two years ago

Two years ago we were sweating our booties off in the August heat taking pictures all over Chicago and throwing a fantastic party. Two years ago today I married my best friend - the guy who knows me like no else, can make me laugh even when I'm not feeling it, and who keeps showing up on early race mornings to hang around by himself to support me.

Thank you Jacob for an entertaining 2 years of marriage and I look forward to everything that is yet to come! (I'm also very excited to celebrate year 2 here :))

running and cheese fries don't mix

I really need to pay better attention to my training schedule. That, or just stop eating cheese fries at lunch. The yummy fries combined with little sleep thanks to a 20 hour travel day (to LA and back) yesterday made for one crappy feeling run. The plan had called for 4 miles at 1/2 marathon race pace and 1 mile at 10K race pace with a warm up and cool down. I managed the warm-up, 2 miles at 1/2 marathon race pace and 1 mile at 10K race pace with an extensive cool down and then I gave up and walked the last 800 home. The times were where I needed them to be but I so wasn't feeling it mentally or physically. I started to really get down on myself somewhere around mile 3 because my legs felt heavy, I was uncomfortably full, and feeling slow - like this should be a lot easier. In order to finish I had to remind myself that days like this will happen BUT it doesn't mean this one day will ruin my entire training.

After the fact this run reminded me why I have kept running after starting 8 years ago. There are good days, bad days, and incredibly amazing days but very rarely are 2 runs ever the same. This thing called running may get easier some respect but it continually challenges (and punishes!) me. What can I say? I love a good challenge.

So for now, I can't stop long travel days from happening but I should probably take it easy on the cheese fries... at least before the run ;)

wednesday what?

I may be old school in this but I record all my miles on paper. I found a handy dandy runners calendar on super discount at B&N after Christmas that I keep at my bedside to record my daily miles before end of the day. If I stored the calendar anywhere else I would forget to record my data because I'm kind of absentminded. Plus, it's portable and easy to take with me when I travel. Basic but exactly what I need. Previously I had recorded my miles on an Excel spreadsheet but I have 2 computers (work and personal) and it's not feasible to take 2 computers on every trip. (I don't like to keep personal stuff, even running related, on the work computer). I have thought about other ways to record the daily/weekly mileage, like Daily Mile, but keep coming back to my tried and true pen and paper.

What do you use to record your mileage? Daily Mile, a calendar, uploading your garmin data, a spreadsheet, something else? Why do you use what you do?

weekend in review

I may have one of the top 10 best meals Friday night. Here in Chi-town I have access to some incredible restaurants; I'm spoiled I know. I also take full advantage of eating out on a regular basis. Mostly because of we both travel and partly because I love to eat out on the weekends. While we make it our goal to try a new restaurant each month we tend to hit the same 10 restaurants over and over. We love them, people know us and give us price breaks every so often, and it becomes difficult to branch out. Friday night we branched out after realizing a good ole standby wasn't our best option because of a Cubs game. We tried Brown Trout in North Center (northwest side of the city). A-MAZ-ING... I opted for the vegetarian meal (yes I meat but I've been trying to incorporate more veggie centric meals since we eat out so much) and this dish could turn any steak and potatoes kind of eater on to more veggie centric meals. The restaurant uses organic food and focuses on local food as well as growing their own herbs and veggies on their rooftop garden. AWESOME! This is a reason why I love Chicago. Fabulous, tasty restaurants outside of the downtown hustle and bustle but could totally work in the thick of it all. Then we able to enjoy an after dinner drink at a local brewery all in walking distance.

Friday ended up being a late night so Saturday's morning long run started off much later than anticipated. Lucky for me it stayed relatively cool for an early August day so the weather wasn't a factor in my mostly craptastic run. While I had moments where it all clicked and the overall pace was where I wanted it was a mental struggle. That's what I get for staying out late and having a drink or two! But let's not dwell on that... it got done and that's what matters. The big, exciting deal that had me acting like a 4 year old on Christmas morning was this...

A big girl camera! I have to give my dad his camera back so it was time to suck it up and spend the money. I saw the FedEx truck down the street when I came home from my run and I was standing at the front window waiting for him to walk up the street and hit the buzzer.

I spent the rest of the weekend taking the most random pictures, mostly of my cat Maggie...

she's so cute (but I'm partial)

And I took a lot of food pictures...

mmm... el mariachi the best mexican restaurant anywhere hands down

Now I need to find fun stuff around the city to practice my picture taking skills (or lack there of).

I finished up the weekend with running errands, a humid 4 mile recovery run, and enjoying a dinner (and dessert!) made by husband. Ah, weekends, why do you have to be so short?

Chicago RnR 1/2 Marathon Report

What a weekend! Filled with laughs, friends, yummy eats, and a 13.1 mile run. That's what I consider an A+ weekend.

Mr and Mrs. H arrived in Chicago on Friday but we didn't hit up the expo until Saturday afternoon. Bad move on our part because it was ridiculously busy. The hubby, while a fabulous athletic supporter, really can't stand anymore race expo's so we moved through and picked up some new gear as quickly as the crowds allowed. Of course we also stopped for a picture or two :)

Sunday morning the alarm went off at 4:45 - oh so early for me! And we were out the door and on our way to find parking by 5:20 am. We arrived with plenty of time and I found my friends quickly. After a not so quick port-a-potty stop BK and I made the long walk back to the last corral number 29! Mr. H lined up right behind the fasties in corral #2.

Our friend C found us shortly after the start horn had sounded. While standing around BK was feeling the anxiety as she waited for the start of her first 1/2 marathon.

