kastor tied the masters record that morning!

Post race breakfast at Hobee's was a rare treat since we don't often come to the peninsula. In retrospect, laying off the apple walnut coffee cake would have been a good idea.

Sunday September 27th. Half Marathon day. Starting temperature 64 degrees.

Usually we park at the SAP Center (home of the San Jose Sharks), but this year the Prime Minister of India was in town, so participants had to work with other reserved parking arranged by CGI. We got a really good spot at the Adobe building, just a few blocks from the finish and start lines. We swung by the VIP suite and enjoyed one of the huge privileges of the sport - sharing space with the elites, Meb and Deena. I didn't take any pictures just out of respect, but I find it humbling that racing gives us the opportunities to cross paths with people of their stature. It's something you won't find in many other sports.

RNR had a group picture for the Legacy runners at 7:30. Al and I made it with a few seconds to spare. Esmail from Punta Arenas/White Continent and his wife Parisa were also on the list of legacies, but didn't make the group picture.

Annie was looking decidedly much more chipper on day 2. We also found out that Dash seems to have completely healed from his recent knee surgery and was no longer hopping on his injured leg. It seems dog people and people dogs are good for each other.

Joe Harris is one of the kindest, most generous person I've ever met. He continues to honor Jake Zeman, a runner who passed away at Rock n Roll Savannah in 2013, by wearing a bib from Team Trust. Joe is also raising money for the American Association for Cancer Research to honor his brother who died of throat cancer in 2009. 

Once again, our little group seems to find each other without a lot of planning. We were supposed to head over to corral 10 but met up on the way. This group represents over 100 Rock n Roll half and full marathons in 2015. We see each other more often than our own families. Chalk it up to the law of attraction - crazy attracts crazy!

Left to right(ish): Ron, Caryn, Sherry, Don, Michelle, Al, Beth, Ted, Susan, Jim. Ready to Rock again!

Walking a 2:20 half marathon puts the mile pace at 10:38/mile since I was planning on 13.2 miles for the San Jose course based on the previous 4 years. Lining up in corral 11 and remembering to stay behind the 2:15 pacer was supposed to keep me from going out too fast. This is the last picture I took until the finish. Usually in San Jose, I kiss Susan good luck and we see each other 2 1/2 hours later.

The course loops back after the first 4 miles so we did get the thrill of seeing the leaders making the turn from San Pedro Square. Not a bad way to get your heart racing before you even cross the starting line!

The first 5K went fast, a bit TOO fast. I walked past the 5K in 33:02, 12 seconds off my 5K PR. I crossed the 10K mark in 1:07:07 (previous 10K PR of 1:10:43) and I was feeling pretty good. Of course, that's right when the wheels fell off. A few underpass inclines, what other people said was a quick spike in temperature after 9 AM and late fueling put my next 10K just over 1:10. I finished less than a minute off my course PR at 2:24:54, but had absolutely nothing left in the tank. My fingers were going slightly numb and I had to sit near the med tent for a few minutes to keep my head from spinning. I waited long enough for Al and Susan to finish and started the mental checklist for next race.

I had a couple highlights in the finishers area. I reconnected with my next door neighbor from 40 years ago. Raul is back for his first race since being diagnosed with cancer. His Facebook community page I Run To Eat posts some great tips on clean eating, running and inspiration. 

Carl and Ilona Marino earned their Hall of Fame Heavy Medal (15 races for the year). In addition to making time to travel the country to race, Carl plays the young Joe Kenda on Investigation Discovery Channel's Homicide Hunter. Ilona has made a few appearances on the show as a sketch artist and coroner. 

What I found especially endearing about the Marino's is that Ilona has been racing the last few half marathons with a broken foot, in a boot and riding a scooter (below). Half way through RNR San Jose, Carl was seen on the side of the road doing repairs on the wheels. THAT is love!

Finally, yet another shout out to our friend Kamika who flew in from Wisconsin Saturday night after finishing the Brewer's race to check off his 46th state with a half marathon. He's already a 50 state full marathon and a 7 Continents marathon finisher. I wonder what's next on his list?

Looking back, I have nothing to complain about walking a sub 2:25, but I'm always willing to learn and improve. San Jose was my second highest Age Graded finish for the half marathon at 62.2%, so there's something to be said about still being able to push myself. With a two-week break before Rock n Roll Brooklyn, I may still have a shot at a PR. 

Time to turn it up to 11!

