Good News and New Kicks.

First and foremost...today's tests went over okay. I'm in one piece and not too much intrusive shit went down. Good news is...is that this is nothing that's going to push me back in training or make me have an extended stay at the hospital (read as...not deadly...). We're just going to have to keep an eye on this area in the upcoming months and make sure it doesn't continue to grow/spread/whatever. Mom...you can breathe a sigh of relief.

So in celebration...today I bought THE shoes. You know...the "oh wow, these are the shoes I'm going to run my marathon in" Yep. I finally got 'em...and it's time to put around 50-70 miles on 'em before the big day. And I got a few little flutters in my stomach...you know the feeling. It makes ya smile and feel all warm and tingly inside. Good times.

I'm sticking with my Mizuno Wave Nirvana 2's.

...but unlike my last pair, which I fondly named Dave Grohl, were a beautiful pair of soft blue and silver...these are yellow.

bright.
loud.
obnoxious.
canary.
yellow.

And there is only one name that is suited for a pair of kicks that look a bit ridiculous on me...

Big Bird.

Yes...they're as yellow as big bird.










Who knows...maybe Big Bird will make me fly like a bird on October 22nd? One can hope...right?

I'm just looking forward to getting these suckers dirrrrty this weekend. Woohoo!!!!!

Holy Headwind, Batman!

I've been in a funk. Likely weather induced.

Chicago has had shit for skies the past 72 hours and finally this afternoon it subsided.

About.Damn.Time.

So yeah. I've been in a major funk...just not myself. Got lots of crap on my mind. All that jazz. So when I left work, I was just not in the mood to do anything but go home and lay down.

I knew what I had to do. I came home and laced up my shoes and went for a quick run.

I'm not a big fan of running on city streets...but I weaved my way to the lake front with a nice lil' run/walk warm up. When I finally got there, I stretched and headed north.

Mmmm yah. Wind...no bueno. Huge waves came crashing up onto the walkway...simply gorgeous. But the wind...geez, it made for a tough run.

Once I got past Castaway I decided to stay on the outer part of the path that goes right next to the lake. So I'm running...and gusts of wind just pelt sand into my body. Yeee-ouch! It stung like a mofo. Sand ended up all over my legs...in my hair...(in my hairy legs...I hadn't shaved...teehee)...and even in my shoes.

And so I ran and stopped just a dozen or two yards away from Fullerton Ave. Garmin says 17:04. Ugh. Stupid wind.

However, running back south was a breeze...wind pushing me along and I felt like I was flying.

Turns out I was. The return trek was much faster...14:51.

Pretty sweet, eh?

The timed portion was probably around 2.8 miles-ish...maybe a pinch more.

And then I ran the .75 back home...well...probably .6 of the .75. I had some walking moments...

Total mileage was just under five.

Overall, a very good day.

So tomorrow morning is my ultrasound...let's hope this is just a bunch of medical hullabaloo for nothing at all. I'll find out at 7:30am...so send some dust my way if you think about it.

There's something you should know about me...

I am...the Queen of Jing-A-Ling.

In another life, I was Mrs. Claus. And since tinsle and peppermint run through my veins, I live for the winter holidays. There's 2 times of year...The Winter Holiday Season...and every other time of year (just ask Mike...we're at odds about this quite frequently).

When I recently posted about having gone Christmas shopping...there was a bit of...well...shock? disappointment? bemusement? But hey...it's part of who I am. Mike took me in sickness and in health...and well...this is my sickness. I promise I won't go overboard on the "yay lets get excited for the holidays" posts...I'll try to let this be it until after Halloween (deal?).

Yes...you can grinch your nose at me for being just about done with my holiday shopping. But when you're running around with the masses in the freezing cold looking for the perfect gift on Dec. 24th (or the night before Hannukah or Kwaanza or any of your other winter holidays of choice), just think of sweet lil' ole me doing my "I told you so dance." (Truthfully, the reason I do all my shopping throughout the year is so I don't drain ye olde banking account in December.)

