Chicago Runners- I Need YOU!

Today’s post is a special shout out to my Chi-Town kids.

Who wants to run a free 5k this weekend?

You?

And you over there?

And how about you up there in the balcony?

Everyone does? Ok. Cool. Let me help you with that.

I have been working with the fine peeps over at Give Your Sole and Allstate Life Insurance Company over the last week to help promote the donation of moderately used athletic shoes to those in need.

Here are the details:

·         Allstate Life Insurance Company and non-profit organization Give Your Sole are giving half marathon runners the chance to leave a unique footprint on local communities as part of a shoe donation program around Allstate Life Insurance SM 13.1 Marathon® Series races.

·         Beginning with the Chicago 13.1 Marathon on June 9, race participants, spectators and local residents can donate moderately used athletic shoes to benefit homeless shelters and missions in race markets.  All shoes collected in Chicago will be donated to Breakthrough, an organization that provides shelter, meals and other services to homeless men, women and children within the city.

·         In addition to the Finish Line Festival, race participants and local residents will be invited to donate shoes at 2012 race packet pick-up events leading up to the race.  Participating Allstate® agents will assist with collecting donations by inviting customers to drop off shoes at their local agencies. In Chicago, donations will also be collected at participating Fleet Feet Sports store locations until June 10.

·         To celebrate the program launch in their hometown of Chicago on June 9, Allstate Life Insurance Company has teamed up with Chicago Bears’ 2012 first-round draft pick Shea McClellin to interact with runners and encourage donations at the Allstate Life InsuranceSM Chicago 13.1 Marathon® Finish Line Festival, held at the South Shore Cultural Center.

Awesome, right? Personally, I’ve got a few pair that are ready to get out of my closet and actually be worn again.

It’s a good feeling. Not only am I helping out the local community, I’m also cutting back on hoarding tendencies. Win-win!

Plus, you get a chance to meet a Chicago Bears player! Donate shoes, shake his hand. A productive lil’ Saturday…

So please- if you’ve got the old shoes and the time this week, come help us out!

Now for those of you who want to run the 5k portion of this race series:

I am giving away one free promo code to sign up for the 5k associated with the race. Since the race is THIS Saturday, let’s make this happen NOW!

You have until 5:00 on Tuesday, June 5th, to enter. And this is all you have to do:

1. Tell me you want to win!
2. Tweet about the contest and comment here that you did.
3. Facebook it! Make sure your Chicago running buddies know about this one and comment here again that you did so.

Hurry up and enter, kids!

Near and Dear

There are a few things in my life that are important to me.

Other than the obvious of friends and family (duh), I have a few hobbies that often classify me as a nerd or crazy.  Sometimes both at the same time.

Like my running?

Well.

“Wait… so you pay to run?”

“Does running miles on end sound like fun to you?”

“Running’s not a real sport.”

Yes. Often, yes. And you’re wrong.

Easy answers.

Luckily, some of my friends do get it. I have two guy friends I run with regularly. My friend Mon cranks out 6-milers on her treadmill all the time. My friend Annie started doing races with me last year.

And Annie is a passionate girl. When it comes to fitness, work and her community. So when she got the chance to combine all three?If you’re in the Chicago area or Northwest suburbs, definitely check it out! She’s done an amazing job at getting it all together and all the proceeds go to Make a Wish Foundation!

A few of us girls who are running it are using it as an excuse to wear tiaras.

As if I REALLY needed an excuse…

Another near and dear hobby I totally geek out about?

Baking.

“How do you not weigh a thousand pounds with as much as you bake?”

“I thought you were a healthy eater?”

“There are so many calories in that- I could never eat it.”

Moderation. Moderation. That’s too bad.

What can I say? The majority of us find comfort in food. And there’s something about the process of baking that relaxes me. Possibly the promise of delicious treats at the end.

And when I use the term “treats”, it’s really because I’m obsessed with Dane Cook and his sketch about treats at the movies.

He’s also very near and dear to my heart, by the way…

Anyway, that lil’ swap I did with Jessica was fun because it gave me an excuse to break out the mixer and preheat the oven to 350. And as we were chatting it up about how good of an idea it was, we decided maybe to do it again.

But with more people.

Why not?

So… without further ado… we bring you the Blogger Bake Swap!

Jess and I are really excited about doing this because, well, we like to bake and we like to eat baked things. But also because it’s a way for some peeps to connect to others you’ve already known for ages across this community.  If there’s enough interest, we’d like to make the swap into a seasonal thing.

For the inaugural swap, we’re going with a theme of “Favorites”. That means you’re going to be sending one of your favorite baked items to the person you are matched with (make sure to save one or two servings for yourself, of course).

Rules:

1. Each participant should send approximately a dozen of whatever treat they choose to make. (12 cookies, brownie pan to serve 12, etc). Of course, you are allowed to send more, but please keep the minimal to 12.

