There's more to the story

I absolutely loved Katie's post sharing the extra details behind Instagram photos! Here are the truths and realities behind a few of my Instagram photos.

Actual caption: Making pesto sauce (at Cooking Fools cooking school)
What I was really thinking: I just dumped about 4 CUPS of oil into this food processor. I am never eating pesto sauce again. Ever.

Actual caption: Holy cow!!! (at Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse)
What I was really thinking: I look like a cheesy tourist! This is not the most professional-looking picture of myself to be posting on social media. Should I even be sharing it?

Actual caption: This frisbee player has seen better days.
Reality: This photo was taken on Super Bowl Sunday, when Chicago got hit with a MASSIVE blizzard. That afternoon, I was really unhappy that I had to run to the office to take care of an errand. It was total misery slogging through the blinding snow and unplowed streets/sidewalks. I snapped this photo while shuffling home.

Actual caption: I taught Junior Achievement (2nd grade) today! This is an assortment of mementos, thank-you cards, and learning tools from the program. (at Lawndale Academy)
Reality: I was completely exhausted from being on my feet all day long and trying unsuccessfully to corral a classroom full of energetic 7-year olds. I will never again take for granted that I have a desk job where I get to sit on my butt all day.

Actual caption: Making an urgent snack stop in the Big Easy. The bag of beignets was filled with enough powdered sugar to kill three people! (at Cafe Du Monde at Riverwalk)
Reality: I also had an obscene amount of powdered sugar on my jeans. No amount of dusting seemed to get rid of it, either. I was ready to get stopped by the police for suspicion of being in possession of controlled substances.

Actual caption: Presiding over Chicago City Council! (Or rather, touring city hall during the Chicago Architectural Open House event)
Reality: Notice the blue covering on the table? This was to ensure that random visitors like me didn't spill anything or cause any damage to the chambers, haha.

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Your turn! What photos have you shared on social media where there was more to the story than the caption?

Off the cuff

Linking up with Amanda's Thinking Out Loud Thursday.

Oxymoron of a Runner

I am looking forward to this coming weekend more than usual. Despite last weekend being a holiday weekend, I spent much of it working. Even when I wasn't working, I was still thinking about what I had to get done. Therefore, I didn't get much of a mental respite over the weekend. It is catching up to me now and I am mentally tired. All I want to do is go for a run and then sit on the couch.

Seoul Glo (extra credit for anyone who recognizes this reference ;-) )

My trip to Korea next month to visit Helen is starting to sneak up on me. WOO HOO! I need to start doing some planning. 

Is it bad that the first thing that came to mind was the episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations where he went to Seoul?

Bourdain attends a martial arts class in Korea
Source

No gravity

I enjoy doing yoga very much, but I am a fairly middle-of-the-road yogi. I have been working for a long time on being able to do crow pose. 

Crow pose

To this day, anytime I try it, I topple over and have to scramble to keep myself from hitting my head on the ground. (Thankfully, with crow pose, the ground is not too far away!)

Speaking of landing on your head, it seems like yoga headstands are all the rage these days. I've even seen store mannequins in this pose to display yoga attire.

How the heck do people do this? It does look very acrobatic, but I can't imagine it's at all comfortable. I am wary of ever attempting this pose for fear of the pure disaster that may ensue.

And finally...

Hello, nice to meet you!

I've seen other folks share the search terms that led to their blogs. Just for giggles, here are a few of mine:

chicago deep dish pizza

fartlekking

cookie monster

left hands

irish flag

i love summer

nhl teams

clamshell exercise

rockettes

I have no words...!

Four Disney favorites

Linking up with Deb's Wordless Wednesday Disney photo hop.

The theme for this week is "4 Favorites."

This left a lot of room for interpretation! I looked through some of my Disney vacation photos for inspiration. It got me thinking about how Cinderella's Castle is a beloved and internationally recognized symbol of the Disney Parks. Therefore, I will share pictures of the castle as seen in four different ways.

#1: The perfect backdrop to Walt and Mickey

#2: The big screen for the "Celebrate the Magic" nighttime show

#3: Adorned by a shooting star during the "Wishes" fireworks show

#4: Illuminated by a sky full of pyrotechnics during "Wishes"

"Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, dreams are forever." 

- Walt Disney

Shoe shopping

I am the worst when it comes to shoe shopping. If you looked at the definition of "running shoe addict" in the dictionary, you would see my picture.

However, over the last few months I have actually been good about NOT shopping for running shoes! I haven't looked at them online or anything. The last time I purchased new shoes was in September 2014.

At one point, I had six pairs of running shoes in rotation, but now I am down to 3.5 pairs. (The "0.5" pair would be my Brooks Ghost GTX shoes. They are waterproof so I only wear them in inclement conditions.)

I generally retire my shoes somewhere between 250-300 miles. As of today, I have one pair that is over 160 miles, and another pair that is probably headed for an early retirement due to blister issues. Therefore, I am finally allowing myself to start thinking about what shoes I might want to get next.

