MEZAMASHII!!!

OK, runners.  How many of you know what I'm talking about when I say I get really EXCITED to run in a new pair of shoes?  It didn't start that way, I used to think, "shoes are shoes" and just go get the pair in my size on sale at the local sporting goods store.  But then when you start running regularly, you realize that shoes DO matter!

 

So when my BRAND NEW Mizuno Elixirs arrived - I was as excited as a little kid at Christmas!  Truth be told, I've been given several pairs of free shoes from various sponsors.  However, I've always turned back to Mizuno.  If you haven't yet tried their shoes, it's time. 

Over the course of the remainder of the year, Mizuno will give away thousands of shoes and exclusive invitations to join the Mezamashii Run Project to runners who are looking to experience more euphoric, brilliant, mezamashii running.  What do you need to do? Apply for an invite:  Mezamashii Run Project.

Good luck!

Palos Half Marathon

Was it really just a year ago that I had a really great PR at last year's Half Marathon in Palos? Feels like such a long time ago. My last "race" was Rev3 Cedar Point. And it turned out to be a pretty great race for me. Then I spent about 12 weeks in a boot. I spent even more time doing physical therapy and came back to running very, very slowly. It's harder to come back than I thought.

I had no idea how this race was going to go. I haven't put in the speed or mileage I know I should for the Half Marathon, but my entire season of racing is a bit later on this year, so I try to tell myself "I'm OK with going slower than last year." But who really wants to admit that? I paired up with an athlete whom I know is my speed and figured I'd hang on as long as I could.

The first mile was difficult with a lot of zigzagging. Then it opened up and, though the splits were OK, it felt hard. Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm only at mile 4! Is it bad to quit? I pushed on, realizing I really didn't bring enough nutrition for this run. Just as well, I had no pockets to carry it. At the turn around, it was fun to see 2 TRI SMARTers pushing each other - they were cruising and making it look effortless!

I jockeyed back and forth with one girl for probably 10 of the 13 miles. I promised myself I would try to get ahead. I had one pretty slow mile and had to dig deep to bring the pace back. I passed this girl around mile 11 and figured I had her for good. I didn't hear her feet or breathing any more. Coming up the last little hill, I got a few words of encouragement from a local Palos runner.

Down with about 400 yards to go, a spectator yelled "Almost finished, Ladies!" Ladies? Uh oh...it had to be her. Sure enough, with about 200 yards to go, she shot past me. Oh no - I can't let this happen. I tried to sprint. It didn't feel like much, but I was able to get about a half a foot step ahead of her at the finish line. HOLY COW THAT HURT! Results show me finishing one second - you got that - ONE second ahead of her. It was like we ran the entire race together! Wasn't a stellar performance, but I'll take it. Great race as always. I'll be back next year.

30 Minutes!

Dear Toe - please stop hurting now, it's been too long!

So I went for my first run in - um, I think about 10-12 weeks. It was a pleasant little run. Nice and slow, just about 25 minutes. I stopped and walked a couple times. Does the toe hurt? YES. But this is a different kind of hurt now. Like it's stiff or something. The hardest part is that I found myself compensating by trying to run on the outside of my foot so I could stay off the toe.

That was last week.

And the only one who could possibly be more upset with my lack of running recently is my adorable beast of a dog.

Before the injury, I ran with him for just some shorter runs around the neighborhood. He was still much too little and not conditioned enough to put in any more than a few miles. So I thought, "Great, I'm starting running over again, he can start with me."

I let him out in the yard to take care of his business and went to get dressed. I came back, called him, and he starts playing games. He gets close enough to the door just ALMOST enough for me to catch him. When I go to reach out to him, he runs away. Clever. So, because I am smarter, I get a treat. I try enticing him to come in the house to get the treat, but the beast knows this means he will stay in the house. No deal.

So I grab the leash and walk around to the gate so he could see we'd be going for a run. I open the gate and he runs to the back of the yard. No leash for him. Now I'm ticked and running out of time. So I figure, "OK, well, let him watch me run away and then next time I come to get him with the leash, he'll remember we used to go run together." I throw the leash down near the garage door and start to head out.

His big block head is facing my direction and his ears are up. I turn around, figuring I'll only be gone for 20 minutes or so, he'll be fine in the yard. I run a couple houses down and I hear 2 thuds. With the third thud, I hear the gate swing open and 4 puppy paws running down my driveway and out onto the street to follow me. CRAP! He doesn't come when called and now I'm scared he's going to get hit by a car or run away for ever. I left the leash at the house.

What to do? The only thing I could think of - run like a fool back into the back yard. Whaddya know, the little guy follows me right into the back yard. I am relived, but now I have no time to run. Oh, and I need to fix the gate.

Hitting it in 2011!

So for the last 5 weeks or so, I've been sporting this lovely boot. Yes, I even took this boot to Mexico. I wore it while walking around, when going out to dinner and even while watching Ironman Cozumel.

I've come to like the boot, however, I've found it's not very winter-friendly. I've been sporting 2 pairs of socks every day now, particularly since we've had snow. See, it's open in the front and the snow gets all up on my toes. I already have a problem keeping my fingers and toes warm, this is like a double-whammy!

The good news is that I swam today and actually did my flip turns with BOTH feet and - HOLY COW - it did not hurt! :) I mean, I kept waiting for that little twinge, that little pang of pain I've been feeling for the last 6 months any time I put any pressure on that big toe...I got nuthin'. And I couldn't be happier.

Yes, I've still got another week and a half in the boot and another 2 weeks of physical therapy, but I'm well on my way. When I start running again, it will be a run to walk or one of those Couch to 5K type plans, but it will come back.

I've missed you, running friends...I have about 4 pairs of BRAND NEW running shoes in my closet just calling me to wear them. I am well rested and ready to go! Yes, I will be hitting it hard in 2011.

Compression Tights

Yes, Peeps, you've heard me rave about the compression socks I invested in a couple of months ago. Well, now that the temperature has dropped below 32 degrees here in good ol' Chicago, I've moved on to compression tights.

These are the CW-X Insulator Stabilyx Tights. You've probably seen the advertisement...some guy has a piece of sidewalk with the mailbox attached and it says something about the speed of his run....or another one has a guy holding (on one arm, mind you) a pile of people he passed during his run because of these tights. Well, I can't say I've ripped out a piece of road or passed a ton of people wearing these tights, but what I can tell you is - WOW - do my legs feel energetic while wearing these tights! The key is to get the right size - they are compression tights, so you will be squeezing into these a bit - and then you need to make sure the diamond part in the stitching is over your kneecap. This gets the compression part over the right places in your leg.

These fantastic little tights have this "wind proof panel" covering your thighs so they will be warm in the chilliest conditions. (wish they'd put a little of that over the butt cheeks!!) They seem to support your legs exactly where you need it and they are just so comfortable, you'll want to lounge around your house in them (okay, maybe not).

They're a little pricey, but I've found that with technical apparel, you get what you pay for. I had to shell out just over $100 for them, but the comfort they'll bring me in the upcoming chilly months will far outweigh the cost.

I'm still not happy about it being so cold out here. It seems every year around this time, I wonder why the heck I live here. If I wasn't able to dress warmly enough to run comfortably outside, I'm thoroughly convinced I would no longer live in the midwest.

Keep warm!

20 at Chicago Marathon

Though the Chicago Marathon isn't scheduled perfectly with the 20 mile run in my training program, I decided not to waste the opportunity to get in this long run because of its convenience. How many times can you do a fully-supported long training run with plenty of company??

I arrived plenty early at the Hospitality Suite hosted by a local running group to meet up with the "gang". Little did I know this would be such a hot spot for seeing other people I knew! It was like every time I turned around, there was another familiar face! It was fun to see everyone and the room was just buzzing with energy, but I will admit that made it a bit distracting. Even though this was just a training run, I still wanted to be prepared.

