Burgers & Beer 5k

There is a 5k for just about anything these days… obstacles, food, holiday’s, costumes, etc.  The ones I tend to be drawn to are ones that involve good food and good beer at the end 🙂

A while ago, my coworkers and I decided to sign up for the Burgers & Beer 5k by Solider Field because we knew it would be warm in July and we figured it would be a good ‘happy hour’ experience.

When I sign up for low mileage races and know that a lot of eating and drinking will occur afterwards, I try eat a really healthy breakfast and lunch so that I don’t ruin the whole day ‘health wise.’  On Monday, I had a Quest bar for breakfast with a juicy peach and sushi and seaweed salad for lunch.

Light, yet filling and full of protein and carbs.

At 5:30 p.m., we headed over to the race.  It was a PERFECT night for a run – warm but with a nice cool breeze.

When we got to the start area, we took our time checking our gear and checking out the free swag that was there.  One thing I loved about this race was that the event was well organized and also very low key.  I think there were only a total of 600 or so runners that actually ran the race.  One thing thing that kind of sucked, but was hard to avoid was the fact that it was run on the Lakeshore Path.  The Lakeshore Path is a beautiful and flat path to run, but it is open to the public.  There were lots of bikers and other runners weaving in and out of the race which made it pretty congested for the first mile.

Once it thinned out a bit, we really hit our stride.

… and the views, well they were unbeatable.

 

(Special ‘thanks’ to Tracy for her awesome photography skills!)

As an avid runner, I really enjoy 5k’s.  They aren’t long enough for my body or mind to start hurting, but they are long enough to fit in a good workout.  If 5k’s aren’t easy for you, I encourage you to keep at it and sign up for some!  There are a lot of inexpensive races that you can sign up for that go towards a good cause.  The Burgers and Beer 5k donated a portion of their proceeds to the Special Olympics and there were a lot of Special Olympians there to cheer us on!  It was a really awesome sight to see 🙂

Once we finished, we headed directly to the Burger tent to grab a Billy Goat burger.  I actually never had a Billy Goat burger before (a Chicago staple) and I have to say they were pretty good! The patty is super thin, so if you ever go to the real place, be sure to order a double!

We also got to choose between a 312 or Goose Island Pale ale which really hit the spot.

The Rainbow Cone people where there as well (another Chicago staple), which was a first for me again.  A night of firsts!

Overall, I would recommend this race to anyone who is looking to have a good time and fit in a workout at the same time.  It’s not the best race for those who are trying to accomplish a PR due to the congestion on the Lakeshore Path.

What fun 5k have you participated in recently?

 

Cosley Zoo Run for the Animals 5k

Good morning!  This weekend was so good I did not want it to end…

Friday after work, I headed home to relax and decompress from my crazy week which included a little happy hour for one.

I love that Trader Joe’s has individually sized cheeses.  They might be a little pricier than buying a whole block, but it really does help with that little thing called self-control!  I munched on some delicious brie, rice crackers, prosciutto and veggies while also enjoying a nice crisp glass of chardonnay

I couldn’t get too crazy during my happy hour because I had to go pick up Brian from Midway Airport at 10:00 p.m.  Getting there and back was a total breeze, I love when there is no traffic and the pretty city lights entertain my drive.

We got back to my apartment around 11:00 p.m. and had to go to bed immediately because we had a 4:30 a.m. wake up call.  Groan.

Brian and I signed up for a 5k race to run with our friends who live out in Wheaton, Illinois which is about a 50 minute drive to the city – hence the early wake up call.

The race was the Cosley Zoo Run for the Animals which helped benefit the local zoo in the area.  Although we did not actually run through or past the zoo from what I could tell, it was a really pretty course that had a few small hills and plenty of shade to shield from the heat.

One of the things I love about small races is the laid back atmosphere.  There were no corrals, so everyone kind of just filtered where they wanted to.  Shout out to our awesome photographer and supporter, Cassie!

Even though the start of the race was a little crowded, I was feeling REAL GOOD and managed to stick with a great pace the entire race.

It was really fun to see all of the residents of Wheaton camped out in their front yards to cheer on the runners – it made the 3.1 miles fly by because just like that…

We finished!  And there was beer and Propel waiting for us!

 

We all hung out at the post-race festival and enjoyed our complimentary drinks as well as rocked out to some awesome music.  Instead of heading out to brunch, we decided to capitalize on the gorgeous day and grill outside.

It was the perfect day.

 

A Night at Wrigley Field

Good Morning!

We have been having really beautiful days here in Chicago and last night I got to enjoy one of these days outside. GASP.  Yes, outside!

As I mentioned yesterday, one of my coworkers was giving away his Cubs tickets for free and I was the lucky person who snagged them 🙂

After work, I raced home where Brian and Bailey were waiting for me with big smiles.  We decided to make dinner and eat before the game so we wouldn’t overindulge too much at the stadium.  Originally we had salmon and asparagus on the menu, but that didn’t really seem like a good base to go with our beer and alcohol consumption, so we switched to turkey tacos instead.

These hit the spot! All I did was Sautée the ground turkey with some taco seasoning and salsa and it was sooooo yummy.

With our bellies full we headed to Wrigley, which is just a 15 minute walk from my apartment.  My coworker has really good seats – aisle 17 row 9 – right behind home plate.  The sky/view was spectacular.

Before we got settled we b-lined it to the beer tent where Brian got some cold refreshing brews and I opted for the white wine.  I know, who drinks wine at a ballpark, but hear me out.  My favorite ballpark treat is a big bag of salted peanuts and when you pair that with a cold glassd of Pinot Grigio you get the salty sweet effect.  It’s heavenly.

My second favorite ballpark treat is of course the chicago hot dog (off the grill not from the concession).  I was pretty full from my tacos at home and half a bag of peanuts, but it was still really hard to resist a hot dog with all the delicious smells surrounding me.  Cheers to my willpower for the night.

Staying healthy at a ballpark is super difficult so I usually try to eat super clean the whole day leading up to the game so that I don’t go to bed at the end of the night feeling like crap.

That being said, there are definitely ‘better choice’ options that you can opt for.  For instance, choose a grilled brat with all the fixings sans bun over a giant helmet of nachos with neon orange processed cheese.  I saw a bison hot dog last night that looked mighty tasty as well as a pulled pork sandwich!  At Sheffield’s Grill inside Wrigley, the do have a gluten free bun option if you’re on that diet and there are gluten free beer options available at some of the beer tents.

Besides the food being awesome it was also a really fun night… even though the Cubs lost… surprise… surprise 😉