Marathon

San Diego Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Report!

Waking up at 4 AM is never easy if you're not used to it, but I felt amazingly rested. We had cool temperatures, in the low 60s with drizzle -- the perfect weather for running! My son and his friend dropped Michael and I off a couple of blocks from the starting area, but we needed to meet with the track club for one last stretch. I met up with some of my new track club friends who were eagerly anticipating the run. Most of this stuff is the typical pre-race protocol, such as dropping off gear at the UPS trucks to transport to the finish line, and making sure I got in line to use the port-o-potty... I was smart this time and made sure I had TP and Wet Ones. The port-o-potty was out of TP...

Michael and I barely made it to the starting corrals in time for the start. He started with me. For the first three miles I had to remind him to slow down. He was going faster than I was, and I knew he would burn out. After about mile 4 I pulled ahead of him and ran with a lady who was singing songs along the way. When I came upon her she was singing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," and the guys with her did the "bom, bom, bom" during the chorus. It was hysterical. I sang the "Brady Bunch" theme song with her after that. It was a blast. I high fived a bunch of cheerleaders, guys dressed like girls on the 163, and anyone who had their hands out.

Once I was off the 163 and got onto Friars Road, I happened upon three track club members who I have run with. I ran with them for a good two miles, and that's where everyone sort of separated. One guy went on faster, I kept the same pace, and the two other women slowed. Throughout the entire race I kept running with many of our track club members, and that was the neatest thing.

Around miles 15 and 16 was my neighborhood. My daughter and my grandson were there to cheer us on! I spotted them sitting along the curb near the elementary school. My grandson called out "Mimi!!!!" and gave me a big hug. That was priceless. I also got a big hug from my daughter. This is also the same street where the neighbors give out oranges and pieces of watermelon. Around mile 16 I turned on my iPod. With all the suggestions, there was over 3 hours of music! I put it on shuffle. The very first song was "Sedated" by The Ramones. That song perked me up right away.

I kept thinking that I was going to attempt to make it to mile 18 and then walk, but by the time I made it that far I still felt pretty good and continued to run.

Somewhere after mile 18 or so, the Runningskirts.com people were taking photos of runners in their running skirts. When I saw them, I started waving profusely. They're going to post the photos on Facebook. I must have seemed like a dork with all that waving I was doing, but I did look good doing it. LOL. I wore my red dot running skirt with a black tank top. A friend of mine was out there to take pictures, and I told him what I was going to wear, but he mentioned that there were SEVERAL women in my exact outfit!

About mile 21 I started running with Doreen from the track club. We have about the same pace, more or less. Some days she's ahead, and other days I'm ahead. We ran over the Ingraham street bridges together, then she had a burst of energy and took off.

Usually, the miles after 20 are what I call the sucky miles. I'm not sure why, but they weren't so sucky today, even on that switch back on Friars Road that's usually dry, dirty and drab. I did slow down after about mile 23, but I kept running, and it never really sucked. My legs felt good and my hip never bothered me, although I was slightly more gimpy, only because I was beginning to get tired. My lower back was sore at mile 23, though, but I think the water belt caused that soreness. With only 3.2 miles left I figured I could buck up and finish running, even if it was slow.

I saw my son and his friend at the 23.5 mile hydration stop on Pacific Highway, and got a hug there, and continued on.

As I ran down the Pacific Highway towards the turn towards MCRD, nearing in on mile 25, there were a lot of people cheering. I was in the zone. I had my iPod on and "The Pretender" by the Foo Fighters was on. I couldn't hear anything, but I later found out that my friend was there cheering for me! I didn't hear or see him! As I turned the corner into MCRD "Burn It To The Ground" by Nickelback came on, and that's what I thought I would finish to. I actually finished the marathon to "If U Seek Amy" by Britney Spears! (It WORKED, Flo! It really worked!)

I finished in 5:16:01. I never once hit that wall and I never once walked! It's not my slowest marathon, not my fastest, either, but considering all the shenanigans I went through last year with my injury, surgery, and rehab, I'm feeling rather content.

