Hump Day

It was hard to roll out of bed today - like any day! A good run with Christy, Jenny, Elyse and Jill. We got to hear all about Elyse's recent saga in her professional life and on the other end of the spectrum we heard about Jill's recent saga in the Mosh Pit at the Buck Cherry concert. Who says this small town doesn't have much diversity!

Unfortunately Jill, Elyse and I were too busy talking because we let the speed demons lead. No wait, that wasn't it. Elyse had to tie her shoe. It wasn't that we are slow. Nope. Those darn shoes!

Studies

I read the following with interest:

A recent British study involving a small number of chocoholics found that the simple act of walking reduced cravings for this cocoa derived delight. Walking briskly for 15 minutes not only reduced the blood pressure of study participants, but it reduced their cravings as well.

Hmmm... I think the trick to walking to reduce chocolate cravings is the fact that they were walking AWAY from the chocolate. "just walk away, just walk away, just walk away".

A good run this morning with Katie, Jenny and Christy. Elyse is out with a cold, so don't worry Jill, you didn't miss hearing any of the latest in the school drama. I know you will be relieved. Something to get you through the day after the Buck Cherry concert last night. I know we will all have to talk louder during our runs so you can hear us.

Hmmm...

Hmmm... I have been having a hard time coming up with interesting things to talk about here. I guess that reflects my overall attitude about running right now.

The Onion reported on a retired marathon runner who found a new "high". It is tempting....

Old School

We had to go "old school" today. My Garmin's battery was out and Elyse's turn off 8 feet into the run. Not a good day to do it because I had new route "antsy pants". Or maybe it is the momentum of the election - I need "CHANGE". Unfortunately, as with almost all change, it was hard. We started up Jefferson, so we did the hilly route over to BC. Jenny kept on wanting to add more hills in by I looked out for the rest of the group and said no, no, no. Of course, it was purely for selfish reasons, I just want to make sure that people keep on coming on Monday mornings. If we make it more hellish than just getting up early on Monday morning, people will never come!

So, with out Garmins, I had to drive the route afterwards to get the mileage.

Yeah, right! Not THAT old school. I went to my route website and plotted it out. 5.73. Correction - a HILLY 5.73! So, let's call it 6.0!

Better than last time

Well, for all you who bailed this morning or who weren't motivated enough to get out of bed even though you weren't signed up (Mike) - you missed a wonderful run with Kwik Trip Gal and myself. Luckily, I decided to change my running schedule and run today instead of tomorrow, although Jill probably wasn't happy to see she could turn around and go back to bed.

We ended up getting the unusual and joyful (not really) opportunity to run in cold rain for the last 1/2 mile of the run. It wasn't quite the experience it was this summer - it was 30 degrees colder, it wasn't lightening, dark and no honks from passing cars (I was wearing black this time).
The good news is that tomorrow I get to be snuggled in my bed while you all are out running! Hmmmm.. Jill seemed to rub off on me today. I am in a spiteful mood despite it being Friday.

Turf Wars

I was a little worried when I drove into Walgreen's this morning. There were 4 strange cars sitting there. At first I thought maybe I had my dates wrong and it was the day after Thanksgiving. Last year on that day there were people lined up outside the door waiting to get a head start on shopping deals. That freaked me out for different reasons.... Anyway, given the 60 degree weather, I figured I probably had the date right or if I had it wrong it was June (wishful thinking). No, it wasn't new runners either (wishful thinking again). The consensus was they were doing inventory. Not very funny for a job or for storytelling.

A tired run for me this morning. Even though I slept well last night, the two previous nights on not sleeping caught up with me. But the good news is that the election is over and the post game analysis will finally start to dwindle. It will right? please, please, please.

Last of the warm weather

Today was probably the last balmy run - 60 degrees! Makes you feel like it will go on for ever, but unfortunately my fellow "buzz killl" runners were telling me that snow is forecasted on Friday. Ugh.

We survived the Norwalk half marathon this weekend. Here is how I would compare it with Chicago.

Chicago - more cowbells
Norwalk - more cows
Chicago - more people
Norwalk - more cows
Chicago - sweet smell of the city and Lake Michigan
Norwalk - sweet smell of cow poop
Chicago - 30 tables at an aid station
Norwalk - 1 table
Chicago - Free Beer
Norwalk - Beer - $2 (this one is for you Christy and Mike)

Best Quote

Today it was Elyse, Christy, Jill and I. A lot of "hot topics" were being discussed so the pace was good.

I keep on thinking two things that were said in the "Spirit of the Marathon" which rang so true, even though they weren't very deep. These are not exact quotes, but something along the lines of.....

"When you run with people it is funny how when you are running you never talk about running, but when you are not running, running is all that you talk about."

And when talking about pre race rituals/preparation....

"Running tends to make you develop Obsessive Compulsive Disorder."

So true, so true.

Have a GREAT time Trick or Treating!

Blown Away?

Apparently Sandy and Katie were blown away in this morning's run before they were able to reach Walgreens for the run they signed up for. I hope they are okay. I am sure Dorothy will help them find their way home. Next time we see them I expect we will see their running shoes have red sequins on them!

It must have not been as windy over on the south east side of town, since Jenny made it. Wait - doesn't Sandy live over there too? Hmmm... Must have been a freak tornado event. Well, they will get their due since this morning will probably be the warmest morning for the next 4 days. (insert evil witch laugh here).

It was a blustery run, but not as cold as they had forecasted it to be. My car thermometer said 40 degrees. I was over dressed.