Several trips to a nearby bathroom were necessary because I knew the porta potty line down near the start would be a zoo. It was very convenient and, despite my multiple trips, I never had to wait in line. Bonus! I went over and over and over all the nutrition and supplements I had brought along to get me through the race. Meticulously, I placed everything into my pockets in the opposite order I'd need them in to make for easy access while running. Donna even decked me out with one of those pace tattoo thingys.

With about 40 minutes to go, we headed out toward the start. I had already ditched my throw-away shirt because it became a little toasty in the hotel. Once outside, I didn't even miss the shirt, a sure sign of the warm day ahead of us. Of course, I had my compression socks on and wasn't even feeling self-conscious about them. This year, they had the starting chute blocked off for what seemed like FOREVER and we ended up entering in at the 13 min/mile pace. This meant we had to zig zag our way through the dense crowd to try and squeeze up into a more adequate running pace.

Once in a position where all of us agreed we should be, we joked and laughed and tried to take our minds off the upcoming run. We paused for the national anthem (GUYS - PLEASE take your hats off during this!! I was shocked at the number of men who left their hats on during the anthem!) and the crowd moved up slightly toward the start line. I don't even remember hearing the official start, but soon everyone began walking forward. Next thing I know, RT is pointing to me where the "official" start clock had been running for some 5+ minutes. Huh. Ah, it doesn't matter.

Crossing the start line is always a little chaotic. People every which way, dodging the left over water bottles athletes just placed on the ground and jumping over piles of clothes kept on to keep warm (I don't advise jumping over anything at this point). There were spectators lined across 2 bridges right away that gives you a little boost. Not much cheering this year, though, as we ran under those. Sometimes, because of the echo, people like to make a lot of noise over there. If you're lucky and a lot of people are feeling overly enthusiastic at this point, it can be deafening and motivational! Today, however, that wasn't to be.

The pace seemed to be a little quicker than I thought it should be, but I didn't want to run alone, so I stuck with BC as he dodged his way around the slower people who had lined up a little ahead of us. Within 2 miles, I was already sweating, which is very unlike me. Another telling sign of the heat to be experienced this day. NOTHING like last year, but definitely warmer than ideal marathon conditions. Another mile or 2 pass and we see JM just ahead. A couple of strategic moves and we ran up on each side of him to start up a conversation. He seems to be running well, but really just wants to listen to his tunes. We run with him for about a mile or so and press on.

The pace still seems quick, but my Garmin is malfunctioning. I keep losing the signal. I am happy I'm trying to keep splits on my good ol' Timex and note that the pace is about 15-20 seconds faster than target. I wonder how this will bite me later on, but still don't want to run alone, so I press on. A few people here and there commenting on the compression socks - then I notice they have them on too, so then I don't feel like they're making fun of me. I pass Elvis - in a very heavy blue outfit studded in gold...he's shuffling along, though!

I'm having a bit of a hard time trying to keep up my end of the conversation and wonder how much longer I'll be able to keep the pace. I think we were at mile 9 when I asked if we were coming up on mile 12. My Garmin said we had 11.23 miles in...how frustrating! My heartrate is in zone 4 and I'm concerned, but I don't want to give up. I pass Elvis again...now how did that happen?

At each water stop, I fall behind quite a bit and have to quicken the pace to catch up. It's at this time I believe I lengthen my stride and the hamstring starts talking to me. Once I catch up, though, the pace isn't slowing down. Now we're progressively running each mile faster. Around mile 15, I'm ready to slow down. Now the pace is about 25 seconds faster per mile than planned and I am struggling. Can I do this for 5 more miles? BC had pulled out the metronome and it was funny watching people look around trying to figure out what the heck it was. Better than that, it made me focus on smaller steps and made the run go by just a bit easier. Another bonus was that when we had to split up for a while, I could always hear if he was next to me or behind me - so I never had to look. Just focus on keeping that sound nearby.

By mile 18, I knew I had it. No, it wasn't getting easier, but I knew I was stopping in 2 miles. Just 2 miles! No problem. In fact, the last 2 miles were 2 of the fastest miles of the run! And though I seriously thought about continuing on to the finish, I knew that just wasn't smart training. We finished the 20 in what was one of my strongest runs of the season. The heat was a factor, but didn't seem to cause a problem. I was happy to stop at 20 and call it a day!

Never Say Never!

As I was swimming this morning, I realized that today was Super Bowl Sunday. I have very little interest in today's game because I don't really care for either of the teams, even though I know I will watch it. I started to think about the Super Bowl two years ago.

See, two years ago, on Super Bowl Sunday, I ran a marathon with the Saint and BC. It was the Pacific Shoreline Marathon in Huntington Beach, CA. It was the Saint's first marathon. The weather conditions were quite perfect for a marathon that day. The first 8-9 miles of this race was up and down along the ocean. Though I expected it to be a beautiful thing to see and something that would take my mind off the running for close to the first half of the race, it really didn't happen quite like that.

It was foggy that morning. I'm told it's foggy every morning! So, though we were running along the ocean, we couldn't really see it. However, you could smell it! It smelled like dead fish! Not at all what I was expecting!! They hyped up this race as being awesome to run along the shoreline...eh, I could have done without it. I do have to say, though, it was a great race. I had strict instructions for that race to stay in Zone 3...I did, and still had a really good race time.

Unfortunately, BC had to take off soon after the race. The Saint and I were able to go back to the hotel room, take a short nap and get dressed to walk down to a local bar to watch the Super Bowl. I remember people looking at us and asking, "Ah, how was the marathon?" Apparently, we were limping enough for people to be able to tell! The best part was that the bar we went to was really open and the fresh air was just flowing in during the whole game. Not like I'll ever be able to watch a Super Bowl outside in warm weather in Chicago!

It made me think that it has been almost a year since I did a marathon (not including IMFL). Then I started to think how I wished I could train for and run a marathon right now. A few years ago, I never thought I'd say I "miss" the marathon. Never say never...

Physical Therapy - Session I

Hold on people, relax!! I don't have to stop running forever! I've been given orders to stop running just until we can review the results of my upcoming MRI. That will be next week. In the meantime, I've already been to a physical therapist so I can put the wheels of recovery in motion.

Within 5 minutes, I decided the woman I met with was impressive. I could tell she knew what she was doing. One of the first things she made me do was balance on each leg. Immediately, she tells me that my left side is weak. Apparently, it drops and turns in to compensate for some weak muscles. I have noticed when I try to do one legged squats, I have a harder time balancing...

Right after the ultrasound, she gave me a short list of exercises to do daily. We did the full round of them in her office and almost immediately, I could feel the burn. One of the exercises is as simple as just standing on one leg while keeping the hips, pelvis and knee in alignment. Seems simple, right? Not for me. For years, I've joked about my poor balance. This definitely plays a part in why I struggle with balance.

So, I'm not hanging up my running shoes...at least not forever. I'm merely taking precautionary steps to prevent what could have been a serious injury down the line. I'm anxious to get the MRI done to ensure nothing is torn, but either way, I'm already on my way to recovery.

Here We Go Again!

For the past 18 months to 2 years, I've been having some soreness in my hamstrings. Most of this is when I run, but sometimes I can feel it during other things, like biking uphill. This has never really caused me to quit a run, but I have felt the need to dial back the pace in order to not pull the hamstring or try to avoid whatever is going on back there.

Seeing as we're in the midst of the off-season, I decided to have the hamstring checked out. (AGAIN with the checked out...you know, Costanza has the slight discoloration). Anyway, I digress. I decided to go see Dr. Terry Nicola who is well-known and respected within the Chicago running and athletic community. I want to figure out what's going on and I want it to go away. Even the lay off from the last injury didn't help this hamstring issue as I have still been feeling the hamstring in my last couple of runs.

