Chicago Marathon Recap – New PR Followed by Beers, Butts & Burgers!

The Chicago Marathon is doneski! Months and months of miles and miles to prepare, and it was over in just three hours and forty eight minutes. If you’re keeping track at home, that is a nearly 20 minute PR for the Ole Scott-O…I’ll take it!

Yay, we did it! Can I sleep now?

The morning started with a 3 a.m. alarm and breakfast. Then off to the ALZ Stars staging location (two of us were running for that charity, two others were running for different charities) where they were nice enough to let us stay warm and destroy the toilets use the facilities.

Well this is embarrassing…we all wore the same thing!

And YAY, my old college buddy was able to meet us too. Love me some Rexy!

She decided on the pink tutu. Dang, I shoulda wore one too-too!

From there it was a short walk to the start corrals at Grant Park.

A bundle of nervous energy.

And before we knew it, we were off! I felt great. The weather was a bit warmer than we’d like, but at the start it was pretty nice – mid 50’s.

WTFrick?!?! My feet are actually in the air?!?! Nice!

I’d heard the tales of the amazing crowd support, and they were all true. The cheering, the signs, the music, the costumes, the everything was awesome! Chicagoans really know how to support a race! Each neighborhood had their own flair and I loved each of them – drag queens in Boystown, mariachis in Pilsen, dragons in Chinatown, etc. etc. etcetera.

Keep rollin rollin rollin.

10k in and I was feelin runderful. I ran into a Dallas friend who said she felt the same. Just ahead of us was the 3:35 pace group. I went ahead and passed them. I didn’t feel like I was working hard at all.

13.1 miles in – halfway there and I was at 1:45:43 – that is my 4th fastest half marathon ever – within 3 minutes of a PR! I hoped I could keep it going.

Do I ever change my expression?

The second half of the marathon is where reality sets in. Miles 16-19 I started to feel it. I tried to push through, but I could feel I would need to start taking some walk breaks soon.

Still determined…or gassy, I’m really not sure what that expression is.

By mile 20, reality had really set in. The sun was up in full force. The temps were rising. Mid-Upper 60’s by now. I was still determined, but slowing. Luckily they had a hydration stops about every mile. I made it my goal to run to each one, then I would allow myself a walk break as I sipped Gatorade/water, before running to the next one.

The 3:35 pace group had passed me around mile 17…then the 3:40 pace group…finally the 3:45 pace group around mile 21-22. I didn’t want any other group to pass me. I picked up the pace best I could and luckily they weren’t able to catch me.

I really need to get a new expression.

Everyone says this race is “pancake flat”. That’s mostly true, but there is an incline at the start & each bridge we crossed was a little mini hill. That, and I had been warned by several people about a hill right at the finish. Half a mile to go and I saw it. My sister was right to describe it as “dumb & annoying”. It was so dumb and annoying. I was temporarily defeated and immediately started to walk up it. Then I said, “eff that noise.” I ran up that stupid hill and cruised into the finish line!

I guess I’ll smile when I finish.

At the finish line I was pumped when I saw my I had set a huge PR at 3:48! Then even more pumped when my training partner cross shortly behind me. She rocked a 3:45 (she was in a later corral) – a PR by like 30 minutes!!

Yay, smiles!

I’m happy to report that everyone I came to the race with set new PR’s!!!! My college buddy Rexy even crushed a 3:05!!! And she did it in style with the tutu and a finishing brewski!

She knows how to do it right.

After a long rest, we slowly started to make our way out. But not before a couple pictures and a few beers at the post race party!

We’re members of the sunglasses of the month club.

We found a shaded area to park our rears & drink the free 312 beers.

Snapchat had some fun marathon specific overlays.

There wasn’t much cell service due to the crowds, so we had trouble meeting up with other friends. That’s ok though, cause we couldn’t walk very fast by this point anyway.

Can I sit here forever?

To sum up the race, I felt great the first 30k, then it was more of a struggle. No negative split for me this day, but you race and learn. I hope to be stronger at the next 26.2.

Out of 37,000+ total finishers.

I had my A, B and C goals for this race. A – PR. B – Break 4 hours. C – Run in the 3:30’s. I hit 2/3. I’m pretty happy with that.  Especially considering that 3:48 shatters by nearly 20 minutes my previous PR of 4:07 (set at the Disney Dopey Challenge)!!!

Anyway, after a little while we became rungry and rangry. So a few of us ate greasy burgers at the famous Billy Goat Tavern.

It says “butt” Hahahahahaha! Yes, I am 12.

