I stand firm at ten dollars...

...this should be my motto when entering ANY type of auction. Be it eBay, live or silent. Otherwise, I get myself in trouble.

And tonight...I ended up in a *wee* bit of trouble.

I went to a silent auction with my friend Terri for her sister's school at Rumba. It was amazing. May as well have been a "who's who of Chicago business folks." About 100 parents and around 250+ items on the chopping block.

During the silent auction, I got a little carried away. I had my number down for spa services, a Caribbean getaway, restaurant gift cards, the works! Lucky for me, other folks snuck in and stole handfuls of stuff out from under my nose.

But in the end, I won. I paid $95 for a $100 gift card toward a new bike (it was a surprise for Mike--he's been talking about wanting a bike for a while now). And then I paid $120 for a $150 gift card and gait analysis at Momentum -- NEW SHOES, HERE I COME!!! The funny part about the Momentum gift card, the value on the silent auction slip had a typo and said $105, but it was $150 in the book. Oopsies. Folks saw me bidding $120 and thought I was getting ripped off. So yours truly saved $30 on new running gear! Yahoo!

So hopefully this week I'll indulge in new shoes. I was hoping that my legs have been bothering me because of my obscene obsession with flip flops. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that you guys, and my hubby, are right. I simply need new shoes. My NBs only have 200-something miles on them, so they're retiring early. But if it helps my shins and feet and toes and legs...then it was well worth indulging in the auction.

Saturday Mike and I ran along the lakefront. He went a lot further than me. I went around 3.5 miles or so. The garmin was acting up because of the sky scrapers and underpasses and what not. I ended up just listening to my body and running at what felt good, with painful shins and all.

This past week we also invested in The Stick (20"). It feels pretty darn good when put to use. I unfortunately have not yet had the opportunity to partake in the cruel torture that is Pirate Patch and abs.

Later this week we'll hopefully have a running report from Kansas.

Congrats to Rae and Brent for their rockstar PRs at the Country Music Half-Marathon this past weekend. Way to go you two! And of course, a round of applause for my friend *Dani* who, despite being seriously sick, didn't give up. You guys all rock!

Shin Splits and Flexors and Overpronation--OH MY!

Yeah. I'm hurtin'. Hurtin' pretty bad. Lots o' shin splints, flexor pain and overpronation goin' on in my neck of the woods. No fun, to say the least!

Mike and I had our first run since the Race to Wrigley. Last week was consumed with sheer laziness combined with the fact we had a friend in town for a few days. We had wanted to run on Saturday, but we had some major shopping to do (had to find a dress for all the wedding's this summer, and Mike filled the fridge with groceries)...paired with a morning of sleeping in (we deserved it!).

So after much procrastination (uh, 8 days worth)...we went running. In an attempt to prepare ourselves for Soldier Field 10...which, is...uh...a month away...and we're totally screwed because of the aforementioned slacking.

Before we even went out, my shins were killing me. I think it's the whole "it's spring, time for flip flops" thing...ya see, I'm psycho about my flip flops. I'd wear them all year if I could avoid frostbite. My reefs are super comfy, however the provide absolutely NO support. No bueno.

After I got home from work, I laced up my shoes and Mike and I headed out. We started off strong...and I faded...fast...and Mike was doing great.

I wanted to bonk him in the head at one point...he looks at me and asks "Does it annoy you that I'm an ex-smoker and can run more than you?" ...up until that moment, I had been proud of how well he's been running (and I still am)...but right then, it really annoyed me. Here I was, wincing in pain with each strike, and he's off bopping around like he's been a distance runner for years! *I* was the one who did a marathon a few months ago! *I* was the one who trained since September. And now *I* was the one moving the speed of a snail through moleasses. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy he's running and that he's so quick on his feet, it's just a little frustrating for me.

At least he'll be my rabbit for the training season. You know...the person you always try to catch up with. And with that, he's a good rabbit to have because I get to look at his cute butt the entire time we run. ....and I'm sure he's going to kill me for saying that. :) I do know that I would've done a heck of a lot more walking had it not been for him today. He did keep me moving, that's for sure!

So while we're running around mile 3.25, I am absolutely dying from hip flexor pain...at this point, the hips hurt more than my shin, so at least my attention was diverted. Mike would run ahead and then wait for me. At one point while I was fighting back tears I proclaimed that he married a wimp. He agreed. Then a guy, probably in his 40's, ran up next to us and completely disagreed. There was no way that I was a wimp because I was out there doing it and not sitting on the couch. Fair enough. I may not be a wimp, but I've gladly earned the title of SLOW POKE. Woohoo!!