After the run was over, I retrieved some water, a cold towel, the medal and went to the medical tent for some ice. I iced my hip, just because I do that after every hard workout at rehab, and found Doreen icing her legs as well. She finished just ahead of me at 5:14.

They ran out of mylar blankets... It was a wee bit chilly after the run.

I waited for Michael to finish. While waiting I talked to several people who were just sort of milling around, gathering their minds, looking a bit bedazzled. Michael finished about 6:07. He said he had an upset stomach and had to stop several times, but he finished.

Once we gathered our belongings at the UPS trucks, we went over to say hi to the gang at the track club tent, then to listen to the featured band "English Beat." It amazed me that some of the marathoners were up and dancing. I could walk but I wasn't about to dance. We sat on the grass with Tara, also from the track club, and enjoyed the concert.

Back at home, showered, fed, and rested.

Surprises of the day:

• Some of the songs that surprised me were "Time To Say Good-Bye" by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocheli, "Hold On Tight" by ELO, "America" by Neil Diamond, "Fantasy" by Earth, Wind and Fire, and "Dirty Dancing" by New Kids On The Block. All of the songs were great - and I could not have finished the marathon with out ANY of the suggested songs, really, but those songs I mentioned were surprises because they were songs I wouldn't have thought to pick on my own. I loved them!
• Coach Paul was just about everywhere on the course with his bull horn: "You make a difference!"
  
• I was surprised that I ran the entire marathon.
• I was surprised that I never hit the wall.
• I'm still surprised that I'm not walking funny. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning...

Pictures to come.

Yesterday's song:
Part Of The List - Ne-Yo

PEACE

Splits:	10 Km	Half	21 Mile	Finish	O'All	Sex	Div
Times:	1:10:22	2:30:30	4:08:02	5:16:01	9208	3826	257
Pace:	11:20	11:29	11:49	12:04

Part Of The List

Picked up bib number, t-shirt and goodies at expo
check

Meet Sara ! I had a great time!
check

My husband thinks I should wear the crown with my hat for the marathon, but I can't figure how to make it stay on!!

Race day outfit and gear all ready to go
check

Ride to the start line set up
check

Friday pasta dinner with the track club
check

Husband picked up race number, t-shirt, and goodies at the expo
check


Drink a lot of liquids
check

iPod play list complete
almost - still looking for two songs

Saturday dinner at PF Changs with husband
check

Rest
as best as possible


Set alarm
check

I think that's it!

See you at the finish line!





Yesterday's song:
All Star - Smash Mouth - Barbie2be

PEACE

PS
I'll elaborate more later!

All Star

What?

My husband got into today's San Diego Union Tribune, complete with picture!

PS... It's the first picture. LOL.

Yesterday's song:
What I Got - Sublime - Barbie2be

What I Got

Activity: Run
Date: 05/28/09 11:42 AM
Distance: 1.77 miles
Time: 0:21:05
Speed: 5.0 mph
Pace: 11' 54 min/mile
Calories: 168

Last run before the marathon. Purposely slower, but I suspect that's what my marathon pace will end up being. I'm hoping to have a pace somewhere between an 11 and 12 minute mile pace, and that's factoring walking when I need to. Since several streets are closed off due to pipework, I ran a different route than I normally do. I ran down a section of the marathon route, kind of getting a mental image of what it's going to be like. I know what it will be like, which will be crowded with people traffic, not cars, and I will be approaching the streets that go by my grandson's elementary school and the house that always gives out fresh orange slices.

I

am

so

tired!

My husband has a cold and has been snoring up a storm the past couple of days. The snoring is keeping me awake, and if I go try and sleep on the couch, the cats and dog come to check me out. I guess they get curious as to why I would be sleeping on the couch, and the dog wants to kiss my face and the cats want to walk all over me. I'm glad the office doesn't need me right now, otherwise I'd be going though the day on auto pilot.

