This deserves an award...

Wow.  Read this.

Run #87 Chicago Marathon Non-Race Report

Date:  October 12th, joined Lou between Miles 18 & 19, Ashland Avenue at 14th Street; temp somewhere above 80.  (But not as hot as last year, whew!)

Time:  Sometime after 12:30pm

MIleage:  7.72 (according to Garmin)

Time It Took:  Lou's Support...that was all that mattered.

Pace:  Lou's Pace...that was all that mattered.

Miles This Week:  10.82 (really Lindy?  pathetic!)

MIles This Month:  10.82

2008 Goal:  499.72

Thoughts/Comments:  So as you all know, I decided that if I couldn't run the marathon, I'd do my best to run with Lou.  Here's how my day went:  Left house like I was on a stealth bomber spy mission, sneaking out so as not to wake up the girls.

Race Start

My friend Rabiya (visiting from NYC) and I took the train downtown and met my friend, co-worker and fellow runner to stand on one of the bridges just past the start line to cheer runners on and hold signs.  Specifically, I was looking for my pasta party invitees and friends: Annah, Lou, Sheena, Melba, and Anne. We watched the wheelchair athletes start off first, followed by the elite runners, and finally everone else.  I was proud that our signs kicked the butts of all other signs out there.  No white posterboards for us!  We had these flourescent orange, yellow and green ones that were extremely visible.  Amidst the thousands of runners, I was able to pick out Annah, who was happy to see my bright orange neon sign.  Note to non-runners:  one of the coolest things about the Chicago Marathon is the loud, supportive crowds.

We've Only Just Begun

On our way back over to State Street to catch the Red Line back home, we watched runners at around Mile 2 (and listened to Nicole complain about not being able to buy her CTA day-pass. ALRIGT ALREADY!).  I saw Sheena and we cheered and she waved....saw Lou who ran right past me and I screamed my head off and almost tripped my way into the crowd.  Her iPod must have been playing her favorite song, and I knew she wasn't looking for me at that point in the race.  :(  I even saw another friend from my undergrad days.  I mean, in a race of 45,000 people, it's kinda odd to run into so many people you know.

The Beat Goes On

So then Rabiya and I headed back south.  I got home, packaged and tied ribbons on 50 cookies, put on my race gear, delivered said cookies, and headed back to meet Lou. She would occasionally text me to tell me where she was.

So I get over to Ashland Avenue at 14th Street between Miles 18 and 19, and I notice a few things as I'm standing out waiting for Lou:  1) Wow, it's hot out here!  2) Oh...I've been so busy I forgot to eat anything!  3) There are hardly any people in this section because for about 6 blocks they have half of the street open.  4)  People are wondering why in the heck this crazy chic is putting on a race bib at Mile 18, carrying a plastic grocery bag. (that would be me)  5)  I cheered runners on, and the ones who looked at me funny can wonder about me in their blogs today.

Here Comes Lou!

Lou was delivered to me by her friend Liz, who ran with her for about 4 miles leading up to this point.  Fully engrossed in my race support role, I've got pretzels, rapid release Tylenol, gatorade, bottle water, sunscreen and extra gu if necessary.  I'd like to think I was a sight for sore eyes...and calves, quads and hammies...So we start running.  She was awesome...we walked a bit, then ran.  And did this for quite awhile.

The Course and the Crowd and Stuff

So we went thru Pilsen, which I was really anxious for. Pilsen is "the Heart of Mexico in Chicago" (so read the banner) and as soon as we turned onto 18th Street, there were DJs playing house music that took me back to high school days.  There were a few dancers, and little kids yelling Si su pueda!  Yes You Can!  It was great!  Loved it!  The smell of tacos and other ethnic food-fare filled the air, and the smell of food wasn't all that annoying as it can be when running. 

So we leave Pilsen and hit this boring, hot industrial stretch.  We're chatting some, walking some.  Lou tells me we need to be on the lookout for "@" (Angela.)  On Archer Avenue, there she is with pretzels, Smart Water and other stuff.  We talked to her for a bit and then went on our merry way! @ ran her first distance race back in May at the Soldier Field 10, and whooped both me and Lou!

