I know about Cara and the basics. What I do want to know is where I can find a training group that's working towards performance (Top 5-10% runners). As an added bonus, is there any decent training groups that run outside normal business hours (9-5)?
Any other suggestions would be helpful (e.g. places to run, good races, cool events,etc.)for I am new within the last week. Thanks in advance.
maple lake waterfall glen and swallow cliff are the nicest trails but those are like a 40 minute drive to the burbs
where exactly are you?
If you live in the city, the lakefront path can't be beat as long as you stay South of Navy Pier or North of Oak Street beach. The area South of Soldier Field is extremely well maintained and really very beautiful and scenic, it just is underutilized because the neighborhoods on the other side of Lake Shore Drive tend to be rougher as you move further South. That being said, the lakefront path tends to be extremly wel list, busy, safe and well patrolled as long as you're not out after 9pm or so. Other advantages include accurate mile markers, reliable surfaces and plenty of talent to look at (more so on the North side).
With regard to groups, your best bet is one of the racing teams that the various running stores organize. Fleet Feet or Universal Sole have respectable, if not great, teams with some decent post-collegiate runners.
If you're in the burbs, try the Illinois Prairie Path, which runs from Hillside out past Naperville and is a soft, crushed limestone path.
Finally, I would add that the most successful distance program in the country (York) is based outside Chicago and conducts most of its workouts running around a quarter or half mile loop, which just proves that where you run doesn't matter nearly as much as how hard you work.
York is the sort of inflexible, relatively spiritless approach to training and performance that destroys runners. Not exactly a template. Any runner can do most any type of training for a limited time, but longer term there needs to be a bit more joy in the progression.
As beautiful as the Chicago lakefront is, it is not especially well suited to serious training. You'd have much better luck in most any town along the Metra line, traveling north, northwest, or west. You may have to resign yourself to bike path running, but you'll at least have some options for natural surface.
CARA is pretty much a zero for any runner looking to improve. You'll be better off starting your own training group, however small it may be.
It all depends where you live and what you're looking to improve in. Chicagoland is a pretty big area with small pockets of good training groups.
Where are you at?
The mayor is a sub-5:00 miler
If you're on the north side, you could probably come train with the Northwestern club team (no NCAA men's team). The lakefront bikepath isn't as contiguous up in Evanston, but there's still some halfway decent stretches of running terrain. We drive out to Skokie/Niles to hit up some trails on the weekends usually. Not sure what the workout times will be like in the fall but if the location works for you then maybe you can tag along.
As one of the other poster said, Fleet feet and Universal Sole both have decent training groups for guys. Universal Sole doesn't really have any good female runners. However, to get into Fleet Feet's elite Nike racing group, you have to be invited. They typically only open up spots once a year and there's only room if others have left. They have a separate training group that anyone can join, but it's got a substantial entry fee and it is not really competitive.
Universal Sole is far more focused on the average runner than on competing. There are a lot of runners in Chicago. If you hit up enough races you'll likely find someone who runs around your pace and would be looking for someone to train with. There are public tracks spread throughout the city if you know where to look.
If you have good access to a highway, trails in the suburbs could be 20-30 minutes away. Palos Heights has great single track trails.
I've found that downtown is the perfect place for a long run Sunday mornings before church because everyone is gone. If you wait til the afternoon everything fills up.
Best team to race and train with in the city.
Again, as others have said, it depends on where you live in Chicago. I grew up on the far NW side of the city and used to run the bike path in Caldwell Woods all the time. Zero mark starts at Caldwell & Devon. Paved bike path with a crushed limestone path next to it a good part of the way. Runs 20 miles one way. Check it out here:
http://www.traillink.com/trail/north-branch-trail.aspx
On the SW side, Waterfall Glen is a really nice 10 mile loop on crushed limestone trail. Info here:
http://www.traillink.com/trail/waterfall-glen.aspx
Another great option is the trails in Morton Arboretum:
http://www.mortonarb.org/walk-bike-ski-more.html
And then there's always the ever popular lakefront path. Hope this helps.
I just moved to hyde park. Its ok, I hit up the lake front path evenings when it isn't too hot. You can actually run mostly grass all the what up to the aquarium and back. Boring yes but safe as well.
whats the best suburb trai/preserve for a hillier run to get some strength in? swallow cliff or waterfall glen? or somtehing else?