2013 Allstate 13.1 Chicago half marathon race recap

Yesterday I ran my 8th half marathon, the Allstate 13.1 Chicago half marathon.

I was very fortunate to win an entry to this race through a giveaway hosted by Maggie via the Chicago Running Bloggers host site.  Thanks again, Maggie!!!

Today, in an effort to mix things up a bit, I'm going to emulate "the good, the bad, and the ugly" race recap style that I first saw at Amanda's blog.  But before I begin, here are some pictures:

Prerace photo, courtesy of Amanda.
From L to R: me, Eric, Chris, and Amanda

Obligatory race photo body spasm.
Photo courtesy of Xaarlin

 

Mixing up the race photo body spasm pose just a bit.
Photo courtesy of Xaarlin

Juggling runner (I've seen this guy before).  Must be nice to be so talented!
Notice the unobstructed view of the gorgeous Chicago skyline in the background, too.
Photo courtesy of Xaarlin

 

Now, without further ado - the good, the bad, and the ugly of this race.

 

The Good

• Despite all of the warnings about limited parking in the vicinity, being able to find a street parking spot very close to the entrance of the South Shore Cultural Center, where the race's start line and finish line were both located.  (The race did offer free shuttles from two city locations, but given the departure times I opted to take my chances with parking.)
• Gorgeous course along a southern chunk of the Chicago lakefront path.  Unobstructed views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.
• Out and back course meant that I got to see lots of my fellow running bloggers before or during the race, including Amanda, Eric, Chris, and Erica.  Also got to see Xaarlin, Luiz, and CB, who were spectating shortly after mile 6.  It was great to see everyone!
• Adam came down to watch me near the finish line, and as usual it was so wonderful to see him.
• Plentiful aid stations with friendly volunteers.
• Nice weather.  Sunny with temps in the upper 60s/lower 70s.  Much better than the 80-degree temps that this race took place in last year.
• Nice selection of food and refreshments at the post-race party, including pizza and chocolate-covered bananas.
• Cool medal.



Photo by Adam

 

The Bad

• No race-day packet pickup.
• Packet pickup taking place only on the preceding Thursday night and Friday at a Fleet Feet location in Old Town.  This is a difficult, congested location, especially if you don't live/work in the city.
• Slate-gray race shirt which ran small.  Last year's race shirt was a gorgeous royal blue color, so I wasn't thrilled with this year's nondescript color.  Then, when I went to exchange my shirt on race morning, I was told they were completely out of the size that I wanted to get, as well as the men's equivalent size.
• It is difficult for spectators to get to the start/finish line.
• The finishing chute literally went on for over a half of a mile.  It felt like it would never, ever end.
• There was a spectator right after the 1-mile marker who was cheering that we were almost there. Are you kidding me?!?! I thought that maybe she was trying to be funny. But when I saw her up close she had a completely serious expression on her face and really seemed to be cheering in earnest. It's the thought that counts, though, right?
• As you can see in the pictures, I wore an orange shirt, thinking that it would help me stand out amongst the crowd of runners.  Not quite.  As luck would have it, Team Challenge (supporting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation) sent an ENORMOUS number of runners to the race - and their singlet is orange!

The Team Challenge singlet, which is the EXACT same shade of orange shirt I was wearing.  What are the odds?

 

The Ugly

• Fueling problems.  Major fueling problems. 
• This being my eighth half marathon, I thought that I had my fueling figured out.  I brought two GUs with me, which under normal circumstances is enough.  Many times I bring an extra GU, just in case - but this time I didn't, and it ended up being a big mistake.
• I had eaten my usual breakfast of cereal and a banana.  But I started feeling hunger pains around mile 4.  Mile FOUR.
• I had taken my first GU at about mile 2, and had been planning on taking the second one around 8 or 8.5.  I debated if it would be better to try to space out my GUs as planned, or if it would be better to take my second GU earlier than planned to ease the hunger.  But then it became pretty obvious that it would be difficult to wait that long for my second GU.  I ended up taking my second GU around 6.75.  This meant having to run nearly the entire second half with no additional fueling.  Ugh.
• I saw some unopened Clif Shot Bloks and GU packets that other runners had dropped along the path, and seriously considered picking them up and consuming them.  But I didn't.
• I usually only drink a cup or two of Gatorade at races, making sure not to do so at the same time that I'm taking a GU.  But this time, since I was hungry, I thought more Gatorade would help.  Not the case.  My stomach started hurting somewhere between mile 7 and mile 8.
• By the time I hit mile 8, I was ready to be done.  It had been a long time since I'd felt so wiped out so early in a half marathon.  I began thinking, "I still have over 5 miles to go!?!?  Can I really do this?!?!?"  I was trying to keep a positive outlook but my splits kept getting slower with each passing mile.  It was tough and it got to the point where all I cared about was getting to the finish line in one piece.  Not good.
• My official time was 2:29:59, which is my worst half marathon time out of my last four half marathons.