Some Scroogie Camper, who shall remain nameless but knows exactly who he is, actually tried to call my bluff and insinuated that I had not even started my holiday shopping in an e-mail. Well, campers. I have proof.
















The woman who passed the Christmas Chromosome to me...my mum!




















Okay...and for good measure...2 of my favorite pics from the 11 hour drive home from Kansas (let me tell ya...sitting in a car for 11 hours and then trying to run 16 miles the following morning isn't really a smart idea)...

There is actually a town called "What Cheer, Iowa" ...I like to think that What Cheer is a very happy place. It definitely made me smile. Whoever named that town must've been high on Prozac...















And last, but certainly not least, your obligatory Phog photo (sorry, ya gotta clock for it, stupid blogger). Seriously...how many dogs do you know that sit back on their butts like that? He thinks he's a person...it's totally his seductive look...

As for running news...I was a fair weather runner today. I had intentions of running three miles when I got home from work, but the Chicagoland weather was absolutely atrocious. And no running was had. But tomorrow I will be out on the running path with a vengence!!!! Mark my word. My bruise from being hit by a bike finally went away...I wrote the race director about the incident and received a massive apology and the assurance that they're going to do a better job educating course marshalls in the future and blah blah blah.

In more running news...a fun lil' RBF announcement regarding an exciting race will be made within the next few weeks...so stay tuned, campers...whoop, whoop!!

An important read for my fellow runners...

First of all....whoa...I'm super behind on all y'alls blogs. I've got my reading cut out for me. I just checked bloglines account...yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah...I really have 141 of all your entries to read.

Anyone want to give me a quick recap of what's been going on with everyone out there? See what happens when I take off for Kansas? I get behind in everything...running...blogging...reading...ooooof.

Okay...so today's scheduled 16 miler. I did it for distance. Not time. And it's a damn good thing I did. My right hip was on FIRE. So painful. The back half was basically walked rather than my run/walk routine. Serves me right for taking 8 days off running. No Bueno.

I won't bore you with the mundane details of aches and pains as I ran because something far more...what's the word I'm looking for...important? scary? eye-opening? happened...

While Mike and I were coming back up to "base camp" about 2 miles away, just north of the Tennis Courts, we approached a group of people standing around this woman on the ground. I took off in a sprint toward the crowd to see what had happened and if I could help at all.

As I approached, I thought the woman had been hit and knocked over by a bike. And if anyone knows anything about getting run over by a bike, it's me. Once I got to the group, there was blood all over the concrete and the folks were sorta just looking at each other like "what are we supposed to do."

Finally, a biker pulled over and called 911 for an ambulance. Everyone was standing sort of freaking out. So what does Barb do? I get down on the ground with the woman to try and calm her. (Sorry, if everyone was standing and freaking out, I'd be on the ground in an even bigger mess, so I knew trying to calm her down would be key). I tried to get her to talk and that was a no go...

It quickly became evident that she hadn't been hit by a bike. This woman was having either a seizure or a stroke. I tried to get a pulse and I couldn't find one (Mike was able to find one and it was through the roof). She was shaking with the chills and not talking (well, not answering any of our questions)...so at first I thought she may not understand English. Her mouth was sealed shut and I noticed her right hand was starting to take on a life of its own (it was moving around out of her control and it looked like someone had sucked the air out of her hand).

Two folks who said they were doctors came over and were trying to pull her up and move her...which wasn't a good idea since the folks who handled the 911 call were told not to move her under any circumstance. Finally they listened and stopped trying to pull her to the side of the path. They offered her some water from my fuel belt but she couldn't open her mouth to take it. So they pulled out some tissues and dabbed the cuts to soak up some of the blood. Then they sorta just...walked off (wtf?). Nice one, doc.

So I'm still down on the ground with her, trying to find an ID...and she doesn't have one. Nor does she have an ID tag on her shoe. Or ANYTHING with ANY indication of who she is, where she's from or any emergency contact info. Brilliant. We have a bleeding woman, with no name, who can't talk and is clearly going through something not good.

