Who watched the Olympic women's marathon this morning? I was completely floored to learn that Kenya has never won gold in this event. It was exciting to have three Americans finish in the top ten. Congratulations to Shalane Flanagan, Des Linden, and Amy Cragg for their strong performances!
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Here are my workouts from the week:
MONDAY - Run 3 miles on the treadmill
TUESDAY - Yoga class
WEDNESDAY - Zumba class, Mobility class, Nike Training Club circuit-training class
THURSDAY - Strength Max class (deadlifts, bridges, shoulders, upper/lower back, triceps, abs, calves)
FRIDAY - Yoga class
SATURDAY - Rest
SUNDAY - 30 minutes on the recumbent bike
Let's shift into photo recap mode to recap the week's highlights.
On Monday, I attended a Windy City Bloggers event on pairing wine and cheese, hosted by Cheeses of Europe. This event was right up my alley. I've long said that I think I was born on the wrong side of the Illinois-Wisconsin border since I love cheese so much!
On Tuesday, my friend Jenny and I packed some picnic food and went to watch an outdoor showing of Grease at Millennium Park. What a classic! I'd forgotten how catchy the soundtrack is, not to mention how young John Travolta was at the time. The movie was by far the most crowded I'd ever seen the pavilion, as well as the biggest sing-a-long/dance-a-long party known to humankind.
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| "Well, this car is automatic. It's systematic. It's hyyyyyyyydromatic. Why, it's greased lightning!" |
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| I am in the second row, a little right of center, wearing the light blue shirt. |
I hadn't been to the Field in several years, so it was a wonderful treat to visit. Here are some scenes from a few of the exhibits. The "Traveling the Pacific" exhibit is my favorite for its great showcases on the magical South Pacific.
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| Top L: Chicago/Beijing Panoramic Cutouts by Professor Qiao Xiaoguang Middle L: Traveling the Pacific Bottom L: Pacific Spirits Top R: The Tsavo Lions Middle R: Dinosaur Hall Bottom R: Marae Gallery |
Yesterday, the Windy City Bloggers hosted an outdoor picnic at Oz Park on Saturday. Check out the beautiful West Elm tablescapes and the yummy eats provided by Snap Kitchen:
I'd never heard of Oz Park before this day, and it was a fabulous discovery. The park is beautiful, large, and peaceful; has Emerald City references; and features statues of the various Wizard of Oz characters!
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| L: Lauren and me with Dorothy and Toto C: The Scarecrow R: The Tin Man I didn't have time to find the Lion so I'll have to look for him next time! |
On Saturday night, Adam and I went to dinner at Piccolo Sogno. I'd heard so much about their festive outdoor patio space, so I was excited to finally experience it in person.
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| Upper L: The enormous outdoor patio Upper R: Adam getting ready to dig into his prosciutto pizza Bottom L: Spaghetti Neri appetizer Bottom R: Halibut al Forno |
Meghan's husband, Mike, is a photographer and hosted an open studio party just a few blocks from my home. I hadn't seen Meghan in quite some time, so Adam and I stopped by after dinner yesterday. We marveled at Mike's spectacular work. Here is a sample:
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| Photo by Michael Schacht |
This afternoon, Adam and I will be embarking on a Chicago Mash event, hosted by Brooklyn Brewery. We'll be doing the Pilsen Neighborhood Immersion, which is a nomadic party exploring Pilsen's local restaurants, bars, and shops. Pilsen is one of my favorite neighborhoods so this should be a blast! I will share more details afterwards.
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How has your week/weekend been? What plans do you have to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer?
Linking up with HoHo and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap, and with Angela and Ilka for the Sunday Fitness & Food Linkup.
Wow, a true Chicago weekend! I'd love to do that Pilsen immersion. I love that neighborhood. It's my favorite part of the Chicago marathon.
ReplyDeleteThe Pilsen immersion would have been perfect for anyone who loves beer and shopping at small, locally owned shops! =) It was one of my favorite parts of the Chicago Marathon, too. So much great energy!
DeleteMan, I have to get to Piccolo Sogno soon, looks delicious. Also, the US women did so well at the Olympics, it was really fun to see that this morning! I think the guy who wrote The Wizard of Oz lived near Oz Park - L. Frank Baum. He worked as a window decorator for Marshall Fields in the olden days! :)
ReplyDeleteOh wow - that's so cool that the Wizard of Oz author was from the area. I had no idea there was such a local connection to such a famous story! I'm looking forward to seeing the men's Olympic marathon now, you too?
