Wow! Third week down already! The tiny little countdown box on my main page is reminding me that there are only 105 some odd days to go until the Chicago Marathon!
Monday: I had every intention of running 3 miles after work. Then I got trapped at work. Then it hailed. Then it was time to watch the FREAKING BLACKHAWKS WIN THE FREAKING STANLEY CUP!!!!!!!
Tuesday: Did anyone else have a headache on Tuesday? Once again, got trapped at work. Couldn't make it to strength training on time. Ran 3 miles (30:19, 10:28 average pace)
Wednesday: Ran downtown to sign some paperwork (exciting paperwork!! more later!!), ran to Blackhawks Store (so crowded, so trashed, so freaked out in there), ran home. 4 miles (39:00, 10:00 average pace)
Thursday: Work event. Didn't exercise. Lame.
Friday: 45 minutes of strength training
Saturday: 5 miles with CARA marathon training group in 53:29, 11:ish pace
Sunday: 45 minutes of conditioning
Total miles: 12
Overall outlook: good! I've been fighting off the sniffles this week, so hopefully better next week.
Have a great week everyone!!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Training Tips Thursday!
How to Run (and survive) in the Heat
Hi Everyone!
Liz here with your second installment of Liz’s Marathon Training Tips. Since we’ll be doing the majority of our long runs in what I would consider to be the summer, I thought I’d pass along some tips for surviving runs in the summer heat. I by no means claim to be an expert at this, and I still learn something with every run, but I’m slowly getting better at running in the heat.
Please keep in mind that running in the heat can put you at risk for dehydration, heat stroke, and other heat related illnesses. Please use your best judgment, and stop running if you feel ill while running in the heat (or ever, really!).
Tip One: Stay Hydrated –
Before the run: staying hydrated starts several days before your run, especially in the summer. Keep a water bottle next to you at work and drink up! This may be TMI, but your pee should be a pale yellow color if you’re properly hydrated. Try to drink 8-16 ounces of water about an hour before your run. This will give you time to use the facilities before the run, and avoid that dreaded running pit stop.
During the run: the easiest piece of advice is to drink when you’re thirsty. In general, you should be consuming 4 to 6 ounces of water for every 20 minutes of running. You should be incorporating Gatorade (or other branded sports drink) into your runs that are greater than 90 minutes. This will help replace lost electrolytes. I would definitely consider running with a hand-held water bottle or fuel belt this summer. This will decrease time at water stops, and allow you to grab a drink if you’re thirsty and we’re not at a water stop.
After the run: you should be drinking ~ 20 to 24 ounces of water for every pound lost during a run. Fun experiment! Weigh yourself before and after your run to see how much water to replace.
Tip Two: Pick out an awesome outfit!
Think synthetic: synthetic fabrics wick sweat and water away, increasing evaporation. Cotton holds onto moisture, causing great discomfort (cough, cough chafing).
Think light colors: Dark colors absorb the sunshine, making things seem hotter
Think breezy: Looser fitting clothing will catch a breeze better, helping to make things seem less hot
Don’t forget about your socks! 100% cotton socks will cause the same issues as 100% cotton clothing. Wet feet = icky.
Tip Three: Run at O Dark Thirty if possible
Definitely avoid running between 10 am and 4 pm when the sun is highest in the sky. If you need to run while it’s sunny out, pick an area with shade, if possible. I would also check the weather. If you’re scheduled for a run on Tuesday, but it’s going to be 20 degrees cooler on Wednesday, it’s probably worthwhile to postpone your run a day.
Tip Four: Wear sunscreen
Go for something with at least SPF 15. I recommend “sport” sunscreens because sweat + sunscreen + eyes = burning!
Tip Five: Slow down!
Heat and humidity can do a number on your pace. Hot, humid days are not the days to push your pace. Slow down, take walk breaks if you need to, and constantly check in with how your body is feeling. I use a heart rate monitor to measure how hard my body is working, and I consistently have to slow down by 30 to 60 seconds per mile in the heat to keep my heart rate within goal range.
Tip Six: Splish Splash!
Splashing water on your head and body will have a cooling effect as the water evaporates from your skin. Just watch your shoes! No one likes running with wet sneakers. Also keep in mind that the more humid it is, the less evaporation will occur. This is why it’s much more difficult to maintain cooling on humid days. Even more reason to be careful out there!
Tip Seven: Know your warning signs!
Signs of heat related illness include faintness, dizziness, disorientation, stopping of sweating and cool, clammy skin. If you feel any of these things, stop running and let someone know.
Next week: Eating on the run!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
iPhone Photo Wednesday!
I've had season tickets for 6 seasons now, and couldn't be happier that the dark times are seemingly behind us.
This gem was captured at game 5 of the Bruins/Hawks Finals. AMAZING!!!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Marathon Training. Week Two!
Yay! I survived week two of marathon training! I have some seriously crazy stuff happening both at work and on the home front (good changes, I swear), so it's been good to get out there and run.