3rd day in a row

Third run in a row. So much for easing into running again after the marathon. It was a talkative 6 mile run with the Cousins and Kwik Trip Gal. A lot of promises were made. Remember if you don't keep them - no more running polls. For the rest of you..... you had to be there.

2nd run

Ran again today.... BRRRR. 55 yesterday and 30 today. Shorts and T-shirt to long pants, long shirt and a head band! The unpleasant feeling of "numb butt jiggling" came back. I had enjoyed 5 months of NOT experiencing that session. It is not one you ever get used to.

I felt stronger today which was good and no aches and pains developed. My quads were a little sore yesterday after running and I am guessing they will be again today.

Jill was a no show. Too bad, I had money to give her. Guess that means I get to pocket it.

Back at it post marathon

First run after the marathon today. I almost gave myself another day. Not because my body felt like it needed it. In fact, I was starting to get antsy about running again. Nope, it meant another day of not getting up at 4:20. I thought the running gods might be on my side when yesterday morning I saw that it was suppose to rain this morning, but I must not have sacrificed enough of my soul at Chicago because last night the chance of rain was no longer being forecasted. Elyse said it was raining at 4:35. Unfortunately, I checked outside at 4:40 and missed my opportunity to bail. As they say... early bird catches the worm or not in my case.

It was an okay run. My quads started getting sore and I can feel them post run too. We will see how tomorrow goes.

Pictures

Here are the finish line photos:

Chicago Race Report - FINALLY

I know – ABOUT TIME! Sorry that I did not IMMEDIATELY post a Chicago Marathon race report. At first I was just TIRED then the post marathon depression set in. After months of looking forward to Chicago, it was depressing not to have that feeling of anticipation anymore. The Rails to Trails half in Norwalk doesn’t seem to generate the same feeling of anticipation. Hmmmm… wonder why? (By the way – it appears that the Norwalk race is an out and back course with the marathoners going a little beyond the start line and looping back again).

IT WAS A FANTASTIC RACE! Is that a good enough race report? Satisfied Jill?

Okay – from the beginning…..

The Expo was good. A lot of people in the area with the race wear which was hard, but the rest of the expo was well spread out and didn’t seem too bad – better than GB. I thought there would be a lot more vendors selling stuff, but it seemed like over 50% were other marathons.

Our condo turned out great. It was a perfect space for us to all hang out together and eat all of Jenny’s Franciscan Bakery Cookies. Plus it was within easy walking distance to the race so no worries about driving, finding parking, etc. I think Mike is going to get a lot of nice Christmas presents because we found a lot of things very appropriate for him. Don’t worry, he won’t know since he doesn’t read my blog….

We had a great home cooked meal in the condo. Again, it was so nice not to have to deal with a restaurant the night before the race. Plus, we were able to prime our race pumps by watching “Spirit of the Marathon” which features the Chicago Marathon. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea since we were a little taken a back by ALL THE PEOPLE! It was hard to imagine what race day was going to be like.

We headed out at 6:30 and walked to the Endurance Pavilion. We paid extra for it, but I think we agreed it was well worth it, especially after the race. We had our own gear check and easy access to port a potties – the most important thing. We didn’t stay long, since we wanted to get to the corral and get a decent spot. It was already 60+ degrees so it was nice not to freeze waiting for the start. At the very least we can say that the spectators had a beautiful day to watch a race.

It was Carrie’s first marathon and she was aiming for qualifying for Boston. Believe me – I tried to dissuade her, but in the end it is her race to run. So, since she wanted to get up near the 3:50 pace group she and I left Sandy and Jill behind and threaded our way through the mass of people to get further up front. I only got on disgusted “Seriously!” Yep, seriously. Follow us if you like! I think this was a wise move after talking with Sandy and Jill afterwards. I didn’t have to deal with too much weaving to get around people. It seemed like we were all running pretty much the same pace – or maybe everyone was just passing me? I had a 9:17 for the first and second miles. Sandy said her first mile was 11:20 or something like that. I saw Carrie’s ass for 2 minutes and then didn’t see her again for 3 hours.

We also got to experience the benefits of having our own personal cheer crew on the course. The anticipation of seeing Sheri, Al and Al's brother Joe got me through many a mile! It was so great to have them cheering us on and taking pictures!!!

The number of runners was pretty amazing, but what was even more so was the amount of spectators. We all agreed that future races will seem like a let down in comparison. Not only were there a lot of them – never a spot without people cheering – seriously! But they were incredibly enthusiastic even after being out there for 4 hours. They made you feel like Olympic athletes.

I caught up with Carrie’s ass at mile 20 and then she ended up looking at mine. The fable of Turtle and Hare came true. Her legs had started cramping at 15, an easy thing to happen on such a hot day. I have definitely become a believer in electrolyte tablets. I could tell when I had taken one. Don’t get me wrong, I struggled at the end. Especially at that damn overpass that they put in the last .25 mile. I couldn’t do it. I let myself walk up it. I knew it was coming which didn’t help, but I probably walked up it faster than I was running at that point!

The other thing about the warm weather is that there wasn’t much pressure to PR. The fact that we were all able to finish without injury or a visit to the medical tent was a victory in itself. Oh sure, there were moments along the course when I though – “I think I can break 4 hours today!” A mile later reality set in and I was thinking “Yeah, I am just going to try and keep running and finish”.

We all agreed that it was a fantastic experience. Good course – although hillier than we anticipated given how they it is so flat. Amazing spectators. Amazing race organization from the expo to the aid stations.

It is very tempting to consider doing men and women next year. Get a condo for the guys and one for the girls…. Hmmmm …..any takers?