01/20/2009 20:18
Inauguration Day musings
So at 4am, Zoe woke me up. We went downstairs, got some chocolate milk and camped out on the couch, since there just wasn't going to enough room for me, my hubby and Jada, who'd arrived bedside hours earlier.
As she slurped away, she said "Mommy, Mommy! We have to tell Miss Hedda (translation: Ms. Heather, her teacher) that we have to watch Barack Obama (pronounces o-BAMM-a) today! We have to tell her." awwwwww, she's so proud and doesn't even know why. And yes, the inauguration was in fact part of their agenda at school today.
After dropping Zoe off, Jada and I made our way up Lakeshore Drive for our daily 110-block trip (one way). We couldn't help but think how odd it was that we were, one, receiving some serious lake effect snow that we never saw in yesterday's forecast, but that the sky up ahead was blue. It could only mean one thing: Brighter days ahead!
01/16/2009 21:26
Three and a half
Three and a half.
The temperature last night was -12. So when I arose this morning, excited at the prospects of our predicted rise in temperature up above zero at some point today, I was disheartened to see that the morning sunlight ushered in a temperature at -17 with windchills in around -34.
So after warming the car up for 30 minutes (whirrr whirrr--"c'mon! turn over, turn over, turn over"--purrrrrrrrrrrr.), the girls and I ventured out into the Chicago Tundra. Because Chicago Public Schools never close. I joked the other day that it could be the apocalypse and CPS would not call off school.
So Jada and I dropped Zoe off at daycare and proceeded to my beloved Lakeshore Drive to make the 110-block trip to her northside school. We noticed only a few ducks perched on the ice today. Approaching 63rd Street Beach: WHAT'S THIS?!?! SOMEONE EXERCISE-WALKING ALONG THE PATH? Are you nuts. Then I noticed a car pulling out from the parking lot...WHAT?
Later we saw two more avid runners (read: fools) out there. I just can't for the life of me figure out why someone wouldn't wake up on a day like today and say, "ya know, maybe I oughtta skip that run this morning."
Weird thing is, a few days ago when it was hovering in the single digits ABOVE zero, we didn't see a soul out there.
So three and a half runners/walkers. The half, we reason, is the person leaving the parking lot.
p.s. I got a Chicago Tribune email alert when the temperature flirted with zero. Only to read that shortly after breaking the surface, we have since slipped back down into subzero temps. 
01/11/2009 23:15
Um....hi?
ok...no explanations or anything...i think i will start blogging again. but i don't think i'm going to blog about every run and every workout, that was getting a bit too much. all is well.
and yes, i'm registered for two races for this year already.
alright, that's enough for today. now i'm off to visit my friends in the blogosphere.
smooches,
lindy
11/19/2008 16:18
She emerges from the depths of purgatory....
...unscathed. After having dropped everything but the essentials...family; work; studying for her AICP exam; and of course, cookies, she returns to the blogging scene. Not having run more than, say, up the stairs to catch that red line train approaching the station, since late October. The break has done her good, though. The kids are still breathing, attending school, wearing matching clothes and getting decent sleep/food/emotional support. She has not yet been fired. She passed her exam. And she's still fulfilling cookie orders here and there.
She might start running again later this week, but not a lot. She decided to take it easy a bit, until the new year, when new dreams come calling, when training for the Indy Mini should begin, etc... She has, interestingly enough, lost more weight in the last month, than in the last 3 months before that. (No, my weight log is not up to date.)
She is now done talking in the third person, b/c as annoying as it is to read it, it's also hard to write that way.
10/26/2008 16:36
Run #92 Gargoyle Gallop 8K Race Report
Date: October 26 at 9am
Place: 63rd Street Beach House, up north and back
Mileage: 4.97 miles (I hate to be all like, "well my Garmin said..."
Time It Took: 1:02:31 yeah, that terrible, whether it was 4.97 miles or 5.04, which is what my old lady (Garmin) said.
Pace: 12:34
Miles This Week: 7.97
Miles This Month: 27.64
2008 Total: 516.54
Thought/Comments: ran crappily, about as crappily as I felt. I've been feeling kinda "eh" most of the week, and since I'm not training for anything, I decided to just allow myself the extra sleep. Didn't seem to make a bit of difference today, still feel like "eh", now on the downswing to eeww, as I lie here on the couch and type this. the only bright spot was the end, this girl tried to pass me, and I sped up and dusted her...as much as one can "dust" someone in an 8K past the hour mark. BLECH!
Old school race, no chip time, just calling out the time when you finish, not counting the time it took you to start. I know my place by now, and started in the back. Granted, it was probably only a 7 to 10 second difference.