Dr. Nicola's office is hidden away in one of the Athletic buildings at UIC. A nice student had to point me in the right diretion. Surprisingly, my wait in the office was only about 10 minutes before I was taken to one of the examining rooms. I was asked a ton of questions and then we did some range of motion exercises as well as strength exercises. Suffice it to say I was told I have some serious issues going on. (No kidding, that's why I went to see a doctor.) My jaw about hit the floor when he said, "You have to stop running." My first reaction was, "You're kidding. How about just slow, easy runs in zone 1? How about no hills?" Um, no. Now my heart was sinking to the bottom of my stomach when I thought about how long I've already been off from running. This cannot be happening.

I dejectedly walked out of his office and scheduled an MRI. I tried to remind myself that I was doing this as a precautionary measure because, although I was able to run fast and even qualify for Boston with the hamstring bothering me, at some point, I know something is going to give. But this just feels like the shin splint/stress fracture all over again. I feel like this MRI thing and "no running" sentence is just overkill, but how can I argue with this guy? He's the best there is. And he wouldn't tell me do to this if he didn't think it was absolutely necessary......would he?

I got home and looked at the weather forcast for today (-2) and then decided I was happy I couldn't run. Guess I just have to focus on other things for now. Here we go again!

Particular About My Socks!

I've recently been able to start running again, albeit slowly. Last weekend, I bundled up for a short little run in the frigid December air. I have a considerable problem trying to keep my hands and feet warm in any temperature under 60 degrees. So last weekend's 19 degrees made me break out some of the warmest outdoor clothing I have.

I'm one of the few runners that will double up on socks in the winter. In fact, I have a separate pair of running shoes I use in winter. Those shoes are laced up much more loosely to give me the extra room needed to fit the warm, thick, woolly socks I use in temperatures under 32 degrees. These socks go up way past the ankle. No way any cold air is sneaking in anywhere!

Underneath those thick, woolly socks are usually my favorite Asics multicolored socks. These socks have different padding at the bottom in different parts based on where your feet hit the ground the hardest. As an added bonus, these socks also have a little "L" and "R" on the top to make sure you get them on the right feet. I also need the socks that have the quarter cut. Those low rise, short ones that are not visible over the shoes are just too little. And my ankle gets cold! If I use socks that are much thinner than these, I end up getting blisters.

Then we have cycling socks. Cycling socks are much, much thinner. In fact, I got a pair of socks when I was picking up my race packet for Ironman Florida and had a chance to wear those. There's almost nothing to them! Oh, and they were the really short kind that leave the ankle exposed. Even though any cycling I'm doing these days is indoor, I don't know I have a thing about the ankle and I think that socks need to cover the ankles! The cool thing about those socks, though, is that they have the little m-dot logo on them. Guess it doesn't matter, I doubt these socks will be getting much use.

Don't know why, but the Asics socks are my favorite, even for cycling. Even after 6 months, the socks hold their shape and still offer enough cushioning to make the run comfortable. They might not have cool colors or designs, but they work. Gotta stick with what works!

Indy Marathon

Before all you psychos start freaking out on me, I did not do the Indy marathon. I was simply there to support him! And I figured, while I was there, it would be a good chance for me to get in a bit of a longer run.



I don't have time for a big ol' long post, but suffice it to say that the day was absolutely beautiful for a marathon. The start of the race was a cool 57 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. I was a bit chilly as I stood in the start corral wearing shorts, long-sleeved shirt, throw-away long-sleeved shirt (that came down past my shorts!), shorts, gloves, hat and sunglasses. I had goosebumps on my legs and I was bummed I wouldn't be starting soon. See, I was going to just hop in with him when he got to Mile 3. He was feeling good, but was really quiet as he typically is before long runs.



The entire field (marathon, relays and half-marathon) was about 4500 people. A very nice change from the ridiculous 35000+ at Chicago! Someone told me there were only 600 people signed up for the full marathon. Wow, that would be a lonely course! Fortunately, that was false and it was over 1000 full marathoners.



After a short delay and the singing of the national anthem, I jumped out of the corral and over to the start line. With such a small field, meaning a small group of spectators, it was easy for me to step right up to get a great view of the start of the race. Watching everyone head out on what was such a great day bummed me out that I wasn't able to run the full race. After all the runners passed by (about 5 minutes), I hopped over to the mile 3 mark and started chatting with another spectator.



Within several minutes, the lead runner was coming by. Huh? Mile 3 already? How can that be? But I didn't start my watch, so I wasn't really sure how much time had passed. I scanned the crowd for him so I could jump in. It was easy to find him and he told me we weren't at mile 3...it was mile 1.5. Well, now that made more sense! That Mile 3 marker must've been for the 5K they were having later on in the day! Oh well, I ran alongside him and we talked. He was keeping a very steady pace for the several miles I ran with him. I let him set the speed as my shin hurt with every step. I was very disappointed that this pain never went away throughout my entire run. It didn't get worse, but it was there enough to remind me to slow down on the downhill sections.



Finally, he tells me to go on ahead, he's going to slow down. I need to pick up the pace anyway, so I run off telling him I'll see him near where I need to split off. It's fun to start slower and pick up the pace as you run by people. My heart rate shot up quickly, so I backed off. We went onto this little bike path and I wished I had a camera with me. The colors of the trees and surrounding forest was beautiful. However, this section that circled a small lake was also kinda hilly! It didn't last long, maybe 2-2.5 miles, and we were back out on the roads. By now I was finished with the time I had scheduled for my run, so I just stepped off to the side and started walking, waiting for him to catch up to me. I was happy to be done to stop pounding on the shin.



He caught up, I started running again with him and he said he was still feeling very strong, but then the split came. Full marathoners to the right, half marathoners to the left. He said he wanted to turn left. Oh no, I reminded him. You didn't come down here to do just 13 miles. He was in good spirits and I headed out towards the half marathon finish. It was a bit humiliating, people telling me I was "almost there" and that I was "doing good!" as I walked by. I just smiled and kept walking reminding myself to stick to the plan.



The finishers turned right and I went left to walk to the car. I changed, drove over to the CVS for 2 cold Diet Cokes and some ice. One I would drink now and one for him, should he need one at the finish. I then looked at the map and drove on out to what I thought was mile 21. Within 15 minutes, here comes the Saint, doing very well, according to my watch! I snapped a few photos and got in and ran with him again. He was struggling a little, but I could tell by watching, he was still going to finish. He looked fine(well, maybe a little salty!), it was a mental struggle for him at this point.



I got back in the car, parked as close to the finish line as I could get, and headed out to find a good spot at the finish line.

I sat down close to the finish and cheered in the runners. Most looked great and finished with smiles on their faces. There were a few people walking it in, cramping up so badly, they could barely pick up their legs. The crowds were small and easy to navigate through. My legs felt a little tired and I had to move around a bit, but all in all, it was a great day for a run.

He finished, not as well as he would have liked (don't we all say that?), but he was able to get in the full 26.2...and without a trip to the medical tent! It bummed me out that I couldn't run the whole thing, but with the upcoming IM, I wouldn't have done it anyway. It just seemed like such a great race...I think I'll have to put in on the schedule in the future.

Run at WFG

For the first time in a very long time (about 3 months), I was able to go run at Waterfall Glen. The conditions were near perfect for an outdoor run. Though it was kinda dark, the temperature was about 55 degrees when we started. By the time we finished, the sun had come out and it was a comfortable 60 degrees. This time of year is just awesome to run at Waterfall Glen. The leaves are turning but there's still lots of green. Saw several deer throughout the run. Some hidden along the side of the path, others jumping across it when we disturbed them.

All of us were at the Chicago Marathon last weekend, so for the first several miles of the run, there were lots of stories about the marathon. Lots of thoughts, opinions, observations and speculations of what will happen with the race in the years to come. This made the first few miles just fly by as we recapped the marathon day's events. It was weird to think that just 8 days ago, those runners faced such brutal heat. And today, we were running in perfect conditions. Just shows how you can never predict what the weather will be like in Chicago!

