Forecast of Saturday at 6am: 87 degrees with a 40% chance of thunderstorms

This past Saturday didn't start out to be a picture-perfect running day.

It was absolutely pouring when I left my place at 6am. I was soaked walking out of my building and getting in to my car (distance is about 20 feet). But I was determined to run with the training group that morning.

Lake Michigan had relocated itself onto Lake Shore Drive, which made the drive south a challenge instead of a delight. The underpasses were flooded. I still found my way to our meeting place.

I pulled next to Kim's Rabbit. She wasn't in it, but I had a text from her, saying something along the lines of 'Run canceled. Go get back in bed.'

I called her to find she was in Larry's car a few spaces down. We waited for another half hour to see if we'd get the all clear to start the group run a bit later. In the end, CARA canceled the training run - but we didn't.

Kim suggested we dry out and regroup at Carbio. John joined us there. The four of us sat, talking about running and many other things, until 7:30, when it appeared that the weather was passing.

That's when we made the decision - we would still do the 12 miler. Even if the Fleet Feet aid stations were down. Even if we were the only ones out there. We were determined. Our social calendars did not allow for a Sunday morning run (who does that?) or getting up before the sun was up on Monday to get in a nearly three hour run.

So we did it. We were tough. We took the road less traveled. We ran north and then south along the path. We ran around Montrose Harbor and then along the east side of the golf course.

At the North Avenue soccer field, we talked the Gatorade people in to sharing their supply with us. We were very grateful.

In the end, we were done with the 12 mile run before noon, and we had mostly cloudy skies, a nice breeze, and just a hint of sprinkles.

Sounds like a perfect training day to me.

Music is Essential

Music is Essential.

Not just in running, but in life.

I happen to listen to upbeat, fast-paced music with a strong base line. It's great to work out to.

I listen to music during the week when I run by myself. On Saturdays the iPod stays at home.

Week 8 of training calls for two three mile runs and one six mile - that's roughly two hours of running, just during the week.

I need a good playlist, and it needs to be updated often.

No more than a few weeks goes by before I'm downloading some new stuff.

I listen to an internet radio station at work. I'll write down song names and DJs I like, then go home and try to find them on iTunes.

Although running may be an inexpensive sport, iTunes gets me every month for new downloads.

Run. Rest. Eat. Repeat.

Welcome to week 7 of training.

The first few weeks are a cakewalk. Now training's stepping it up a notch on us.

Six miles was the long run the first week. In week seven, six miles is the mid-week run.

It's about this point in the training where I notice training's starting to take over my life. Having a few drinks on a Friday night's no big deal when you're doing 5 or 6 miles in the morning...12 miles is another story.

I start to pay closer attention to getting a a good night's sleep on Friday night. Even during the week for that matter - I've been getting up at 5:30am on Wednesdays to get the mid-week longer run over with in the morning!

If you're running and sleeping more, you mind as well eat more too, right? Now we get into the enjoyable part of training. Eating.

At this point, with a few exceptions, I'm eating all the 'healthy' food I want. I'm not worrying about carbs or calories. If I have a taste for it, I have it. Granted, I'm not stopping for ice cream or going through a drive thru all too often...yet.

There will come a point in training (about a month from now) where I'll really go all out and have things I'd normally never eat - like a Big Mac.

Hot Summer Days

It's July 20th - the heat of summer - and man, has it been hot.

I checked the weather on Sunday and was excited to see that we were going to avoid 90+ this week. Apparently weather.com is not as a reliable source as Tom Skilling. Skilling told me on Monday that in fact it will be in the 90's this week. Once again.

My body doesn't like the 90's much, especially not for exercising. Lunchtime workouts are out of the question. Even after work is too hot. I tried a week of running at 7:30 in the evening, but even then it's humid.

So I did something I've never done before, well, at least not on a weekday - I started working out before work. I know, there are countless people that do this everyday. I could never motivate myself to get out of bed early if I didn't have to. In the last week, the heat has done just that.

I thought about it, and if I get up at 5:30am on Saturdays, why not just do it during the week as well?

So far, I'm enjoying getting out in the morning. There's less people on the lakefront path and driving on the street. It's cooler and quieter.