At one point, another one of the bystanders kneels down and hands the woman her sunglasses. Out of nowhere she asks "are these mine?" WHOA...she does speak english...I'm shocked. I ask her name. She delivers. I ask her how old she is. "41" ...now I've seen 41 year olds, and they don't look that age. So I ask what year she's born...she struggles to remember and offers up 1952.

So by now 10-15 minutes have passed, the paramedics finally arrive. They help her up and over to the side and give her the medical run down. I go over and talk to one of the medics, let them know her name and the age that she gave and some of the stuff we had noticed while waiting (the not talking, mouth sealed off, hand problems...and mike had noticed she had "cat eyes") and he said it sounded like she had had a seizure.

I was scared shitless for this woman. Hopefully everything turned out okay for her and that the medics were able to get a hold of someone in her family to look after her for a little bit.

here we go...i'm stepping up on my soapbox...
Campers, for the love of all that is good, please carry some form of ID with you when you're running. I don't care if its your drivers license, a "toe tag" on your shoe, or your name plastered to your forehead...this kind of situation can happen to anyone. It was a scary situation for everyone involved...

Also, if you have room, carry a cell phone. If that biker hadn't had one on him, who knows how long it could've taken to get help. Plus, if you collapse and have a cell phone on you, someone who stops can scan through your numbers to find you help.

Okay. That is all...I'm stepping off my soapbox now.

Peace, yo.

ROADTRIP!

Phog the wonder dog...haning out in the backseat of the car en route to Kansas. He was pretty content the entire trip just sitting in the back, soaking up the sun and chewing on his fire hose.
















And here he is exploring Grandma & Grandpa's front yard...the pond is complete with fishies :)















And here are Phog's new friends...Scottie and Casey, champion agility dogs (shelties)...clearly, we are wittnessing the obligatory butt sniff introduction...















So far, Kansas has been a good time. We've been VERY BUSY ("very" being an understatement). It's hard to think we have another day here and then we go back to Chicago. Back to run 16 miles. Back to work. Back to a series of nasty tests and dr. appts. Blah.

I'd much rather just stay here...and wrap christmas gifts. Yes...I spent the evening wrapping christmas presents. In fact, I'm almost done shopping. I'm very excited as I am a Christmas GEEK. :sigh: I love Kansas...almost as much as I love the winter holiday season.

Okay...enough of that. Off to be for me.

Peace, yo.



Confession: I have not done a lick of running since I got to Kansas. I am so totally screwed for Saturday's 16 miler. Someone yell at me.

Run Hit Remix By Picture...

Thursday night's Run Hit Remix was by far, one of my favorite runs EVER! While it was abnormally humid for 9 at night...it was a blast (and full of 90's goodness!)...here's a quick lil' recount of the evening...

Super fun dry fit shirts for all...our numbers were on the front...















Hey...you guys didn't get the memo that I was wearing the blue running shirt? Runningboots, TMT4TNT, the Out Of Shape Guy and me...





















The City of Chicago is so motivating...RUN!















Once we actually got running...lots of surprises awaited us on the course. The first of which was a funny group of Mariachi (spelling?) guys...some runners pulled over to do some dancing. I gave a hearty "Ole!!" as I ran through :)

First up...Young MC at Mile 1. Yes...Young MC as in the "Don't Just Stand there Bust a Move" Young MC. I took video with my digicam, so I'll try and get that uploaded for all you crazy kids out there.

Under the McCormick place tunnel there were black lights, bubble machines and djs...very cool, even though the air in the tunnel was nasty and stale. While in line for a porta-potty I was asked if I could be interviewed. I think it was for the nightly news...didn't pay much attention. But it was very cool. So if you ended up seeing me on the news, let me know. I'd love to know which station it was on!

At Mile 2...Digital Underground. Good times. Though for the life of my I can't remember what they sing...er...rap? ...whatev.

Run Run Run...tie my shoe...continue running...

Elvis impersonator...

...run run run...