After 45 minutes we finally crossed the start line! Longest wait I've ever experienced to cross the start line. After passing mile 1 I realized the winner would be finishing soon... only 12 miles left for us :)

The first few miles seemed to go quickly. BK thought it would be easiest for her to do a run/walk combo to get her to the finish. The morning, though humid, was overcast so that definitely helped. The 3 of us joked around, caught up on each other's lives, and took in the city. Before mile 5 Jacob spotted us! Seriously my husband is the super spotter when it comes to races. I can never find anybody but he is able to spot me and whoever else we know running in no time. A good skill to have when married to a runner :)

Around this point BK started to feel the general race pains. It was my job to keep her motivated and her mind off her pain as much as possible. I don't think I did very well keeping her mind off the pain but I kept her moving. As the miles ticked by, the sun came out and it definitely warmed up a lot. Around mile 8 the race spray showers/misters were set up. I opted to not go under any as I only feel hotter after the water evaporates. Soon after we were headed back north for our final miles. Unfortunately, this is were the path narrowed and became hot, hot, hot!

Around mile 10 there were cold sponges and I helped myself to one of those to cool down my burning hair :) About this point C realized she needed to keep running, no longer do the run/walk, because it was easier on her body. BK definitely hit a wall here as well. I kept asking her questions to make sure what she was feeling was normal 'running your first 1/2' pain or if she was really hurt. We incorporated a few more walk breaks too. I know my girl was hurting but she took it like a champ. I kept reassuring her that it would feel so much better when she crossed that line.

For being undertrained BK did fantastic! So happy for her and proud of her! We finished together in 2:47:54. BK was hoping for 3 hours so even better than she thought :)

The race/course itself was okay. There were 25,000 runners and seemed overcrowded nearly the entire race. I liked running downtown (especially by the Transformers 3 set) but it was almost a "been there, done that" feeling since the first couple miles were parts of the Chicago Marathon course as well as many other Chicago races. As we turned south on Lakeshore Drive and back around up the running path it became difficult to maneuver and crowded. The race directors also managed to find every "hill" in Chicago. While I didn't mind too much I know it was breaking nearly everyone around me. There were plenty of fluid stations and the misting stations and sponges were fantastic for a hot race. Oh and the popsicles at the finish! There definitely was not very much crowd support in comparison to other races and other than the popsicles no real food at the end :( So some good and some bad - like any race!

Overall, I had a lot of fun running with BK and C! C was freaking hilarious the entire run. I love having friends to race with. I enjoyed running further back than I normally do, taking 50 some odd pictures, and taking in the city in the early morning before it truly wakes up. Everyone seemed a lot more relaxed where we were running and were nice to and supportive of strangers. Plus, I loved being there with my friend as she ran and crossed the line of her first 1/2! Awesome, incredible experience!

Now it's on to convince everyone to run together again ;)

a 1/2 for fun

There's a little race this upcoming weekend around these parts called the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 marathon and I've paid my money to partake. Not much mention of said race has gone on around these parts other than listing it on the sidebar. The reason? I'm not racing! It's August in Chicago people. That means humidity out the wahzoo. I don't do racing in high temps and humidity! Since I wanted to run this but not race I asked my friend B if she was interested i (since other friends of ours are also running) then promised to stick with her to get her across the line of her first 1/2 marathon. The new mom agreed to the plan! Once she agreed I signed up and promptly lost track of time... therefore I did not train very much (I know very bad of me). I have done enough to know I can cover the distance and provide support to my friend.

This is the probably the most excited I've been for a race, especially one I'm undertrained to run. I plan on taking a lot of pictures, making sure B keeps moving, and enjoy the morning in downtown Chicago. Friends are driving in from out of town to run and several other lovely bloggers will be in town racing. It is going to be one big party Sunday morning. I.can't.wait!

Do you sign up for races for fun or do you always give it your PR effort?

decisions, decisions

A friend of ours is getting married Oct 9, 2010 in North Carolina. I am super stoked for the wedding and visiting Asheville for the first time; unfortunately wedding weekend falls on the one weekend nearly every marathon I want to run is happening. :( I'm especially sad to be missing out on the Chicago marathon. It seems like everyone is running it this year! Being out of town that weekend in October and for two weeks in November (huge vacation = so excited!), and spending a lot of money on these trips really limits any fall marathon options. I'm left with a few and not sure what I want to do. This is where you come in and help me ;)

Originally I had grand plans to run the Akron marathon in September before all my fun and the holidays. Then when training should have started I was sick and not feeling like putting in the work that training requires. So I'm bumping that back to the half. This way I can run part of the course and see if I want to make the full commitment next year. There are a couple other half marathons and other races I also have my eye on as well.

Fall race options:

1) Run Columbus Ohio marathon 10/17. Pros: Friends are running, it is a fast course that is well supported, should be cool weather, less than 2 hours from family in Ohio so they may come support as well. Cons: Long drive for a short weekend, would have to start training asap.

2) Haunted Hustle Marathon in Middleton, WI on 10/30. Pros: Plenty of time to train, only 3 1/2 hour drive to Madison/Middleton, weather should be good (but it is Wisconsin, it could snow at the end of October), sounds like a fun and different race, would add a new racing state to my list. Cons: I leave for my big trip 2 days after the race. Do I really want to travel for 10 hours super sore? Day 2 post marathon is usually the worst for me...

3) Forget the full marathon this fall and run the 1/2 marathon and other fun races the remainder of the year.

Another thing I should mention is I am kicking around the idea of the Goofy Challenge in January as well. So I don't want to run a full in December and thus burn myself out on running and training. Goofy will be for fun, no time constraints, and to raise money for cancer research!

So let me know what you think in the comments. Also is anyone else running the Disney full/half marathon in January?