Our coach at the track club gave my husband's name and info to one of the writers at the San Diego Union Tribune because he ran the marathon last year in the 5 hour range. (5:49) My husband talked to the guy for over an hour! The article should show up in the paper tomorrow, but there's no guarantee that my husband's info will show up in the paper. Either way, I'll link the article here. My husband was surprised that they wanted to talk to him, but I guess the article is about regular people doing the marathon. We'll see.

Thanks for all of the songs! I'll post the entire play list tomorrow. If nothing else, the songs will definitely put a smile on my face, just because the selection is so divers. I love it! If anyone else has something to add, I'll add more songs until Saturday. I'm still waiting on a few people...

Monday's song:
If You Love Me Like Music, I'll Be Your song - Heart

PEACE

If You Love Me Like Music, I'll Be Your Song

I have a song request.

I'm putting together a playlist to get me through the last 6 miles of the marathon. Here's where I need your help. I'm asking, pretty please, to select ONE song for me to put on my playlist that will get me through those last 6 miles of the marthon. I normally don't run outdoors with an iPod, but if past experience is any indicator of what my state of mind is during those last 6 miles, I will need to dig down deep to bring it in. In addition, when I hear that song I will think of you, and run those song minutes dedicated to you. I listen to just about everything, so don't even think about what I would like. Think about what you like and what gets you pumped or motivated. I like just about all genre's of music.

And, finally, here's the last picture of me at our last long run with the track club. Can you find me?


I had a hard time finding me!

I'm right here...









Saturday's song:
Keep The Faith, Baby - Tony Bennett

PEACE


Photo courtesy of SDTC

Keep The Faith, Baby

Thanks for the tips about the Facebook conundrum. All of those tips helped and I was able to reset my profile and set the off line selection in the chat box. I didn't realize not wanting to be seen on line by a few particular people was such a hot topic. I'm glad it's just not me. Before that post I was beginning to feel like I was the bad guy for not wanting to communicate with that person.

There's a blogger friend I really do want you to meet. Please give a rock star welcome to Joyce ! Her blog title says Journey of a Running Newbie, but she's been doing the fitness thing for a while. Hi Joyce!

Friday night's carb load dinner is usually Thai or Chinese cuisine. This time dinner came from Panda Express, complete with fortune cookies. Here's my fortune:


With a little more than one week before the marathon, the timing is uncanny. Maybe it's a little cheesy, but this little fortune cookie affirmation message is sort of what I need right now. Pre-marathon jitters are setting in.

This is what today's track club run looked like for me:

Activity: Run
Date: 05/23/09 07:00 AM
Distance: 7.82 miles
Time: 1:30:23
Speed: 5.2 mph
Pace: 11' 34 min/mile
Calories: 756


We ran through the UCSD campus. I really liked this run because it was only slotted for an hour and a half. I reaaaaaaly like tapering. With the walk to and from the car factored in, I got in a total of 8 miles. I got in almost 5.5 miles when an hour was up, and didn't want to get lost on campus making up the time, so I just ran around the track for a half hour to fill in the time. Since we were going a smidgen slower, I was able to run with people I haven't seen in ages. Another good thing about this run is that there were virtually no stops. I usually don't like stopping at the water tables, unless there's a friend I want to say hi to. I'd much rather keep the momentum going. I didn't need to fine tune the GPS and take out any stops (at traffic lights) because there weren't any that I came across, plus the GPS worked perfectly in the arm band. I'm pretty happy that the time and distance is right on the mark. My body cooperated today, and that makes me VERY happy. Even better, after the run we met other track club members at a near by diner for breakfast. The hallah bread (French) toast hit the spot!

I guess I'm just about marathon ready. Just a few more small things to take care of, but it's as good as it's gonna get, for now.

I'm not sure what's up for the remainder of our three day weekend. Eveyone keeps asking us what we'll be doing, but I honestly have no clue. I'd much rather stay in my own backyard and barbecue.

Have a good one!

Thursday's song:
Face Down - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

PEACE

Face Down

I'm having weird moment, and I'm also feeling rather stupid...