The last half mile I noticed how much I was overponating, accompanied with a fabulous rubbing pain on the inside left sole of my foot. When I got home and took my shoes, I found the wonderful start of two nasty blisters on the insole. How wonderful.

Not an ideal run, and I definitely couldn't find my groove...but at least I didn't give up and hop a taxi home. I grimaced through the pain, fought back the tears and kept charging through. For now, lots of ice is in my future.

Today's run...
.75 warm up walk to the Lake
4.75 mile run/walk in around 58 minutes, 11: 56 pace (I am SUCH A WIMP!)
.75 cool down walk home
6.25 total.

In other news, my Pirate Patch-Man Ab video came in the mail. I plan on subjecting myself to that torture on Wednesday night since I have a long day at work and it'll be too dark to run when I get home. I'll give the full report later this week, so stay tuned.

Love and Peace, campers!

Meant to be a Mentor.

Well...it's official.

Yours truly is a mentor. I'll be fearlessly leading the way in the fundraising efforts of 12 Chicago Marathon hopefuls.

After tonight's meeting....I've got my work cut out for me! Lots of stuff to do and organize. I'll start receiving my mentees info by the end of the week! Eep! I'm really excited. I just hope I can pull 'em all through the fundraising process.

Any brilliant fundraising ideas floating out there?

On another note....I'd like to congratulate Liz for COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY ROCKING THE SOCKS OFF THE BOSTON MARATHON! You're amazing...I totally want your running mojo. And I'd like to welcome Tara to the running blog community. She's new to all this and is seeking some advice from seasoned marathon runners, so if you have a chance, pop on over to her blog and give her your two cents...and help save her from the evil cotton socks.

- Barbara


PS...Phog says he appreciates all the kind words and support. He's feeling much, much better now and is actually looking like a pug and not a sharpei. And Little Miss Runner Pants....his full name is "Sir Phog Allen Prince of Lawrence." How do you like 'em apples?

Race to Wrigley Report

The Race to Wrigley...what can I say? It was disorganized as expected for a first-time event. The course changed the day before so rather than running north on clark to the cemetary and around the neighborhood, we ran north on clark, turned around...ran south on clark...ran west on addison, turned around and ran east on Addisson for a mile...turned around back west....and then ran around the baseball stadium, entered through the left field side and ran out through the front gates to the finish line.

There were no ChampionChips. Their "official timing" was lining up after we had crossed the finish line and ripped off part of our bib number. We had to run into these coned-off tunnels and I ended up following most of the crowd and ended up in the longest friggin' line. Ugh. My Garmin time said I finished in 35:31 (which isn't entirely accurate b/c I forgot to stop the timer for at least a minute or so) and then the "official" time says 40:03. When I crossed the finish line the clock was around 37:50. Uhmm...wtf is up with my "official" time? I don't think so, mister bib-tearing timer man. I'm going with my Garmin time, even though it isn't right. Not a time I'm particularly excited about or proud of...but the first mile was done in 10:19, which made me smile. I have to chuckle a little bit because it says my "official" pace was 12:56. I don't think so. I know I'm slow, but I'm not THAT slow.

A few cool things about the event...the goody bags were pretty sweet. It included a Cubs calendar, Believe bracelets, mini bottles of foot lotions and all sorts of fun stuff. They brought out the cubs bleacher band to kick everything off and they kept playing right by the left field entrance to keep everyone amped for their final stretch. At the finish line (once your tag was ripped) there were plenty of snacks and Gatorade for all.

I hope everyone had a good Easter. Mike surprised me with an Easter basket this morning topped off with an adorable blue stuffed bunny. We slept on the couch with Sir Phog Allen and ordered from Le Peep for breakfast. The afternoon brought us over to his mom's house for a family dinner (we are STILL stuffed hours later!).

But for now, it's time for a bit of Chronicles of Narnia...have a good evening, all!

Phog's Bad Day.

Well...my Race to Wrigley race report is going to have to wait. Today's blog is dedicated to my favorite four-legged furry canine...Phog. In fact...he wants to blog about it himself....so I'm turning the computer over to him...take it away Phoggie...


Hi folks.
I've had a terrible day. I mean really, really bad. Worse than the day my brother Wrigley the cat tried to take me from behind.

It started off earlier than usual. My parents were running in some race named after the cat, so they made me to my "bid-ness" about an hour or two earlier than normal. Talk about pressure! I can't perform on command like that...

