For once it was warm during the Shamrock Shuffle

Jenn and I ran in the Shamrock Shuffle again this weekend. One thing about having a race this early in the year in Chicago is you never know what the weather is going to be like. Two years ago we ran in a blizzard. So this year the race was pushed two weeks later and what do we get? Near record heat. Yes, I know I shouldn't complain about warm weather in April, but I'm going to. See, I haven't run outside in temperatures about 55 so far this year. It's not that easy to all of a sudden shift like that. Especially as you get older and don't prepare the way you should.

Let's backtrack a bit first. Jenn and I were smart this year and went downtown the night before to make it much easier, and less stressful, to get to the race. We had won a night's stay at the Park Hyatt last year in a silent auction so we used it for this race. It worked great, the hotel was super nice and we had a great view.

We walked around downtown a bit and grabbed dinner at Mity Nice Grill in Water Tower Place. We noticed a million cops walking around as we walked to the restauarant. We weren't sure why, but we thought it might have something to do with it being the first nice night of the year and the cops expected undesirables to come out and try to swipe stuff. Who knows? Whoopi was also in town, maybe they were protecting her. (I'm kidding about that.)

Since we had to get up early we didn't walk around much so we'd be well rested and ready to run. Because we are professionals you know. (What?)

The next morning I put on my favorite nerdy running shirt and we headed downstairs to catch a cab to the starting line. Hey, we were about a mile away, we didn't want to burn ourselves out before the race!

We met up with Jenn's cousin, Kim, and waited a long time for the race to start.

It took so long to start because we are slow people and they let all the good people go first and release the rest of us losers in waves. I think it took a little over thirty minutes from the start of the race until we actually crossed the starting line. Those good people up front are finishing the stupid thing before we even get to the start. That's what happens when you have over 30,000 people running at once.

So, since it was warm and humid, my plan was to start of slow and take it easy. So, of course, I took off in the beginning and totally screwed myself up. I was hot and panting way too early and I never really got my groove back. It probably didn't help that I was wearing a black shirt. Idiot.

I finished though. I don't think it was my worst time, but it was nowhere near the time I wanted. After the race Jenn and I made a pledge to be better prepared and not slack off so much during the winter. Sure, we make the same pact every year, but this time we mean it!

We decided to walk back to the hotel so we wouldn't cramp up after sitting in a cab. We walked by the famous Chicago Magic Bean. I don't know if that is it's official name, but what else would you call a giant chrome kidney bean?

After we cleaned ourselves up we went across the street from the hotel and ate at RL, better known as Ralph Lauren Restaurant. Jenn told me she read that the resturant served Jennifer Aniston's favorite burger in Chicago. So, of course, I had the steak sandwich. Jenn had the burger and said it was good, but she also mentioned that Jennifer Aniston should probably go out and try more hamburgers in Chicago.

Now, I don't know why, but after the race when we got to Jenn's parent's house to pick up the kids I felt like crap. I just wanted to sleep. And, actually, I did drift off for a few minutes while we were there. I chalked it up to not being ready for the run and going a bit too hard in the beginning. But then I felt lousy the next day and Jenn was feeling ill today and stayed home from work. I think someone put something in the water. That's probably why I ran so poorly as well. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

The New and Improved Shamrock Shuffle.

(Damn it, I hit enter and sent out a blank post again. Sorry!)

Well, this year was new and improved because we weren't standing in 2 inches of slush at the Shamrock Shuffle like were were last year. The weather wasn't great, especially since it had been in the sixties the few days prior, but at least it didn't rain on us. Also, it's easy to stay warm when you are surrounded by 25,000 of your closest friends.

This year was a little different in many ways. One, my sister-in-law came with us this year. This was her first organized race (nothing like jumping into one of the biggest of the year as your first) but she works out all time, so it wasn't a big deal in terms of mileage. No, we are not going to compare hers and my times. Just drop it.

Also a first, we finally got to meet up with Mr. Unfocused before the race. We met here online about two years ago, and have been at some of the same races, but this was the first time we managed to get the timing and place to match up. We didn't get to talk a whole lot, mostly because he's an awesome runner and was way in the front of the pack, but we got to talk some at least. It was good to finally meet him in person.

The race itself? Well, it wasn't too bad. I did run much this winter, in fact I hadn't run more than four miles all winter, but I did okay anyway. I beat my time two years ago by about 40 seconds or so. I could have done better if my calves didn't lock up in the first 100 yards. It's never good to have to pull off the side that early to stretch out your calves. I really thought I wasn't going to be able to run at all. But, they loosed up after a couple hundred more yards and I was able to finish.

I had a plan this year. I brought my watch to make sure I took the first mile easy and not get caught up in the hoopla and be wiped out by mile two. I actually hit the time I wanted for mile one right on the nose. I was very proud of myself. The problem came in the next two miles where I actually went slower than mile one. That was not planned. But, I was able to pick it up on the last two miles and have better times on each of those two miles. So I can't complain too much.

