Race for the Cure 5k

This weekend, my college girlfriends and I signed up to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Lombard, IL.  This event was special for two reasons:

1. We are all Zeta Tau Alpha alums and Breast Cancer Awareness is our philanthropy.  In college, we used to charter a large bus to pick us up in Normal, IL (Illinois State University) and drive us to the Race for the Cure event in Chicago.

2. One of our closest friends had this philanthropy hit home when her mother was diagnosed earlier this summer.

Since it’s not always easy to get all of us in the same place for an extended period of time, we decided to make a ‘weekend’ out of it.  My friends and I whom live in the city drove out to the burbs Saturday to hang out with several of our other friends to have a good ol’ fashioned girls sleep over.  Wine, cheese and chick flick movies were all involved.

The next morning we were up bright and early to get to the event by 8:00 a.m and to meet Brian who drove up to participate.  The race start and finish was located in a mall parking lot, which was really the perfect spot because no one is at the mall at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning.  The lot was full of women and men alike dressed to the nines in full out pink.  Pink socks, skirts, homemade pants, boas, ribbons, hats… you name it.  There was a large stage where people were dancing and playing music, getting pumped up for the race and lots of vendors there handing out free goodies.

At 8:30 a.m., the race began!

5k’s are really such fun races.  It’s a long enough distance to get in a good workout, but not too long where I feel like i’m going to pass out.

A lot of the people racing with me were super friendly, giving each other high-fives and screaming out encouraging mantras.  It was an all-around feel good kind of race, especially because you knew that the donations were going towards such a wonderful cause.

The course took us out of the mall parking lot and into the surrounding neighborhood.  It was a pretty perfect day to go running except for a few strong gusts of wind here and there.  I wasn’t complaining though 😉

I had an awesome time running the race.  Surprisingly, the cheese and wine combo from the night before was not hindering my stride and I ended up running a pretty decent race!  I didn’t PR my 5k time, but I did place 3rd in my age group which was pretty neat.

Of course, there were really only 50 people in my age group… but I’ll still take it!

After the race, we hung out for a while.  Enjoyed roaming the tents eating fresh watermelon, coffee and donuts.

Check out these amazing watermelon carvings!  The man who created these did them live so you could watch him make one from start-to-finish.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday.  I love my college friends so much and am so glad we continue to stay best friends even though 4 years has already passed since we got to live carelessly at our old stomping grounds.

 

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.

 

North Shore Classic Half Marathon

You know how water makes the Wicked Witch of the West melt?  … Well that’s how I feel when I run in 85 degree weather.

This past Sunday my running buddy, the other Lindsay, and I ran the North Shore Classic Half Marathon in Highland Park, IL.  We chose this race for a couple reason, but two big selling points were that the scenery was different from our normal lakeshore route and that we hoped it would be cooler than our last half marathon since it was in early June.

Well my friends, you should never gamble on Chicago weather.

Lindsay and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to fuel and prep for the drive up to the North Shore.  The race started at 7:30 a.m. and we had to be in our corral by 6:45 a.m.  The first thing I loved about this race was the face that it is a lot smaller than the majority of the runs hosted in the city.  Smaller races = less crowds and lower stress levels.

When we got to the starting area, we had plenty of time to visit the port-o-johns, sip on some water and stretch out our hamstrings.

My family was awesome and arrived just as we were gathering in our corrals.  My sister even made some kick-ass signs to help cheer us on!

Before we knew it, it was time to go! go! go!

The first 8 miles were awesome.  We were on pace and ran in and out of the Highland Park neighborhood passing beautiful houses and gorgeous ravines.  You know that scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off where they visit the garage with the super sweet car?

Yah that garage is actually in Highland Park and sits over one of their ravines.

Now that you know we were passing ravines, you probably guessed that this course was not exactly flat.  I’m not sure I realized how hilly Highland Park, Illinois was.  We were constantly going up and down hills, some small…

and some LARGE like the one right at the end of mile 8.  Now when I’m talking about large, I mean large.  I know i’m a city girl that runs on a 99% flat surface, but this one hill was large.

I would be lying if I said that my body handled these hills well.  In fact, I will be the first to admit that I had to walk a portion of those hills – yup.