A few hours later, mom and dad returned home and said we were all going to go for a car ride. WOOOOO! I loooooove the car. Mom said something about going to the lake later today, too...what fun!

The car ride was fun. I sat on the floor in the front between dad's feet. And when we stopped, we WEREN'T at the lake.

We were at Dr. Lavitt's. And going to Dr. Lavitt means one of three things: 1. I'm getting my manhood removed. 2. I'm getting my nails clipped. or 3. I'm getting shots.

Lucky for me (I guess) there were no surgical operations that went down today. BUT...I did get two shots and this god awful nose drip thing...AND THEN my mum had to open her big mouth and made me get my claws clipped. I was not happy....my dad's arm can prove it.

It was a bitter car ride home, especially since there was no lake involved. I sat around on the floor and ignored my folks. They kept bugging me for post-vet photos, but I'd only give them my cold papparazii look. When we got home, they were just wanted to be lazy...so we all took a nap together on the couch before they left for their haircut.

While they were gone, I chilled. I wasn't feeling too hot, so I laid around on the tile, chased my tail for a little bit, and fought with my brother Wrigley.

Once they got back, they had a late lunch and we all settled on the couch to watch Memoirs of a Geisha. I didn't understand much of the movie...I only like flicks like Benji, Air Bud and Beethoven. Regardless, they seemed to enjoy it.

Mommy was taking lots of pictures of me because she bought a new digicam last night. I felt like I was taking glamour shots.

With about 10 minutes left in the movie, daddy noticed that something was very wrong with my face...

...in a matter of seconds, my entire face blew up like a balloon!!! I'm talking HUGE. My eyes could barely keep open. Mom, being the overreactor and emotional one that she is absolutely lost it. My face was super itchy, but they wouldn't let me scratch myself with my dew claws, so I was running my head across the carpet for relief.

Apparently, this was a big deal because I'm a pug. Had I been any other breed, I could've sayed home, but because us pugs have so many respiratory problems as it is, the doctor advised us to come in ASAP. So my folks ran me to the emergency room. It was scary there, but the nurses were nice. I met a dog, Rudy, who ate a chicken bone and was having problems doing his "bid'ness" and Logan, a mean looking dog who managed to scratch his eye pretty badly. There was a huge golden retriever with a broken foot wrapped up in a bright neon green cast...he looked pretty funny.

Once we got in, the nurse said I looked like I was turning into a Sharpei!! I was freaking out! Sharpei's have huge faces--this was such an insult! Apparently, I had a really bad allergic reaction to one of the shots I had earlier at the vet today. They took me away from my parents to this back area for some more treatments, I was so scared to be going alone...I ended up with a shot of benedryll and steroids and my folks have to keep up with the benedryll for the next few days.

The swelling has gone down a bit and I can open my eyes much easier now. My nose still feels and looks super big. We got home from the ER around 10 or so...and I'm getting ready to pass out. They said I could sleep with them tonight because of my rough day--I've never been able to do this, so I'm very excited. I hope I can show them how I'm such a good big boy.

So yep...that's my sucky day. I hope yours wasn't as bad as mine and that yours involved no injections.

Woof!

THIS JUST IN!!

It is a very good Friday indeed.

My brother and his wife just received their referral today for their little girl (referral is an adoption term for when you find out who it is you'll be adopting). Our family COULDN'T be happier! I'm literally running around with my head cut off at work unable to concentrate! She's 3-4 years old and they'll be traveling to Ethiopia next month to bring her home. The two of them have wanted a little girl so badly...and I know their three boys will be excited to have a sister.

I don't know how they'd feel about me posting her picture or fully story on here, so sit tight until I get the "go ahead." But I can say, she is one beautiful little girl with the most stunning eyes!

And if the day couldn't get any better...the boss is letting us out at 3. WOO HOO!

No Rain.

Earlier this week, my good ole buddy and Chicagoland weatherman, Tom Skilling, said to prepare for three days straight of some torrential downpours. We're talking, run for the hills, hide under your bed, umbrella flipping inside out, severe thunderstorms.

Mmmm...yeeeeah.

Not.So.Much.TommyBoy. Total precipitation for the week...easily less than 1/8". Last night was really the only notable storm...in which it was a bunch of lightning for about 20-30 minutes, a few rumbles of thunder and then a few rain showers...no inside out umbrella's, no hiding under the bed, and no running for the hills.