...Mile 3 some rockin' 90's cover band...heard Hard To Handle as I ran through. I'm just running and rocking my heart out.

Then through another tunnel where a cool group of african drummers were stationed. These folks were VERY impressive. They were totally getting into it with their entire body. You could hear them from the far end of the tunnel (in the beginning) and mixed with the sounds of feet echoing off the ceiling...it was just a beautiful sound...

...run run run...oooh bagpipes!!

And then we run into the Mile 4 stage...the one I had been waiting for....a U2 cover band from Chicago called Vertigo USA (they even look like Bono, Adam et. al). They're AWESOME. As I'm approaching I hear "Pride" and I'm just singing along. As I get closer, the song changes to "Where the Streets Have No Name" ...I loooooove this song as it makes me wanna run. I stop for maybe 10-20 seconds and I take off again. Just as I do, "Bono" hops off the stage and starts running with the crowd as he's singing "I want to run....I want to hide..." It was AWESOME. I have a fantastic picture, too...but blogger is being a butthead and not letting me upload anymore at the moment (what gives?).

So with one mile left, I think things will start to calm down...but no. I run through a Nike cheering section...past a cello/harmonica guy playing the blues...and under a bridge that has disco lights going like crazy as the Rocky theme blares (omg...too funny)!

With that, I darted up the hill, down Columbus drive and across the finish line. I ended up not timing myself like I originally planned, but since it ended up being so hot and because I wanted to stop at the different stages, I ended up ignoring the watch (but if you're wondering, I pulled in just after an hour...like 1:03 or something like that).

De La Sol was the headliner, but we opted not to stick around since we had to get up at 4 to drive 8 hours. But Nike gets a huge thumbs up for putting on such an awesome race. I loved the 90s theme and all the surprises along the course. Plus the medal rocks! :) yah...we got a medal for a 5 mile fun run. Woohoo!

I have a bunch more photos of the night, but blogger is sucking and not letting me post anymore...so perhaps another day?

I still need to update all y'all campers on the road trip to KC on Friday. Good times. With more fun pics. So whenever blogger decides to cooperate, it's on!

Hope you all had a great weekend with lots of awesome running going down. :)

Peace, yo!

Move them hips, run girl...

Yay! I love running 13.1 miles...




















Not sure who this other chick is, but apparently she loves running, too!

Crunching Numbers

Every once in a while, I need to remind myself of the progress I've made over the past (almost) year of running. And in light of my rocking (okay, rockin' by MY standards, slow by yours) half marathon...I thought I'd share a bit of my number crunching with you...marked through official races only (training runs not included).

October 05. My first 5k EVER. A nice, thick, 12:22 pace.

November 05. My first 8k EVER. A burley ole 13:12 pace.

January 06. First Marathon EVER. A Big. Stinking. 15:07 pace. Ouch.

April 06. Shamrock Shuffle 8k. Give it up for a 12:47 pace (oh yah. that's improvement, sucka!)

May 06. The awful. painful. shoot me now. terrible Soldier Field 10miler. 13:39 pace.

July 06. Another 5k...with a 11:33 pace. Getting better, still needs work though.

August 06. In Your Face, Get Run Over by a Bike half marathon. 12:26 pace. That's well over a minute faster than the nightmare-ish 10 miler from 4 months prior. Plus we can't forget breaking an hour for that 8k. Woohoo.

So even though I'm not beyond estatic with my half mary time, I am absolutely thrilled with the progress I've made in a year. And of course, there's more progress to be had in the upcoming weeks and months.

Now. Assuming I can keep a 12:26 pace throughout the marathon (unlikely...but stranger things have happened)...that puts me in the 5:25:45 range...breaking my 5:30 goal. And to meet 5:30, I have to keep a 12:35 pace. Which, I'm not gunna lie. Makes me really nervous...only a 9 second difference from said half marathon pace. Plus that's a long way for me to keep up that effort.

So now I'm debating whether or not I need to re-evaluate my marathon goal...I might could be convinced to bump it anywhere from 5:36-5:40. A 5:36 mary means I will have shaved a full hour off my previous year's time...and that also means a 12:49 pace.