I'm still getting lots of you asking about the shin and it's coming along. I greatly appreciate all your support! This has been a pretty hard, difficult time for me to deal with such an injury and it's so comforting to know how many of you are concerned. (then again, is there ever a good time for an injury??) Is it 100%? Hell no. It's such a frustrating experience, but you know how the story goes...these are the kind of character building experiences that makes a person. It's not the injury, but how you deal with it that determines what kind of person you are. And I...like BF, will not let this deter me in my quest for another ironman finish.

The training has been going along solid. Strong swims, strong bikes...run? Eh, not so much, but I'm doing what I can. Today was fun. Thanks, peeps, for joining me out there and keeping me company in the run. You made the time pass by quickly - and I appreciate it!

The countdown to the Ironman is on. 18 days to go!

Chicago Distance Classic

To run or not to run? That was the million dollar question. Though I'd stopped running almost completely, the shin wasn't really feeling so good. Just walking on it has been painful. I did lace up a new pair of shoes and go out for a short, 4 mile slow run mid-week, to test out the shoes and to see if I'd have to quit.

When you train for something that takes so long, like marathon or ironman, it's helpful to make small goals for yourself along the way. It helps keep you focused and motivated. I had set a time goal for this race way back in the spring when I was signing up for the marathon. I didn't want to let that time goal slip away, but there wasn't much I could do. My plan was to go, start at the planned pace, hold it as long as I could, but to stop if the pain was too intense. Basically, I had come to the realization that this was going to hurt. In the back of my mind, I know my long runs should be much further than this already, so one little accomplishment would be to cover the distance.

When I got up in the morning and was walking around to get ready to get downtown, the shin felt completely fine. This was encouraging! I got dressed, pulled on a brace over the shin, put the new shoes on and jumped in the car. We got down close to the race site pretty quickly, but then began the hunt for parking. I wished we would've left a little sooner because it seemed all the street parking was full. We pulled into a lot to park, but the credit card machine was down and we didn't have enough cash. (we rarely carry cash) I started freaking out. I was supposed to meet Bern at the CARA gear check and I had to go to the bathroom. I kept my eye on the clock as we drove around in circles, passing pay lots with excruciatingly long lines and well, the saint kicked me out of the car. Said I was making him nervous.

So I left the gear check bag and rushed to try and meet Bern at the designated meeting place. It was humid out and I was already sticky and a little sweaty just from my vigorous walk to the CARA gear check tent. But Bern wasn't there. It was just 15 minutes before the start of the race. The porta potty lines were much too long. I decided to make my way over to the race start and try to line up where I thought I might find Bern. I looked all over for her, but I had no idea what she was wearing and, well, it's hard for short people to find others in a big crowd. I was a bit disappointed that more people didn't put on deoderant before the race. People - when you are wearing a singlet and it's this hot and humid out before a race, you smell. It really is OK to slap a little deoderant on before you run. It won't hurt, I promise. And I can't just blame it on one guy...as I scooted around the people lining up to run, there were several people with the BBO problem! And we hadn't even started running! Sheesh!

Then they started the national anthem and I gave up my search for Bern. I figured I'd see her as she ran by me in the first few miles. The gun went off and the we walked/shuffled to the start. This was the first race I was doing with my new Garmin Forerunner 305 and I thought, OK, if nothing else, I'll get some good pace/heart rate info for future reference. With the very first run step, the pain shot through my shin. I grimaced and thought, "OK, should I stop now?" Seemed that would be a waste. I kept going and the pain shot through my shin with every step. I purposely didn't take any ibuprofen, if it was going to hurt, I wanted to feel it. I didn't want to make this nagging injury any worse.

I clocked the first mile at faster than the goal pace. But deep down, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up this pace. It hurt and I knew it wasn't worth it. We ran over a metal bridge and I slowed down significantly. It was a little wet out and very slippery over the bridge. I also have this fear that I'm going to get my foot all caught up in those holes, and I was bummed they didn't have any areas of carpet covering the bridge. At the marathon, they have big sections of the same bridge covered by carpet for the runners.

The next mile, still a pretty quick pace and would've kept me on my original goal. But my leg hurt. Now, it wasn't hurting any worse than when I started, but thinking about it was mentally draining. More bridges, pain still there, pace slowing...I'm losing about 10-15 seconds each mile. Now people are passing me. I tried not to let that get to me. I was not going to make my goal pace, not that I really expected to, ever since the shin problem came up. So I decided, well, if I can't make that goal time, I don't want to beat up my body for a race that doesn't really matter. The pain is there, but it's not getting any worse, and I have this thing this year - NO WALKING.

We're now at about the half way point. My clothes were absolutely soaked. I've been having this little problem where the soap that has been left in my shorts from the washing machine suds up and runs down my legs. It looks like salt. I gotta figure out how to stop that from happening! I learned long ago that the answer to this is NOT to pour a cup of water down my legs to wash it off. That only soaks my socks and shoes and sets me up for some huge blisters! I don't remember feeling very hot, I guess it was just the humidity that made things tough.

The course made you cross over some grassy section around mile 8. I didn't really care for that. I then missed the next mile marker, but I kept hitting my splits and I was now pretty consistent. (consistently slow, but still consistent!) Other people I knew were passing me, asking how I was doing. Dude, you're PASSING me, how the hell do you THINK I'm doing? I tried not to complain about it, just said I'm not doing so good, but you look strong, so just go run. See you at the end. Yeah. I have to go to the end now, because I have no idea how to get to the finish unless I follow the course. I may have mentioned before, I am directionally challenged.

We ran on what is also part of the Accenture triathlon course. I've run this many times and I knew I'd be running this part of the course again in 2 weeks. I thought to myself, "Gee, sure hope I feel better to run this in 2 weeks!!" I kept waiting for Bill (KK's husband) to pass me so I could finish up with him. But I had no idea where he had started and I just hoped that he'd see me when he passed. The next few miles got a little slower, pain still present, but not feeling any worse than the first mile. I now knew that I could finish. It didn't feel good, but it wasn't so bad that I'd have to quit. It was all about finishing now. With just 3 miles to go, I just tried to keep an even pace. My heart rate felt high, but I didn't feel like I was going fast. Was it the heat?

Now we came into this zig zag thing. Back and forth, back and forth...what the??? The course wasn't like this last year. I could hear the announcer at the finish, but we still had over a mile to go. I didn't really like all the zig zagging. I just wanted to cut across and get it over with! But, of course, that's cheating and I can't do that, so I followed everyone on the ridiculous pattern to get to the finish.

Down the final stretch, people started to sprint. And in true MJ fashion, I have no "kick". I continue on my steady pace to carry me across the finish line. I'm not happy with how it felt, not happy with my time, but I am happy that I was able to cover the 13.1 miles without stopping. It gave me confidence that had this been Ironman day, I could've finished. OK, true, that's not the "A" goal, but until I get this shin thing under control, I'm going to have to settle for less aggressive goals.

How much is too much?

In the past several weeks, I've noticed a nagging shin pain. Sort of the pain like you get with shin splints. At least, that's what I think it is. And, being the typical Type A, obsessive compulsive freak that I am, I have not stopped running. Oh no, if I skip a run work out, that will ruin my plans and I will lose all my fitness, right? No, wrong. The telltale sign for me this week was when I stopped during a run to take a quick break. Starting back up, the shin was screaming with pain and I had to sort of hobble/limp to get started. Once I'm running again, the pain is tolerable.

