Sunday, February 6, 2011

Marathon?

So I'm eyeing a marathon and I want YOUR opinion!!
















Well there ya go! It's the Chicagoland Spring Marathon and Half Marathon on May 15 2011 in Schaumburg Illinois. I bet you didn't get all that from the banner there... :D

I need your help because I just can't make the last "for sure" commitment decision here. I'm 95% sure I want to do this race but I want to hear what you guys think first!


Because I'm a nerd this will be organized as "pros and cons"

Pros:
  • Small Race (half marathon capped at 1000, full marathon capped at 2000
  • Half marathoners split at mile 5 so it should thin out fairly early in the race (as opposed to mile 13)
  • Inaugural year so maybe fewer people?
  • More "nature" than urban
  • Cheap entry fee
  • Near relatives
  • Don't have to rent a car (see reason above)
  • Plane tickets are pretty cheap there
  • Good time of year (though chance of being too hot)
  • Portillo's Hot Dog House right near park! (see pictures below :D)
Cons:
  • Inaugural year so maybe some first-year mishaps?
  • Trail seems narrow, first 5 miles may be a bit jam packed
  • Chance of being hot that time of year. If weather fits the "average" it'll be perfect but any warmer could be bad.

Course Map:

http://www.allcommunityevents.com/chicagoland_spring_marathon/chicagoland_marathon_map.pdf


Video of Race:



Photos of the Course:























6 comments:

  1. Looks beautiful...I say DO IT....It seems that your gut is telling you to do so....that was a detailed post...It is important to follow your gut!

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  2. I've run at Busse before. It is a really nice preserve. The trail would maybe be a little crowded at the beginning but I would think it would thin out and if it would be hot that weekend, it would just be bad luck. It shouldn't be too bad that time of year! I think it would be a good race!

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  3. It looks beautiful, Lauren! Do you think you're ready? How have you been feeling? I say go for it if you feel like you can finish it!!!

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  4. That trail looks awesome!! I say go for it!
    My first marathon was also small (around 1000 marathon runners) and along a scenic route. Not much crowd support except from volunteers at the water stops. If that doesn't matter to you, then it should be a great race. I did all my long training runs solo, so it didn't bother me.
    Also smaller = less stress before the start, which is a nice plus since the marathon start anticipation is stressful enough on its own!

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  5. I'm over from RustBeltRunner and I say DO IT!! It looks beautiful. I'm from northern IN, I don't think someone from Orlando should worry about it being too hot on 5/15 - not likely. It's likely to be perfect - maybe even a little cool. My birthday is 4/30 and it has snowed 21 of my 35 years on my birthday! Do it and have fun!

    mystorychapter2.blogspot.com

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  6. I'd race that based on the pictures alone. And cheap entry fee? I'd be all in. Go for it. :)

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