However. If we go and visit my good buddy, McMillan...according to my half time, I will likely run a 5:43:25 marathon, or a 13:06 pace. However Marathon Guide's race predictor is slightly more encouraging at 5:41:02 (13:01 pace). Although I'm not entirely convinced I should be using my half time given the circumstances that forced me to slow down. How accurate are those tools anyway?

So I guess I'm struggling here...do I reconsider my 5:30 goal? Or do I keep it and risk potential disappointment? Do I throw the whole time goal out the window and just run my buns off and leave the clock to fate? Or do I twist the time and allow myself a bit more room with a 5:45 goal? What do you think, Campers?

Although I think for me to best predict all of this, it will really come down to how the 16 and 18 and 20 milers go. In the meantime, I'm just left here scratching my head with this whole numbers game. I hate numbers. I'm a wordsmith...not a number cruncher. So if some camper out there wants to do the math for me, I'd appreciate it.

In other news...I went to the lady doc again yesterday. Bad news...this thing in my right breast is still very much there and I am beyond ready to serve it an eviction notice. So on August 31st I'm going in for a myriad (there's that great word again!) of tests. Ultrasound...fine, no problem. But when words like biopsy, aspiration and mammogram enter the conversation, I turn into a mini-spaz...minus the mini. So yah...I'm doing my best to not freak out over here. My mother, on the other hand...is doing all the worrying for me...as any good mum should. So mom, if you're reading this, quit worrying until they give me a reason to (which they won't). Ok?

The bruise on my calf is still several colors of the rainbow so I'm hoping that clears itself within the next week or so. And that nasty blister on my big toe finally popped...I've now got a bright red, deep crater the size of Manhattan on my toe. Fun times.

So as you may have guessed, I haven't run since Sunday (running with a big ole blister hole can't be comfy, right?). Tomorrow night is the Nike Run Hit Remix 5-mile fun run...should be a good time and I'm really looking forward to it. :) The U2 cover band, Vertigo, will be playing along the course, so it'll be a jolly grand time. But tonight is mostly dedicated to packing and repacking everything needed for our drive to Kansas City on Friday. Gotta love a good ole fashioned road trip with the pooch.

Peace, yo.

Chicago Distance Classic Race Report...

The story of my marathon actually begins around Saturday at around 4 in the morning. I woke up with the most excrutiatingly (is that even a word?) painful charlie horse...holy cow...my calf muscles were spazzing like nothing else I had ever experienced before. Needless to say, I woke up literally screaming in pain and drove my fingers deep into the muscle. OH.MY.GAAAWWWWWWWWDDDDDDDDDDDD. It was absolutely awful. All day Saturday my left calf was super tight and borderline painful. I used The Stick on it and stretched it out and even walked home from the expo (mile and a half-ish).

So aside from oversleeping this morning (oh shit!) and running about 25 minutes behind schedule, we make it to the start line with about 15-20 minutes to spare. Just enough time to use the bathroom and hit gear check.

But what a beautiful day for a half marathon!!!! The start line weather was nice and in the mid-60's (don't worry, it warmed up quick). The vibe was good...over the loud speaker they were playing this dramatic symphonic fanfare...I jokingly said "Oh geez....I bet they play the Chariots of Fire theme next" ....and well...they did. It was pretty amusing and we all got a good laugh. The national anthem is sung...and off go the wheelchair racers and before we know it, we're about to cross the start line with ACDC's Thunderstruck blaring.

Mile 1...So I'm running along with a fellow TNTer, Sharmeene...everything feels good, the calf isn't too problematic. But apparently I went out way too fast...I hit the first mile marker at 10:35...uhmm...I.dont.think.so. I pull back a little bit from her and walk for a few moments and up through the water stop. Much to my surprise, NO SHIN SPLINTS!! This is great as it typically takes me 2-3 miles to get in the groove whenever I have shin splints. Woohoo! Life is great and I LOVE RUNNING!!!