Here are the three types of shoes I am considering, in alphabetical order:

ASICS Gel Cumulus 16 (or 17, depending when it comes out)
The first time I ever got professionally fitted for running shoes, I got the Gel Cumulus 13, which I loved. These were my workhorse shoes for a long time. They are well-cushioned and the shock absorption is good.

Over the last few years, I have gone through three pairs of Gel Cumuluses - two pairs of the 13s, and one pair of the 15s. Unfortunately, I didn't like the 15s as much as the 13s. However, given my previous success with the Gel Cumulus, I am more than willing to test the newer versions.

I think the 17s will be released pretty soon. If not and/or if I got the 16s, this is the pair I would choose:

Mizuno Wave Rider 18
The second time I got professionally fitted for running shoes, they put me in the Wave Rider 16s. I had gone through a pair of the 15s on my own before then, too.

I currently wear the 16s for all of my long runs. They have a very smooth toe-off. They also feel firmer underfoot than the Gel Cumuluses. I like this because it makes me feel like I am more in control of my footstep. For a long time I was an ASICS girl, but the Mizunos have really given them a run for the money! (Sorry, Kim, we may no longer be shoe twins. =( )

Last October, I attended a Wave Rider 18 release party so I could test out the latest edition. The verdict: super light yet very supportive. I told myself that the 18s would be very high on the list for a future purchase. If so, this is the color that I would choose:

The color scheme is a little tame by my preferences - I would prefer something a little more in-your-face. However, it is my pick out of the color options available.

Saucony Ride 7
The last time I got fitted for running shoes, which was last summer, these were a suggestion. Based on trying these on at the store, they were very comfortable, fit my wider foot well, and had good cushioning. Since I enjoy experimenting with running shoes, these very well might be worth a go.

Side note - I know you aren't supposed to select running shoes purely based on color. However, I have such an affinity for red shoes - and check these out!

How about you? What running shoes do you currently love? Do you like sticking with the tried-and-true favorites, or do you enjoy experimenting?

Linking up with April, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run.

High five

Happy Friday!

I have had a rough week in the office, and I will be putting in some working hours over the weekend. Therefore, we'll go with a quick "five-things" post today.

1. Spirit of the Marathon
Several folks have mentioned the Spirit of the Marathon documentary film to me over the years. Since it chronicles runners training for the Chicago Marathon, I decided that I want to watch it.

I am already bracing myself for an emotional reliving of my own experience.

Has anyone already seen it? Any thoughts?

2. Worth the Hoopla
While looking for Spirit of the Marathon from the library catalog, I happened to stumble across the free Hoopla app. You can use it to instantly borrow digital movies and music with your library card. Anything you borrow automatically gets returned at the end of the borrowing period. No worrying about due dates or late fees! The only usage requirements are that your local public library is set up with Hoopla, and that you have a library card. I'm a huge fan!

3. Watering hole
I have been very aware that California is mired in an emergency-level drought. It really, really hit me when I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon last year and saw this scene:

This is the Santa Ana River.
It is so dry that I thought it was a construction site for a new highway when I first saw it.

I've always tried to be conservative with water usage. However, the drought crisis has really made me stand up and take notice. You certainly don't have to live in California to focus on conservation efforts. It's an issue that affects everyone.

Last week, I was talking to Vanitha about the drought. She used to work in water conservation so she is a resident expert! She mentioned a free online course she is taking called Water in the Western United States, and asked if I'd be interested in taking it with her. Yes ma'am! The class starts next week.

4. The decoy bag
See this innocent-looking bag? It looks like a purse, doesn't it?

It's actually an insulated lunch bag. I thought it would be nice to use something a little more stylish than the usual cube-shaped lunch bags. However, the purse similarities ended up wreaking havoc on me.

One night, I took my wallet out of my (real) purse to check an account number. Then, I accidentally put my wallet into the lunch bag instead of back into my purse.

As timing would have it, I had a team lunch the next day. Therefore, I left the lunch bag at home... with my wallet inside! This led to some very anxious and awkward moments when I was at the store later that day and couldn't find my wallet. Sigh.

5. Pull-up/chin-up
I have a new fitness goal: I want to be able to do both an unassisted chin-up and pull-up. I've seen inspiring results from several friends who have been rocking their strength-training, most notably Marcia and Erin. I've started doing some research on training plans and so far I like this one the most.

We'll see how it goes! I have no illusions - this goal is definitely going to take a long time to achieve.

Linking up with Claire, Katie, Heather, Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar.

Deuce

Alternative title to today's post: The ridiculous things that I will do for presentation purposes and to meet my arbitrarily self-imposed goals.

As I had mentioned here, my goal is to run at least 750 miles during 2015. This averages out to 62.5 miles per month. In January and February, I logged exactly 62.5 miles each month. The perfectionist in me was liking being perfectly on track!

Then, came the month of March. During the first half of the month, I was actually ahead of schedule due to training for and running the Rock N Roll DC Half Marathon. The second half, I started teetering off of the wagon (this was for numerous reasons).

Last Saturday (March 28), I was looking at my training log and realized I was only at 46.5 miles for the month. If I was going to hit my requisite 62.5 for March, I needed to log 16 miles by Tuesday (March 31).

