Run for Chocolate

What would you do for chocolate?  Would you clean house?  Wash the car?  Come on, what?

I ran a 5K downtown Chicago on a perfect Sunday morning.  Thanks to daylight savings time, I got up at the normal time with plenty of energy and drive to run.  The kids, husband and I were all out the door by 6:30 a.m. - a small victory on a Sunday morning. On the drive into the city the only traffic we saw were cops and parked cars.  A nice, quiet morning until.......

Normally, the Kennedy/I90 is clear sailing on an early Sunday morning.  Not today. Before the Cumberland exit, all five lanes merged down to one.  A few miles later, all lanes opened up as the overnight construction crew cleaned up their  work.  It was smooth sailing all the way downtown, except for a few street closures. Lesson learned, no matter the day or time always check the traffic and weather report. No excuses.

View of runners and walkers together at near mile 2.

My race goal was to enjoy the entire experience. Being with fellow runners, taking in the weather and cheers from spectators.  As soon as the race started down Columbus Drive I saw a large number of spectators cheering us on from the Randolph Street Bridge.  This was the perfect opportunity to open my big mouth and get Corral K cheering and waving back.  Next thing I heard, Corral K was louder than the spectators.  Cheers, shouts and screams of chocolate were heard.  The spectators continued to cheer as we passed under the bridge and down to Lower Wacker Drive.  Such an amazing feeling.  Never knew my big mouth could get a group of runners with ear buds to shout for chocolate!

Hamming it up for the camera.

In the end, the race was not my fastest instead it was memorable.  I goofed around throughout the race.  Think running around cones, high fiving spectators and airplane arms around curves.  Ha, I can be serious at home on the treadmill.  One highlight was stoping to kiss my kids and husband after the one mile mark.  I had the fear of losing my music thoughout the entire race, so my iPod was skintight to my arm.

When my jaunt through downtown was done, I trekked over to Grant Park for the promised chocolate.  The finishers prize was a large plastic mug filled with banana, Rice Krispy treat, cookies, pretzels and a personal fondu of chocolate   The drink was hot chocolate - go figure. Not my ideal post race food, so when I finally caught up with the family they ate it all. I ordered a medium coffee from Dunkin Donuts for the ride home.

Maybe the Santa 5K will be next.  What antics will I pull at that race?  Hmm, maybe I will wear a Santa Suit or Reindeer outfit.  Better yet, a mistletoe headband.  My husband won't mind, right????

Would you run for chocolate?

Sharon, The Mayor