Like a Hurricane

The 10K is over, and I made it, running the whole way too! (I kind of surprised even myself with that.) Perhaps I was motivated to end the race as soon as possible, since conditions were less than comfortable.Temps were in the low 50s, and the race started 20 minutes late. A light persistent rain began before I was even finished with Mile 1 and continued even a hour after the race ended. The course ran from Grant Park onto the Museum Campus and around the aquarium to a long lakefront trail. It was pretty to run along the lake, however the wind was fierce! At times I couldn't tell if I was getting wet from the rain or from the spray of the waves hitting the sea walls. On the way back past the aquarium again I wondered if I wasn't running in slow motion, the prevailing wind being so strong. Just holding my ground took some effort, much less moving forward. I wondered, "Am I running in a hurricane??!"

Unofficial finish time was 1 hour, five minutes. (And I did wear the time chip, even though I was worried about a bad time going into internet posterity when the race times are posted with my name in them.)

A lunch of spicy Thai soup with co-workers who'd also come to the race, and a long hot shower afterward were welcome.

I'd share some pictures but I had a little accident involving my cell phone, camera, and the free post-race Gatorade. I may recover from the race but the phone and camera are still questionable. (Calls are being forwarded to my work blackberry, but I may not be responding to text messages for a little while.)