I Did It: Bucktown 5K

You guys, it’s my favorite season - FALL. I love fall for many reasons: all things pumpkin (...spice lattes, … pie, … carving), the turning of the leaves, Halloween, hoodies and yoga pants, tailgating, and most importantly, RACING SEASON. Yes, people run year-round, but my favorite time to run is in the fall. It’s cool enough where I can log 5+ miles before I break a sweat, but warm enough where I don’t feel like my fingers or nose are going to freeze off. Plus, there’s the whole ice thing.

This is by far our best race photo yet. I especially love it because the girls look like my body guard.

 

This weekend, as my kick-off to racing season, I ran the Bucktown 5K with my friends Becca and Stacie. I was a virgin to this race, but Becca and Stacie had told me that it was fantastic - mostly because of the goodie bag. This year, the bag included a Chicago themed half-zip fleece. I also received a coupon to Club Lucky, a traditional Italian restaurant with delicioso signature martinis.

 

The Bucktown 5K also has a Taste of Bucktown following the race, where you can use your food tickets to get treats from neighborhood eateries. This year’s Taste featured*:

• Olivia’s: Runners refresh—apples, oranges and bananas.
• Starfruit: Smoothies and kefir.
• Choppers: Hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, and pizza puffs
• West Town Bakery: Delicious cake balls.

 The course is overall flat and very manageable. In fact, I ran my new 5K personal record. I will definitely be doing the race again next year.

*list copied from the Bucktown 5K website