 

 

Closing Thoughts

In retrospect, I probably didn't eat enough the day before (I had had random leftovers for both lunch and dinner).  Plus, I had skipped my long run last weekend since I was so sore from trapeze class.  That couldn't have helped.

 

In general, I did not train very much for this race altogether.  After having run the Wisconsin Half Marathon with relative ease last month, admittedly I did not take this race or the distance very seriously.  However, my experience yesterday was a wake-up call to me that half marathons still and always do require adequate preparation and training. 

 

You live and you learn. 

 

And you train (!)

 

Runner's fashion

This week, Maggie's Runner Photo Challenge focuses on running fashion.  Ooh lah lah!

I'm actually not the most creative person on the block when it comes to running clothes.  I tend to stick with the tried-and-true favorites.

Mullets and an 80's themed leisure suit?  I'm on it.

Headphones that could wire Mars and a grey sweatshirt that lives up to its name?  Count me in.

Lime-green Zentai suit (full-body) that is two sizes too small?  But of course!

 

OK, OK, maybe not THOSE types of favorites.

In all seriousness, here's a picture of a very typical running outfit that I might wear on any given day.  A basic tech shirt, black running shorts, and running shoes du jour.  (The running shoes are a whole other story.)

Here's another; this outfit would be worn if the temps are slightly cooler.  Notice once again the black bottoms with white trim, and the solid-color top in a jewel-tone hue (I do love jewel-tone colors).

Once in awhile I might spruce things up a bit and wear dark bottoms with a nonwhite trim and/or a top with some visual interest on it.  I am really, really loving all of the brightly colored running shoes that are out on the marketplace right now, too.

 

I'm a relative newbie to running skirts, so of course the first two running skirts I bought were also black.  But as I'd mentioned here, I recently decided to live dangerously, embrace my inner tennis player, and buy a white running skirt.  I also decided to take a go at the sparkly headbands that I've seen so many women wearing - so I got these headbands from Amazon. 

 

With all that in mind, here is an outfit that I'll wear someday to a fun and SHORT race (only bad things can happen if I wear white clothing to a mid- or long-distance race).

 

Other random running clothing notes:

• As much as I love warm weather, I don't particularly like wearing running shorts due to the chafe and ride-up factors.  From a comfort standpoint, I prefer tights or capris.
• I think that compression socks and sleeves can look really cool and add a lot of personality to a running outfit.  But, I find it uncomfortable to wear compression gear while I am running.  My compression gear is reserved for post-run recovery (in combination with sitting on the couch).
• I have never worn arm warmers, but runners that do wear them look really hard-core, in my opinion.  After hearing so much about how versatile they are, I just bought my first pair from an online end-of-season clearance sale.  I look forward to giving them a go later this year - and maybe I'll even be able to absorb some hard-coredness (?) by association.
• I don't have any particular brand loyalty, but I have really liked all the running clothing I've gotten from Reebok and from a JCPenney brand called Xersion.  If anyone from either is looking for an unassuming, local, "runner next door" brand ambassador, please contact me!  Will work for tights.  =D

Blackhawks laughs and NHL third-round playoff predictions

I am late in making my NHL third-round playoff predictions due to time spent dangling from stainless steel rods, among many other things.  But better late than never!  (This is probably the one and only time that I will ever publish two blog postings in one day, too.)

Super Kaner!!!
(From the 2012 NHL All-Star Breakaway Competition)

 

Before I begin, two things.  Number one, I am as diehard of a Blackhawks fan as you'll ever find, but I continue to have the utmost in respect for the Detroit Red Wings.  The Wings are an incredibly talented, resilient, classy, and hardworking team who make the game better by being in it.  I wish the Wings well in the Eastern Conference next year, but I will very much miss the Blackhawks-Red Wings rivalry.  I look forward to the NHL either bringing the Hawks and Wings rivalry back to spark in the future, or to a Hawks-Wings Stanley Cup Finals series some day.  That would be epic!!!

