On Sunday, March 21st, I ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K (4.97 miles). This race is considered the kickoff to running season in Chicago. I was one of the 25,567 runners braving the frigid weather that Sunday morning... all to say I was a part of "The Shuffle". It was tough deciding what to wear for the race. By the time you arrive and check all your gear, you've already been waiting outside in the cold for 60 minutes. Then, you have to find your starting corral and wait for your group to be released. Do you brave the cold for an hour so you're not running in massive amounts of layers or do you stay mildly 'warm' while you wait and run as you sweat through multiple layers? I chose the latter... 3 shirts, a zip-up running jacket, gloves and a hat. I can't even believe some people ran in shorts. You can find my race results by clicking here.
The Shamrock Shuffle starts in Grant Park and zigzags around the loop. You run over the Chicago River 4 times and pass the Willis 'Sears' Tower. This race was a taste of what I imagine the Chicago Marathon is going to be. There were thousands of people running and family/ friends cheering you on with signs and cow bells. I loved being able to run down the middle of Chicago streets. It's an incredible feeling and it totally gives you a runner's high.
The Redeye (a Chicago Tribune owned paper) wrote an interesting article about running in Chicago. You can find it here!
The weather is starting to warm up in Chicago (slowly but surely) and I realize that I am in need of some new running gear. On my list....
- Ipod armband
- Balega brand socks (FYI, running in cotton gives your feet blisters)
- Running bras (Sorry, gentleman. It's a necessity!)
I suppose it's time for me to make a trip to Fleet Feet Sports and make some purchases!
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