Up next?  Chinatown!  ANother neighborhood I was looking forward to, but this didn't live up to its reputation.  Maybe because we were some 5 hours into the race and it was over 80 degrees, I dunno. But here we saw Lou's mom, but we stopped like two seconds and kept going.  Off to the right I saw this chic on the ground, she looked like she had passed out, fell and hit her head.  She was bleeding and some paramedics were wrapping her head in gauze and holding her head up some. I recognized her as someone I had cheered on, I remembered that bright green shirt.  :(  I don't know if Lou really saw it or not, she didn't say much, and it was loud still (from the music/crowds/etc), so we just kept going.  Another dull stretch underneath the Dan Ryan, but it was some welcomed shade.  Also, I know this part of the course well, and knew that we'd be turning up ahead a few times and then in the home stretch back up north to the finish line.  Right before we turned onto 33rd Street, there were these big Nike signs up that said "Leave Your Old Self Behind" and then there was this big Jumbotron screen that was showing runners going by.  Lou and I were quite pleased that we didn't look like total morons.  Lou said she looked pretty good at Mile 22 (she did), and I said I looked good for 22 also (HAHAHAHAHA....ok, not funny.)

In the Mean Time

So the miles seem to be flying by.  I don't know if it felt that way to Lou, but I was quite surprised as they popped up.  I kept looking at my Garmin to double-check...and SHO NUFF, it was on point.  All the while, whenever we are taking walking breaks, I'm texting Meg, our other running buddy from last year's CES training group.  She JUST finished therapy for her torn ACL (yes, we were a sickly bunch this year), and was planning on running in the last mile.  She too had a bib and had planned on running the race.  Anyway, at some point she decides to walk back to Mile 24.  I found this to be kinda funny because that is the EXACT same thing she did for me in Cincy...waited and waited at 25, and had enough time to walk back to 24! 

The Home Stretch

Lou's ankle was really bothering her at this point.  We did lots of walk-running, and she perservered.  She was overly worried about finishing before the course closed.  Now I kept reassuring her we were fine even if we walked the whole thing in.  There was Meg up ahead and she reassured her, but Lou was PAST tired and bordering on delusional (in a most understandable "I've run 24 miles" kinda way) at this point, so she kept wondering out loud.  A little while later, two more friends of Lou's joined us and stuck around till shortly before the finish line (they didn't have race bibs.)  We were all surrounding her and cheering her on.  It was a running entourage, and it was lots of fun!

So with her ankle hurting immensely, we walked from an aid station to up ahead where we could see the "1 Mile Left" sign.  And then we ran it in.  As we turned the corner on Roosevelt and went up Chicago's version of a hill, Meg and I were cheering Lou on and she was getting all misty-eyed and had a look on her face like "OH CRAP I'M ABOUT TO FINISH."  Just before the finish line, she took off in a sprint and crossed!  YAY!!!!  Meg and I crossed behind her.  It was exciting and although I thought I might feel weird about "finishing" after what happened last year, I wasn't.  However, it was the best NON RACE, 7+ mile run I've ever had! 

So Lou went off to the Medic tent to see about her ankle--it seems to be ok, they recommended ice.  And I went off to journey to my car.

Post Race

With my bib and "fake medal" (that I DID pay for), I must have walked a half mile to the train, and then another mile back to my car b/c there wasn't a bus in sight.  I gave the girls my medal to add to their toys.  Later at night, I realized I hadn't had enough water and electrolytes, b/c horrible debilitating cramps hit me as I was lying on the floor.  I nearly fainted when I tried to reach for my water bottle.  I had Rabiya fetch me some salt.  I mean, it's not funny, but it kinda is.  Especially since I only ran a few miles, LOL!  Last year that only happened once, and that was after my 20 mile run.

Anyhoo, this post is entirely too long anyway, but that is my Non-Race Report for this year's Chicago Marathon.  Next year should be back to the real deal.  I don't plan on any marathons before then, just halfs and other smaller races.  Remind me of that if I suggest anything else, friends.  The goal in sight is the CHICAGO Marathon.  Not just any marathon.

Eating and Running; Running and Eating!

SUBTITLE:  Sweet Glory!

