Mag Mile Runner

Fashion Friday / At the Office & Flapper

2012-03-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

More Fashion Friday! I wonder if I should rename this Wardrobe Remix Wednesday purely for the SEO?

By the way, you can click to view any of these pictures larger on Flickr.

Jeans Day at the office. Kind of going for the "grad student look" even though I am not nor have I ever been a grad student. This picture is from earlier in the year. Hence the wreath.

This is a very typical outfit for me: dress, accent belt, black tights. I rarely wear the belt that comes with a dress, because it is usually sad and boring.

I'm not the only fashionable one at the office, check out Eric's great use of mixed prints! And clever way to watch "TV" during lunch.

And now for something completely different ... revisiting my Oscar Party outfit. I was trying to go for the flapper look (inspired by Midnight in Paris). The dress is a knit drop-waist cowl-neck Banana Republic dress that I got in a clothing swap. The shoes are from DSW many many years ago (um, I think I was in college ... ) My headband is a Sparkly Soul headband with some feather hairclips attached. Necklaces and tights are likely from Target.

If you want more fashion blogging, check out Erin's blog, Loop Looks!

Runner Tunnel Vision

2012-03-01T09:44:00.000-06:00

Have you ever run in crazy weather conditions, and not really realized how crazy you are until you get home and realize other runners skipped last night, or took it inside?

Even though during the run you kept thinking "Wow it sure is windy!" "Wow that rain pelting my skin sure feels cold!" "Maybe I'll turn here and cut my run short ... nahhhh keep going."

I was already out there. May as well finish what I started. Besides, it was 57 degrees earlier in the day! What do you mean the temperature has dropped 15 degrees?

Sometimes you just really need to run. Last night was one of those nights. It was not a treadmill night. It was a pound-the-pavement-alone night. And pound it I did, fartlek style. Despite the wind, I actually put in some decent sprint paces.

Not last night, obviously,
but it rained during almost this entire half marathon

I figure I better get used to running in crappy weather, as I'm planning to do four races in March - April and weather in Chicagoland during early spring is pretty unpredictable. It could be 80 and humid or 30 and snowing. You really never know what to expect. I've seen snow in May.

Otherwise, why did I buy a Nike Vapor jacket on eBay last month?

What's the craziest weather you've run in, either during a race or training run?

Favorite Things Raffle Winner / Sparkly Soul discount

2012-02-27T12:53:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Kerri, the winner of the Favorite Things raffle!!

Thank you all for your support of the American Cancer Society! I've raised over $426 thus far, and still have 223 days to the marathon! (But who's counting?)

If you were hoping you'd win so you can try out Sparkly Soul headbands ... there's still time to save on your order at SparklySoul.com!

Use coupon code MagMileRunner through this Wednesday, February 29 to save 10% off your order.

And 15% of sales will be donated to my American Cancer Society fundraising!

If you feel so inclined, you can post this coupon code info on your own blog and/or your blog's Facebook page :)

Oscar Sunday > Superbowl Sunday

2012-02-26T23:30:00.000-06:00

Number of bacon-wrapped dates consumed: Many
Number dipped in chocolate fountain: Many
Number of Sparkly Soul headbands used as flapper headband: One
Weight, in pounds, of bag of Swedish Fish won: 1.9 (technically won by The Sailor in Oscar Bingo ... of course my initial reaction was "these will be great fuel for marathon training")
Number of Cotton Candy Machines won: Half - my dad and I tied on our Oscar ballots - we both picked 16 correctly, so we have to share the grand prize. However, combined with the Popcorn Machine I won at last year's party, I can host some pretty sweet movie nights someday.
Number of miles swam pre-party: One (phew)

Midnight in Paris-inspired: Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali and some flappers

Bridesmaids-inspired: She was Megan. Those are her puppies.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I love Oscar Sunday way more than Super Bowl Sunday.

Oscars: You can wear a fun outfit inspired by a nominated movie. And take photos of it on a faux red carpet! Who doesn't love a theme?

Super Bowl: I guess you could wear a themed outfit but you'd be out of place among all the uninspired jeans and sweatshirts everyone else is wearing.

Oscars: CHAMPAGNE! Wins every time in my book.

Super Bowl: Bud Light. (Although I drank a rather fancy beer when watching the Super Bowl because I don't usually drink cheap beer.)

Oscars: Evening gowns!

Super Bowl: Football uniforms.

Oscars: Song and dance numbers! Montages! Awkward jokes! Long speeches cut off by music! Indecipherable accents!

Super Bowl: Overhyped halftime show that looks awkward. (Sorry Madonna, I love you and I loved your show, but it's true.)

Oscars: Brad Pitt! Clooney! Jean Dujardin! Demian Bashir! Whoever that hot guy was that helped Octavia Spencer on stage! Sadly no James Franco this year. But J.Lo's cleavage!
Super Bowl: Green Bay wasn't in it this year, so no Aaron Rodgers.

Oscars: I know what is going on.
Super Bowl: I couldn't care less what is going on.

Oscars: The actual show is interesting.
Super Bowl: The commercials are more interesting.

The Sailor isn't one for dressing up

How do you watch the Oscars? Do you attend a party? Have a themed night at home? Or just wear your sweats and tweet along? Or skip it altogether?

Did you enter my Favorite Things raffle yet? I'll pick a winner Monday morning (let's say 10am central time). So you have until then to enter!

Five Days In and Already Cheating

2012-02-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

Stop mocking me

I decided to give up sweets and junk food for Lent, and let me tell you, as was the case every other time I've given up those things, it's required some will power.

I think I've ~~muttered~~ yelled "I want cookies!" everyday to The Sailor since Ash Wednesday. We have a ton of Girl Scout cookies in the freezer, mocking me. (Dear Girl Scouts - Stop delivering your cookies right before or during Lent.) I have a box of double chocolate Krave cereal and pretended those were cookies. Close, but not quite. I also keep eyeing the sour grapefruit slices that I have. I realized my Clif Shot Bloks are kind of like candy and almost started eating them as a snack yesterday.

Normally you are allowed to cheat on Sundays during Lent, because Sundays are a day of rest and not counted among the 40 days of Lent. Personally I feel like "cheating" on what is supposed to be a sacrifice misses the point. But is it cheating if Sunday is not "counted" for Lent? And today is my sister-in-law's Oscars Party, and I know there will be treats! Thankfully I did not give up champagne for Lent, so I can at least drink that without guilt, right?

Besides, giving up sweets and junk for 6 out of 7 days of the week is a huge improvement (er, sacrifice!) over my usual eating habits.

This is all kind of pointless - I don't even consider myself to be a Catholic anymore. What's with my devotion to Lent? And what's with the lingering Catholic guilt?

I also decided to go ahead with giving up registering for races during Lent. I may end up registering for some races on Easter Sunday, meaning I will forgo the early bird pricing (there goes $5), and ultimately end up doing the same number of races regardless of when I register. But at least this gives me time to decide if I really want to do those races.

Or I can cheat and only register on Sundays ...

Moving on to a totally unrelated topic ...

I'm creating an online shop. I think to generate interest, all of the proceeds for the first few months will go to the American Cancer Society. Above is a preview of what I've created so far (or you can just go check it out in it's entirety). Let me know what you think!

Unfortunately this site (Spreadshirt) doesn't have a ton of options for performance wear, so the color choices are a bit limited. The first row of shirts (Boo Cancer) are cotton. Everything else is "performance."

The shop is open for business right now, but I plan to buy at least one shirt to check the quality before I start promoting it. But for now I'd love to hear your feedback on anything - colors, font choices, wording, prices, etc. There are also some shirts in there to promote my other blog sites - RunChicagoSouth.com and ChicagoRunningBloggers.com.

And lastly, I may have already told you this, but I love Injinji socks. For the past year or so, they are the only socks I run in (unless I'm behind on my laundry). I always get a lot of questions about them because they are toe socks (but performance toe socks), but I find them to be super comfortable, and they keep my feet toasty warm in the winter without overheating, and cool in the summer. BFF Ultra Vera turned me on to them - that's what she runs in.

You can try them for yourself - they are offering 15% off their performance weight socks (what I run in) on their site, plus if you use the code TRY20TWEET you can get an additional 20% off the original price. Plus free shipping on orders over $50. These socks are a little bit pricey (start at $12/pair) so I always wait for a deal and stock up (I ordered six pairs last night).

Runner TMI & Some Questions for You

2012-02-25T19:01:00.000-06:00

I'm perplexed right now. Time to jump into some runner TMI! (Is there such a thing?)

I am getting chafing and blisters in places I've never gotten them. I'm trying to figure out why - what I'm doing differently:

1. I don't think my CW-X pants are good for long runs for me. They keep slipping down just enough to be frustrating (and lead to chafing). Perhaps I am too tall for my size. Maybe I'll get some capris if I can find a good deal and see how they compare.

2. I am learning which of my underwear I should not wear while running. However, I know some runners go commando under running tights (I only do with lined shorts). I tried this once and realized running tights have a seam going up the front. Let me just say, that seam gave me problems. I also felt like I was more prone to chafing, not less, which is why some runners say they go commando under tights. What do you do? If you go commando in running tights, is it more or less comfortable? Do you chafe more or less?

3. I don't think my blister healed from two weekends ago. I probably keep aggravating it, and running 10 miles today certainly didn't help. It's still frustrating because these shoes have 250 miles on them, and I wear the same socks every time I run (minus two weekends ago when I wore two pairs of socks).

So, lessons learned and now I can take the knowledge and move on. What running lessons have you learned lately?

Also, one of my running buddies wanted to me to ask a question. It is winter, and many of the water sources that runners/bikers rely on in the warmer months are turned off. Lately the bathrooms near our trail have been open on the weekends, but the water fountains outside of them are turned off. Her question is, how many of you would "dive in" and drink water from a public bathroom sink? I do without thinking twice. It's the same water source after all. I figure any clean water source is fair game.

Speaking of bathrooms ... Am I the only one who feels somewhat victorious when I finally poop before my long run? Especially when your long run is first thing in the morning, before you would naturally do that anyway. Coffee helps.

Before this morning's run. I'm in the back in the purple hat.
BFF Gen is next to me in the yellow headband.

Fashion Friday: Scarf Week

2012-02-24T17:00:00.000-06:00

Awhile back, I tried to start a fashion blog. It didn't last very long. I realized I'm not fashionable enough day-to-day to support a blog, nor do I have enough interest in keeping up with fashion and trends and news ... nothing like these bloggers. But I think I might be able to support a weekly post related to "fashion." Spoiler: it might devolve into Running Fashion Friday, but I'm OK with that.

I guess scarves are "hot" right now, and I fully support this. Clearly.

When I was a kid, I remember being told by one of my friends that because I'm a redhead, I shouldn't wear pink. Because red and pink clash. I disagree. So on Valentine's Day, I wore them together.

And then I decided to make this past week Scarf Week ...

Monday:

I love these flats from Target. Even though they are an animal print, because of the colors, I consider them a neutral (see how they blend into the neutral office carpet), and wear them as such.

(Fat) Tuesday:

Mardi Gras. What can I say, I like to be festive. I was also told that I'm wearing Donatello colors (as in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

Wednesday:

I bought this scarf at Walgreens. That's right, the drugstore chain. I saw it and liked the print. I was trying to build an outfit around this scarf at 6am. I don't really know if it's working for me. Also, when I got to the office, and was cold and put on my fleece ... I realized I was wearing all one color. Maybe I'll start a new trend. Or maybe I'll try this scarf again with something else. I don't think this is a repeat outfit.

Thursday:

In case you can't tell, my top and pants are dark brown.

Friday:

No picture because I work from home on Fridays. I wore yoga pants and a baggy hoodie to "the office" (um, my bed with my laptop) and didn't even brush my hair.

Did you enter my Favorite Things raffle yet? I'll pick a winner as soon as I wake up on Monday morning (I'm taking the day off). So you have until then to enter!

Review: RelaxReflect Reflective Clothing

2012-02-23T22:07:00.001-06:00

I've been eyeing RelaxReflect's super cute reflective running clothing for awhile. I was hoping Santa would bring me a pair of their running tights, but sadly, Santa does not follow me on Pinterest, or decided not to take my suggestion. But I still really wanted to try out their stuff, especially after Kim posted her review. I was getting tired of wearing my ugly reflective vest that didn't fit very well, meaning I spent most of my run adjusting it while running.

The clothes arrived yesterday, and I was super excited to try them out tonight! We are (were?) under a Winter Storm Watch tonight, and even though it was raining on my drive home from work, it held off during our scheduled 6:30 group run with the F'N Runners.

I'm wearing:
Stripe and Star Leggings (DryFlex MicroPoly)
Random Stripes Tee (DryFlex MicroPoly)
All American Skull Cap (Brush DryFlex)
Not from Relax Reflect:
Nike Dry Fit Hat (under my RR cap)
C9 mock-neck
Injinji socks
Mizuno Wave Nirvana 7s

As you can see, the Relax Reflect clothing is super reflective. Like many other runners with day jobs, I do a lot of running in the dark this time of year.

These clothes did exactly what I wanted - I loved being able to wear reflective clothing instead of an ill-fitting running vest. So I'd say this was definitely a worthwhile purchase!

In terms of fit, the items fit well.

I thought the tights were a little bit short - I'm 5'7 and I could have used another inch on them. But once we got moving and I warmed up, I didn't even notice. Also the tights don't have a drawstring waist, but they stayed up better than some other tights I have that do have a drawstring.
I probably could have ordered the shirt a size larger (I'm usually between a medium and large, and got a medium), but it fits fine and it's stretchy, it's just a tad bit more form-fitting than I'd like. That won't stop me from wearing it though.
At first the cap felt a little snug, but I didn't even notice it while I was running, plus I had a hat on underneath it (I wanted a brim in case it rained). And I'm pretty sure I have a big head. The cap does have a ponytail hole which I appreciate! I don't mind altering a $5 hat from Old Navy, I didn't want to do the same to a $30 hat.

It was chilly and I was worried about rain
so I wore a jacket. Kelly and I were twinsies!

In addition to adult-sizes, RelaxReflect also carries children sizes, so you can keep your kids safe when they are outside in the dark or dusk. You can also create custom t-shirts on their site.

Overall, I recommend RelaxReflect if you run in the dark and are tired of frumpy reflective vests. Or if you are doing a nighttime race, like Ragnar or perhaps the Glo-Stick Run in Chicago (I really want to do this! Whatever it is!)

In the interest of full disclosure: you may have noticed from the links in this post and in the right sidebar that I am an affiliate for RelaxReflect. I do earn a commission from any purchases you make as a result of clicking the links. I did pay for the items I've reviewed, but I received a discount with the promise that I would post a review. The opinions are my own and I do plan to share them with RelaxReflect. Anyway, I just wanted to be upfront about that!

However ... If you make a RelaxReflect purchase using my affiliate link before March 15, I will donate my commission to the American Cancer Society.

(Oh and that Moving Comfort ad? Also an affiliate link. But I only run in Moving Comfort bras. They are amazing. I wear a 34D. I need the support.)

Blogger Filler Content: Pictures of Food (and a Brief Detour to Religion)

2012-02-22T10:32:00.000-06:00

Did you enjoy Fat Tuesday? I sure did.

Paczkis eaten: 1.5 (I had half of each flavor - chocolate, custard and strawberry/buttercream)
Miles swam last night: 1 (32 laps)

Now that it's Lent, I'm trying to decide what I'm going to give up. I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore, but I like using Lent as a time for sacrifice and reflection. I'll probably do the standard "no sweets and junk food" which is a huge sacrifice for me, especially since I bought a big bag of sour grapefruit slices the other day.

I debated giving up signing up for races but I don't want to set myself up for failure. That would be a much harder sacrifice. Although I'm already signed up for three races during Lent, and any other races I'm considering are after Lent. So if they don't sell out by Easter, I can still sign up. If they do, well, it's not like there aren't other races. So this would just prevent me from signing up for spontaneous races during a time when I really shouldn't be doing additional races.

This is why Catholicism cracks me up. We rationalize our way out of or around what we're supposed to stand for. Is it really a sacrifice, or is it just an excuse to be healthier and save money? Things I should be doing anyway.

My "religion" of choice (Just Be Good For Goodness Sake) is much less complicated. Although I saw this on Pinterest, and I love it as well:

Source

Moving on ... this post was supposed to be superficial and primarily about food, as a means to poke fun at the bloggers who only post pictures of their food yet have hundreds of followers ... I fail at even that.

There is a Chipotle across the street from my office. This is dangerous. I am trying really hard to not go there everyday for lunch.

Hey! A picture of my food! And it resembles a salad! I must be a healthy living blogger! Now let me go into great detail about it:

Normally I get a Burrito Bowl from Chipotle with the following: a little bit of brown rice, black beans, veggies (peppers/onions), chicken, three salsas (tomato, corn and medium), cheese and lettuce. The other day I decided to be "adventurous" and try something other than chicken, so I got the barbacoa.

Just writing that out ... now I know what I'm having for lunch ... again ... I'll try the carnitas and maybe report back to you if I'm still tapped out on blog content.

Did you enter my Favorite Things raffle yet? No pressure.

Favorite Things Raffle for the American Cancer Society - Updated

2012-02-21T20:19:00.000-06:00

Let me just say, I am jealous of whoever ends up winning my Favorite Things Raffle for the American Cancer Society!

I received the raffle items that were being shipped to me. Check out this loot!! This is just some of the stuff the winner will get:

Two boxes of Honey Stinger Waffles - 16 each of Vanilla and Honey Flavors!
Two sticks of Body Glide for Her
Two sticks of Warm FX
Two Bondi Bands - dark green and royal blue

That is in addition to the stuff that will be mailed directly to the winner:
Two Sparkly Soul headbands (1 thin, 1 wide - your choice of color)
Eight packs of Clif Shot Bloks
One Custom Race Shirt Quilt

I did that math, that's about $150 worth of stuff, not counting the custom quilt (I'll handle the shipping costs). More info about all the stuff you could win is in this post.

So how can you win all this stuff?

Required: Donate at least $5 to the American Cancer Society via my fundraising page.
Every $5 you donate = 1 entry. So $10 = 2 entries, $15 = 3 entries, etc.
After you donate, you can get bonus entries for helping promote this raffle - tweet it, Facebook it, blog it, post a link to DailyMile, etc. Leave a comment letting me know what you did and I'll give one extra entry for each. But that is in addition to making a minimum $5 donation.

I will pick a winner on the morning of Monday, February 27! Thanks for stopping by!!

Oscar Predictions 2012

2012-02-19T18:48:00.002-06:00

Sometimes her party includes
dressing in "red carpet attire"
(old bridesmaids dresses) or
costumes. Last year, she was
the Black Swan and my niece
was the White Swan.

For a few years now, my now-sister-law Melissa has hosted an Oscars Party. She started hosting them before she married my brother ... so it's been at least five years. She includes some games and prizes. The biggest competition is seeing who can best predict the winners. I've won for the past two (or three?) years in a row, so the Facebook invite for this year's party is getting a little bit riddled with trash talk from family members who think they can take me down. We'll see.

For now, these are my predictions. This could change before Sunday night. Like, if Roger Ebert releases his prediction. (Edited to add: he did. I'm keeping my original picks though.) Because I'm not an expert on film or awards shows - but I do my homework.