DeleteWaaaahhh!!! Don't remind me about summer. *sniff*
ReplyDeleteI love your wrap dress. It almost reminds me of a sari.
*sniffs here, too*
DeleteThanks so much, Natalie! It made me think of a sari, too!!!
I'm OK with summer winding down. We got our first taste of cooler temps this weekend with the highs around 90, and it feels wonderful. I love the fall season too, so I'm excited for that.
ReplyDeleteI love fall, too! I think my favorite time is when the season is just on the cusp of summer and fall - when it's still warm out, but you can start smelling just a touch of cool crispness hinting in the air. And fall running season is my favorite, by far!
DeleteI feel pressured to get as much skiing in as possible. I know it will end abruptly, but there is still a lot of rain in the forecast too! It looks like you had a very busy, fun and multifaceted week OUT AND ABOUT (<< see how I did that?) in Chicago. Oz Park looks like a nifty discovery. Thanks for linking, Emily!
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo - LOVE the out and about reference, HoHo! Very clever. =) Yes, get in as much skiing as you possibly can in these final few weeks of summer weather! It's also a great way to cross-train for the Chicago Marathon. Thanks again as always to you and Tricia for hosting the linkup!
DeleteYou did all the things this past week!! They all sounded so much fun, too. Looking forward to your recap of the Pilsen event.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Erin! We are so lucky to be part of the WCBC - they really do put on the most amazing events!!! See you on the cruise tonight and at the Nike event on Thursday. =)
DeleteNormally I'd be very sad to see Summer go but I'm like meh it's ok, I'm so ready for some cooler temps and longer runs.I would love to see this showing of Grease, I think it is my all time favorite movie, EVER!!! Yes it trumps Dirty Dancing, sorry.
ReplyDeleteWow the Nike Club has a lot of members I bet it is a great class!
I'm definitely ready for some cooler temperatures. The fall is by far my favorite time of year to run and race, so I am looking forward to enjoying some more pleasant running weather soon! Oh yes, Grease trumps Dirty Dancing for me, too. It's not even close, to be honest! Yes, the Nike Club was great and the trainers are amazing!!! So inspirational!
DeleteYou've been busy! What fun events. My kids return to school this week (what??) so yes, summer is essentially over. Sigh. T'was a hot one!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marcia!!! Welcome back from Ireland!!! I am in love with all the amazing pictures you posted from your trip. Crazy that your kids go back to school ALREADY. I always felt like summer ended after Labor Day, but when kids go back to school in mid-August that all goes out the window!
DeleteThat OZ Park sounds lovely and how fun to watch Grease at the Pavilion! You are definitely making the most of your summer!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Summer is so short in Chicago that I think all locals here feel like we need to make the most of the little time we have!!!
DeleteHi Emily - yes, I was also very surprised when I heard that Kenya has never won a gold medal in the Olympic Marathon! I would have thought they were the front runners. But yes, it was a great Olympic Sunday for Running - Kenya winning and American Runners in the Top 10. It was fun to watch! The exhibit looks like s much fun - my boys would love to attend it. The Nike Training Club must have been great! You fit some nice training in throughout the week - a good mix! Have a great week Emily!
ReplyDeleteI thought for sure that Kenya and/or Ethiopia would have taken gold in every single Olympic marathon ever hosted! Good for Kenya to finally claim one, yes? The Field Museum is so wonderful for both kids and adults! And the Nike Training Club was fun but also quite intense. Thank you so much, Ilka! Thanks for hosting the link-up and I hope you have a great week, too!!!
DeleteThank you so much, Kelly! I was super excited to see the US women representing so well in the marathon. Des Linden is my favorite, I love her big smile! That is a bummer that you are back to working Fridays and are gearing up towards the fall tax deadlines already. I understand the feeling of not getting to take full advantage of the summertime this year because I feel exactly the same way. At the same time, fall is one of my favorite seasons, too! BTW - I absolutely adore the Instagram picture of Swede that you captioned "Charge!" SO CUTE!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen!!! I'm extremely blessed to be part of such a terrific blogger group in Chicago! They have a dedicated team that organizes so many cool gatherings. It's times like these that I sort of wish I was a professional blogger and could spend my days attending fun events! I hear you on the summertime, I am ready to transition into fall, too. You are also very lucky to live in an area where you have beautiful winters - I envy that!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree! The look of determination in her eyes is priceless!!!! =D
ReplyDeleteBusy and fun week for you! Love it!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Zenaida!!! I know it's been real busy for you, too, prepping for the start of the new school year. I hope things are going smoothly in the first days!!!
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