Monday: 3.16 miles in 35:12. Hot. Really stinking hot. Tried to keep my HR < 175 the whole time, so I did some walking. Rode bike to and from neighborhood bar to watch the hawks game!
Tuesday: 45 minutes of strength training
Wednesday: 3.00 miles in 30:51. Must have been cooler?
Thursday: 45 minutes of strength training
Friday: Was supposed to do 45 minutes of conditioning, but as is Friday tradition, work imploded at 3:30 pm. Ordered pizza instead. Totally the same, right?
Saturday: Watch says 6.72 miles in 1:14:52. Mile markers on lakefront says 7 miles, so I'm not really sure what to believe at this point? Either way, it was good to get a group run in again this week. It was pretty humid. Walked to and from the United Center. 2 miles. WATCHED MOST AMAZING HOCKEY GAME EVER!!!
Sunday: Work, followed by date night with Mr. Sharkie!
Monday: 3.16 miles in 35:12. Hot. Really stinking hot. Tried to keep my HR < 175 the whole time, so I did some walking. Rode bike to and from neighborhood bar to watch the hawks game!
Tuesday: 45 minutes of strength training
Wednesday: 3.00 miles in 30:51. Must have been cooler?
Thursday: 45 minutes of strength training
Friday: Was supposed to do 45 minutes of conditioning, but as is Friday tradition, work imploded at 3:30 pm. Ordered pizza instead. Totally the same, right?
Saturday: Watch says 6.72 miles in 1:14:52. Mile markers on lakefront says 7 miles, so I'm not really sure what to believe at this point? Either way, it was good to get a group run in again this week. It was pretty humid. Walked to and from the United Center. 2 miles. WATCHED MOST AMAZING HOCKEY GAME EVER!!!
 |
| BOOM! |
And the magic number is one!!
Have a great week everyone!
I think I'm in love
I know that I'm a little late to the party, but I am seriously crushing on the Coca Cola Freestyle machine that showed up at work last week. I've always been a big fan of mixing flavors of fountain drinks, but this machine elevates soda mixing to a whole new level!
I've been so busy drinking strawberry Fanta zero that I haven't really tried anything else. The machine seems to me like it's better for mixing clear fruit flavored beverages, but who am I to stop you from making cherry Sprite Coke Zero with vanilla?
Anyone else out there seriously crushing on this machine?
I've been so busy drinking strawberry Fanta zero that I haven't really tried anything else. The machine seems to me like it's better for mixing clear fruit flavored beverages, but who am I to stop you from making cherry Sprite Coke Zero with vanilla?
Anyone else out there seriously crushing on this machine?
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Training Tips Thursdays!
The Marathon: Kinda Scary, But You Can Do It!
Hi Everyone!
Liz here with the first of many installments
of Liz’s Marathon Training Tips, also known as lessons I’ve learned along the
way. Thanks for reading! Please let me
know if there are any other topics you’re interested in learning about this
summer.
So you’ve decided to train for a
marathon. Yay! When properly approached - training for, and
completing a marathon can be exciting, fun, and greatly rewarding. I’ve been busy compiling a general list of
things I want to pass along regarding training for a marathon.
And without further ado:
Liz’s Marathon Training Tips (and disclaimers)!
1.
Marathon training is 18 practice
weeks for the big show. Now is the time to experiment, not the day of the marathon! Figure out what shoes, socks and shirts you
like. Do you like running with a
hat? With a fuel belt? What is your favorite source of carbs for the
run? You get the idea. I will share a lot of things that have worked
for me (and a lot of things that haven’t worked for me). Full disclosure: these are things that work
for me, which may or may not be things that work for you. I share these things so that you can know
what is out there – to give everyone ideas for what may or may not also work
for you.
2.
Consider setting a goal. It’s OK if your goal is
finish the marathon. It’s definitely OK
if your goal is to have fun! I would advise
against setting a major time goal if this is your first marathon. Focus on using what you’ve learned during
training and having fun out there. The
crowd support at Chicago is incredible.
Soak it all in!
3.
Don’t sweat a missed run. I’m one of those people
who already has my marathon training plan printed out. And nothing pleases me more than to cross off
day after day as I complete training runs.
But life happens! Sometimes work
gets in the way, sometimes a best friend gets married or sometimes it’s a
hundred billion degrees outside. Don’t
run just because there is a run on your calendar. Especially if you’re feeling injured or
generally worn down and tired. It’s
better to miss a run and rest if your body is telling you to rest than to make
things worse.
4.
Don’t run through “bad” pain. If something feels off,
don’t risk it. I broke my arm in week 6
of marathon training 2009, got better, and still made it to the start line of
the marathon. It’s better to fix any
“bad” pain and come back versus not making it to the starting line.
5.
Talk to someone new each week. We’re a marathon training
family now. We’ll be spending a lot of
time together. Get to know the people
you’re running with!
6.
Ditch the music if you can (see
number 5). Also
see the suggested rules for most major races.
The crowd support on marathon day is so much more fun without headphones
on.
7.