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best Actor: George Clooney
Best Actress: Viola Davis

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer

Animated Feature Film: Rango

Cinematography: The Tree of Life

Art Direction: Hugo

Costume Design: Hugo

Documentary Feature: Pina

Documentary Short: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Film Editing: The Artist

Foreign Language Film: A Separation

Make Up: The Iron Lady

Music (Score): The Artist

Music (Song): Man or Muppet

Short (Animated): The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Short (Live): The Shore

Sound Editing: Hugo

Sound Mixing: Hugo

Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Writing (Adapted): Moneyball

Writing (Original): Midnight in Paris

Among the nominated movies, I've actually seen The Artist, Midnight in Paris, The Help, Moneyball, Bridesmaids, Beginners, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter and the first 20 minutes of Tree of Life. I liked them all except for Tree of Life. I suffered through the first 20 minutes and then couldn't take any more and I had to turn it off.

Don't forget! Every $5 you donate to the American Cancer Society = 1 entry in my "favorite things" raffle, including Sparkly Soul headbands, Bondi Bands, Clif Shot Bloks, Honey Stinger Waffles, Body Glide and a custom race t-shirt quilt. Learn more.

Progress: What a Difference a Year Makes

2012-02-18T12:58:00.000-06:00

Today I ran 10 miles with the F'N Runners. I wasn't planning on doing 10.

This morning's group. I'm on the far right. In the front in gray is Jeni, and in yellow is Don.
And a bunch of non-bloggers. At least, not that I'm aware of.

Some of us did eight miles (four out-and-back), and by the time we got back to our cars, almost everyone else had already finished or were good doing eight, but a couple were going to do another mile out-and-back for a total of 10. I was feeling good, so I figured, why not? My total time was 1:33 (I stopped my watch for a couple short breaks.) It was the first time I ran double digits in one day since my last half marathon on October 1. (I've been sticking to 7-8 miles for my long runs almost every weekend since.)

Last May, I ran the Soldier Field 10 mile race. I trained for it and busted my butt to a 1:48 finish. Today wasn't quite slow enough to be considered a truly "easy" pace (according to my heart rate) but it certainly wasn't race pace.

On Thursday night, I ran six miles with the F'N Runners. It was our first time meeting on a Thursday night. I wasn't sure what to expect.

Thursday night. A bunch of non-bloggers and Kelly is second from the right and Amanda is on the far right.
Actually Gen (in the blue) has a blog but I don't know if it's "public." She can comment with the link if it is :)

I ran with a couple friends, and our pace was 8:33. It definitely felt like a tempo for me (comfortably hard), but considering last June my 5K PR pace was 8:30, and I busted my butt for that one too (and it was the week after the Soldier Field 10 that I trained for), I was pretty proud of Thursday's run.

It's amazing what you can accomplish with some consistency.

DailyMile

I am SO EXCITED for my spring half marathons and seeing how far I've come in two years. (My first half was in May 2010 and my time was 2:48.)

And do you know how accomplished I feel to be done with 10 miles, showered, and ready for the rest of my day by 11am? (Keep in mind I drive 20 minutes each way for these group runs.) I've certainly changed in the past ~~10 years~~ year. Before hooking up with my running club, if it wasn't race day, I very rarely got up early to run. And even then "early" was 8am. Yet another mark of progress!

Also last night I did some core work (class at the gym) and then "cross training" at Room To Move, my sis-in-law's studio: Hoop Dance Party Party.

She brought her own fans

It was hard to get good pictures in low light with everyone moving. Anyway, it's part of their $5 Fridays series, the third Friday is Hoop Dance Party Party. Basically come and do your thing. Fourth Friday is a Tribal Belly Dance workshop.

Don't forget! Every $5 you donate to the American Cancer Society = 1 entry in my "favorite things" raffle, including Sparkly Soul headbands, Bondi Bands, Clif Shot Bloks, Honey Stinger Waffles, Body Glide and a custom race t-shirt quilt. Learn more.

Favorite Things Raffle for the American Cancer Society

2012-02-16T09:09:00.002-06:00

I'm super excited to announce my next raffle for the American Cancer Society! It includes some of my favorite things, donated by the following generous companies ... I encourage you to like them on Facebook and/or follow them on Twitter!

To enter the raffle: Every $5 you donate to the American Cancer Society via my fundraising page by Sunday, February 26 will equal 1 entry. See end of post for how to earn extra entries.

Sparkly Soul Headbands - the winner will receive two headbands, one thin and one wide, in their choice of colors. I honestly love these headbands. I have tried quite a few no-slip headbands, and while I like all of them so far, Sparkly Soul is my favorite. I think it's because they are made differently than other bands - they are elastic all the way around, but it's all under the velvet lining and sparkly tinsel - so there are no edges to rub your scalp. I find them not only very comfortable but they honestly do not move. Facebook | Twitter

If you just can't wait, or don't plan to donate, you can use code MagMileRunner until February 29 at sparklysoul.com for 10% off your order, and 15% of sales will be donated to my ACS fundraising.

Clif Shot Bloks - the winner will receive one each of all eight flavors. I've tried a lot of fuel, and I really love these. I don't really like gels/goo; I prefer solid stuff. I like that Clif products are organic - I hate that we work so hard to take care of our bodies, and some companies load up their sports drinks and other fuel with high-fructose corn syrup and food dyes. Plus these taste pretty good. Facebook | Twitter

Officially: CLIF SHOT® is a great-tasting sports nutrition line for performance athletes that delivers essential energy and hydration, plus fast muscle recovery using organic and nutritious ingredients. CLIF SHOT BLOKS Energy Chews provide an optimum balance of carbohydrates and electrolytes. They’re easy to chew and to use with their convenient, performance-friendly packaging. CLIF SHOT BLOKS are available in eight delicious flavors: Black Cherry, Citrus, Cran-Razz®, Margarita, Mountain Berry, Orange, Strawberry and Tropical Punch. The SRP for CLIF SHOT BLOKS is $1.99 per packet.

Bondi Bands - the winner will receive two Bondi Bonds (styles to be determined by BB, but I've requested something cute and/or shamrocked). I received my first Bondi Bands from the DailyMile Secret Santa last year. And I love them! I ended up ordering five more (I had a coupon code) and now I wear them all the time. When the weather's chilly but not cold (around 40), they are good to cover your ears without providing a lot of warmth (picture, bottom). When it's colder, I wear them under my fleece hats/headbands to avoid getting those all sweaty and gross (picture, top). Facebook | Twitter

Officially: Our products are unisex, 100% American Made and perfect to be worn on their own or under other hats, helmets and visors. Using stretchy, breathable material, allows Bondi Bands to fit virtually every head size and shape. Our fashion lycra fabric is fun and great for every day. In warm weather, our “No Slip, No Drip” moisture wicking headbands are great to wick away sweat, keep hair back and ear buds in ears and in colder weather they are also great to keep your ears warm. Bondi Band donates 10% of pretax profits to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. We also offer customized products.

Photo Source

Body Glide - the winner will receive "a couple units." (I assume this means a couple sticks of Body Glide, and they may be the girly one, since they asked if my readers were mostly mean or women. I'll find out whenever what they are sending arrives, but I didn't want to delay this raffle.) I think we all know how necessary Body Glide is. I've actually been enjoying winter and not having to worry about thigh chaffing, but shorts-weather will be back before we know it, and my consumption of Body Glide will shoot way up again. Facebook | Twitter

Honey Stinger Waffles - the winner will receive some. I'm not sure how much though. When I asked if they would donate, they said "we are in" and asked for my address. So we'll see what they send. However... I LOVE THESE. They are delicious. I kind of want to eat them everyday just as a snack. Seriously. Delicious. If you don't win this raffle, I highly recommend you try some and then report back to me how hard it is not to eat them all right away. I also like that Honey Stinger products are natural. I've also tried their chews and they are delicious as well. Facebook | Twitter

Race T-shirt Quilt - my crafty friend Allie has offered to make a shirt quilt for the winner. You will just need to ship your shirts to her (I can cover the cost of shipping), she will turn your shirts into a quilt (see example at right), and I will cover the cost to ship back to you. (Or if you are local to me, I can handle transporting the shirts/quilt.) You can use your old race shirts, or really any t-shirts. It's your quilt! If you don't have enough shirts, you can always "save" this for later, or donate it back and I can give it to another donor. Allie's Etsy Shop | Facebook

So, to summarize, in exchange for a minimum $5 donation by February 26 toward the fight against cancer, you could win all of the following:

2 Sparkly Soul headbands
8 packs of Clif Shot Bloks
2 Bondi Bands
Body Glide
Honey Stinger Waffles
Quilt made of your shirts, from races or otherwise

How can you get additional entries?

Donate more than $5. Every $5 = 1 entry, so $10 = 2 entries, $15 = 3 entries, etc.
If you donated to any of my past raffles, you automatically get one entry.
Help me promote this raffle. Post it to your blog, Facebook, Twitter, DailyMile, Pinterest, etc. Just leave a comment below with links to anywhere you promote (you can put all the links in one comment). I'll give you an extra entry for each site your promote this on.

Swim Lesson Winner / Preview of the Next Raffle

2012-02-15T09:34:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Erin, the winner of the swim lesson with Coach Judie!! Thank you all for your support of the American Cancer Society! I've already raised over $200 and still have 235 days to the marathon! (But who's counting?)

As always, everyone who has donated already (for any of the raffles) automatically gets one free entry into any future raffles I do (and you can always donate more for more entries). I've been working on getting some items donated for a "favorite things" raffle. Hopefully I'll have everything ready to go later this week or early next week ... but here is a sneak peek of one of those items (and a coupon code if you just can't wait or don't plan to donate).

Get 10% off your order at SparklySoul.com

by using the coupon code MagMileRunner.

And 15% of those sales will be donated to my ACS fundraising!!

Thanks SparklySoul!

If you feel so inclined, you can post this coupon code info on your own blog and/or your blog's Facebook page :)

I'm waiting on some stuff to arrive (and who knows maybe I can score more goodies). But hopefully by next week I will have all the details up about the next raffle!

Happy Valentines Day! Who do you love?

2012-02-14T11:52:00.004-06:00

Borrowed from a Facebook friend: "To anyone on a public self-pity 'I hate Valentine's Day' kick, if there is one person in the entire world, whether it's family or a friend, that loves you, stop complaining. You are much more fortunate than many people out there. Valentine's Day isn't just about having a significant other; it's about celebrating love in every form, so be grateful for what and who you have in your life."

Who do I love??

The Sailor

April 21, 2007

My Parents

My Brothers

My brothers' wives

My Niece

My many besties (the non-sister-in-law edition)
Clockwise from top left:
Genevieve (and me) - best friend since we were 13
Scott and Vera - besties since high school (we often come as a trio)
(and I've known Vera since kindergarten) (and she hasn't lived in Illinois for 12 years)
Paula (and me) - bestie since 1996, she's engaged to The Sailor's best friend
Jessica and Sarah - besties from college

And, yes this might be cheesy, but I love all of my running friends, online and in-person! You guys are awesome and super supportive. So thank you to Kelly W, Kelly J, Amanda C, Amanda W, Kim, Erin, Sara, Kelsey, Lindy, Amy, Dan, Meg, Ali MC, and all of my F'N Runners.

Today is the last day to enter the raffle for a swim lesson with Coach Judie! Every $5 you donate to the American Cancer Society before the end of the day = 1 entry in the raffle for a swim lesson with Judie in Lisle or Rolling Meadows! Learn more about Coach Judie: part 1 and part 2.

Me + Trail

2012-02-13T08:18:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I ran eight miles, most of which were on a local trail, and minus one lady walking her dog around mile two, I didn't see anyone else on the trail.

It was kind of nice having it all to myself. I don't listen to music when I run outside, so it was just me and my thoughts, and the sound of my feet crunching over the snow. I did stop to take some pictures; it was a beautiful day.

The ponds/creeks/standing water by the trail were all frozen.
Which made me wonder, where do the frogs, toads and turtles go during winter?

When I stopped my watch to take my lovely self-portrait, this was my time.
Totally by chance. So of course I had to take a picture of it.

My goal for this run was to stick to the pace McMillan suggested for a long run, instead of running by heart rate. Of course even though I checked before I left, I couldn't remember the range of the pace. I remember the low end was 9:13, but I didn't remember if the high end was 9:33 or 9:43 (it was actually 10:13). My overall pace was 9:30.

ALSO, I have my very first blister from my shoes. Which is confusing me. These shoes have 244 miles on them. Why are they just now giving me a blister? I wore my usual socks. The blister is on my right Achilles. The only thing I can think is that I wore my newer pair of the same shoes at the race on Saturday, with my usual socks, but I wore an additional pair of soccer socks over them. Maybe the double socks got a blister started, and it just got further aggravated on yesterday's run?

Race Report: Cupid's Chase 5K - Chicago

2012-02-11T17:19:00.000-06:00

Alternate title: What feels just as good as PRing?

So, after my last post, I changed my mind about today's race. I decided I was going to pace my best friend Genevieve. If you can believe it (because I can't), my mom, who is usually very competitive (you should see us play volleyball together, kind of scary), said I should pace Genevieve. Her exact words were something along the lines of "You know what your own PR is, have fun, run with your best friend, and help her do well." Perhaps my mom was biased; so has often commented that Genevieve is her other daughter.

Anyway, it was COLD this morning. I think it warmed up to around 12 degrees when we got to the race. Because I wasn't going to be pushing myself as hard, I bundled up. Five layers on top and four on bottom. (No, I'm not exaggerating - I think I set a PR for layering!) I meant to take off my track pants and windbreaker for the race, but once they were on, I didn't want to take them off. And I didn't want to pin my bib to my windbreaker, so I broke rule #1 of racing and wore the shirt during the race.

Amanda, Kelly, Gen, me

Bibs for the Virtual Run for Sherry
The race shirts said "unavailable" or "available."

We met up before the race with Kelly and Amanda, and ran into Nicole and Kate. I actually know Kate from my childhood - our parents were neighbors before we were born, and we would play together when our moms got together for coffee. (Kate and Nicole ended up placing #1 and #2 in our age group!)

Kate, their friend, Nicole

Earlier in the week, Gen told me she wanted to get sub-40 for her time. I paced us with my Garmin, but she decided when we would take walk breaks. I didn't tell her our pace, just that she was doing awesome, or I would encourage us to start running again. Our first mile was 12:09! So maybe I should have been a better pacer and started a little slower. The second mile wasn't quite as fast.

I made Gen take a pic of me + Chicago during the race (I'm facing the camera)

Nicole zooming past (part of the course was 2-way)

When we got close enough to the end and could see the time on the finishing clock, I think Gen got discouraged because it was over 40 minutes. I reminded her that it took us a bit to cross the start line, and it was a chip timed race.

Also, we were pretty close to the finish and there were two people in front of us and I asked if she wanted to pass them. Gen said no, but I didn't like that answer.

Sorry dude, you're about to be chicked x2

We crossed the finish line ... Garmin said 39:49!!!! I was so happy, it felt just as good as achieving my own PR!!! Gen needed a few minutes to compose herself (I told her that meant she did it right). Once it set in, she was happy about the time! She realized she took 3 minutes off her 5K PR in about 6 weeks. Not too shabby! (Our official time was 39:47.)

Post-race, Kelly, Amanda, Gen and I went to breakfast at Nookies, where I proceeded to remove a pair of pants and two tops right at our table. What can I say, I'm classy. If you're keeping track, that left me wearing three pairs of pants and three shirts.

Anyway, if you ever get a chance to pace a friend to a PR, do it!!!! It will feel awesome when you help them achieve their goal, I promise. Now I understand why my cousin Judie is a coach!

Don't forget, every $5 you donate to the American Cancer Society before Feb 14 = 1 entry in the raffle for a swim lesson with Judie in Lisle or Rolling Meadows!

Three Things Thursday / Decisions (that I solve myself)

2012-02-09T22:22:00.001-06:00

BESTIES

1. This weekend's race.

A while back, I scored a free race registration to the Cupid's Chase 5K in Chicago, which is this Saturday. My BFF Genevieve is also signed up for this race.

My decision is, do I race this 5K, or do I just "have fun" and pace Genevieve to a sub-40 minute 5K? She didn't ask me to pace her. I offered and she said I could do whatever.

I'm guessing because this race is in Chicago it's going to be a bit more competitive than the local 5K races I've been doing, so I probably don't have a shot at placing in my age group. But I am curious how well I can place (even if it's not top 3) among a more competitive bunch. And let's be honest ... I'm competitive. (Hi mom, yes, I'm turning into you more by the day.) I know I'm not going to win but that doesn't mean I don't want to do my best.

2. Get Lucky

Remember when I made my 2012 goals and said I was going to scale back to allow myself to focus on my two bigger goals (running the marathon and paying down debt)? No? That makes two of us. I've been spending most of the day talking myself out of registering for the Get Lucky 7K, a new race in Chicago on Sunday, March 18. (There's also a half marathon, or 21K or "Triple 7K.")

I'm already signed up for a 5K the week before, an 8K the week after and a half marathon the week after the 8K. If I sign up for Get Lucky, that's four weekends in a row of racing. Not the end of the world or anything (I would do the 7K ... I'm already signed up for three spring half marathons, that's enough), but memo to self: remember that part about saving your money? Is a cute hoodie really worth the $47.77 race fee? (Is that supposed to be cute? All the 7's?)

2010 Hot Chocolate 15K
Or, the day I discovered what an IT band is

So maybe I skip this one. Besides, Hot Chocolate 15K registration is opening up next week, so there goes $65 anyway. Despite the clusterf*ck of the DC Hot Chocolate race (this post sums it up pretty hilariously), I'm pretty sure I'm going to do Chicago. I like the distance, and the 2010 race was such a disappointment for me (but it did lead to my friendship with the foam roller), I kind of want to do it as a redemption. Plus everyone else is doing it. And that's always a good reason to do something.

3. Goal half marathon

Moving on, so those three spring half marathons. I'm trying to figure out which one should be my goal race: April 1: Chi-Town Half; June 2: Sunburst Half; June 9: 13.1 Chicago

I'm thinking the June 2 race should be my goal race. If I do awesome at the other two, well, awesome, but my "training" should focus on the June 2 race, right?

Although lately my training plans have been "run what I feel" - usually aiming for a few 3-6mi runs during the week, mixing in a tempo and/or intervals, with a little cross training and core/strength training when I can fit it in, and long runs on the weekends, lately between 6-8 miles. So I'll pick up the long runs in March and work my way up to 12 miles. And I don't really see myself changing my "expert training plan" for the June 2 race. (Marathon training, yes, I will follow a plan, I promise! At least for the first one.) (Did I just imply I might do more than one marathon?)

And I run everything (especially races) by heart rate, so is it really a "goal" if my plan for all three is to keep my heart rate between 160-168? I'm still new to this stuff ...

So I would close this with "what do you guys think I should do?" But I think I've figured out all three, so ... thanks for reading!

Don't forget, every $5 you donate to the American Cancer Society before Feb 14 = 1 entry in the raffle for a swim lesson with my triathlete coach cousin in Lisle or Rolling Meadows!