The last 5 miles were all a deadly mental game.  We entered the Ft. Sheridan military neighborhood that basically had zero shade to block the blazing 85 degree sun and it was a long down and back which meant we were in it for the next 45 minutes.  Even with my amazing running buddy with me, I struggled.

All of our training runs that lead up to our race were in 50 or 60 degree weather and my body was just not ready for such a big jump.  I tried to stay focused and make mini goals in my head that would help the distance go by, but the miles dragged on.  It didn’t help that all of these super fit people around me were stopping to walk and talking about how hot it was outside.  Lindsay overheard a couple runners talking about just ‘finishing the race’ and not ‘running it hard’ due to the weather – talk about a psych out.

By mile 11, I was SO over the race I just wanted it to be done with.  Lindsay, the smart person she is, busted out her iphone and started blasting some motivational music to push us through.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about my running buddy.  When I needed to walk up those hills or take my time through the water stations, she stayed with me – even though I made it clear that she could ditch me at any point.  When I needed a good pep talk – she had one for me.  When I needed to laugh and stop thinking about the damn hills – she busted out her jokes. I’m really glad she stuck with me because her positive attitude pushed me to run those last few and make it to the finish.

13.1 never looked so good.

2:19:08 – 10:36 min/mile

Even though we did not PR on this race, I am glad we ran it.  Lindsay – train more in hilly areas.  Mother nature – stop being so emo and don’t pull an 85 – 90 degree day out of nowhere.

The best part of the race was the ice cold water soaked towels waiting for us at the finish line.

Pure happiness.

It may have not been the time we were hoping for, but we were glad to have another half marathon under our belts.

Almost immediately after chugging some chocolate SILK that was handed out – WIN for us lactose sensitive – we headed out to breakfast with the family.

I ordered the Swedish pancakes with ligonberries and a side order of bacon.

It was the best tasting thing in the world.

I would definitely recommend this race to any individuals who are up for a challenge.  If the weather were 10 degrees cooler I think it would have been a really fun race to run.  My feedback to the race organizers would be to possible switch the route so that you start in the sun in the beginning of the race and end the race running through the shaded neighborhood streets.  Also – if it’s going to be as hot as it was, it would have been super awesome to get that ice cold soaked towel earlier in the race around mile 10 or so.

Shout out to my amazing family for coming to watch and support us.  You guys are amazing and I loved seeing your faces as I turned the corner at the finish!

Until next time!

Soldier Field 10 Miler

Gooooooood morning, sports fans!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. I myself am feeling very refreshed and ready to tackle the work week.

This weekend was full of all kinds of activities from BBQ’s to Grad Parties to Birthday Parties and Engagements! Today, however, we are going to recap the more active part of my weekend – The Soldier Field 10 Miler.

Saturday morning my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. signaling that it was time to get up and prep for my run. My usual breakfast was consumed – two slices of peanut butter toast topped with banana slices and a glass of ice cold water. For whatever reason the glass of ice cold water always gets things moving in the morning for me, more than coffee does!

Mentally, I was feeling really good – I knew that it was going to be a picture perfect running day and I was psyched to run my last long run before my half-marathon this coming weekend.

We arrived at Soldier Field at about 6:15 a.m, which gave us enough time to get ourselves together, use the restrooms and get into our corrals before the closed. Brian was nice enough to come watch us three amigos run the race so we did not have to worry about doing any sort of gear check.

The opening ceremony to the race was a tribute to fallen and active soldiers in honor of the Memorial Day weekend. A trumpet player opened with playing taps and it was one of the most emotional race openings I have ever witnessed.

After the National Anthem was sung, it was time for the 10 mile race to begin! Luckily, We were in the second color of corrals which meant that we didn’t have to wait too long to get to the start line.

The route was a simple down and back along the lake, five miles each way and the views were spectacular.

The first five miles I felt good – really good, but couldn’t help notice that my knee was feeling a little tight.  As the race continued, my knee started to bother me more and more.  There were a lot of little inclines during the second half of the race and by mile 7, I was feeling some major pressure.  I was so lucky to be running with friends because if I was on my own, I’m not sure I would have been able to push on like I did.  Plus, it definitely helped that it was such a picture perfect running day – I kept having to remind myself to just enjoy the run, push on through and not let myself get discouraged.  Easier said than done, right?

