Schwinnnnnn!

I don't have much to report on the running front right now. I'm basically just trying to get in the habit of running on a regular basis again. In the meantime however, with the weather predicted to reach into the 70s today, it's time to start thinking about biking. Over the off-season my parents shipped me my old Schwinn 10-speed.

My best estimate is that I bought the bike brand new, during my freshman year of high school, in 1989. Although I probably rode it consistently for a couple years, for the past 2 decades it's pretty much been hanging in a garage. So now it's time to overhaul this heavy metal beast and get it on the road.

I completely pulled apart my mountain bike last summer, and barring any bent metal pieces, or major complications, this 10-speed should probably be a little more straight forward. To be on the safe side, I'm thinking it could use new gear and break cables, new tubes/tires and, for my gripping pleasure,  new handlebar wrap.

The ultimate goal here is to have a bike that is a lot easier to ride in the city than my mountain bike, and to have a bike to ride in the Chicago Tri. 1) I don't think it matters how heavy the frame is, because I'm pretty sure it has to be better than riding the fat tired mountain bike on city streets. 2) It's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a tri-bike... besides, who can turn down nostalgia?

Shamrock Shuffle 2010

For those of you who were lucky enough to be in Chicago last week, the weather was outstanding. Weather like that is the reason Chicagoans put up with the brutally cold winter.

Friday afternoon as I walked down Navy Pier to pick-up my race packet, I had to remove my fleece because it was so warm that I was actually beginning to sweat. So, it seemed to be a practical joke when I received the 'Yellow Alert' from the race officials about the weather. But sure enough, Saturday it snowed and by race time the temps were hanging out in the low 30s. Unbelievable.

Luckily, the Shamrock Shuffle was run with nearly 25,000 of my closest friends. This meant that despite the chilly walk to the start, that there was enough body heat in the start corral to keep us warm. And by the time 9:20 rolled around I was warmed up and ready to run.

Much of the race was run on parts of the Chicago Marathon course, and turned out to be a great way to preview the route. Running the streets of Chicago turned out to be a lot different than running the mostly smooth and flat lakefront path. Never before had I noticed the steepness of the bridges. And the ability to see the roughed up patches of pavement from a runners viewpoint definitely provided a different perspective on how challenging this course may turn out to be.

Surviving potholes and dodging puddles I managed to careen myself up the last bridge to the finish line. Once again, I didn't break any speed records, but I did finish almost exactly on my training pace of 13:45 min/mile. As it turns out, 8k is just enough beyond 5k that I had no interest in attempting to run it straight through. So I stuck with my standard 3:1 run:walk ratio and just enjoyed the day.

And enjoy I did. After finding my way out of the giant crowd of finishers, I jumped on the train and headed straight for my favorite Bloody Mary establishment. Rocks in Lakeview. Now that's a good start to Spring.

What the Phở!

Running season is once again upon us. There is no magical date that marks the beginning of this running season, just magical events.

16 Feb - I was online and ready to register for the 8k Shamrock Shuffle, but decided to wait until my roommate got home to make sure we both registered. 4 hours later, registration for the Shamrock Shuffle Closed.

23 Feb - Team 2 End AIDS - My Britney Spears Moment - I received a call last week from last year's marathon coach, and he had a 'Deal' for me. If I signed up to run the Chicago Marathon right then and there, they would waive the $100 registration fee. What a DEAL! Truthfully, I was already planning to run the Chicago Marathon. However, I was still trying to decide if I would run it with TFKATAMTPNKAT2EA (the Team Formerly Known As The AIDS Marathon Training Program Now Known As Team 2 End AIDS.) The fundraising commitment is worrisome since last year I didn't meet my fundraising goal and this year I can't afford not to meet it. But the benefits of running for a cause and running with a great training group and program seem to outweigh my financial concerns. I signed up. (Oops I did it again!)

1 Mar - I get a call that my roommate and I have both received free entry into the Shamrock Shuffle from Team 2 End AIDS - Running Season Begins!

To mark the beginning of running season, Amanda and I took a 2.5 mile run up to Tank Noodle where we celebrated with a round of water and a couple orders of Phở. Running season has officially begun!