 

You might think this is a post to lament over my eating way too much food and not running enough. No, it's not, although said post might be warranted. I'm writing about two upcoming events.

 

This Friday, in an effort to absolve my running sin of not running the marathon that I signed up for, I'm hosting a pasta party..."Eat and Run: Let the Carbo Loading Commence," reads the evite. My NYC friend is coming into town, and we're making the pasta from scratch. Yeah, you read that right, and yeah, I'm pretty proud and ONE BAD chic, eh? So I've invited my marathoning friends, and a few who are not running this year for various reasons. And we're going to eat! YAY! Me like eating!

 

Next event...and get ready for this one, cuz it's a beauty. I am signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15K. (whatever, you say.) But first....there's the awesome gear. I mean, this is some NICE STUFF!!!!!

But it get's better...the sponsor is Hershey. HERSHEY! (Shhhh, do you hear the angels singing?) The website reads "After the race, join us for the SWEETEST post race party you can imagine with CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, and MORE CHOCOLATE. Just imagine dying and going to Chocolate Heaven, because it exists at the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k post race party."

 

WOW. I'm just worried that as a 12:00 pace, there will be no chocolate once I've finished running. I'm envisioning something similar to the chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

 

Anyway, I hate to just dash off after writing about eating and running, but I gotta go!

Run #86 Bucktown 5K Race Report

Let's try this one again...and so much hassle for a rather "eh" performance!

Date:  Sunday October 5th at 8:30am

Place:  Bucktown Neighborhood on the near north side of Chicago, and I suppose it was somewhere in the upper 50s when the race started?

Mileage:  3.1

Time It Took: 36:52

Pace:  11:52

Miles this week (last week now):  A pitiful 5.1

Miles this month:  3.1

2008 Goal shot to he**:  492.07/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  Now when I wrote this yesterday afternoon, I had lots to say.  Now, at 11:43pm Monday night while watching today's rerun of Oprah?  Not so much.  My hubby had to be at church early, so I had to rely on my friend-o-pal and fellow runner Annah to help me out.  So race morning involved getting myself ready AND the girls.  So I leave my house on the south side at 7:48am...and still had to pick up my chip!  Yikes!

We got to the race area by 8:10, thanks to the only time there is no traffic in Chicago.  I hopped out the car and let Annah do the parking work, so that was a nice trade-off.  Got my chip, and then met up with Nicole, a friend from work, and Celia.  If you obsessively read my old posts, you will recall that Celia was my pace leader for the first half of my marathon training with Chicago Endurance Sports.  This was her FIRST RACE since the 2007 Chicago Distance Classic half marathon!  (don't be alarmed!  She had a baby, and that lil one is now 6 months old.)  Anyway, YAY for Celia!  We tried to catch up with Jaime, but she didn't answer her phone. (turns out she forgot it at home.)

Now I ran this race once or twice before when it started further north at Holstein Park. But this course in particular I really like because it's very close to my job.  Bustling commercial corridors and narrow residential streets are the norm, and be able to run down the middle of them without fear of a CTA bus, cars or renegade cyclists running me down was an irresistable notion.  That, and this race is known the city wide for its awesome schwag.  (And not to be disappointed, we got a really nice sweatshirt.  It's so soft and cuddly.)

But the race itself?  Eh.  Started off too quickly.  Was BLAZING HOT in my long sleeve tech shirt (what was I thinking?!).  At around Mile 1, Celia decided to drop back.  At Mile 1.5, I took a 1-minute walking break and Nicole surged ahead.  With about a 1/4 mile to go, I hear a horn blaring as we cross a street that was blocked by police.  There was Annah and my two sweet cherubs.  (Turns out Zoe had soaked her pants through and I hadn't packed any spares.) 

I rounded the corner and saw the finish line up ahead.  Looked from side to side and back a bit to see if I could see Celia...then I turned my eyes back towards the finish line and saw Celia right in front of me!  So she finished, with me right behind her.  I tapped her shoulder and she was surprised to see me behind her (I think.)  She finished in 36:50, me at 36:52.