Which, don't get me wrong, is a good thing. But when you're in the mindset that storms are a-brewin', you really just sort of let your running outside mindset slip out the door...or at least I do. Now, if it were raining and cooling the city down from this awful, awful 80-something degree heat, I'd be rejoicing. It is blazing hot. And homie don't run in heat. Which will make for interesting marathon training this year. But yours truly is prone to things like...heat exhaustion...and collapsing because of it. Oof. Could be a rough summer, campers!

In other news, tomorrow is the Race to Wrigley 5k. Should be a grand ole time. It's an 8am start, which means my rear is going to bed early tonight since we'll have to be on the L train by 7. Which means I'll be up around 6...which equates to a potentially grumpy morning Barb. I don't even have to be up at 8am on days that I work...well, that's a lie...I hit the snooze button until 8. Then I get up. Oh the sacrifices we pay to be runners. What am I going to do when 7:30 training runs kick back up?!

Did You Know Fact for the Day: Did you know that my wake up alarm on my cell phone is actually Blind Melon's No Rain? I absolutely love that song... All I can say is that my life is pretty plain, I like watchin' the puddles gather raiiiiiiin...

Intimidation.

If this doesn't scream intimidation...I don't know what does.

It's like this Michael dude (who, from here on out, shall be called Mr. Eye Patch or just Patch) is sitting there, saying to me..."I'm going to kick your ass you wussy little white girl...look at my big burly body, you're never going to last through a single one of my workouts...that pudge and those love handles are mine and my eye patch's to conquer...your flab will be fab with my beat the sh!t outta you crunches...my mom says my eye patch makes me tough and I've got the body to prove it...prepare for TOTAL DOMINATION."

And here I was, hoping it was going to be led by some skinny white 19-year old who would simply encourage me to breathe correctly and go for "one more time!" Instead, I've got the ab master, Mr. Eye Patch, who appears that he'll reach through my TV screen and strangle me if I try to call it quits.

Hmmm...I wonder how he ended up with an eye patch? Perhaps one of his pecks formed a life of its own and jumped up to bite his eye? Or maybe it was some cruel and unusual self-punishment for eating a few too many brownies one day?

Suddenly, Rae's suggestion on the trainer's edge "killer" series seems like a really, really bad idea. I don't want to die this way! Truth be told, I've never been so afraid of a video in my entire life...I feel like I'm in "The Ring"...minus the whole you'll die in seven days drama.

Anyhoo...I ordered it through Deep DVD Discount (the greatest place on earth to find cheap dvds, by the way) so I won't be able to give the full report until then. So if I mysteriously disappear for oh....a week or so...check the obits to see if Death by Eye Patch is a headline, it'd likely be me.

In other news, Mike picked up an iPod nano with his birthday money (and an arm band for running). Color me jealous. But I still pine for my fabulous mini...which holds about 10x as many songs as his little gadget does...but I will say that I'm excited that he has a color screen. I can watch it while we run or something.

My arms and upper body are pretty sore from yesterday. I was hoping to run after work, but the weather started turning crappy, so that was a no go...and I am feeling SO OVER the treadmill. Ugh. I hate that machine.

So for now, it's time to play some doctor...oops, I mean help Mike prepare for his patient simulation test tomorrow.

Random Workouts and RBF Dreams.

After reading A. Maria's account of the semi-sucky St. Louis Half Marathon, I felt suddenly amped to go out and conquer the running world...Barb style (read as "I'm Slow. I Know. Get Over It.) Maybe it was her all-inclusive motivational "we've got two months" statement she made for shaving off 25 seconds per mile, or her general knack for picking the perfect verbiage to describe her hilarious encounters...whatever it was, it made me log off the computer, immediately change clothes and bold down to the workout room to snag a treadmill before the 9 o'clock folks hit it.

I ended up doing 2 miles (there was a wait on the treadmills, and I hate running with all those beaty little eyes staring at me from behind just wondering when my slow poke rear will hop off) and then I lifted weights for a bit. It felt good, especially for it being so spur of the moment.

So as the title indicates, last night I had a dream that included some RBFers. I had pepperoni and pineapple pizza for dinner, so perhaps that wacky combination sparked the bizarre dream? ANYHOO...talk about strange!! I don't really remember much of the premise of the dream, but it had something to do with finding our way out of a house maze to qualify to run the Chicago Marathon that very same day. Needless to say, all us RBFers were in a panic because our chips were activated and we were all going for PRs. Rae, Brent and Pippin were there (and let me tell ya, good ole Pip's was rocking with sniffing our way out so us RBFers could get running) as well as Little Miss Runner Pants, KT and Erin from Marathon Diaries (which is odd, because I haven't seen a photo of either of 'em!) and our resident Tough Cookie, Alison. A few other family faces were there, but I can't figure out who is who from memory (for all I know they aren't even RBFers, but whatev). :shrug: Anyway, it was dark and freaky and we heard the gun go off and everyone was cheering and we're al scurrying to get out of the maze...and frankly, we owe it all to Pippin. The lil pup rescued us all and we all went running into the city...the end.

