volition america chicago half marathon recap

Disclaimer: I received an entry for Volition America Chicago Half Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

You can read my shorter review over on BibRave.com.

You may recall that back in June I had a weekend with two half marathons. It included Volition Busses Woods and RAM Racing North Shore Classic. Well, September brought me a similar weekend with RAM Racing Run Mag Mile Half Marathon and another Volition race - this time in Chicago.

I originally hadn't planned on the Busses Woods race, as it was about an hour from home and I didn't know the area well (and I had a half marathon that weekend already), but when BibRave needed a runner, I decided to step up. It would be a new challenge for me – two half marathons back to back in one weekend (as in one Saturday and one Sunday), but I figured if I could get through Dopey Challenge which included a half marathon and then a full marathon, I should be able to handle two half marathons. 

Anyway, my point is that since I decided to do Busse Woods, I wanted to also do Chicago so that I could participate in the Double Duty Challenge. This meant an extra medal. It was a little extra, but if you signed up for DDC, it registered you for either your choice of: half at both Busse Woods and Chicago, a 5k at both locations, or a combo of a half and 5k. There was also a PR Challenge – sign up for this, tell them your PR, and if you beat it, then you get another medal.

Chicago's race was held on Sunday, September 11. It seemed a very fitting day for this race, as it's very patriotic, and it benefits Folds of Honor. Read more here, but the short of it is that it is in organization that that honors the sacrifice of our fallen and disabled service members by supporting their legacy with educational scholarships. Great cause, and I was honored to run this specific race on that specific day and in a way, honor those that sacrificed their lives that tragic day.

Packet pickup for Volition Chicago was held on Friday at Road Runner Sports in Chicago from 3–7, Saturday at Road Runner Sports Wilmette 10a–2p, and then on race day morning at the race site (I want to say from maybe 5 or 5:30–6? but not sure).

I went in on Friday with my mom, as we did pickup for Run Mag Mile that day too, and the running stores are just a little over a mile apart. For me, pickup was easy. My mom had some issues, as her name wasn't on the list. We can't quite figure out if it had something to do with registering for Double Duty Challenge as a half and 5k or water. Thankfully, the volunteers working were very helpful and friendly in creating a bib for her and getting her her shirt and bag. I really appreciated how quickly they resolved the problem. My mom had her registration confirmation email too, so it was easy to let them know what day she had registered and what. 

Goody bags included a blue drawstring backpack with the Volition America logo and a zippered front pocket, a tech-shirt, your bib, and safety pins. We were probably in and out within 15 minutes. I also tried on my shirt there to check that it fit well and that I didn't need to exchange. It fit well so I kept it.

The race site was at Arvey Field, a well-known location for mom and I for races. We parked over at Soldier Field and walked over (maybe a 10 minute walk). The half marathon start was at 7 and the 5k at 7:15. We got there around 6:30 and headed to the portapotties. There were 2 lines for 12 toilets, and though they seemed long, they moved pretty quickly (bonus points: they had had washing stations with soap and water). From there I texted Mark, he had just left that area, came back quick to have a chat and wish each other luck, and then he was off to toe the line.

Around 6:55 we went over to the start line. Towards the back it was hard to hear anything from the RD or announcers, but eventually the National Anthem was played, mom and I wished each other luck, I went to the back of the line of runners, and we were off.

The course took us around Arvey Field on the sidewalk (which that first stretch gets a bit crowded, but once you turn the corner it widens a bit and people spread out), and then underneath the tunnel towards the lakefront path. The half marathoners went south around the aquarium, past Soldier Field, and down to about the 7.25 mile where the turn around was. Some points had the runners split so not all runners going out and back were on the same path, but I think mostly we were. It was nice though, because I could see Mark coming, take some photos of him running, and we high-fived / encouraged one another as we passed. There was also someone that yelled BibRave at me and I think my response was yeaaaaah! haha.

Things were going pretty well for me. I was holding a pretty quick pace using 45/30 run/walk intervals. The day before I had had GPS problems with my watch, and this day I had user problems... I somehow didn't start it at the start, and when I looked down about .25 miles in it was still on the start screen, so I was annoyed about that. Generally I could still figure out my pace since it wasn't too far off, but I was so excited to know exactly how I had been doing since the day before was so off haha. Oh well.

Mile 2 on the course was very special. It was the Blue Mile. Members of Wear Blue: Run to Remember were out there. They lined the course with photos of service members who had lost their lives during their service. All of these people were of some relation to someone out running the course – family member, friend, loved one. It was very moving. Then after the photos, the course was lined with men, women, and kids holding American flags and cheering on the runners. Inspiring.

