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Every year, it is no secret, that the Shamrock Shuffle is my favorite race. The crowds, the excitement, the Irish theme, getting to run on closed Chicago streets, fun times with my friends, and free beer at the finish line. It really doesn't get any better than this. (If you haven't run this race before, I highly recommend it.)

Last year I was gung-ho on a PR. I had run throughout the winter and I was looking to beat an old PR set back in 2009. I achieved my goal by a larger margin than I thought I would, even without my trusty Garmin.

Just past the finish line, with the "famous" green guys

Enjoying a post-race beverage

I even wore my Hunger Games shirt in honor of the movie opening that exact weekend! (Oh, and I also got a wicked awesome sunburn in the gap between when my t-shirt sleeve ended and my arm warmers began. CLASSY.)

The expo for this race is always fun too. Lots of swag, samples, and other cool things. Even if you're not running the race, it is a fun expo to attend. I also am interested to see which route they go with the shirts. Last year they went with red (??) so it looked like it was a Christmas themed race with all of the people wearing the race shirt and the green.

History of the Shamrock Shuffle shirts. 2007 (upper left) through 2012 (bottom right)

In years past, I've always tried to start off the racing season strong and bust my butt for this race. This year, however, I'm doing something a little different. One of my friends asked me if I would run with her. I know she normally is a run-walker and that sounds right up my alley right about now. Especially since the race has been moved to April again (like 2011), it may be a bit warmer than usual. (In 2011 I had to buy a green tank top the week of the race because I had nothing that was weather-appropriate to wear.) Plus, a side goal would be to try and meet my buddy Dathan again to, hopefully, get a better photo this time around. We'll see though. This year, the race is all about having fun. I've taken the pressure off myself and I'm looking forward to hanging out with all of my friends, whenever I cross the finish line! :) Have you run the Shamrock Shuffle before? Are you running it this year? Last year we orchestrated our first ever Chicago Running Blogger meetup. Hopefully this year we'll get the chance to do the same thing!

I did my fair share of racing this year and there were some ups and some downs. When deciding on my 2013 schedule, it is definitely helpful to have an electronic trail of all your previous races, remembering things you liked and didn't like. Here is a list of my favorite races from 2012.

This is a big Chicago race and one I have a lot of fun with every year. I have run this race every year sine 2007. I'm already registered for the 2013 event, making it my 6th Shamrock Shuffle. I really like that you get the chance to run through the city without completing a huge distance like a half or full marathon. The entry fee is a bit on the pricey side, (around $40) but I think it is well worth it. The swag bag includes a dryfit t-shirt and that is about it. The expo is pretty big where there are plenty of free samples and good deals to be had. The race is put on by the same corporation (and same race director) as the Chicago Marathon so it is obvious that they know what they're doing. Everything is always well organized, packet pickup is a breeze, and things are fairly efficient. The post-race party is always really fun, filled with plenty of food and a free beer ticket. It is a great place to socialize with friends to talk about the race. As Amanda and I both like to call it the Best. Race. Ever. !! (Official website)



2012 was the first time I had run this race, but I had always heard great things (from both family and running friends alike). I was happy to get the opportunity to run it and I had a blast. That is, before I started to self-destruct because of how hot race day was... The swag bag was amazing, the shirts fit nicely, the expo was alright for being a local small-town race. The only thing I would say could have made this race better would be pace groups, and they are adding them for the 2013 event! A local running store puts on this race and you can tell it is put together by runners. The course is a nice "out and back" and would be a good place to PR. (Official website)

FNRC before the race

Having fun at the expo with Mag Mile Runner

I had never run a Rock N Roll event before 2012 because of the price. If you don't register early the price goes up, by a lot and quickly. Despite the larger-than-usual price tag, I think this is a great race. It is throughout the streets of Chicago, with pace teams, and a big expo. I think I had more fun at the expo than the actual race (but that was more due to my self-destruction because of the heat, as opposed to the actual race itself). Packet pickup was a breeze and things were run efficiently. They put on a lot of Rock N Roll races in tons of different cities and states and I think Chicago is one of the more efficient (and longest-run) ones. The medical staff was friendly and accommodating  the post-race party was great, and I love when races include a free beer at the finish. I'm not signed up again for the 2013 race because I am refraining from lots of summer races this year. If I wasn't doing Ragnar, it would be on my schedule for sure. (Official website)