The best part about this was all the beer & fat & carbs marathoners trying to walk down the flight of stairs into the restaurant. Well, it wasn’t funny when we did it, but it was funny to watch the others try to negotiate it…4 minutes to walk down 7 total stairs, seems about right.

If it’s good enough for Bill Freakin Murray, it’s good enough for me.

I’m still trying to process all that happened, but I had a total blast! All the feels!!!!!!!

How bout you? Any Chicago Marathon memories? Any dumb and annoying hills lately? Go-to post marathon grub (cheezborger)?

-Scott

Chicago Marathon Pt. 1 – Lost Wallet & Expo, No Flat Runners & We Bean Runnin!

So the trip got off to a rocky road start. As in my ride to the airport arrived at 5 a.m. (thanks for the ride dad!) and as I was walking out the door, I realized I didn’t have my wallet. It was nowhere to be found. It was frustrating. It was stressful. It caused me and my friend to miss our flight. I felt awful about that. And any hope to getting to the Expo early was dashed.

Too many people. Too much stimulation. Please don’t make me go in there.

Luckily I’m one of the few Americans who actually has a passport. I grabbed it. My pops let me borrow his credit card. I thanked him. Finally got to the airport and sweated out the standby process.

Three happy people. One miserable one.

Luckily there was a loooooong security line that caused many a people to miss their flights. Thanks TSA. But their loss, my gain. I took one of those poor suckers seats on the next flight. Standby success!

Next stop, Chi-Town!

First sight off the L train. A sign that we were in the right spot.

Then it was off to the Expo. Luckily there was a shuttle from our hotel. And by shuttle, I mean a real live school bus. Okie dokie.

Snapchat fun: @piratebobcat

I personally don’t like expos much. Too overwhelming for me. But I sucked it up and tried to enjoy it. Luckily they had free beer to help endure it.

We found the beer bus!

Do we really have to run that far?

Bibs got.

Hoping I will be like the sign says.

You see that Chicago? I own you!

With the expo out of the way, we were free to do a bit of light sight seeing.

Who us? No, we’re not tourists.

Heck of a town.

I see you, camera person.

And of course, we ate. A lot. We ate a lot. Ate a lot, we did.

Homemade past? Yes. Wine? Double yes.

And did I mention I was running this race for charity? I had raised funds for Alzheimers, and the group was cool enough give us a pre race dinner! They rule!

And it was all purple.

But the best part of the pre race shenanigans was meeting up with my old college buddy, Rexy. We were on the cheerleading team at Ohio University and have remained close ever since. She’s the bomb biggie…and one heck of a runner. We met up with her for a two+ mile shakeout run the day before the race.

Lisa Lisa, why ya buggin?

Where did we run? To the Bean of course! And we weren’t the only ones with that idea. I think every other shakeout runner was there too.

Have you ever ‘bean’ to Chicago?

That’s always a good spot for pictures, and I’m glad we got it out of the way early as it would be packed later on in the weekend.

Just hanging around.

And since I refuse to take a #flatrunner picture the night before a race…all that was left was to wait for the 3 a.m. alarm to go off. While I did, I went back and read all the supportive comments you bloggers have been making on my posts the past few weeks (I still promise to respond to each of them). I also checked out all the supportive messages on the Facebook as well as the kind texts I received. Thanks again urrbody!

Time to sleep. Months and months of preparation was over. In the morning we race 26.2 miles across CHI.

Good night, sweet city.

One heck of a town.

Come Monday I will post my recap of the race. Stay tuned folks! Spoiler alert – I ran a PR!!!!

How bout you? What’s your pre-race ritual? Do you like expos? Ever bean to Chicago?

-Scott

15k PR, Hipster Tacos/Coffee & Ready for Chi-Town!

OK kids, it’s almost time. Just a few days to Chicago Marathon Day!!! I’m feeling pretty good heading into it, mainly because we had a good pre race test over the weekend. The DRC Loop 15k. 

Some scenes from the day. Yes, I had bib issues.

This was a 9.3 mile loop of White Rock Lake. I wanted to work on my pacing in preparation for Chicago. And boy did I. I ended up setting a PR!

1:09:26, 7:28 per mile, 6th AG*, 47th OA

*Yes, there were some fast people at that race.

What had happened.

This gave me confidence. It’s nice to run a PR a week before your marathon.Not only that, but my training partner also PR’d and even placed in her age group. It shows the work we’ve been doing is paying off. Hopefully that means good things for Chicago. <fingers crossed>

Anywhoodle, afterwards we got breakfast at a hipster taco/coffee shop. Now I don’t drink coffee, but my friend does, so here’s what it looked like from her end:

Some people heart coffee, I heart tacos.