~//~

This was the 10th year for Rock n Roll San Jose. We've raced here 6 times, 3 of them resulted in Ron's fastest race of the year. The course hasn't changed in a while. It's flat other than a few underpasses with long stretches of straight road, ideal for a PR race. The addition of the 10K race staring at the same time as the half created a little congestion in the first few miles, but didn't seem to affect the race as a whole. Temperatures for RNR San Jose have ranged from the low to high 60s at race start and finish in the mid to high 70's.

In 2015, Rock n Roll San Jose had 1,993 finishers in the 5K (median finish time 35:40), 3,180 in the 10K (median 1:16:07), and 8,276 in the half marathon (median 2:19:53). Deena Kastor tied the women's US and World masters record at the 5K on Saturday in a time of 15:48, meaning she now owns or shares every masters record from the 5K through the marathon distances. Meb missed winning the half marathon by 2 seconds finishing in 63:02, but shattered the masters half marathon record by over 20 seconds.

The week before San Jose, Leah Reid became the first to hit the 15 race mark to earn the Hall of Fame Heavy Medal at Rock n Roll Montreal. Home town runners Carl and Ilona Marino claimed their Hall of Fame Heavy Medal in San Jose to become the first repeat Hall of Famers. At last check, about 70 people have earned at least the 10-race Gold Record Heavy Medal with four more ready to earn the Hall of Fame 15 at their next race. RNR San Jose was our 11th race this year and with Brooklyn, St. Louis/Denver, Los Angeles/Vancouver and Philadelphia/Merida all in the month of October, I expect to see a lot gold microphones on my friends Facebook walls. 

We're looking forward to joining them for a big reunion of all the Hall of Famers at the final race in San Antonio.

There is no Finish Line - The Biggest Loser RunWalk Half Marathon Las Vegas 2015

When signing up for a half marathon, there are all kinds of motivations. There are the intrinsic ones (the joy of the activity itself, the sense of accomplishment) or the extrinsic ones (the medal, getting kudos from friends or family). It turns out the people who race for the intrinsic reasons are the ones that are more likely to go the distance.

Take weight loss as a motivation. You may train for a marathon because running and walking is a great way to burn calories and lose weight. But if the end goal is the race or to get to a certain number on the scale, then the moment you cross the finish line or hit that number, the journey is over. You have to find another reason to sustain the lifestyle. On the other hand, if the reason you train is to increase your overall health or to meet amazing people, there's a lot more motivation to keep going, maybe even enter another race... or two... or a hundred and seven.

The Biggest Loser RunWalk held its inaugural event in Las Vegas on September 20, 2015. The event served as a reunion of sorts, bringing over a dozen of the show's past contestants, most from Season 16 "Glory Days". Season 16 seemed to have a lot more impact on us because every single contestant knew that they used to be so much better than they were when the show started. What would you give for the chance to be back at the peak shape of your life?

We got to the Circus Circus hotel about 11 AM Saturday the 19th. Temperatures were already in the high 80's and race day temps weren't getting any cooler. With another seven races in the next few months, the heat and the altitude, we meant take this one easy and enjoy it. The expo was a decent size for the 1500 or so participants, enough to get any essential accessories, a bondiband, TBL race clothes by Green Layer (including some new colors!) and even pick up TBL nutritionist Dr. Cheryl Forberg's books. 

With Season 16 contestants Sonya and Woody

Our wonderful friend and super TBL staff Christina. Thanks for hooking us up with VIP this weekend!

Most of the star power was at the stage where the entire afternoon line up was the former contestants telling their stories. With the short stay and us needing to get checked into the hotel, I was only able to catch two talks at the end.

Toma Dobrosalvjevic of Season 16 talked about how we felt out of his league on the show. He was surround by former NFL stars, Olympic gold medalists and here he was, just trying to keep up. Later he found out Scott Mitchell, former Detroit Lions quarterback, was using Toma as his standard. "Everything you do, I have to do an then some, because what you're doing is working!".  Toma ended up winning that season, losing over 171 pounds (over 52% of his body weight).

Dan Evans closed the speaker series and no matter how many races I've attended, he always seems to come up with something I hadn't heard. He and Jackie were expecting to go home the first week... and the second...maybe even the third. But they lost the most weight for each of the first three weeks. It took them a while to believe, but once they did, their outlook on the show, and life changed.