Second, I just had to share a few hilarious Blackhawks-themed media clips that make me giggle like a schoolgirl every time I see them.

First, this hilarious gif of Michael Frolik celebrating his penalty shot goal in Game 6 against the Red Wings:

Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy! Yayyyy!

His penalty shot ended up being the game-winner in Game 6 and kept the Blackhawks alive in the series.  As others have said, if that isn't worth infinite celebration, what is?!?!?

I also couldn't resist bringing this classic holiday-themed Blackhawks video back up:

SO HILARIOUS.  I can only imagine how much time, creativity, and preparation it must have taken to put this video together. 

As it pertains to this year's Hawks playoff series, many Hawks fans in the know have been quoting two lines from this video: 

• The first line at 1:20, where Michael Frolik sings his version of Feliz Navidad.  (See gif above from his penalty shot.)
• Then, the second, at 0:49, when Brent Seabrook sings about seeing his shot go flying past the goalie (aka his game-winning overtime goal in Game 7 against the Red Wings).

And finally.  This video has nothing to do with this year's NHL playoffs.  But this is a classic flashback from the past that makes me roll on the floor laughing every time I watch it.  God bless the person that found this video!

"Not his knee, maybe his wee knee!"

 

 

OK!  Let's get down to business here.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

 

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins versus #4 Boston Bruins

This is quite a matchup and both teams will have their hands very full dealing with each other.  At the outset, Boston is lucky even to be here given how ridiculously close they came to losing the first round against Toronto.

 

While the Bruins are built tough with great skill, injuries have started becoming a factor with them in recent weeks.  Conversely, the Penguins are not reporting any injuries at the moment.  However, it seems that the Pens my not have not quite reached their highest playing level yet, though, especially after some comparatively easier matchups in the first and second rounds of the playoffs.  It's going to be interesting to see how things shake out in in the Penguins' net with Tomas Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury, but so far so good.

 

Both teams have extremely talented top-line forwards, so I think that both teams' depth, defense, goaltending, and special teams are going to really come into play in this series.  I keep hearing about how the Bruins are very dominant at face-offs and how much of a difference-maker this can be.  But the Penguins' offensive talent is stunning and I think Boston is going to have a tough time containing the likes of Malkin, Crosby, Neal, Iginla, etc., etc. 

 

Yes, I am biased, very biased, because of Adam's Pittsburgh roots.  But I do truly believe in the Pens.

 

Prediction: Pens in six. 

 

From the Penguins' locker room

 

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

 

#1 Chicago Blackhawks versus #5 Los Angeles Kings

No offense to any Kings fans out there, but I am reaching my limit when it comes to all of this talk about Jonathan Quick being invincible.  Yes, he is a strong goalie.  But at the same time Jonathan Quick is human just like the rest of us, meaning that he does NOT walk on water.  (Okay, okay, Adam pointed out that ice is frozen water, ergo Quick skates on the ice, ergo Quick does walk on water.  But that's besides the point.)

 

I have also grown weary of those teams exhibiting brutally physical styles of hockey play highlighted with grinding halts and neutral zone traps whose games always end with a score of 2-1.  Who enjoys watching games like that?  I will take watching the fast, finesse, skill teams like the Hawks anyday over the physical grinders like the Kings.  (Are you listening to me, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, and other unnamed assailants!?!?!?)

 

The Blackhawks are considered by many to be the underdog in the series.  A lot of people are looking at Jonathan Quick, in combination with the Kings' girth, to be the favorite over the Hawks' speed and skill.  But not me.  I am, as always, heavily biased towards my home team's talent, resilience, versatility, and character.

 

Prediction: Hawks in six.

 

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

Friends, family, and regular readers of Adam's blog and/or my blog will realize that yes, I am predicting the DOOM scenario (aka a Stanley Cup Finals matchup between our two favorite teams).  Let me be clear that I began predicting this scenario not one, not two, not three, but FOUR years ago.

 

DOOM is going to happen.  It's is inevitable.  It is just a question of when.  

 

So what's a Hawks fan to do?

 

 

 

GO BLACKHAWKS!!!!



Trapezing, parading, and furry creatures (oh my!)

Erin has been taking trapeze classes for a few months, and I've always gawked at the pictures from her amazing aerial stunts.  So a few weeks ago when Erin asked if anyone would be interested in going to a trapeze class with her, I jumped at the chance.  I am all about trying new things when given the opportunity!