So that's it.....next race up?  Well I'm running with Lou at the marathon...I mean, since I have a bib number and all, why not put it to use.  So she and I will arrange where I will run with her on Sunday.  It will be towards the end, I'm just not sure of the starting point.

I HATE EXTRAPOUNDS.COM and this new configurations that has erased my post twice.

i ran a race and i don't feel like writing about it for a third time.  i'll write about it at another time

Run #85: 15 days and 885 cookies later...

Date:  September 29 at 5:40am

Place:  treadmill

Mileage: 2 miles, plus 1/4 mile warmup and 1/4 mile cooldown

Time It Took:  23:49 for the run part; 4:18-warmup 4:06-cooldown (and yes, I'm counting the mileage towards my goal which I probably won't reach anyway.)

Pace:  11:54

Miles this week: 2/running and .5/walking

Miles this month:  24.1 + .5 = 24.6

2008 Goal:  488.97

Thoughts/Comments:  Are you crazy?  2 weeks and no running?  I mean, ok, I'm not running the marathon, but I AM supposed to be there to support Lou and will be running the last 8 or 10 miles with her...but I can't be all weak and unready while she needs me to be strong, right?

So the louder my legs protested and the louder my inner self ridiculed me, the louder I turned up my iPod.  Didn't stop once.  And just like that?  Back on track.  I felt pretty good.

As for the post title, yes, I had cookie orders totalling 885 cookies, which is why I've been ghost on this blog and not running at all.  It has literally taken up all of my free time and included to all nighters IN A ROW to get them done.  From the baking to decorating to labeling individual bags...I've seen enough cookies to last me a lifetime.  Also, I've got my website up and running and almost ready to take orders ONLINE....so exciting.  I will pass on the link very soon.

To those sweethearts who will still have me, and have commented on my blog with nothing in response, THANK YOU and I will be visiting your blogs TODAY.

Run #84 Race Report Chicago Half Marathon UPDATED

Date:  September 14 at 7:30 am

Place:  Jackson Park (like 5 minutes from home, YAY!)

Mileage: 13.1 miles

Time it Took: 2:55:36 (official chip time)

Pace: 13:25

Miles this week:  19.1

Miles this month:  22.1

2008 Goal:  486.37

Thoughts/Comments:  I will add more to this later, but to those of you who have not experience the rain that we have had in Chicago for the last three days, I'm not sure if I will be able to adequately explain what it was like to run in the driving, pouring and windy rain for 3 hours.  I'll write more later, it's been a long day.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ok, so I didn't lay out my clothes and gear the night before.  Not sure why, other than the thought that "I've done this so many times, how can I get it wrong?"  I get up nice and early, around 5:30, still contemplating what time I should leave, since the race start line is only about a mile away.  So I get ready, only to find that my favorite long distance Wigwam socks are nowhere to be found....Oh there they are!  IN THE WASHING MACHINE. I can't run in wet socks now, can I?  (Ah, life's funny little way of foreshadowing.)  So I threw the socks in the dryer and figured 20 minutes should be fine.

So I leave the house and drive about 3/4 mile up the street and park.  I wasn't about to walk in the rain.  Who wants to be soaked even before the race starts?  (Ah, life's funny little way of foreshadowing.)  During this short drive I get phone calls from Lou and Sheena (I work with her).  So off I go to the start line.  It was raining but not too bad.  The race field was PACKED.  Wait, is it raining out here?  Aren't some of your basements flooded?  I met up with Lou after a few phone calls of "I'm right behind the 2:20 finish sign (wishful thinking)" and "Do you see the guy waving the purple umbrella?"  Sheena called and said she couldn't make it through.  While standing in the field of runners, I realized that #1) Forgot my i-pod.  and #2) Forgot to charge my Garmin Forerunner and it was dead before it even found a satellite.  (Note to self: Prepare the night before.  Even if you don't think you need to.)  Nice job, Lindy.

And we're off!  The start line was right at the Statue of the Republic in Jackson Park, which is a bronze replica only 1/3 the size of the French original.    Purty gal, ain't she? 