The end of the race was kind of a mess. This year they had the largest crowd actually show up to run the race. Since the weather wasn't terrible most people still ran it and didn't wuss out like they did last year. That meant the end of the race was a mass of people trying to get water and a banana. They actually ran out of bananas, so it's obvious they expected more people to drop out due to the uncertainty of the weather. Never count out us hearty Chicagoans!

Finding Jenn was a big problem this year. I think every racer was on their cell phone at the end of the race so the circuits were jammed. Luckily Jenn was able to get a message through to me and tell me where to meet her. Otherwise I would have had to leave her behind. Hey, I had the keys, someone had to get the kids. We never met up with any of our friends, or relatives, at the end. t was too much of a madhouse. We just headed to the car to go home. Of course, when we got to the car someone had double parked behind us. Lucky for her she left a number for us to call and she'd move it. Otherwise I would have seen if our car had enough power to push hers out of the way. I'm kidding of course, I would have had it towed. I wouldn't want to ruin our paint job.

So, I sit here today, nursing my still aching calves (I'm doing a good job milking that, no?) and watching the dogs sleep off the fun they had while being boarded. Seriously, they are wiped out. We never seen them this inactive. It's a nice change of pace.

Speaking of change of pace, on Saturday I got home from work to a totally empty house. Jenn had taken the dogs to the place where they over nighted, then was out by her parents for a birthday party and then dropping the kids off at her parent's house for the night. I came home and didn't know what to do with myself. I had nobody to take care of, and no dogs to let out, or anything. So I sat at the computer and watched a show on Hulu and had dinner. Yes, that is kind of sad, but it was a quiet, yet slightly odd, night.

So, that was my weekend in a nutshell. Hope yours was good.

By the way, this is my 666th post. That can't be good...

Where have I been?

I just realized it's been nearly a week since my last post. I guess you can say I've been busy. I'm not sure with what exactly, but I know I haven't been here much this week. I even missed this past week's assignment on new urban legends. I had a good idea too. Want to here it?

My new made up urban legend was about a race of super-intelligent, radioactive rats that were living in the sewers and planning a take-over of the over world. They had been feeding off all the pollution and toxic waste and evolved into super smart rats that weren't going to take it anymore. Just to make it interesting I was going to say how their plan was to take over on 09/12/01, but too many lost their lives taking there positions in the World Trade Center on the 11th. Anyway, that's what you missed. See all you miss out on when I'm not around?

Also, I've been practicing my photography skillz. (Can you uses the 'z' when talking about photography? Do I look cool or stupid? Don't answer that.) I went to this sculpture park by our house, that I didn't know existed until last fall, and practiced there. Some turned out okay, but I still need to practice more on composition and such. While this particular picture isn't great, I like it because it is disturbing to me.

See that? The dog's tongue is coming out the back of the head! That is why it is called "Heavy Dog Kiss." I can't think of a more accurate title. The rest of the photos from that day can be found here.

In the weather today...it's snowing. Which really sucks since it was in the upper 60s on Thursday and nearly as warm on Wednesday and Friday. So, yeah, happy Vernal Equinox! Of course tomorrow is the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle race, so it should be nice and chilly for that. It won't be the slush-fest it was last year, but it's not going to be nice. I swear, if it is nice next weekend I'm going to be pissed.

Speaking of races, this year they are moving the long race I've done the last two years to August and moved it to Soldier Field instead of the suburbs. Dammit! So now I'm looking at a half marathon on Labor Day. This makes me nervous since I've never done a race that long. Sure, they long race I do is 9.3 miles so the half is only 4 miles longer, but that is a tough four miles. You know? But the half marathon looks really scenic, doesn't it. Plus, I get to run through Hamburger University. How can I pass that up? We'll see how training goes, I guess.

Well, that's about all I've been up to. It better stop snowing soon.

Wish me luck

Tomorrow we are running in the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago. This is the longest race I've ever down. Well, I really shouldn't call it a race since I don't plan on coming anywhere near the lead, but you know what I mean. It's an 8K which isn't all that long, but with the lousy weather we've had around here, I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be. On top of that, the weather is supposed to be rainy and cool. So I expect to be sick next week.

Today I feel like I am walking through a vat of molasses. Not the way you want to feel the day before a race. Maybe, deep down, at a sub-conscious level, my body is telling me to go slow and rest up. Yeah, that sounds right. Now, can I convince my wife that I should just lay on the couch all day? She can too since she is running as well. No, I don't think it will work either. She was nice enough to let me sleep in this morning, but it didn't help me much.

So watch for me on the news. I'll be the guy taken away in a stretcher. Hopefully I'll have enough strength to do the weekend assignment tomorrow. Hmmm. Maybe I should try to get that done tonight.