Since I ran New Orleans earlier this year, I also earned the Double Beat medal today for completing my 2nd Rock 'n' Roll half marathon (or longer) race of 2017. 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 2017 #RockNBlog team, I was provided with a complimentary 2017 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). Jennifer 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! 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. I 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. The sights of downtown Chicago totally do not disappoint! 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 definitely felt the love. Hey, you never know where you will find that motivation. 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. One of my absolute favorite parts of the course this year was the Wear Blue: Run to Remember mile. This mile paid tribute to the service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice by lining the course with American flags and photos of fallen soldiers. It was a very emotional and powerful mile for sure. It isn't a Rock n Roll race unless you run into friends on course, right? Even more so, if you don't capture the magic with a running selfie, then it totally didn't happen. ;-) I ran into Henry (aka Barefoot Elvis) several times along the way as we passed each other multiple times. I also ran into fellow Rock n Bloggers and PRO Compression Ambassadors, Andrew and Briana, and got to run with them for a bit which made things go by super fast. 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 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. ;-) We finally made to my dear friend "Brian" (the blow up Brooks rocker). At this point last year is when the monsoon hit us. While it was pretty cloudy, there was no rain or thunder today! YAY! Now it was time to head back towards the finish line! Let's do this thing! If your read my Rock 'n' Roll Chicago expo recap, you know that they were calling for 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 which I was much appreciative of. Around mile 11.5 we made it to McCormick Place where we ran about .25 mile in the West Tunnel. It was pretty nice to get out of the sun for a bit. ;-) As a big football fan, checking out Soldier Field 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 and my 84th half marathon was complete and what an awesome experience today was! The energy among the runners, spectators, and volunteers was amazing! I couldn't wait to get that awesome bling around my neck! 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 New Orleans earlier this year, I also earned the Double Beat medal today for completing my 2nd Rock 'n' Roll half marathon (or longer) race of 2017. 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 Dirty Dozen Brass Band which since we were on a tight schedule to catch our flight, we didn't get to enjoy much of it. 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 2017 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! I am sad that my time in Chicago was so short, but it was definitely a weekend full of awesome memories with my running buddy Jennifer. 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 I get to return again in 2018, because there is so much more that I would love to explore. Want to join in on the Rock 'n' Roll fun in 2017? 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 RNB15 to save $15 USD off most 2017 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"?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
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
Archives
February 2020
|