I'm Doing This For Me

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

Since I've started really getting into running, and thus talking more about running, one thing that's bugged me is the response from what I'll refer to as the "non-running peanut gallery."

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has encountered these folks. And I know they exist in the non-running world.

They are friends or "friends" who just don't "get" running. And they make comments about your running. Not necessarily criticisms, not quite judgement. But definitely opinions that seem to imply you, the runner, are somehow crazy or addicted. (In a bad way, not the good way that we like to think we are.) That there is something wrong with, or at the very least, questionable about what you are doing. Or, rather, how much you are doing it.

Since this is my blog, and therefore it's about me, I'm going to comment on it, and then (hopefully) I'll be over it.

So I run. A lot, by some people's standards. (But a little by others ... who cares, the only standard that matters is my own.) And I race. A lot. I do these things because I enjoy them.

I don't have kids.
I live with my parents.
I spend over 2 hours every workday commuting.

So those hours I'm not working, commuting or sleeping? I want to do something I enjoy. And I enjoy running. So that's what I'm going to do. It makes me happy. Right now running and my job are the only things making me happy.

So why would anyone question me doing something that makes me happy?

I'm an adult. I don't need the world to approve of my life. I only need to worry about making myself happy first, and then my loved ones, and then my boss/co-workers. In that order. (And then find a solution for world peace, right?) I don't need my friends to approve. But at the very least, it would be nice if, aside from my running friends, they were supportive. Or happy for me. Or at the very least, not judgmental.

I know friends tease each other, and give each other grief. That's part of "friendship," and I didn't earn the nickname Sarcastic Ass for nothing. (Although the older I get, the less proud I am of that nickname, so I am trying to tone it down.)

I won't go into detail about what I think is really behind these comments. (Insecurity.) Because that's an assumption, and maybe not a fair one, and this blog isn't about other people. (I don't mean that in a self-centered way, I mean that in the sense that with the exception of my Q&A posts, no one else gave me approval to talk about them in this space, so I try not to talk about other people in this blog, unless it's harmless and/or positive.)

At the end of the day, that is why I have this blog - it's an outlet to talk about running with people who "get" it. That's also why I love my running groups, and why I spend so much time running with them. They are supportive of my running goals, and they "get" it.

What do you think? How do you deal with the non-running peanut gallery?

Q&A with Nicole, who ran 66 races in 2011

2012-02-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

Another Q&A post! Meet one of my newest runner friends, Nicole, a local runner who races a lot, and often wins her (our) age group. Even though part of me secretly hopes she's not at the races I'm doing, she's very sweet and good motivation! Best of luck for a great 2012, Nicole!

How many races have you done?
In 2011 alone, I ran 66 races, ranging in distance from 5k to the marathon. This year, I plan to cut back, and run about 50 races. In all of my racing career, I have run approximately 200 races!

I love collecting race medals!! Here are all of my 2011 awards

When did you start running?
I started running back in 6th grade. We had to do the mile run test in gym class and that’s when I learned that I had a little bit of natural talent. I started running on the junior high track team in the 800 meters and 1600 meters. In high school, I ran track and cross country. I did not run in college, but continued to run recreationally.

What's your favorite distance to race?
Oh, I simply cannot choose just one. I love them all, but probably 5k’s and half marathons the most. 5k’s are great because of how quick they are, and its fun to run fast sometimes! Half marathons are great because the distance is far enough to be challenging, yet short enough to do them frequently.

Why do you race as often as you do?
I just love it so much!! It’s what I do for FUN!! In the past couple years of racing, I have made so many new friends, a big reason I race so much is to see all my running friends! :) All week long, I look forward to starting my weekend mornings with a race!

What is the most races you’ve done in one weekend?
On May 16, 2010, I ran a half marathon at 7am in Chicago and then drove to Crowne Point Indiana, where I ran a 5K at 2pm that same day!! I’ve also done back to back (two days in a row) half marathon’s a couple times.

How do you pick your races?
I like to run races that I know friends will be at. If a friend tells me that they will be at a race, I immediately look at my calendar to see if I can join them. Also, this year, I am trying to pick new races - ones that I have never done before. Of course there are plenty of races that I will repeat this year, but I’m hoping for about 20 new ones.

Friends!! @ the Chicago Half Marathon on 9-11-11.

Do you budget for your races? Do you ever get free or discounted entries?
No! I really don’t, but I should!! I have never not registered for a race because I couldn’t afford it. I find a way to make it work.

I did win $50 at a race in Joliet once!

Which races do you look forward to doing every year?
Oh, there are tons! But, to name a few: the Frosty 5 miler in Channahon, Tiger 5k at Chicagoland Speedway and the Chicago Marathon!!

Left to right: 2009, 2010 and 2011 5K at the Chicagoland Speedway

What was your best race experience?
I had an absolute blast at Hot Chocolate 15k and the Chicago’s Perfect 10 miler at Navy Pier. I felt like I was flying at both races. I PR’ed at both of them by about 3-4 minutes, which is so so fun!

With friends after earning my new PR (1:14:58) at Chicago’s Perfect 10 miler!!

What was your worst race experience?
Chicago Marathon 2011. The heat got to me… I was hurting. At mile 21, I wasn’t sure how I was going to complete 5 more miles. I was so thirsty and sick to my stomach - it was miserable!!

BEFORE the 2011 Chicago Marathon with my cousin

Do you have a race routine? What is it?
I drink a can of regular coca cola before every race!! I just started doing this before the Terrapin 5k in August of 2011. I hadn’t eaten much that day and knew I would need some fast sugar… and then I had a great race so I still do it! I only “warm up” with a mile run in the cold winter months.

I always have a coke in my hand in pre race pics!

How do you prevent injuries? Deal with recovery?
Knock on wood, I’ve never been truly injured! I get sore and tired, but nothing that keeps me from running. Recovery? I just listen to my body. I don’t follow a specific training schedule - I just run what and when I feel like.

Do you have goals for every race? Or just "do my best"?
Sure I have goals, but they are very different goals for each race. I’ve learned not to make goals related to my finishing times. I have never PR’ed on days that I try to. I always run fastest when I least expect to.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to race a lot?
Have fun!!! And keep a fun running scrapbook like I do :) It’s where I store my race bibs, pictures, race stats and a small story about the event. Otherwise, all of the races start to jumble together.

Nicole is running the Chicago Marathon for Team CureSearch. You can support her!

The rest of the weekend in southwest Michigan

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in my race report post that I spent the weekend in southwest Michigan visiting my college roommate Jess and her BFF Kim. It was a pretty chill "girls" weekend - Jess brought her niece, and we stayed with Kim, who has two little girls. Saturday night was girls night out with one of Jess and Kim's friends, and Kim's husband had his own "girls night" at home with the younger girls.

Jess's niece

Most of the weekend revolved around the race - as I mentioned, it was put on by Kim's family. Friday night, we made baked goods (OK, I watched) to bring to the race, Saturday morning was the race and then the afternoon was spent at Kim's parents' house as they finalized post-race details - posting race results online, reconciling the money, etc. (And hanging out - Kim's family is really nice!)

Kim and her giant dog

Saturday night we went out in Kalamazoo, which is a cute town. We started at the Wine Loft and then Casa Bolero. (My not-a-foodie review of both: Good. Recommended.) Dinner ended around 9:45pm and we all admitted that we just wanted to go home and go to bed. We reminisced on how much of a change that was from our college days. (How many years post-college can we get away that? We graduated almost eight years ago.) But I pointed out that back then we slept until noon and then didn't get going on our night until 9 or 10pm. Whereas on Saturday we were out the door by 7:30am for the race and had a pretty busy, but fun, day, regardless of our bedtime.

So we went to bed early and "slept in" until almost 8am on Sunday before Jess and I got moving to head home (in opposite directions - she lives in Detroit). On the way home, I made a slight detour to Warren Dunes for a peek at Lake Michigan.

Frosty beach

More frost (in the shade)

Lake Michigan

Then I remembered that it's February and it gets a little chilly standing right next to a great lake and continued home. And another trip to Michigan is over. I love that state!

But it is nice to be home

Meanwhile, in honor of super expensive Super Bowl commercials, I cracked open a super fancy beer. My not-a-beer-runner-blog review: It was good. (For actual an beer runner blog, and some sweet MS Paint pictures, check out Eat Drink Run.)

Race Report: Frost Bite 5K

2012-02-05T14:20:00.002-06:00

Jess and Kim

This past weekend, I headed out to southwest Michigan to spend time with one of my college roommates, Jess, and also run a race put on by her friend Kim's family, the Frost Bite 5K in Vicksburg, MI.

It really was a family affair! I think I met all of Kim's immediate family plus some extended family. The race was smallish (231 finishers) and to allow the most money possible to go to the local food bank, there was no chip timing or online registration. But everything went off seamlessly.

The race was also pretty cheap. Registration was $10, $15 if you wanted a shirt or hat, and $25 if you wanted both. And there were tons of delicious homemade baked goods post-race, all prepared by Kim and her family.

The race itself was a flat out-and-back on a local paved trail. I knew that it would be a little narrow, so I lined up near the front. We took off, and it wasn't too bad. We quickly spaced out. The first mile was good, I did it in 7:30. Shortly after the first mile marker, I got passed by a guy pushing a double-wide jogging stroller.

I don't know if I was distracted by him in front of me, or near and after the turn-around I was distracted by people running in the opposite direction, but I kind of zoned out and slowed down. I should have pushed myself harder - my heart rate was around 176-177 for that mile, and I really should have been at 179. When mile 2 beeped at 7:58, I picked up the pace and pushed my heart rate to 180-182.

Post-race: Jess, her niece, me

Mile 3 was 7:17, which is my fastest mile ever during a race, but I probably would not have been able to hit that pace had mile two not been so slow. I also spent most of the end of the race neck-and-neck with another woman, and I think that also helped me get such a fast mile 3.

Either way, my official time was 23:25, which is a four-second PR for me! So I'm pretty happy that I pulled that off, even with "falling asleep" in the middle. After I finished, I walked back on the course and found Jess, and finished the last half mile with her.

Officially:
Time: 23:25, 7:34 pace
Overall: 35 / 231
F26+: 6 / 114
Females: 8 / 137

Don't forget! I'm raffling off a half-hour swim lesson session in Lisle or Rolling Meadows with my cousin Judie. Every $5 you donate to the American Cancer Society before February 14 = 1 entry.

Q&A with a Triathlon Coach, Part 2

2012-02-02T21:01:00.001-06:00

Read part 1.

Experience Triathlon has agreed to donate one half-hour swim lesson session with Judie to my American Cancer Society raffle! The lesson can be held in Lisle or Rolling Meadows. Every $5 donation made before February 14 = 1 entry into the raffle.

How was the transition from just one sport to three andthen doing them all at once in a tri?

I learned how to swim in grad school, started cycling in mylate 20’s, and rediscovered running in my early 30’s. It wasn’t so much goingfrom one sport into three as it was just combining things I already knew how todo and then making a race out of it.

It is surprising, though, how much more challenging it is todo all three sports back to back in a race. It’s not so bad (well, inperspective) swimming a mile, riding your bike 25 miles, and running a 10k, butwhen you have to do them all together with no resting it’s more challengingthan a lot of people give it credit for!

I discovered, as I went through this process of becoming amultisport athlete, that I love to swim. I didn’t grow up swimming, it wassomething I learned as an adult. I’m very detail-oriented and swimming is atechnique-intensive sport, so it is actually a really good fit for me!

I also discovered after a couple of seasons doing triathlonthat there is a lot of joy in the simplicity of running. One sport takes on adifferent perspective when you spend a lot of time training for three. Justputting on a pair of running shoes and walking out the front door can be a nicechange of pace from the sports that require travel time or equipment. There isa lot of challenge in doing 9-12 workouts a week in three sports and also a lotof variety so you definitely don’t get bored, but going back to my roots iscomforting (and therapeutic) at the end of the season.

From a fitness perspective, I think triathlon produces amore well-rounded athlete if only because it is multidimensional. We dostrength training, which is not always beneficial to running but is a greatasset to swimming and cycling. Cycling is highly aerobic (and anaerobic) likerunning, but without the wear and tear on the body, so it’s easier to recoverfrom, but one of the best recovery activities can be swimming. Don’t get mewrong, swimming is still hard, but you can squeeze in swimming when your legsare really fatigued or if you have an injury.

What advice do you have for a runner who wants totransition into triathlons?

If you’re a competent runner, you may find yourself doingless running so that you can become more proficient at the other sports. It’sreally gratifying to do the sport that you’re good at, but you are not going todo as well in triathlon without some level of proficiency in all three sports.Twenty years ago you could get away with being really good at just one sport,but not anymore!

A lot of runners (and cyclists) need help with theswim--it’s very common, so don’t feel bad about needing to look for a swimminglesson or two or a masters group to join. “Masters” doesn’t mean people who aregood swimmers necessarily, it’s just a term that refers to people who are over21-ish, so don’t let that scare you!

The other thing I hear a lot of is “the bike seat hurtsme.” There are a couple ofsolutions to this:

Stay on the seat more. Your sit bones will eventually become accustomed to being on a bike seatand stop hurting. Dad'srecommendation when I started was to spend even just 10-15 minutes on the seatevery day, and that seemed to work.
If the sit bones aren't your problem, there are a lot ofsaddles on the market that solve....soft tissue problems. There are noseless saddles marketed tomen, and saddles with cutouts in the middle marketed to everybody who has softtissue pain. Keep trying outsaddles until you find one that's comfortable.

What's the biggest mistake or misconception abouttriathlons?

What a lot of people don’t realize going into triathlon isthat it can be an expensive sport, but it doesn't have to be at first. To do anindoor tri, you don’t need anything fancy that you don’t already have(swimsuit, running clothes). To do a sprint tri, you should have a decent bike.Once you get upwards of the sprint, a lot of people will buy a wetsuit for thelonger swims and potentially cold open water, and people start really thinkingabout a better bike. To do an Ironman race, the entry fee is significant($500+), and then coaching is almost (read: ought to be) mandatory. So if youwant to do triathlon but not spend a bunch of money, start with the indoor andsprint tri’s. Those are very approachable to all kinds of people and don'trequire a ton of training to complete.

Women’s tris are all the rage now, there seem to be morepopping up every year. Women’s tris can be more approachable for some womenthan co-ed tris, some of them have “swim angels” to help nervous swimmers andother things meant to

help get women into the sport. Don’t be fooled, though,women’s tris can be just as competitive as the co-ed ones! There are some FASTladies out there.

I think a lot of people have the perception that in order tobe fast, they have to spend a lot of money on a bike, and have fancy this andthat. While you do need to have a decent bike, it’s moreso about the engine.You can spend that money on coaching, classes, swimming lessons, etc. and getso much more bang for your hard-earned buck when you’re starting out thanyou’ll get from $3,000 race wheels and shaving grams off of your pedals.

How do you train for a tri? How does it compare totraining for a marathon?

In general, triathlon training is what it would sound like –swim, bike, and run. Strength training should also be a part of anyone’straining program. Sprint tri’s would obviously be the least time commitment andIronman-distace events would be the most, but as to how much time anyone spendstraining depends a lot on their personal schedule and what their life outsideof training requires.

Training for a marathon and training for anOlympic/International distance triathlon take up the same number of hours forme, but how I proportion the hours is different. With marathon training, I havemore hours running, for the tri I’ll spend more hours cycling, but my swimminghours are pretty constant all year (2-3 a week). Based on my work schedule(which is irregular and sometimes crazy), I train 8-12 hours a week dependingon where my races are situated in the calendar, usually 6-7 days a week. For anOlympic tri this is probably okay, but for longer distances more would bebetter. I have done a half-Ironman distance race on about 10 hours a week,which is not optimal (12-14 would be better.

What are your pre-race rituals?

The night before races, I have started going to a fast-foodMexican joint where I can get burrito stuff in a bowl. For me rice is greatfuel. When a local pizza place had whole-wheat crust that worked pretty welltoo. The morning of the race, I’m up at least an hour before we have to leave.I’ll have a banana and make some coffee - a little nutrition, a littlecaffeine, everybody’s happy.

I like to be on race site an hour before a running race oras soon as transition opens for a triathlon. Transition areas can sometimes bea free-for-all and getting a good spot in a poorly laid-out transition area canshave minutes off a race time. After that, it’s just time management until racestart. Portajohn, set up transition, portajohn, warmup, portajohn … you get theidea!

What's the craziest thing that ever happened to youduring a race?

I haven’t had too much happen that I would classify ascrazy, but I do recall the Schaumburg Triathlon in 2008 or 2009. About 15minutes before the start, we noticed that my husband’s bike had a flat tire. Idiscovered that, with an anxious man standing over me, I can change a flat inabout 6 ½ minutes. Those flat clinics Dad gave me in the garage turned out topay off big!

What's the most bizarre thing about triathlons that theaverage person doesn't know?

My preference, when buying wetsuits or tri bike seats, is tobuy new. I will leave you to draw your own conclusion from the following:Getting into a wetsuit is a process, like putting a snowsuit on a kid. Standingon the beach with pre-race anxiety, a lot of folks look around for theportajohns that aren’t there. Hmm. Wetsuit. Water. I’m going to go stand in thewater for a minute, I’ll be right back. No thank you! I'll buy new.

On the bike seat part, there is an old saying that you can’tcall yourself a triathlete unless you can pee on your bike. There are peoplewho can do it. The no-draft rules are there for your protection and to ensure afair race (kidding about the protection, true about no drafting and fairracing).

Experience Triathlon has agreed to donate one half-hour swim lesson session with Judie to my American Cancer Society raffle! The lesson can be held in Lisle or Rolling Meadows. Every $5 donation made before February 14 = 1 entry into the raffle.

Online Donation for Share Your Soles Founder

2012-02-02T18:35:00.000-06:00

Follow up to this post. You can make an online donation to help Mona Purdy.

If you go into most running stores in the area, you are likely to see Mona's signs for "Share Your Soles," the charity Purdy started 13 years ago to provide shoes to people all over the world who need them.

Purdy returned from Mexico where she delivered over 3000 pairs of shoes to the less fortunate to find that her apartment was completely destroyed by an electrical fire. Everything gone.

It's time to give back to the lady who has given so much to Chicago and the world, and has never asked for anything for herself in return.

Good News / Bad News

2012-02-01T12:28:00.001-06:00

My dad shared this story with me [excerpts below, click link for the full story]

Share Your Soles founder loses ‘everything’ in Worth blaze

The woman who has delivered 1.5 million pairs of shoes to needy people in distressed areas around the world found herself without so much as a pair of slippers Monday night after a fire destroyed her Worth apartment.

“I’m usually the one helping people in situations like this,” she said. “Now I know what that feels like.”

Since 1999, the mother of three has been collecting and distributing new and gently used shoes to needy people around the world. She recently returned from Mexico and had plans to accompany deliveries to Haiti and Uganda in the coming months.

Purdy also is a runner who ran in her first Bank of America Chicago Marathon last fall to raise money for her Alsip-based charity, Share Your Soles. She already is registering runners to participate in this year’s race on behalf of the nonprofit.

Purdy said she did not lose any of the records associated with Share Your Soles, but she lost nearly all of her personal belongings, including her wallet, clothes, furniture and the newly written book she was editing on her laptop.

She also lost two pairs of newly purchased running shoes.

