BofA Shamrock Shuffle 8k
Course Map
Weather for this year's Shamrock Shuffle was ridiculous. I don't know why I would've expected differently for Chicago racing conditions though. There are two seasons here: really hot and really cold. Regardless it's always windy. This is a terrible city to race in. If you buy a bib ahead of time, you're cursed for a bad race. The window of opportunity for optimal conditions is narrow and unpredictable. The Shamrock Shuffle (late March) and Chicago Marathon (Columbus Day weekend) ALWAYS fall on the turning points of those two seasons.
I woke up on Sunday to an absolute disaster: Low-mid 30's, steady 15-20mph winds, and at least 2-3 inches of accumulated slop on the ground... and the snow was still dumping. The streets were literally covered in slush cake. It was impossible to walk outside without soaking your feet in this nasty frozen water. You know what it's like: the ground was a little too warm to actually keep the snow packing, but too cold to keep it from melting fast enough... and there was a lot of it!Over 30,000 people were registered for this thing, but apparently only about 13,000 die-hards actually showed up to run it. For me, this was no different than any of the other crap that I've had to deal with this winter... so it running wasn't a question. I certainly can't blame anyone for not wanting to deal with the conditions though. It was cold, windy, and an absolute guarantee to be head-to-toe soaking wet from this frozen slop by the end of the race.
I rode down to Grant Park with Chris and Jason. That worked out to be a life saver. We hid in an underground parking ramp near the starting line, so we were able to go through the pre-race motions while being insulated from the elements. We each had top-100 bibs, which meant we didn't need to mess around with the masses or lines at the corrals. We went right to the front of the starting line with about 10 minutes before the gun.
When we got to the line I saw my old friend, two time Olympian Deena Kastor, and we talked for a couple minutes. Aside from a new elite-team comptition this year, Shamrock has stopped paying out for the winners in recent years, so there hasn't been high-profile draw... but Deena was there. I'm sure she got a pretty appearance fee though. It may actually tied to a return for the marathon in the fall...? Anyway, it was kinda cool because she was nice enough to entertain a conversation with me (as opposed to saying, "beat it loser"). I should've mentioned that we actually have a mutual friend... No doubt that she know's my boy out in Mammoth. It would've been funny to see her reaction ...all I could think about was how bad of an experience this was going to be though. No doubt, the Queen of Distance USA had the same concerns.
I really had no idea what I was going to be able to run in these conditions. I just thought that I'd go out and try to stay as comfortable as possible, and try to get it over with as quickly as possible so I could get dry. Under better circumstances, 27:20ish (5:30's) was my 'conservative' goal. Today, I was just hoping to PR (previous was 27:55).
Fellow Fleet Feeter, Rob Chenoweth was near me at the start. He's a much more experienced runner than I am, much faster, and has always been willing to offer me good advice over the last couple years. He consistently is very strategic and successful with his racing, so it's hard not to respect what his plans were. He said he wasn't intending on blowing the race up (not that anyone was), but he was trying to at least run it as a fast tempo and progress it. It was common sense. I thought that I should try to pace with him through the first 1/2 mile or mile and if I felt comfortable, then I'd just settle into my own groove. He wound up doing what he said he would and picked it up, but he never really left my sight throughout the race.
Within 400 meters of the start, I was soaked. Frozen water was everywhere and impossible to avoid. Every step was into an inch or two of slush. Nothing appeared to be plowed. Maybe it was, but it didn't seem to help. My kick created a nasty rooster tail that had especially soaked my entire back side and shorts. My feet were sopping wet. My singlet was over a thin long-sleeved shirt... both weren't totally drenched 
yet, but would get there.
Winds were supposed to be from the NNW. It's hard to tell where they were actually came from though, because it always seemed to in my face - regardless of direction.
For the most part, that 1st mile was kind of chaotic as people were jumping out and running different paces all over the place. We went north on Columbus as you leave Grant Park, and continued until you get to Grand Ave. I hung off of Rob's back for a bit. Jason was a bit further in front. Mike was with me for the first 1/2 mile. I passed the marker at 5:28. Not obscenely fast, but a little faster than I would've liked. However, more importantly I felt good.
Mile two turned west onto Grand Ave, then to State Street and turned back south again. State included running slight hill as you cross the bridge and get back into the loop. Things thinned out quite a bit here. I really didn't have much of a pack to work with. The climb to get up the bridge was annoying and slippery. I spent the mile gradually passing a few people that went out too fast. Winds continued to swirl, so it definitely wasn't always at my back as we headed south. Mile two was 5:37.