Miles 1 through 5:  I feel like complete crap.  Puddles. Stepping.  Squish.  Squash.  Legs aching.  Knee. What. The. Hell. Am. I. Doing. Out. Here.  Lou kept asking me "you ok?"  and I felt like I was slowing her down.  Some idiot, as in every long race, says "Only 11 more miles to go!"  BITE ME.  Around 3 miles I saw Jill, a friend and fellow runner cheering along side the course!  So we come out of Jackson Park and do a short turnaround loop on South Shore Drive, pass a street sign that reads "LAKE SHORE DRIVE", and I hear some guy (also running) saying to his companion "I wonder when we're going to get on Lake Shore Drive."  He says "No we're not."  And I said "Yes we are.  We just looped on South Shore and when we turned, we came onto Lake Shore Drive."  He said some crap about the outer drive, and I'm all like what is this guy talking about?  Look at a course map, fool!  I don't know why I was so annoyed and irritated.  Maybe b/c it was pouring down rain.  Maybe b/c I was having trouble keeping up with Lou?  I don't know.  Around this time, I relieve Lou of her duties and sent her on her way, as I decided to walk for a few (more) minutes.

Miles 5 through 9:  The rain was no longer bothersome at this point.  I was wet and there was nothing that was going to change that, other than finish the race.  So I just ran and when I felt like walking, walked for a minute or two at a time.  Jill was out there again, standing in the rain, waiving and cheering like a maniac!  Me like screaming maniacs that yell me name.

The field was thinning out here in the back.  I see some skinny chic shuffling along with some big ol dorky headphones (??) and then as I come up along side of said dork, IT'S SHEENA!!!!  So we chatted a bit, and shared a few words of encouragement, and then I went on.  Next I came across MM, Lou's main squeeze.  (LOL...I used to love it when the Fonz would introduce his #1 chic as his "main squeeze").  Now what in the heck he was doing back here, as his pace is a 7:30, I knew something was not right.  He was running with his cousin in his first half marathon race.  Awww, cute.  But I guess his cuz' had a tough go of it.  I left them and went on my way.  YES!  THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME I CAN SAY I PASSED A 7:30 RUNNER!

The turnaround wasn't far ahead now, so I started looking for the Lou-ster on the other side.  When I saw her, i screamed my head off and she waved and asked if I saw MM.  I hooked my thumb over my shoulder and pointed to those two losers behind me.  HAHAHAHA I'm kidding.

Miles 10 through 12:  Once I hit 10 miles I knew I would finish, and under the course 3:00 time limit, but it would be close.  Since the marathon on May 4th, this was my highest mileage to date, but oddly, I was feeling ok.  Not great, but ok.  It's always weird to me when the body and mind stop protesting the insanity of a long run and just go with the flow.  I like that "zone."    During these miles, there were still a few stragglers on the other side of the course and I noticed police and buses picking people up.  Damn that!  That lit a fire under me and I picked up my pace to a wild-n-crazy 11:55 or so.  I figured, as long as I make it back to The Museum (in the South Shore neighborhood "The Museum" is the Museum of Science and Industry and the last major turnoff street, they can't make me get on that bus!  So I hustled it on up to 57th Street and breathed a sigh of relief.

Miles 12 through 13.1:  I'm gonna finish!  I'm so undertrained, but I'm still gonna finish!  As I turned I approached the 63rd street beach in all its familiarity with many morning runs having started there, I knew how close the finish was.  Keep. Going.  Keep.  Going.  YOU GOT THIS ONE.  There was Jill yet again!!!  Crazy girl, don't you know it's RAINING OUT HERE?  So I turned the corner onto Hayes (63rd Street), that finish line seemed a long way.  And I made it across. 

4th half marathon.  PW (Personal Worst), though this same half marathon last year was my PB (Personal Best).  I dont' care, I'm glad that I finished under those awful conditions and questionable training readiness.  It's not an excuse for my performance, it just.....IS.   It is what it is, ya-know-whut-im-sayin?

The moment I stopped running I was cold.  Shivering cold.  I was soaked to the core.  In the only moment of doing something right with my gear, I had my cell phone in a ziploc bag.  I caught up with Lou and we shivered together under a tent while we waited for her people.

The icing on the cake was the medal.  Below is a picture of last year's medal on the left, next to this year's medal.  You probably wouldn't remember, but last year I blogged about the crappy crackerjack box prize they dared to hand us as a medal! 