Last Friday I joined Erin for my first-ever trapeze class from Trapeze School of New York-Chicago.  They have both an indoor and outdoor location.  Given that it is after Memorial Day I couldn't resist going to their outdoor classroom at Belmont Harbor. 

I stole this photo from Kelsey, who also attended a trapeze class with Erin

I thought that newbies such as myself would be moved through the equivalent of the bunny hill at a ski resort, but not the case!  Right away you are getting safety harnesses and belts wrapped and strapped around you, given a whirlwind of instruction, and climbing up a tall ladder to the platform.  I was feeling pretty confident until I got to the platform and looked down.  That was when the magnitude of what I was doing really hit me.

For me, the hardest part was when you are getting set to jump and you have one hand on the bar, but then have to reach out with your other hand to grab the bar.  Here's a picture of me at one of those moments.  (All of the trapeze photos are courtesy of Erin's husband, Jason.)



The bar and rope are quite taut.  Therefore, I feared I would miss grabbing the bar with my other hand and then be pulled off of the platform from my right hand and go tumbling into the net face first.  They do have someone there holding you for security, but it's still scary.

It was also scary jumping off the platform and feeling the free-falling sensation for those first few moments.  They have instructors down at ground-level shouting instructions at you the whole time, too.  The combination of trying to focus on what you were doing on the trapeze and fighting against your screaming muscles while simultaneously listening to the instructions was quite challenging!

The trapeze moves turned out to be both easier than expected, as well as harder than expected.  I learned how much the moves are about timing and momentum, rather than about physical strength (although physical strength was definitely a HUGE factor, too).  But right away we were hanging from our knees and doing flips and catches.  It was exhilarating but also very tiring!

Here are a few more pictures:

During class, my hands, arms, and back were burning from the exertion.  Even today, almost 48 hours after trapeze class, pretty much my entire upper body is sore, including my abs and my neck.  It is quite a workout!

I have so much more respect now for the trapeze artists that you see at the circus or at aerial shows like Cirque do Soleil.  They make trapeze look so easy when it so, so, SO challenging.  WOW.

All in all, I am very glad that I tried trapeze (thanks again, Erin!)  The jury is still out on whether or now I would ever do it again, though (as I slunk around the house in a state of post-apocalyptic and near-paralytic soreness.)  Clearly I would have some body-building that I would want to focus on first.

Moving on to other fun parts of the weekend!  Yesterday I joined Kim, Xaarlin, and Xaarlin's dog CB at the Chicago Veggie Pride Festival and Parade.  Kelsey came by to say hello, too.  (Admittedly I am not a vegetarian, but I very much support those that are and I like going meatless a few times a week.)  We had a great time hanging out and catching up.

A life-size cat costume may have been involved.


Top from L to R: Kelsey, Kim (incognito as a cat), me, and Xaarlin.
Bottom: Xaarlin's dog CB

Here's a great split-image photo which looks like it could have been Photoshopped, but really hasn't.

L to R: Kelsey (wearing the cat head), and Kim (wearing the cat body)

Pretty cool, eh?

OK, that's enough adventurousness to last a weekend or two.  I'm off to lay on the couch for the rest of the day.

Happy Sunday to all!

Catching up and Take Time Tuesday #7

It has been a crazy, crazy, crazy few weeks for me.  So crazy that I don't know where my head has been for much of the time. 

Sadly, my blog focus has taken an enormous backseat while I attempt to catch my own head.  But, I will be working my way through an enormous catch-up effort over the next week or two.  YEAH!!!

As luck would have it, today is Take Time Tuesday!  What am I grateful for this week?

• My friends Erica G. and Nhan, who both provided very special help to me this past week on some personal pursuits.
• Adam, as always, for being my secret weapon from a collective intelligence standpoint.
• The power of intuition, prayer, positivity, and knowing - just knowing - certain things when it matters the most.
• Good humor. 

 

• OK, not just the Good Humor ice cream brand.  (Although, I am certainly grateful for ice cream, too).  I am talking about true good humor - because laughter makes almost all things better.  It helps me to remember that we each have complete control over how seriously or not seriously to take ourselves.
• I almost always wear grey or black bottoms when I run or work out - whether it be in the form of shorts, capris, tights, or (more recently) skirts.  In an attempt to break this pattern, I recently bought a fun white running skirt.  Yes, anytime I wear anything white I become a magnet for all spillages, splashes, and explosions of substances with hues spanning the entire rainbow.  And yes, I may end up looking like a misplaced tennis player.  But you have to live dangerously at some point or other, right?