Listen to your body. There will be future
articles on hydration and eating on the run, but for now, listen to your
body. It’s summer! In Chicago!
It may get hot. Tell someone if
you’re not feeling well. We’ll slow our
long run pace for heat and humdity, but listen to your body when running in hot
weather.
8.
If it isn’t broken… Don’t fix it!! If you
haven’t gone yet, go get fitted for running shoes. There are several running stores in Chicago that
will assess your gait and fit you for free (you have to pay for the shoes!!). I generally rotate between two pairs of shoes
during marathon training. One pair I
wear for weekday runs, and one pair I wear for long runs. This helps me keep better track of mileage
per shoe. It also helps if they’re the
same model, different color. I’m planning on wearing the weekday runs pair for
the marathon. I would work off the
general assumption that you can get 400-500 miles out of each pair of
shoes.
That’s all the craziness I have for now.
Next Week: running in the heat and surviving!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
iPhone Photo Wednesday
Happy Wednesday Everyone!!
I've decided that my new Wednesday tradition will be to post a random pic that's been sitting around on my iPhone. Since I never delete any pictures off my phone, I have the next 512 Wednesdays covered!
The winner of the first iPhone photo Wednesday is...
...
Internet...meet Piper!
I've decided that my new Wednesday tradition will be to post a random pic that's been sitting around on my iPhone. Since I never delete any pictures off my phone, I have the next 512 Wednesdays covered!
The winner of the first iPhone photo Wednesday is...
...
 |
| Piper!! |
Internet...meet Piper!
Piper...meet the Internet!
As you can see, Piper is a dog. A Brittany spaniel to be exact. She likes pointing at things, eating food, and sleeping on my bed. She hates sizzling.
I have about a hundred other pictures of Piper on my phone, but I won't bore you with those until a future, future Wednesday.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
2013 Races Thus Far...
...I'm not going to lie. I intended to start this blog in January when I embarked on a journey to run 13 half marathons in 2013. I looked at a calendar today, and it appears to be June 18th. While I love to think that I have an amazing memory, I can't possible write a complete coherent race report on races run thus far. So hear goes. 2013 races run thus far in 50 words a piece or less:
Number One: Polar Dash
Date: January 12, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Congress Hotel Downtown. Do not try and park there. Ever.
Race Day: Unseasonably warm. Like 50 degrees. Rode bike to start so didn't have to worry about parking.
Race Course: Small out north for ~ 2 miles, then out and back on the south end of the lakefront trail. Turn around was just shy of 47th street. I don't hate this course, I've just run it a billion times on training runs. I don't remember water stops being an issue.
Finish Time: 2:20:44 (10:45 pace)
Swag:
Would I do it again? Probably not. Weather is a crap shoot. Boring course.
Number Two: Chi-Town Half Marathon
Date: March 24, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Some running store over by North and Kingsbury. Parking was hellacious. Have someone drop you off and come back for you.
Race Day: Unseasonably cold. I also remember it lightly precipitating and being really miserable. Drove to start by Lincoln Park Zoo so paid a billion dollars for parking, but it was convenient.
Race Course: Loopty Loop around Lincoln Park and the Lake. Didn't go south of North Ave or north of Foster. I was really miserable the entire time. Passed my car around mile 5 and almost packed it in. But I persevered!!
Finish Time: 2:37:46 (12:03 pace)
Swag:
Would I do it again? Hell no
Number Three: Egg Shell Shuffle Half Marathon
Date: March 30, 2013. AKA My half fanatics qualifying race
Packet Pick-Up: Dick Pond Athletics in the Northern, Northern Suburbs. Thank you Mr. Sharkie for working in the burbs and picking up my packet!
Race Day: GLORIOUS. Like 50 degrees. Drove to start and parked car in neighborhood. Bunny hopped across a 6 lane street to starting line.
Race Course: Small out and back in a parking lot for ~ 2 miles, then out and back on a paved forest preserve trail. Or as my friend and I say - we ran to Ikea and back that day. A lot of people were looking for bathrooms on the course.
Finish Time: 2:28:11 (11:19 pace)
Swag:
Would I do it again? Hell yes! I'm doing it EVERY YEAR! If only to pretend like I'm in the hunger games with the egg hunt.
Number Four: Indy Mini Half Marathon
Date: May 4, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Convention center in downtown Indy. I almost freaked out in there like it was McCormick Place. But then I realized my hotel was across the street. Worked out fine.
Race Day: Slightly humid, otherwise fine weather wise. Walked from hotel 2 blocks to start line (here, here sponsor hotel!!). Found the half fanatics picture, then headed to my corral
Race Course: Pretty much a run to the Indy track, a lap around the Indy track, then a run back to downtown. This was shortly after Boston, so there was increased presence of police officials. TONS of water stops. Like every half mile. Which was good, because it was humid. Also, if you're going to stop to use a bathroom at the race track, you don't have to use a port-a-potty. The actual bathrooms are open. What's not open? The BBQ shacks on the track interior.