Shout Outs

Saturday mornings start at Montrose Harbor around 6:30. Shortly thereafter, we're heading south on the lakefront path. Inevitably, we run into other training groups along the way - CES, Team in Training, etc. We also run into cyclist and other runners.

The cyclists definitely despise us. We are herds of runners clogging up most of the path every Saturday morning. Every once in awhile, we have a not-so-friendly exchange with one of them, usually after there was a close call. Truthfully, in a bike vs. runner collision, who would be worse off?

When I'm riding I think 'you stupid runners, stay over to the right. If one of you makes a bad move, I'm flying off this bike.' When I'm running I think 'you stupid riders, give us more space. I don't want to be run over by your bike.'

I'm a getting a bit off the subject though -

Every Saturday my group heads south. We almost always pass my friend Kim.

Kim's a marathon veteran. She knows her stuff. Maybe it's with all that wisdom and experience that she's able to pick me out of a crowd every morning when she passes me and I, somehow, remain oblivious. In my defense, the problem is I'm usually talking [imagine that] to someone.

Kim will scream for me, usually multiple times. After she passes, it will finally register - 'Oh no, I just missed her' and I make an attempt to shout back.

She told me Saturday afternoon she's about to give up on the shout outs because I'm so bad at them.

Something to work on this week. It is a recovery week after all.

Running Home From Work

Week four of training. Saturday the group was scheduled to run 9 miles.

Unfortunately, I was going out of town. That's one of the tricky parts about training - life gets in the way. Sometimes it comes in the fashion of staying out too late on a Friday night when I'm up at 5:30 on Saturday. Or its that weekend plans are to not be in Chicago.

I am presented with two options.

Option A: I run 9 miles in my weekend location, which I've done before in San Diego, Ft. Myers, Miami, Indy...or

Option B: I complete my long run before vacation. Ah ha!

But when will I have time to do 9 miles?

In comes the 'need' to run home from work - and it's about 9 miles to my place.

So Thursday, I leave work around 3:30 and head north on the lakefront path. As luck would have it, the lakefront path will end before I'm done running, but it's nothing short of a beautiful commute home.

Metlife Duathlon

2010 is the year of 3rd's, including the third year I've done the MetLife 'Race Around the World' Duathlon in Tinley Park.

The race consists of a 2 mile run, 11 mile bike, and finishing leg of another 2 mile run.

The race is conveniently held the same weekend the Marathon training group does a (small) 5 mile run, so I tend to take a pass on Saturday morning's run and get ready for race day on Sunday.

Jim's parents, Tricia and my parents come to watch this race. It's great to have their support.

I go through a cycle of emotions with this race - excitement, fear. Although I've placed in the top ten of my age division the last two years, I'll still think of the short running distances and worry that I can't compete with my slower run times.

But, the key to the duathlon is the bike. Somehow I forget that.

Jim's been competing in this race for a number of years, including taking home 1st in his age division the last few years. He's the one that talked me in to signing up for the race shortly after he'd talked me in to the road bike.

Jim's all about getting to the race early. Like, three hours early. The bike racks are set up around 5:00 and sometimes he's the first one there. Getting a prime position on the bike rack (preferably an end) is ideal. For the most part, I've followed suit in getting there early(er) as well. Once you've set up your bike, you can watch as others come with their bikes and size up the competition.

In general, my thought process is something like this:
The more expensive the bike the more likely I'll be beat.
A roadbike in general = direct competition
Mountain bike? I'll be passing you soon enough.

Then the race starts - It's done in waves - Men under 40, then over. Women under 40, then over, then teams. Each with a two to three minute gap in between.

I'd say I tend to be towards the end-of-the-middle part of the pack, maintaining around a 9:15-9:30 mile.

Coming in to the transition, I can't wait to get on the bike. I tend to ride hard from the get go. I pass many on the 11 mile ride. I pass by some of the younger guys who had a 4 to 6 minute start on me. I tell myself the better lead I can get on the bike, the better off I'll be when I get off of it.

By the time I'm out of the second transition, Jim's already finished with the race - and I have a two mile run ahead of me. It takes a few minutes to get your land legs back from the bike. At this point in the race you just have to push though.