2. The date of which each baked good should be shipped will be announced once our pairs are finalized, and we just ask that you be respectful of others and try to get them out before, or as close to that date as possible.

3. Tell Amy & Jess how much you love them for organizing this fantastic operation. (this one is optional…)

*Disclaimer- the organizers of this bake swap are merely responsible for for matching the participants, and are not responsible for the items shipped.

So if you’re interested in joining in, email me  (secondcityrandomness@gmail.com) or Jessica (ssh.jessica@gmail.com) so we can get you on the list to be partnered up!

Alright, enough talk. Let’s get Friday out of the way.

Because seriously… my family is coming in for the weekend (another near and dear) and I’m very excited to show them my new place and take them out for a lil’ tour of my surroundings!

Yay for the weekend!

Strike Out ALS 5k

“Oh hey… still feel like running a race next week?”

“Ok, yeah, let’s do it.”

That’s pretty much what went down when deciding to sign up last-minute for the Strike Out ALS 5k at US Cellular.

One great thing about being in the city is that you can find 5k’s/races during the week ALL the time. Neat.

One bad thing is you sign up without thinking and don’t think about traffic/logistics/etc until after.Luckily, traffic was randomly fast. As in, we got there 30 minutes earlier than planned. Say whaaaat? That never happens.

I didn’t mind- this was my first trip to see where the Sox play at U.S. Cellular Field. I liked the park. It was definitely different from that old northside park… (Even if I DO like Wrigley better… shhhh…)

My guy friend and I hung out the rest of the time chatting and stretching. It was his first official race ever and we were both pretty excited about it.

He was nervous about having to walk, but I knew he’d be fine. Better than fine- he started out telling me how he doesn’t ever run and yada yada yada.  Turns out, the boy’s a liar and is pretty damn fast. Sure, he may not be able to run much more than a 5k when it comes to endurance, but this race was in the bag.

I also knew he’d smoke me. And told him to not hold back at all and just go. Because even if we have a similar overall pace, he always starts quicker because I’ve never been one to sprint fresh out of the gate. Because of the narrow course, we stopped running together within the first half mile.

The draw I had on this race was that we got to run in the stadium and onto the field. Very cool. Awesome selling point. Almost makes you overlook the fact that the rest is pretty much doing huge mile laps around the parking lot. Seriously. That part was boring.

While running that second mile, I looked at the stadium and realized something not considered before. We were going to have to run up. Up the ramps. Up up and up. Then run down stairs. Down down down. Then, after running around the field, we’d go back up those stairs and back down the ramps.

Gross.

Ironic- while approaching the stadium to start my ramp run, New Found Glory came over the iPod with “All Downhill From Here.”

I couldn’t make that up if I tried.

Luckily, all that work over the winter and spring on the dreaded stairmill really paid off. The uphill wasn’t bad and I was actually passing people. A thank you goes to the Hustle Up the Hancock for all the stair training I was forced to do…

At this point, I would also like to make a shout out to the mom running with a stroller. She was killin’ it up those ramps. Unfortunately, the portion of running down the steps probably took away her awesome time. Sad. Because she was flyin’. Daaaaaang.

I also lost time going down the stairs. Mostly because I’m clumsy and know myself enough to slow it down to avoid seriously injuring myself and the runners around me.

As I rounded the third base line, I saw my friend sprinting back up them like a pro. What a booger.

We both ended up with respectable times. I came in at about 25:40 (still waiting for the official time) and he was about 45 seconds before me. SO proud of him. A little jealous. But SO proud!Not a personal best by any means. But my first 5k in almost a year? It was fun!

D was pretty winded at the end. But one of the first things he said?

“That was fun. I want to do that again.”

Yep. It’s an addiction.

Another selling point of this race? The post-race party was basically hanging out in the stadium and getting to watch the All-Star game on the Jumbotron.One last complaint? Don’t charge stadium prices to a bunch of people who just ran a race and are starving/parched. And already paid a little more than average to do the race.

When contemplating a second drink, it started to rain. So we relocated to a bar with beers that were half the price of what we had paid while in the park.

Holla’.

Surrounded by 5k’s

I can’t believe how busy I’ve been this weekend… Not that I mind, it’s just that the days have flown!

After work on Friday, I drove down to crash with my friend Nicole.  We went out for eats and drinks at Rebel and have decided Rebel has some of the best bar food in all of Wrigleyville.  Don’t believe me?  Try their buffalo chicken quesadilla.  Your mouth and stomach will thank you.  The Blackhawks had a disappointing loss and I went to bed.  Crazy night… I know.