But I know that I'll never be able to do my Ironman if I don't nip this in the bud. Well, the shin has been bothering me for over 4 weeks now, can I still call this "nipping it in the bud?" Anyways, after that horrible run, I've been good to my shin. For the past several days, this ice pack has been my friend. 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, yadda, yadda, yadda. This is getting boring already and I don't feel like it's any better. How do I know if it's any better? I don't know, I'd have to run on it, but then I fear I will undo all the "good" I've done in the past few days trying to get rid of the little annoyance. But then how much longer do I have to ice and stay off it?

I thoroughly believe that as athletes, our minds play tricks on us. So if we skip a workout or take an unplanned day off, we start to feel guilty or worse...GETTING SLOWER! And, sure, I've read all the stuff about you gotta recover to get stronger and all that stuff, but when I have an unplanned day off, it's like the time creeps by so slowly. That's the same day when you see a dozen different runners throughout the day, out on their workout. Or the same day when you get a call from a friend who says they just had the most amazing, tough, awesome workout. We start thinking, oh man, what am I doing? I'm such a slacker. I haven't worked out in ages (it's been about 14 hours), I'm losing everything I've worked for! It's only AFTER that period of rest or inactivity is over and you're back in the daily grind that you can look back and say, "gee, I only missed a couple days, no big deal." But at the time, it feels like an eternity. Why does the mind work that way?

Time to go get the ice pack. :(

Great Midwest Relay

I had mixed feelings when I found out that the Salt Creek Pirates needed to call me up from the reserved ranks to round out the 2007 team. I have done this relay before, and yes, it was a lot of fun, but it would also mean missing some of the other things I had planned. But as I told the Cap'n early on, if you need me, I will be there for you. After all, what good is an alternate if, when called for duty, you don't show up or the task? With just about 7 hours until the team headed out to Madison, it started to sink in that I would be doing the GMR relay this weekend.

The Saint dropped me off at the Cap'n's house (late, of course) and we were off to pick up the final Pirate, Heather. Heather was the only unknown of the group. With an event such as this relay, you need to have the right combination of personalities to make it a fun event. I was quite sure the rest of the van (6 team members) was going to be fine, but who was this newcomer and would she fit in?

The drive up to Madison was nice and uneventful. We got Heather talking and she seemed quite comfortable with the group almost immediately. I thought she had a lot of guts to do an event like this without ever meeting any of us before. She must really love running. We met our other van (the other 6 Pirates) at the packet pick-up. Then all 12 of us headed out for our pasta dinner. We found an excellent little Italian place in downtown Madison almost by accident. Everyone was pretty much buzzing with anxiety for our upcoming race.

We checked into the hotel and another team must've recognized the Pirates because they went crazy in the lobby, acting like they were our best friends. The kid behind the desk in the hotel lobby had to ask them to keep it down. It seems they were already celebrating before we even started the event! I quickly hopped in the elevator and pressed the "Close Door" button about 10 times. I needed to get away from these people!

In the morning, we were able to go down as a team and have a nice, relaxed breakfast. Each of us had been given our Pirate shirt the night before and most of us were wearing it for the start of the race. I think everyone had their Pirate name on the back except for me. Since I was a last-minute addition, there wasn't time to get a name printed on for me.

The start line was in the parking lot of some bar just off John Nolen Drive. Start times were staggered based on predicted finish time. The Pirates started at 7am last year, but this year, we "graduated" to the 9am start. Deb would be our first Pirate on the course.
The teams starting at this time are the groups in it for fun. Everyone was friendly, cheerful and out there just to have a good time. With just a few announcements, the gun sounded!

Immediately, the teams dispersed and we were off in our vans. Since I was in van #2, we had to wait for all the runners in Van #1 to run their leg before we even needed to start thinking about running. We headed out for some coffee (yes, I had pre-packed some Diet Coke for myself!), did some shopping at a Nike outlet, then went to the local Wal-Mart to pick up some markers to write on the van windows.

We got to the first van transition and Cap'n and Matey Mark did a nice little job of decorating our van. Our van then drops off our first runner and moves ahead to the next transition area. Sometimes, we need to move quickly. If our runner only has a 3 mile leg and we're not following along directly, since the first section of the run was on a trail, we didn't have much time to get to the next stop and get the next runner prepared to go.

Things moved along smoothly and soon it was my turn to run. The first leg I had to do was 5.8 miles. Since it was on trail, I knew I'd find a mile marker and would start to watch what my pace was like. Thankfully, when I got the wrist-baton slapped on and started to run, I had 2 runners, both teams from Algonquin, in my sights. They provided nice motivation for me to run faster to catch them. As I ran past, I gave them the Pirate cheer, "ARGH!" and kept on going. I kept glancing at my watch at the mile markers and I was cruising along. The weather was perfect for me and the trail was just beautiful. I had a great first run, though I was happy to pass the baton to Peg Leg at the end of my stretch.

At each transition, we'd roll down the van windows and play our Theme Song - "Yo ho, yo ho, I Pirate's Life for Me!" Most teams smiled and cheered us on and we did get quite a bit of attention. We waved "the hook" as we drove by runners on the road or anyone who gave us a second look. Our van laughed, joked and encouraged each other the whole time. There was a little bit of frustration when we couldn't find a decent place to eat dinner. "Eagle-Eyes" Matey Mark spotted a Chauncey's tucked behind a building and it ended up being a great meal for all of us. We were getting sick of eating granola bars, Combos, and the fancy-pants food (black licorice, some toffee bars, some seaweed wraps, etc.) we had packed in the van. (No worries, the fancy-pants food was excellent! We just needed "real" food).

Each of us had to run the next leg in the dark. Every runner was required to wear a reflective vest, have a blinking light on the back and we all had some form of head light. It was getting quite cool out and I was upset with myself for not bringing a long-sleeved shirt. I only had short sleeves, a hooded sweatshirt and a jacket. The problem with running with the jacket would be that I'd get it all sweaty and once I finished, I'd have nothing warm and dry to wear. This stressed me out for about 2.5 hours. At the last minute, I decided I'd "tough" it out by wearing just the short sleeves. I shivered as I waited to receive the baton from J. Sparrow. Then I was off, starting my 6.9 mile leg at about 1:50am. This run was on all streets and the first mile or so was quite well-lit and I was able to pass 2 women. I talked to each of them on my way by and they were both very friendly. Then it got dark. REAL dark. I questioned the sanity of running in the middle of the night alone. Oh sure, there were other relay runners coming through, but no one nearby. I heard footsteps behind me and a guy ran right by without saying a word. "NICE JOB!" I yelled to him. He did say nice job back to me, but I don't think he meant it. There was a van that kept pulling up in front of me, waited for me to run by, then would pull up again. I wondered if they knew I wasn't their teammate. Then I thought their runner must be just behind me and they are trying to use the headlights from their van to light the way for their runner. But as I made ground on that runner, the fan fell back and I lost any light from their headlight beams. I only had the light from the headlamp I had strapped over my hat. Spooky! I felt like I was running at a good pace and the end came near. I realized that I was not cold at all during that run and all my stressing about not having a long-sleeved shirt was just a waste!

Now it was time to get some sleep. Last time I did this race, we slept outside. This time, we were able to go into a church. However, we slept on the floor and it was just a slab of concrete with a thin, cheap layer of commercial carpet laid down. Five us us grabbed a room and J. Sparrow was lucky enough to find a chair to curl up in. She was in a different section of the church and I actually think she thought we might forget about her! The night was rough, Matey snores a bit and we all stank. I had to get up to go to the bathroom and when I walked back in the room, it was funkified! I think we slept a total of maybe 3 hours, then we got up to head toward Chicago. It was nice to have a sink to brush our teeth in this year.

The sun came up and the temperature started to rise as we prepared for our final legs of the relay. I was pleased that the members in our van were still in good spirits and getting along quite well. This is a very long time to spend with a bunch of people in such close proximity. As I prepared for my last leg, the volunteer at the transition area warned me to bring my map or memorize the turns. He said there were some sections that were not marked. Only problem was, my map had about 16 turns on it and there was no way I was going to memorize all that! I folded up the map and stuck it in my pocket, but I knew that after a mile or 2 of running, that map would be soaking wet and useless. I got the baton slapped on and started to run. My plan was to follow the runner ahead of me.