Finish Time: 2:26:44 (11:13 pace)
Swag:
Would I do it again? Yes! Possibly on my way to do the flying pig half next year!
Number Five: Chicago Spring Half Marathon
Date: May 19, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: The new Universal Sole at Lakeshore East. I think I ran there and back. I hang out there all the time now because of marathon training. So no biggie on this one. Others find it annoying.
Race Day: Unseasonably warm. Like 70 degrees. Rode bike to start so didn't have to worry about parking. Really confusing set up. Had a hard time finding the start line (didn't realize it was on the lake, not at Lakeshore East)
Race Course: South on the lakefront for 6.5 miles, then north on the lakefront for 6.5 miles. I get it, you can't close the path. But maybe you shouldn't merge your course into a 5K fun walk? PR attempt was damaged! Also, it was really warm and there were lots of struggling runners without any visible medical personnel on the course.
Finish Time: 2:21:14 (If you don't calculate my pace for me race results page, I'm too lazy to do it here)
Swag:
Would I do it again? Nope.
Number Six: Northshore Half Marathon (aka PR city!!)
Date: June 2, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Some running store right next to Pequod's Pizza. Mmmmmmmm. Pequod's Pizza.
Race Day: It was warm while I was in my car. And warm while I was walking towards the start. And then it dropped 20 degrees and started drizzling. Don't worry. The announcer said it was going to stop in 15 minutes. Or 11 miles. Whatever. I like running in the drizzle. Parked my car in a neighbors
Race Course: Really nice neighborhood running tour of Highland Park. I saw a billion houses I wanted to buy. And ran up a huge ass hill. All in all, pretty awesome!
Finish Time: 2:16:40 (10:26 pace)
Swag:
Would I do it again? Absolutely!!
And there you have it! 2013 in crappy pictures I took on my counter at home!
Number One: Polar Dash
Date: January 12, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Congress Hotel Downtown. Do not try and park there. Ever.
Race Day: Unseasonably warm. Like 50 degrees. Rode bike to start so didn't have to worry about parking.
Race Course: Small out north for ~ 2 miles, then out and back on the south end of the lakefront trail. Turn around was just shy of 47th street. I don't hate this course, I've just run it a billion times on training runs. I don't remember water stops being an issue.
Finish Time: 2:20:44 (10:45 pace)
Swag:
 |
| Don't be jealous of my running medal holder. Or fooled by that Get Lucky Medal. Food poisoning = 7K, not 21K |
Would I do it again? Probably not. Weather is a crap shoot. Boring course.
Number Two: Chi-Town Half Marathon
Date: March 24, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Some running store over by North and Kingsbury. Parking was hellacious. Have someone drop you off and come back for you.
Race Day: Unseasonably cold. I also remember it lightly precipitating and being really miserable. Drove to start by Lincoln Park Zoo so paid a billion dollars for parking, but it was convenient.
Race Course: Loopty Loop around Lincoln Park and the Lake. Didn't go south of North Ave or north of Foster. I was really miserable the entire time. Passed my car around mile 5 and almost packed it in. But I persevered!!
Finish Time: 2:37:46 (12:03 pace)
Swag:
 |
| I hate this t-shirt so much |
Number Three: Egg Shell Shuffle Half Marathon
Date: March 30, 2013. AKA My half fanatics qualifying race
Packet Pick-Up: Dick Pond Athletics in the Northern, Northern Suburbs. Thank you Mr. Sharkie for working in the burbs and picking up my packet!
Race Day: GLORIOUS. Like 50 degrees. Drove to start and parked car in neighborhood. Bunny hopped across a 6 lane street to starting line.
Race Course: Small out and back in a parking lot for ~ 2 miles, then out and back on a paved forest preserve trail. Or as my friend and I say - we ran to Ikea and back that day. A lot of people were looking for bathrooms on the course.
Finish Time: 2:28:11 (11:19 pace)
Swag:
 |
| Yep. Those are shorts. Sweet! |
Would I do it again? Hell yes! I'm doing it EVERY YEAR! If only to pretend like I'm in the hunger games with the egg hunt.
Number Four: Indy Mini Half Marathon
Date: May 4, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Convention center in downtown Indy. I almost freaked out in there like it was McCormick Place. But then I realized my hotel was across the street. Worked out fine.
Race Day: Slightly humid, otherwise fine weather wise. Walked from hotel 2 blocks to start line (here, here sponsor hotel!!). Found the half fanatics picture, then headed to my corral
Race Course: Pretty much a run to the Indy track, a lap around the Indy track, then a run back to downtown. This was shortly after Boston, so there was increased presence of police officials. TONS of water stops. Like every half mile. Which was good, because it was humid. Also, if you're going to stop to use a bathroom at the race track, you don't have to use a port-a-potty. The actual bathrooms are open. What's not open? The BBQ shacks on the track interior.
Finish Time: 2:26:44 (11:13 pace)
Swag:
 |
| I really enjoy this medal. And being too lazy to figure out how to take a pic without a shadow. |
Number Five: Chicago Spring Half Marathon
Date: May 19, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: The new Universal Sole at Lakeshore East. I think I ran there and back. I hang out there all the time now because of marathon training. So no biggie on this one. Others find it annoying.