I think I exhibit this same facial expression at the end of all of my runs. 
Even without keeping my eye on the ball.

• And finally - going a little nuts and running not just two, but THREE consecutive days last week (I usually never run on consecutive days, period)... without my knee straps... and with almost no pain!  This has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for me from a training standpoint.  I still plan to wear my knee straps for long runs, but it feels so invigorating to know that I can at least do short runs without them.

 

I am also very excited about some weekend plans I've got coming up.  I've mentioned in the past that Adam and I got married in St. Joseph, Michigan.  The entire SW Michigan area is very special to me, in general.

The St. Joseph lighthouse

For that upcoming weekend, Adam and I will be staying in South Haven, Michigan (one of my favorite towns along the coast).  That Friday night, I'll be running a local race that I just found out about a few weeks ago: the Fenn Valley Winery 5K Frolic in the Vineyards.  The 5K includes a trail race, dinner, beverages, and a live concert at the Fenn Valley Winery vineyards.  The Fenn Valley Wine Festival also takes place the following day.  I'm not a huge wine drinker, but I do enjoy dabbling a bit. 

It'll be awesome to make Michigan #4 on my list of states that I've raced in, especially in a smaller, low-key race like this one (I don't think that it's chip-timed).  I am also looking forward to running my first-ever trail race amidst such gorgeous scenery.  It's going to be a blast!!!

Running through scenery like this?  Sign me up!!!

Cheers to the unofficial start of summertime to all!

Take Time Tuesday #6 and NHL second-round playoff predictions

I need a vacation.  I desperately need to hit the reset button and reboot myself.

In this week's edition of Take Time Tuesday, I continue to be so grateful for all of my friends and family who unconditionally believe in me, support me, and always want the best for me. 

From the family side, Adam always gets a lot of mention.  Additionally, I am especially grateful for all three sets of my parents.  This week, very special mentions go out to my mom as well as to Adam's mom and Adam's dad.

From the friends side, very special mentions go out this week to two of my amazing friends.  First, my friend, Vanitha:

This is a old picture of Vanitha and me in Santiago, Chile, hanging out with some of the locals.  =)

Then, my friend, Ed:

This is another old picture of (from L to R): me, Myhien, Soo, and Elizabeth in the front row.  Ed is the photobomber in the background.  =)

The folks I've mentioned here are scattered from Maryland to Pittsburgh to Atlanta to Long Beach.  I am incredibly grateful that time and distance do not matter with any of them.



OK!  Let's talk NHL second-round playoff predictions.  Given that the first round just ended last night, I am rushed in writing my predictions before the second round starts tonight!  By the way, I am certainly no hockey expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I am proud to say that I went 7-1 overall in my first-round predictions.  (Adam went 8-0!)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs #7 Detroit Red Wings
I am very excited for this final match-up between these two long-time Original Six archrivals before Detroit moves to the Eastern Conference next year.  It is going to be a great series, with both of these teams being all-around talented, skillful, puck-possession clubs. 

Detroit just came off a tough series with Anaheim, and their team is heavily experienced but also considered to be getting towards their latter years.  The Hawks are coming off a long break in action after quickly ending their first-round series against the Wild.  While the rest is good for the Hawks, you do worry about potential losses in momentum. 

In the end, both teams are stacked but the Hawks outstack the Wings in every category.  And no, I'm not biased or anything.  Ever.

Prediction: Hawks in 5

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs #6 San Jose Sharks
This is a tough one for me.  A really, really tough one. 

San Jose is coming off of a stunning sweep of the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, so they've got winning momentum offset by a very long break in games.  However, the Sharks as a team can be very hot or cold.  They also have a history of not being able to make it very far in the playoffs.   However, the Sharks do have my favorite goaltender of all time, former Blackhawk Antti Niemi. 

Comparatively, Los Angeles took a beating in their brutally physical first-round series against the St. Louis Blues in the first-round.  During the regular season they were dealing with injury aftereffects on goalie Jonathan Quick.  The Stanley Cup hangover effect may eventually manifest itself on the Kings, too. 