“I was telling friends that I have looked into the faces of people who have nothing; I know that look,” she said. “And now I am one of those people.”

Want to help? Checks can be made out to Mona Purdy and sent to Share Your Soles, 5623 W. 115th St., Alsip, IL 60803. For more information, call (708) 448-4469.

I will post information if I hear of any other ways to help.

Now the good news - The Sailor and I are registered for the 2012 Chicago Marathon!

Q&A with a Triathlon Coach, Part 1

2012-01-31T20:41:00.000-06:00

I may have mentioned before that my cousin Judie (our dads are brothers) is a triathlon coach. (And an engineer - I come from a very smart/talented/motivated family!) She was kind enough to do a Q&A with me over email – here is part one: getting to know Judie. Stay tuned for part two, which gets into more details about training and doing triathlons, and how they differ from running-only events.

Experience Triathlon has agreed to donate one half-hour swim lesson session with Judie to my American Cancer Society raffle! The lesson can be held in Lisle or Rolling Meadows. Every $5 donation made before February 14 = 1 entry into the raffle.

Why did you start running competitively? Was it something you picked up together with your husband?

Eric and I fell into training for our first marathon sort of by accident. I had been cycling since 2002, just recreationally. The spin instructors at the gym had a party at a local place, and Eric went with me. At the party we bumped into a friend of his from high school who happened to be teaching classes at the gym. It turned out that he was a marathon runner and ran with a group of crazy friends. So we jumped into the group of crazy friends, did a lot of running, did a lot of post-run celebrating, and caught the bug. They were all training for Chicago and New York, and since we were running with them, we signed up for Chicago as a lark. I hadn’t run competitively since junior high track, and Eric had been playing intramural football and basketball after high school into his working years, but we’d never considered running competitively and certainly not together!

What has been your experience running/racing with your husband?

Racing with my husband is something of a mixed bag. When we’re both training, it’s good because we tend to eat well and hit our workouts. It’s great to have a partner who is on the same page as far as our lifestyle stuff goes. When we’re racing the same race, though, it can be a little chaotic trying to get all of our stuff in the car the night before and get out the door in the morning. As far as pre-race anxiety ... that’s just better when one of us is racing and not both! It can be a really quiet car ride, which is just easier than fighting about what to put on the radio when we’re both really edgy.

With multisport it’s never an issue of us racing together, since he doesn’t swim, and with running races I know he’s always going to beat me, so no issues of racing together there either! The last several seasons, he has been racing cyclocross, which has a season that starts in September and goes into January. Tri season is over in early fall and road races pretty much wind up in November, so our seasons aren’t overlapping too much. It does get tough when I’m training and racing and he’s in something of an off season, it gets really hard to keep getting up early and keep avoiding the stuff I really shouldn’t be eating!

What are your long-term goals? Personally and as a coach?

This is a tough question. We’re all supposed to have long-term goals, bucket lists, big dreams … and I’m coming from a pretty simple place. I love to coach people. I love being an athlete. As long as I can do both of those things, I’m a pretty lucky girl. And if we’re ever ready to settle down and have a family, hopefully we can work in my current loves with the new ones.

My current career in bridge engineering notwithstanding, I would like to coach a handful or two of athletes, depending on what time I have available. I’d like to see them grow as athletes and achieve things they never thought possible – the best reward I could ask for! I’d like to keep learning, which is easy in this business as technology and training science keep evolving, and I would love to eventually be one of those coaches that is known for producing high-quality stuff.

As an athlete, the Boston Marathon is definitely one of my pursuits. I enjoy marathons for the sense of achievement and I do believe that there’s more out there I can achieve. I do want to do more half-Ironman distance races; those are hard but still manageable with a full-time job and a husband. And I do want to continue to get faster at the shorter distance races – a lot of people look toward going longer and longer, but there’s no shame in wanting to be good at what you do.

How often do you race (running-only and triathlons)?

During tri season, I typically will do one tri a month, when it’s running-race season I might do a couple in a month but it’s hard to do quality training when you’re racing every weekend. I will only have a couple of key races a year so I can focus on doing those well.

What's the best race (running-only or tri) you've ever done? Which races are on your bucket list?

I only have a couple of bucket list races right now, but they’re big. One of them is the Boston Marathon. It seems to be the one that keeps getting away, but one day I’ll get there even if I’m an old lady. I would also like to qualify for USAT Age Group Nationals, which is an International distance event held yearly and features the best non-professional triathletes in the US.

My favorite marathon: Green Bay, WI. It’s well-organized, the course is good (flat!!), and I PR’ed there. Beer and brats after a marathon is a good suggestion for other race directors, I have yet to find a better marathon post-race, though Quad Cities definitely is a runner up for that one.

My favorite triathlon course: Pleasant Prairie, WI. The water in Lake Andrea is great, the bike course isn’t too bad, mostly fast, and the run lets you see the finish from a long way off, also any thunderstorms that are going to blast you as soon as you cross the line (2010).

If you need help with your swimming, Judie coaches ET Masters Swim in Rolling Meadows. The next 10 week session will start April 5. Stay tuned to ExperienceTriathlon.com for more details.

Stay tuned for part two of the Q&A with more questions about training for a competing in triathlons!

I Run Because I Can / Museum of Science and Industry

2012-01-29T16:38:00.000-06:00

While I was out for my run today, I ran past a man walking his dog. He started talking to me as I approached, so I stopped. He said he used to run - six miles a day, six days a week - until he started having strokes. I commented that at least he's still getting out to walk his dog (3 times a day for 20 minutes, he told me), and that's something.

It reminded me that one of the reasons many of us (including me) run is because we can. And we'll keep running, until like the man I met today, we are forced to stop. A few years ago, when I lived in a different town, my typical post-work running route would take me past a house where I would often see a man in a wheelchair in the driveway, watching his kids play. It was a frequent reminder that I am so lucky to have my health, I never want to take that for granted.

Now for something completely different ... yesterday I went to the Museum of Science and Industry for the first time in years. The Sailor and I went with a few friends, one of whom brought his son. It was fun to check out the new exhibits, as well as ones that have been there for a long time.

I'm happy to report that the baby chicks are still there.

Steam locomotive

Petroleum Planet exhibit

This was also part of the petroleum exhibit

The new Science Storms exhibit

Tornado

So if you ever get caught near a tornado, just run in laps around it?

Transportation Gallery

When I grow up ...

They've had the U-505 sub for years, but recently opened a new exhibit for it.

What's your favorite museum? I love the Museum of Science & Industry, since I love math and am fascinated by all of the applications for it. The Art Institute of Chicago my other favorite. My parents used to take me there a lot (for many of the special exhibits) but I don't go as much anymore.

Answers to my 11 Questions

2012-01-28T10:30:00.000-06:00

I really wanted to answer my own questions, so ... here are 11 more questions & answers!

Why do you run? Because I can! I have two healthy legs and two healthy lungs, I want to find out what I can do with them! Also, because I enjoy it, and it helps me to de-stress, clear my mind and stay healthy (physically and mentally).

What other athletic things do you enjoy? Soccer, swimming, spin class, Pilates

Where did you grow up? Chicago south suburbs

Why do you currently live where you do? I live with my parents so I'm in the same exact place where I grew up, which is kind of nice. Not my first choice, but we're living here to pay off debt, so it's the smartest choice.

All of those commercials about Michigan are true

Where is your favorite place in the world? The "west coast" of Michigan (Lake Michigan side). My parents took us there every summer growing up, and I've returned a few times as an adult with my brother and some of our friends. It's so peaceful, and best of all CHEAP!

Do you know how to do something that not everyone can do? I can play the flute and the piano. I also know my way around Excel better than the average PR/marketing person. I'm pretty good at math. I can drive stick shift.

What foods do you hate? Black olives. Canned clam chowder soup.

What kind of car do you drive, and why did you buy it? 2003 Toyota Echo. It's small, red, reliable and fuel-efficient. My previous car was a 1992 Toyota Tercel. What can I say, I love little red Toyotas.

Have you ever quit anything? Why? I quit the volleyball team my junior year of high school. My heart wasn't in it anymore.

Me + my college bestie

What was your major? If you could go back in time, would you pick something else? I majored in Communication. Originally I was going to major in Computer Science but about halfway through my first semester, and my first programming class, I changed my mind. Sometimes I think I should have majored in math or engineering. I am honestly fascinated by math. But I'm really excited about the direction my career is taking, so I'm going to stick with what I'm doing.

Where did you go to college? Why? I went to Loyola University Chicago. I actually didn't even consider it at first. My dad went there and was in the seminary, so I assumed it was a super-religious school and wouldn't be a good fit for me. Then I realized it was actually a great school academically with a BEAUTIFUL campus. We did have to take theology courses, but they offered all different types. I took a Buddhism course. Almost every class included some aspect of teaching social justice. I loved it. I'd love to go there for graduate school.

MagMileRunner.com and cake

2012-01-27T17:56:00.003-06:00

I did it! I bought a domain for this blog. It is now MagMileRunner.com, or at least, it will be once Google Apps processes it or whatever. The old address (http://runforpi.blogspot.com) should redirect once the domain is live.

In the meantime, continuing my series of change, today was my last day in the office I have worked in for 5 years, 4 months and 16 days. I'm still working for the same company, just in a different department. But there was cake today! (For me. In case that wasn't clear.)

There were other people in the room, I wasn't hanging out in the board room eating cake all by myself, promise. Also, my knife-wielding skills have improved. I'm not kidding, I once sliced my finger cutting a bagel.

Starting Monday I will have the joy of a 47-mile commute. Each way. Bring on the audiobooks and podcasts!

This is an office. In case you've never seen one.

11, er, 22 Questions

2012-01-26T22:16:00.000-06:00

Post RnR Chicago 2011

Amanda - TooTallFritz.com and Jeni - A Sparkalish Roar tagged me. Here are my answers to their 11 questions (Amanda's first, then Jeni's).

1. Favorite race and why? So far, the 2011 Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon. I ran it with my cousin, so it was fun to do a race together. The wave start went fast; not a lot of waiting around. We kept an easy pace, and it was an enjoyable 13.1 miles. The weather was perfect - overcast, 60s, with some rain. (Definitely not typical for Chicago in August.) The course is awesome (through downtown Chicago and the near west and near south sides). I'm signed up to do it again in 2012.

2. Were you a Princess or TomBoy? Generally I was more "girlie" than tomboyish. I played with dolls, but I would go fishing. I wore dresses and skirts, but also went through a grunge phase and dressed like a boy (I have older brothers and no sisters, so I copied their "style"). (I could go into a big feminist rant about socialized gender roles ... but this isn't that type of blog.)

3. Who or what inspires you, and why? I know I've said this before on here, but the reason BFF Ultra Vera runs ultras is because she wants to see what her body is capable of. Now she's inspired me to find out what my body is capable of!

4. Do you have more “online” friends or real life friends? Real life friends. But does it count if I now only interact with some of them online?

Was I the only girl who didn't
wear pastel to senior prom?

5. 20 Year Class Reunion ... are you going? I think Facebook killed my high school reunion. My 10-year reunion was planned (for 2010) but ultimately canceled. I still keep in touch with my closest friends from high school anyway.

6. Do you prefer flowers/candy, or save the money? Honestly I love getting flowers. Sure they are expensive and die, but once in awhile it is nice to get something pretty just because.

7. If you were rich and famous and had the guts to name your kid something outlandish, what would that be? First and Middle name, please! I have a feeling our kids might end up with names that others will find outlandish, regardless of our lack of celebrity status. I love the name Shoshannah. My husband likes Heinrich (I would call him Henry), Vladimir and Gerhardt. Middle names will probably come from our family trees. Maybe I'll go crazy and use my paternal Grandmother's maiden name, Poehling (pronounced pay-ling) as a middle name for a daughter. Or my maiden name (Schwartz) for a middle name for a son.

8. You’re in a marathon, on world record pace, and you have to “go.” Do you stop for a port-o-pot, and possibly miss the world record, or do you go in the street for the world to see? I would follow Paula Radcliffe's lead and go in the street. It's a world record. The running community will understand.

9. Why do you run? I honestly enjoy it. Even in the cold. It clears my mind. Also I love the way it makes me feel. It didn't happen overnight, but I feel better than ever. I don't need naps anymore. I drink less coffee. Also, I'm not gonna lie, my body looks better than it ever has in my adult (18 and over) life, and I love that.

I like group runs the most when they are
followed by coffee and a cookie exchange

10. Favorite type of run: Group, Solo, Tempo, Long Run, Speed Work? Group runs are fun! Tempo runs and speed work make me feel fast! Long runs make me feel accomplished! Don't make me pick one!

11. Most adventurous “out of character” thing you’ve ever done? My parents read this, and possibly some of my co-workers as well. Some things I'm keeping to myself.

1. What's your sign and do you think you are a typical ___? I'm a Leo. They are known for enjoying the limelight. If I was born one day later, I would be a Virgo. They are known for being organized and analytical. That sounds more accurate.

2. What is your go-to meal for energy? Seltzer water + Simply Grapefruit juice. Not a meal but it perks me up.

3. What is your top ten bucket list? Run a marathon, skydive, get a tattoo, buy a place to live in, adopt a dog, see the Northern Lights, visit Germany, Spain, Greece, Japan.

4. One thing you do every day without fail? I'm trying to think of something not boring. I've failed.

5. Favorite font? Ha! This cracks me up. I have many. I have a ton of fonts on my computer at home. I like Loved by the King.

6. How many Facebook Friends do you get before you "clean house"? I have a couple lists to "filter" my newsfeed. Plus I try not to accept a friend request from people I either don't know or don't care to keep up with.

But not this much make-up. Usually.

7. Do you text or call? Text. I'm a millennial.

8. One thing you do to make yourself look better on those days you're just not up for looking better? Actually wear make-up (more than just mascara).

9. What kind of vehicle would you drive, if you could drive anything? A chauffeured car.

10. Do you have a nickname? My name is a nickname. People assume it's short for Margaret, but it's not. Some friends occasionally call me Mag, Mags, Magoo. Not really anymore though. My sister-in-law sometimes calls me "Sarcastic Ass." I have no idea why ...

11. This year I want to accomplish ______? Finishing the Chicago Marathon

12. *Sparkalish*BONUS question: ______ is my hero because: Ani Difranco, because instead of giving into the wishes of a big record label (and making big money), she started her own label and did her music, her way.

My 11 Questions:

Why do you run?
What other athletic things do you enjoy?
Where did you grow up?
Why do you currently live where you do?
Where is your favorite place in the world?
Do you know how to do something that not everyone can do?
What foods do you hate?
What kind of car do you drive, and why did you buy it?
Have you ever quit anything? Why?
What was your major? If you could go back in time, would you pick something else? (If you didn't go to college, what would you major in if you did?)
Where did you go to college? Why? (And if you didn't go, why?)

Tagged (I tried to tag people who haven't already done one of these):
Sara / Gingerfoxxx
Genevieve / Everybody's Doing It, I Think
Courtney / Run, Courtney, Run
Erin / Eri-thon
Lindy / Losing Lindy
Megan / Watch MeGo Run
Kiah / Good For Me Girl
Kelsy / Ready Set Feast!

Communication Changes (Possibly Part 1 in a Series of Infinite Posts)

2012-01-25T18:00:00.000-06:00

Can't I just work from home? I already have an assistant.

I mentioned in a previous post that there are some changes looming in my life. I'm still not really going to go into much detail, but they are (good) changes at work. But of course, whenever things are changing, you have the chance to pause and reflect on ... well, everything. So my posts for the next few days (or however long) might be along these lines ...

For example, why do we hold onto stuff? (I've actually written about this before.) I can tell you this about the changes: my job is narrowing to a focus on the online world. Where everything is electronic. This job will also require moving offices, meaning I'm in the process of cleaning out my current office. I've been here five years. When I started, I printed and filed almost everything. Over the years, I stopped doing that, realizing we have electronic files of everything and someone else is filing the important stuff (invoices, etc). So luckily the cleaning-out process hasn't been too bad.

But, as a professional online communicator (and I don't just mean this blog), it makes me think about how we communicate, with each other and ... I guess with future generations. When was the last time you got photo prints? Other than your holiday card? One of my running friends recently posted pictures to Facebook of her 2011 Running Scrapbook (which was fabulous by the way). I thought to myself "wow, that's really cool!"

But then I realized I already have a running scrapbook - my blog. And Flickr. My world is online. I send a video holiday card. I don't buy CDs (I don't even know where my CD collection is), I download songs to my smartphone or listen to Pandora. We don't buy DVDs - it's all Netflix now. Heck, I hardly read books anymore. The only time I "read" is when I'm listening to audio books (via smartphone app) in the car during my commute.

I should be happy; this means job security for me. However, it means the exact opposite for my dad, a veteran newspaper copy editor. Luckily he is close to retirement. (And yes, Dad, I agree, there still is a place for copy editors in this world, I would just argue that as budgets are slashed, most companies can't afford a dedicated copy editor.)

Sidenote: I think I'm finally ready to buy a domain and change the name of this blog. I figure enough is changing in my life, may as well change the name of my blog since I feel like "Run For Pi(e)" isn't a good fit for me anymore. When I first mentioned that on here, Amanda suggested "Mag Mile Runner," which references my name, Chicago, and of course running. I renamed the blog to that but have yet to change the URL. I want to sit on it for a little bit. So I'm a little indecisive. Forgive me.

Shifting Priorities and Visiting my Alma Mater

2012-01-22T18:48:00.002-06:00

For the past few months, I've been trying to run 20 miles per week to keep a base (and a routine) until it's time to start training for my next half marathon (which will likely be on June 2). I needed to run 9 miles today to hit my weekly goal.

Even before I set a foot out the door, I was asking myself if I really thought I'd make it 9 miles. Not because of the distance, but because of the conditions.The streets are plowed from Friday's snow storm, but of course the sidewalks aren't. I was able to figure out a 1.4 mile loop through the side streets, but some parts were still a little snow-covered or windy, with some blowing snow.

Pretty quickly I realized the more important goals for my run were 1) don't faceplant and 2) don't get hit by a car. Also, I had lunch plans. So hitting my mileage goal was moved down on my list of priorities. After about 3.5 miles, I thought about bailing and heading home, but I still had time, so I talked myself into a few more laps around my loop. I ended up doing 7 miles, and all things considered, I'm pretty proud of that.

My lunch plans were with a college friend who recently moved back to Chicago for graduate school at our alma mater, Loyola University Chicago. She's actually living in the building I lived in my junior year. I forgot how pretty this building is! This is the lobby.

The real appeal of this building are the lake views. I didn't take any pictures of the views, but the building is about 50 feet from Lake Michigan, and she lives on the 10th floor, on the lake side. Stunning view of the lake from every room. (Just like the apartment I was in back in 2002-2003 ... I miss that apartment!)

Like any good alumni, we had to walk around and marvel at everything that's changed, but also comment on everything that is still the same.

This attractive building is replacing an ugly one they tore down

This building used to be a lake-front lawn where we would "study" during nice weather

You can't come to Loyola's Lake Shore Campus and not take pictures of the lake ... I mean, that's why we all went there in the first place, right?

Our freshman dorm (where we met) is now faculty offices. That's kind of sad. And it was locked, so no exploring.