So there it is, kids. Short and sweet. Sorry if you wanted more detail, but I’m too focused on where I’m going this weekend to keep living in the past. 😉

How bout you? Ever have hipster tacos/coffee? Ever race the week before your goal race? Any bib attaching advice?

-Scott

Plano Balloon 5k Recap – Trophies, Balloonies & Selfies!!!

So here’s da ting – I got to race this weekend!!!! It was the Plano Balloon Festival 5k. It went pretty well ~ I think I sent a PR on the way to a 3rd place division finish!

Balloon race, balloon medal, balloon trophy!

I signed up for this race a long time ago, and I’m glad I did – had tons of friends out there this day!

We run. We fun.

I was also glad to run into some of my super speedy friends who I haven’t been able to run with in a while. These two have been inspiring me for a while now – starting a few years ago when we’d regularly meet at the track to try and kill each other with 400’s…

Me and a couple BQ’ers. Maybe I could join them if I got shorter shorts.

It was a VERY humid day. So humid, in fact, that it started raining shortly after the race. Because of the weather they weren’t able to launch the hot air balloons as planned. Bummer, yo! It’s ok doe, I was there to race…and race I did!

And big ups shout out to my boy Tory for taking the following video of some of us during the race. T-dawg is always so supportive of his fellow runners…

I was purdy pleased with my race. I had a great time for me despite the humidity, hills and already running 40+ miles that week.

Official Results: 5k- 21:11 – 3rd in Age Group – 31st Overall (Out of 1945)

Don’t steal my soul, race photographer guy…or my award!!!

I LURVE the awards they gave us – individualized hot air balloon metal wall art hanging thingies…

Division placers…I have fast friends.

After the race, we explored the balloonless festival a bit. And of course, made a spectacle of ourselves…

Not sure what’s happening here.

Oh yeah, I remember ~ someone brought a selfie stick.

I enjoyed the race. I’ve been doing so many hundreds of miles getting ready for the Chicago Marathon that I couldn’t remember what it felt like to go short and fast! I was so glad to see I had gotten faster than when I started marathon training. Funny how that works ~ to get better at running, practice running.

I don’t think our group got enough pictures.

In the end, it was a good time with good peeps. And it was just the little confidence boost I needed after such a miserably hot Texas summer of long slow sweaty miles. Yay, my legs still work!

All smiles after the miles.

And guess what…..the festival also had a half marathon the day after the 5k. And yes, I ran that too. Stay tuned for that recap!!!!

How bout you? Any races recently? Ever go to a balloon festival with no balloons? Did our group take enough pictures (trust me, there’s more I didn’t post here)?

-Scott

Too Hot To Handle 5k – The Race I Didn’t Race!

So I ran in a rare Sunday 5k. Things got weird. It ended with this…

Scotty the Riveting.

But let’s start at the beginning. I carpooled with my unusual suspects. One of which had scored us a prime parking locale. We just had a short walk, lovely as it was.

Sneaky photog phriend got this shot.

We made it to the race, and it was pretty big – several thousand runners for both the 5k & 15k. As luck would have it, we ran into a TON of friends! As unluck would have it, I didn’t have a bib or timing chip – D’oh!!!

Pre race with some running amigos…and also our secret service agent.

No worries, I was pretty sore from running 12 hot miles the day before. And if you can guess from the name of the race (Too Hot To Handle), it.was.hot. So hot and nasty…and not in a good way…

Hydrating before the race. Two Girls, One Cup.

So I decided to run with my tiny friend, as she said she was not “racing” it either. She turned out to be a liar.

We’re all like, “Running is funzo!” Dude in blue is all like, “Say whaaa?”

Mile one – we had to weave around like a gazillion others, and so it was nice and slow and easy just like we planned.

Mile two – my tiny friend picked it up. I said, “Ok then, is this what we’re doing?” and caught up to her.

Mile three – she picked it up even moar. I said, “What happened to the Easy-E plan?”

But since she did that, I decided to make sure she kept picking up the pace, as I knew she’d have a chance at an age group award. I told her to come with me, and we kicked it in the last half mile or so.

Shaving a minute off each mile is a good pace plan, yes?

There’s a new thing now where 5k’s are starting to give out finisher’s medals. Okie dokie den, fine bys me.

My smile is so bright.

And you see those shades there ^^^ ? One of the vendors was giving them out. Also bandanas too. Which eventually lead to the picture at the top of this post. Cute, huh?

A motley crew…Or is it guns and roses?

Oh, and if you were still wondering, my tiny friend did place…As did several other friends!! Wooot!

When I heard their prize was a plastic tumbler, I had hoped it would be a gymnast with a boob job.