I'm not a betting woman, but:

Prediction: Sharks in 6

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Check out this NHL Fan Map, which breaks down hockey fans geographically by team.  This is obviously an older map, since the Atlanta Thrashers have since moved to Winnipeg and become the Jets.  Even so, the map is pretty cool, eh? 

NOTE: Geographic size definitely does not equate to fan intensity.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #7 Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh had some scary moments in their first round series against the New York Islanders.  They were very fortunate to pull through and they need to make some changes if they want to keep winning.  The Penguins were very hot and cold in the first round, and it seemed like they took a step back when Sidney Crosby returned from injury.  Some questions lie on the table with regards to Pens goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun and who will get the nod in goal.  Unfortunately it's not a good time to be experimenting.  However, I fully expect that the Penguins will get back to their usual stellar form in the second-round.

I don't know much about Ottawa.  However, I was impressed by how well they've managed to keep it together despite injuries to some very key players over the course of the season.  From what I saw, the Senators looked strong in their first round against the Montreal Canadiens.  In the end, though, I think the Penguins easily outmatch the Senators on natural talent.

Prediction: Pens in 6

#4 Boston Bruins vs #6 New York Rangers
Talk about scary moments, Boston had some heart-attack inducing moments in their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Boston had a 3 games to 1 lead in the series, only to end up in game 7 down three goals with ten minutes left in regulation.  How they were able to come back and tie it up, and then eventually win the game and the series in overtime?  It is beyond me.  You have to give Boston a ton of credit for their resilience.  The question is, can they keep it up against a strong, physical team like the New York Rangers with stellar goaltending in Henrik Lundqvist?

As with the Hawks/Wings, the Bruins and Rangers have a long and storied history as Original 6 rivals.  It is going to be fun to see how this one shakes out.  I expect it will be a tough, physical, low-scoring series which will ardently display the talent of each team's goaltenders.  This is another tough decision, but I'm going with:

Prediction: Rangers in 7

--
And since no NHL playoff prediction blog from me would be complete without a great Blackhawks picture, here is one of my favorites:

Go Blackhawks!!!

The glass is half full

We've all heard those expressions about building strength and character in the face of adversity.  E.g.:

• Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger
• Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted
• Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue

I will be the first to admit that it's very easy and therapeutic to complain about things.  Negativity is very commanding and can be really rampant, breeding even more negativity.  Flashback to high school physics class where Isaac Newton said that every action has a reaction.

Under Newton's theory, this would obviously be true for both positive and negative actions, as well as neutral actions and everything in between.  With that in mind, I am making a conscious effort to be more positive.  For example, instead of saying:

"I hate doing speedwork because it is exhausting, hard, and takes forever to show any results.  Why do I even bother?"

I'm trying to condition myself to say something more along the lines of:

"I am looking forward to how good I will feel after I finish my speedwork.  Even mild speedwork is better than nothing!"

I am trying to apply this way of thinking to every aspect of my life - not just running.  It is obviously a change that takes some time to solidify.  But I am hopeful that changing my way of thinking will reverberate more positivity into my life in general.  (Way to put into practice what I just preached there, eh?  =) )

On a very quick side note - I felt really good after the Wisconsin Half Marathon last weekend and had great training runs on both Tuesday and Thursday last week.  I had said here that I did not want to run another marathon this year.  However, I felt so good this past week that I started thinking that maybe I did want to go for it again this year after all.  I started pondering the possibility of getting a post-close entry to the Chicago Marathon by fundraising for one of my favorite charities.  I also started toying with the idea of other local fall marathons, like the Prairie State Marathon or the Milwaukee Marathon.

Then, I went for my weekend long run yesterday.  I was excited to knock out an easy 10-miler, or at least a good stepback-week run of 5 or 6 miles.  But, that saying up top about how experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted?  Let's just say that I got a LOT of experience yesterday while running.

During the run, I was feeling parched and dehydrated less than a mile in, had overdressed for the weather, and was going much more slowly than my effort would have dictated.  However, instead of doing what most normal, reasonable people would do (turn around, go back home, get some water, and shed some clothing layers), I stubbornly kept going. 

After four miles, I had had it.  Even after getting some water, I didn't feel like going any further and I didn't feel like pushing myself.  So I called it quits for the day.  Way to bring myself back down to earth.  I had forgotten how bad the bad runs can feel - even if you know exactly why they didn't go well.

Now, I am so very happy that I have not signed up for any marathons this year. 

How's that for positive thinking?!?!?  =)