Like many of you, I have a Facebook account. I honestly don't use it as much as others, but I do check it a couple of times a week, and perhaps I'll play a game of Pathwords while waiting for laundry, but that's about it. It's a good way to quickly see what everyone is up to, leave a brief comment or a thumbs up, however, I'm not big on some of the earning points thing, or giving people stuff, chatting, constantly updating, etc. I'm just not that into it, I guess, although it's a good tool for finding long lost friends and family memebers. Here's my question: what do you do when someone is always wanting to chat and you just don't want to or you have no desire to chat with that person, ever? Maybe that sounds kind of brutal, since I did allow this "friend" on my page, but this friend is someone from my past. He was there when I met my husband. He's a nice guy and all, but I'd much rather keep him at a distance... a very far distance, as in the far away state he now lives in. I'm completely good with that. I'm fine with an e-mail every now and then, and perhaps a yearly phone call from him to say how the wife and kids are doing. I'm getting kind of irked because the few times I do check Facebook he chimes in and wants to chat. I kind of freak out and log off quickly. I'm kind of surprised he hasn't tried to phone me. Without me logging onto Facebook at this very moment (because he's logged on), is there a way to block him from seeing when I'm on line?

See, I told you this was stupid. It feels so high school.

We all change and grow in different directions. People change. Life changes. I'm not perfect. Blah, blah, blah. [Insert the appropriate psycho-babble here.] We used to confide in each other about everything when we were much younger, but somewhere along the line we both changed, and now, for me, just even seeing his icon on line in the chat box is like hearing nails on a chalk board... It's really hard to explain why that is without getting too detailed as to why this guy irks me.

Maybe I'm just not cut out for Facebook.


Tuesday's song:
Out Of Our Heads - Sheryl Crow - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

Out Of Our Heads

Activity: Run - Treadmill
Date: 05/19/09 12:00 PM
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 0:32:00
Speed: 6.1 mph
Pace: 9' 50 min/mile
Calories: 304

Today was HIIT on the the gym treadmill. This time my slow points were around 4.5 and my high point was at 7.5! This is the first time in a very long time that I've been able to hold a 7.5 m/m pace for a minute, and I did that on my very last peak. That's just ridiculous... well, for me it is. I guess all that sports therapy IS working.

Last night I went out with the gang from work to celebrate a couple of birthdays. We went to a Thai restaurant in La Mesa, which served up a TON of food. Much to my surprise, I found out that one of my coworkers got married over the weekend, while flying in a helicopter over Las Vegas! I noticed the ginormous rock she was wearing on her left hand ring finger and asked about it. We weren't surprised that she got married, but surprised that she and her now husband drove to LV with a friend and got hitched in a helicopter. How cool is that?
They've been living together for years and didn't want a big to-do wedding. Her husband wanted to be married by an Elvis impersonator, but they couldn't find one who would join them in the helicopter on such short notice. Oh yeah, the birthdays were for Man Doctor and GG, pictured. (GG is also the new bride.) Someone forgot the dorky stuffed birthday cake hat that we all take turns wearing, so we improvised with wire ribbon from the gifts. We couldn't let this birthday celebration go without some sort of head wear -- It just wouldn't be right.

There was special election in California today, having mostly to do with the the state budget, education funding payment plan, lottery modernization, children's services funding, mental health funding, and elected officials salaries. Apparently, there wasn't a big turn out, which is kind of sad. I cast my ballot.

Saturday's song:
What a Difference a Day Makes - Dinah Washington, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Diane Schuur, etc.

PEACE

What a Difference a Day Makes

...Or a week.

Activity: Run
Date: 05/16/09 06:51 AM
Distance: 10.64 miles
Time: 1:56:55
Speed: 5.5 mph
Pace: 10' 59 min/mile
Calories: 1022

That's more like it. I felt really good today, unlike last week's drudgery of a run. Today I felt well, no extreme aches, the calf was a little twitchy at the start, but it seemed to work itself out as I ran. I felt like I was taking it easy, and I was, but my splits look so much better than last weeks. Sure, today's run was just a little over 10 1/2 miles, just about half of what I did last week, but last week I was scoping out restroom locations from the get go, which is never a good sign. A few miles into today's run I saw AKA Alice running in the opposite direction, and we made an attempt at a run-by high five. She must have started an hour or more before we did.

