Chicago Polar Dash 13.1 - 1/9/16

Sometimes, without any reasonable explanation, races just click. Whether it’s a good night’s sleep (nope) or incorporating a vegetable into a healthy diet (never), a runner can only hope for those rare days where running just seems easy.

I had no reason to expect a decent race at this past Saturday's Chicago Polar Dash 13.1, seeing as I’d spent the previous two weeks barely running, definitely not sleeping, and spending much of my waking life behind the windshield of the HOKAmobile. Minus a fast-finish long run on Christmas Day (fueled by the copious amount of cookies consumed the night prior), I had little confidence going into this half marathon that I could hit my goal of 75 (5:43/mile), much less break 80 (6:06/mile, the pace I’m hoping to maintain x2 at next month’s LA Marathon).

A PR, though, seemed feasible, considering my last attempt was back in 2012(!!) in a dismal and untrained (and just plain fat) 1:22 (6:17/mile). Based solely on my base developed these past 365 days (see last blog post!), I figured I’d start the Polar Dash at 6:00/mile, then see what would happen from there. Plus, this time I was wearing Hokas:)

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The race itself was unseasonably warm, but still downright cold (mid-30s) and misty – pretty ideal running conditions for me. I’d opted for a t-shirt, a rare occurrence in Sam Welch racing history, and can honestly say I regret it, having definitely gotten a bit too hot throughout the race. I started the race front and center, and after the starting gun went off, found myself in the lead within the first minute of the race. Spoiler alert: that never changed. 

Thankfully, the pace bike ahead of me provided a good target to pace off of, and after rolling through the first mile in 5:45, told myself to ease it back to 6-flat. When I came through the next 3 miles all in 5:45, I said eff it and kept rolling, knowing that I had a buffer on 80 minutes.

The course itself can’t be considered hilly, but definitely had more undulations than I’d been training on (despite being on the Lakefront Path, just further south). Miles 4-7 were definitely the most difficult, but hitting the turnaround point was a huge mental boost, as was passing all the other racers making their way out. I’m convinced it was the cheering during the Chicago Marathon that led me to my current PR, and it was the cheering on the course Saturday that really forced me to realize how much fun I was having.

Of course, this was short lived, as I was getting tired AF and developing a MASSIVE blister on my right foot. Telling myself to run in a fast last 5K, I managed to just barely maintain my 5:45 pace (race splits below). Weirdly, the mile markers on the course were spot on, according to my Garmin watch; however, the last mile came out of nowhere, and definitely seemed to be a bit short. So despite a surprised and abbreviated kick, I finished 1^st overall in an official time of 1:14:23. 

Honestly, I’d put this effort at a high-75, so I’m going to hesitate on ticking this (sub-75) off my bucket list. But, I’m definitely in better shape than I thought, or have ever been in my life. To put this race into perspective, 5:45 was my race average for 8K in college; Saturday, I managed that for 13(ish) miles, and it felt relatively easy. I’ve got a couple more short races (indoor marathon relay in 2 weeks, 5-mile trail race in 3), and a far-fetched goal of running my birthday miles on the 22^nd. But, the Chicago Polar Dash 13.1 bodes well for my big race, the LA Marathon, on February 14^th!