NTC Lincoln Park Nike+ Virtual 10K Recap

I wrote last week about how excited I was for the Nike Women's Marathon Virtual 10K and it was everything I expected, and more! Not only did I get to meet one of my favorite Olympic athletes, Shawn Johnson, and her trainer Jeanette Jenkins, I also got to run with some amazing Chicago ladies and even try out a pair of the new Nike FlyKnit Lunar1+ shoes!

This 10K was a virtual training event on Nike+ for those doing the Nike Women's Half-Marathon in DC at the end of April. The Nike Training Club in Chicago (NTC Lincoln Park) hosted the event for about 100 women. NTC Lincoln Park is an awesome venue for women that has a store with Nike apparel and FREE classes like yoga, NTC, and run club. Check out the schedule. The club is at 833 W. Armitage.

A few of the social media savvy club members (including me) were invited to the event early to try out a pair of the new Nike FlyKnit Lunar1+ (pictured above) and meet Shawn Johnson (pictured below). It was great interacting with these other ladies and sharing our running goals.

Shawn and Jeanette gave us bracelets to commemorate accomplishing a 10K. You get more bracelets for the half marathon and full marathon! The amazing lady on the left of me in the picture below is Jeana Anderson of FabFitChicago.com. She's been to pretty much every gym/class in Chicago and reviews them on her blog, you should check it out!

Photo courtesy of NTC Lincoln Park

Me and Shawn Johnson! Notice how far I had to bend down, she is so cute! I don't hang around a lot of celebrity athletes but I really didn't expect her to be so nice and down to earth. She was so enthusiastic about the event and being at NTC. And she is such an inspiration to all of us amateur athletes. I was honored to meet her and get to run with her!

Before the run we had a Q&A session with Shawn and Jeanette. I asked Jeanette what type of diet she prescribes for her clients and I liked her answer! She encourages the 80/20 rule, where 80% of your diet is healthy and 20% can be less-healthier things (like a cheat meal on the weekend). She believes in whole foods, lots of greens, juicing, and no sugar. I'm glad that even celebrity trainers are spreading the importance of diet in your overall health.

Photo courtesy of NTC Lincoln Park

I also met a couple of guys that are students at Purdue (my alma mater) and had contacted Shawn to promote their initiative, the ARK Project. ARK stands for Acts of Random Kindness and the founder and his friends are spending their spring break traveling to different cities and doing nice things for random people. How amazing is that?! 

Finally, the ladies got together to get pumped up before the big run! #letsturnitup!

Photo courtesy of NTC Lincoln Park

The 10k course took use through Lincoln Park and along the lake shore. I fell behind on the parts with mud/ice/snow and wasn't able to catch up to the first group but I still had a good run. I also could have done without the rain but I guess you can't complain about 40 degrees in Chicago. I felt bad for Shawn and Jeanette coming from LA! I was also surprised by how much I liked running in my new Nike FlyKnits. I haven't run in Nike shoes since high school but these felt great. They really mold to your foot and are extremely light and not over-cushioned. I'll keep you updated on how they feel over the next few weeks.

After the race we got to hang out some more and eat snacks. That's me and Cameron with Jeanette Jenkins! I wish she was our trainer! Cam is running the Indy 500 Mini Marathon with me, I'm trying to train to get to 8:30 pace so I can keep up with her.

To be able to participate in and write/share about  these types of events is why I write my blog. It's so great to have a club that empowers female athletes and I'm so excited to be a part of the NTC Lincoln Park family!

Have you signed up for any races this year?

Who is your favorite Olympic athlete?