Since I ran Raleigh earlier this year, I also earned the Double Beat medal today for completing my 2nd Rock 'n' Roll half marathon (or longer) race of 2016. I will receive that medal in the mail in a few weeks but it is well worth the wait. If you aren't familiar with the Rock 'n' Roll Heavy Medals program, be sure to check it out. It is an awesome (and free) program that earns you extra bling for completing multiple Rock 'n' Roll races in the same calendar year.
Disclosure: As a member of the 2016 #RockNBlog team, I was provided with a complimentary 2016 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series Global Tour Pass. This provides me with entry to their race series, however no other compensation was provided and all travel and other expenditures are paid for by me. As always, all thoughts are strictly my own. After a fun filled day at the Rock N Roll Chicago 5K, checking out the sights of Chicago, and some fun with friends, it was time to get ready for the half marathon! We had a pretty low-key evening and got to bed early, it was time to rise-and-shine and get ready to ROCK Chicago! Our hotel was less than a mile walk to Grant Park, so we didn't have to wake up too crazy early (compared to those arriving by the L or driving). Momma K and I both had VIP which opened at 5:30 so we left the hotel about 5:15. We arrived to the VIP tent shortly after they opened and we got settled in, ate our breakfast, and got ready for 13.1 miles of fun! (More on the VIP experience later this week) The race started at 7am, but it had corral starts with a few minutes between each one. Since I knew we had time, we ended up leaving the VIP tent shortly before 7am and headed towards our corral. The energy in the start area was AWESOME! From the runners to the announcers to the spectators - it was amazing. Chicago was totally ready to ROCK! We took on and we were on our way! A lovely 13.1 mile tour of Chicago by foot awaited us. 10K and Half Marathon runners started together and we split apart around .6 mile in. Just as we got to Lake Michigan, the 10K runners went right while half marathoners went left. I always brag on Rock 'n' Roll races for how their corral process is so effective - there was no crowding at all when we took off and there never was any along the way either. We headed up along the Chicago Riverwalk and crossed mile 1. With a bit of a tour of the northern part of Chicago, we headed past the NBC Tower and hit our first water station just before turning onto E Grand Avenue. I spotted a totally cute new donut shop, sadly it was closed. I think the dude behind me was guarding the donuts. Rude. Just after we crossed the Chicago River again, we were greeted by a cheer zone that included Elvis. I mean, it isn't a Rock 'n' Roll race without Elvis, right? As we came back south, Momma K was obviously excited about running under the L tracks (even with a few driving over our heads along the way). I on the other hand was simply fascinated by the skyscrapers and beautiful architecture surrounding us. Yes, I live in a small town, but I run in downtown Atlanta a lot. We don't have building like this back home. Yes, we have a few skyscrapers sporadically, but nothing like this. I told Momma K at one point that I felt like an ant. Haha. Along the way we ran into fellow RockNBlogger, Heather. It was great to see you briefly along the way! My only "gripe" about this course was the grate bridges. I don't mind bridges at all, however as one who tends to scrape my toe in my running stride especially when running slower with mom. YIKES! If I scrape my toe one time on these bridges, I am TOAST! Obviously, we were a bit more cautious running on the bridges. It was cool though seeing the river right below you. There were so many awesome bands out there today. By far one of my favorite things about Rock 'n' Roll races are the bands along the way. From rock bands, to cultural music groups, and even drum corps, there is such a wide variety of music to keep you rockin' along the way. As we ran through The Loop area of Chicago, we had a good amount of support for sure. From bands to high fives to signs and cowbells, we definetly felt the love. Remember during my 5K recap when I mentioned how crazy flat it was, well the half marathon was exactly like that as well. Glorious I tell ya! We went up a slight incline/"bump" and as I turned around to take a picture, I noticed that the perfect selfie moment was waiting for us. Sears Tower (or Willis Tower as it is now called, but not by me), was in position for quite the photobomb. Get your paws ready for some high-fives and support from Team Paws Chicago! There group might have been small, but their cheers were MIGHTY! It is a good thing that they didn't have real puppies out with them this morning or your's truly would have taken a 5 minute puppy break. The best things in life are free. Free high-fives along the way are AMAZING! What can make high-fives even better? An official high-five zone with a tunnel of runner love for you to run through. Thank you so much to this amazing group of supporters at mile 7! Y'ALL ROCK! The high-five zone wasn't the only runner love that we got at mile 7. Our water station was absolutely BUMPIN' with crazy amounts of energy. I mean, sing to me about Gatorade and you totally win. Yes, Momma K and I both kept singing their catchy tune the rest of the way (and might still be today even...). Another wonderful band greeted us as we approached the mile 8 marker. It is hard to complain about your legs being tired when you run past drummers that have been playing for hours as well. ;-) As we crossed over I-55, we of course stopped for a quick picture on the overpass to add to our collection of Interstate selfies. We finally made to my dear friend "Brian" (the blow up Brooks rocker). At this point some rain started to move in. Excuse me?!?! The rain that was in the forecast had moved out. Oh well, a nice drizzle