Fat Ass 5k

Having hailed from central Illinois, my boyfriend gripes when we have to go to my parents' house for the weekend. He claims that there is "nothing to do there" because he is a spoiled brat who grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago. I guess it also has something to do with the fact that he has not yet had the pleasure of experiencing the Fat Ass 5k, a race in the heart of downtown Springfield.

On Saturday, May 12, I jumped in the car with my folks and headed to downtown Springfield. We got to the race course painfully early, as my mother was convinced that parking would be a hassle. We found a spot on the street and headed toward the starting line. The race started at 10am but when we got there at 8:30am an impressive crowd had formed by the Old State Capitol.

My parents and I camped near the radio station tent, which was providing the get-your-blood-pumping tunage. More and more people filtered into the general starting area while faux stretching, dancing and talking. As 10am approached, I headed toward my corale. My parents stood close by, my father explaining that it made more sense than to walk back to the walking corale, only to walk back up to where they would be standing.

My fellow fatasses.

The National Anthem played and a man in the distance yelled "Gentlemen, start your engines!" What I didn't yet realize was that up at the front of the race was a group of motorcyclists - on hogs, if you will, for the sake of the Fat Ass mascot - who literally started their engines.

It could not have been 20 feet ahead of the starting line that Cold Stone Creamery was passing out sample sizes of their ice cream. I turned the corner to find the first band and the next refreshment stop. Coors Lite had set up shop and was passing out beer (to those of age).

The route was overall flat and included treats such as doughnut holes from Mel-O-Cream and corn dogs, in addition to the water stops.  Live entertainment (including the likes of Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters) was around just about every corner.

Mmmmel-O-Cream

If you have not been to Springfield, I would recommend this weekend to plan your trip. You can also check out the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Memorial Library and explore the downtown shops. I would also recommend stopping at Cafe Andiamo; their lattes are delicioso.

39.3 - The More/Fitness Half Marathon

I would just like to start out by saying that I REFUSED to title this post "Third Time's The Charm," as that is the number of half-marathons I have now completed. I recently (OK, 4 weeks ago) hopped on a plane with my sister and my running shoes to head to NYC for the More/Fitness Half-Marathon in Central Park. While I could tell you about the fabulous things I did over the 5 days (Evita on Broadway, talking to Amy Poehler/attending the most bomb-diggity improv show I will ever see, LowerEast Side Food Tour, etc.), I'm going to stick with details about the race.

My sister and I arrived in the city around 11pm on Friday, April 13th and pretty much crashed as soon as we got to our hotel. On Saturday morning, we took the subway up to the general area of the Metropolitan Pavilion where the Health and Wellness Expo was being held. The expo had some really great vendors. I have got to say that my favorite stops were with Athleta, Jenny Craig, Aveeno, Playtex, Florida Grapefruit. *Photo Disclaimer: I didn't include all the free tampons I received but THANKS, PLAYTEX!

The race started at 8am on Sunday, April 15. We left our hotel at about 6 and headed to Central Park (CP). I was feeling pretty good in my Adidas running capris and tank, hoping it wouldn't get warmer than it was (low 50s). As we got closer to the park, we did what anyone else who underestimates the enormity of CP and followed women who looked like they knew what they were doing/on a mission to the corrals.

We checked our bag at the gated area (guarded by NYC's finest - the Road Runner club members), stopped by the CP public restrooms (I HATE PORTA-JOHNS) and headed to our corral. Then we waited. I've been working recently on getting over the mental speed bumps in running. For me, it's difficult to not get over the "I'm going to be running for the next 2+ hours" of distance running.

And so it begins

I did NOT realize how many hills CP has. When I read over the race course (2x around the six mile loop of CP + another 1.1 mile) I figured that a park in the middle of NYC would be flat and scoffed at the hill warning. From what I remember, and I remember it well, the northwest corner of CP has the most hills. The other roughly 3/4 of the park is a very pleasant run. We set the pace that we maintained through most of the race. 

Roughly 2.5 hours later, my sister and I completed the race. I do have to say, the end was a tad anticlimactic. While I very much appreciated the water/Gatorade stops along the race route, I wish that we would have had more substantial snacks at the finish line. Cups of water were handed out, along with apples and bagels. I will say the exit from the course into the CP area that held the post-race party/our baggage check-in went very smoothly. The post-race party was lacking as well, but I might be saying that as an out-of-towner who wanted to enjoy free swag before padding back to my hotel.

My sister and I, sweaty and accomplished.

I would definitely run the race again. The experience of running in a race like this, in one of the greatest (read: not greatest, Chicago is the greatest ;) ) cities in the world is exhilarating. I prefer the occasional urban race - how often do you get the chance to run up the middle of State Street in Chicago, unscathed? - but still love the idea of a jog through the breath taking scenery, set in the middle of a concrete jungle.