As we passed the second marker, I heard some of the crowd cheering for the 2nd place female. I knew I didn't have a chance against Deena, but I wasn't expecting anyone else to be close to me. According to Mike, it was Tera Moody (which makes sense) trying to shake up the 3rd place chick. It worked. She eventually beat her by a big 50 seconds. Tera's definitely a great runner, faster than I am, but she never posed a threat to me. I dropped her within the next 1/2 mile.
The rest of mile 3, I had a little bit of a pack form as we headed west into some more steady wind. We also had a good incline with the Jackson Street bridge. 3 or 4 of us in this pack were working together to catch and pass some stragglers up ahead. We hung within reach of each other until Roosevelt, at 4 1/2 miles. I missed the 3rd mile split, but I'm guessing it was closer to 5:34ish.
Mile 4 had us turn back east towards Michigan Ave. We also went over our 4th bridge. These bridges were a pain because they all included small, slippery, sloppy hills. The bridges themselves were extremely slick since the footing was on corrugated or grooved wet steel. Four through 4 1/2 had our little pack with a few guys coming and going. No major tactics here. We all seemed to just want to get out of this mess as quickly as possible. The splashing in the slush was taking its toll too. My legs were frozen. They felt like stiff concrete. I had small ice chips accumulating near my ankles, between my skin and the socks, or the socks and the shoes. We passed the 4 mile mark at about 5:30ish.
Once we hit Michigan Ave, we headed south again to Roosevelt. I could still see Rob and Jason a little in the distance. There may have been a couple guys in between them, and then maybe 8 or so guys between myself and Jason. One of the guys with me started putting in some surges as we went down Mich Ave. Each of us traded places every little bit, but no one ever left a 10 foot radius of everyone else. We rolled by a couple of guys that were slowing.
After we turned onto the hill on Roosevelt, it would be about a quarter mile up, then another quarter mile into some wind for the finish. This is where the race really begins.
I doubted any of these poor bastards had been through the shit that I've been through in the last several months. I mean this race was extremely annoying with the slush and wind... but come on... Barrington in pouring rain a few weeks ago, and those tundra runs were far worse! I never saw a single other guy out there on our Saturday runs, aside from our Austin Bound crew. My legs love hills right now. I love horrible conditions. So between myself and the few around Jason there were still maybe 6 to 8 possible kills. Let's say 6 of them within reach, including whatever was left from my little pack. I toasted all of these guys on the hill! Literally, it was like round the turn... surge... then power and more power up it. 400 meters later and I'm on top. I now had 10 feet+ on the next guy behind me.
Everything was frozen. Everything was wet. The snow was still dumping down. I couldn't feel my toes, my legs, my fingers. My feet were ice. And somehow I had turn onto Columbus and head into the wind for a last 400m+. Man up and push for a little longer, and the pain would be over. I knew this wasn't turning out to be as fast as I had wanted, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Just don't let anyone pass me!
Jason still had some distance on me. He looked to be dropping 2 guys (one later dubbed Mr Candycane). They were all just a little too far ahead for me to even consider catching. After the 2 he dropped though, there was 1 more straggler for the taking. He was maybe 20 feet up. It was gonna be work. I knew if I went for him nobody else would catch me from behind unless they had a monstrous kick. I doubted it in this garbage... but ya never know. I had to commit now or lose my chance. As I started to fill the gap, he wasn't pulling away. 15 feet between us now. Maybe 300m until the finish. I put in a big push to close it some more. 5 feet now. He didn't even know I was coming! Nothing behind me from what I could tell. Only 100 meters to the finish. I dropped everything I had to plow through the slush, pass him, and put some cushion between us. He didn't even care. I looked back and nobody else was challenging me. Done. 27:35 on my watch. 27:38 officially (I lose the 0:03 due to the elite start versus chip start).
Course Map
Weather for this year's Shamrock Shuffle was ridiculous. I don't know why I would've expected differently for Chicago racing conditions though. There are two seasons here: really hot and really cold. Regardless it's always windy. This is a terrible city to race in. If you buy a bib ahead of time, you're cursed for a bad race. The window of opportunity for optimal conditions is narrow and unpredictable. The Shamrock Shuffle (late March) and Chicago Marathon (Columbus Day weekend) ALWAYS fall on the turning points of those two seasons.
