Jan 21, 2012 The Polar Dash- Still Defrosting

Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

-John Wooden

Listening to tunes before the race.

Trying to decide what to wear before the race.

Did you ever sign up for a race and at the time you did, everything sounded good.  The course looked good, the timing was perfect and the SWAG would be a nice addition to your collection.  Then came race day and things didn't seem to run as smoothly as you thought they would.  Well, that sets the stage for the 2012 Chicago Polar Dash.  The race was originally supposed to be held on Jan. 14, 2012, but they cancelled it because it was too cold and rescheduled it for today, January 21st.  Unfortunately for us runners, this weekend the temperatures were colder; 18 degrees at the start, there was snow on the ground and there was a hard blowing wind and lake effect snow to contend with.  Oh yeah, and did I mention that at the last minute they changed the course and had us run loops instead of out and back.  But, as a runner I know that things can change at the drop of a hat.  You have to be mentally prepared to deal with the changes so they don't interfere with your race.  It is the same thing in life.  You can sit back and complain about how some changes interrupted your usual way of doing things or you can take hold of the opportunity before you and make the best of it.  Even with all the changes to the race and the course, I was determined to have a good run.  Was I looking for a PR?  You bet.  Was I being a bit unrealistic, you bet.  But, it was a goal to shoot for and something that motivated me to run hard and do my best.

I took the Metra train downtown and used the beautiful Hilton Hotel as my changing station for the race.  John and Ian came down to the race to cheer me on but after we felt the temperature outside and the wind chill, they decided to stay back and have breakfast.  It was way too cold out there for anyone to run yet stand out in the cold and wait for someone to pass by.  Brrrr.  After a quick change into my layered running outfit, I said good-bye to them and braved the weather starting my warm-up and heading to the starting line. 

The course was plowed but snowy and slushy, and the wind was biting, but what can you do.  You suck it up and put forth your best effort.  And remind yourself, that yes, you did sign up for this.  737 runners lined up to run the half marathon of a lifetime and 669 10K runners were thrown into the mix.   Over the next couple hours we would be competing for a clear running path along the lake front.  Some folks chose to draft other runners in an effort to improve their pace and one guy even crossed the line and headed back without going to the turn around.  Who knew that he did that other than those of us that saw him?  Well, he knew and now he has to live with the fact that he didn't complete the whole course.  Man that is a burden I would never want to carry.  Trudging along the lake front in freezing cold temperatures gives me a greater appreciation for everyone that works outside this time of year.  Yikes!  The only part of the race that made me feel better was that every mile I completed, I was closer to putting on dry clothes and coming out of the cold.  One of the coolest things I saw was the shoreline of lake michigan frozen over and the boat slips displaying a beautiful photo of winter in Chicago.  Another highlight of the run was watching families go down this big sled hill.  It was great to hear laughter from the kids as I was grimacing from the chill that had settled on my back.  Finishing the first loop was easy.  The second lap had a longer run along the lake, a huge puddle to jump over and a stoplight with cars?  Not sure how that got into the mix, but whatever, it was another aspect of the race that made it one of a kind.  Before I knew it, I was running up the last hill to the finish line.  I looked at my watch, 1:56:24.  Not too bad.  Not a PR but hey it wasn't a sunny day either.  There is room for improvement and it will come, but for now, I still had an important mission to finish before I headed to the hotel.  I knew that it took every ounce of energy from me to cross that finish line, now it was my turn to help other runners.  So, as cold as I was, I walked to the mid way part of the hill and started cheering for the other runners that were headed to the finish line.  In as loud of a voice as I could muster, I was yelling, screaming and cheering them on as if they were going to win the race.  Clapping my hands and jumping up and down, I could see that my cheering was pushing some of the runners up that last hill.  Even got some thank yous from some of the runners.  Now, to me, that was a great way to end the race.  Maybe I didn't make a PR but hopefully my cheering helped someone else reach their goal.  

I made it back to the hotel, met up with John and Ian and changed into some dry clothes.  We headed back home to Elmhurst and I was exhausted.  We got home, I changed clothes and crawled into bed for a 3 hour nap.  Boy did that feel good.  It was a great day filled with memories of a run that I might not ever (ok maybe I would run it again) do again.  Just don't ask me to sign up until I am completely defrosted.  

My Rock!

My little man!