Anyway....there it is. Not pretty, but completed.
10/21/2008 11:31
Run #91 Girl Interrupted
Date: October 21 at 5:50am
Place: treadmill at home
Mileage: 3
Time It Took: 35:23
Pace: 11:48
Miles This Week: 3
Miles This Month: 22.67
2008 Total: 511.57
Thoughts/Comments:
House Rule #1 The first step is always the creakiest. As I was sneaking out of my bedroom to head downstairs to the treadmill, I noticed how loud the stairs were. Maybe with cooler weather they are creakier? My first step and I was like "OH NO!" I heard Zoe tossing and turning, so I waited a few minutes before progressing.
And of course, just about 3/4 into my first mile, there she was at the door. "Hi Mommy! Mommy are you done? Mommy! Mommy!" So I got off for a few minutes, found Blues Clues was on Noggin (there's nothing more worthwhile on cable than the round-the-clock "It's like pre-school on TV" Noggin Channel.) I got her some chocolate milk, put her under a blanket on the couch and VOILA! I just bought a few more minutes for myself. As I was walking my cooldown she was back at the door "Mommy are you done? Mommy! Mommy!" and so I at that point I really was done.
Whew, getting runs in by hook or by crook!
10/18/2008 20:07
Run #90 Just a run
Date: October 18 at 5:45pm
Place: Treadmill at home
Mileage: 3 miles
Time It Took: 35:43
Pace: 11:54
Miles This Week: 8.85
Miles This Month: 19.67
2008 Total: 508.57
Thoughts/Comments: Slept in this morning. Didn't feel like "running and rushing", because even though it's Saturday, I had to work for a few hours this morning at a community meeting. Anyhoo, I got the run in eventually. To meet y goal of getting in 4 runs this week, I will need to run tomorrow, also. Preferably in the morning.
Happy weekend, everyone.
Special shout-outs:
to Andrea N, who will be running her first marathon tomorrow morning in San Francisco. GO ANDREA!!!!!
and to a new running friend I met last week at Chicago who ran with Lou in the leg before I did, Freedom Runner, who will be running the marathon in Grand Rapids. GO LIZ!
10/17/2008 12:05
Run #89 A little speed training never hurt nobody! (at least I don't think so)
Date: October 17 at 9:15am
Place: Treadmill at home (Jada's home today, so when the alarm went off at 5:30am and I felt tired, I rolled over and said to myself "later!"
Mileage: 2.1 (My actual goal was in minutes, this was the mileage that I ended up with) + .25 cooldown
Time It Took: 24:00
Pace: 11:25
Miles This Week: 5.6 + .25 = 5.85
Miles This Month: 16.67
2008 Total: 505.57
Thoughts/Comments: So my goal is to do 1 speedtraining session each week. I would guess this qualifies:
3 minutes at 5mph, followed by 1 minute at 6mph: repeated 6 times
Maybe I should shorten my slower pace to 2 minutes? I dunno.
Happy Friday everyone! Jada is off today and we're going to head out and do girl stuff. First stop, get these bushes (aka eyebrows) done. I get them threaded up in an Indian neighborhood.
10/14/2008 23:50
You'll NEVER BELIEVE what I did today.
1) Strength training earlier this evening! (at home, b/c I may never be able to go to the gym again until my girls go off to college, and then I might be too broke for a membership.)
2) I wanted something warm and toasty that would bring me some comfort while watching a sad new episode of L&O SVU about mental illness. Anyhoo, I had already told myself that I could have my favorite soup (which is full of sodium and 6 WW points, even though I only have 1 point left for today. BUT I HAD SOME PLAIN HOT TEA INSTEAD.
I am as amazed as you.
10/14/2008 10:44
Run #88 Back At It
Date: October 14th at 5:20am
Place: Treadmill at home
Mileage: 3 + .5 (walking, warmup and cooldown)
Time It Took (for the run): 35:37
Pace: 11:52
Miles This Week: 3 + .5= 3.5
Miles This Month: 14.32
2008 Total: 503.22 (Yay, I finally broke 500! Sheesh!)
Thoughts/Comments: My legs protested, but I just did it. To go from running 7+ miles with crowd-lined streets and people cheering and handing you water and gatorade and pretzels...to go from that, to the yellowish light oddly bouncing off the brick wall in my exercise room as I stare at the curtains on the window and amidst storage boxes strewn about is quite a letdown.
BUT! I should be happy that I have a treadmill at home and can get on it at the crack of dawn or even in the middle of the night instead of running while its dark outside (i wouldn't) or trying to figure out how I can fit a trip to the gym in my crazy schedule (i couldn't)...so I'm counting my blessings.
Have a great day!