I did take some time between the expo and the VIP dinner to hit the black jack table and walk through the Midway. I hadn't been there in over 20 years since my parents brought us for vacations. Susan relaxed under the free circus acts. The first half of my bank roll lasted me barely long enough to meet Susan at Vince Neil's Tatuado for the VIP dinner. 

Those of you who've been to TBL races know the VIP package is an excellent addition to your weekend! We did our best to chat with all the former contestants and get autographs on our bibs. As usual, we had some healthy options for dinner (though we noticed most of us passed on the dessert). 

Season 16 contestants Gina, Jackie and Lori

Season 16's Blake

Dinner was followed by karaoke. Woody Carter had some amazing renditions of "If I Could Just Hold You Again" and "With You I'm Born Again", followed by his family (three generations of great singers!). Dan Evans and Jackie Pierson also took the stage but I couldn't remember what songs they sang since I was recovering from a dehydrated version of "Piano Man".  I can now cross off "perform on stage in Vegas" from my bucket list (and thankfully, I didn't see anyone taking video). I left for a 10:15 PM bedtime for the 5:45 AM wake up call.

Race morning, Sunday, September 20th:

The 7 AM start time saw high 60's temps with a light, dry wind. It actually felt a little chilly to start which was perfect for us. I caught up with Zimri, a young man who I met at the black jack table the night before who was running the half. He was actually working to qualify for worlds in the half IronMan distance for the Paralympics.

The runners went off in waves at 7 and the walkers started at 7:15. Lori and Gina were doing the half with us. As always, Dan sent us off with the national anthem. We started under the lights of the Circus Circus entrance.

As the walkers started, I recognized Larry from Florida. He took 2nd overall in TBL Panama City Beach, one place ahead of me and beating me by a healthy margin. "Taking it easy" sort of went out the window at that point and I wanted to see how well I could keep up. We paced each other in the mid to low 11 minute/mile pace all the way to the halfway point. 

The one-lane course on the frontage road was wide enough for most of the race, even with the double turnarounds.

Once we picked up the wristbands behind the Mandalay Bay, I decided to take advantage of the net downhill on the back half. Two or three speed bursts later and I opened up a good lead. I didn't see Larry for the rest of the race. I finished in what would be my third best half marathon time ever, just under 2:25, and first in the walk division. The official timer actually moved me to the run division because he didn't believe I'd actually walked the whole way (fortunately, Christina knew our speeds from previous races). Larry came in just over 2:31. Considering he had a race the weekend before and was flying back across the country for another race the next weekend, it was a great effort. Competition like that is hard to come by. I hope to see him again.

Susan turned in her best time since early this year. She's been working hard at strength and stretching to overcome plantar fasciitis and I think she's turned the corner just in time for our heavy fall race season. She won her age group and came out of the day feeling strong and ready for more.

We went back to the hotel room, showered and checked out before heading back to the finish line. We cheered in the half marathoners until the last one came in at just under the 5 hour cut off. Probably the coolest thing about the weekend was seeing the former contestants form up around the last finisher and running in with her. We've seen back of the pack folks feel frustrated and discouraged, but in a race like this, that kind of group gesture goes a long way in keeping your spirits up. Finishing last still means you've finished. And knowing that people waited for you and cheered for you, regardless of your time, might even give you the motivation to come back for another race. This is the spirit of The Biggest Loser RunWalk.

I heard a lot of people saying how much fun they had over the weekend, many of them being first time 5K or half marathoners. Quite a few of them were planning their next race. They've discovered what we found out years ago. 

There is no finish line. The finish of the first race is just a start of the rest of your life.

How's THAT for motivation?

~//~

The inaugural The Biggest Loser RunWalk Las Vegas weekend drew over 1000 finishers, making it the second biggest TBL event we've attended. 391 finished the half marathon (335 in the run division, 56 in the walk division), 649 in the 5K (411 run and 238 walk). There was also a 1 mile fun run for the kids (not timed). The half course was changed several times in the last week as the city and various property requirements changed. We started under the glitzy entrance to the casino, wound our way west on Circus Circus Drive to South Industrial and turned south, continuing on Frank Sinatra Drive. Just past the 5 mile mark, the course doubled back to the Mandalay Bay arch where participants were given a yellow wristband to signify that they'd made the first loop. We turned back south, then north through the check point back to Circus Circus drive. We wound through the RV parking lot and around East Sahara and South Las Vegas to complete the loop course. With an elevation gain/loss of less than 140 feet, this course was about as flat as you can get.