Lots more trail for this run. Hot. Somewhat shady. No cicadas. Really hot. Gaining on the runner in front of me. LOTS of people on the trail. Bikers, roller bladers, other runners, walkers, kids, old people, bird watchers, you name it, they were out on this trail! One lady walking her dog asked me how many miles the run was. I think she almost passed out when I yelled back "180". Well, I didn't have time to explain it to her!

I lost the guy in front of me when the trail curved. Then I came to a section with no arrow. I knew at some point, I needed to get off the trail and onto the streets. Was this it? I turned around in a full circle to try and spot an arrow. I see nothing! A little panic sets in and I wonder if I'm already off course. I do another full circle, slower this time and see way off to my left, an arrow that belonged to the relay. As I took this route, I spotted the guy I had been following the whole time...but he didn't take this route. He went straight and I wondered if he was going to get lost or if he was taking a shortcut and would gain more time on me. Either way, I needed to follow the arrows. Most of you know how directionally challenged I am, and I know my team was stressing out about me getting lost out there. They, too, had been warned about the lack of markings on this section.

I was passed by a skinny dude wearing a singlet. I tried to pick up my pace to catch him, but it was no use, he was too fast. Now we're back on the trail, zig zagging around the many people who have come out to use the trail today. Man, I'm sweating! I was happy to have a sweat rag wrapped around my wrist for this leg! Now we're going off the trail again. Again, I can't find the marking. Another runner and I stopped and both started looking around for where to go. I was happy that I wasn't the only one who was having trouble. Then I spotted the arrow and sprinted off. I tried to run faster to make up for all the time I spent looking for the stupid arrows!

Now I was on shaded streets and there was a bit of a breeze. I was much more comfortable and I picked up the pace a bit more. I passed a guy who looked like his van had just dropped him off! I wondered if they had just stopped to give him water or if they had driven him to this spot!! Ah, whatever, just need to get away from his heavy breathing right now! He was struggling and he told me they were doing this relay with only 8 runners. No wonder why he's tired!

I felt smooth and...oh...looky here - skinny singlet dude is on his cell phone, probably asking his team if he's going the right way. I stayed on the left-hand side of the street and he was over on the right, up on the sidewalk. Maybe I can just scoot right by him without even knowing. But game on, dude, I'm takin' you down! A turn came up and I had to get over so now I knew he'd see me. I said nothing as I passed by....he didn't say anything to me when he passed before, so I just kept quiet. And then I could see the transition and could see Peg Leg waiting for me to pass the baton to him for the final leg of the relay! I left skinny singlet guy far behind and was happy about that little feat for about 5 minutes!

Time to put the Pirate shirt back on and wait for Peg Leg to run 'er home. The Pirate music was blasting as we pulled into the lot at Montrose Harbor. Our other van was already there with a cooler full of beverages for the celebration. The Saint also was cool enough to hook us up with another cooler of beverages. Once we spotted Peg Leg, we all were ready to run in together! We looked hilarious with our little Pirate masks, but I don't think any other team had quite as much fun as we did. Another successful GMR. Now there is some talk about doing it as an ultra (meaning 6 runners) next year. Hmmm....

Ridge Run

One of the best things about the Ridge Run is that you get to see a lot of familiar faces. Year after year, I seem to know more people every time I do the race. Some are new friends, some are old friends, but what's very special is that we all choose to start off our Memorial Day with a quick jaunt around the Beverly neighborhood.

The Ridge Run is one of the more popular races in the Chicagoland area. The event is very well organized from packet pickup to mile markers to a nice finish line spread, the race is one of the best around. The course takes you through the Beverly neighborhood and there are lots of spectators cheering the runners on. The 10K is really the premier race of the event, but I chose to run the 5K this year.

We arrived with plenty of time to make a pit stop, pick up our packets and we saw Griz and his brother near the registration table. Went back to the car, and on the return trip, I saw Goose taking Pat for a walk. I later saw Randy, BC, Donna and Lori all gearing up for the 10K. I saw Doug somewhere along the way. I was able to wish Pam good luck as she was standing in the start corral. I gave Joe a big Hi-5 and wished him luck as he ran off at the start of the 10K. I was starting to feel like a loser for being the only one entered in the 5K! Then I found JQ, who was also doing the 5K and we did a quick little warm up together. (who warms up for a 5K??)

There's not much to write about a 5K. You start, you run, you get tired, you keep running and then it's over. The course was different from last year, but still great. I was passed by Trevor, who I think is all of 11 years old and runs like the wind. The only females that passed me were much, much younger than me, hell, they could have been my kids! So as I ran, I just kept thinking - you know, you're not doing so bad, no women are passing you. But I felt heavy on my feet and I never did feel smooth.

These two very important men in my life turned in outstanding performances:



All in all, it was a fun race. Not my best time, but considering the lack of training I've been able to put in this week, I'm fine with it. The highlight of the race is still seeing all the familiar faces, some runners, some triathletes, but everyone out there to have a good time.

What a Difference a Few Years Makes

Before the Ironman. Before even Half Ironman. Pre-Marathon days. Before I owned a road bike. Half Marathon was "way too many miles at one time". The only swimming I did was snorkeling in Grand Cayman. Before the 10K....there was 5K.

Everyone starts somewhere. I started with 5K. But I didn't start alone. Scott and I met each other while on the college recruiting circuit back in the late 90s. The first time I met him, I found him to be rather quiet and a little geeky. But we agreed on a lot of things. When he sent me a note a week or so after meeting, I knew he was someone I wanted to work with.

After that, every time I went to a college job fair, I made it a point to seek him out and make sure we spent a few minutes catching up. As soon as an opening became available in my company, I called Scott. I wanted this guy on my team. And to this day, it was one of the smartest things I've ever done.

In addition to being one of the most powerful recruiting teams in the Chicago area, we formed quite a friendship, both inside and outside the office. When another employee, Sally, suggested we start a company running team, Scott and I, being the involved slave-to-the-company type employees, there was no way we'd miss it. So we went to the race, myself to run and Scott to take pictures for the company website. So was our first exposure the the running world.

A year or two later, Scott and I both took up running to start getting some exercise. And I think both of us started out at the very back of the pack. Slowly but surely, we kept running and did several more races together. Being competitive people with the constant desire to improve, we watched our times drop and we started increasing our mileage which, in turn, increased our speed. It was Scott that convinced me to do my first Half Marathon. He was convinced it was fate due to the timing and the fact that the course ran right by his alma mater, University of Chicago. Not wanting to be outdone, I figured if he could do it, I could do it. My longest training run up to that race was a lowly 8 miles.

That was 5 years ago. In the past several years, I've moved onto triathlons and more endurance-type events. Scott and his wife started a family. We've both moved on to different jobs and our priorities have drastically changed. So when I found out about a local 5K that fit into my schedule, Scott was my first call.

We met each other in the parking lot, went in to packet pick up - Scott had a little mix up in picking up his packet as he signed up under an alias...which we both giggled uncontrollably at when we said it out loud. We put on our timing chips and race numbers, then walked around the race site, catching up, wasting time to the start of the race. Neither of us had any real time expectations, we just both wanted to do the best we were capable of on this day. I simply wanted an idea of my current capabilities and Scott just wanted to run the entire race.

We went back to the car to drop off our jackets and Scott quickly swallowed down a gel for some extra oomph. We walked over to the start line and stretched a little as we joked about how fast we weren't. This was one of those "rinky dink" races, which I love so much. No pressure, no thinking, it's all just about having fun. It's surrounding yourself in this type of environment that makes you really realize how lucky we are to be able to participate in this sport. No matter what your level, everyone, every size, shape and ability is welcome.