Race Day: Unseasonably warm. Like 70 degrees. Rode bike to start so didn't have to worry about parking. Really confusing set up. Had a hard time finding the start line (didn't realize it was on the lake, not at Lakeshore East)
Race Course: South on the lakefront for 6.5 miles, then north on the lakefront for 6.5 miles. I get it, you can't close the path. But maybe you shouldn't merge your course into a 5K fun walk? PR attempt was damaged! Also, it was really warm and there were lots of struggling runners without any visible medical personnel on the course.
Finish Time: 2:21:14 (If you don't calculate my pace for me race results page, I'm too lazy to do it here)
Swag:
 |
| I dragged this t-shirt out of the donation bag to take this picture. It sucks THAT bad. |
Number Six: Northshore Half Marathon (aka PR city!!)
Date: June 2, 2013
Packet Pick-Up: Some running store right next to Pequod's Pizza. Mmmmmmmm. Pequod's Pizza.
Race Day: It was warm while I was in my car. And warm while I was walking towards the start. And then it dropped 20 degrees and started drizzling. Don't worry. The announcer said it was going to stop in 15 minutes. Or 11 miles. Whatever. I like running in the drizzle. Parked my car in a neighbors
Race Course: Really nice neighborhood running tour of Highland Park. I saw a billion houses I wanted to buy. And ran up a huge ass hill. All in all, pretty awesome!
Finish Time: 2:16:40 (10:26 pace)
Swag:
 |
| Lunch Box City! |
Would I do it again? Absolutely!!
And there you have it! 2013 in crappy pictures I took on my counter at home!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Allstate 13.1 Race Recap - Chicago Edition!
I'm pretty sure I signed up for this race because I kept getting annoying emails about it. I figured if I signed up for the race they would stop emailing me about signing up for the race (lies). I got even more emails about signing up, plus emails about the race itself! I actually ended up having a good time in the end, so no problems here!
Packet pick-up: When looking at the packet pick-up location I had that terrible, terrible sinking Fleet Feet Old Town feeling. It actually ended up not being that terrible. Drove up after work, found a magical parking spot out front. In and out within 15 minutes even after the minor maiden name/married name issue.
Race morning:
I decided that I was going to take a cab to the start line and then take one of the shuttles back to downtown after the race, so I called a cab for 6 am.
5:30 am - wake up. Try and choke down a waffle with peanut butter on it
6 am - head downstairs. Have missed called from cab company asking me if I want the cab to wait. Wait?? There's no cab here! Call back company. They confirm my address as somewhere 40 blocks from my house. I have a minor meltdown involving trying to hail a cab at 6:10 on a Saturday morning. Wander a couple of blocks. Hail a cab. Head towards Southshore Cultural Center
6:15-6:30 am - argue with cabbie about where to drop me off
6:30 am - 6:45 am - wander around looking for half fanatics meet-up. Find it! Meet a couple of nice half fanatics from around the city.
7 am - Hit the corral. I'm in corral K, just ahead of the 2:20 pacer, and decide that I'm going to stay ahead of her for the race. I didn't have any real goals for this race, and had just come off of a 5-ish minute PR the weekend prior, so I decide to take it easy.
7:25 am - And we're off! The corral system has actually done a really nice job of spacing runners out. We run out of the Southshore Cultural Center and north towards La Rabida and Jackson Park. I'm only slightly familiar with the area, so it's nice new scenery for me.
Miles 1-3: I'm still trying to stay ahead of the 2:20 pacer at this point. Problem is that she's running at a 9:30 pace. Hear lots of questioning behind me about the pace. Dig deep and keep running. Jackson Park is so pretty! Oh wait! Are we running in circles???
Miles 4-6: Hit the lakefront. I've run this a million times! I've got this! I once again curse the human who thinks that running around Promontory Point is a good idea. It's a terrible idea! It's really, really bad for morale.
Split time: 1 hour and 11 minutes
Miles 7-9: Headed back south down the lakefront. Start to get hot. I hate being hot. Start to eat a lot of Sport Beans and drink a lot of water. I really, really enjoyed the water stop manned by the French men. Just saying.
Miles 10-12. Starting to fade. This is the first half marathon I've run with a HR monitor. HR has been steadily climbing to low 170's, so I can definitely tell I'm starting to get fatigued. Pass CPD bag pipers. Get momentary second wind, then fade again. And then the 2:20 pace passes me! Oh no! Not today 2:20 pacer. It was enough to get me moving again.
Mile 13: Pretty much sprint back to Southshore Cultural Center. Realize that there's still half a mile left once entering said Cultural Center. I've been jockeying for position with this guy in American flag shorts for the last 3 miles or so. I decide to beat him. Run even harder. You've been chicked, Amercan flag shorts guy.
Mile 13.1: Manage to finish with negative splits (!!).
Final time: 2 hours, 18 minutes, 28 seconds. Second fastest half marathon this year!