I woke up on Sunday to an absolute disaster: Low-mid 30's, steady 15-20mph winds, and at least 2-3 inches of accumulated slop on the ground... and the snow was still dumping. The streets were literally covered in slush cake. It was impossible to walk outside without soaking your feet in this nasty frozen water. You know what it's like: the ground was a little too warm to actually keep the snow packing, but too cold to keep it from melting fast enough... and there was a lot of it!Over 30,000 people were registered for this thing, but apparently only about 13,000 die-hards actually showed up to run it. For me, this was no different than any of the other crap that I've had to deal with this winter... so it running wasn't a question. I certainly can't blame anyone for not wanting to deal with the conditions though. It was cold, windy, and an absolute guarantee to be head-to-toe soaking wet from this frozen slop by the end of the race.
I rode down to Grant Park with Chris and Jason. That worked out to be a life saver. We hid in an underground parking ramp near the starting line, so we were able to go through the pre-race motions while being insulated from the elements. We each had top-100 bibs, which meant we didn't need to mess around with the masses or lines at the corrals. We went right to the front of the starting line with about 10 minutes before the gun.
When we got to the line I saw my old friend, two time Olympian Deena Kastor, and we talked for a couple minutes. Aside from a new elite-team comptition this year, Shamrock has stopped paying out for the winners in recent years, so there hasn't been high-profile draw... but Deena was there. I'm sure she got a pretty appearance fee though. It may actually tied to a return for the marathon in the fall...? Anyway, it was kinda cool because she was nice enough to entertain a conversation with me (as opposed to saying, "beat it loser"). I should've mentioned that we actually have a mutual friend... No doubt that she know's my boy out in Mammoth. It would've been funny to see her reaction ...all I could think about was how bad of an experience this was going to be though. No doubt, the Queen of Distance USA had the same concerns.
I really had no idea what I was going to be able to run in these conditions. I just thought that I'd go out and try to stay as comfortable as possible, and try to get it over with as quickly as possible so I could get dry. Under better circumstances, 27:20ish (5:30's) was my 'conservative' goal. Today, I was just hoping to PR (previous was 27:55).
Fellow Fleet Feeter, Rob Chenoweth was near me at the start. He's a much more experienced runner than I am, much faster, and has always been willing to offer me good advice over the last couple years. He consistently is very strategic and successful with his racing, so it's hard not to respect what his plans were. He said he wasn't intending on blowing the race up (not that anyone was), but he was trying to at least run it as a fast tempo and progress it. It was common sense. I thought that I should try to pace with him through the first 1/2 mile or mile and if I felt comfortable, then I'd just settle into my own groove. He wound up doing what he said he would and picked it up, but he never really left my sight throughout the race.
Within 400 meters of the start, I was soaked. Frozen water was everywhere and impossible to avoid. Every step was into an inch or two of slush. Nothing appeared to be plowed. Maybe it was, but it didn't seem to help. My kick created a nasty rooster tail that had especially soaked my entire back side and shorts. My feet were sopping wet. My singlet was over a thin long-sleeved shirt... both weren't totally drenched 
yet, but would get there.Winds were supposed to be from the NNW. It's hard to tell where they were actually came from though, because it always seemed to in my face - regardless of direction.
For the most part, that 1st mile was kind of chaotic as people were jumping out and running different paces all over the place. We went north on Columbus as you leave Grant Park, and continued until you get to Grand Ave. I hung off of Rob's back for a bit. Jason was a bit further in front. Mike was with me for the first 1/2 mile. I passed the marker at 5:28. Not obscenely fast, but a little faster than I would've liked. However, more importantly I felt good.
Mile two turned west onto Grand Ave, then to State Street and turned back south again. State included running slight hill as you cross the bridge and get back into the loop. Things thinned out quite a bit here. I really didn't have much of a pack to work with. The climb to get up the bridge was annoying and slippery. I spent the mile gradually passing a few people that went out too fast. Winds continued to swirl, so it definitely wasn't always at my back as we headed south. Mile two was 5:37.
As we passed the second marker, I heard some of the crowd cheering for the 2nd place female. I knew I didn't have a chance against Deena, but I wasn't expecting anyone else to be close to me. According to Mike, it was Tera Moody (which makes sense) trying to shake up the 3rd place chick. It worked. She eventually beat her by a big 50 seconds. Tera's definitely a great runner, faster than I am, but she never posed a threat to me. I dropped her within the next 1/2 mile.
The rest of mile 3, I had a little bit of a pack form as we headed west into some more steady wind. We also had a good incline with the Jackson Street bridge. 3 or 4 of us in this pack were working together to catch and pass some stragglers up ahead. We hung within reach of each other until Roosevelt, at 4 1/2 miles. I missed the 3rd mile split, but I'm guessing it was closer to 5:34ish.