Luckily, the last two miles really did fly by and finishing the race on the 50 yard line of Solider Field was really awesome.

Soldier Field 10 Miler – complete!  1:39:42 – 9:59 min/mi average.  Not my fastest run, but not my slowest run either.

After we received our finishers medal, we snapped some photos inside of the stadium and then headed out to the ‘finishers tailgate’.

I made sure to spend A LOT of time stretching before making any more moves around the stadium.  To say that I was bummed out about my bum knee would be an understatement.  I have been training so long and so hard these past couple of months for this half marathon and I really hope that this isn’t something serious.  I spent a good majority of Saturday and Sunday icing my knee, 30 minutes on 30 minutes off – etc.

As it stands today, my knee feels good – I don’t feel any of the pressure that I did on Saturday, however, I don’t know if it will return.  For now, I am definitely still planning on running the half marathon on Sunday.  If the pain resurfaces during that run, I will go to the doctor and have it checked out.  I’m trying to stay positive, people!

Have you ever encountered a knee injury?

2014 Chase Corporate Challenge

My oh my, it’s already Friday! Annnnd a 3 day weekend 🙂

As I mentioned yesterday, I have a big group of relatives flying, driving and walking in from all over the country this weekend to celebrate my sisters graduation. Although the weekend will be full of lots of family time, it will also be full of lots of running.  I’m running the Solider Field 10 miler tomorrow and LAST NIGHT I ran the 3.5 mile Chase Corporate Challenge.

The Corporate Challenge is something I look forward to every year. 25,000 runners from corporations all over the Chicagoland area come together to run or walk the 3.5 miles in support of Corporate wellness initiatives. I love it.

The race is always held in May, which in Chicago terms means you never know what kind of weather you will get. Two years ago it was 85 degrees, last year it was 35 degrees and last night it was 60 degrees. Talk about temperature whiplash.

The event is held in Chicago’s beautiful Grant Park and each company gets to set up a giant party tent for celebrating after the race. This year, kCura’s tent was right next to Buckingham Fountain.

Breathtaking.

The race started promptly at 7:00 pm, but there were no real serious corral closures so we took our time walking over to the start.

Lining up is one of my favorite parts of the race because we get to check out all of the fun t-shirts each company comes up with.  I really liked our design this year, however, the tech shirts were white and DEFINITELY see-through.  Not the most flattering cut, but hey – it was free!

The route itself is one my least favorite part of the race. The majority the route is run through lower Wacker which is full of all kinds of smells and weird hot air.

Nevertheless, it is always a lot of fun to see how many people participate and basically shut down the loop area. Last night was a double whammy because Obama was in town as well. According to our cab driver on our way home, the race + Obama made for some real interesting travel routes.

The 3.5 miles went by really quick and time-wise I ran just as fast as I really wanted to in preparation for my big race on Saturday – 31:11!  Although one day I will break that 30 minute mark for 3.5 miles!  Fun Fact: Brian beat me 🙂  As much as that may erk me, I’m also really proud of him because i’m pretty sure it’s the fastest race he has ever run.  You go Glen Coco say’s Kulla below 😉

After the big finish, we headed back to our tent to enjoy some delicious BBQ food and sangria.

Burgers on Pretzel Buns, grilled corn on the Cobb and Asian slaw for the win.

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with coworkers and friends and of course finishing off the booze at the bar 🙂

Another great race in the books.

2014 Shamrock Shuffle 8k

Hello, hello!

This past Sunday I ran the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle for my third year in a row.  The race is one of my favorite for many reasons:

– It is the ‘official’ start to race season

– You get to run through the River North/Downtown Loop neighborhoods

– It is usually the start of warmer weather

– People always have awesome outfits

This year I was in the first wave of runners – corral D that started at 8:30 a.m.  Brian and I got down to the starting area with plenty of time for me to take pictures and visit the beloved porta potties 🙂  Brian did not run the race with me this year, but he always loves to come and watch for the post race celebration.

I was a little nervous lining up at the start because I had just ended an amazing week long vacation in which I ate and drank … A LOT.  I did manage to get a bunch of runs/workouts in, but nothing over 3.5 miles.  Needless to say, I was just going to enjoy the run and not go into it hoping for a PR.