There were some hiccups on the course for the lead pack as the lead cyclist missed a turn and created a longer course for a few dozen runners. After that confusion was cleared up and the rest of the participants found the right route, it looked like the course was a bit short. Comparing our Garmin route to the course map, it looks like the turn at mile 5 and the loops in the RV park may have been placed just a few dozen meters off, resulting in a 12.7 - 12.8 mile course. Given the mid to high 80's temps, perhaps it was not a bad thing to get done a little bit early.

Support with aid stations was excellent as always for TBL races. RWB also had a Gu and Red Vine station about mile 8. With the frontage road on the west side of the strip next to the highway, there was even a good amount of shade. Jackie herself was in a car sweeping the later parts of the half marathon giving out ice and orange slices. Even with the heat, there were no medical transports. I heard of only one half marathoner who had to hop into the sag wagon due to a blister.

With only 3 Premier Destination races left on the calendar for 2015, we were wondering if there would be more going on next year. Director Jackie Evans is still working out the details, but may need to pare back their busy schedule. With close to 30 events this year, I can't blame her.  But with TBL hitting quite a few states we have not visited for half marathons, we hope to see them back on our schedule in 2016.

Riding Off Into the Sunrise - Run for C.H.U.M. Half Marathon 2015

This race wasn't supposed to happen actually. We usually have a long break between July and October when we recover from any aggravations or start working on specific training like speed or core strength. But Susan is getting close to being A-List Preferred on Southwest which carries some really nice perks. Combine that with the long Labor Day weekend, a few friends in the Michigan area that we haven't seen in a long time and it was off to the Midwest we go! Of course, we can't travel to a state without checking if we've crossed it off our half marathon list. 

We drove from our hotel in Lansing about a half hour to the Dansville schools for bib pick up right at the 5:30 open. We had time to talk to Bonnie DePue, the center Director about the program. She was surprised to see people coming in from California so she was happy to give us a quick tour. 

Chum was actually the name of one of Bonnie's first therapy horses. From the C.H.U.M. pamphlet, learning how to ride a horse: "may challenge the body physically in balance, coordination and fine and gross motor skills as well. It is a sensory rich environment where all the senses are impacted. The riding lesson inherently works on attention span, task sequencing, problem solving, academia, self esteem and self concept." Clients include toddlers, seniors, disabled veterans and recreational riders. Later, Bonnie renamed the center Children & Horses United in Movement or C.H.U.M.

Susan with Daisy and Jack. At least I think that's them, they were too shy to say their names.

Bonnie brings Apollo to take a pre-race picture.

We had dinner at Bravo! Cucina off 127 and Lake Lansing with Susan's cousin and her two kids. This was the last weekend before the start of school in Michigan, so the kids spent a lot of time at the aquatic center before it closed for the season. With our 8 AM start and some warm temperatures this time of year in the Midwest, we hit the sack early.

The start line was well organized and parking at the schools was plentiful for the small crowd. It was just about 70 degrees at the 8 AM start and with a bunch of races coming up in the next 10 weeks, this was a 'just finish' race. We hit a good window in between summer downpours too. I remember Wisconsin weather did that a lot.

Bonnie delivered a 'runner's prayer' before the start. I didn't catch the whole thing, but it was a really nice touch. Looking through previous year's results, I noticed that participant's home cities aren't listed, maybe because there are very few who come from outside the county. The invocation gave the race a definite local feel.

Susan wore her Half Fanatics tank top. No one she talked to had any idea what it meant, so I'm guessing this is the official Half Fanatics picture.

The course was a really nice loop, well marked and had some beautiful rural scenery. About 2/3rds of it was on paved two lane roads in good condition and the rest was packed dirt road. There was even quite a bit of shade. The volunteer to participant ratio was probably close to 1:1 when you count the course monitors and aid stations. They had water and Gatorade at every station, Gu at mile 7 and lots of bright green vest on the volunteers so you knew where you were going.

Mile 1 on Mason Street

Some welcome shade at mile 3.

Yeah. That sign has nothing to worry about.

Passing by the C.H.U.M. Stable just before mile 4. The ATV's and volunteers were awesome.  

Coming out of the second stretch of dirt trail at mile 11 on the last turn toward the finish line.

The aid stations had a spirit contest. The folks at Station 5 (mile 11.5 or so) won and deservedly so. They were out the longest and were still cheering their hearts out. 