Volunteering for Girls on the Run was fun.  They were short on help in some stands, so while also rocking out my talents as a tiara decorator, I found out I’m pretty much awesome at face painting.  Hearts, smiley faces, and rainbows… yep.  And I also found out some insider information from an eight-year-old that you’re hearing here first- the peace sign is way cool again.  Just letting you know.  I’ll have to track down my peace sign necklace from fifth grade.  With matching earrings.  I was baller…

Yesterday I made the final decision to just go ahead and do the 5k Run to Alexian Field in Schaumburg.  I watched the weather (because we got rained on at GOTR and I wasn’t really feeling a 2nd day of it) and last night decided I’d be doing the 7:00 race.  Ugh.  Mon wasn’t really feeling her plans to go to a bar to see some band play, so us and another friend from the apartment complex got together to watch Shutter Island.  Oh- you say Shutter Island’s not on dvd until Tuesday?  Ok then… well, we’re in the mood for a thriller, so what else is on?  Oh… Just Wolfman?  Well… it DOES have Benicio del Toro in it.  And Emily Blunt just rocks.  So how bad can it be?

Dude.  It was pretty bad.  In what world do they cast Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro as father and son and think it will work?  I dunno…  I guess with a title like “Wolfman”, we should have known what we were getting outselves into.

Moving on…

I got up at 5:30 and was still second-guessing my decision to run this race.  I have no idea why.  I just was.  But I’m glad I did it.  The Schaumburg Park District put this race on, just like the Chilly Chili 5k.  And one of the organizers remembered me as “that girl on crutches from the last race”.  Sweet.  I just sorta laughed and said, “yeah, I’m back.”Apparently the race had more people sign up on race day than they anticipated.  Or I just didn’t get there fast enough for a real bib number.  So look what a lucky 20 or 30 of us got:This caused me sadness because I like to keep my bib numbers (which are currently on display in my kitchen).  And the race is smaller and not chip-timed.  So what did they do?  At the end, my number got ripped off of me as soon as I crossed the finish.  I felt almost abused.  And concerned if I was, in fact, legitimately part of this race. 

The race went well.  It was the smallest one I’ve done for sure.  So small that we even ran through a residential neighborhood.  On the road.  With cars coming.  Which sort of reminded me about how I was stuck in traffic after Girls on the Run yesterday and almost hit a man who ran through the traffic.  Yes, almost hit  him.  Like I was less than a foot away from a lawsuit.  He gave me a dirty look.  I flipped him off.  Because clearly, I was not the dumbass running through traffic. 

But I digress.

So the race and cars…  but it wasn’t bad.  I mean really, how many idiots are up at 7:00 in the morning on a Sunday in the burbs?  Only about 250- and we were all running that race.  I was nervous about pacing myself because I really didn’t know what pace to aim for during the race.  So I just found a comfortable pace, then I found a girl ahead of me, and just kept up with her.  We even switched places back and forth for the last mile.  But she killed me in the last stretch.  Kudos to her.  Although I was kind of bummed.  I had casually browsed last year’s results to see where I’d fit in.  It wasn’t an overly competitive race and I was really hoping for a shot at the top two.  A nifty plaque would have been swell.

I finished in 24:07- which was an average pace of about 7:46.  That put me in third in my age group.  Shucks.

Now, before you think I’m complaining, let me just say I am SO SO happy with my time.  Seriously- I had to think for a minute of who I could call that early in the morning to talk about it with.  Hey mom and dad…  ha ha.  It’s an entire minute faster than the last 5k I ran in April, although I really just wanted to break 25 minutes.  So this is awesome for me.  And I did a little happy dance in my head after I crossed the finish line.

So far, I’ve improved every race I’ve done.  I’m wondering if I’m coming close to my plateau yet?  I’m pretty sure this could be it.  But I’ll be damned if I don’t try to break 24 on my next one…  :p

A few guys came up to me after the race and congratulated me on my time- one said he had been trying to keep pace with me, but I lost him somewhere in the 2nd mile.  He also talked about a couple of the running groups he’s in and said I should consider joining them, especially if I’m in training for the half marathon (which I had mentioned).  I was really flattered.  I like how nice the running community in my area is (or actually in most races I’ve been in).  Lots of cool people that I can talk to about it.  Because I’m pretty sure the majority of my friends don’t know what a negative split is, or care to even hear me talk about running.  I shut up when their eyes glaze over.  So thanks for listening to my stories.    I appreciate it!  Also, I love my friends who have actually started to regularly read this as a way to keep up with me- love you guys! 

Enjoy your Sunday!  I did the race, but I’m about to go out and tackle another three miles.  I’ve had to move some stuff around, and this is supposed to be a long run day.  So far, I’ve just done three.  And I still feel pretty good.  So yeah… I’m chilling out a little more, and then pulling another three.  It’s sunny now, so remember if you happen to be out today- wear sunscreen.  Everybody’s free to wear sunscreen.    (Does anyone remember that crazy song?)