Next time I’ll remember that you need a bib/timing chip to race. But all good in the neighborhood – it was fun anyway! I like fun, anyway.

How bout you? Any hot summer races? Ever race just for fun (and not to race)? Aren’t I kewt in that first picture? 

-Scott

Katy Trail 5k Recap – Hawt Run, Dope Party & Epic Photos!

The other day was the Katy Trail 5k. This is a hugely popular race in Dallas. I hadn’t registered for this race before it sold out, but I got hooked up with a bib at the last minute from my man K-Rob. Thanks dude, it was a blast!!!

Pre-race group below, double photobombs up top.

The Katy Trail is a highly popular running spot around here. It’s 3.5 miles long and it really is pretty nice. In fact, last week after the Bloomin 4 Mile Race, some of us went to KT to get in some extra miles.

Runnin free down the trail…or was it up the trail?

This race takes place on a school night at 7pm. I had planned to take it easy, after all it was in the 90’s – also I had already run 5 miles this day and done a track workout the day before.

My heart shaped butt sweat from the track workout.

But of course, when the horn sounded I was off like a prom dress! Unfortunately, the heat and previous miles took their toll…legs felt heavy…There would be no PR this day – not even close! But I’ll take the results, considering it all.

Official Results: 22:17, 7:10 per mile, 14th in Age Group, 132/3622 Overall.

If you want to see a 5 second video of me crossing the finish line, do so HERE!

Post Race – I’m glad Josh fixed my sun-washed-out head in photoshop. Looks totally natural.

But the reason this race is so popular is the after-party. Local restaurants bring out a ton of good food and drink – and it’s all free!!!! Besides the grub, there’s also live music and tons of give-aways. And there may have even been a human centipede pyramid or two.

I had hoped to be a top.

My buddy Logan won the race in around 15:30. Not too shabby, I guess. 😉 But I bet he’s more proud that he made it into one of my famous leg-pop photos…

Logan and his short-time fiance, Amanda & me and my long-time friend, Tahressa.

Since it was an evening race, pretty soon the sun was down. Luckily we had time for a couple more photo ops before heading home to slizzeeep!

Good times with these fools.

Smart move on the free photo-booth with your logo…Well played, Nike.

I had only run this race once before a few years, and to be honest, I thought it was a bit unorganized then. However, this time ’round I had a blasty blast!!! I get now why it’s so popular ’round here. I’ll be back!

How bout you? Ever run an evening race? Why do runners lurve a good post race party so much? What is the shape of your butt’s sweat stain?

-Scott

Bloomin’ 4-Mile Race Recap – I Almost Puked, But Then Ate Tater Tacos

The Bloomin’ 4-Mile was a tough race. Mainly because it was so so hot. Hot and humid. Sun a-blazin! I really struggled (as did we all), but was able to push through for a new PR*!

*This was my first 4 mile race, so automatic PR anyway.

The race was at White Rock Lake in Dallas. I always love running there. I had a couple friends also going down from the burbs, so we carpooled together.

Hamming it up for the race photographer in a field of wildflowers.

This was part of the Dallas Running Club’s race series. It’s a pretty sweet deal – $30 for a year membership to the club and you get to run 8 races for free!!!

Before the race with my run buds…and a photobombing tree.

The course was a 2 mile out and back. I run around this lake often, so I knew what was coming – a nice little hill for us to climb once on the way out, and once on the way back. The second one especially hurt.

The red (slow) part near the turn around was the hill.

It was really hot, you guys. I really wanted to stop and take a puke walk break, but I pushed on. Thankfully I did, cause it meant I was done sooner. I was pleasantly surprised at my results, considering how I felt during the race.

Never so happy to see a finish line.

Official Results:

29:01, 7:15 per mile, 5th in Age Group, 41/440 Overall

And while I missed out on a medal, some of my friends managed to place. Big ups to them!!!

Someone in this pic got a medal, someone else missed getting one by 4 seconds. That’s gotta hurt.

Another advantage of running around WRL are the nearby craft taco joints. They are a must after a run! Run, eat tacos, watch friends play on their phones, repeat.

So all in all, a painful, but successful day!

How bout you? Ever run a 4 mile race? Any hot races lately? Ever had mashed taters in your tacos?

-Scott

Rock the Block 10k Recap – Running in Soup & Winning Medals!

I did just run the Rock the Block 10k over the Memorial Day weekend. It was a tough day, but good news is that I was still able to manage my way to a medal!

I wish in college I had learned how to make a proper collage.

As I mentioned in my preview, I was not looking forward to running this race course. I’d run it before and wasn’t a huge fan. Well, be careful what you wish for. Due to all the crazy stormy floody weather we’ve been having in Texas, the course was part underwater. But rather than cancel, the organizers scrambled to get a new certified course.

