It has certainly been a long, but extremely fun, season. It started in San Diego in January, had stops in IL, IN, WI, OH and CO, and wrapped up in Chicago. There were a LOT of positives during the season, and I will build on those in 2019.
The final race of the season was the Chicago Jingle Bell 5K. As with the previous 5Ks this fall/winter, a member of Achilles (Kristin) was my guide.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I sometimes forget one item at home when packing for a race. While I didn’t forget anything at home this time, I did almost forget gloves/hat at gear check. It was warm inside, and I had put them into the pockets before doing gear chuck. Thankfully, I realized it in plenty of time to grab them from gear check before we headed outside.
Prior to the start, it was a nice surprise to run into our former RBD. I hadn’t seen him for about 7 years, and it was nice to have a few minutes to talk with him and catch up. After starting, the first 2 miles went really well. There were lots of ice patches on the path, but Kristin ensured that we went around them. After that, the same issues that I had during the final mile last race came up. Even though it was about 90 seconds total slower than I had aimed for, it was still a good race. On advice of one of my friends, I will be working on longer training runs during the offseason so that I’m not hitting a wall at 2 – 2.5.
One other note from the race is that it was nice to see concern for others during the race. At about the 2.1-2.2 mile point, a runner tripped over a stick and fell hard. While they were okay, everyone around them (including us) stopped temporarily and made sure that they were okay.
I also want to make sure that I properly thank everyone who’s helped me throughout the season. It would not have been as successful as it was without all of your help and support! THANK YOU to
- Dare2Tri
- Challenged Athletes Foundation
- Hammer Nutrition
- Naperville Noon Lions Club
- Achilles Chicago
- A long list of guides, family & friends
