The odds were in my favor last night. I came away from the Adventure Run Chicago with a month of free yoga from Yoga Six in Lincoln Park, two entrees from Smash Burger and a one-hour massage from Massage Envy. I was one of those people who say they never win anything — until last night.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I met several members of my running group at the Road Runner Sports store beforehand to try to score some extra tickets. I did five burpees and wore a butterfly mask for more tickets; the theme of the month was “Junebugs,” and a mud-run type race gave tickets for the burpees. I had the option of trying out Newton shoes for the run, but I didn’t. Our group usually runs with the pacer, which also nets us extra tickets. The secret checkpoint was adjacent to the store, and I had prepared by looking up the secret word to get our raffle tickets. (It was the name of one of the organizations Newton helps, Trickle Up.)
The stops were similar to the April run; they included Derby, Massage Envy, Yoga Six, Exercise Coach, My Fit Foods and Smash Burger. The most creative ways to earn more tickets were at Smash Burger (hopscotch); Yoga Six (take a photo of a yoga pose); and My Fit Foods (drink a protein shot and do three pushups, five lunges and seven jumping jacks). iO Chicago asked us to read a page-long poem for more tickets, but there wasn’t enough time.
Our efforts paid off, because almost all of my group members went home with prizes. One of them took home new shoes! I’m looking forward to next month’s run.
 |
| Photo credit: Adventure Run Chicago |