After the turnaround, approximately 7.5 or 8 miles in, I started having shooting pains in my ankle/achilles area of my left foot. It was a sharp pain that was practically debilitating. I'm honestly shocked I was able to stay on my feet when it decided to hit while running. I started to walk a bit more to try and work it out, and when it felt better I'd get into a slower run, felt good, so went normal. Then it would come back. Ouch. I stopped a few times to massage and stretch, and eventually after about 2 miles it went away.

With less than a month before the marathon, I started freaking out internally a bit. Thoughts of tearing ligaments or tendons popped into my head and I was like this race is not worth sacrificing all the hard work I've put into my marathon training. If the pain didn't go away, I'd just walk the remainder, or stop if it was bad enough. Thankfully, my active imagination didn't become reality. At race start it was in the 60s, a nice breeze, so seemed like a great morning, but for me by mile 9 it was creeping into the upper 70s and with all sun – I was getting hot. There were about 8 aid stations on course that had both water and Gatorade. Even towards the back of the pack they were well stocked with product and cheering volunteers. Always appreciated. Sometimes, being on the slower end, some races run out of water or Gatorade, and you are left with nothing, so it's always great when races are prepared for even the slower folks.

No problem following this sign :P

I had been texting my mom occasionally throughout the race and she told me my friend was looking for me. I was a little perplexed. I knew she was talking about Mark, but I was like looking for me at the finish? I still have 3.5 miles to go haha, but then I thought maybe it meant he was out on the path, so kept my eyes peeled. Sure enough around mile 10, he caught up to me and then ran the rest of the race with me. What a friend. Honestly, that act of kindness, camaraderie, and friendship really meant a lot to me. It also helped to keep me motivated. It was a nice distraction to have someone to chat with, too. 

Once the half marathoners got back around the aquarium going north, they went on the lower path near the lake to the end of that portion (that was mile 12 marker), then turned around going south again, down the hill, west back under the tunnel, up a small incline, and a sharp right turn to the finish line.

Mom had seen us before hitting the lower path by the lake and then joined us back towards the finish. After the tunnel they went to cheer me on at the finish line while I ran the last .1 miles.

Wish I had known my face was in shadow. Oops.

With Lacie - she's awesome and did a great job!

All of the miles were marked with mile marker flags, and maybe four of them had clocks. At the finish line the announcer called out your name and everyone in the area cheered. I was finishing with an older gentleman who was so sweet, and I told him 'let's finish this strong' and he told me to finish ahead of him haha. I told him I didn't mind finishing together if he wanted. What a cutie.

2 more medals to add to the collection.

You received your medal and a bottle of water, oranges, bananas, and pretzels. There was a Volition backdrop with a photographer. Mark and I also ran into the guy who had yelled BibRave (and to Mark he yelled 'Daddy' haha) - turned out it was my twitter pal Nick! We took a photo, chatted, said our goodbyes to Nick, took some photos with Mark and I, I took a photo with the backdrop, and then we went to the after party area.

The after party had a DJ, some samples of Naked along with free shoelaces, sunglasses, and stickers, the Info tent where you went to get your Double Duty Challenge medal, Wear Blue, and a few others. I grabbed some Naked samples that were delightful and then went for my DDC medal. My mom, having issues with packet pickup and her name not in the system, also had trouble getting her medal. Since her name wasn't on the list, they took her info down and planned on mailing out her medal. I had met the Executive Director Friday (such a sweet woman), who found me after the race to see how everything went. I thought it was a great event, and told her so (as did Mark), but mentioned my mom not being able to get her medal. She took care of it right away and so my mom took her name off the list so they didn't send her a duplicate. I thought that was an awesome touch.

Finish line photo courtesy of Mark.

This was a great event, well-organized, great medals, great support, and a great cause. I highly recommend this race series and I'll be keeping my eyes open for 2017 dates.

volition america half marathon (elk grove) recap

Disclaimer: I received an entry for Volition America Half Marathon (Elk Grove) to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

When the opportunity came up to run Volition America Half Marathon in Elk Grove for BibRave (held on Saturday, June 4), I initially passed, since it was in a location that seemed farther from home than I'd rather drive. However, the team really needed someone run, and no one else was available, so I said 'What the heck.' I am SO glad that I did! What a GREAT race. You can read my shorter BibRave review here.

I had wanted to run Volition America Half Marathon in Chicago on September 11, and when I agreed to run Elk Grove, I asked if I could register for them both at the same time in order to be registered for the Double Duty Challenge (if I was being chosen to run Chicago for BibRave, that is). Luckily, Volition and BibRave are so awesome, they made it happen for me. I am very thankful to get to be a part of the BibRave community and to be able to run races on their behalf.

Registration was easy – you can go through the Volition America race page to get to the Eventbrite registration. During registration, you could choose to run the 5k, the half marathon, or one of the options for the Double Duty Challenge. These included the Double Duty Half Marathon (half marathon at both locations - Elk Grove and Chicago), Double Duty 5k (5k at each location), or the Doubly Duty 1 half marathon and 1 5k (you choose the distance you want to run at each race - a half marathon at one and the 5k at the other). If you had a promotional code (which I did, as well as anyone using the BibRave discount code I was sharing), you would just click on the enter promotional code link, a box would pop up, and then you enter it and hit apply. Easy to do.