Unfortunately, there was no national anthem, and the race started. I had started near the back so the first half mile was just me running back and forth to get around a bunch of people. But I couldn't be mad, I should have started closer to the front...but it was more important for me to chat with Scott than it was for me to line up at the front of the race.

I could feel the lactic acid already building up in my legs and arms. I wondered to myself "what the heck am I doing??", I was already tired before I could even see the mile mark! My breathing was out of control and I reminded me, though this was a short race, it still was a full 3 miles! I finally came up to the first mile mark and looked at my watch. Not as fast as I would have liked, but I was putting out more effort than was comfortable. I started passing a few people here and there, but the race was pretty small and pretty spread out already. There was this guy, breathing and stomping too close behind me. Part of me wanted him to just pass me already so I didn't have to listen to his labored breath. But the other part of me wanted to hold him off. I knew that if he hadn't passed me by now, he was hurting too, and he was after me.

We came up to the second mile mark and he came up even with me. But every time a downhill came, I gained a little ground on him, so I got right back in front of him almost as quickly as he had pulled up next to me. He continued to breathe really loud and worked hard at picking up the pace just a little to put some distance between the two of us. I noticed my second mile was faster than the first as I hit the split on my watch. I wondered how Scott was doing. I wondered why a 5K felt so darn hard! The sounds of my follower was fading off...cool, he's dying. Guess he didn't know he was messing with an IRONMAN, I thought to myself. But then I started looking at my watch what felt like every minute. I now couldn't wait for this to be over. My breathing was getting louder and I felt like I was slowing. Then we came up to a sharp right turn and a volunteer yelled "only 300 meters left." Other runners that were already finished had come back to watch their friends finish and were cheering them on. I saw several people yelling to the guy in front of me to "KICK IT IN, YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!" And no matter how hard I tried to "kick it in", I had no kick left. In fact, I don't think I ever have a "kick." It's like I've never produced a "kick" in my life. How do these people get that and how can I get some?

And as I pondered the thought of the "kick", my heavy breather, heavy-footed follower turned on his "kick." His breathing was even louder and heavier now, but I could hear and feel him getting closer. And with less than 50 yards to go, this guy breezed by me like I was standing still. I wanted to yell out something, but I just didn't have the energy. Let him go by (not that I had the strength to stop him!). I just want this to be over. Happiness was crossing the finish line.

I grabbed 2 waters, one for me and one for Scott, and moved to a place where I could watch him come around the corner. I wasn't watching for 30 seconds before I saw him. He was moving! He was looking so strong! I thought he told me he "wasn't ready" for this race. Talking crap about "it'll probably take me 40 minutes." He was passing people left and right...and to me, those people looked like they had a good pace going on! As he got closer to the finish, I could see he was struggling right at the same point I was starting to fall apart. I yelled some words of encouragement to him and he seemed to increase his speed even more. He seemed to have that popular "kick" that everyone else I know besides me seems to have! He finished with an impressive time and I couldn't be more proud of him.


Scott and I both fight our own demons, but we "get" each other. Each of us had our own special reason for running this race and we probably wouldn't have done the race if we were going alone. I always know whatever problem I'm having, I can talk to Scott and, even if he's never experienced anything remotely similar, I know he gets it. We just understand the way each other thinks. Scott never has and probably never will do a triathlon, but he is definitely one of my biggest supporters. Not sure if he'll even be reading this post, but just in case he does, I just need to say thanks. If it wasn't for Scott those years ago, encouraging me to push further in my running (and other) endeavors, I'm not sure I'd be where I am today.

Really glad we had the opportunity to run this race together today.

Count another 20 (or make that 19!)

Today the marathon training plan called for the big 20-miler. The weather Gods were better to me than the last day I had to run 20 miles. The weather for this morning's run was very foggy, extremely humid, however, the temperature was about 57 degrees, which is quite nice! What was not so nice is that the location we chose to run wasn't exactly ideal.

For the past several days, this area has had a lot of rain. Running paths become muddy with very little precipitation. Waterfall Glen (or WFG or WTF) is a pretty popular place for runners because of the small hills and great scenery. WFG is a 9.5 mile loop of limestone path and dries up pretty quickly, even when it seems we have a lot of rain.

Earlier in the week, when I began soliciting company for this long journey, there were several comments and questions about whether or not the trail would be runnable (yes, that's a word)! We do have asphalt trails nearby, but none quite as fun to run through as WFG, so we stuck with the original plan of 2 loops.

With Mark and Tom training for St. Louis (just one day before Boston), Dennis training for an ultramarathon next month, Donna training for Grandma's in June and Pam and I training for Boston, and a bunch of other people who just like running long for the fun of it (huh??) we ended up with a pretty large training group for today's run! We even picked up Dennis V. who was planning on his first long run of the season!
(Why are we standing behind the handicapped parking mark? Was this foreshadowing the events to come??)

The air was pretty damp and the humidity made it difficult for a few of us to keep up the pace we had planned. The trail was flooded out near Turtle Pond and this caused us to jump up on some nearby railroad tracks. As BC mentioned, it was just like a scene out of Stand By Me. Only he called it "the movie where they found the dead guy." The other little snafu came between miles 8 and 9. We had to maneuver around the forest a bit and go pretty far off the trail to keep our feet dry. Some chose to run right through the large pool of water. Some chose to go through the forest and were attacked by sticker bushes which scratched up their legs pretty badly so they had to run with bloody legs the rest of the way. But, we all made it through, unharmed (well, except for the bloody legs part).

Although my hands never really did warm up for this run (I forgot gloves), I had a great time. The miles just flew by as we chatted about everything from races to training to families to current news stories to past experiences. The second loop went almost as quickly as the first. And, though two 9.5 mile loops is only 19 miles, I think I'll call it 20.

Miami Half Marathon 2007

We flew into Ft. Lauderdale early Saturday afternoon. The airport had banners plastered everywhere advertising the Super Bowl. Made me proud to say that "my" Chicago Bears would be playing next weekend! It was about a half hour drive to Miami. We checked into the hotel, (more banners for the Super Bowl) which was within 10 minutes walking distance from the start/finish of the race. However, we needed to take a shuttle to the expo for packet pickup. This was a bit confusing and just a little stressful as the afternoon was slipping away and the expo was shutting down soon. I must admit, I've been a bit spoiled with the extravagant expos that are held at our major Chicago races. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of this expo. It was a good size, not too big, not too small. However, I was more than disappointed when the only size they had left in the race t-shirts was Large. The shirts are pretty sweet and who couldn't use another dri-fit shirt to add to their collection??

It was great to be in the nice weather, but it wasn't quite as warm as I had expected. It was mostly sunny on Saturday afternoon, but by early evening, it was a bit chilly and I didn't dare change into shorts. We had a nice pasta dinner outside, overlooking the water, at a restaurant at Bayside Market (you got it, lots of Super Bowl banners...merchants selling jerseys, t-shirts and everything you could think of with the Super Bowl XLI logo on it) just outside the Port of Miami. The food was excellent, however, there wasn't very much of it!! On the walk back to the hotel, I insisted we stop at the Walgreens to pick up a little pre-race breakfast, but also a little more food for that night...I was still pretty hungry!

I woke around 4:50am on Sunday morning. The race started at 6:10, so I wanted to make sure we were lined up by 5:40. As soon as I got up, I walked over to the balcony of our room and threw open the door, expecting to be greeted by cool air. However, it was quite warm. So warm, in fact, I decided I wouldn't even need to wear my "throw away" shirt I planned to wear until I warmed up. It had to be upper 60s already, though I couldn't be quite sure. We met some non-running friends in the lobby to walk over to the race start. Immediately when we walked out of the hotel, little sprinkles of rain began to fall. The rain was a little cool, which gave me goosebumps and made the hair stand up on my arms. Damn, wish I had brought along that throw away after all! One of my friends asked if the rain bothered me when I ran. "Not really, " I replied. "Only when it's POURING and it soaks my shoes does rain really become an issue." How ironic that statement would be....