What does all this mean!?!? It just doesn't make any sense (but if it means we all have a 26.2 PR in our future I'm certainly not going to question it!). In the future, let's lay off the dreamstalking, okay guys? It's a weird sensation waking up and thinking you really know some fellow bloggers.

Challenge: Fill Makita's iPod.

A post in response to Makita's challenge to help her pack her new iPod with running tunes.

Here are my top 10 running songs according to my iTunes most played list. :) ...in no particular order...

1. E-Pro - Beck
2. Marathon Shirt - Self
3. Pinball Wizard (Tommy) - The Who
4. Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
5. B.O.B. - Outkast (totally guilty of loving this un-p.c. song...it never fails to get me moving)
6. Everlong - Foo Fighters
7. Feels So Good - 311
8. Laid - James
9. Tricky - Run DMC
10. Bodies - Smashing Pumpkins


And much to my dismay, a handful of select tunes from Prince and Brittney Spears seem to work, too.

New Running Gear...

There was no birthday fun run yesterday (unless you count running back and forth to the bar for a drink), but there was a bunch of running shopping!!

We kicked off the day by hitting Niketown on Michigan Avenue (LOVE that place) to pick up our Race to Wrigley race packet. And wouldn't ya know it...they run out of goody bags with three people in front of us. But we got our number and our shirts and browsed the store. Mike didn't find anything, but as history repeated itself, I got in trouble. I walked out with a new pair of split leg shorts (LOVE EM!) and a coral Personal Best Sleevess Performance Tank. It's soooo soft. We also picked up one of those inexpensive draw string bags for gear check at upcoming races...all of our bags are insanely big and this was the perfect size to toss in flip flops and keys and what not.

Our shopping adventure then took us to Petco to buy some necessities for Wrigley and Phog Allen and we ran over to Momentum next door to check out their running garb. We walked out empty handed, but decided we're going to do one of their Saturday morning Pancake fun runs sometime soon.

North Avenue shops were next, where some minor damage was done at J. Crew and Banana Republic to pick up a few needed things for his wardrobe. And then we hit the 7 story Sport Authority downtown to wrap up our excursion. Mike was able to find a bunch of UnderArmor things he'll need for summer training (woohoo!!) and I picked up a new UA sports bra and hat...the second of which, is huge, because honestly I am sooo NOT a hat person. But my new dri-fit hat rocks. I can't wait to bust it out on a sunny morning.

The plan is to do some pilates later this evening. But I've got cleaning and laundry to do, so I'm not sure if it'll get worked into the schedule. We shall see!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

It's Mike's Birthday! He's 30-5!! It's his silver year. He's officially 25...and to celebrate we're going to test drive some cars...and pick up our race packed for next weekend.

...but best of all, we can rent a car without the underage fees.

:woohoo:

Go on...go wish the birthday boy a fantastic day.

I'll update later if anything super fun goes on...like a birthday fun run. :)

Sweet Victory.

Boo-yah.

We rule.

And now I'm making him record Cheerleader Nation for me.

Yes campers...I was a cheerleader. And they say once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. But in a way, I was the "anti-cheerleader" as Jacob says...I mean, come on. How many cheerleaders did you know listen to Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead and play guitar? :)

Hurray for TiVo!

The Score.

For those of you keeping track at home...

TiVo: 4
Barb and Mike: 0

BUT WATCH OUT. With the handy hand of a Humax Techie McTecherson (4th call's a charm!!) we're currently reconfiguring our system and have high hopes that we've cracked the code. Apparently, even though we have TiVo, the TiVo folks can't help us and we gotta work with Humax. :headscratch:

With that said...TiVo, yer goin' down!! You WILL obey your masters!!!

[insert evil laugh]

No running for this fantastic duo tonight. We're off to see RENT!

Good luck to all those racing this weekend. Especially Dice who is going the 26.2 miles and vowing not to look at his watch (take care of that achilles, hun!) and Little Miss Runner Pants who will conquer the half...go and Rock the St. Louis Marathon you guys!!!

Who is smarter? TiVo or its owner?