This out and back run is relatively flat. I kind of had to laugh when the women just behind me said something about "I can't believe they're making us run these hills, it's supposed to be a taper." I felt like saying "what hills?" OK, there were little hills, but there are bigger hills on the marathon course. I guess it's all relative. After running in the San Francisco Nike Women's Half Marathon in 2007, I gained a new perspective on hills. Now, THOSE are hills.

Thursday's song:
Summer Girl - Jessica Andrews - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

Summer Girl

TIART:

"This week's theme is ... Gearing Up For Summer. With the really warm summer temperatures around the corner, it is time to dust off our warm weather gear, tips and know how in order to transition and run well into summer. Share your best tips for how you transition from cooler to warmer temperatures as well as stay cool during those hot weather runs."

Aside from the usual tips of staying hydrated, running earlier in the morning before it gets too hot, or after the sun goes down, DO NOT forget the sunscreen, preferably with an SPF of 30 or higher, and reapply if necessary. I prefer sunscreens that are water-resistant. I currently use Kinesys, but I'll use the kid's Banana Boat in a pinch.


Tuesday's song:
Survivor - Destiny's Child - Run-DMZ

PEACE

Survivor

I know. I'm a slacker. No blogging since Friday.

Friday I was feeling kind of blah, you know, the feeling you get when you feel like you're about to get a cold or a flu, but it never really went into full swing. I felt sort of lethargic, but not tired enough to spend all day in bed. I wanted to do my usual Friday night pre-run carb load dinner of something with brown rice and chicken (usually Chinese or Thai cuisine take out) but my husband was a little slow on the uptake and the food never manifested itself into our meal plan. I ended up making oatmeal pancakes with soy protein powder -- not exotic or exciting, but usually a decent back up meal, or so I thought.

Saturday morning we're up at the crack of dark, and I'm still not feeling right. I went about my usual pre-run routine, but my body wasn't cooperating as it usually does. Ugh. I had that rocks-in-the-stomach feeling, the same feeling I get when I carb load with pasta. I just had a gut feeling what I was in for, pun intended. Here's how it all looked:

Activity: Run
Date: 05/09/09 6:15 AM
Distance: 20.35 miles
Time: 4:21:22
Speed: 4.7 mph
Pace: 12' 50 min/mile
Calories: 1943

Not pretty, but I survived.

My m/m average pace is probably closer to 11:45/12:00, not 12:50. I didn't wear my cell phone in an arm band, like I usually do, and put in the pouch on my water belt, and I'm about 99.9% sure that's what screwed up my tracking. I know my stats are far from accurate because I ran the first half with Roberta, who was wearing her Garmin and she would keep me informed about our pace. Around miles 10 ,11 and 12 she said we were running about a 10:50 m/m pace, and my stats showed something like 11:36+. I tried to do a "fine tune" on my GPS per BiM, but it took out too much time, and gave me a 10:00 m/m pace on the last mile of the run, and I wasn't running at that point. (I tried to post out my splits grid here, but BiM won't let me.)

Oh yeah, the run -- I almost forgot to discuss the run. It sucked big time, especially the second half. The entire run I kept scoping out where the next restroom was. It takes a lot for me to say a run sucked, because running is my mental therapy, but there was nothing therapeutic about this particular run. My stomach was doing somersaults. After about mile 16 I started doing a walk/run pattern, as every part of me ached, but I had to finish. When I hit the two mile home stretch, I just decided to walk. It was all about putting in the mileage, anyway, and time was now a moot point. I ended up walking in those last two miles with a guy, Arthur, who was having issues as well. Arthur, who is in theater arts, made an interesting comment, "bad dress rehearsal, great show." I hope that's the case. When we saw the Welcoming Committee, with their pom-poms and cheering, we mustered up something and ran in the last 100 feet, hand in hand - hands held up. I know, I just met the guy two miles ago, but we bonded -- Misery loves company? I dunno. I think it was more like were dragging each other in.