I think that the rain began to fall steadily harder with each minute it took for us to walk to the start of the race. I was very thankful that I had decided to wear the race hat they gave us because it kept the rain from pelting me in the face. This was no longer a sprinkle, this was a solid rain now. As we lined up in the corral for the half marathon (the full marathon runners lined up in the corral to the right), the rain started coming down in full force. My clothes were already soaked through, but now I started to feel my feet getting wet through both my shoes and socks. The only dry area of my entire body was now a small part of my face that was protected by the visor of the race-provided hat. I crossed my arms in front of me and held them close to my body in effort to keep warm. I was thankful it wasn't very windy, but the rain was coming down in sheets. Some runners were yelling and cheering, getting louder when the big rain drops seemed to come down harder. Sort of like they were taunting the rain, letting it know that the rain couldn't ruin this run for them. Other runners were groaning each time the rain came down harder. These were the biggest raindrops I had ever felt! The rain was dripping off my hat, arms, shirt and shorts, running down my legs soaking my socks AND shoes! This was definitely NOT the picture I had in mind when I signed up for this race! Later, I learned our spectator friends immediately went back to the hotel when they left us. The rain bummed them out so much, they didn't even stick around for the start of the race.

For a split second, I thought about just bagging it and going back to the hotel. I was just doing this race for fun, anyway. I had no time goal in mind. I was just out there to have fun and get in a fully-supported 13.1 mile training run. However, I already got up early, was dressed and waiting to go, so I might as well just run now. I hoped that my sopping wet feet would warm up, as would my hands, already pruny from being soaking wet, once we got started.

The national anthem, the gun, and yet another race had started. The race was a nice size. Not the gigantic event the Chicago Marathon is, but not the tiny little race that the Tucson Marathon is. Kinda like the Flying Pig, this seemed to be a good, sizable crowd. The first mile did seem a bit crowded. I forgot what it's like to start running with all these people....my last few running races were quite small. And in triathlon, everyone starts out running at different times. So it was fun to run with a bunch of people again, however, it made me realize maybe we lined up too far back. I felt like we did a lot of zig zagging to get around people.

About a mile into the race, the rain subsided. Go figure. We're already soaking wet, it might as well keep raining now!! Now I just waited for the sun to come out so I could warm up a little. Before we hit mile 2, we went over the first of 3 bridges. It was still dark when we were at this point, but later, I would see this bridge we ran over and it must've looked really cool to see a bunch of runners crossing it. We ran past all the cruise ships in port and that took my mind off the run for a bit.

With the strong rain that came down in such a short period of time, there were LOTS, and I do mean LOTS of places along the course with standing water. It was deep enough to get your shoes wet, even if you didn't splash, so I had do pull off some quick maneuvers to try and get around those places without stepping in the water. But I also had to be aware of the runners who didn't care and just ran through the deep puddles, because if your feet landed near them at just the right time, the water they were displacing would cover your feet worse than if you ran through the puddle yourself! Why did I care, my feet were already soaked!! I don't know, I guess I didn't want to be any more wet than I had to be at this point. My hands were so uncomfortable and there was no way to dry them off. My clothes were soaked through. My shirt stuck to my body which made it pretty uncomfortable until I focused on thinking of other things. My shorts, loaded with Clif Shots and Aquaphor and soaked with rain, kept falling down! WTF?!!?!? This was going to be a long 13 miles....

By mile 4, I started to warm up. The sun was trying to break its way through the clouds. I tried chatting with a few other runners here and there, but it was a pretty quiet crowd. I tried to focus on keeping my turnover high, since I wasn't really worried about pace. The course was on a few busy streets, a cozy little residential section and closer to three-quarters of the way through the race, we went through the town of Miami Beach. It was the only section where there were actual spectators gathered (well, aside from the finish). I'm guessing the rain scared off many people, but by this point, the rain was gone, the sun was out and the temperature was quite comfortable. True, it was more humidity than I was used to, but back home, I would be freezing, so I wasn't complaining!

Somewhere along the line, I felt a blister developing on the arch of my right foot. Oh well, that was to be expected with the amount of water I was carrying in my sock and shoe. It was going to take days for these shoes to dry out! I tried to run on the outside of my right foot so as to not make the blister any worse, but that wasn't very comfortable, so I just returned to my normal gait and hoped for the best. I think it was around mile 12.5 where the marathon course went straight and the half marathoners turned to the left. You could hear the music and the crowd at this point and I couldn't believe it was almost over already.

I crossed the finish line and made my way through the runners to collect my medal. My clothes were still entirely soaked through, in fact, I literally wrang out my shirt. They gave us "spinner" medals, which were pretty cool. Big medal for a half marathon! I snagged a banana and half a bagel from the food line, went to have my chip snipped off and immediately wished I had gear checked a dry shirt. Within minutes, I was chilled with no way to warm up.

I found several friends from Chicago at the finish line. We shared a few race stories and everyone was smiles at the end. Though it wasn't the picture-perfect Miami weather we mid-westerners were hoping for, it was not so bad. The race was well-organized, the course was flat, however, the aid stations needed a few more volunteers. I saw several stations that had no full cups as we ran by. The volunteers were frantically trying to keep up, but their efforts were futile. The runners drank more quickly than the volunteers could pour.

It was nice to get away and run in a t-shirt and shorts in January. Might just have to make a "weekend getaway race" an annual event...

To Shuffle Or Not To Shuffle?

For the last 5 years, around this time I struggle with the same decision. Should I enter the Shamrock Shuffle? The Shamrock Shuffle is an 8K (4.97 miles) running race held in the city of Chicago. The race is unofficially considered the "kick off" of the new running season. It is the largest 8K in the country with some 15,000 entrants. The race is well run with a very popular post-race party.

Every year, I have flashbacks of the crowds and the hassle to get through packet pick up. Same hassle finding a place to park before the race. Once again, crowded in the starting chute. Really crowded running through the 4.97 miles. More, sweaty crowds at the finish line. Trying to reunite with anyone you came down with requires strategy and excellent vision. I haven't made it to the post-race party in the last 4 years. The traffic jam of people trying to show their wristband to enter was always just too much for me to deal with.

So, last year, I earned myself a "Preferred" Start. This just means I can start a little bit ahead of the main group of runners. Those people would be first-timers, walkers and those runners that treat this race as the name indicates, a "shuffle". Not a big deal, but it sure did make my running experience there last year more pleasant! I didn't have to zig zag around a bunch of walkers or slower runners, nor did I have to try to pass those groups of 3-4 people who line up in a row like they're the linemen stepping up to the line of scrimmage.

Based on my performance last year, I believe I could register for this "Preferred" start again, which is definitely a plus. But is it enough to deal with all the hassle? And the entry fee for the race isn't exactly a bargain. These high-profile races with big perks (like the post-race party featuring a popular band) are never cheap. It's just 4.97 miles. I could put on my shoes, run 5 miles from my house, go in and take a shower and sit down to write another blog entry in the time it would take me to drive down to this race and park!

And every year, I go through this process of trying to decide if it's worth it. Sure, I love driving down with my fellow runners, hanging out with them before the race, sharing stories of each person's individual account of the race when we meet up at the finish line, and I especially love it if I end up running well, but I still waver on whether it's all worth it or not.

Now I know there are a lot of you out there that read this blog and never post...you've TOLD me this! So I'm calling you people out and would like to invite you to share your opinions on the Shamrock Shuffle and whether or not you think I should sign up for the 2007 event. I'd also like to know if any of you struggle with this decision year-to-year or do I just need to get a life!??!?!