And in case you're interested, we went to lunch at Taste of Peru. My not-a-foodie review: It was very good. Apparently Guy Fieri likes it too, which I did not know beforehand. Check it out if you're ever in Rogers Park.

Remember when it was in the 50s in January and we were all so excited?

2012-01-20T19:32:00.002-06:00

Those days are over. At least my view at work is better. The empty lot across the street (that was supposed to be some kind of water park / baseball fields / hotel complex, before the recession hit) is much prettier covered in snow.

According to Facebook, everyone's commute home was like this tonight (this picture was taken at a red light). Actually this was the better part of my commute. I went down some streets that were worse. And the side streets I take to get to where I park at home weren't plowed at all and it kind of felt like I was steering a boat! Too bad I wasn't actually steering a boat. That would mean I'm on vacation somewhere warm and relaxing.

75 minutes later (to go 12 miles), I was home safely.

It sure is pretty though, isn't it? Once you are home and in sweatpants, it is.

I'll pretend that because of the snow we are staying in, but really, this would be our Friday night regardless. Side-by-side laptops in bed. Just as marriage is intended to be.

Also, another perk to living with your parents? Driving home in a snowstorm to homemade soup on the stove. AND corned beef and cabbage in the fridge for re-heating. Seriously. I don't know why more people pushing 30 don't live with their parents.

Three Things ... Wednesday. Runner/Cat Lady/Fashion Blogger.

2012-01-18T22:24:00.000-06:00

One: I've truly crossed over to the dark side. Wednesday is normally my day to run with my running group, we usually meet at a spot close to my office about 30 minutes after my day ends, just enough time for me to change into my running clothes at work and head straight there. But today I had a late conference call and by the time it ended, the group run was probably half over. However, I still wanted to run! So I headed home, laced up and went out. Even though the temps were in the 20s and there were icy patches on the ground, the thought of not running wasn't really there. Of course I was going to run. It's Wednesday! A year ago I would have looked for any excuse to skip a run. My Daily Mile log proves that point:

Anyway, I ended up doing a decent 4-mile tempo run. By decent I mean that even though I kept dodging icy patches, the miles that I tempo-ed were at a faster pace than my early June 5K PR; actually right around the pace for my November 5K PR. And my heart rate didn't even get anywhere near 5K effort. (The closest it got was about 10bpm below.) Amazing what happens when you start running consistently! (See photo above, again.)

Two: This is why I'll never be a fashion blogger, not even a running fashion blogger. For one thing, I could never convince my husband to take pictures of me. (I don't even ask because I know he'd laugh.) Also I can't even be bothered to get out my real camera, or place it on a tripod or even a shelf. Finally, do I even own Windex? And am I really posting a picture taken in my bathroom? Anyway, I had to get a picture of how awesome I looked tonight. I should have put my headlamp on my head to really complete the look.

Three: When I got home from my run, I was sitting on the floor stretching. My cat strolled in, flopped on the floor, laid on her side, and stretched out her body. AWWWW, right? I wish I had yelled to my husband to come take a picture, but he was on the opposite side of the house and yelling would have scared her and she probably would have ran away.

An old picture, but you get the idea

Also (this is related to my cat, so it's still #3), my cat's litter box and food/water are in our bathroom (the same one pictured above). (It's just easier that way.) She often gets trapped in there when I'm taking a shower. (She follows me around a lot, and I keep the door closed when I shower. You'd think by now she'd figure it out. But tiny head = tiny brain.) Anyway, while I was in the shower, she kept jumping up on the tub ledge, and hanging out between the shower curtain and liner, while I was showering. I'm waiting for the day she does that and slips and falls into the shower. Or the day I decide to be a big jerk and quickly pull back the liner and get her wet. She doesn't have front claws, so what's she going to do about it?? Someday. Today was not that day.

Race Report: Midwinter Cruise 5K

2012-01-15T16:57:00.001-06:00

Freezing at the start with Judy (pink headband)
and Kelly (blue vest)

Going into this morning's race, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Part of me was worried that my last race was a fluke and I wouldn't P.R. Not that I have to P.R. at every race, but it's fun, and I do feel like I am still improving.

Also, this was a small local race, so good chance for an age group award, but you never know who is going to show up. Now that I'm starting to meet a lot more local runners, I know who is fast and in my age group. Plus there is always the unknown of who is going to show up that I don't know yet?

Anyway, my point being, I tried to go into this race as I do every other race, without any expectations. Just run my best based on my own personal effort and see what happens.

It was a bit chilly this morning (I didn't check the temps before I left the house, but yup, winter is here for sure). I went for an easy run yesterday (running on part of today's course) and it was supposed to be a couple degrees warmer at the start of the race than when I went for yesterday's run, so I planned my outfit accordingly.

Of course the wind changes everything. Yesterday was sunny with no wind. Today was partly cloudy with WIND. I wore my sunglasses because it was sunny when I left the house (plus with the snow it gets bright), but it clouded up by race time. I took them off for my husband to hold while I ran, but realized they were protecting my eyes from the wind so I left them on.

Just past mile 3. I knew Kelly was behind me, but I didn't
know there was someone on her heels that looked to be
in our age group. (She was. Good race!)

We lined up at the start behind a kid in shorts and a short sleeve shirt and some pretty killer legs who looked like he could be related to Abdi Abdirahman. (Spoiler: He was 16 and won the race in 17 minutes and some change, I think.)

The course was a double loop and flat as flat can be. Kelly, Judy and I started together, but about a half mile in, I checked my heart rate and knew I could pick it up, so I did. Kelly stayed with me.

There was a guy who ran with us for much of the race, I secretly hoped I could chick him at the end, but he picked it up in the last mile and there went that goal. (I'm starting to realize local strangers are reading my blog, so if that was you and you're reading this, good job!)

I spent most of the race monitoring my heart rate and trying to push it to "almost puking." I did a good job.

My Garmin time was 23:28. Yes, another P.R.! I've P.R.'d every race (of a distance I've raced before) since April. It never stops feeling good, but I know it won't last forever.

Kelly finished two seconds behind me (I really think that will be our thing, flip-flopping and finishing within seconds of each other ... but in eight months I'll be 30 and we won't be in the same age group anymore, but hopefully we'll still push each other in races).

We watched some of our other friends finish before we got cold and headed inside for all-you-can-eat-pancakes and sausage! Yup! Pretty sweet. I also won a $15 gift certificate for a Road ID. (Once again, Hot Chocolate races, you have NOTHING on small local races. A fraction of the price and way more swag. Thank you, Park Forest Running & Pancake Club!)

Age group awards! Judy, Kelly, me, Amanda.

They did five-year age group awards 2-deep, and Kelly and I placed in our age group! They also let you pick your own trophy which was kind of fun. Most of the trophies had little cruise ships on them which I found totally amusing (since it was the Midwinter Cruise ... they also had leis and goofy hats and decorations, some of which you can see in the photo above ... very fun).

Officially:
Time: 23:29, 7:35 pace
Overall: 33 out of 189
Females: 4 out of 99
F25-29: 1 out of 6

Running Ninja

2012-01-14T15:59:00.001-06:00

I forgot one more reason why winter running is awesome. You have an excuse to dress like a ninja. A bright orange ninja who doesn't want to get hit by a car, but a ninja nonetheless.

Hand up so you can see that I'm wearing three shirts.

Who else is watching the Olympic marathon trials? (Everyone, I assume.) You know what makes running badass? No timeouts. If you're tired, in pain, want to puke, etc, you just keep going. Unless you're on the Paula Radcliff-level of badassery, if you stop, you've lost. Whether you're gunning for the Olympic team or an age group award at a local 5K (hi), there's no stopping.

Why a Resolution Can Be a Good Thing

2012-01-13T17:00:00.000-06:00

Now that we're two weeks into 2012, almost every [running] blogger has posted their 2012 resolutions and/or goals. Almost everyone prefaced their post with some kind of "I don't normally make resolutions ..." or "I think resolutions are silly because ..." (yes, including me). I've also read a million Facebook posts, tweets, and mentions on blogs about how the gyms are crowded because of the resolutioners, and can't they just give up like they inevitably will so you can have your gym back? (PS they pay a monthly fee just like you, in fact the ones who pay and never show up are probably how your gym supports itself, so you NEED those resolutioners to keep your gym swank.)

However, resolutions aren't bad. Even when they are actually goals.

Back in January 2010, I made it my goal to run my first half marathon that spring. Prior to January, the extent of my running experience was doing a couple 5K races, in fact, I think 3.1 miles was my personal distance record at that time. I was running very sporadically, and probably wearing 100 percent cotton.

I saw this picture on Pinterst, with the user-added caption "Don't just make it your 2012 resolution!"

I realized that two years ago, I made a resolution to start running (via my goal to finish a half marathon). Two years later, despite some dips my my mileage, I'm still running. I'm running more. And faster. And I love it. And I've made friends because of it.

Honestly, you could say that running has changed my life, or at the very least, changed my outlook on life. I am no longer afraid to try. I know that without trying, you won't achieve anything worth achieving. Without trying, you will have nothing to be proud of. I feel like my [semi-] fearless approach to running is starting to carry over into other areas of my life.

Anyway, the point of this post is that it all started more or less with a resolution. Sure, it was more of a goal of doing a half marathon than a vague resolution to "exercise more." But it forced me to change. It forced me to get up off my ass and exercise more. It gave me something to work toward. And when race day came, and I finished those 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 48 minutes and 53 seconds (yes I realize many runners can finish a marathon in that time), wearing a cotton workout tank from Old Navy, with chafed thighs and bloated fingers, I realized I did it. On my own. Back then I didn't have a running group. I had this blog, but very few followers. The only running blog I read was probably Angry Runner, only because I've been following her since the days of Live Journal. I had BFF Ultra Vera to turn to for advice, but I didn't know which questions to even ask.

So, the next time you are at the gym, complaining about the resolutioners, be a little bit nicer. The next time you read the millionth running blog post about New Years resolutions, don't roll your eyes.

Sometimes resolutions stick. And give them credit for being brave enough to want to make a change - and work toward it - in the first place.

Runner's World Daily Calendar Tips

2012-01-13T10:33:00.000-06:00

Recently, I was lucky enough to win a Runner's World Daily Calendar from Rose Runner. Thank you! It arrived yesterday, and in tearing off all the days up to today, it included some good tips. I'm all about sharing the wealth!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, having running friends is awesome!
So motivating, plus someone to talk about running with when your husband says
"you talk about running too much."

This just sounded awesome. No crazy cleanse diet required.

I read this somewhere awhile ago and always follow it. Glad to know I didn't make it up.

OK, this was kind of a non-post, but ... whatever. I work in PR. We're all about re-purposing content through various social media channels.

Don't Be Afraid of Winter

2012-01-12T15:58:00.000-06:00

Bring it on, winter!

Many of the runners I know embrace winter running. Some of my running club friends are already posting pictures from today's snowy runs.

But I know of a few runners who are scared of winter running. (I've seen yours posts on Daily Mile and on your blogs, don't try to hide!)

I don't know if it's a fear of the unknown, or lack or preparation, or just generally being a wimp (sorry, calling you out). Why resign yourself to spending a third of the year indoors on the treadmill? Personally, I can't think of anything worse.

I feel like it is my duty, as a pro-winter runner, to try to encourage everyone to step away from the treadmill, throw on a couple layers, and head outdoors. Why?

1. You will feel hardcore. I know it's simple and silly, but it's true. While everyone else complains about just walking outside to their cars in this weather, you are intentionally spending extra time outdoors, in the freezing temps and harsh conditions. I guarantee you will feel slightly more like a badass than you did before the run.

Tell me this doesn't look awesomely peaceful.
Source: TooTallFritz.com

2. It's peaceful. Everyone's inside. The screaming children and barking dogs are (mostly) inside. Even if you live in the city, you can usually escape to a park or running path and have only the ambient city noise. Personally, I don't run with music [outdoors], and I find running in silence or near-silence to be a great way to clear my head. And if it's snowing (but not too windy)? It's even more amazing.

3. It prepares you for race day. Even if all of your races are between April - October, you never know what weather you will have. I've seen snow in May in Chicago, and also as early as mid-October. If you continue training outside all year, you will be ready for whatever the weather is like on race day.

4. It (usually) doesn't smell. Luckily my current gym doesn't smell too bad, but I've been a member at some pretty crowded gyms that have the gross, sweaty, recycled air smell. When you're outside, you're breathing fresh air, and it usually smells fine. (Yes, sometimes you run past something that doesn't, but it's fleeting.) Speaking of the gym, you can avoid the resolution crowds by ditching the gym to run outside.

5. It's really not that bad. I promise. You just need to learn how to layer properly. If you do, once you get moving, it doesn't feel cold. It actually feels really great. And you won't overheat or sweat as much as you will at the gym.

Now, I'm not saying you should throw all reason out the window. I take it indoors in the following conditions:

If the roads, sidewalks and trails are icy. (I don't own Yaktrax.) During the day you can run on quiet streets after they've been plowed, but it's tricky at night when you can't always see the icy patches. (Don't forget to wear your reflective gear/lights/headlamps when running at night, even on sidewalks.)
If a blizzard is happening. If visibility is low, cars and snow plows can't see you. Even with reflective gear and blinking lights, that's not safe.
If the wind chill is below zero. There's cold, and then there's dangerous.
If it's raining (more than a drizzle). I don't mind being cold, and I don't mind being wet if it's warm, but I don't like being both cold and wet. This is the one weather condition where I'm not afraid to let my friends be more hardcore than me.

In other news, Kelly discovered that the official photos from our last race are up. While there are no pictures of us running (or finishing almost together), we seemed to be unintentionally photobombing a lot of people ... whoops. Here are some highlights:

I'm in the fuchsia/paaaank.

With Kelly in the blue vest.

On the right. Me, Kelly in blue vest, Kate in gray vest

I'm sure what is happening here is me saying
"Hey we're wearing similar outfits, let's be friends!"

HEY GUYS I HAVE SHOES ON!

Also! I am doing another ACS raffle, but this time not for running gear, but for cash! Email me if you are interested (no obligation to participate).

Here's a hint ... and an excuse to post a picture of Aaron Rodgers:

Small Changes and Small Victories

2012-01-10T22:06:00.001-06:00

There are some big changes looming in my life (of course I'm not going to talk about them right now, sorry). So what better time to make a small change?

Pretty sure this means I'll need to great re-acquainted with my flat iron.

I've been rocking the side-swept bangs for a year and a half (but never as much as I did on this day) and was ready for a change. I've been thinking about doing straight bangs for awhile and my stylist said I should just do it. So I did. Well, she did all the work.

Also, I was looking through my Daily Mile log, to see just how far I've come from a year ago, when my running hit the skids and I didn't even crack 20 total miles in a three month span. I wanted to share this with BFF Gennie to show her where I was a year ago.

From DailyMile.com

I've been doing much better since - I haven't had a sub-60 mile month since April 2011! That's huge because May 2011 was my first month over 50 miles! And my average pace is going down, or at least trending downward.

From RunningAhead.com. Yes I track my miles in two separate places, I LOVE STATS.

Being Harcore

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

The other day, Megan at Watch MeGo Run posted about Operation Hardcore Fit, which in her words is a yearlong effort to push yourself towards your fitness goals - one big one and several smaller ones to try to achieve throughout the year.

I like this idea of pushing myself toward my goals. Ever since I started seriously considering doing the marathon, I've been thinking a lot about what it means for other areas of my life. My mom (and I'm sure everyone's mom) always said if you're going to do something, do it right. If you're going to do it half-assed, why waste your time?

So, I've been thinking about all the things I can do to prepare, things like losing a few more pounds so that I can run faster. But also modifying my diet so it will provide the best fuel. (Meaning I need to lose the weight now so come marathon training I can focus on proper fueling and not weight loss.) And cross-training to increase/maintain fitness, and strengthening and stretching. And cutting back on my social life during the summer so I am well-rested for all the training.

It will be hard. I know I'm going to deal with people questioning why I'm doing this at all, why I'm going to give up things like late summer nights, beer and who knows what else, and running through a (probably) hot Chicago summer just to run 26 (point two) miles and I'm not even getting paid to do it! I know I'm going to want to talk about running all the time and most people won't really care. (Sidenote: so happy for running friends! And this blog!)

So why am I doing it? Well, to follow BFF Ultra Vera's lead, I want to see what my body is capable of. But I also want to see what my mind is capable of. I know training for and finishing a marathon will be just as mentally challenging as it will be physically challenging. I want to prove that I am hardcore enough to not just do it, but do it to the best of my ability, even if I don't know what that ability is yet. That I'm hardcore enough to find the limits of my ability ... and see how far I can push them. It's kind of exciting to think about.

Good turnout for Saturday morning's run. We had everything from a run/walk group doing 3 miles up to
folks doing 10 miles. I'm in the back, second from left. BFF Gennie is directly in front of me.
Also, in order to get everyone in one photo, someone had to be photoshopped in. Can you tell who?
Source: Amanda (TooTallFritz.com), the gal in front in blue.

Related, I had a great running weekend. On Saturday morning I ran with the F'N Runners - 8 miles at a 9:08 pace, which is the fastest I have ever run over 5 1/2 miles. My half marathon PR is 2:22 and lately I've been wondering if I can pull off a sub-2 hour half at one of the spring half marathons I'm doing. I felt like maybe a 22-minute PR is too ambitious but after yesterday I'm starting to think it's doable. Maybe even too modest of a goal?

Also, my BFF Gennie came out to run with us! I am so proud of her. She has so much on her plate, so I know it is hard for her to add running to her life, but I am so proud that she is! And she's not letting lack of running experience or intimidation hold her back. (Related, Amanda at TooTallFritz has a great post on this topic.)

Anyway, on Sunday I wanted to go for a run - 5 easy miles. Well, we went out on Saturday night. (And I wore actual pants! Not leggings! Sorry, that doesn't happen often when I'm not at work). I wanted to get a decent night's sleep, so I wasn't sure if I would have time to run before I needed to start cooking for Sunday morning's family breakfast. Well, I didn't have enough time, so I told myself I could run later in the day, after everyone left.

And when the time came that everyone was leaving, I was starting to think about heading out for a run. I didn't say anything, but I must have looked out the window a certain way, and my mom said "you're going to go for a run, aren't you?" Sometimes it seems like she doesn't know me at all, other times it's like ... whoa. She really has spent 30 years watching and observing me (and my brothers too I assume) and really knows me.

Will Run for (Turkey) Bacon and (Kale) Chips

2012-01-08T21:23:00.001-06:00

Today was my immediate family's Christmas. Will all our scheduling conflicts, my parents, my brothers and me and our significant others could not find a few hours around the holidays to gather and exchange gifts at the same time. Today was the earliest day we could all get together.

I offered to make breakfast for the occasion. I wanted something quick and easy that didn't require a ton of prep and wouldn't leave me trying to scramble 16 eggs and fry two packages of bacon all at once. I ended up making bacon-wrapped eggs in a cup, which I think I originally found on this blog but have also seen variations on Pinterest. I also made homemade kale chips and homemade tortilla chips. There was other food, but it wasn't quite as blog-exciting, so who cares.