This year had was hot at the start. People were breathing hard coming up on the first mile. Coming back in to transition, I was concerned about the heat myself. I figured getting some wind on my face would help. Shortly after jumping on the bike, clouds moved in and the wind picked up. Toward the end of the ride, it looked as if the skies were going to open up any minute. I was riding harder thinking of how bad it would be to be stuck on the bike in a downpour. Luckily, I made it in to T2 and was out running for a few minutes before the storm moved in. The last mile was a complete downpour.

2008 and 2009's finishing time were within :30 of each other, right around 1:17. This year, with the crazy weather as my excuse, I came in a little more than a minute behind at 1:18:54. [13th in my age division]

Week 2 of Training

This week was another easy one.

Three runs of 3 miles each during the week, followed by a 7 miler on Saturday.

I don't know if I can thank the Nike LunarLites or the lower number on the scale, but, my pace has picked up.

My shins and calves are a bit sore, but hopefully rest and 'The Stick' will help.

Bike to Work Week

I'll admit it, I'm a fair weather rider.

You won't see me out there in the cold or riding down Milwaukee.

In terms of riding my bike to work, I have it made. I ride straight south - around 9 miles - to work.

I spend the first mile going through Loyola University's campus and a brief venture down a side street parallel to Sheridan. Then I hit the beginning/end of the lakefront path. The next 8 miles is smooth sailing [well, all dependent on the wind].

I was on ride this morning approaching Fullerton when I saw people along the path cheering for me, thanking me for riding my bike to work. There was a pit stop at Fullerton, complete with coffee and Clif Bars. Apparently it's Ride Your Bike to Work week, and some people are quite excited about it.

It IS pretty cool to ride your bike to work.

Especially when you get to pick off guys on mountain bikes along the way. That never gets old.

The Schedule

Training's all about the schedule. It's the road map to race day success.

It's a bit overwhelming, but at the same time I find comfort in knowing all I need to do is follow the schedule. There are identifiable stages to the schedule -

The first month or so is no problem. I can run the weekday runs at lunch and still have a bit of a life after work.

In the second month, we start getting into double digit long runs. Post-run breakfast becomes necessary, followed by a nap.

By mid-August I'm doing 5-7 miles during the week. A little too much for lunchtime, so they shift to the evening. Once we're up to 25-30 miles a week, I allow myself to eat whatever I want. Now here comes the fun part of training! This is around the time training takes over my life.

The infamous 20 miler takes place in mid-September. This is the furthest we'll run before the race. After the 20 miler, tapering begins. We run less and rest more.

Finally, in early October, we're ready to go.

CARA Marathon Training Program

5:30am.

I'm dressed in my running gear and eating oatmeal. It must be training season again.

Today marks the first official 'long run' of marathon training. By 6am, I'm in my car and heading down Montrose Harbor to meet up with my 10:30 pace group friends.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the city isn't going to make all the parking along the lake metered/paybox - it might be wishful thinking.

CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) has a huge program. There's locations in a handful of suburbs on top of the three that are in the City itself. My location is the largest. I'd venture to say there's 250-300 people in the 6:30am group. There's a 6am group as well. I've never seen them though. 6am's a little too crazy for me.

I've trained with CARA the last two years. I've made some friends in my pace group. Some of them are now the pace leaders. I'm looking forward to spending hours upon hours with them every Saturday morning til October.

The meeting area has signs with the paces - ranging from a 6:30-7 minute pace down to a 12 minute pace. A guy with a megaphone gives us all a rundown on the latest news and then calls up each pace group. Some of the faster times have beginner, intermediate and advanced levels within them.

The 10:30s are one of the last groups to leave. By 7am, we're always off and running.

Lance Armstrong is a bad ass

Lance Armstrong is such a bad ass. I'm loving the Radio Shack commercials where he's riding the trainer, giving his assistant instructions. Talk about multi-tasking!

I read a great Lance book last summer. I'm thinking it's about time to pick another one up, it will be good reading for the bus [since I already finished this month's Runner's World].

A few great Lance quotes -

"This is my body. And I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it. Study it. Tweak it. Listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you "on?"

“If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on.”

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."

"What ever your 100% looks like, give it."

Week 1 (of 18): Welcome to Marathon Training

In honor of the first week of marathon training, and a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, I visited Fleet Feet last night.

I left spending about double what I thought I would [that's pretty standard], including a pair of Nike Lunar Glides.

I haven't ran in Nike shoes since? Early college?

