Snowflakes & Shamrocks!

The Shuffle is widely recognized as the first race of the new year for Chicago-area runners. But while it's now officially running season, the weather is clearly not on our side!

The blizzard-typhoon that swept through Chicago Saturday night into Sunday morning kept me and 16,000 others from participating in this much-anticipated race. After waking up and taking one look outside, I knew it was a bad idea to go. By 8:30 am the weather still hadn't let up, so I grimly hopped back into bed.

But with so many people supporting me, I knew I had to remain accountable. I ran a pleasant (yet still challenging!) 5 miles solo later the in the day when the elements were much, much more accommodating!

14,000 brave souls did strap on their shoes to run on Sunday (many who wore shorts and sleeveless tops - I have no idea how!!). The Chicago Tribune has some great race day photos and coverage. And, just like the Chicago Marathon, a native Kenyan took a first place finish in the Shuffle. Emmanuel Korir, who now resides in Lansing, Mich., finished in only 24 minutes and 18 seconds.

The women's title went to 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor of California.

To date I've raised nearly $850 to support Hope Runs programming in Kenya and Tanzania. I'm looking forward to seeking future sponsorhip this year - hopefully with more positive race recaps!

Time Trials in Kenya

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Hordes of people wearing green roamed the streets of downtown Chicago today, celebrating both St. Patrick's Day and the beautiful 60-plus degree weather. Yesterday I went for a sweet 3 mile run along the lake front. Spring/summer is just on the horizon!

My fav St. Paddy's Day story (article is from the Trib):

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is going green for St. Patrick's Day.

The water in the fountains on the north and south lawns of the White House has been dyed green to mark the national holiday of Ireland.

First Lady Michelle Obama came up with the idea for the festive touch, said spokeswoman Katie McCormick Lelyveld. She was inspired by the St. Patrick's Day celebrations in her hometown of Chicago, where the city marks the holiday by dyeing the river green.

"It's a little piece of home for our new home," said Lelyveld, who is also from Chicago.

Lelyveld said it's the first time the water in the White House fountains has been dyed. The green hue will stay until the dye runs outs.

President Barack Obama marks St. Patrick's Day with separate meetings in Washington with Irish leaders and he'll also attend St. Patrick's Day events in the White House and on Capitol Hill.

Cheers!

14 miles... like, whoa

When I embarked on my first long run of 10 miles, I felt nervous but confident I could do it.  I kept a positive mindset and ran all the way from the Rog to Belmont Ave and back. A good, solid run.  Talk about an esteem booster.

Then I pumped it up to 14 miles. It was a busy weekend so I didn't get around to running until 8pm on Sunday.  This time I ran to North Avenue beach.  I love night running and this one went smooth, too. Until I hit mile 10, which I'm starting to think is my my wall.  I pretty much just dragged my feet for the remaining 3 miles. Oh, was I frustrated.  But it reminded me that if my runs are too comfortable, if I'm not feeling exhausted at the end, then I'm not pushing harder. Running is supposed to be a constant challenge, a struggle that leaves you fatigued and sometimes distressed when finished.  Not every run is accompanied by an euphoric moment.  But it's always worth the two, four, ten runs it takes to feel that runner's high.

For now, just knowing I ran 14 (and now 16!!) will suffice. I know I'll soon feel it, too.

M is for Marathons.... and Mexico! and Mangoes!

Just as marathon training is about to officially start, I had to go to Mexico. Had to. Like going on vacation is a bad thing, right? Ha! 

Honestly I was a little concerned about being gone for 10 days just when I needed to start 'building my foundation,' so to say.  My family and I left on Thursday, June 19th, for a trip south of the border for the 15th birthday celebration of a family friend, Laurie.   I'll take more time to blog about the experience of being in Mexico for the first time and all the fun stuff that goes along with it (tacos for every meal, cheap cerveza, deciphering what eve

ryone is saying, toilets that don't flush... yes, even that

) but I'm a bit too tired right now. So... to be continued!

I will say that the title of this posting is derived from the experience of my solo quality run while away.  At our resort there was a gorgeous golfing range that was off limits to joggers.  So I, of course, had to run around this path when the golfers di

sappeared for the night.   I did two laps on the large range, which is approximately 4 miles, and about 20 minutes along the way I came across a mango tree with fresh, luscious mangoes lying all around it. Mind you, I really, really like this fruit which, in the U.S., is pretty pricey and rare (nowadays it's $1.50 for one mango.  I used to pay $1 for 3 at Devon Market just a few years back! Sheesh!).  So to stumble upon a plentiful plethora of free, ripe mangoes kind of made me want to stop running and happily weep. And eat. Okay, it's an exaggeration but still... 

Anyway, I did not, in fact, stop; I did continue on m

y run. But the mangoes along the trail coupled with a magnificent setting sun that painted the whole sky a vibrant orange, then pink, and finally mauve,  kind of made running in Mexico really peaceful.  I was hot, and drenched, and weak, but man, was I happy.

