Race Review: Park Ridge Charity Classic 5k

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Before I forget the details, I wanted to throw together a quick "Race Review" post on the 36th Park Ridge Charity Classic 5k. As you can see, the course is a nearly straight out and back and with pretty calm conditions and temps in the high 60s this race was a great opportunity to run fast.

Online registration and "packet pick-up" were a breeze. Scott Laumann and I picked up our packets just as they were set up around 6:40 am with no issues or waiting at all. The amazing thing about this race is that your race "packet" is literally a fantastic cotton race t-shirt and your race bib. No handouts or flyers, no goofy samples, and no bag! 

Being used to race packet inserts being sold as a part of sponsorship packages, this strikes me as a very interesting choice on the part of race organizers. I love how it contributes to the feeling of purity of purpose. The Park Ridge Charity Classic is a running race to see how fast you can run, build community event (all sponsors were local businesses), and raises funds for charity (though I'm not sure what charity they're raising money for). I'm not even sure if all these things are intentional choices or not, but it is great "marketing" in my book.

One of the neatest race shirts I've gotten in a while

Warmed up with a whole bunch of TTAU guys from the race start area to just a bit past the 1 mile marker for about 2 mile of total easy to moderate running. Did two quick strides at about 5k effort and walked to the line. Felt my left shin a bit on the warm up and even a bit on the strides, but once I accelerated to race pace, it seemed to subside.

Make a conscious decision to not get psyched out by the fast guys and trust that I had the fitness to run with them up front. At my all-time peak fitness, I've run in the low 16 minute range for 5k and even dipped below at a very small 5k with possibly questionable course measurement. Looking at past results, I saw the top runners were running between 15:40 and 16:00. If I was in the kind of shape I thought, I should be right there mixing it up for a podium finish.

Ran by feel, following Mark Wehrman from the gun. Rolled through the first mile at 4:59 (yikes!) with a pack of 6(?) including Jeff Hojnacki. Started to feel the pace a bit and dropped off the pack by about 3-5 seconds. Went through 2 miles at 10:01 (5:01 split), a PR!). Caught one of the Hurricanes guys as he fell of the pack with about 800m to go. Tried to break away but wasn't able to push hard enough. Caught Jeff. with around 500m to go, but got passed by the Hurricanes guy (Tony Teunissen). Finished 6th overall in a huge 5k PR. 5:49 for the last 1.1 for a final time of 15:50.97.

Review: Timbuk2 Swig Laptop Backpack

Originally submitted at Timbuk2

My Swig after 12 miles of riding Chicago streets in pouring rain

The Timbuk2 Esales set up is pretty cool. After your purchase it asks you to review the product (pretty standard for esales nowadays) and after you review you can take the HTML code for your blog!

That said, you should buy your Timbuk2 at Fleet Feet Sports - Chicago (shameless plug).

Here's my review plus a few additional thoughts:

I've been using this bag for bike commuting and grocery shopping for about 2 weeks now.

So far I've really appreciated the bag's relatively low profile and super comfortable fit (thanks to articulated shoulder straps). I've been able to stuff a ton of groceries in the bag thanks to the messenger-inspired flap closure which helps expand the bags capacity significantly. I've also been able to stick an Addaday Ultra Roller into the bag with one end peeking out (a great race day feature)!

I also really like the loop on the back that lets my slide my LED light onto the bag without fear of losing it.

I haven't had to use it yet, but I think the side access laptop compartment is pretty awesome as it is totally a pain to carry-on with a laptop buried in its sleeve in your bag. The zippered side access port makes it easy to slip it in and out at airport security checkpoints.

Finally I dig that I don't have to travel with a dry bag anymore. I got caught in pouring rain today and thanks to the waterproof flap closure most of my stuff was kept dry. The area underneath the loop holding my taillight is not waterproof so some of my stuff got wet. If it wasn't raining as hard and if I didn't have the closure opened up for groceries, I think things would have been fine.

4out of 5

Pros: Roomy, Zippered Side Access, Crazy Durable, Comfortable, Sweet Color Blocking, Some Waterproofing

My biggest gripe with this bag is that there is only one water bottle pocket and it is on the left side which makes it hard for me to grab without taking the bag off. This is particularly annoying as my bike doesn't have a water bottle cage.

The other problem I have with this bag is because of the messenger-inspired Velcro/buckle closure it is time consuming to stash your stuff on the go. They've tried to address this with two zippered side access pockets, but the way I use the bag, the pockets (which are on the right side of the bag when you're wearing it on your back) aren't easily accessible. I've resorted to leaving the left buckle undone and relying on the Velcro closure in order to be able to get my U-lock in and out more quickly.

Cons: Blocks Peripheral Vision, Easy Access Pockets Aren't Ambidextrous, Could Use an Additional External Water Bottle Pocket

Best Uses: Travel, Race Day, Commuting, Cycling, Groceries, Computer

What'd you think of this review?

Since I write about gear for a living, I'm not sure how many of these I'll be posting, but I do hope to write reviews from time-to-time.

I no longer write about gear so I feel more free to write gear reviews. What should I review next?