RockNRoll Chicago Half Marathon time!

My finishers medal from the 2008 Chicago Distance Classic (02:01:54)
Click to enlarge

This will be #4 of 5 half-marathons I'll be doing this year. The Rock N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon (formerly the Chicago Distance Classic) kicks off at 6:30 a.m. this Sunday, Aug. 2 with a field of over 14,000 runners! I'm excited about the new course, which looks to avoid the teeny, tiny parts of the lakefront path that clogged up the run last year. This course goes into downtown- kinda like a mini Chicago marathon course. I like it.

I'm due for 18 miles total this weekend, so I'll probably head out early for 5 miles on Saturday, to compliment the 13.1 miles on Sunday. My personal best in the half-marathon is 01:56:18 which I clocked at the North Shore half-marathon back in June. My time in this race last year was 02:01:54, which is a nice improvement if I may say. I don't plan on besting my time on Sunday, but I don't really have a reason to hold back either. If I feel great, I'll go for a PR.

My training for Chicago has been going well. I'm back to some normalcy in my runs after a rather scattered training schedule through June and early July. I've started running my longer runs in my new Brooks Defyance 1's. The newish Defyance 2 model of the same shoe haven't agreed with me very well, so I'm using them for runs of 5 miles and under. The Defyance 1's are such a dream to run in, and I can go forever in them. I just hope I can get another pair before they're out of circulation.

The start time for Sunday is a super early 6:30 a.m., which will be nice since the forecast temps are already in the middle 80's. You can follow the race live, online at http://www.competitor.com beginning at 6:30. If you're interested in tracking my progress during the actual race, you can sign up for Runner Tracking via TXT msg at competitorwireless.com. My bib # is 8109 for the name "Jesse Mendoza".

If you'd like to come out to cheer on the runners, I am in corral #8 and will be near the 1:50 (8:32 pace) pace group sign. The Start and Finish line are on Columbus Dr. in Grant Park. A complete course map is here. A FAQ for race day can be found here.

For more info, including details on all the free Rock N Roll music during the race, visit http://chicago.competitor.com/

Wish me luck!