Those Nike Ads

And now the marathon is stalking me wherever I go. Guess that means it's time to hit the pavement! Although I've traded in my ol' pair of purple Nikes for some sweet New Balance kicks (pink, with 15% of proceeds going towards breast cancer research. Awesome!), I can't help but love the Nike ads I've seen around town: on the el platform, in the train, at bus stops.

They're clever and many ring true. The first I saw said something like, "You're beautiful when you sweat." Hell yeah!

Nike put out the ads since its the official apparel sponsor for the Chicago Marathon this year. It's maintaining a pretty cool site that I recommend any runner to check out. I've decided to use the beginner training schedule too, since the workouts are more appropriate for what I can handle (some of the other beginner schedules were way, way too simple).

Nike is even hosting free running groups that meet virtually every day in a different spot in the city, including down Taylor Street at the Starbucks. Sweeet. I am stoked.

Hot, hot, hot!

I strapped on my new pink New Balance shoes and went out for a casual run today around 5pm. Talk about summer! 3 miserable miles of sweat, heat and blinding sun. I collapsed in my bed exhausted after such a short run. Ad commented that it's too hot to run. I disagreed. No such thing, this is what the whole summer will be like. And there aren't any excuses.

A weekend full of firsts

This title is slightly misleading because its suggestive optimism clouds the fact that I was in bed sick all weekend with food poisoning or the flue (which, if it was the former, then it was a first too!). Regardless, Chicago had its first two consecutive weekend days of glorious weather -- woo hoo! Saturday and Sunday were perfect for running, or being outdoors at the very least (both of which I did not do due to the aforementioned circumstances. Sucks, I know!).

I bought my first pair of running shoes for this summer, and can say I am super-stoked to stap them on and hit the pavement.

Also, I recieved my first two donations from two former instructors: my Communication prof, Sister Mary Pat H. of Loyola University Chicago, and French teacher, Madame Jancys of Queen Peace High School. A huge MERCI to these wonderful women for getting the summer started right. I think I'm starting to feel better already. :)

Another reason why Obama rocks (not that you need one)

RunnerSpace.com has a vid of Senator Barack Obama "going over a hurdle at Hayward Field" on Friday night. Watch it below. Obama stopped by the University of Oregon's Hayward Field for the Oregon Twilight meet while campaigning in Oregon.

And...we're off!

I kicked off my fundraising efforts last week by (finally) finishing my appeal / ask letter and mailing it out to former teacher and professors. This weekend I plan to send out the next round to friends and family. I just got done mailing out 2,000+ fundraising letters at work for our organization, Illinois Legal Aid Online. So I may need a few days of rest to break from the envelope stuffing and licking it requires.

On another note, the Chicago Marathon informed me that the big day was exactly 6 months away... but oops! It's actually in 5 months. A correction email soon followed the first. I'm positive all the nerdy runners out there jumped on the opportunity immediately to correct the mistake. The date, amoung other things like having enough water, is one thing you shouldn't screw acround with.

Cheers!

Missing: worn-out Nikes, $0 reward for their return

My runnin' shoes have mysteriously disappeared. Last seen Thursday at the apartment, post-race. Perhaps this is my cue to go out and get a new pair. Unless, as Adrienne slyly suggested, they've been hidden so I become fat. HA! We'll see about that....

First 5K of 2008! CFW's Race for a Safe State

First month training for a race: check!
First 5K of the year: check!

Now that's I've got one race under my belt, I'm pumped for the upcoming months. Meredith T., a fellow Rambler and avid runner who will be doing the NYC marathon in November, participated with me in the Chicago Foundation for Women's second annual 5K Race for a Safe State. This particular event raises awareness of violence against women, which is an issue I recently became interested after visiting the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic in Chicago and reading a Tribune article about domestic abuse and the law's inability to fully prevent it.

Rain clouds daunted us from above but held off during our run. Walking to Grant Park in my flips flops, short track shorts and Shamrock Shuffle tee from 2005, with my running shoes dangling my bag, I felt like a real athlete of sorts. It was like I was gearing up and on my way to the big race, sorta reminiscent of my track and cross country days. And I actually felt nervous! Texting back and forth with Adrienne, she assured me that I was being ridiculous since I can pull a solid 6 miler outta no where and be fine. True, I confirmed, except those days are rare (but when they do happen they are amazing...).

Anyway, I met up with Meredith and we prepped ourselves. There weren't too many participants so we stood pretty close to the starting line. Finally we were off! Meredith and I started off strong; we shed our race tees, opting for our racer backs only, less than halfway through because of the humidity. At the 2 mile mark our pace was between 8 - 8:30. I've raced this path before and for whatever reason, it always gets me at the halfway point. I just begin to teeter out.