If you've never made kale chips, they are super easy. I try to buy kale that's already cut into pieces to save time. Just dry off the kale (pat down with paper towels), put in a big bowl, drizzle a little olive oil and some salt, shake to coat all the pieces, then spread on a cookie sheet covered in wax or parchment paper (I used wax because that's all we had). Bake in the oven until the "chips" are crispy. I did 350 for 5-7 minutes I think. I still have a ton of kale leftover so I'll be making this a few more times this week. Or maybe I'll get really inspired and make my favorite soup again. We do have some sausage leftover from today, and I know we have potatoes ...

Homemade tortilla chips are also really easy. Cut corn tortillas into wedges (I did sixths), lay out on a cookie sheet, spray with non-stick cooking spray, turn them over, spray the other side and sprinkle with salt. Bake in the oven at 350. I think I did 6 minutes on one side, pulled out the sheet, flipped each chip, sprinkled that side with salt, then baked for 4 minutes more and that worked pretty well. (I wonder what else you can bake into "chips"? Besides potatoes of course.)

Moving on to the main course, the bacon-egg cups. I did half with turkey bacon (the good stuff shown above), the other half were mostly regular bacon, but I ran out and did a few with lunchmeat ham. I pre-cooked the bacon for about 5 minutes - the turkey in the oven at 350, the regular bacon on the stove so I could drain the fat. Make sure to spray the muffin tin with non-stick spray first.

After the bacon is partially cooked, assemble. I did one egg in each, topped with green onion, a mix of chopped fresh basil and fresh sage, a little piece of mozzarella (I don't think it was low-moisture but it wasn't high-moisture ... maybe medium moisture? I found it in the fridge, I think my husband bought it), and fresh grated Parmesan. This is one of those recipes where you can get creative. As we were cleaning up, my husband asked me why I didn't put kale in the egg cups. (Which surprised me, he normally has an aversion to "weird healthy food.")

The recipe I was following called for 12 minutes at 400. About halfway through I realized the oven was still at 350, so I bumped it up to 400 and added a few extra minutes. Basically, cook it until the eggs are done to you. Some of the eggs were a little bit overcooked for my preference (I like them cooked so they aren't super runny but aren't hard) but they were still delicious! You can stick a toothpick in to see if they are cooked to your liking. (The toothpicks in the photo below are to indicate which ones have no onion and were for one of my sisters-in-law.)

Meanwhile ... my "lil chef" was preoccupied with her own dinner hopes.

It was a family gathering, so time for pictures of my niece!

Big news: she has enough hair for pigtails!! She was born bald like her dad (and also like me) so even though she is 22 months old, she just now has enough hair for pigtails.

My mom wanted to see the cat in her Christmas costume. Oh boy did she hate that.

Also, this is the closet thing to dolls in the house.

I have running-related stuff to post, but I'll put that in a separate post.

Run ALL the races! And my jeggings are too big.

2012-01-06T12:59:00.001-06:00

This morning I noticed something nice in our checking account, and thought "oh that must be a mistake, hope the Navy doesn't realize it!" Turns out it's some back pay for my husband (from August by the way). So now? I am feeling like this and want to go registration crazy:

I knew this kind of unflattering picture of me would come in handy someday.

In other news, you know how I've mentioned that I've lost 25 pounds? I've gotten rid of some clothes that are too big, got some new clothes in a clothing swap, but I'm running out of pants that I can get away with wearing. For now I've been taking fashion advice from the Gap girls and cinching everything with a belt. Eventually I will probably get some new pants though. (Unless my office wants to switch to a leggings-approved dress code. Doubtful.)

The other day I noticed that even my jeggings are too big. Now if THAT'S not a first world problem, I don't know what is. Although, I'm curious ... do you have more of a first world problem than your jeggings being too big? Please comment!

What Our Bodies Were Meant For

2012-01-04T10:49:00.000-06:00

Source

Yesterday a friend of mine posted a link on Facebook to the New York Times article "The Fat Trap." It was an interesting read - some scientific studies on how for some of us, our bodies are working against us to lose weight and keep it off, and a profile of a couple who was able to lose weight and keep it off.

I've been around the ~~block~~ internet enough to take any "studies" with a grain of salt, and I'm no scientist, so I won't comment on those. However, the profile of the couple was very interesting, especially the way the author portrayed how they maintained their weight loos.

In a nutshell, Janice and Adam used to weigh over 300 pounds each. They both lost significant weight, bringing them down to more ideal levels, and have maintained that weight loss for many years. The article went to great lengths explaining just how they do that. They work out - a lot - and watch what they eat - extremely diligently. I'm pretty sure the author purposely made it seem like they went to lengths that are unattainable for most of us. Working out 2+ hours per day. Weighing all of your food, keeping a food journal, and avoiding sugar and flour.

What bothered me the most was the way this was portrayed. I guess the point of the article was to be informative about our health, and not political. I've been reading up here and there about food politics, and it is both fascinating and sad. (Since this isn't a political/ranty blog, I'll keep my opinions out of it.)

However, I keep coming back to this:

Our bodies were not made to be sedentary. They were made to move.

Our bodies were not made to eat processed garbage. They were made to eat foods that we can hunt and gather.

Where I think the article failed (as an informational article on a health topic) was pointing out those facts. Pointing out that Janice and Adam aren't really going to extremes - they are actually doing what they are supposed to do with their bodies. Moving them. Fueling them with real food. Sure it takes a lot of time and attention, but that is what our bodies were meant to do. Why is that such a crazy, extreme idea?

It made me realize that the way Western society has been normalized, and the Standard American Diet we are all used to, are both so out of touch with the realities of what our bodies need. All you have to do is look at the rampant obesity levels to realize something isn't right. I'm not trying to put blame on why things are the way they are (I'll let everyone else continue tackling that issue), but just point out my observations.

Most of us (myself included) spend the majority of our time sitting - at a desk, in the car, on the train, in front of the TV, etc. Last year there was an article that went around that said sitting all day is basically going to give us all heart attacks. But what can you do? You need to work. You need to get to/from work. You can't get around those 8+ hours per day sitting for your job, unless you install one of those desk-treadmills.

Most of us barely have time to eat, let alone plan a healthy meal. Most of us are trying to stick to a budget, and unfortunately (here comes the food politics again) the foods that are subsidized in this country (and thus the cheapest and most readily available) are not what we should be filling our bodies with. I'm not a nutritionist, but it seems like there is a lot of misinformation out there, even when it comes to "truths" like the food ~~pyramid~~ plate. (As someone who is lactose intolerant, that little dairy cup makes me laugh. I'm sure the gluten-intolerant would agree regarding the grains. Interesting that so many people can't digest some of the "basic" food the government tells us we "need." OK, food-politics "rant" over.)

I don't have any answers (just more of my own questions), but it just made me realize how misinformed and in the dark many of us are about our bodies and how to treat them. I've been trying to read up on that a bit recently, but mostly articles on the internet, and you can never truly trust what you read online. Or even offline. There is so much conflicting information, from questionable sources with questionable motives.

We're doomed, aren't we?

I realize the irony of writing this in a blog named "Run for Pi(e)." Oh well. I never said I was perfect.

This year has started off fast

2012-01-01T18:18:00.000-06:00

I had printer trouble so this is my bib.
You were supposed to write your resolution on your bib.
My resolution is to run a marathon in 2012.

And by fast, I am referring to my overall pace so far in 2012. I've been tracking my points for the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge all holiday season, and today was the Resolution Run - virtual or in person. The minimum requirement was to run at least one mile.

I really only felt like doing one mile (it's been really windy out today, plus I raced yesterday, and um, it was New Years Eve last night ... ), so I figured I would see how fast I can do one mile. Today I was able to do it in 7:13 (plus a few seconds before I stopped my Garmin). There were some really windy spots (at the edge of a field with no trees) and that didn't include a warm up. So I might try again on a less windy day. And maybe warm up.

In the meantime, I will enjoy looking at my RunningAhead.com training log and seeing that so far the year, I am averaging a 7:15 pace. I have a feeling that's not going to last very long.

In other news, we had a lovely New Years Eve spent with friends at a local watering hole that offered free shuttle rides as part of their NYE package. Here we are waiting for the shuttle to arrive at our friends' place.

He hates having his picture taken so he rarely smiles for the camera.

And that's it for the pictures I'm posting in my blog from last night. Also, from the crazy cat lady / stalker aunt files, my niece came over today. Here she is with my cat:

Race Report: Dash into the New Year 5K

2011-12-31T16:32:00.000-06:00

Gen and me

Spoiler alert: I PR'd.

Awhile back, me, my BFF Genevieve, and some of my local online runner friends who I don't think I had yet met in person, signed up for a local inaugural 5K through a Schwaggle deal on Active.com. I think it was $15 for the race and the shirt (which turned out to be a long sleeve tech shirt).

After almost PR'ing for real at my last 5K-that-wasn't, I was eager for this race so I could actually PR.

Going into the race, I knew I probably wouldn't place in my age group. They were doing 10-year age groups, and only doing awards for the top 2, and between the fast women in my running club and another local fast gal who we knew would be there, I didn't have my hopes set on placing. (Spoiler alert: I didn't place.)

The race course was nice. It started off at the Matteson Community Center, headed to a street that went over the expressway (hill), did a small loop through a neighborhood, came back over the expressway (again with the hill), did another small loop through a different neighborhood, and finished. There were a few spots that were a little slick, but not too bad.

Also doing this as a New Years Virtual 5K

Also, note to self: don't eat anything in the morning before a 5K. Not even a few bites of a Clif Bar. Just don't.

I started off the race closely following Amanda, who has been taking some time off from running because of pain. Between miles 1 and 2 I passed Amanda, but Kelly caught up with me. We stayed together until pretty much the end, I kicked at the end, and she kicked too, and she finished before me.

When I was telling my husband this story, he asked why I didn't trip her. He said he would have tripped Jason [his BFF]. And they think women are the catty ones.

After catching my breath and getting some water and a banana (and my phone out of my car), I backtracked on the course to find Genevieve. She was run/waking with a really sweet woman she met on the course, and that woman helped her PR as well! Runners are so awesome!!!

Amanda and Kelly both placed second in their age groups (I placed third, behind Kelly). I was just so happy to PR! Considering just eight months ago, I PR'd in a 5K with a time of 28:15. Also, I beat Kelly by one second at the Turkey Trot, and she beat me by a second today, so I guess we're even? Perhaps this will become our thing? Heh.

You may have noticed (if you read my last post) that I PR'd a lot this year. I've only been running for two years, and my training kind of fell off last winter (as you can see by a screen grab from Daily Mile), so I'm still improving as a runner. Eventually, I won't PR as much, but hopefully my times will be more consistent (hopefully consistently fast). So I'll enjoy it while I can!

Official: 23:41.8, pace 7:38
Overall: 42 / 253
F20-29: 3 / 21

2011 in Pictures

2011-12-31T12:26:00.000-06:00

Here is a look back on my year, or at least the stuff I took pictures of. Other stuff happened, I just didn't photograph it. (P.S. I promise this is my last year-end themed post. Sorry. I like them.)

We rang in the new year pretty low-key: dinner out with friends, followed by Guitar Hero and other stuff that I didn't take pictures of. Here I am trying to make sure my niece follows in the family footsteps and becomes a musician of some sort.

Remember the February 1 blizzard?

In April, we went to Galena to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary

Race #1: Strive 5K. P.R. And we both placed in our age groups.

Race #2: Soldier Field 10 Mile

Race #3: Commit to be Fit 5K. Won my age group. Another P.R.

Went to my first and last Cubs game of 2011. But got to watch the game from a private suite (thanks to my husband's company) for the first time ever. (But I didn't take any pictures of the suite. Go figure.)

In July, we went to the Quad Cities for a family reunion (my Dad's family)

Race #4: Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon with my cousin. Another P.R.

In August I went to Detroit to visit a couple of my college besties.

At the end of August, to help us better tackle our debt, we decided to move in with my parents. Packing up my precious cargo ...

Race #5: Fort2Base 10 Nautical Mile with The Sailor. Beat him by one second.

In September, I saw Ani Difranco in concert for the 4th time

At the end of September/beginning of October, my friend Scott and I went to Boston to visit our BFF Vera

Race #6: While we were there, I ran the Applefest Half Marathon with Vera. Another P.R.

Cape Cod

Race #7: Monster Dash 5K Obstacle Course with The Sailor and our friend Tiny. I wore an old pirate costume.

Halloween: Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas & Michael Myers

Race #8: Palos Park Rec Dept Turkey Trot 5K with The Sailor. We both placed in our age groups. Another P.R. (for me at least ... I haven't been keeping track of his times).

Race #9: Running For Kicks 4mi Turkey Trot with The Sailor and my BFF Vera.

Race #10: Reindeer Run 5K (which was actually 2.9mi) at Brookfield Zoo. 2nd in my age group. Would have been a P.R. if the course was 3.1mi.

Another concert: Florence and The Machine

Race #11: Dash into the New Year 5K. (Race report coming.) Another P.R. (faster pace than the Reindeer Run 5K). I'll be sad when I stop P.R.ing every race.

Also this year, I started making more running friends (in person). Here I am with some F'N Runners (Frankfort New Lenox Running Club)

2011 may not have been the perfect year - we went from renting a room at a friend's house to living with my parents, so a step down from what already felt like a compromise.

But this year reminded me that I am so very lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing, supportive family, and really great friends. It brought me closer to my roots - not just literally back to the house I grew up in, but closer to people who have known me for a long time, through many different versions of "me," and still love me.

This year reminded me yet again that I may not have everything I want, but I am blessed to have everything I need. I have a roof over my head and food to eat. I have my health, and I found something I love to help keep me healthy, physically and mentally. I have people who I love and who love me, and I get to see many of them on a regular basis. I have a good job where I am challenged and respected.

And I have some bling! Here's to a fantastic 2012!

Running Lessons Learned in 2011

2011-12-29T23:41:00.000-06:00

Are you getting sick of year-end posts yet? No? Me neither.

I've only been running for two years now, so I know I still have A LOT to learn about this sport and my abilities, especially as I look to train for and finish my first marathon in 2012. That being said, I did learn some things this past year ...

F'N Runners plus our mascot, Kelly's dog Pepper.

Running is better with friends.

I know I've written about this multiple times, but it is so true. Not only is it more motivating (it gets me out there when it's cold and/or dark), but it pushes me to run faster, and it's nice to have people to talk about running with because my husband is getting tired of listening to me ramble on about it. (Also why I have this blog.) And he's getting tired of me trying to force him to run races every month (or more). So it's nice to have other friends to race with and spare him from being dragged to races and me from racing alone.

You need support. This time I'm not talking about friends.

I knew my cheap, flimsy Target sports bras weren't cutting it based on feel alone, but I wore them anyway. But as soon as I saw this race picture, I realized it wasn't just the feel that was bad. Now I am all about Moving Comfort sports bras (the Juno is my favorite, but their site has different recommendations based on size).

Run by effort, not pace.

When I got my Garmin, I started running with the heart rate strap, but I quickly realized I had no idea what heart rates I should aim for. I did some "research" (read a Runner's World article that I can't find online anymore) and put together a spreadsheet with some formulas, and now I try to target certain heartrates when I run, and ignore my pace as much as possible. It's a better indicator of how fast I should be running, and it also prevents any race-regret - if I run based on my target heartrate, then I ran the best race I could that day. I don't second-guess if I could have run a faster race. However, I realize reading one article doesn't exactly make me an expert and perhaps I should do more research if I'm trying to base the majority of my running around following my heart rate.

What did you learn this year? I also learned a better way to tie my shoes. In case you're interested, I make loops like this and then tie the bow like this.

Running Goals for 2012 and a Revised Race Schedule

2011-12-28T15:06:00.000-06:00

Chicago Marathon 10.10.10
Jumped in for a few blocks with my cousin.
Next time I run in the marathon it will be for real.
Also I should get her a hat as a late Christmas gift.

I'm not one for New Years Resolutions, because it's hard to stick to stuff like "eat better" and "exercise more" without any concrete end-game.

(Except during Lent. I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore, but Lent still has this hold over me. It's the only time when I say I'll give up sweets or meat and actually stick to it for 40 days.)

Personally, I find it much more effective to set a goal like "run your first half marathon" and use that as the carrot to stick to anything resolution-like (and get me back in a bikini).

So, that being said, these are my running goals for 2012:

Finish the Chicago Marathon! This is the biggie. If I only do this (in my running-life), I will be pretty happy.
Run 100 miles in one month and 30 miles in one week.
Run over 1,000 miles during the entire year (average of 19.2 miles per week).
Set at least one PR (for a distance I've raced before).
Place in the top three in my age group in a race with over 300 finishers.
Not running related: Make a significant dent in our debt.

For a point of reference, in my brief history of running:

Highest monthly mileage = 88 miles

Highest weekly mileage = 25 miles

Highest yearly mileage = 710 miles (and counting, but there are four days left in the year)

My 2012 goals list was originally a lot longer. But, I realized I have two major goals in my life right now - the marathon, and paying off our debt. As I was putting together my wish-list race schedule (which is below), I realized I was including some races not because I really wanted to do them, but to reach certain goals (race a certain distance, race in another state, qualify for the Half Fanatics). All worthy goals, but I don't want to pick so many goals that it starts to detract from my two major goals right now. So I edited the list to keep me focused on the marathon, and also to keep me from spending money on races I'm not excited about.

Sidenote: I might start blogging about our progress toward paying down debt if only to keep me more accountable. I do actually want to move out of my parents' house sooner rather than later, and I need to start acting like it by reigning in the spending as much as I can without going crazy.

That being said, I've already re-evaluated my 2012 race schedule since my last post about it. These are all of the races I'd love to do. But I know I should save a little money and not do them all.

1/15: Midwinter Cruise 5K [registered]
2/4: Frost Bite 5K
2/11: Cupid's Chase 5K [registered]
3/10: Oak Forest Fledh 5K
3/11: Running O' The Green 8K
3/25: Shamrock Shuffle 8K
4/1: Chi-Town Half Marathon
4/14: Rockdale Rambin Run 10K

May TBD: Chicago Spring Half Marathon [if it doesn't conflict with a wedding]

5/12: Quarryman 10mi

6/9: 13.1 Chicago
7/4: Stars and Stripes 5K
9/9: Chicago Half Marathon
10/7: Chicago Marathon [already started fundraising]

Are you doing any of these races? Let me know! That will help me narrow down this list :)

Runner Q&A

2011-12-27T14:41:00.000-06:00

2011 Race Medals.
Click to view larger and for a list of
which medal is from which race.

I've seen a couple variations of runner Q&A posts floating around the running blogosphere, so here's my version of them mashed together.

Questions asked by Miss Zippy (2011 in review):

Best race experience? Soldier Field 10 Mile - My first longer race that went really well for me. No pains, no losing steam - I took it slow and was able to pick up my pace in the last few miles and finish feeling awesome and strong and powerful and inspired.

Best run? Running around Boston. I was visiting BFF Ultra Vera and she had to go to work, so I just laced up and went out and explored. I had my phone with me so I could find my way around (and take pictures). I realized Vera was right - going out for a run is a great way to explore a new town.

Best new piece of gear? My Garmin watch. It's not perfect, but I'm a numbers nerd. Plus I love running by heart rate and not chasing some arbitrary pace.