So for Mike's birthday (which isn't until Saturday), I got him TiVo. You know, the super duper rockstar "I can burn your programs directly onto a DVD" TiVo. The kind that, apparently, is far more intelligent than the combined IQ of a straight-A journalism student and a pre-med individual studying chiropractics. Apparently this magical little box is smarter than it's two owners brains combined (though it's coming from us, so seriously...how much brainpower is there?)...

So yah...it's well past midnight.
Mike is on tech support with TiVo.
I'm exhausted...
"Just one more minute honey..."

...that was 23 minutes ago.

Pshaaaa....Men and their toys.

Happy Birthday, baby. Even though you cheated and saw what you were getting in my e-mail...and even though the doorman spoiled the surprise and gave you the box when it was addressed to me.

Clearly, TiVo wants to sleep. And so do I. So goodnight.

Play Ball 2-Miler and a Hypothetical Situation...soooo torn.

Tonight was the TNT 2-Mile Fun Run at Momentum...and ya know what, I got all the way to mile 1 without having to stop to walk. Gooooo me! I rule! I am the running queeeeeeen! Ravee and I trekked it together to the park...where we were all required to hit a softball and run the bases (and were given a baseball card for a raffle)...somehow, I was able to kiss the bat and ball on my very first try, which is a rare occurence. I was quite impressed with myself. So when I kept running, I got...uh...a little lost. I went too far. Somehow, in my glee of hitting the ball, I missed the turn around sign. Whoops. After I got myself back on the right road, I returned back to Momentum with Aleah, who ran the Chicago marathon last year. She was pretty cool. :)

It was really cool to see a bunch of my old running and walking friends. Mary and Carla showed up, which rocked cause I haven't seen them in months. Then you had a few triathletes come because they're converting to the marathon side. And some folks from the other city teams (not downtown) that I had never met.

Okay...so it was Baseball theme run, hence why it was called "Play Ball"--Momentum set up all sorts of ballpark food when we returned...popcorn, ice cream, peanuts, hot dogs, beer...the works!! It was very cool. They even raffled off a $300 pair of Oakleys and a $25 gift card, neither of which I won. But it's getting me excited to kick off the official Chicago Marathon Training Season.

In other running news, Mike posted his race report from the Shamrock Shuffle. A bit of an overdramatization, and I digress with some select portions of it...just go read it for yourself. I am not a malicious person!!


So you know the whole Peanut Butter and Jelly Time song? It's time for the Hypothetical Situation time jingle...but I'll spare you the singing...I'll just do a little jig over here in my neck of the woods as a precursor, so you don't actually have to suffer through hearing or watching me do anything...

Let me preface by saying we're not trying to "whore" ourselves here, or boast or brag...we honestly have no idea what to do in the situation and are hoping that some folks can offer up some insightful advice on situations we may not have considered with said hypothetical situation. Let me also preface by stating that both Mike and I know we are truly blest and feel so fortunate to be in such a decision and realize that countless people would love to be in said "pickle." We're not posting this to be bragging or anything, we are simply looking for some advice and thoughtful suggestions to consider. Hmm...I get this makes the hypothetical situation not so hypothetical...

The not-so-Hypothetical Situation Time
So clearly Mike and I are really torn with a major decision we have on our hands (okay okay, you know this...I'm getting to it). And we're seeking the guidance of hopefully a more "car savvy" RBFer out there...so we need advice...

Here's the situation...we're driving around a '98 civic, poor lil' bugger is having some issues lately. We love the car dearly, it's a part of our family and was my first car ever. We refuse to talk about this situation in front of it because we don't want to hurt its feelings. In the past, Mike and I have said that our next car would be a Honda CRV--one of those super cute quasi SUV suckers. It'd be the baby-mobile SUV and the whole nine yards...blah blah blah...we just didn't anticipate NEEDING a new car anytime soon...and then our sorry lil' civic starting having it's problems and what not...so jump to this evening...

We were told that we could sell our 98 civic and receive an '06 Civic LX (for the cost of $1 out of our bank). Said civic retails for around $15k, give or take some change. Now we love Civics. You can drive it into the ground. They're tougher than an energizer bunny. We've both had 'em and agree, they're tough as nails.

After this soaks in, we are given an alternative option...take a 2002 Lexus SUV (it's my moms) and sell the civic. Now, the Lex only has 60,000 miles on it. It's in PERFECT condition. All the bells and whistles you can imagine (are heated seats really necessary? In chicago--you bet cha!). Four wheel drive, which in Chicago is fantastic. It's one of the top rated used cars out there and is just...drool factor. Just...simply...wow. Super sexy car...whenever we're in Kansas, we literally want to just make out with the sucker...THAT'S how awesome it is. The car, as it stands used, is almost worth twice as much as the new civic.