Mile 2...3...4...I love running through the loop!! Tall buildings!! Nice shaded streets!! People cheering us on!! Friendly folks at water stops!! The legs are feeling great, except for the tinge of discomfort starting up in my calf. At the 5k mark I look at my watch...just over 35 minutes...sweet, I'll take it even though it's not great, I just pace myself. I suck down a Gu at mile 4 and keep on trucking. Woohoo!!

Mile 5...the marker is in the middle of "Mount Roosevelt"...you know, the only incline in the marathon conveniently located at Mile 26. I round the bend to start up the hill and see the 5 mile marker up ahead...I look at my Garmin and realize that I can break an hour...THIS IS HUGE FOR ME!!! I've not yet had an 8k under an hour.....until today! I channel my energy and just fly up the hill...So what was my 8k time, you ask?? It was really 59:30..BOO YAH. An 8k PR. I do my happy dance for my sub-12/min mile pace and keep on running, because well...I LOVE RUNNING!!!

Mile 6...7...8...Ugh...I hate running on Lake Shore Drive (and hate isn't even the right word...more like loathe...dread...detest). I hate the sun. I hate the soreness in my calf. I hate the blister starting to develop on my big toe. I hate my bladder because I feel like I gotta pee...and I hate the porta potty lines. And while I certainly didn't hate running in general, it was certainly starting to slip on my list of favorite things to do. It wasn't a BAD stretch...it was just well, less than stellar. Overall, I was still feeling okay. Just a bit on the overheated side. Which means I was drinking more...which means I was getting a sloshy stomach. Ew! What an awful feeling. It's around this point I spot one of my mentees, Kristen, already headed back north...I give her a mighty cheer as she's maybe 20-30 yards away from me...she was looking great and running strong!!

Mile 9...This is where my 2:30ish half was shot. Yours truly...are you ready for this? Are you? It's pretty ridiculous...but....yours truly got run over by a bike. I know, I know....wtf? It wasn't just any old biker, either. IT WAS A F#$*%&ING COURSE MARSHALL. Oh man...I don't think I have been that pissed off in a REALLY.LONG.TIME. I'm walking through the water TNT water station...it's pretty crowded so I move to the middle so I could start running once again without tripping all of a sudden. All of a sudden I hear "watch out" (and because I have eyes in the back of my head and all, and because it was so crowded, I know exactly who they person was talking to...note sarcasm)...so all of a sudden, the stupid #$%&ing course marshall runs into the back of my leg....right where I was having my charlie horse pain. Tears welt up in my eyes...I bite my tongue...and do my best to limit the number of four-letter words flying out of my mouth (sorry Mom...but a good number escaped from my lips). It was not a pretty sight. I had to pull over and examine the damage. Tire track dirt actually ended up on my leg. And while it didn't break the skin (Thank Gawd!) it was beyond painful...and it left a nice big ole bruise on my calf.

Okay...I might expect this is of a stupid, random biker out for a morning ride who doesn't know better...but a COURSE MARSHALL...WHO KNOWS THE RULES...WHOSE BEST INTEREST IS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT OF THE ATHLETES....Uhmm......yah.....one really miffed chick over here and I'm wondering if I should report it. So a memo to all course marshalls and future course marshalls, DO NOT TAKE YOUR BIKE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF A CONGESTED WATER STATION...for the love of all that is good, ride your damn thing AROUND the stop, like you're supposed to...now there's a concept. Ugh. I could go on and on, but I'll shut up about that now.

It was shortly after this snafu that I saw Margie and Molly and a handful of TNTers they were pacing with. As always, they were looking great, going strong. I gave 'em a hollar of encouragement, sucked it up and kept running.

Miles 10...11...Run run run...ow my calf...walk. Run run run...ow my calf...walk. Lather. Rinse. Repeat about fifteen times. I slowed down hardcore here...all because of that stupid bike.