 The field for the half was actually quite a bit faster than we were used to seeing. The winner came in just over 76 minutes and other than a handful of the 75ish participants, most came in around 2:30. We know enough to make sure we race our own pace. Susan said she was thinking about part of the runner's prayer at the beginning as she was making coming down the last mile.

"We are all struggling equally. Lord, let me win, not by coming in ahead of my friends, but by being myself. Let it be an inner win, a battle won over me. I may, and may I say at the end, 'I have fought a good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.'"

We had a noon checkout at the hotel, so we grabbed just a bit of the post-race hot breakfast (pancakes and syrup, scrambled eggs, bananas and bagels with cream cheese) before heading out. While I don't know how many out of towners would seek out this race, we'd definitely recommend it for locals and anyone swinging through Michigan who is looking to support a great cause. The fact that it falls on Labor Day Monday for the last three years makes for possible 3 race/3 state weekends if planned correctly.

Post-race/post-shower lunch was at Max & Erma's in the same shopping center we had dinner the night before. Nothing like a frozen strawberry lemonade with pretzel sticks and queso after a good day on the course.

I SAY this race was never supposed to happen, but when I think about it, the whole weekend was a great time to catch up with people we hadn't seen in years. The fact that the race turned out to be such a good experience means maybe it was meant to be.

Half marathon number 92 and state number 24 is in the books. Next up is another inaugural race: The Biggest Loser RunWalk Half in Las Vegas. We're on track to hit our 100th half marathon before the end of the year.

~//~

To find out more about C.H.U.M., check out their website at www.chumtherapy.net. They are a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization currently raising money to add space for vocational training and treatments. It's a very affordable registration fee ($35 a month in advance and only $45 on race day). Both Susan and I donated every dollar we carried in our emergency race pack to thank the volunteers for doing such an amazing job supporting every last participant.

Embrace the Suck - Rock n Roll Chicago 5K and Half Marathon 2015

"Embrace the suck": Translation: The situation is bad, but deal with it.

Those of you who've met us know that we don't like heat and humidity. We lived in Wisconsin for 6 summers (or road construction seasons, as the locals call it) and all I could remember was wanting to get back to California for their usually moderate/wimpy conditions.

So when Coach Al gave me a training program to start getting faster at the 5K distance, the assignment was to hit the 5K hard on Saturday and take it relatively easy on the half on Sunday. Naturally, we pick the hottest race day of the 2015 year to do this.

Ugh

We landed in Chicago mid Friday afternoon with just enough time to get to the last 15 minutes of the expo to pick up bibs for the weekend. Many of the vendors had packed up for the day. Susan had been dealing with plantar fasciitis for a few months and opted out of the 5K on Saturday. While the Remix medal was a nice to have, the half is the only thing that matters for Hall of Fame this year. That and she'd have the luxury of having a few drinks at dinner  Friday night and sleeping in on race weekend for once. Caryn joined us for the weekend. We're hoping to see more of her in the second half of the year with the races on the west coast.

The 5K started near the boat house on the edge of the lake. Temperatures were already in low 70's and there wasn't a lot of shade on the out and back course. This was another great race for the Gypsies who came out in force.

I started out about a third of the way through the corrals and got swept up in the pace, walking a 10:13 first mile. Let's ignore for a minute that my previous PR for a mile on flat ground was 10:20, and that I had 2.1 miles left. Al was playing pacer/Sherpa this race and ran ahead to grab water and clear a few tangents. The second mile through the park slowed to a 10:46, close to my half marathon PR pace. The third mile started on the water, but even though I could see the finish line, I was feeling the pain of going out too quickly. By 2.5, I'd slowed to just over 11 minute miles.

At that point, Al reminded me how much work I'd put in for the last month and how many mental barriers I got through. I started cycling between 11 minute miles and 9:30 bursts. At mile 3, the course goes by a boat house and you see the finish line for the last 0.12. Al was reminding me to concentrate on form and push for the last quarter mile. It'd be a real bummer if I missed my time by a few seconds. The last split came in at an 8:59 pace, peaking in the last 40 yards at just under 8 minute pace. 

And I cut another 15 seconds off my 5K PR, heat and all. It took me a little while to get my head around what that meant, but when I realized that was like taking over a minute off a half marathon PR, I was totally stoked.