I got in 20 miles, which was two more than I had planned.

I also saw AKA Alice and friends on bikes as we were running. They're training for half marathons, so they decided to bike instead, since they really didn't need to run 20/22 miles that morning. Smart, smart, smart!

After cooling down, visiting with running friends and enjoying the post run picnic, we made our way back home to down a couple of Tylenols, rested up, then got all gussied up to attend an engagement party. The dress I had planned to wear for the party NEEDED heels. I bought the dress and shoes while in Chicago, thinking these would be great for the party, but, of course, I wasn't thinking the party and running 20 miles would happen on the SAME DAY. The heels weren't that high, really, but anything higher than a running shoe heel was too high on that occasion... I was OK, as long as I didn't have to walk more than a few feet. PS, my dress is a dark purple version of the one pictured, just in case you had to know.


Of course, Sunday was Mother's Day. We opted out of the big brunch buffet gala and went to the High Dive down the street instead. My dad even showed up. It was great because I didn't have to get all dressed up, we had mimosas, and I didn't over eat. After breakfast, I visited with my dad at home for a bit, then went back to bed. I spend most of my Mother's Day in bed, sleeping. I'd like to say that it was blissful sleeping, but it was more of the kind of sleep you get when you're sick -- meaning, no matter how much you rest, you still feel tired. (I'm guessing my issues are some sort of flu because my daughter has been feeling ill for the past few days, too, with the exact symptoms.) I really wasn't expecting any gifts, nor did I ask for anything, but my son gave me a couple of pairs of Ininji socks, and my daughter and grandson gave me a little box of chocolates and cologne. The funny thing is that the cologne is something that I would never ever pick out for myself, but my 5 year old grandson selected it. It's actually a nice fragrance.

Monday was all about getting back to sports therapy. I was still sore, but now the big soreness was in my right quad. Other than the warm up on the recumbent bike, everything I did was a struggle. B backed off the routine (thank God!) and no major squats or lunges were involved. It was still tough, though. Profusely sweating is usually not me, but I sweat so much it was kind of embarrassing. Sweat came from places that it normally does not come from. It was ridiculous. I was planning to trek on over to Road Runner Sports after ST, because it's in that neighborhood, but I had to go home and take a shower and put on some clean clothes, then head out to the store. I was pretty gross after ST. *sigh* I hope Wednesday's ST session will be better, and way less sweaty.

I wasn't planning to purchase a new pair of shoes for the marathon, but I had to. I was hoping the test shoes from the Runner's World Wear Test program would work out for me, but, alas, they won't get me through the marathon. I was hooked up with a pair of Adidas Supernova Response Cushion 18 -- coming out sometimes this summer, which will be good for a half marathon distance, not a whole. They need just a little more cushion for my creaky bones and feet. (Rats!) I had to break down and get a new pair of Asics Gel Nimbus 11 (pictured), which are now running smaller than they used to, and I had to get an entire size up from my regular shoe size. I have time to wear them enough to be marathon ready in a couple of weeks.

Under normal circumstances, today would be a run day, intervals on the gym treadmill, but it's not going to happen. I don't have a car since it's in for a tune-up/check-up at the dealership. I'll get out and walk. I already walked from the dealership to my house this morning, which is almost a half mile. I'm still not quite recouped from whatever was ailing me, but I need to get in some sort of movement. The day is still young... sort of.

Friday's song:
A Year Ago - Kenny G


PEACE

A Year Ago

I had my one year visit with my surgeon yesterday. Actually, it will be one year next week. The x-rays shows that everything looks good and there is no need for further follow-up with him. He asked about my running and that was it. I was sent on my way. I can't help but think back to last year and the pain I was in, and where I was. Last Saturday's long run with the track club was the same run last year where the injury manifested itself further, and I could not finish running the entire 16 miles, but hobbling to the water station around mile 11. Mentally, it felt good to complete that run last Saturday, with out THAT pain.