Around mile 11.5 at the back side of McCormick Place, I did what had to be done. With no porta potties in sight...I dropped trou. Yes ladies in gentlemen, I finally succumbed to the whole public/runner peeing phobia thing (those that know me know I am definitely not comfortable with "popping a squat")...I run behind a bush that appears like it would hide me well. Drop trou....and nothing. I wait. Crickets chirp. A few dozen people pass me by. And still, nothing happens. Stage freight? Perhaps. But then again, maybe I was just sweating out all my fluids. Very bizarre. So I carry on my way.

Mile 12...I'm starting to get cranky. I'm pissed about my calf. The blister on my big toe is just getting bigger and bigger and bigger and frankly, I'm over this whole half marathon thing. Mostly because of the dumb broad on the bike (I'd rather use a different b-word, but I'm trying to keep this family friendly, so use your imagination). And even though the mile never seems to end, I did soak up our beautiful city for a bit. The lake is gorgeous and the skyline looks magnificent as we run through the Northly Island area. Run around the Shedd Aquarium....through the tunnel...up the hill...and BAM--there's mile 13. :)

The last .1...The finish chute was packed. Lots of people...lots of cheering...it felt great to see the end despite the pain. I took my ear phones up and just ran my tail off to the finish line.

The result? A 2:42:50 half marathon...which should have been around 4-5 minutes faster, but hey....what can ya do? I said I wanted to be between 2:30 and 2:45...so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Plus I ran a 12:26 pace...so I can't complain too much there, right?

We make our way to the TNT tent for a bit and get stretched out, which was soooo painful when it came to my left calf. Finally we get home...and after agreeing that we smell like homeless folks, Mike and I take our ice baths and showers...and then problems set in. Mike couldn't move. Literally. His knee froze up and he could not walk, bend, stretch it out or do anything. I felt so bad for him since there was nothing I could do. :( But that's his story to tell...as soon as he becomes functional again.

After some rest and food...I'm finally feeling human.

Blogger is being really stupid and not letting me upload photos, so you'll actually have to click to view em...so...Enjoy!!

Woohoo!! I did a half marathon!

The nasty lil' bugger on my foot. I couldn't get the sucker to lance to save my life. Hurts so damn badly! Oof.

And a bad photo of the damage from the brilliant course marshall. The bruise is now a few vibrant shades of red, pink, purple and blue and still in a good deal of pain. Looks like it'll leave a mark for a few days. Blah!

And finally...our super rocking JBR Penguin Medal. The front and the back. Sweeeeeeeet...

So what's next for this dynamic duo? Hopefully nothing too crazy this week. We've got the Nike Run Hit Remix this Thursday night, which will purely be a fun run!! And then Friday, we're driving to Kansas City. So any KC folk who may want to get together, let me know :)

Peace, yo!

Extreme Taper.

So this is my race strategy. Extreme taper.

I was going to run tonight...and since the weather in Chicago is sucking (humid, gross and semi-rainy) ONCE AGAIN...I'm on the couch...chillin...watching Bring It On All Or Nothing. :) Practicing the fine art of extreme taper.

And let me tell you...I'm good at it.

Perhaps a little too good.

So last night I worked until 9:30....and today I was out at a reasonable hour...so I'm actually relaxing and not letting myself do anything. But sit on the couch...

Tomorrow I'll try to do a few miles (4-5 maybe?) and then do a 2-3 mile walk on Saturday to loosen up.

Ahhh....I love tapering. And Sunday morning at the half marathon...I'll start strong and probably begin tapering around mile 4 :)

Okay...I'm off to get a limeade.

Ooooh...and all discs with the Great RBF Music Exchange are in the mail. Enjoy!!

Marathon Nightmares...and a run in the narrative of the Happy Bunny

So...two nights ago I had the first of which will presumably be a long string of marathon nightmares.