They had two days for packet pickup along with race day. First option was at Road Runner Sports in Naperville on June 2 from 2–7, and then on Friday June 3 at Road Runner Sports in Killdeer 2–7. I originally was planning on doing race day (which began at 5:30 or 6 am), but I had another pickup to do on Friday for North Shore Classic on Sunday, so since I was only about 25 minutes from the Volition pickup, I decided to get it out of the way. I'm really glad I did. 

Packet pickup number 2 for the day complete!

At pickup, I was able to speak with someone who had been helping the director with the race. She asked if I was Heather when I went up to get my bib, as we had been chatting on Twitter and she recognized me (probably didn't hurt that I was wearing my BibRave Trucker hat), I said I was, so we introduced ourselves. I was able to ask her about parking, since the website said it was first come first served, and I wasn't sure if that meant it could fill up, and if it did, where would I need to go. I had never run this race and didn't know Busse Woods at all, so had no clue about anything. Luckily, she said there were plenty of spaces and it wouldn't be a problem, but they would have busses to drive runners from the back of the parking to the start line, so even if we were far it wasn't a problem.  

Also, the store had the Addaday Boomerang, which I had been searching for high and low at local running stores and could never find. It's AMAZING. Angie had one, which she let me try back at Fort 2 Base last year, and I was so envious I had started looking at every running store I went in. So glad to have that in my recovery arsenal. I also snagged two more tubes of the old Nuun formula. That's all they had left. Womp womp.

Anyway, at pickup I received a bib, shirt, and drawstring backpack. I was also able to grab my mom's too. I wish I would have tried on the shirt, or noticed that it was in fact a woman's cut, because when I put in a size at registration, it didn't seem like they were gender specific, so I did my unisex size, which is too small for gender specific. Rather than trying to deal with exchanging on race day, I figured since I was running Volition again in Chicago later this year, I would email and request a size change. Maybe if I ever lose the weight I'm planning on, the other size will fit ;) I received an email pretty quickly saying that it wouldn't be a problem to switch my size for September. Yay!

Friday night I did my usual laying out of the gear to make sure I had everything, took my 'flat Heather' photo, made my Generation UCAN Lemonade for the morning and tossed it in the fridge, and figured out directions. There wasn't an exact address for where parking was in Busse Woods, so I just dropped a pin in Google Maps app where the parking was and did directions from home to the dropped pin. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, no traffic problems at all. The website offered Ned Busse Preserve, E Higgins Rd and N Arlington Heights Rd in Elk Grove, and that race start is near the boat ramp and the south pool. This was enough for me to get exact location of parking for my directions.

Before the start.

We arrived at exactly 6am, were behind two other cars going into the Woods. When we were parked, we got out to get everything ready to go, and noticed a whole bunch of cars getting there. Not that it was packed or anything, but I feel we got there at the exact right moment to miss having to wait for other cars to park. They had volunteers helping cars to park, which was nice. Plenty of open spaces. According to the map, we had parked .5 miles away from the start line.

We noticed an indoor bathroom buildng near our car, so decided to see if that was open before finalizing our gear and heading to the start line. Mom went first, as I was finishing up my Generation UCAN (Lemonade was my favorite - you can read my review here). The bathroom was in fact open, so when mom got back I went. Again - perfect timing. No line when I got in, but there was one when I got out. It was nice to have indoor plumbing, and though no soap, there was running water. I had Moist Wipes and Anti Bacteria gel in the car, so no problem.

I sun sprayed and mosquito sprayed up, got on my Orange Mud back VP 1, got my bib on with my Race Dots, and then we walked to the start. I had a friend there with her daughter, and though I had just gotten to the race area and was about to look for her, boom, she was right in front of me. No looking needed haha. We chatted, and then it was time to line up.

Starting the half marathon.

The RD, Major Dan Rooney, USAFR F-16 Fighter Pilot, who started up the Folds of Honor Foundation (read more here), led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and then went on to tell his story and how Folds of Honor came to be. It was past 7am, and I had to go to the bathroom again. I felt a little disrespectful, but I could tell the story would be a minute (you can hear/watch the emotional story below), and there was no line for the porta-potties, so I ran over quick. Really glad I did, as I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it the whole race haha, and I'm not one who likes to stop for breaks at all when running, in fear it'll be too hard to get going again. I could still hear from the bathroom, and when I got back in spot, it was time for the National Anthem. The race started at about 7:12am.