My shoes are dark gray [cool, they aren't white] and bright, 1992 neon pink soles [hello hypercolor shirt]. I am excited to be able to drop the Nike+ sensor into the sole of the shoe.

I also purchased a pair of Zoot compression socks. Jim swears by them, and I don't think that guy's guided me the wrong way on gear yet. I didn't know you could pay that much for 'socks!'

I'm testing out the shoes this evening. I hope it's a happy marriage.

Relay for Life

This evening I'm participating in Relay for Life an all-night cancer walk in Glenview.

The event consists of teams. The Glenview event has 60. A total of 400 something people. We'll be taking turns walking around the track for 12 hours. It all starts at 6pm.

I've done my share of cancer walks - In 2006, my friend Katie and I did the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. In 2007, we volunteered for the Avon walk.

Relay is walking around a track. It's not about distance or speed, it's about time. One member of the team must be on the track at all times. My team consists of my cousin and a handful of her friends. I'm doubling as a team member and chaperone.

The girls are 13. They plan on staying up all night by drinking caffeine and eating sugar.

I think I'll fore-go a run today in anticipating I'll be doing a lot of walking overnight.

60 miles to run in 4 weeks

I'd forgotten about the 'goal' function of Nike+ for awhile. Then again, I can't very well be using Nike+ unless I'm running so...Good thing I'm doing that again.

I've set a goal. 60 miles in the next 30 days.

While I was at work today, I glanced at the marathon training schedule last year for the week of the 20 miler.

In that week, last year, I ran over 40 miles.

In a week.

Good thing marathon training's a few months long. I'm going to need all the time I can get this year.

Last swim lesson (for now)

Wednesday was the last class of 'intermediate' swim lessons for the spring session.

I feel like I did relatively well - enough to try to continue the technique on my own for awhile. Maybe I'll go back to lessons in the fall.

There were six people in the intermediate class.

It seems that all of us, at some level, have a triathlon on our minds.

One girl did a triathlon last weekend in Lake Geneva. The swim was 650m.

I asked her how it went, and she said that after the halfway point, she was just trying to survive/stay above water. She talked about getting kicked and how murky the water was.

Ok, let's get this straight -

I'm thinking about signing up for a race, in which, I would get into deep, murky water with other swimmers. We then swim a far distance, kicking and running in to each other along the way.

Sounds frightening.

I met a TREK 1500D

I should have blogged this story back when it happened (April 2008). It's too good to not enter it. So here's the story of the day I met my bike.

I set up a 'date' with Jim, my best friend's boyfriend. Jim is an Ironman. He takes his training very seriously.

So when I mentioned I wanted to get a bike and wanted his input, he took over.

I was thinking of getting a hybrid.

Jim said 'If you get a hybrid, you'll want a road bike once all the road bikes are passing you.'

Tricia, Jim and I enter Village Cycle.

Like a sixth sense, Jim gravitated towards the road bikes. Before a salesman could come over to help, Jim said 'Ok, this is the deal. You can get this bike (a red TREK) or this bike (the Discovery Channel Team bike, which is the one I got).'

He then went into an explanation of why, using bike terminology I was unfamiliar with. All the salesman could do was nod his head. Apparently Jim knew his shit.

The salesman measures me. I need a 60 CM frame. I am huge! :)

Jim is amazed and nicknames me the '60 CM wonder.'

The rest of the sale involves Jim pointing to what I should get and the salesman nodding his head. I end up getting clips, bike cleats, a bike computer... the entire deal.

We go to check out and I about lose my breakfast. Jim tells me that I'm going to love it and have no regrets. So I go through with it.

I go back to Village Cycle later that day to pick up the bike with all the stuff put on it. The salesman puts the bike on a trainer and says I can take as long as I want getting familiar with it.

I decide I'm tough and I take the bike out of the store, pack it in my car and drive it home.

Now I'm home and I have the bike shoes on. I'm somehow going to get on this bike, clip myself in and ride.

Before I get out of the alley, I've run into two of my neighbor's cars, but now I'm moving.

I ride incident free down to Foster.

On my way back, I clip out and I'm sitting at the light at Ardmore and Sheridan. I start looking around at the cars passing by and lean too far to my clipped in side and fall over. An old guy driving by in a big Buick stops his car and asks me if I'm ok. Yes, I say, I'm fine.

