What To Do This Weekend: Races, Sailing and Volleyball

Match Cup racing after a workout? Yes, please!

Whether you’re still recovering from Lollapalooza last weekend or you’re gearing up for the Air and Water Show next weekend, you still have to face this weekend, the one that’s in between those summer highlights. And if you’re like me, you're probably trying to have as active a weekend as possible this weekend since you know you'll have to flee town to run and bike when the Lakefront Path virtually shuts down to those of us who like to play on it. It's not about how to survive those outdoor entertainments—it's figuring out where you can race and train when you can't hit those regular spots, or fight pedestrian traffic to get there.

Lucky for us, this weekend holds plenty of activities to keep us from sleeping through it or feeling like we’re missing out on summer's finest activities. And that's just Chicago, where my one-track mind is focused at the moment. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about sports this weekend:

Meet Dean Karnazes, the Ultramarathon Man

Karnazes, right, ran the 2009 Chicago Marathon twice!

 In the running community, Dean Karnazes, the self-titled ultra-marathon man who’s run countless miles and long-distance races, is a popular guy. So popular among Chicagoans that when they hear he’s coming to the Windy City, they flock to meet him. Karnazes currently is touring the country and spreading the word about The North Face Endurance Challenge Series, which hosts trail races of varying distances including one in Wisconsin in September.

Last night, Running Away Multisport hosted Karnazes at their Chicago store at 2219 N. Clybourn. It was a packed house with Karnazes running three to five miles with the group and then answering questions about running, ultramarathons and more.

Fit-Pic: After the Rock 'N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon

The VIP tent at today's Rock 'N' Roll Chicago Half Marathon never disappoints. Last year, I got to chat with Dr. Andy Baldwin after he left me in the dust at mile 2. And look who we ran into this year: Danni, Francelina and Jeff from season 14 of The Biggest Loser. Danni finished the race in 1:53 and Francelina finished in 2:42, but they don't even look tired. Neither does my friend (in green) who ran her first half marathon. I guess Danni can't be tired...she still has 13.1 more miles to prepare for when she runs the Chicago Marathon in October.

A Rock 'n' Roll Running Giveaway

The best things in life are free, right? So how's this for a Friday freebie: a race giveaway!

Yes, you read that correctly, we're giving away an entry to Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon that includes a pretty awesome VIP package that turns a race morning into a race weekend.

Our friends at Team Refuel have offered up these sweet VIP perks that include:

• A half marathon entry, which would currently cost $150 at the expo. If you want less mileage, there's a 5K mini marathon ($50 at expo, if available).
• A REFUEL visor
• Entry to a pre-race cocktail party that's tonight at theWit hotel's ROOF bar. 
• Access to the VIP area at Sunday's race. Grant Park will be buzzing with runners, but with this pass, you can avoid most of the craziness. The tent has chairs, snacks, drinks, a place to stash your gear (I swear it had one last year), and it's a great place to watch the post-race concert. 

OK, OK, so this is an extension of yesterday's giveaway, but no one entered (where is everyone? too last minute? too hot from these temperatures to think about racing a run?) and we wanted to extend the giveaway for a few more hours.

To enter: leave us a comment saying you want to be entered in this giveaway. If you're the solo commenter, congrats, you win, otherwise we'll choose a winner at random later today. And if you have trouble commenting, just email us at contact@fit-ink.com. But we'll have to cut this off pretty soon to make sure you can get registered to run (as in, the first person who comments WINS).

Who's ready for an awesome weekend of running after this heat wave supposedly vanishes?

Win a Run Rock 'n' Roll Chicago VIP Package

You could run under this rocker at Sunday's race.

Who's racing this weekend? There's the Ironman 70.3 in Racine, the half Ironman distance and sprint distance triathlons in Door County, Wis., the Muddy Buddy, the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon. If you're signed up for one of these, you couldn't have asked for better summer racing weather with a forecast showing cooler temperatures and sunny days. But you also probably registered, suspecting you might have a hot day to contend with. Lucky you for taking that risk.

Remember how hot and humid it was last year? Yeah, me and my heat-induced puffy fingers do. And I suffered through two too many runs in 90 degree temperatures (Really? At 6:30 p.m.?) earlier this week and don't dare go for a third today. So registering for races that occur during weeks that are historically hot, isn't exactly my MO. Unless I have a specific reason, like doing Racine last year to get a half Ironman under my belt before Ironman Wisconsin or running Rock 'n' Roll to meet Dr. Andy Baldwin (which turned into more of a chase), I'm going to wait on registering until the weather turns. If it doesn't, which is usually the case, I'm out. But if it does, I'm paying a pretty expensive registration fee. Darn you, weather.

My friends at Team Refuel were already kind enough to give me an entry to this Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon, so I can run on what's sounding like a perfect summer morning. And the good news for one lucky Fit-Ink reader is that you can run, too. We're giving away a VIP entry to this race on July 21 plus some other cool perks thanks to Team Refuel! Yes, it's last minute, but if you've been training for the Chicago Marathon or another long-distance race, you're already logging that mileage.