Tomorrow's run with the track club is charted to be around 22 miles. I'm not sure how many miles I'll get in, especially within the allotted time frame, but I think it's safe to say I'll get in at least 18. This time I'm taking extra gels. I could do without the calf cramps.



Wednesday's song:
Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe

PEACE

Cruel To Be Kind

The other day at sports rehab, Monday to be exact, I had mentioned that my left calf was sore, perhaps from my 16 mile run on Saturday. B worked on my calf and mentioned how tight it was. It hurt like all get out when he worked on it, but that's usually the case. I had to go to that warm, sandy beach in my mind, plus do some deep breathing.

Fast forward to now...

I showed B my calf today and he said something like "Did I do that?" "Don't take pictures!" To which I replied "I am sooooo taking a picture!"

There it is.

Yep. Nice and bruised.

Does it still hurt? Yes.

Am I upset? No. I bruise quite easily. I could have done that all by myself, for free. There is a method to the madness, but I wish it didn't have to hurt.

Sunday's song:
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks - Katiefeldmom

PEACE

Wide Open Spaces

...and a few tight ones.

Springtime in Chicago.

Executive Ninja in Kyle's car.

Me and Jaime at the Orange for breakfast. They had menu items like Green Eggs and Ham, and Frushi -- sushi made out of fruit.

My sister's dog, Phoebe. She actually barks " I love you." It sounds like Scooby-Doo saying "Rye Ruv Roo."

Getting some love.

Chicago has a bid for the 2016 Olympics. Banners are up everywhere.

The Sears Tower

...and one obligatory photo of a Mies Van Der Rohe building.

Activity: Run
Date: 04/27/09 10:00 AM
Distance: 4.04 miles
Time: 0:37:22
Speed: 6.5 mph
Pace: 9' 15 min/mile
Calories: 377


Here's my haphazard run that started along Lake Shore. I was supposed to run over to Navy Pier, per my sister's instructions, but I never saw the signs to get there, so I just kind of made my way up to the streets, ran around until my GPS gave me the mileage I needed and went back. I had no clue where I was going and couldn't find a single sign on how to get to Navy Pier. Usually, my runs are pretty much a straight line. I was running around a construction site and a ton of people. No, I didn't run on the Chicago river. I suspect there was a little GPS bouncing, especially with all the buildings and running next to a television station. It wasn't quite the 6 miles I wanted to do, but it was a mile walk from the hotel and back, so I technically did get in the 6 miles.

Yesterday

Activity: Run
Date: 05/02/09 09:46 AM
Distance: 16.20 miles
Time: 3:00:52
Speed: 5.4 mph
Pace: 11' 10 min/mile
Calories: 1553




This was my 16 miler with the track club. I did better than I had expected, but I didn't anticipate needing more electrolytes than I had on me. Calf cramps kicked in right at mile 16, and I ran the .20 just to get to the gazebo at Hospitality Point. Yay. It would have been awful if the cramps kicked in earlier. At least I was in sight of the end. After a little electrolyte drink and some stretching I was OK. Around mile 10 I ran with Cathy, who ran the Boston Marathon last year. She remembered me from volunteering at the water tables at mile 23.5 at last year's Rock 'N' Roll Marathon and my hip injury, complete with walker. I mentioned that I am expecting to finish this year's marathon at about 5:30 or thereabouts. She informed me that were were running at a 4:30 marathon pace at that point. Oops. After the next half mile I told her I was going to back off my pace and chat with her the end of the run. My split at mile 10 was a 9:58 m/m. I would have been toast well before the 16 miles were up if I had kept that pace. I guess it was good to know that I could carry that pace 10 miles into a 16 mile run. That was also my fastest split.

It was also kind of humid for our run. Look how nice and sweaty I am. Right behind me is Sabrina, who I met at the beginning of the run. We ran the first 8 miles together.

Hey, guess what??? I'm not lopsided anymore!

Wednesday's song:
My Kind Of Town - Frank Sinatra - Pat

PEACE