Lifetime half marathon number: 10
2013 half marathon number: 7
Would I do it again? Probably not. Not a terrible half marathon, but getting there was pretty stressful.
I would post the awesome pictures captured of me running, but marathonfoto is outsmarting me a the moment. Here's the t-shirt and the medal instead:
Packet pick-up: When looking at the packet pick-up location I had that terrible, terrible sinking Fleet Feet Old Town feeling. It actually ended up not being that terrible. Drove up after work, found a magical parking spot out front. In and out within 15 minutes even after the minor maiden name/married name issue.
Race morning:
I decided that I was going to take a cab to the start line and then take one of the shuttles back to downtown after the race, so I called a cab for 6 am.
5:30 am - wake up. Try and choke down a waffle with peanut butter on it
6 am - head downstairs. Have missed called from cab company asking me if I want the cab to wait. Wait?? There's no cab here! Call back company. They confirm my address as somewhere 40 blocks from my house. I have a minor meltdown involving trying to hail a cab at 6:10 on a Saturday morning. Wander a couple of blocks. Hail a cab. Head towards Southshore Cultural Center
6:15-6:30 am - argue with cabbie about where to drop me off
6:30 am - 6:45 am - wander around looking for half fanatics meet-up. Find it! Meet a couple of nice half fanatics from around the city.
7 am - Hit the corral. I'm in corral K, just ahead of the 2:20 pacer, and decide that I'm going to stay ahead of her for the race. I didn't have any real goals for this race, and had just come off of a 5-ish minute PR the weekend prior, so I decide to take it easy.
7:25 am - And we're off! The corral system has actually done a really nice job of spacing runners out. We run out of the Southshore Cultural Center and north towards La Rabida and Jackson Park. I'm only slightly familiar with the area, so it's nice new scenery for me.
Miles 1-3: I'm still trying to stay ahead of the 2:20 pacer at this point. Problem is that she's running at a 9:30 pace. Hear lots of questioning behind me about the pace. Dig deep and keep running. Jackson Park is so pretty! Oh wait! Are we running in circles???
Miles 4-6: Hit the lakefront. I've run this a million times! I've got this! I once again curse the human who thinks that running around Promontory Point is a good idea. It's a terrible idea! It's really, really bad for morale.
Split time: 1 hour and 11 minutes
Miles 7-9: Headed back south down the lakefront. Start to get hot. I hate being hot. Start to eat a lot of Sport Beans and drink a lot of water. I really, really enjoyed the water stop manned by the French men. Just saying.
Miles 10-12. Starting to fade. This is the first half marathon I've run with a HR monitor. HR has been steadily climbing to low 170's, so I can definitely tell I'm starting to get fatigued. Pass CPD bag pipers. Get momentary second wind, then fade again. And then the 2:20 pace passes me! Oh no! Not today 2:20 pacer. It was enough to get me moving again.
Mile 13: Pretty much sprint back to Southshore Cultural Center. Realize that there's still half a mile left once entering said Cultural Center. I've been jockeying for position with this guy in American flag shorts for the last 3 miles or so. I decide to beat him. Run even harder. You've been chicked, Amercan flag shorts guy.
Mile 13.1: Manage to finish with negative splits (!!).
Final time: 2 hours, 18 minutes, 28 seconds. Second fastest half marathon this year!
Lifetime half marathon number: 10
2013 half marathon number: 7
Would I do it again? Probably not. Not a terrible half marathon, but getting there was pretty stressful.
I would post the awesome pictures captured of me running, but marathonfoto is outsmarting me a the moment. Here's the t-shirt and the medal instead:
Blue Line Taco Crawl. 2013 Edition.
AKA that day I ate 7 tacos. This sounds strangely less impressive as I write it.
As a self proclaimed aficionado of tacos, my friend and I have been having a never ending argument regarding which taco establishment in Chicago has the best tacos. The only way to solve the argument was to taste test tacos. And the only way to test taste tacos was to hit the blue line.
Short version: I ate 7 tacos and drank 7 dos equis in a 5 hour time span. I felt ill, very very ill. You can read the long version here:
My day went something like this:
5:10 am: alarm goes off. I have an out of body, why the heck is my alarm going off experience.
5:15 am: I'm trying to choke down a blueberry toaster waffle with some peanut butter on it.
5:30 am: riding my bike to marathon training
6:07 am: run 6 miles.
10:15 am: get on blue line headed towards O'Hare. Exit at Logan Square stop. It's time for taqueria number one!
11 am: Arrive at El Cid 2. I'm pretty sure that El Cid 1 is closed, but 2 is still going strong. Kidding. It's empty. The hubs and I awkwardly hold down a table for 8. Wait for people to arrive. Dos Equis number 1 is consumed.
11:45 am: Everyone else shows up. And we each order one taco. That's right. Eight people. One taco a piece. Waitress is not amused. I have half a steak taco and half a carnitas taco. Decide that the carnitas taco is far superior, which is unfortunately the same conclusion that my taco partner has come to. Sigh. Compromise is hard.