Look closely folks, the 10k is a two lap course.

First off, kudos to the race for not cancelling, and finding an alternate route. But unfortunately the new route was a 5k distance that we had to run twice. There’s nothing more demoralizing than crossing the finish line and realizing you’re only halfway done. And on the 2nd lap of the race, we hit all the people still trying to finish the 5k. That meant a lot of weaving and missing out on tangents. Throw in a few hills and 180 degree turns, and it was a bit challenging.

Before the race with two normal sized friends and a miniature sized one.

The weather was also a factor. 97% humidity. Ugh. It was like running through pea green soup. Legs felt heavy and when the breeze was at our backs, it was hard to breathe. I saw one guy puking about a mile in. And through a middle section of the race it started to rain on us which made the roads a bit slick.

That all said, I was able to push through and finish 3rd in my age group and 14th overall!

Official stats.

I was hoping to break my PR of 46:00 that I set one year ago, but it wasn’t meant to be. I finished in 46:32, or 7:29 per mile. And I was proud of myself for actually rocking a negative split (I lost those stats doe).

I’ll get you next time, two guys I don’t know!

Not only that, but my peeps from WRRC and TNSR also received age group awards!

Bringing home da bling.

So despite the tough conditions, we had a great time. And they raised a lot of fundage for a good cause.

And best of all, we all went for breakfast tacos after the race!

Racing, medals & tacos…I’ll take it anytime!

How bout you? Race this weekend? Your tips for humidity running? It’s been so long, can anyone tell me what the sun looks like?

-Scott

Beer Mile Race Recap – Someone Puked

The latest TNSR Beer Mile came and went. And I’m happy to report it went much better than my previous attempt.

Everyone is all smiles before the race…that would change.

I wouldn’t set a PR this day, but I still had a decent time, and I didn’t blow chunks – that’s always a win in the Beer Mile. Not everyone there could say the same thing. A few people in the pictures in this blog vomited. I won’t say who, but maybe you can take guesses.

At least one smiley clean shaven person in this pic puked.

If you’ve never done the Beer Mile, what happens is you pound a beer, sprint a quarter mile – then repeat until you drink 4 beers and run one mile total.

We were so official this year – bibs, timers, and we were provided with Mich Ultra beers.

What makes it tough is all the carbonation bubbling up in your belly. Well, that and 48 ounces of liquid sloshing around as you try to sprint 400’s. If you can’t get some burps out, then you’re in trouble. I’m happy to report that I burped each lap!!!

Someone in this pic may or may not have puked.

And even though I didn’t PR, I did come in 4th place overall – just missing out on the podium.

The official results.

Looking back, I think a couple things helped me out this year – Like I said, I worked really hard to make sure I burped. But also, I chose to drink warm beers instead of cold – tasted nasty, but had less carbonation. <taps head> “Not just a hat rack.”

Thanks for another great event, TNSR!

And after the race they had food grillin, music blastin & fun havin. I even made a 6 second video about it…

All in all a good time was had by all – even the folks who hurled.

Kanye was upset at his race results…or maybe because he puked.

Luckily these Beer Mile races don’t happen too often – they really do hurt. But I did have a great time and look forward to the next one!

How bout you? Would you ever want to do a Beer Mile? Have you ever? Any guesses as to the pukers?

-Scott

Race Pics, Puffy Cheeks & Tacos

So if you read my post this week about my PR at the Rock n Roll Dallas Half Marathon, you saw a few of my pirated race photos. Well, I have some bonus ones. Let’s take a look, shall we?

I took time during the race to kiss an angel.

I thought making a double chin would help with wind resistance.

Making sure to give the finish line an angry glare to remind it who’s boss.

After glaring at, be sure to stomp on it’s face.

Then remind the race that you’re stronger than it.

Well, that was fun! You know what else was fun? Hanging out with my puffy cheeked boy and our puffy cheeked friend.

We were watching something very important, I’m sure.

And as I got back into the swing of things this week, I made sure to help my body recover by eating lots of tacos (broken record, I know).

They don’t look it, but they’re vegetarian…Honest! ~Avocados, portabellos, jalapenos, and other veggies that end in “os”.

I also got in a bunch of runs this week. Felt good to work out the soreness. Now it’s on to the weekend and I have to decide if I should race a 5k, or do a long run with friends. Hmmmmmmm. Either way, there will be taco recovery! Believe that, son!

How bout you? Ever kiss an angel? Should I race short or go run long? Who’s meeting me for tacos later?

-Scott