Bank of America sponsored races are always very well organized, so the race started exactly on time and we were off!

As I mentioned earlier, the route is one of my favorites.  First we ran north from Grant Park towards the River North area and then turned West all the way down to State Street.  Then we swung a left and ran south all the way down State passing the famous Chicago Theatre!

Once we hit Jackson st. we ran west again passing my work and the Chicago Board of Trade.

It’s funny running by work when I’m not actually going IN the building 🙂

At Lasalle we turned right and went north until we got to Monroe… there were a few more twists and turns after that – you get the idea.  Eventually we were back on Michigan Ave. headed south towards Roosevelt Rd. and the infamous ‘final stretch hill’.  Right before “the hill” I saw this runner with an AWESOME sign pinned on her back.

hehehehe

The whole time I was running I was totally in the zone and enjoying the awesome sunny weather and the 30,000 runners/spectators.  I honestly was not even paying attention to my time, but I ended up running a pretty decent race!

43:34

Better than last year’s Shamrock Shuffle time, but not a new 8k PR.  I was a happy camper nonetheless, and ready for some BEER.

Brian and I spent about an hour sipping on some light beer and taking in the spectacular view.

I love you, Chicago.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day (plus, my last day before heading back to work – boo). This relaxing state included and awesome brunch we threw together full of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, mimosas and fresh pineapple.

Hit. The. Spot.

I also took the time to plan out my training plan for the month of April.

I cannot believe how quickly the first quarter of the year went by!  My mileage is starting to rack up and I am pumped to start running my long runs with my good ol’ running buddy – the other LINDSAY!  I’m not sure how you train for a half marathon or full marathon without a running buddy.  So much motivation!

Great news friends… IT’S HUMP DAY!  Cheers!

Punk the Monk 5k.1

ello ello!

Hope you all had a fabulous St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  Mine was a bit untraditional… in a good way.  Living in Chicago, my celebration usually revolves around lots of green beer, dyed rivers and bag pipes.  This year, however, I took a much more active route.

A group of my really good friends and I got together to run the Muddy Monk Punk the Monk 5k out in Buffalo Grove.  This was my first time running a Muddy Monk race and I was so excited!

Bailey was terrified.

Brian, myself and our other friend Brian spent the night at my parents house Friday so that we didn’t have to travel far for the race.  The “5k.1” started at 10:00 a.m., so we took our time waking up and eating some pre race fuel before heading out to the trails.

In the pre-race email, the Muddy Monkers gave us a heads up that the course would be a wee bit challenging due to the awesome weather we’ve been having here, and that the course was measured at 5.2 kilometers instead of 5.1.  That extra point 1 really gets yah 😉

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day for a race… despite the fact that it was only 30 degrees outside.

One of the things I like best about this company is the fact that all of their races are rather small.  We didn’t have to worry about gear check or registration lines, or long lines for the bathrooms – getting there and getting ready was a breeze.

We could tell that the course would test us a little bit from the starting line alone.  It was an entire sheet of ice!  As we lined up to the start line people were already slipping – it was pretty clear no one would be running a PR that day 🙂

Despite the course being muddy, icing, snowy and hilly it was such an awesome race.  I actually found that since I had to concentrate so hard on my footing/which path to take, the 3.2 miles literally flew by.  I also enjoyed watching everyone manage their way over the ice and snow – such funny times.

At the finish line, we were greeted with some of the best post race grub ever – Chicago Hot Dogs, Craft Beer, Candy and CheeZ-Its.

Hell yah!

I felt really good after the race.  I was happy, I was with good friends and it was a beautiful day.  We made a brief stop at my parents to shower and grab some lunch and then we were back on the road into the city.  Since Chicago celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, I met some of my friends at one of the local bars in my area.  At this point I started to feel a little funny, but just figured it was from the race and maybe a little dehydration.

The night really only got worse from there.  I stayed out with my friends as long as I could, but ultimately ended up in bed feeling really awful.  When I woke up on Sunday morning, I knew I was in trouble.  I had a very low grade fever which didn’t really concern me, but my throat was scratchy and I had the chills.  Not cool.  Not cool.

Ever since then I’ve been trying to nurse myself back to 100%.