Mile 4 had us turn back east towards Michigan Ave. We also went over our 4th bridge. These bridges were a pain because they all included small, slippery, sloppy hills. The bridges themselves were extremely slick since the footing was on corrugated or grooved wet steel. Four through 4 1/2 had our little pack with a few guys coming and going. No major tactics here. We all seemed to just want to get out of this mess as quickly as possible. The splashing in the slush was taking its toll too. My legs were frozen. They felt like stiff concrete. I had small ice chips accumulating near my ankles, between my skin and the socks, or the socks and the shoes. We passed the 4 mile mark at about 5:30ish.
Once we hit Michigan Ave, we headed south again to Roosevelt. I could still see Rob and Jason a little in the distance. There may have been a couple guys in between them, and then maybe 8 or so guys between myself and Jason. One of the guys with me started putting in some surges as we went down Mich Ave. Each of us traded places every little bit, but no one ever left a 10 foot radius of everyone else. We rolled by a couple of guys that were slowing.
After we turned onto the hill on Roosevelt, it would be about a quarter mile up, then another quarter mile into some wind for the finish. This is where the race really begins.
I doubted any of these poor bastards had been through the shit that I've been through in the last several months. I mean this race was extremely annoying with the slush and wind... but come on... Barrington in pouring rain a few weeks ago, and those tundra runs were far worse! I never saw a single other guy out there on our Saturday runs, aside from our Austin Bound crew. My legs love hills right now. I love horrible conditions. So between myself and the few around Jason there were still maybe 6 to 8 possible kills. Let's say 6 of them within reach, including whatever was left from my little pack. I toasted all of these guys on the hill! Literally, it was like round the turn... surge... then power and more power up it. 400 meters later and I'm on top. I now had 10 feet+ on the next guy behind me.
Everything was frozen. Everything was wet. The snow was still dumping down. I couldn't feel my toes, my legs, my fingers. My feet were ice. And somehow I had turn onto Columbus and head into the wind for a last 400m+. Man up and push for a little longer, and the pain would be over. I knew this wasn't turning out to be as fast as I had wanted, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Just don't let anyone pass me!
Jason still had some distance on me. He looked to be dropping 2 guys (one later dubbed Mr Candycane). They were all just a little too far ahead for me to even consider catching. After the 2 he dropped though, there was 1 more straggler for the taking. He was maybe 20 feet up. It was gonna be work. I knew if I went for him nobody else would catch me from behind unless they had a monstrous kick. I doubted it in this garbage... but ya never know. I had to commit now or lose my chance. As I started to fill the gap, he wasn't pulling away. 15 feet between us now. Maybe 300m until the finish. I put in a big push to close it some more. 5 feet now. He didn't even know I was coming! Nothing behind me from what I could tell. Only 100 meters to the finish. I dropped everything I had to plow through the slush, pass him, and put some cushion between us. He didn't even care. I looked back and nobody else was challenging me. Done. 27:35 on my watch. 27:38 officially (I lose the 0:03 due to the elite start versus chip start).
(Reamers creamering Candycane; Getting my final kill; Kicking it home; The trail of dead bodies behind me)
In the full last mile, there were maybe 10 kills for the taking. I did it. I hung in there until the right time, and then I passed all of them. Everyone that was in my sight from the bottom of Michigan Ave to the finish line. None came back to get me. THAT was a strong finish. Even though it wasn't the overall time I wanted, it was a very solid race.
I continued my streak of strong Shamrock Shuffles. It was an unofficial PR by 20 seconds, and in the worst racing conditions that I could've possibly imagined. Deena was only about 20 seconds in front of me. The win was about a minute off last year's pace. 60th place over all for me... which was kind of disappointing, but apparently $$$ for the elite team competition brought in some studs from the surrounding states.
Splits:
5:28, 5:37, 5:34, 5:30, 5:25 = 27:35
On to the next thing....
In the full last mile, there were maybe 10 kills for the taking. I did it. I hung in there until the right time, and then I passed all of them. Everyone that was in my sight from the bottom of Michigan Ave to the finish line. None came back to get me. THAT was a strong finish. Even though it wasn't the overall time I wanted, it was a very solid race.
I continued my streak of strong Shamrock Shuffles. It was an unofficial PR by 20 seconds, and in the worst racing conditions that I could've possibly imagined. Deena was only about 20 seconds in front of me. The win was about a minute off last year's pace. 60th place over all for me... which was kind of disappointing, but apparently $$$ for the elite team competition brought in some studs from the surrounding states.
Splits:
5:28, 5:37, 5:34, 5:30, 5:25 = 27:35
On to the next thing....
Sounds like you had an amazing race. That's a great recap. Those pictures are pretty incredible.
ReplyDelete