This morning was the inaugural BTN Big 10k. Being a Michigan alum and a HUUUGE fan, I signed up almost two months ago and couldn’t wait for his race! While signing for the race early had its perks (Michigan jersey!) I also kind of forgot about it. Race day seemed to creep up on me and I was under prepared this morning. Whoops!

Packet pick-up was held throughout the week at various Fleet Feet locations and I decided to go yesterday at noon. Everything was well-organized and I was in and out in about 3 minute.. well I would have been had I not gotten side tracked and purchased a handheld water bottle and new socks (on the left).

The 10k started at 7:40 but I wanted to make sure to have plenty of time to walk to Soldier Field, use the porta-potties, and check out the race set-up. I woke up bright and early, drank some protein shake, and got Ian up. We were out the door by 6:15.

I ate the granola bar on the walk over and saved the banana for after the race. This is where I made rookie mistake #1. I tried a new bar before a race, around mile 3 this started to haunt me. I also made mistakes #2 (wore a cotton shirt – it was a Michigan one but made me sooo warm on the course) and #3 (wore my new socks- no trouble there, I loved them).

We arrived right around 7 a.m. and the area was already packed. I used the porta-potties twice and we sat under a tree in some shade Before I knew it, the 5k-ers were off and it was time to line up for the 10k.

I am nowhere near 10k race shape (my PR is detailed here: 42:52) so I decided to treat the Big 10k as a training run. My goal was to push myself a little outside my comfort zone but ultimately to enjoy the race. I ended up lining myself up with the 7:30 min/mile pace group.

The race started near Soldier Field and headed south. We ran under the McCormick Center and along the lake shore path. There was a little entertainment, people dressed in football uniforms, stereos playing fight songs but honestly not as much as I thought there would be. There was also a slip ‘n slide at mile 3 but I didn’t see too many runners using it.

I started out with a 7:10 min/mile and felt really good. I thought that I was moving at a pace that I could maintain for 6 miles and I honestly believe I would have had that fruition bar not threatened to come up around mile 3. The course was warm with little shade (this also could have been a factor) but all of a sudden I got suuper nauseous. It was so bad that I could taste it at times (tmi?). I didn’t want to drop out or walk (and most of all I didn’t want to puke) so I slowed my time to a more manageable pace.

The last mile was hell, I had started to burp up the bar and I was pretty confident that I was going to puke. I told myself that I could do anything for 8 minutes and that I just needed to finish. I crossed the line, grabbed two water bottles and a cold towel, and forgot to stop my Garmin. Whoops.

Pretty obvious when I started to feel sick isn’t it?

I think my final time was 46 minutes and change (I’ll update after it’s posted). It’ drastically different from my PR and a little disappointing considering the drop in pace when I felt sick but overall I’m happy. A 7:30 min/mile is a decent training pace for me.

I have a 10k scheduled in November in the midst of marathon training and I’ll get my redemption there

My nausea didn’t go away when I stopped so I sipped water slowly while Ian and I checked out the finish area.

There was a tailgate area set up with games, food, and beer. All runners were given a free hot dog too.

Before Ian and I left, I made sure to meet up with Elyssa!! It’s always nice to see another blogger and to share some Maize & Blue pride .

By the time I was home I finally stopped feeling nauseous and started to get hungry. We have a pretty empty kitchen so I whipped up oatmeal using 1/3 cup oatmeal, 1 T chia seeds, 1 cup water, 1/2 banana, and some strawberries.

It did the trick!

Last night
We finally decided to use the giftcard I received for winning the ALS 5k and headed out to Petterino’s for dinner.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about Petterino’s. The food was good, the ambiance was nice, and our server was incredibly nice and helpful. What more can you want?

I started with the Fritzel salad but I asked for a balsamic vinaigrette instead of the bacon and cream dressing and had them bring the deviled egg on the side (given to Ian).

Ian had the iceberg wedge and loved it. It was his first one ever!

For my entrée I ordered the special salmon of the night served with asparagus and no butter sauce.

The coho salmon was super flavorful and I ate every last bite.

Ian ordered the NY Strip Steak that was served with a horse-radish crust and a potato side dish. He loved it!

Petterino’s policy is to give first time diners a chocolate mousse cake on the house but as I can’t eat dairy, out waitress brought out fresh berries with whipped cream on the side for Ian. How thoughtful!

It was the perfect way to end our evening