I’m not really sure what it is I have but it’s really putting a damper in my week 😦  Especially because I JUST started my half-marathon training plan.  I guess the bright side is that it is still early and I can easily catch up.  I hope it doesn’t last past Friday because I’m going to HILTON HEAD ISLAND on Saturday!  And I will be drinking summery drinks on the beach whether my body likes it or not!

PEACE.

Spartan Saturday

Good Morning, Sports Fans!

Hope you all had a fun-filled weekend.

Saturday morning, B and I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready to drive up to Milwaukee because B was participating in his first-ever Spartan Race.  The race was being held at Miller Park and we wanted to make sure we got up there with plenty of time to spare before his heat started.

Have any of you ever done a Spartan Race?  They are SO cool, I am a total fan now, but I didn’t sign up with him this time around because the entry fee is rather pricey $$$

The drive up was a breeze, we got there WAY ahead of his start time, so we walked around the stadium a bit watching other participants run through the course.

First of all, the stadium was COLD.  I’m talking zero heat which I was not fully prepared for.  Let me break down my layers for you… a t-shirt, a hoodie, a Northface fleece AND Brian’s jacket on top.  Thank goodness I brought a hat and magically found gloves in my purse because this would have been a hard race to watch.

Brian’s start time was 10:45 a.m. and once he began I would have to be on a careful lookout for where he was throughout the stadium.  A lot of the 15 obstacles that the spartan’s participated in where ‘hidden’ from the spectators.  For instance, he had to complete a lot of challenges outdoors and obstacles that were upstairs in the stadium including: 8 ft. wall climbs, the rowing machine, jump rope, a spear throw, object carry, monkey bars… just to name a few 😉

Besides the awesome obstacles, each participant had to also run up and down ALL OF THE STAIRS at Miller Park.  Say what?! Yup. Stairs = death.  I managed to spot Brian a couple times weaving in and out of each level, I could tell that he was maintaining a great pace considering all that he had to complete.

Plus, he was so excited the whole race.

Besides the stairs portion of the race, I really did not see him until the final 4 obstacles that are directly on the field.

1. The ‘Mountain Climb’ – this looked like a giant triangle with cargo netting that the racers had to climb up and back down.  It didn’t look too too tricky, but a lot of people were not careful and stepped in one of the holes causing them to fall all the way down. ouch.

2. The weight lift.  – this is an obstacle A LOT of the female population struggled with.  Basically there was a giant weight attached to a rope and you had to pull it all the way up and bring it all they way back down in a controlled manner (ie: you cannot drop it… this would equal 20 burpees).  It was funny watching some of the guys pull up their weight because they literally had to use their entire body.  Some even did it while laying on the floor.  Brian did it in like 30 seconds and made it look easy…

Which would not have been the case for myself if I had participated!

3. The rope climb. – Exactly how it sounds, you had to climb up a rope which was tough for people who didn’t have great upper body strength because they had just used everything they had lifting that damn weight.  I should mention that throughout the entire course, if you could not complete an obstacle you had to stop and do 20 burpees.

4.  Box Jumps – the final obstacle.  Box jumps seem simple enough, but when it’s your last obstacle and your legs are about to give out it can be rough.  The runners were instructed to do ’10’ box jumps, but one jump equaled jumping over and jumping back.  So in reality, it was ’20’ box jumps.  I watched a lot of tired people mis-jump and scrap up their shins pretty bad, but Brian took his time and completed all of them before running towards the finish.

And just like that he was done!

His first Spartan Sprint complete.

I will definitely be signing up for this with him next time, but realized very quickly that I need to step up my strengthening exercises in order to compete at a pace I want.  It was comforting to see a lot of people with different athletic levels competing, because I imagined it to be only cross-fit type people.

The medal Brian got was pretty sweet, but we were pretty bummed to hear that Miller Park was not accepting the ‘free beer ticket’ at the end of the race.  BLASPHEMY.

My coworker who graduated from Marquette University told us of a college sports bar close by that had amazing burgers and rockin’ Bloody Mary’s so we headed over there instead.

Her suggestion did not disappoint.  Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?!

We took our time hanging out before heading back to Chicago, and we may or may not have picked up a couple cases of New Glarus beer to keep us stocked until our next visit to Wisconsin 🙂  It was a great day.

