2012 Chicago Marathon Temperatures

It's looking like the Chicago Marathon will have some ideal temperatures for fast times this year (especially for this guy from Miami who hasn't run much in temps under the upper 70's...)

Weather.com is predicting a low of 40° and high of 53°!

Last year was a cool 65°F, so 15-20° cooler will feel downright chilly!

Chicago Marathon

Welcom to race week 2012.

The training is in the books, and runners are tapering into the 35th anual Chicago Maraton.

My training this year has been unfortunately sub-par, resulting in low to no expectations entering this year's race (and partly responsible for me not posting in this blog much this year).  My sub 3 hour run might be off the table after failing many of my recent hard workouts for reasons unknown.

Regardless, here's my race day info:

Victor DelRosso
Corral A
Bib: 2151

Some info sent out to race participants that might be helpful to potential spectators:

Change in Kenyan Marathon Olympic Team

Chicago Marathon winner Moses Mosop has pulled out of the 2012 Olympics because of a tendon injury.  His withdrawal forced the Kenyan selection team to appoint a new member for the 2012 squad. Surprisingly Geoffrey Mutai and Patrick Makau were once again overlooked with 2011 London winner Emmanuel Mutai taking Mosop's spot on the team.

One has to wonder why 2 of the best Marathoners in the world would be overlooked, though neither has run well in 2012.  Makau dropped out of the London Marathon after 11 miles with a hamstring issue and  G. Mutai failed to finish the Boston Marathon, dropping out after 18 miles with stomach issues.

It's almost a shame that 6 of the top Marathoners in the world are from Kenya - it would be quite a site to see all of the best runners on the line at the same time!


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jSwkvxh1n8X2VKNLK3RNbVepD-fA?docId=24cc1a308ecf435697c70bbe116d35e4

Kenya's Olympic team chosen

Surprisingly we won't be watching the #1 rated marathoner in the world (Geoffrey Mutai) or the world record holder (Patrick Makau) in the Olympics this summer as neither made the Kenyan team.  I'm guessing this will put some extra pressure on the runners that did make it as both they and the Kenyan selection team will be under additional scrutiny at the games.


Read the story here :
Competitor.com: Kenya’s Olympic Marathon Teams Announced 

Shoe Review: New Balance Minimus Roads (MR10)

STATS

Weight: 8.0 oz (size 9)
List Price: $110
Drop: 4 mm (18mm heal, 14mm forefoot)
Released: March 2011

Pros: Light weight, durable, undercut heal helps correct form, enough padding to protect feet on higher mileage concrete runs.

Cons: First 100 miles of arch pain – long break in period, loose some traction on wet ground. 

SIZE & FIT

Length seemed to be pretty standard and the toe box was nice and wide, allowing for plenty of toe splay. I ended up wearing 10’s – same size as my typical ASIC running shoes.

Gravity Defyer

Has anyone told them what their design looks like or is that what they were going for?  And why would I want that on my springy shoes?

Running Punishment Causes Death

Back in high school we used to laugh at the shirts that red "Our sport is your sport's punishment".  The idea that people in most sports view running as punishment is somewhat amusing, but the idea of running as punishment loses all humor when it causes a death...

Crazy, sick people...

"Authorities say 9-year-old Savannah Hardin died after being forced to run for three hours as punishment for having lied to her grandmother about eating candy bars. Severely dehydrated, the girl had a seizure and died days later. Now, her grandmother and stepmother who police say meted out the punishment were taken to jail Wednesday and face murder charges. "


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2107529,00.html#ixzz1nE9p48lp