I start riding again and get up to Kenmore and Devon. This time, I completely forget that I'm clipped in and wipe out at the red light. A Loyola student walking by asks if I'm ok. To which I reply 'Yes, I'm just learning'. I am certain she thought I meant just learning to ride a bike, but it really doesn't matter.

Point being, I now have this really dangerous machine and I'm no good at riding it.

What did Jim get me in to?

Holmes Place boyfriend/coach

I started swimming lessons. That means I have to practice swimming.

I enter the pool area of the gym in mid-February with some serious nerves.

I hadn't even looked at the pool area when I joined the gym - thinking I'd never use it. Now I was going to get in it.

Quick check of the depth - 4'. I'm safe. By 2 feet.

I swim the first session with no winesses.

The second session, on the next Friday, would be different.

The pool is three lanes. In the far lane is a middle aged woman swimming with a snorkel and a few pool noodles. In the center lane is her friend, a middle aged man. He wears oversized goggles but appears to know how to swim. Lane 3 is open, so I get in.

I start in on my very basic technique which barely involves side breathing. I can get about five strokes in before I have to stop and regroup. This goes on for a half hour.

Two weeks later, they are both in the pool again when I get there. By this time, I sort of have side breathing down, but just to my left side.

This time, the man strikes up a conversation with me. First, by asking if I was ever a model. (He certainly could tell I wasn't a swimmer, right?)

So we talk briefly. I tell him I barely know what I'm doing. I know he's watching here and there. He gives no pointers. As he's getting out of the pool he says 'you're getting it. you look a lot better than you did last time!'

And so the story continues, from February into May.

I've seen him a handful of times now and I mind as well make this guy my coach. He's watched me swimming more than anyone else. He seems to have breaststroke down, but I don't know how well his freestyle technique is. I can't say I've watched him much.

Last Friday he was there again. He asks me a again if I'm a model, to which I say no, but now I can sort of swim. He says he can tell I've been 'workin' it' in the pool. He can tell my form has gotten better and I'm bi-lateral breathing now. He gives me words of encouragement and asks what's made me 'get serious' about swimming.

So I tell him the truth - One day I want to do a triathlon.

Maybe it's because he's my sort-of-coach, but he tells me that he thinks I should sign up for one and he'll come watch me.

I think I have many more dates with the pool before that happens.

The first swimming lesson

2010 started off a bit rough, but where there may be a roadblock there's also an opportunity - in early February I went back to swimming lessons.

I say I went back because I did go to swimming lessons once before. I was 6. My mom enrolled me in swim class with some neighborhood kids. I hated it and feared going.

The last class we had to 'dive' into the pool from the edge. I remember thinking through the process and not wanting to do it. At one point, she said I could have anything I wanted from K-mart if I just did it. That's the only time she ever said that, but I decided the task at hand was too big of a risk. Instead I opted to 'fail.' I was in trouble in the car on the way home, but I had taken a stand and held it for the next 24 years. I would not swim.

Until this past February.

Knowing I would never willingly sign myself up for lessons, I suggested that they be bought as a Christmas gift. In early February, I showed up at Northwestern's pool to find five other, seemingly normal adults, standing around waiting for an instructor.

We were the beginner swimming group.

We got in the pool. The instructor introduced herself. We made small talk.

Then she explained our first exercise. We would float face down in the water.

A look of fear immediately crossed all of our faces.

This is what we all feared.

I momentarily thought about getting out of the pool and just going home. I'd made it to 30 without swimming, I would be fine without it. Then I thought of how I never thought I'd run a marathon and I've proven I can do that so...maybe I should just try this stupid floating thing?

So I did it.

And, somehow, I lived.

2009 (in review)

Some people run a marathon just once.

Then there's others who say, "I'll do another one."

So, in 2009, I did just that -

In April, I traveled to Nashville and ran the Country Music Half Marathon
In August, I ran the Rock and Roll Chicago Half Marathon
In September, I ran the Chicago Half Marathon

In October, I ran the Chicago Marathon for the second time.

The weather was a stark contrast from 2008 - nice and cool.

On October 11th, I finished in 4:44:47, nearly 27 minutes faster than 2008.

All was good until after the marathon - then injury set in. I spent the rest of 2009 and beginning of 2010 going to doctors and eventually therapy for tendinitis in my right knee.