We spent the next half hour cheering in the rest of the Gypsies and a big contingent of TeamUp. It's been awhile since we were part of the cheer squad and it was a great feeling to walk people in, especially some who were clearly finishing their first race.

Also new this race was Rock n Roll's #PartyRocker group. Like Kelvin Sapp from the old SA2LV group, Bill Kwok now leads a few dozen people who carry their own music to motivate people during the races. Look for them at the RNR's for the rest of the year if you need to keep your spirits up.

One race in the bag. Temperatures climbing into the high 80s with humidity. My legs were dead from a hard effort on the 5K, but I couldn't help but smile. When you're with this group of people, how can you not?

I never made it back to the Expo but Susan went back to grab a few more sundries and pick up a present from Marcey at Sport Hooks. I'll post a picture when I figure out where to hang it on the wall.

We had thundershowers Saturday afternoon. We missed most of them since we were inside a theater watching Minions in 3D. How better to beat the heat and stay off your feet to rest? We had a few Gypsy dinners scattered around Chicago. Here's the group from Noodles & Co. Tawni, Tamie, Rick and Rhonda have been MIA for a few months at other races and it was great to catch up with them.

The 6:30 AM Sunday start time gave us the best chance to beat the heat. For Chicago, they offered a pair of RNR sunglasses if you beat your best time on the course. Given the heat, I wasn't sure how popular that was going to be. We were ready with cooling sleeves and were stopping for ice as many times as we saw it. Al was having some issues that morning that we traced back to something he ate at Noodles.

Fortunately, just about every one of our Gypsy friends were in town for this one. It's starting to get to that point where I need to be more creative with the group selfies. Al gave me some toys to play with for the next few races. Stay tuned.

We're a pretty awesome looking bunch, if I do say so myself!

We've done Chicago enough times to know a few things. It's flat. It's hot. It goes across a few bridges with tricky surfaces. The tunnel at McCormick can be super stuffy, especially since it's so late in the race. None of this changed in 2015, but I chose to give the sunglasses incentive a shot. Back in 2011, this was the first half marathon where I walked under a 12 minute mile pace. We met up for a quick picture with Amy who we met at The Biggest Loser RunWalk Crown Point. She's over halfway through crossing off 7 new states with half marathons this year.

My first 9 miles went pretty well. Imagine my surprise when I actually caught up to Al at mile 10, Noodles still not agreeing with him. I guess everyone has a race where things just don't go right and Chicago is Al's nemesis. Fortunately, he was able to gut it out. 

Literally.

OK, I think I can make it now!

That last mile on Columbus felt like it lasted forever, but I walked in at just under 2:33, 3 minutes better than my previous course record. Given what was going on this weekend, I was more than happy with it. 

We were even happier with the set of bling. For a bunch of us, this was the 10th Rock n Roll race of 2015 and the biggest Heavy Medal awarded to date - the Gold Record. This replaced the previous Rock Idol 10-race medal and I think it was a really cool upgrade by CGI. This makes 5 years in a row for Susan and I getting to the 10 mark. Add that to the 5K medal and the Remix and this was a four medal weekend!

Susan finished the half and had time to catch up with Barbie from TeamUP. They met two years ago when Susan helped Barbie cut a half hour off her previous fastest time. Barbie did the 5K on Saturday and the 10K on Sunday, not bad for a lady who wasn't able to finish the half three years ago!

Chicago marks a long break in the Rock n Roll schedule between the middle to late July and the start of October for Rock n Roll San Jose. The European RNR's haven't hit our radar since we've crossed off the continent for full marathons and Virginia Beach is even less appealing weather-wise than Chicago ever will be. We picked up three races to fill the schedule and may stay on track to join the 100 Half Marathon club by the end of the year.

This isn't a bad half way point for the year. I just hope the wall holds up to the weight of the medals.

~//~

This is the sixth time we've raced Rock n Roll Chicago, missing only the inaugural race in 2009. We've used this race as a mid-summer cool down after San Diego and Seattle, taking part in George Melichar's Moving Art Museum in 2014 as well as using the race to practice walker pacing for Nike San Francisco in 2010. Add to the fact that there's a lot of cool things to see in the city, it makes it a regular location for us, despite how much I complain about the heat.

The July - September slow period lets us work on speed and form or take time to heal and recuperate before things get really nuts in October. This was half marathon #90 leaving 10 more to finish in 2015 including six half marathons in seven weeks in five different states followed by our usual two half marathons in the same day in different states.

We look forward to embracing the suck.

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