Biggest downfall on the Lex...it requires the middle grade of gas, which in Chicago....is, well...ouch. Mike will be the one driving it to and from school (which he really only has the commute factor going on until August, after August the commute will be 10 minutes). And again...it'd be an SUV. In the city. Which isn't ENTIRELY necessary...but we'll only be downtown for a few more years.

Now...insurance cost isn't too much of a factor. Mike turns a quarter century on Saturday, so it'll drop some there since he's the primary driver. We have no clue as of right now on the upkeep of a Lex, but we're looking into it. Same goes with the warranty.

Given this situation, what would you do? Because frankly we are totally and completely torn...and clueless. We're going to do some test driving this weekend, just to keep our options open. :sigh:

Any advice from SUV-ers as well as Civic folks? Any car gurus out there with their two cents to chime in? Anyone not really qualify, but want to offer up their opinion anyway? It'll be interesting to see how this transpires over the next few weeks...:sigh:

10 Reasons why YOU, my friend, should run the Chicago Marathon...

10. The past however many years they've had ideal running conditions. 50's...slightly overcast...and surprisingly light on the wind.

9. It's one of the best (if not THE BEST) marathons in the world. Period. Yes, it's my city, but I'm not at all bias.

8. Two Words: Michigan Avenue! ...it's the last main stretch, too. Plus you'll get to check out the 4-story Niketown on Michigan Avenue.

7. You get the "cheap" tour of the entire city...and it's quite a beautiful town. What other marathon will take you through most of Chicago's neighborhoods? You'll see United Center, Comisky, run through Wrigleyville, right by the sassy cheerleaders in Boystown, run with the dragons in Chinatown and pick up some pasta in Little Italy....among countless other things.

6. You can run on LSD and not have hallucinations. Heheheee....

5. They have awesome pace groups all the way up to 5:45 from New Balance to help you achieve your goal time...and last year alone, the Chicago Marathon qualified the most runners for Boston out of all the eligible 'thons. And with no significant hills (not including "Mt. Roosevelt at mile 26...) the highest elevation is 24 feet...how's that for fast?

4. If 1.5 million spectators can't keep you moving, I don't know what can. The streets are typically lined 95% of the way...and often 3-5 people deep. Now there's some motivation! [Note: I'm a little sad that I won't be cheering from the side lines this year...I've loved rooting for friends and strangers along the way, I just hope there's a superfan out there who can scream as much as me to take my place.] But yes, the city of Chicago warmly embraces this marathon. DJ's sit on their patios and spin, folks open windows and blare music for the runners, and there is always someone shouting your name for you to keep going!

3. After you get your medal you can jump in Lake Michigan!

2. You can possibly have a chance to meet fantastic other RBFers, like Simba's Mom, Jason and Leah, Dallen, and of course, the Running Jayhawk (who as of late should be called Crawling Jayhawk). If any RBFers are interested, I'd love to set up a dinner reservation for everyone...heck if it's nice out, maybe even a bbq.

1. Because you're physically fit, because you're alive, because you can, and unless you're running in the Nike Women's Marathon in San Fran that same day, you have no excuse not to.


And of course, if you're already planning on running, let me know, dear friend!


This has been a public service announcement from Running Jayhawk in a silly attempt to lure fellow RBFers to Chicago this October for a fantastically fun meet up . This message has not been endorsed by The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon or Running Jayhawk's husband, The Out Of Shape Guy, who as of this moment may or may not be running in the Chicago Marathon. Any RBFer looking for further information on Chicago or its marathon, please ask away. If you are a Degler, or married to a Degler, and live in St. Charles...it is now time to start lacing up your shoes and begin training within the next few weeks...do not put this off. If your name is Joshua D., sport an afro and do not get pulled in the NYC lottery, you are expected to immediately register for Chicago Marathon. If you are known as "Prez" and are reading this message, I trust you have already signed up to participate. To any parental unit of Running Jayhawk who may be reading this note, please go ahead and book your travel. There will be no wine-induced phone calls at mile 21 only to have a surprise stop at mile 25 this time around.

My hubby won a very important award at today's race.

Yes folks, it's true. Mike really won today at the Shamrock Shuffle.

...he won the best.damn.hubby.ever award. Declared proudly, by me.