Meredith paced us for the rest of the race, then pulled ahead of me in the last 100m. Some guy at the 3 mile mark told us we were in 6th and 7th place for women-- woo hoo! I actually finished 8th with a time of 26:50 (which is under my revised goal of 27 minutes), which converts to a pace of 8:38 per mile. Not too shabby. The "winning" time for women was 25:37 (8:14 min/mile), which is totally doable. Next time? :)

Post-race Meredeth and I loaded up on Luna bars then sat in the grass to chat. Apparently Steve W. has become quite the runner, she told me. Since going through training for the fire department he took a liking to running-- and this is a guy who used to think running was the worst activity on earth for the body! I'm glad he's been converted. As both Meredith and I can contest, it can become a totally consuming addiction. I'll have to ask her what her exact phrasing of it is, but we're definitely geeks when it comes to the sport.

My little admirer rides a bike

Yesterday I ran the farthest distance that I've run in, oh, I dunno, 5 years? It was my slow, long weekend run.  Started at Rodrigo's apartment on NorthShore and Sheridan and followed Sheridan to the lakefront and south along Lake Shore Drive to Irving Park.   Total distance was a little over 7.5 miles and I felt good.  Took it easy; stretched and stopped for water when I needed.  There was a chill in the air but I wore only my spandex and racerback anyway. :)

With two miles to go I somehow attracted an admirer-- a skinny young dark-skinned boy on a bicycle.  He followed me along the beach, around and down the Sheridan curve and to Loyola where he finally gave up.  I was kind of peeved (I just wanted to run alone and finish), kinda of creeped out (he stared and slowed down for me), and kind of comforted.  Well, only when my i-Pod died during that last mile stretch.  He provided an awkward distraction, I suppose!

What goes up, must come down... crashing.

So the title of this posting is a little exaggerated, I'll admit it. But since registering to run the "big race" in October I've experienced both moments of euphoria ("I can do this! I really can!) and utter disappointment ("What is wrong with me??").

For the first two weeks after registering, my runs were amazing. Simply awesome. I was down to like 25 minutes or something for my 3 miler. For me, that was much better than I've done in a long, long time. A few weeks back I ran 6 simple miles along the lakefront-- a few times, actually-- and just felt great. Natural. Like, I could really do this.

Flash forward a week (in real time, that would be two weekends ago. Sorry if my timeline is confusing you). Beautiful spring Sunday. Everyone is out and about and cheery that good weather has finally arrived. I'm stoked to run in such nice weather. So I lace up and head out and after about three quarters of mile I begin to think, 'huh, this really doesn't feel all that good. As a matter of fact, I feel lousy. This is... hard?'

I had music. My pace wasn't too fast. I had no excuses except I smoked hookah the night before (lungs hurt) and pulled an all-nighter Friday (sleep-deprived). I had to suck it up and make myself run the 3 miles back home.

This happened again a few more times, during long runs (6 miles) and shorter, quick runs (2 miles). My legs felt heavy, I was running with my chest, it was just so unnatural. I didn't even feel like I was employing my quad muscles, squeezing my abs, using my biceps and forearms to pull me through.

Then, I'm home on the south side this weekend. I run 6 miles around the 'hood. How'd it go? It was awesome. I was going much faster than I felt. I think I finished in around 55-56 minutes. The next day I have 2 fast miles to crank out. Finished in under 16:30. Hmm, what gives? Familar territory, Ashley suggested.

Yesterday was another beautiful day. Again, totally excited to run 5 around town. So I go out, and, just like before, felt shitty. I did run one mile under 8 and another (on the Ignatius track, after breaking in) in 7:40, but I could only complete 4.

It's frustrating. It is so easy to get sidetracked by the bad runs and fall into a funk of "what the f am I doing? No, why the f am I doing this to myself?"

But then there are those really Zen-like times when you feel like you can put foot in front of foot for hours... I could really use one of those this weekend. Like Saturday when the schedule calls for 7. Lucky number 7!

An ad, hanging on my bulletin board at work:

"halfway thru my run
I realized
I actually
felt
good."

I just signed my life away... in good way, I hope!

For the second year in a row, registration for the Shamrock Shuffle closed before I could secure a spot. Damn. I love that race! And the long-sleeved tees are always the coolest! So, acting on impulse of course, I quickly logged on to the official Chicago Marathon website.

Registration Now Open the webpage read. Hmm. Interesting. Quickly I scrolled through to see what this whole marathon thing would cost me, both monetarily and mentally. Finally, after 20 minutes of mustering up the courage to actually to fill out the form, put in my payment info, and answer questions like "Are you interested in qualifying for a Start Corral?" (Um, maybe?) and "Do you have a time goal?" (with indicators for hours, minutes and seconds! Seriously?), I clicked Submit. Then closed my eyes as my stomach churned. Did I really just do that?

I did! Agh! And I immediately had to tell everyone to make sure what I did was real... and reassure myself that I am, after all, sane. I mean, who doesn't want to spend four months running 30 or miles a week for countless hours in the heat and under the sun, zipping (or dragging) oneself across the city with splitting shins and sweaty everything? I, for one, am quite looking forward to the enriching experience we call training season.

I know. Call me a sucker, a show-off, a crazy lady. But at least wave 'hi!' as I pass you by on the streets this summer. Every bit of encouragement counts and lord knows, I'll need much of it every long, grueling glorious mile along the way.