Think Pink Giveaway & 10k

Hello, Friends!

What a whirlwind of a weekend I just had…

Friday night, Brian and I stayed in and just vegged out on the couch watching movies and playing with Bailey.  We rented the movie “This is the End”, and I was kind of disappointed… It was not as funny as I expected it to be.

We took full advantage of our lazy Friday and went to bed early so that we could actually get a full nights sleep for once – old balls.

Saturday morning, we headed down to Old Town to pick up our race day packets for the Women’s Health Run 10 Feed 10 – 10k.  I loved the concept behind this race – Run a 10k and you will provide 10 meals to those going hungry in your local community.

The packet pick up was a breeze – no lines whatsoever.  The swag included on of their signature ‘FEED’ bags:

And some other race day goodies.

The packet pick-up was hosted at Fleet Feet and I was so tempted to buy out a ton of their sale items, but had to refrain myself so that I didn’t make a giant dent in my wallet!

My sister, Kristan, joined us shortly after to hang out with us since she was back in Chicago for her university’s fall break.   I did not get a “Fall Break” when I went to college, did you?

We had a great time catching up, watching t.v. and snacking on some foods – extremely relaxing activities before the night’s festivities began!

One of my best friends, Katie, turned 26 and decided to throw a birthday party on one of those trolleys that you can rent and ride around the city in.  I know a lot of people I am friends with have done these trolley parties a lot… but this was my FIRST ONE!

My sister and a couple of my friends and I got to the trolley early so we could deck it out in birthday signs, glow sticks and fun birthday swag.

The next thing we knew – it was time to PARRRTYYYY (I decided to “Sober Party” as I didn’t want to run a hungover 10k the next day)

We made a couple of stops in the city where we could get out and take pictures – the best one being right by the planetarium so that we could all snap a picture with the Chicago skyline in the background.

The winner of all stops, however, was…. BIG STAR.

If you’re not from Chicago, Big Star is one of the best taco joints in the city – not the best – but pretty damn close.  The have a ‘walk up’ window outside their restaurant where you can order tacos to go which is what we took full advantage of!  My sister and I each got a taco and then ended up splitting some chips and guacamole to bring back on the bus.  Everything was so delicious.  Best. Trolley. Stop. Evveerrrrr

Kristan and I didn’t stay out late at all because I wanted to get a goods night sleep before the race… Before I went to bed, I had a feeling that the delicious taco that I indulged in might come back to bite me in the butt the next day…

It did 🙂

We woke up at 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning to prep for the race.  This included the standard breakfast of peanut butter toast and bananas with a cup of coffee.

Plus making sure I did my… you know… business 🙂

My stomach was definitely feelin’ a little frisky and I knew it was from the late night grub, but I was not too worried!

While we got ready, I debated what to wear to the race.  At the time, it was chilly and rainy… so I was temped to run in my windbreaker, but I didn’t want to get too hot!

I decided just to sport a long sleeve over a tank so that if I got too hot, I could just toss the long sleeve along the way.

Once we arrived at the race – the rain stopped immediately and we were ready to go!

The race itself was great.  I really enjoyed the course

And it was not crowded at all.

The first three miles flew by, but I was still feeling a little sluggish from the tacos.  I saw a man holding a sign that said ‘Pace your own Race’ and it immediately changed my mindset.  I no longer wanted to race and set a new PR… I just wanted to run and enjoy my surroundings.

The next thing I knew, there was 1 mile left and I could see the finish line!

Official Chip Time: 56:21 – 9:05 min/mi pace

Success!  Not a new PR, but a great race overall!

Brian finished shortly after me with a big smile on his face as well!

One thing I noticed while running this race was how many women and men were sporting ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Gear’.  This made me really happy not only because it is such an important cause, but because this was my sorority – Zeta Tau Alpha’s – national philanthropy… it holds a special place in my heart.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am giving a way a Breast Cancer Awareness Bow Bracelet courtesy of my best friend Liz, owner of See Song Designs.

I absolutely love all of the jewelry Liz creates, but the bow bracelets are definitely one of my favorites!

TO ENTER:  Leave a comment on how you celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month and I will randomly select a winner this Friday!

Have a productive week, friends!