12:05 pm: Arrive at Puebla. We seem to be the only ones in the restaurant. It's a big restaurant. Like so big that there's an antique tortilla maker in the lobby. Dos Equis number 2 is ordered. It comes in a frosty mug. Point La Puebla!
12:10 pm: We realize that they do not have a la carte tacos on the menu
12:11 pm: Sweet talk waitress into giving us a la carte tacos
12:12 pm: Waitress confused as to why we each only order one taco
12:15 pm: Carnitas taco arrives. And it is so much more delicious than the taco at El Cid 2
12:30 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Arrive at California Stop.
12:35 pm: Arrive at Taqueria Moran. PACKED. We can't sit together. Which turns out to be an amazing sign. Dos Equis number 3 is ordered. It comes in a frosty mug! I love Dos Equis.
12:40 pm: Chile relleno taco arrives. It's a chile relleno on two corn tortillas. And it is DELICIOUS! I don't know why I didn't think of this before.
12:50 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Talk to some guy from Dallas who says he's going to hawks game that night. When informed that we are also going to hawks game that night he says "I hope I'm not sitting next to you." What - there haven't been any beans on tacos...yet...
1 pm: Arrive at Arturo's/Lazo's Tacos. Fight ensues over which one we're going to visit first.
1:05 pm: Settle on Arturo's Tacos. Decide that a pitcher of Bud Light is a better deal than Dos Equis. Also decide to switch to Al Pastor. And it is DELICIOUS!
1:30 pm: Drag friend away from soccer game on TV and head to Lazo's Tacos
1:35 pm: Back to Dos Equis. Also in a frosty mug. Also go back to carnitas. So...tasty... Joke of the hour involves me ordering a combo platter.
2 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Contemplate going home and never eating a taco again. Instead exit at Division and head to Antique Taco. Consume chicken taco and pork taco. Most complex delicious flavors of the day. Also fanciest beer of the day
4 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Consume world's largest diet coke at 7-11 and pick the dog up from daycare. I really need to stop drunk picking the dog up at day care.
Overall outlook: Full. So full. But fun! So much fun!
Best taco joint visited: Taqueria Moran.
Worst taco joint visited: El Cid 2
Beers consumed: 7
Number of beers consumed at Blackhawks game? zero. Full. So full.
Will I ever eat a taco again? Probably not.
Honorable mention: Arturo's Tacos for putting up with our shenanigans
Would I do it again? Probably not. There was some serious judging for only ordering one taco at time. Although Curry Crawl 2013 is in serious works.
As a self proclaimed aficionado of tacos, my friend and I have been having a never ending argument regarding which taco establishment in Chicago has the best tacos. The only way to solve the argument was to taste test tacos. And the only way to test taste tacos was to hit the blue line.
Short version: I ate 7 tacos and drank 7 dos equis in a 5 hour time span. I felt ill, very very ill. You can read the long version here:
My day went something like this:
5:10 am: alarm goes off. I have an out of body, why the heck is my alarm going off experience.
5:15 am: I'm trying to choke down a blueberry toaster waffle with some peanut butter on it.
5:30 am: riding my bike to marathon training
6:07 am: run 6 miles.
10:15 am: get on blue line headed towards O'Hare. Exit at Logan Square stop. It's time for taqueria number one!
11 am: Arrive at El Cid 2. I'm pretty sure that El Cid 1 is closed, but 2 is still going strong. Kidding. It's empty. The hubs and I awkwardly hold down a table for 8. Wait for people to arrive. Dos Equis number 1 is consumed.
11:45 am: Everyone else shows up. And we each order one taco. That's right. Eight people. One taco a piece. Waitress is not amused. I have half a steak taco and half a carnitas taco. Decide that the carnitas taco is far superior, which is unfortunately the same conclusion that my taco partner has come to. Sigh. Compromise is hard.
12:05 pm: Arrive at Puebla. We seem to be the only ones in the restaurant. It's a big restaurant. Like so big that there's an antique tortilla maker in the lobby. Dos Equis number 2 is ordered. It comes in a frosty mug. Point La Puebla!
12:10 pm: We realize that they do not have a la carte tacos on the menu
12:11 pm: Sweet talk waitress into giving us a la carte tacos
12:12 pm: Waitress confused as to why we each only order one taco
12:15 pm: Carnitas taco arrives. And it is so much more delicious than the taco at El Cid 2
12:30 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Arrive at California Stop.
12:35 pm: Arrive at Taqueria Moran. PACKED. We can't sit together. Which turns out to be an amazing sign. Dos Equis number 3 is ordered. It comes in a frosty mug! I love Dos Equis.
12:40 pm: Chile relleno taco arrives. It's a chile relleno on two corn tortillas. And it is DELICIOUS! I don't know why I didn't think of this before.
 |
| I don't know what I was expecting when I ordered a Chile Relleno Taco. But this is pure deliciousness. |
12:50 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Talk to some guy from Dallas who says he's going to hawks game that night. When informed that we are also going to hawks game that night he says "I hope I'm not sitting next to you." What - there haven't been any beans on tacos...yet...