In this dream they re-did the marathon route with the start line actually being inside of the Southwest Airlines terminal at Midway airport. Race organizers asked me to "hold down the fort" at Midway, catching all of the runners as they were arriving and asking them to stay at the terminal start line until the race began (which was occuring about 45 minutes later). And of course, this ensued mayhem. Here I am corraling thousands of disgruntled marathon runners. I couldn't answer any questions because I had no answers. Nobody knew where the race was going to occur so all strategies were thrown out the window and of course, you have the over-eager, type-A personality athletes who were more concerned about people cheating by running on the moving sidewalks than getting to baggage claim to actually find their marathon shoes. I woke up shortly after I received a phone call about the PowerGel folks never arriving and they asked me to start melting gummy bears for the PG Zone. Say whaaaaaaaaaaa?

Oh my gosh...I completely forgot to write this in initially...but in my dream, Elizabeth was an angel, chasing all the kenyans and other athletes around for me, literally screaming at folks to shut up, relax and to look at her...only to have her do her random "happy dance." ...which was sort of like the Truffle Shuffle...but with a little more leg work. Definitely amusing and worth mentioning here. So E-Speed...when I meet you in a few weeks, you'll have to humor me and Do the Truffle Shuffle!!

Crazy. I know. I think I'll lay off the ham dinners for a while.

So today's run (FINALLY, a post-work run)...3.5 miles at an 11:53/mile pace (41:37 time). It felt good, for the most part.

I hit the ground running...totally had one of those "you go girl!" attitudes. I was swift...passing folks right and left (okay, I admit...they were walking)...zipping right by bikers (does it matter that they had stopped to rest?)...and basically flying with a feeling that I just didn't want to stop running...enter happy bunny #1...





A little after 2.5 miles...I...hrmm...tmi...but it's best said with another happy bunny...





I kept it all down though, no fear. After the 3.5 miles on the running path I did a series of untimed wind sprints down clear city blocks on the way to the grocery store (probably a mile's worth) to pick up dinner.

I was stinky! :) Which brings me to my third and final happy bunny...





So there ya have it...a reasonably good run in my book...with the obnoxious happy bunny to tell my story. :) Let's hope that work starts to lighten up so I can get some more evening runs in...

Don't feed the elk.

This was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen on a run. A "Don't feed the elk" sign. So I'm running along this caged off area somewhere in Busse Woods...wondering if some random wildlife would emerge and come attack me (it'd make a great story ono the evening news to say the least). There's no elk to be seen...and then I round this bend and there's elk EVERYWHERE...just hanging out...looking at the runners (and likely laughing at us all). It was very weird. Cause elk...they got themselves some huge horns...reminded me of reindeer!! And while appearing cool and chill, they're certainly not the animal you want to piss off. they're fierce. :)

So today's 10 mile taper went well...for the first seven miles at least. The last three were tough due to a bit of...gas...teeeheeee... So between gas and "the shift" the final stretch was definitely slowed a bit. Ooooooh gawd it hurt SO BADLY. I'll spare you the details though. It was nice to get away from the city lakefront path, though. We ran out in Busse Woods over in Schaumburg (all-city training), so getting up at 5:15 was not fun...but the change of scenery was great. Very shady asphault path with a bunch of cool air patches going on. Plus the big ole storm that came through on Wednesday made temps drop about 15-20 degrees. Finally, some relief!!

Overall I averaged a 12:25/mi. Final time? 2:04:34. Looks like I *might* could pull off a half marathon closer to a 2:30 than 2:45....since I tend to go a bit faster on race days. We'll see how that mulls over I suppose. I keep reminding myself that next week's half marathon is just a training run...not a race. I'll have me a big fat ole penguin medal. Woohoo!!!

So where has barb been this week? Here...there...and everywhere. But mostly just off being frustrated with life. But I'll spare you another craptastic week rant. The highlight was DEFINITELY booking the cruise. I'm already beyond excited. It just totally sucks that we have to wait another year to leave. BOO!!!

Folks who are in the music exchange...last week I received the last and final disc (you know who you are...tsk tsk for waiting so long!!!) and the sorting process is about half done and all will go out this week!

Okay...I smell...really bad...of runner sweat...and elk...and of Busse Woods. Off to shower.

- B