There weren't a lot of runners, maybe 500 tops. I didn't know until after the fact that the race was supposed to be a 3:00 time limit. I'm glad I didn't know going in, because I definitely didn't finish in 3 hours and I would have felt stressed about that. I had assumed it was a 3:30 like a lot of other races, though I though I overheard someone say that they weren't sticking to that rule. I know there were a few others behind us, and it seemed like they let everyone finish, which I appreciate a lot.

Pretty scenery.

Course support was fantastic. There was an aid station approximately every 1.5 miles. I tried to keep track, but I lost count after a few miles haha. Each aid station had water and gatorade (different flavors—orange, blue, and yellow—but if you asked, the volunteer would let you know what they had in their hand). There were also one or two porta-potties along with the indoor bathrooms. Usually the aid stations coincided with the bathrooms, but they had the porta-potties too. All of the volunteers were friendly, energetic, and they all cheered us on or told us how great we were doing. I made sure to say thanks to all volunteers, cops, etc. out there. The race couldn't happen without them.

The runners were all friendly and supportive. There were two parts that were up and backs, and so many runners encouraged one another as they passed. So nice to see things like that. Also, runners that were not racers were cheering the racers on. Cyclists out on the path didn't run you over, but would let you know they were coming on your left, and how many. They also encouraged us along. I was running with my mom, usually next to her, but if I saw runners or cyclists coming at us, and knew a cyclist was behind, I tried to get behind her. The path wasn't super wide. There was one instance where I didn't notice the cyclist behind us, but he stopped, let the runners on the other side pass, and then went by. I apologized when I realized I was in the way, but he said it wasn't a problem at all and that we doing great. You don't get much of that in the city!

Running on bridges.

There were mile flags at each mile, and a few clocks here and there (couldn't figure out the reason as to when the clocks were there, but it was nice to have a few). Mile 9–11 seemed a bit off, but I had my watch so not a big deal. The course was well marked, any turn arounds or different paths usually meant there was a volunteer and cones/arrows.

Elk! This is only mile 3 or 4... look how sweaty I already am!

It was mostly cloudy, but the sun creeped out once in a while. It rained a little on and off around miles 7–12, but it felt so great I didn't mind at all. The race wasn't super hot, but it was very humid which gave me some trouble. I'm a baby when it comes to humidity, and my body just seems to shut down a bit when it gets too over heated. Humidity makes it hard because you're sweating bullets, but your body can't cool itself down because the sweat doesn't dry to help take some of that heat away. Woof.

Busse Woods had a good amount of shade, which I really liked. It's a paved path that has some beautiful scenery. Even some elks in there. I hope this race comes back there again next year. It's definitely on my list. I think I'll even pop out there once or twice for Chicago Marathon training. Will be nice to have some shade, but also practice running on pavement rather than trails all the time to help get me ready for race day. 

13 miles left. The entire mile was lined with motivational/inspirational signs.

At the finish line there were a line of about 4 military men and women on each side as you crossed the street, and i thanked them all for their service, while they thanked me back. I don't think I deserved thanks, but they were all so encouraging, it was a great way to push yourself to the finish. We received our medals, and then they had a variety of flavored Gatorade cups, bottled water, cups of Animal Crackers, cups of pretzels, bananas, and apples. 

At the finish line.

Right after finishing I saw a familiar face, but even more so, knew it was a voice I had heard so frequently. I went over to him and asked if he was the announced for basically all Chicago races, and he laughed and said he was. We introduced ourselves and chatted. I told him how I've seen/heard him at so many races and it was great to meet him. He asked what races I had coming up, and told me which ones he'd be at. I told him to look for me at Chicago Marathon, as it isn't crowded at all and I'd be easy to spot. Ha. Anyway, it was really cool to meet him and talk for a bit. Later my mom asked me if he was the announcer who got ours names right (there's one that does, and most don't). He is in fact that man, so thank you for the proper pronunciation! I'll have to mention that to him next time.

Free race photos would be available (a few days after the race), and they had a backdrop with a photographer still hanging around. We got our photo taken and it was starting to rain again. The beer on site was not one that I'm a fan of, and since there was a busy day ahead, we made our way back to the car. They still had buses out, which was cool, but we did our cool down on the walk back. I took some of my own photos, switched to my Oofos, and we were off.

13.1 miles done, 13.1 more to go tomorrow!

We stopped at Subway for some lunch to bring home, I showered and got ready for the parties ahead — our favorite local brewery's two year anniversary party and my uncle's birthday party. You can read a little more here in my Chicago Marathon Training: Week 3 recap if you'd like.

I really enjoyed this race, and loved that it benefitted such a great cause. Consider joining me in Chicago on September 11 for Volition America 5k or half marathon. Use code 'BibRave' to save 15%. I think it was very well organized, and other than the beer not being to my liking (if you know me, you know why), I don't have any complaints. I love a race that allows free race day pickup, and if I hadn't already been in the area the day before, would have utilized it, since it's not near me at all.

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