The Out of Shape Guy literally dragged my sick ass through the course. His first race out, he easily could've run it under 55-mins. But didn't. Rather than run his own race, he decided to keep his sickly wife company and made sure that I finished. No, I wasn't hungover (last night Mike had done all the drinking, not me...I stuck to water); but as usual, my stomach was acting up like crazy before, during and after the race.

I woke up this morning absolutely sick to my stomach. Couldn't eat a crumb. Yaking stomach acid (yummy, I know). At one point, as I sat on the side of the bathtub hovering over the porcelain throne, I debated whether I should race at all. i'm starting to think that i'm one of those people who just gets sick before running a race. i have no idea why it happens, but it sucks and i just have to deal with it (though i still stand firm that a gallstone is causing all this drama). I thought to myself that I'd just get to the start line and then make up my mind as to whether or not I'd do it (knowing that if I got there, barring any type of emergency hospitalization, I'd run).

Anyway...Taylor came on over around 8:45 and we headed off to the starting line. It was a mad house. One would assume that would be the case with 25,000 runners kicking off the chicagoland running season.

The three of us chilled in the corral for a while before the race and before we knew it, we were moving forward. U2's Elevation was blaring, which for me was a good sign since I love love LOVE that song. We all started out together...running along (mostly to avoid getting trampled) and having a jolly good time. Me, being the slow poke that I am, ended up with an obnoxious side stitch way too early in the game (not enough water) and didn't want to hold Mike and Taylor back and told them to go on ahead. So before we hit Mile 1 Taylor pressed on, being the rockstar that she is (she had a kick ass finish time, too! but that's her story to tell).

The course was pretty cool. We were running around a few streets that I'd never been on (and this goes around my area, too--which is kinda funny...we just have that many streets I suppose). As we were crossing over the river the first time there was an ambulance in the middle of the street. We saw a young woman being loaded on a stretcher...bless her heart...she didn't look good. Not sure if she was hyperventilating or having an asthma attack...whatever it was, I hope she's okay. She just didn't look good. I was secretly thankful that it wasn't me.

The whole time I couldn't get my rhythm. I could hear my feet striking the ground and just felt very heavy all over. We all have those days though, I just wish they wouldn't happen during a race. Whenever I'd stop to walk, Mike wouldn't let me slow down for too long (thank god). I had side stitches, stomach aches, acidic burps (double ew, trust me, you don't wanna know), tense shoulders and light-headedness (afterall, I wasn't able to eat this morning because of my awful tummy situation)...it was quite the concoction of issues. Fun times, lemme tell ya! But Mike literally pulled me through every step of the way and I owe it all to him. Sorta had a second wind right around mile 4 as well where I did a pinch of pseudo sprints in between jogs. Darting ahead drove him a little nutty, but it honestly felt good. Before I knew it, we were at Mile 4 on Michigan Avenue.

Coming up to the top of the incline on Roosevelt (those who have run the Chicago Marathon know exactly which "hill" I'm talking about--it totally sucks!) about .3 away from the finish line I was feeling good for the first time today. I'm not sure how much of that was because the ending was in sight. But about 200 meters away I heard them calling out some gun times for a few runners up ahead.... 1:10...at this point I knew I wasn't breaking an hour like I had hoped, but since it took us a bit of time to cross the start line I set off in a strong, hard run thinking that I could possibly break my previous time, despite being sick and frustrated.

In the end, I crossed at 1:03:37--which does indeed set a new PR for me, and considering the circumstances is a great feat in and of itself. So I can't be too disappointed about not breaking the hour barrier (one of these days I'll be doing 10 minute miles...who knows when though). Mike crossed a few seconds later and has been joking with me nonstop about how he could've been so much faster (which is true, he could've and should've crossed about 7-8 minutes faster than what he did).

So regardless of what the chip times say, Mike outraced me. He certainly deserves the best hubby around award.

So yeah....I need a new "race" plan.

It's the night before the race. 12:45am. Day light savings (you know...spring forward....lose an hour of sleep bullshit...everyone wakes up as mr/mrs cranky pants...blah blah blah)....

And well....we're still awake.

With a new race plan.

Walk. Lots of walkin. Little bit of running. But mostly walking...taking a nice leisurely stroll around chicago...which just so happens to be 8k in distance.

And with this decision (from exhaustion and overall blahness) came beer.

And the rest, well...you can write that tale. Tomorrow should be...hmm...interesting. I'll let you know how my "walk" goes.

ps...my "scrapbook camp" was a blast...and I'm alive and well.