It didn't seem like it would be a problem to run an average of 4 miles per day for the remaining four days of the month. I was already running the Shamrock Shuffle 8K on Sunday, which would come close enough to 5 miles. So I ran 3 on Saturday, and planned to run another 4 per day on both Monday and Tuesday. No problem-o!

On Monday, my intention was to knock out the day's 4 miles after I got home from work. However, things didn't go as planned - and in this case, it was a really good thing. As I shared here, my wonderful husband surprised me with last minute tickets for Monday night's Blackhawks game! A live Hawks game will always take priority over pretty much anything I might have planned. So without a second thought, running plans got scrapped for that night. (Although, I did sprint through the United Center concourses so I could get to my seat in time to watch the pre-game warm-up. Priorities!!! =) )

This meant that I now had 8 miles on tap for Tuesday. What to do? Unless I plan in advance, I don't have time to run more than 5 miles at a time on a weeknight or during the workday. I sure as heck wasn't going to be waking up early to run before work, either. Basically, I had two choices: 1) Do a double-run day, or 2) not meet my monthly mileage goal.

Believe it or not, I was unreasonably disgruntled at the prospect of my training log being short for March. Therefore, I decided that if all went well, I would attempt a double-run day. The plan was to visit my company's fitness center in the early or mid-afternoon to run 4 miles. Then, I would try to knock out the remaining 4 miles later that night.

Again, things didn't go as planned. It was busy in the office. So busy that I didn't make it down to the fitness center until about 4:30 PM. Yikes!

Fortunately, once I got going, I felt pretty good. I decided that it would help to finish 5 miles at the fitness center. Psychologically I thought it would be easier to only have 3 miles left for Round 2.

I knocked out the 5 miles, then headed home. I was STARVING after my run and was in no mood to cook. Instead, I dragged Adam to the prepared-foods counter at the grocery store to pick up dinner.

While I was eating, it was still in the back of my mind that I had another 3 miles left on tap. I tried not to overanalyze it, but I kept thinking, am I really going to do this?

After dinner, I gave myself some time to let things settle in my stomach. Then, around 7:50 PM, I put on my running shoes again and went upstairs to my home building's fitness center. Treadmill number two for the day!

Those three miles weren't my finest. I am not used to running so late in the evening, especially after dinner. My stomach was feeling a little unsettled, which made me uncomfortable. But, I told myself it was only three miles. I also kept telling myself that I needed to train myself to run when I didn't feel like it.

I kept the pace very slow to keep my stomach at bay. It made the three miles feel even longer. I was so happy that it was only three and not four!

Slog, slog, slog, slog, slog. Then finally... done! Hallelujah!

I have never been so happy to enter those miles into my training log. Hello, 62.5 miles per month in January, February, AND MARCH!

My perfectionism will live to fight another month!

Since I am injury prone, it very well may have been ill-advised for me to do a double-run day for such an arbitrary reason. But I was still proud of myself for pushing through. It was empowering to train like a more hard-core runner for one day!

Maybe, just maybe with some better planning, I might even try this again someday in the future?!?!??!

My race wish-list

Linking up with April, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run (albeit one day late!)

This week's topic: Dream Races!

I'll take this in a couple of different directions. First, here are the qualities that I always appreciate in ANY race:

• Easy, convenient logistics both for the runners and the spectators. Day-of-race packet pickup is a huge plus.
• Good communication and information from the race organizers.
• Something memorable or unique about the race (e.g. scenic course, cool theme, a rocking post-race party, etc.)
• A starting time that doesn't require me to get up at some ungodly hour. (Sadly, this can be tough to find, since so many races start in the early morning.)
• Good value for the registration fee, whatever the amount is.
• Nice swag. I am all about fabulous medals and a quality race shirt (or whatever other participant giveaways are included in the goody bag). I love receiving product samples or discounts.

RunDisney gives out the most amazing medals.
The Disney Coast to Coast medal is my favorite!

Now, here are some of the races on my dream list (and for many of them, I am dreaming REALLY big)!

• All of the World Marathon Majors. (I feel very fortunate to have run the Chicago Marathon before they went to a registration lottery.)
• All of the Disney races. (Given how quickly the Disney races sell out, I am fortunate to have run Wine and Dine last year and the year before, plus Disneyland last year.)
• Any race in Hawaii, especially the Honolulu Marathon
• The Big Sur Marathon

Big Sur.
Big sigh!
Source

• Sparkasse Marathon (you run in three countries!)
• Paris Marathon
• Marathon de Medoc in Bordeaux
• Rome Marathon
• Dublin Marathon
• Rio de Janeiro Marathon
• Inca Trail Marathon to Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu!
Source

• Reykjavic Marathon
• Sydney Marathon
• Bangkok Marathon
• The Great Wall Marathon
• The Big Five Marathon in Limpopo, South Africa

The African savannah!
Source

Honorable mentions that I may actually get to cross off the list in the foreseeable future: Rock N Roll Las Vegas, and any races in Vancouver and Montreal.

How about you? What characteristics do you like most in races? What other races do you have on your dream list?