Best piece of running advice you received? Run by effort, not pace. It forces me to take my slow runs slow, and I know that I'm pushing myself enough during other runs. Also if I race by heart rate, I know that I've given each race my all, and I never have any post-race regret thinking I might have been able to do better. If I ran by my heart rate, I knew I ran smart and achieved the best time my body could for that day.

Most inspirational runner? BFF Ultra Vera. She ran a freaking ultramarathon - 56 miles - on the other side of the world. And will probably do it again. Why? Well ... why not? In her own words, she wants to see what her body is capable of. Have you pushed your body to the limit? I know I haven't. But she inspires me to keep trying.

From StrengthRunning.com via Adrian at ChaseFear.com (edited down from 11 questions)

Why are you running? BFF Ultra Vera encouraged me to sign up for a half marathon two years ago. I don't remember why I listened to her, I guess it was something to do. It was around New Years, so it seemed like a good resolution. Eventually (like ... over a year later), running stopped feeling like a chore. I started really loving it and now I look forward being able to lace up and head out.

Who is in your running support network? BFF Ultra Vera of course, but in the past few months I've been able to connect with some really great local running groups - the F'N Runners and the Yankee Runners (via Monday night runs at the local running store, although I will likely train with them in 2012 for the Chicago Marathon and possibly a spring half).

How do you stay motivated when you don’t want to run? Make plans to meet up with other runners. That is what gets me out of bed at 6am on a Saturday when the temps are in the 20s. That is what gets me to put on running clothes before I leave the office and run 4-6 miles on Mondays and Wednesdays, in the dark and probably cold.

How are you improving on your past training in order to get faster? Actually stick to a training plan. For my first half marathon, I did not do a very good job sticking to the plan I picked out. And come race day, it showed. Since then, I have done a better job sticking to training plans, and guess what, race day is a lot more enjoyable. I'm also starting to work on additional things to improve performance, such as diet, losing weight and building strength.

Also ... I'm still debating which domain to buy for my blog. These are still in the running. (Get it? Running?) I feel like each of these somehow represents ME. (And plz don't steal kthnx.)

RunForPi.com - love of numbers and desserts
HalfCrazyGinger.com - my hair color
PastyRunner.com - with red hair comes pale skin
MagMileRunner.com - reference to my name and also Chicago (thanks to Amanda for the suggestion)

I'll just keep mulling it over ...

Christmas ... No Room For Pie FAIL

2011-12-26T22:16:00.000-06:00

When The Sailor and I first became a "serious couple" (a couple that spent holidays together), we tried to squeeze both families into one day on holidays. That didn't last long. I think we did one long Thanksgiving day with two gigantic feasts and an hour drive in between and it was exhausting (from the length of the day and the amount of digesting we had to do).

We quickly decided to pick one family for each holiday, and rotate to keep things fair. This year, we spent Thanksgiving day with my family, so Christmas day was for The Sailor's family.

The Sailor with our nephew

Cuddling with my nephew (and his Star Wars action figures).

Niece and nephew. Probably eating cookies. Check out the personalized placemats.

My husband was one month old in this picture.
He was over 10 pounds when he was born.
I am kind of scared to have his children.

Getting ready to open presents

Also, I think I might need to rename this blog for real. I ate so much food during the day (grazing on appetizers, dinner and Christmas cookies) that by the time dessert came out, I was too full to eat anything. So I didn't have any of the triple-layer chocolate cake that The Sailor made from scratch, or any pumpkin pie (MY FAVORITE). No cake. NO PIE. Nothing. Just a small glass of homemade egg nog.

And, my sister-in-law Melissa (brother Mark's wife) got me a set a penguin footie pajamas. I think she said she also got a pair for our other sister-in-law, and has a pair herself. Might need to get a photo ... something to go along with this gem from 2009 a.k.a. a Very Snuggie Christmas?

In the Zebra snuggie: brother Steve and his wife Loren
In the leopard snuggie: brother Mark and his wife Melissa
In the blue "snuggle up with Skilling" snuggie: The Sailor and me

Christmas Eve Cookie Run

2011-12-24T10:55:00.000-06:00

Started off my Christmas Eve with a group run with the F'N Runners. We were planning to run anyway, but also decided to participate in the Christmas Virtual 5K (and some of us also did a virtual 10K). Here we are with our virtual race bibs:

That's Kelly on the far left in the awesome ugly sweater vest,
and BFF Ultra Vera is second from right. And a bunch of non-bloggers.

After running (7.18 miles in 1:09:09, 9:38 pace, which included hills, and a stop to blow my nose), we headed to Starbucks for cookies (and coffee of course).

How's your Christmas Eve going? Eating lots of cookies? Did you get a chance to do a festive run?

Seen on My Run: Dirt Jumps

2011-12-23T15:51:00.000-06:00

Today was a gorgeous, sunny, chilly (30 degrees) day, just begging me to go outside and run. So I did. I'm still getting used to running around my new (old) neighborhood, and this time decided to head south. I ended up near the dirt jumps for BMX riding that my brother and his friends have maintained in a forest preserve for the past 15+ years. Not sure how many times the jumps have been bulldozed and remade. But they are pretty impressive. They are built in a loop, I'd guess one time around might be 100 meters. Maybe 200? (I'm a terrible judge of distance.) Here is a video of my brother riding around the loop in a Sasquatch costume (it was around Halloween).

No riders were there today (it was in the middle of the day on Friday) but I did stop to take pictures:

The jumps really are made for bikes and most of them are too steep to (safely) run up or down. I didn't want to risk twisting my ankle so I resisted the urge to run around the loop.

More Christmas Cheer

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

In order to get the super adorable "I am smiling" photo of Olive for our Christmas e-card, I had to do a mini-photoshoot.

After I made the e-card, I remembered I had a Christmas outfit for her (a dog costume from the $1 section at Target). Time for another crazy cat lady photoshoot.

"You want to do what now? That's fine. I will sh*t on the carpet again later."

And to prove I'm not all cat lady all the time, I did go out to dinner tonight. With human friends. To Carnivale. Here is my Foodie Blogger review: "It was good."

Dessert

Me and BFF Ultra Vera

Visit BurntImpressions.com for your very own Jesus Toaster.

Our 2011 Christmas e-card

2011-12-22T17:48:00.001-06:00

Click to view larger

I used to do traditional Christmas cards. One year I did photo cards through Shutterfly - I made the graphic to the right to place in a Shutterfly holiday card template. I think that was from 2007, the year we were married.

Then I just bought generic cards and sent those. I always included what I thought was a witty letter updating our friends & family on what a married couple with no kids and no home ownership do all year. I tried to be funny but I'm sure my friends & family got it and rolled their eyes.

A few years ago, through a project at work, I taught myself how to make my own e-card. And I can send those for free!

Besides, without kids, does anyone really care about what we're up to? Do they really want a picture of just the two of us? (Maybe if I include the cat they would.)

Eventually, when we have our own spawn, we will mail out photo Christmas cards, because, well, I know I love looking at pictures of other people's kids.

In the meantime ... I'm "going green."

So, I bring you our 2011 Christmas card, the third installment of our family's electronic holiday greetings:

You've probably seen all of these pictures in this blog already.

Newsflash: Ultrarunners are fast.

2011-12-21T21:39:00.000-06:00

Did you get to run with your BFF of like 25 years today? Because I did!

Soure: TooTallFritz.com

BFF Ultra Vera is home for the holidays. She sent me an "I'm home!" text around 11am this morning and I immediately replied to see if she could join us for our standing Wednesday night run with the F'N Runners. Of course she said yes! I didn't even have to convince her. Vera's hardcore like that. Actually, she got there an hour early to make sure she got in her total miles for the day. And the four miles we did together? F'N fast! (PS this group nickname is really useful.) But what do you expect from someone training for her fifth Boston Marathon? (Can you tell I really admire BFF Ultra Vera? And yes that is her official nickname on this blog. Although I could just call her Vera and it's not like you would confuse her with any of my other friends.) But, even if it was fast (for me), I kept up, and was able to sort of talk the whole time. So it was good-fast.

Soure: TooTallFritz.com

I love that the spot where we meet is so festive this time of year! I'll be sad once the Christmas lights come down. Our pre-run group pictures won't be nearly as fun. (Scratch that. Yes they will. We will make them fun! Even before our post-run beers!)

Happy Solstice! Cheers to the return of daylight!

Why Not Wednesday: Try That Alternative Workout You've Been Thinking About ...

2011-12-21T06:30:00.000-06:00

I'm a pretty ballerina.
Backstage at a recital in 2007.

There are so many fun ways to workout, it's a shame when someone doesn't give him or herself the gift to taking the time to find a workout they enjoy, and instead keep going to the gym and suffering through boredom on the cardio machines for the sake of "working out." (Seriously, does anyone ever actually enjoy themselves on the elliptical?)

What are some fun ways you can workout? Other than running, which I personally think is awesome? (In case you couldn't tell.)

There's the usual: biking, swimming, yoga, hiking. Group sports like volleyball, softball, basketball, soccer - in most areas you can find leagues or drop-in. (Bonus: post-game beer with teammates.) There's also dance class - ballet (tutus!), modern, tap, jazz, belly dance, hip hop, lyrical, swing, ballroom, burlesque. In the winter there is also ice skating, skiing, snow boarding. There's martial arts. Boxing. Roller derby (with or without the risk of concussion). Trapeze. If you're my brother, BMX.

My point is, there are lots of ways to move your body and stay healthy. Working out doesn't have to be boring.

Last December, I took a free trapeze class. It was a lot of fun and a killer workout and I really really really wanted to sign up for a session of classes, even if it meant driving an hour or more each way in rush hour traffic to get to them, but ultimately decided it was out of my budget.

Burlesque workshop in 2009 for a bachelorette party.
I'm on the left (gray shirt/black capris/purple boa).
(This is not my SIL's studio.)

A more affordable alternative workout: my sister-in-law teaches burlesque (and ballet), and earlier this year I decided to get in touch with my sexy side (which is more funny than sexy) and take a session. (If you're in Chicago-proper, a few of my friends have taken classes here.)

If you're interested in burlesque, but nervous about it, don't be. It's a very non-judgmental scene, and in my experience there is no nudity during classes. My SIL says most of her students are the moms of her ballet kids.

With the cold weather outside, I'm inspired once again to take some more dance classes. (Gotta cross-train, right?) (Especially since I think I already have a great burlesque name for myself ... that's what's really important, right?)

Although my SIL moved her studio into a new space with really tall ceilings ... think I can convince her to put in a trapeze swing?

How to Make Mondays Not Suck

2011-12-20T08:47:00.004-06:00

Photo Source: Running For Kicks Facebook Group

Find a group that runs on Mondays. Bonus if they encourage themed runs, like last night's run at Running For Kicks in Palos Heights. (Can you find me in the pic?) It gives you something to look forward to all day, and quickly banishes that "0" for the current week in your training log.

What else made my Monday bright? A free race!

I signed up for an Active Advantage membership through their Schwaggle - $25 for the year (I think regular price is $50). So already, the membership has more than paid for itself. (In true numbers-nerd fashion, I am keeping track of how much the membership is saving me via an excel file. I'll let you know at the end of the year, in case you're interested.)

Anyway, if anyone's doing the Cupid's Chase 5K in Chicago, let me know!

And this came in the mail on Saturday, but it's still making happy, so it counts:

Marathon & Beyond is BFF Ultra Vera's favorite running magazine. I'm excited to read it!! She's also clued me in to the free online version of Level Renner. Check it out, but prepare to feel like the slowest, laziest runner in the world. (Plus this card is so sweet, Vera's been my #1 running fan, and she's the main reason I started running in the first place.)

How was your Monday? Glad it's over? What day is today for you? I'm off Thursday-Friday, so that makes today my Thursday. If only that also meant Parks & Rec and Community were on tonight ...

Photo Post of the Weekend to Distract You From the Fact that It's Monday

2011-12-19T11:15:00.000-06:00

Christmas is in a week! ARE YOU READY? No pressure.

Saturday night was our annual friends Christmas party with a white elephant gift exchange. Here I am, about to open up a talking Christmas tree that was missing a power cord. I ended up sticking my brother with it, because I stole the 6-pack of home-brewed beer he opened. Score! (Sorry, bro. Not. Even though it will probably take me a month to finish it.)

One of the more popular gifts was a cigar-box banjo (on the left, being played by Tiny, who you may have met before). This is not the only time I've gotten a picture of a banjo jam in this garage.

It was also a potluck party, and one of my offerings was pretzel-rolo turtles. So easy, and so yummy. Here, let me get all "Foodie Blogger" on you. Hope you can keep up.

You only need three ingredients:

Layer of pretzels, one rolo on top of each, into a 300-degree oven for four minutes.

This is an oven

Remove them and immediately press a pecan on top of each.

Then let cool completely. I put them outside.

Once cooled, try not to eat them all.

Running in the Snow and How to Save $20 on a Ponytail Hat

2011-12-17T12:35:00.003-06:00

I was planning to meet up with my running group at 7:15 this morning for 8 miles. When I checked the weather forecast last night, it predicted snow in the morning. After reading a recent post by Pain, Pride and Perseverance, I was actually excited about running in the snow.

Sure enough, I woke up this morning and ... snow! (Is it just me or have the weather reports become much more accurate in the recent years? All this technology is finally paying off I guess.) Driving to our group run was a little slippery so I took it slow, and luckily they were still there when I arrived (10 minutes late).

Kelly W [FINALLY WE MEET!], me, Diane

Nicole and Susan

It was still lightly snowing when we started, but soon stopped. It was actually the perfect weather for a run. Not that cold (upper 20s), no wind. We ran on a paved trail covered in a thin layer of snow, but (minus one wipeout and a couple slips) wasn't too slippery. We did 4 miles out (to a spot with indoor restrooms) and came back. With the beautiful conditions and conversation, it was a very enjoyable 8 miles. (Seriously - hook up with a running group if you haven't yet!!!!)

I'm starting to get smarter about these longish runs that don't start/end at home. I brought chocolate (soy) milk with me for the drive home.

In case you don't know what chocolate milk looks like
... or the inside of a Toyota Echo with an after-market stereo

So, if you're like me and have long hair, running hats can be tricky. You can either buy one big enough and wrap your hair underneath it (which I've done, and small children think I'm a boy), or you can wear your hair in a low ponytail or pigtails (which I've done and don't like ... I want my hair up and away from my body when I run). You can wear a fleece headband, which I often do, but on really cold or wet/snowy days, I like to cover my head. That leaves spending $25 or more for a ponytail hat ... or making your own.

The following is about as "crafty" or "DIY" as this blog will get:


Fleece hat: on sale for $5 at Old Navy I don't know if other material would work, but fleece is good because you don't need to do anything to the edges.

Locate the seam at the back of the hat, around where you would wear a ponytail.
If you don't sew, find this tool in any manicure kit, and rip the stitches along the seam.
If you do sew ... you probably don't need this tutorial.

Once the hole if big enough, if you have loose thread, tie it in a knot.
This is probably not a proper sewing knot. Oh well.

You are done. You want an opening just big enough to pull your ponytail through.

Now go for a run.

I wore the hat this morning and it did not unravel on me so I count this a success. I think I might go to Old Navy and see if the still have this hat for $5 in different colors. Perhaps I should open an Etsy store and sell these for $20. (Hey maybe it'll be my next American Cancer Society fundraiser ... )

Food and Weight Loss and Changing Your Perspective

2011-12-16T13:37:00.000-06:00

Last December. I have no good "before and after" photos.
So here I am playing a banjo made from a cookie tin.
In a garage. Happy Holidays!

In my last post, Did I reach my 2011 goals?, I shared that I've lost 25 pounds this year (from 170 in February to 145 in December).

Thank you all for your positive comments on that post by the way!

For the first couple months (after my weight peaked at 170), I was consciously trying to lose weight. I was running a lot more than I had been in the previous months (training for the Solider Field 10), and also counting calories with help from MyFitnessPal (web site and smartphone app). And I did start losing weight. After a month or so, I got a feel for how much I should be eating, and stopped counting calories.

But then something else happened. My attitude toward food changed. I was putting all this work into running, and trying to improve my running and achieve my goals, I stopped thinking about dieting and started thinking about fueling properly (and I'm not just talking about electrolytes). (Obligatory link to a clip from Idiocracy.)

It's hard to pass up sweets when The Sailor loves
them as much as I do and makes them from scratch

I don't drink much pop (soda for you non-Chicagoans) anymore, and I've also started scaling back on alcohol. (I know, I know ... the horror.) But portion control has been my biggest struggle. (And sweets. Can't. Pass. Up.)

I'm starting to get a better handle on portion control. (But not so much on skipping the sweets.) I still have a long way to go. I'm definitely the "if I can see it I want to eat it" type of eater. But I need to stop eating like every meal is my last.

Overall though, I think when my attitude toward food stopped being one of diet/restriction and starting being "what will help my performance?" the weight started falling off. Or maybe my mileage went up and stayed up. Or both. (See! There is no secret! Calories in < Calories out!)

Unrelated: I want to buy a domain for my blog. Runforpie.com is taken, but runforpi.com isn't. However, I'm thinking about changing the name of my blog (for the ... third time). Possible domain names, in current order of preference (please don't steal any of my ideas ... borrowing variations of them is fine though): halfcrazyginger.com, halfcrazyrunner.com, pastyrunner.com (that's pasty as in pale, not pastry, although based on the above, that would be appropriate), fauxrunner.com. Thoughts? I guess it's my blog so I'll go with what I think fits me the best, but I'm curious for other people's initial reactions. I do work in public relations & marketing after all. Gotta gauge audience perception.

Did I reach my 2011 goals?

2011-12-14T22:20:00.002-06:00

Meeting running friends in real life

As the end of the year approaches, I revisited my goals for 2011. How did I do?

Run another race longer than 6.2 miles.
Done x4!

5/28/11: Soldier Field 10 Mile

8/14/11: Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon

9/11/11: Fort2Base 10 Nautical Mile (11.5mi)

10/1/11: Applefest Half Marathon

Join a running club/group.
Done and done!

Fort2Base

Run over 400 miles total.
Done - I've done over 670 so far. I know that isn't a lot, but I've only done up to half marathons at this point, and I had a few slow months at the beginning of the year.

Do at least 12 races.
Fail. I realized this a few weeks ago. I figure 11 is pretty great, especially considering I didn't race for pretty much the first third of the year, so I'm not going to rush out and try to race this weekend just to make sure I hit this goal.

4/30/11: Strive 5K, 28:15, 9:06 pace
5/28/11: Soldier Field 10 Mile,1:48:42, 10:52 pace
6/5/11: Commit to Be Fit 5K, 26:20, 8:30 pace
8/14/11: Rock 'n Roll Chicago Half Marathon, 2:34:16, 11:47 pace
9/11/11: Fort2Base 10 Nautical Mile (11.5mi), 1:58:44, 10:20 pace
10/1/11: Applefest Half Marathon, 2:22:38, 10:53 pace
10/22/11: Monster Dash 5K (Haunted Obstacle course), 39:10, 12:38 pace
11/5/11: Palos Park Rec Dept Turkey Trot 5K, 25:59, 8:23 pace
11/24/11: Running For Kicks 4 Mile Turkey Trot, 33:00, 8:15 pace
12/3/11: Reindeer Run 5K, 22:43, 7:52 pace (Race orgs admitted course was short)
12/31/11: Dash in the New Year 5K

Do something fun and unique that is also exercise.
Done! Took a burlesque class at my sister-in-law's studio, as well as dropped in for some of their workshops, including hula hooping and tribal belly dance, and lead the monthly Dance Dance Party Party. (And yet I haven't blogged about any of that! What?)