felt pretty good. I panicked a bit because I didn't have my bag for my phone since I thought there wasn't a chance of rain (dumb move). I put my phone in my Fitletic belt and wrapped my bib around the pouch to try to keep as much rain away from it as possible. That drizzle turned into a monsoon. From mile 9 to 10 it was a total downpour that was coming down so hard I could barely see. There was lightning in the area and we were advised to take shelter. The only thing was that the only "shelter" really near us were trees which obviously one of the worst things you could stand under. We kept on trecking and stayed aware of the weather conditions around us. The race did officially close the course and put participants on buses and other safe spots, but we were just in a spot where shelter wasn't. The rain finally stopped and we could see blue skies ahead! Thanks to the Toyota 'Rock Your Run Zone' for providing us we cheers and smiles If your read my Rock 'n' Roll Chicago expo recap, you know that they were calling for dangerously hot conditions on race morning. As a precautionary measure, there was a ice sponge station set up around mile 11 to help runners cool down a bit in the final stretch. Well, after the downpour happened, the ice sponge station turned into a drying station. The sponges were still dry in bags so we were able to use them to dry off our phones, glasses, etc. Not exactly what the race or runners had in mind, but hey, it worked. Around mile 11.5 we made it to McCormick Place. This is where the weekend all began on Friday evening as we just barely made it to the expo before they closed. We ran about .25 mile in the West Tunnel and all we could think about is how nice it would have been to be at this point when the monsoon came through. Haha! As we made our way out of the tunnel we noticed the blue skies (with a few clouds hiding the sun) greeting us. Yes, I know it looks greyish in the picture but it was a great sight to see. Yes, we were soaking wet, but we were still having a great time. One of the things we really wanted to see along the race course was Soldier Field. As a big football fan, checking out stadiums is always fascinating to me. I must say, Soldier Field is definitely one of the most uniquely designed stadiums that I have seen. From the outside, you wouldn't even know that it was a stadium because the design resembles older architecture and fits in with the city. As I came to mile 12.8 I could hear the cheers, music, and see the finish line ahead. Let's finish this thing! Like THAT, Rock 'n' Roll Chicago 1/2 Marathon was in the books. A new state off my list of half marathon states and my 58th half marathon. Yes, it stormed for a mile, but what an awesome experience today was! The energy among the runners, spectators, and volunteers was amazing! You can either be angry about rain which no one has control over or you can embrace the moment and enjoy the opportunity to run today. You control your happiness. Now, please give me my chocolate milk. The volunteer looked at me like I was nuts when I told her that I ran 13.1 miles just for this. Ok, that's not the reason I ran, but this is such a sweet reward waiting for you at the finish line. After making my way through the finisher chute, I made my way to collect my Remix Challenge bling from the Heavy Medals tent. For completing both the 5K on Saturday in conjunction with one of the Sunday races (10K or Half Marathon), you earn a bonus medal for completing the Remix Challenge. Since I ran Raleigh earlier this year, I also earned the Double Beat medal today for completing my 2nd Rock 'n' Roll half marathon (or longer) race of 2016. I will receive that medal in the mail in a few weeks but it is well worth the wait. If you aren't familiar with the Rock 'n' Roll Heavy Medals program, be sure to check it out. It is an awesome (and free) program that earns you extra bling for completing multiple Rock 'n' Roll races in the same calendar year. The post race headline concert was Echosmith which I got to enjoy a good bit of. The Rock 'n' Roll race concerts do not disappoint and offer a wide variety of performers at each tour stop. The best part is that the concerts are free! Yes, please! We had to get back to the hotel pretty quickly to get checked out and head to the airport, but we did manage to take a few pictures in Grant Park and head over to The Bean one last time before heading back. Thank you Rock 'n' Roll for an awesome weekend in Chicago! All of the staff, volunteers, emergency personnel, bands, and fellow runners made it a ROCKIN' time for sure. I have a few other tour stops on tap for 2016, so I cannot wait to travel to some new places, return to some favorite destinations, and of course see some amazing friends throughout the year! The ride to the airport was pretty uneventful, thankfully. Once we got through security we had a well deserved lunch topped off by some Garrett popcorn (which was soooo yummy). I am sad that my time in Chicago was so short, but it was definitely a weekend full of awesome memories. I couldn't think of a better way to explore some of the history and beauty of Chicago than with a 13.1 mile tour by foot. Hopefully this is just my first trip to the Windy City, because there is so much more that I would love to explore! Want to join in on the Rock 'n' Roll fun in 2016? With so many tour stops both in the U.S. as well as international, there are so many options to have a ROCKIN' good time! Use promo code FUNNERRUNNER to save $15 USD off most 2016 Rock 'n' Roll Marathons & Half Marathons (some exclusions apply). Question of the Day: What has been your favorite city to run in? What cities are on your "running bucket list"?
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BrandiI love to run and most importantly I love to have FUN while I run....I am the "Funner Runner" Feedspot's Top 100 Running Blogs
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