The main draw for this race is that it is local (about 15 minutes from my house), it was the day before the Chicago Marathon (had my fingers crossed for an age group award), and it was extremely cheap ($15 if you pre-registered). If I was running the Chicago Marathon, I wouldn't have done this race. Packet pick-up was available race-day and things were fairly sufficient. As I arrived early, there was plenty of parking available (this race is still fairly small). The race was gun timed so you needed to start near the front if you were looking to PR. The course was scenic and along the local trail (although, it included a fairly large uphill bridge on the way out and back) but it made for a fun little challenge. The post-race eats were quite delicious including donuts, bagels, water bottles, granola bars, and coffee (my favorite part of local races). We even made it onto the local cable access channel (if you check around 3:14, 5:24, and 12:25 you may see a familiar face). This race was a lot of fun and I plan on doing it again next year.


For all of my full race recaps from 2012 and before, check out the "Previous Races" section of my blog.

I debated the night before how to best get to the race. I ended up carpooling with Amanda's caravan to downtown Chicago. It was great to get down there early and have time to gear check, stretch, and use the porta-potties (TMI?). We met up with a large group at the Hilton for a group photo.


Then, we headed to our corral (B). When charging my Garmin the night before, I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize that it was frozen. When I went to turn it on before I left, the battery was dead. I was heading to the race with a time goal and no way to track my time. I didn't want to run with my phone so I was just going to wing it. Maggie said "Watch, without your Garmin, I bet you'll do awesome and knock that PR out of the water." I doubted it but had no choice but to give it a try. I started the race with Amanda and Maggie but Amanda quickly was speeding ahead. I tend to start off too fast so I wanted to be comfortable yet pushing hard. My goal was to break 40:00 and I knew if I had splits under 8:00, I would meet my goal.

Hanging out with Maggie and Amanda in Corral B before the start

Maggie was so kind to say our splits out loud at every mile and mile 1 was 7:55. The first mile my legs felt tired but I knew I was off to a good start.

Mile 2 the split was 7:40. The speakers were blaring LMFAO's Party Rock and hearing lyrics talking about shuffling while running the Shamrock Shuffle can be pretty motivating (or nerdy, however you want to think about it).

I didn't want to run out of steam so I slowed down a tad for mile 3. I knew most of this mile would be in the sun so I was happy when Maggie announced our mile 3 split of 7:55. At this point I felt great. There were less than 2 miles left and I knew I was going to meet my goal. I started to pick things up during mile 4. I turned and Maggie was no longer with me. I just kept moving and kept pushing towards the finish line.

Right after I passed the mile 4 marker, I spotted Amanda up ahead. I knew she was aiming for the 38's so I started to think either a) I'm having an awesome day or b) Amanda's not having a great day. Even though I was running towards Amanda, I would have never dreamed to be in the 38s. I just kept moving and realized I was gaining on Amanda. I tapped her on the shoulder as I passed and gave her a wave. She shouted "Go Kelly!" and I just smiled and waved. I wanted to conserve energy for the Roosevelt hill so I didn't say anything in return. Sorry Amanda! I wasn't trying to be rude. :)

I ran up the hill and it didn't seem to hurt as much as much as I remembered. I guess that means my hill work in Palos this winter is paying off! I saw the finish line and sprinted to the finish. My name was one of the few announced as I was crossing the finish so I hope the photog got a shot of me with my arms in the air shouting, "That's me!"

I finished and started to look for Amanda behind me. Since I didn't have my watch, I had no clue how I did. She was excited because she met her goal of being in the 38s. I looked at her in disbelief. If she was in the 38s and I crossed the finish line before her, that meant I was in the 38s too. Jumping and cheering ensued and I am still on the runners high from it! Maggie was right behind us and finished under 40:00 too! We saw Nicole Fritz soon after and stopped to say hi.

And snap a pic with the green guys too.

It was now time to enjoy the fruits of this race and drink some post-race beers. Some folks gave us their beer tickets so we were of to a great start.


Amanda soon joined us and the party continued.


More friends stopped by to say hello too!

L to R: Jenni, Nohemy, Mandy, and me

I didn't see everyone I would have liked to and we didn't get our obligatory Kate Kate Kelly photo. I obsessively checked the website afterwards for the official results.
That is a 38:44. Previous PR: 40:49... I couldn't be happier with my time! Another great Shamrock Shuffle in the books!!

As I mentioned before, this was my 6th year completing the race. There were quite a few complaints about the shirts this year. Can you see why? Here is a history of the swag.

Which one of these is not like the others?

*Special thanks to Nicole, Maggie, and Amanda for letting me use/steal their photos!