PICTURE COMING SOON!

p.s. As of yesterday (Wed), my shoes are still wet.

Run #83 GASP two mid week runs?

Date:  September 11 at 5:30am

Place:  home on the treadmill (why is that room so HUMID?!  UGH!)

Mileage:  3

Time It Took: 35:38

Pace:  11:52....I'll take it

Mileage this week: 6

Miles this month:  9

2008 Goal:  473.27/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  What's worse than running on a treadmill in a humid room at 5:30 in the morning?  Running on a treadmill in a humid room at 5:30 in the morning WITH NO IPOD!  (needed charging.)  And what's worse than THAT??? 

(If you're easily grossed out, stop reading...)

Ok, so I set my clothes out the night before, where are those pants?  Dangit.  Dare I go back up the creeky stairs and more than likely wake up the world's lightest sleeper known as Zoe.  Out of the corner of my eye I spied the laundry basket.,.with MONDAY'S running clothes in it.  And in my mind it was my surest option of getting in that much needed run.  So I put on my stinky running shorts.  Still, some 3 days later, WET.  Eeeeeeew, nasty.   Disgusting.  But Zoe didn't wake up and dangit, I met my goal of keeping my legs moving before my date with the unknown....the Chicago Half Marathon.  It's not unknown in ever having done the race--or the distance...it's an unknown with the extreme lack of training and poor preparation.

I've found in running you sometimes do crazy things that you wouldn't normally do...drink from a water fountain on the lakefront path b/c it's hot as hades, you're out of water and who cares if that dog just left from getting his water-lapping on  (Yes, I've done this).  Now I will add "wearing 3-day old nasty stinky running clothes" to the crazy things I wouldn't normally do.  Please be assured that I would never, EVER do this while running outside or with people...offensive odors before you've broken a sweat, (clothes, morning breath, et al) are absolutely unnacceptable.   I mean, runners, am I right or am I right?  Help me out here!

Anyway, carry on friends!  I've got a busy weekend and upcoming week.  I'm baking/decorating 500 cookies (yes, you read that right) for an event next week.  from now through the end of the month, I will have baked and decorated 870 cookies in cookie orders.  YIKES x 3.

Run #82 just maintaining

Date:  September 8

Place:  treadmill at home

Mileage: 3

Time It Took:  35:37

Pace:  11:52

Miles this week: 3

Miles this month:  6

2008 Goal:  470.27/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  well, i guess i'm just "maintaining" until the half marathon on Sunday.  I don't know what's going to happen, but I will be there and I will finish.  Can't say it will be pretty though.

Run #81 Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

Date:  September 6 at around 6:45

Place:  Near lakefront at Museum of Science and Industry, probably low 60's or maybe even upper 50's.  Perfect.

Mileage: 3

Time It Took:  35:09

Pace: 11:43

Miles this week:  3

Miles this month: 3  (I sense a pattern here)

2008 Goal:  467.27/1000

Thoughts/Comments:  Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less travelled...because while driving over to the lakefront I discovered a hole in my running pants...right in the crotch area.  Unsure of what was or was not visible, I took a path that I felt would be less travelled.  So nothing poetic here friends, move along.

And I still ran into a friend! 

This week in running has been non-existant.  The girls (thus I) have new schedules.  I have to get up at around 6am (latest) to get ready, and then get the girls up absolutely no later than 6:45.  Zoe goes to a daycare near our house, and then Jada and I have the privelege of driving up Lake Shore Drive, my favorite place to be in the entire city-even with traffic-up to her school.  REAL SCHOOL, Inter American Magnet School.  We drive from 7100 S. (71st/South Shore) all the way to 4000 N. at Irving Park Road. 

So after doing this week of mayhem and playing fully the role of mommy and leaving behind the role of runner this week (and sorry I could not travel both), it has occurred to me that weekday runs will now only be possible on the treadmill, and starting probably no later than 5am-ish.  (well I could run outside in the pitch dark, but I don't trust my neighborhood or the pitch black lakefront.)

Good news though.  So far, absolutely no knee pain during or after running today.

See you.