1 pm: Arrive at Arturo's/Lazo's Tacos. Fight ensues over which one we're going to visit first.
 |
| In the battle of Arturo's versus Lazo's. Lazo's wins. |
1:05 pm: Settle on Arturo's Tacos. Decide that a pitcher of Bud Light is a better deal than Dos Equis. Also decide to switch to Al Pastor. And it is DELICIOUS!
1:30 pm: Drag friend away from soccer game on TV and head to Lazo's Tacos
1:35 pm: Back to Dos Equis. Also in a frosty mug. Also go back to carnitas. So...tasty... Joke of the hour involves me ordering a combo platter.
2 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Contemplate going home and never eating a taco again. Instead exit at Division and head to Antique Taco. Consume chicken taco and pork taco. Most complex delicious flavors of the day. Also fanciest beer of the day
4 pm: Board blue line train headed south. Consume world's largest diet coke at 7-11 and pick the dog up from daycare. I really need to stop drunk picking the dog up at day care.
Overall outlook: Full. So full. But fun! So much fun!
Best taco joint visited: Taqueria Moran.
Worst taco joint visited: El Cid 2
Beers consumed: 7
Number of beers consumed at Blackhawks game? zero. Full. So full.
Will I ever eat a taco again? Probably not.
Honorable mention: Arturo's Tacos for putting up with our shenanigans
Would I do it again? Probably not. There was some serious judging for only ordering one taco at time. Although Curry Crawl 2013 is in serious works.
Marathon Training. Week One!
I spent most of this week feeling like it was the first week of school all over again. It's getting humid out? I'm digging around in cabinets for body glide? Wait? Does body glide expire? It must be time for marathon training!
This is the fourth year that I've trained with CARA for a fall marathon, and every June I get those same jitters I used to get when school was right around in the corner.
Nightmares of not being able to find the meet-up? Check! Being unable to choke down anything slightly solid at 5:30 am? Check! Why do my socks NEVER match.
I can't help it, I love it! Must be that whole glutton for punishment thing.
I'm happy to be training for both the Chicago Marathon and the New York Marathon this year. My not so secret goal is to complete all of the Marathon Majors, and I'm starting to run out of major marathons that I don't have to qualify for (cough cough Boston).
So without further ado, I present... MARATHON TRAINING. Week one! Spoiler alert. It also features a taco crawl.
Monday: Run 2.5 miles to Universal Sole new location. Try not to buy half the store. Argue that I don't need a training guide since I'm on foot. Run home. Total time spent: 60 minutes
Tuesday: 50 minutes strength training
Wednesday: Run 1.4 miles into thunderstorm. See HUGE bolt of lightning. Run home. Get high five from doorman for running in a thunderstorm. Total time spent: 28 minutes.
Thursday: MAJOR air conditioning fix failure at rental place. Too stressed out to exercise.
Friday: We'll just call this the day that work imploded.
Saturday: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!! 6 mile training run with CARA. Total time spent: 1 hour, 7 minutes. Not including the time I spent buying more fuel at Universal Sole.
Sunday: 45 minutes of conditioning at the gym. Sweat like crazy. Feel SO much better.
Overall outlook: Exciting! I'm excited to get to know my training group over the next 18 weeks, and hope that we have lots of fun memories!
Have a great week everyone!
This is the fourth year that I've trained with CARA for a fall marathon, and every June I get those same jitters I used to get when school was right around in the corner.
Nightmares of not being able to find the meet-up? Check! Being unable to choke down anything slightly solid at 5:30 am? Check! Why do my socks NEVER match.
I can't help it, I love it! Must be that whole glutton for punishment thing.
I'm happy to be training for both the Chicago Marathon and the New York Marathon this year. My not so secret goal is to complete all of the Marathon Majors, and I'm starting to run out of major marathons that I don't have to qualify for (cough cough Boston).
So without further ado, I present... MARATHON TRAINING. Week one! Spoiler alert. It also features a taco crawl.
Monday: Run 2.5 miles to Universal Sole new location. Try not to buy half the store. Argue that I don't need a training guide since I'm on foot. Run home. Total time spent: 60 minutes
Tuesday: 50 minutes strength training
Wednesday: Run 1.4 miles into thunderstorm. See HUGE bolt of lightning. Run home. Get high five from doorman for running in a thunderstorm. Total time spent: 28 minutes.
Thursday: MAJOR air conditioning fix failure at rental place. Too stressed out to exercise.
Friday: We'll just call this the day that work imploded.
Saturday: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!! 6 mile training run with CARA. Total time spent: 1 hour, 7 minutes. Not including the time I spent buying more fuel at Universal Sole.
Sunday: 45 minutes of conditioning at the gym. Sweat like crazy. Feel SO much better.
Overall outlook: Exciting! I'm excited to get to know my training group over the next 18 weeks, and hope that we have lots of fun memories!
Have a great week everyone!
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