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Overdressed in Kenosha

Overdressed in Kenosha

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This weekend marked my first longish run post-Boston marathon, and I ran the Kenosha half-marathon in nearby Kenosha, WI, just on the other side of the Illinois border.  The race was interesting for a variety of reasons—in no small part because I got there late and started 10 minutes behind everyone (including the police swag car), so I got to see a lot of different people as I caught up to the larger crowd.  What I was most surprised about, however, was not the undulating course (which I was not expecting) or the Kenoshan scenery (pretty, as advertised) but what people were wearing for the race.  Translation: I can’t believe how overdressed people were.

Consider this post a PSA on “how to dress for the weather” when embarking on a run.

I’ve always heard to “dress as though it’s 20 degrees warmer” when dressing for a run (though there may be some concessions to that when it’s really, really cold outside).  As best as I can understand, the 20 degree rule takes into consideration the fact that you’ll warm up when you’re running, despite the weather conditions.  50 won’t feel like 50; it’ll feel like 70.  And ungodly concentrations of humidity can further exacerbate the weather, making 70 with 100% humidity feel a WHOLE lot hotter, probably upper 80s/90+.  Some folks will even go so far to assert that you should feel just slightly chilly outside, in your running clothes, before you get movin’.

I know some people are “always cold,” or “always hot,” or something in between, so I guess those anomalies would have to plan accordingly.  What blew me away at Kenosha, though, was that at the 7 a.m. start, it was already about 60 or so, very sunny, and at times, gusts of wind.  In spite of these favorable (if not warm) conditions, I can’t tell you how many athletes I saw donning long-sleeve shirts, gloves, ear-warmers, hats, or long tights—stuff that I wear when it’s closer to <30 outside.

I can’t imagine that Kenosha is much hotter than Chicago, but man… it was weird.  And I think what spooked me so much about it was that it reminded me of the 2007 Chicago Marathon (the hot-as-hell year).  Despite how warm it was, there were throngs of runners wearing similar cold-weather wear, probably exacerbating their heat-related fatigue.  It was not something I wanted to see again.  And the weird thing at Kenosha was that the runners (half-marathoners or full) who were wearing tons of clothing weren’t just the folks in the back of the pack, who would be spending more time outside (and thus, subjected to the whims of the weather for a longer period of time).  The overdressed folks were a cross-section of both the tortoises and the hares, the halfers and the fulls.

Knowing what to wear when running outside is worthy of care and consideration only because runners have to think about threats such as heat exhaustion, hyperthermia, hypothermia, or heat stroke, among other elements-related or elements-inflicted illnesses.

We all just have to be careful and take all these factors into consideration before trekking out on our daily jaunts.

March Madness Recap

March Madness Recap

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All smiles, post 13.1!

This past weekend, Chicago saw some seriously shitty weather on Saturday.  It was that nasty “wintry” mix stuff that combines wet snow, rain, and wind, which makes you feel like someone’s throwing sharp little knives at your face, and no matter how you cock your head, or how much you grit your teeth, there’s just no way to get comfortable.  Yuck.   Luckily, I wasn’t planning to run our group’s slated 15 miles on Saturday because I was running the Hillstriders’ March Madness half marathon out in Cary, IL, which is located roughly forever (70-ish minutes?) away from Chicago.

The March Madness race is like a secret that you want to share, because you know how good it is, but one that you want to keep to yourself, because you want to stay privy to the information.  I’ll explain.

Apparently, the race is limited to only about 1k runners each year, mostly because it’s on a Sunday morning, and the runners overtaking the rural country roads interfere with the church-going crowd.  (Logic would say to a) hold the race on a Saturday or b) start the race earlier than 8:35, but who’s reason to mess with church?  Anyway….)  That said, getting an entry into the race is like getting a golden ticket from a Wonka bar.  The 2010 race registration opened on New Year’s Eve day and filled in — get this — 5 hours.  Unless you were sitting by your computer, credit card in hand, you probably didn’t get an entry.  I took my laptop with me to the DR for the express reason of registering as soon as I possibly could.

The race, itself, is probably the hardest half marathon I’ve ever run (in addition to the Mill Creek Distance Classic in Youngstown, Ohio).  It’s hilly, and in all the wrong spots — much like the Boston Marathon!  In fact, that’s why many people run the March Madness race … as a Boston tune-up.  Check out the map below; you’ll get my drift.  It’s the best-kept secret that you kinda, but don’t really, want to share.

March Madness Half-Marathon Course

Here’s another picture of my training buddy, Chris, and me, taken right after we finished.  I think we look much more awake and alert than we probably feel 🙂

I ran a satisfying 1:41, slightly slower than last year, and pulled a 12th place finish in my age group and among the top 50 women.  I tried to run the race thoughtfully and not go balls-to-the-wall early on, for I knew what hills lied ahead, and when I finished, though tired, I still had some juice in the tank.  The race, and my performance, definitely made the drive worthwhile.

We’re officially less than a month from the 114th running of the Boston Marathon, kids.  Next up: the last of our three 20-milers before Boston, plus roughly a million Yasso 800s this week.

Bring it on.