Maine. The sea was angry that day.

Take a vacation, even if it's just a long weekend somewhere in the Midwest.
Done, done and done! The last one wasn't even in the Midwest!

I also hit some of my 30 Before 30 goals:

[done April 2011] ~~Take a vacation!~~
[done April 2011] ~~Take a vacation with the Sailor~~
[done April 2011] ~~Take a weekend trip somewhere out of town~~
[done July 2011] ~~Go to a Cubs game~~ (bonus: in a suite)
[done Oct 2011] ~~Visit one of my BFFs in Boston~~
[done Aug 2011] ~~Run another half marathon~~
[done summer 2011] ~~Play a new sport or learn a new type of dance~~ (burlesque)
[done Oct 2011] ~~Run a crazy race like the Warrior Dash~~
[done Feb 2011] ~~Go to the movies by myself~~

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE?
All this running and trying to eat healthier is paying off. Per the stats I get at my company's annual health fair:

October 2010:

Weight: 165

BMI: 25.8

Body Fat: 28%

October 2011:

Weight: 151

BMI: 24.1

Body Fat: 25%

So not only did I not gain back those 10 pounds, but I lost another 15. (My weight peaked around 170 in February ... that's what really lit a fire under my ass. I weighed myself at the gym recently and was at 145.)

Stay tuned for my 2012 goals! And I'll probably do a 2011-in-photos post.

How did you do? Did you set goals for 2011, and if so, did you reach them?

Why Not Wednesday: All these clothes and nothing to wear ...

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

Why not ... shop your closet?

Click the photos to view larger on Flickr.

Like most women, every morning I stare at my giant closet packed with clothing, and feel like I have nothing to wear. (Memo to my husband: It's not that simple ... maybe I haven't done laundry in awhile, maybe I wore my black pants yesterday and the top I want to wear today goes really well with black pants, maybe I'm a clothes hoarder who wants more clothes ... wait that last part is definitely true.)

Sometimes you have to force yourself to "shop your closet." Using inspiration from Flickr or independent fashion bloggers (my favorites are Kendi Everyday and What I Wore), go through your closet and start putting together "new" outfits - mixing and matching items that you've never worn together.

You can transform a dress simply by pairing it with a different belt, or adding a cardigan or blazer. (Memo to friends who always think I'm "dressed up": Dresses are the easiest thing to wear. It's one piece. Put it on. You're done. Dress it down with leggings and flats, dress it for work with tights and a blazer, make it fancy with heels and a scarf or other accessories. So easy and so comfortable!)

Don't be afraid to mix colors, mix textures, and mix "seasonal" pieces. A lot of "summer" dresses and skirts can be winter-ized with tights and a cardigan/blazer. (Noticing a theme? What would I do without tights, blazers and scarves? Walk around naked probably.) Summery tops can be worn under cardigans/blazers/jackets or over long-sleeve tops. (It doesn't go the other way. Winter clothes don't work in the summer. At least not in Chicago. I'm looking at you, hipster kids.)

It takes a little time and effort, but if you stop shopping (just for non-running clothes ... I mean by all means follow my lead and keep stocking up on Injinji socks, running tights and base layers as if you don't have a washing machine) and ~~force~~ challenge yourself to wear stuff beyond the same 10 things you always wear (I fall into these ruts all the time). You can come up with cute outfits, and have more money in your bank account. And your friends will think you super stylish, when really you just read free fashion blogs and forced yourself to get creative because you're broke.

Do you have any great tips for stretching your wardrobe just a bit further? Let us know!

Also thank you to everyone who donated to the American Cancer Society through my FuelBelt raffle! The winners are:

1. Kelly the Culinarian
2. Running (Kell)ometers
3. Judie (who is also my cousin)

Remember if you've donated to any of my ACS raffles so far, you will get one free entry in each of the future raffles I do! So donate early for the best chances of winning often.

Oh, and remember that short 5K I did recently? Got an email today from the YMCA (they put it on) saying it was in fact short, due to construction. So sometimes your Garmin is right! But quit whining on the race's Facebook page.

Trying to nail down 2012

2011-12-12T18:00:00.000-06:00

This post needed a cute picture

My tentative 2012 race schedule:

1/14: Midwinter Cruise 5K (already signed up)
2/4: Frost Bite 5K (Vicksburg, MI)
3/10: Oak Forest Fledh 5K
4/1: Chi-Town Half Marathon
4/14: Rockdale Ramblin Run 10K
or 4/22: Bloom and Zoom 10K
5/12: Quarryman 10mi
6/9: 13.1 Chicago
9/3: Oak Brook Half
or 9/9: Chicago Half Marathon

10/7: Chicago Marathon (already started fundraising)
After the marathon ... not sure.

This will probably change between now and ... later. I can only afford so many races. But I'm sure I'll throw in a race around Memorial Day and/or Independence Day. And I know I'll do a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and maybe other stuff post-marathon.

Are you doing any of these races? Let me know! Any other races I should consider for 2012? Let me know that too! Specifically, any super-awesome half marathons in the Midwest that are worth paying for a hotel room?

Today's the last day to enter my FuelBelt raffle!

Oh ... It's winter already?

2011-12-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

Today was the coldest day of the season. What a great day to go for a run! At 7am! (I'm forcing myself to be a morning person on the weekends for the sake of not running alone.)

Source: TooTallFritz.com (I'll let you guess which one she is)

Two long sleeve tech tees, lined jacket, tights, lined track pants, two pairs of socks, three pairs of gloves, hat, and a headband around my neck (and sometimes my face). Just enough to not be freezing but surprisingly I didn't overheat. Luckily it wasn't windy.

Four of us from a smaller running group (the Frankfort New Lenox Running Club, or as we like to call it - the F'N Runners) "crashed" a much larger (and more serious) running group's Saturday morning run. (I don't think they minded since we know some of them ... the running community is a small world.) I ran 8 miles total (to the water dropped at mile 4 at back - ran back with a couple women who I usually run with on Monday night's with the local running store) and the other three F'N Runners did 10.

After getting back from my run, it was time to get ready to go back outside. To the Christkindlmarket in Chicago.

Gawain and Madeline

Hot Spiced Wine in a boot

SIL Melissa, niece Madeline, me

Madeline & Mark (my oldest bro)

Afterwards we warmed up with dinner at Fogo de Chao (Brazillian steakhouse). I'm no foodie, so this is my review: YUM. Their salad bar ... AMAZING. I wish I could have just spent half the price and had the salad bar all night. BUT the meat was delicious too. And I'm not even a very big meat eater.

Since I'm not a wanna be foodie, I didn't take pictures of my food, but I did take another picture of Madeline de-bundled (because I'm Stalker Aunt).

Madeline

Then we went to ~~Marshall Field's~~ Macy's so Melissa could buy Frangos and we could look at the tree and gawk at people who waited 3 hours for a table at the Walnut Room.

Don't forget: Give me $5 before 12/12/11 and I might just give you a FuelBelt. (Raising money for the American Cancer Society. Raffle info here.)

Lessons Learned from my Mother

2011-12-09T11:24:00.001-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday. In her honor (even though I doubt she reads this or knows how to find it ... but maybe dad will see it and share), here are some things I've learned from my mother:

Never stop challenging yourself.
My mom has been an RN for 37 years. She earned her Masters in Nursing in the 1990s, and taught nursing classes. A few years ago, she became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Then, despite needing step-by-step directions for how to send an email, she earned a certificate in online teaching this year. Now she's semi-retired from nursing, still doing legal nurse consulting and will start teaching an online class next month. She never slows down. When she sets a goal, she goes after it.

Live life.
She's gone skydiving (in the 1970s, when you didn't have to jump tandem your first time). She's been scuba-diving multiple times. (Meanwhile I get nervous in the deep end of the pool at the gym ... and I used to be a lifeguard.) When we were on a family vacation in 1998, and she saw my brother scale a rocky wall to jump off a waterfall, she didn't say "what the heck are you doing!" She said, "hey I want to do that too," and she did. The woman isn't one to shy away from adventure. Related, even when it comes to non-adventurous stuff, she doesn't take life too seriously. She loves a good joke, especially when she's the one who came up with it. Like one year when we were on vacation in Michigan, and she thought it'd be funny to pretend she was skinny dipping while everyone else is water-skiing.

Speak up for yourself.
My mom is definitely the poster child for "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and "you have to toot your own horn." She's not afraid to speak up, or ask a question. And you know what, she often gets what she asks for. Sometimes you just have to have the courage to ask, or the courage to point out your own achievements.

Wear sunscreen.
My mom is 61 in the photo above (she turned 62 today). She's always taken care of her skin. I think it's worked! I would much rather look like her when I'm 60 than have a tan today. (Besides, I'm a redhead, we don't tan ... I come in pasty and burn, that's about it.)

Shop clearance and resale, and then hoard clothes.
My husband looks at my closet and complains that I have too much stuff. Then I point out that my mom has clothing and shoes in almost every single closet in our house (not mine obviously ... there's no room). She has amassed quite a wardrobe, and I'm pretty sure 100 percent of it is from clearance racks and resale stores.

Don't forget: Give me $5 before 12/12/11 and I might just give you a FuelBelt. (Raising money for the American Cancer Society - in honor of my mom, in an indirect way. Raffle info here.)

Why not? Wednesday: Challenge yourself and Let it go.

2011-12-07T21:41:00.000-06:00

For awhile (since ... high school?) my personal mantra has been "don't ask 'why?' ask 'why not?'" So when I saw "Why Not Wednesday" on Watch Me Go Run, I had to borrow the idea :)


my first half marathon sure my time was 2:48 but I did it

Why not ... challenge yourself!

I forced myself to become a runner two years ago when I signed up for a half marathon, despite never having run more then 3.1 miles at once. I don't really remember my thought process at the time, but I figured why not? It's something to do.

Two years later I am officially addicted to running. I'm getting faster, meeting new people, meeting personal goals, surprising myself, and I've lost over 20 pounds.

Also, it gives purpose to my life outside of my job. I have a good job. And it's what I actually wanted to do after college. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. I'm respected. So, I have a good thing going in that area of my life. But, it's not my whole life. It's a part of my life. If my job started to suck, it wouldn't ruin my life. Running gives me something else to look forward to outside of work - another outlet to set and achieve goals, and challenge myself, and define myself. I feel like a lot of people don't do themselves that favor.

Why not ... limit the number of fucks you give.

I got this idea from Fit and Feminist's post of "Fifteen things I've done to improve myself": be selective about the number of fucks I give. Crass, yes, but good advice. You can sweat the small stuff. You can get worked up over every little thing. You can take everything personally. You can hold grudges. You can choose not to forgive and forget. You can try to "win" every argument, and never apologize. I know people who live their lives this way. And I wonder ... WHY? What good is it doing them?

Why not let it all go? Stop and ask yourself "what really matters?" And focus on that instead. Forget about the rest. Stop giving a fuck about everything. It only stresses you out. And makes you look like a crazy person.

Sorry for all the f-bombs but I think it makes the point so much more.

Don't forget: Give me $5 before 12/12/11 and I might just give you a FuelBelt. (Raising money for the American Cancer Society. Raffle info here.)

Another "How To Survive Winter Running" Post: Why You Should Find a Buddy/Group

2011-12-06T09:51:00.000-06:00

Runners like to get together for pizza. Yes, those are nametags.
Yes, I was the only one in my stinky running clothes.

I know this topic has been covered by pretty much every running blogger and running web site, but it's my blog and I have at least one suggestion that I haven't read elsewhere.

It's cold. The days are shorter. It's hard to stay motivated when it comes to running this time of year. How do you deal with it? For me, it comes down to:

1. Wear layers
2. Find a buddy or two or more.

The layers thing is a no-brainer. You can read a ton of other advice out there about staying warm without overheating this time of year. There are even charts and interactive web pages to help you. So I won't repeat what's already been said. But it takes some trial and error before you get a feel for how many layers you actually need when you are running. (Note to beginners: It's less than you think.) The general rule of thumb I've followed is dress as if it were 20 degrees warmer (but take wind and lack of sunlight into consideration). Because once you start moving, that's what it will feel like. But don't forget to prepare for the to and from - it's OK to wear sweats over your clothes before and after your race/run.

But the buddy thing. So, it took me awhile, but I eventually started checking out group runs and running clubs, and I'm so glad I did. For one thing, I'm getting faster, and I also have people to do races with (and can stop forcing my husband to join me every time). And I'm meeting new people, which is always fun.

If you have yet to check out a running group (and you want to), DO IT. Don't worry about being the slowest. Both groups I run with (one is a drop-in group at a local store, the other is a very casual "club") have runners of all levels. No one cares about your pace, even if you have to run/walk. I promise. Runners love meeting other runners! So check your local running stores to see when they do their group runs, or if they are familiar with any running clubs in the area.

Anyway, I've realized having a group helps a lot with winter running:

It keeps me motivated. Knowing that people are expecting/hoping I show up for a run gives me more motivation to actually do it. It makes it much harder to just make an excuse and skip it.

It keeps me safer. Running alone at night is risky, even with reflective gear and lights. Running with a group is safer - cars are more likely to see a group of runners in reflective gear/lights versus one person. You can tackle certain trails and paths (please use your best judgement), which are usually car-free, if you aren't alone and you all have lights. Also, if you injure yourself mid-run (it's dark - more likely to take a bad step and twist your ankle or something), you'll have someone around to help you out.

It's just more fun. And you don't feel as crazy. I think every non-runner (and some wimpier runners - yes, I'm judging) think we're all crazy (well, crazier) this time of year, running in temps that they don't even want to walk in for the 30 seconds it takes to get from their front door to their car. It helps to have a few other crazy people in my life to make me feel slightly normal.

Staying warm + visible.

And now for my public service announcement:
It's dark.
MAKE YOURSELF VISIBLE.

As I was driving to my race on Saturday morning, it was early, overcast and I think the sun was still rising. I passed by two women running on the side of a busy road (with no sidewalks) and they were wearing zero reflective gear or lights. I know you feel like a major dork, but just wear that stuff. Please. If it's dark, wear it no matter where you run (outdoors ... I mean you can wear it on the treadmill if you really want to). If you're running IN THE STREET, wear it when it's dark, wear it when it's overcast - basically whenever the sun isn't shining.

Don't forget: Give me $5 and I might just give you a FuelBelt. (Raising money for the American Cancer Society. Raffle info here.)

Florence and the Machine at the Chicago Theater 12/4/11

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Last night was the 93XRT Big Holiday Concert with Florence and the Machine at the Chicago Theater! It was awesome!!

I was bummed that I wasn't able to go to her show at the Aragon Ballroom in June (we had a wedding to go to that night) so as soon as I heard she was headlining this show, I planned to go, even if I had to go alone. Luckily, my friend Liz came with me.

She played mostly songs from her new album, Cermonials, although she mixed in a few from Lungs, including Dog Days Are Over (which really got the audience pumped).

Full set list:
1. Only If For a Night
2. What the Water Gave Me
3. Seven Devils
4. Cosmic Love
5. Lover to Lover
6. Leave My Body
7. All This and Heaven Too
8. Between Two Lungs

Source: Flickr user fernybaldy

9. Dog Days are Over
10. Shake It Out
11. Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)
12. Spectrum
Encore
13. Never Let Me Go
14. No Light No Light

Set list from this concert review from the Chicago Tribune.

She was adorable in her usual billowy sheer ensemble (a red dress with heels that she kicked off pretty early on). And she did a lot of bouncing and dancing and other general cuteness. And her voice is freaking AMAZING. Right now everyone is all into Adele - who is great - but holy vocal Gods, Florence Welch can sing!

Unlike many of the people around me (many of who got yelled at), for once I didn't try to sneak photos (instead I trolled Flickr for those who did).

However, can I just give this quick concert photo PSA - turn off your flash!!!!! Seriously. And get a camera with a good zoom lens. Doesn't have to be professional. I took these photos at an Ani Difranco concert and these photos at Lilith Fair - some from way up on the lawn - with this Canon Powershot.

Race Report: Reindeer Run 5K. Pictures of baby animals! And a sort of PR.

2011-12-03T19:12:00.000-06:00

My antlers were free. I guess so were the reindeer's.

I'm a sucker for (most) gimmicky or themed races. Especially ones that aren't oversold (Hot Chocolate 15K I'm looking at you) and ones that benefit charity. I was able to talk my BFF Genevieve into signing up for the Reindeer Run 5K, benefiting a local YMCA, and held at Brookfield Zoo. Actually it was really easy to talk her into it because there was a Kids Dash, and the $30 5K race fee included admission to the zoo (and parking), so she signed up her 5-year-old daughter Jolynn as well.

Unfortunately, her other little one was sick all night, so instead of her whole family coming, and spectating while she ran the 5K, she ended up coming alone with her 5-year-old for the Kids Dash and skipped the 5K. Kind of a bummer, but at least she was still able to come (and the two of us are signed up for a 5K later this month).

Those are soccer socks from 1996

It was raining before the race, but luckily stopped right before race time, and only drizzled on us a little bit during the race. My goal going into the race was to P.R. (beat 25:59).

The first mile marker was after a turn, and as I approached it, the official clock next to it was in the low 6:10s. Um, yeah. I knew I started off fast but not that fast.

Eventually my Garmin beeped and said I did the first mile in 7:30. Which is still really fast for me! Mile two (per my Garmin) was 8:09.

Mile three never happened because I finished, stopped my Garmin and:

(5K = 3.1 miles for the zero non-runners who read my blog.) I asked some of my Monday night friends who were also at the race, and they also had 2.89 on their Garmins. And there is no way I shaved over 3 minutes off my 5K P.R. in one month. Right?

Had it been a full 5K, it still would have been a P.R. - the pace was 30 seconds faster than my current 5K P.R. pace! From one month ago! Either way, it was good enough for second in my age group (F20-29). I'm not sure how many runners there were total. It wasn't a huge race. (Why do I always admit that? I'M SUPER FAST GUYS.)

I'm signed up for two 5K races (12/31 and 1/15) so hopefully those are the correct distance and I can actually P.R. for real.

After the 5K was the Kids Dash. I expected more red and green. (The race shirts were blue ... what?)

Jolynn is in the red pants

Nice beard, hipster

And then we stayed to look at animals.

Because I truly am my mother's daughter

Orangutans

Oh. Not only is it the second most popular dog's name, now this.

After awhile looking at primates gets mildly creepy. Just me?

Penguins!!!

I could keep one as a pet, right? It wasn't that cold in their habitat.
Plus it's an excuse for an indoor pool.

Because no post is truly complete without a picture of my cat.
For the record this was not taken at the zoo.

Reindeer Run 5K
Official: 22:43, Pace: 7:20 (but in my heart I know it's not true ...)
Overall: 44/293
F20-29: 2/19

Don't forget: Give me $5 and I might just give you a FuelBelt. (Raising money for the American Cancer Society. Raffle info here.)