LaSalle Insider

While many of my golfing friends were still in bed this past saturday, I was awake and standing outside gate 0 at Soldier Field.  Let me explain.  It all started back in January of this year when my 25 year old niece was pointing out how I had gained a “few pounds” lately.  A few was putting it nicely.  It was closer to 35-40 to be exact.  She was still talking up the fact that she had competed in a half marathon in Chicago  last September.  

She proceeded to challenge me to run a race with her in the Spring which would require me to train and hence lose some weight.  Maybe it was the scotch I had consumed at this  family event or my pride but I decided to accept her offer.

Since that January day I have been monitoring my food and beverage intake as well as increasing my training. (from none to some).  We had originally decided on the Shamrock Shuffle which is run at the end of March. Its a 5 miler in Chicago with about 30,000 entrants.  When race day came we decided (along with the majority of the signed up runners) to not participate due to wind, blowing snow,slippery conditions, and COLD temps!

It was my niece Amy’s job to find another race later in the year for us to measure our running talents against one another.  She found  the Soldier Field event scheduled for this past Saturday.  The problem was that it was to be twice as long as the race I originally agreed to run with her.  Its officially called the SOLDIER FIELD 10 MILE.  It’s run on the Memorial Day weekend every year and starts and ends at Soldier Field.  You officially end the race on the 50 yard line in the stadium on the field.

We joined  7365 other runners along with some active service personnel in fatigues to step off at about 7:45 am.  The beginning of the race , as you can imagine, was slow due to a large crowd in a small space.  It did open up at about the 4 mile area and one could run at the pace of their choice.  I

I need an I.V.

thought my niece and her friend were being nice and running at my pace  to keep an eye on me in the event I “went down!”  After the halfway point I decided to pick up the pace and figured they would stay with me.  Well I guess the “old man showed em somthin!” because I finished about 7 1/2 minutes in front of them.  Don’t get to excited though…I finished 4504 out of 7365 at a pace of 9:48 per mile.  The overall winner ran it at a 5 minute mile pace and probably was eating breakfast while I was at the half way point!

Well those Ethiopians can run, I’ll give them that!

In all seriousness, it was a great time and great to know we were part of a race which honored active and veteran serviceman and women around the world.  We were told there were shadow races in Iraq and elsewhere where our people are serving.

I must take a moment to thank my niece Amy for pushing me to run with her and to help me realize that the toughest step is the first when it comes to

amy "The Motivator"

getting in shape!  And now , where did I put those flyers on the half marathons coming up this year…………