Media Mayhem at Blackhawks 5K

Chicago is all about its sports, whether it be baseball, basketball, football or hockey, and the city gets even more into them during a championship year. Or so I've noticed after living here going on eight years (yikes, that makes me feel really old!). I remember pictures of the Bulls championships plastered across the newspapers and the parades. When the White Sox won the World Series, it's almost safe to say that most of the city played hooky from work, school and other obligations to line the streets downtown. And while I never got into following the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup win a few months ago, the pictures from that post-win parade made the turnout appear even larger than who cheered for the Sox, not to mention a Michigan Avenue shut down over a State Street one.

Whether you're a hockey fan, a die-hard Blackhawks' follower, or just a runner looking for a local 5K to log on a Saturday morning, tomorrow you'll want to be at the United Center for the Mad Dash to Madison, a 5K run/walk and 10K skate that kicks off the Chicago Blackhawks Training Camp Festival and benefits the Blackhawks. But if you aren't already signed up, the only way you'll get to participate in this event is from the sidelines. My best guess is that the Stanley Cup win popularized this event even more than the notoriety it already had.

And I guess you could say that's part of the reason for why I'm checking out this 5K--to share in a part of Blackhawks' history after missing the big ticket earlier in the year--plus the invitation to be a part of a team with many more Chicago media, especially some famous names and faces like Amy Freeze, John Garcia, Anthony Ponce, Dina Bair, Billy Dec and Jimmy Greenfield. While most would say they're there to run, walk, or finish their first or fastest 5K, that's certainly not the case for me. I'm going for experience only, not so much caring about the clock--a vast difference from my usual race-day outlook. But I'm not even a week out from completing an Ironman, and one where I struggled on the run like you wouldn't believe (darn leg spasms), so it would almost be stupid of me to even attempt to go all-out in this effort. Don't you think? Regardless, I'm all about survival come tomorrow, and knowing that I'm OK with walking if I have to or feeling totally off my normal 5K pace.

Who else is running tomorrow? Or what other ways are you staying active this weekend?

Photo grabbed from chicagoevents.com.