Power Hour

Anyone else ever play “Power Hour” in college?  Did anyone ever actually make it through?  I feel like I never lasted long.  Usually I’d say “screw it” at some point and drink when I felt like it.  Even early on I wasn’t a big fan of structure… go figure.  :p

However, I had my power hour at the gym last night.  28 minutes on the elliptical.  Why 28?  Who knows… it just felt like a good number to end on.  Weights.  More weights.  Stairmill (or as Mon would say, “stair demon”) for 16.  And then ending with the ab work.  Normally I like to throw a mile or so on the treadmill in there as well, but the gym was strangely crowded and I didn’t feel participating in the “who’s gonna jump on the good ‘mill first when this dude gets off” game that was being played.

Plus I had a Thirsty Thursday date with Mon.  We gossiped as we drank a couple Goose Islands… what’s new?

I honestly don’t have much to say today.  Knowing me and my mouth, that’s kind of strange.  It’s my rest day.  Hopefully work will fly.  And I’ll be staying with a friend in Wrigleyville so we can drive together to the Girls on the Run 5k early tomorrow morning because we’re both volunteering.

We may be getting up early tomorrow, but we’re still planning to go out for a drink or two to watch the Hawks game somewhere- gotta show Chicago pride, right? 

So with that, happy Friday!  Here’s how I started mine out:I once again broke out the dessert oatmeal!  A little Special K underneath, coconut, peanut butter, and white chocolate chips.  And this is how it made me feel:I hope this is how I continue to feel about my breakfast.  I think the milk might be starting to get bad.  Ok, it could have been bad… but lets not dwell on that fact.  I clearly need to go grocery shopping.

Have a good weekend, kids!

And then the sky opened up.

I miss the weekend already.  And it’s Tuesday.  But it feels like Monday.  So I’m completely out of whack.  Because I’m often confused easily.  I tell my mom I got her ditzy gene.  She hates when I say that.

I did enjoy my Monday off (which felt like Sunday, so again I was all thrown off).  I crawled out of bed at 8:00 and slowly got ready for my run.  Too slowly.  I was in the middle of my first loop on the trail and all the sudden the sky darkened.  What a waste of good sunscreen, I thought.  Then I started to wonder how long it would be until the rain started.  Maybe I’d get in the whole four miles.

Nope.  By the time I saw the second or third bolt of lightning in the distance, I decided to finish up my 2.5 miles and then do the last 1.5 on the treadmill.  My average pace was 8:28.  This was faster than what I have been doing, but I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that I ran the last mile in a downpour.  The sky just opened and let me have it.  Like I said, I got the four miles done thanks to the treadmill.  I got stares from another girl in the gym.  She was probably wondering why I was pounding it out on the treadmill looking like a wet dog.  I didn’t care enough to explain what happened and that I found no reason to go home and change just to go get another set of clothes all sweaty.  That’s just how I think.  Sure, I risked some serious chaffing- but no worries, didn’t happen.

Since I was too full to enjoy the BBQ my guys grilled up the day before, I felt left out.  So I did some fake BBQ’ing in my oven.  And made some BBQ ranch chicken wraps.I’ve convinced myself that these were better than the actual grilled food from the night before.  Shhhh…. don’t try to tell me otherwise.I also had iced tea.  In a glass.  Another quirk I think I get from my mom.  She always says that iced tea tastes better out of a glass.  I sort of believe it.

Do you have any quirks or weird ways you picked up from one of your parents?  Give me some good ones…

I almost forgot to tell you about the cookies I attempted.  I used Julie’s three-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe.  And then added some white chocolate chips.  Because I have an obsession.They were sooooo peanut-buttery good.  My only problem is they fell apart pretty easily.  But for a quick treat, they worked.  Thanks Julie! 

Tonight’s a night of cross training.  Which is fine.  It’s supposed to be rainy all week, so I don’t mind.  I’ve been contemplating a 5k next Sunday, but just can’t make up my mind.  I think all the rain in the forecast isn’t helping.  Plus, I’m volunteering at a race on Saturday, so that gives me no days of sleeping in next weekend.  Hmmm…  I’ve also got my eye on a couple other random 5ks this month, so we’ll see what happens.  I think I just have an itch to do a race…

Ok kids… it’s time for me to reluctantly start moving…. ugh.  Have a good week!  :p

Race to Wrigley 5k

My Friday night consisted of cuddling with the pups and this:Even making this was a stretch.  I was tired.  And the dogs had to actually wake me at some point during The Soup to tell me it was time to go to bed.  Ok kids, I’m fine with that.  Why?  Because I was up early to head down the street and watch the Race to Wrigley!John and I met up a little before the race to check out the action.  When we emailed each other back and forth before meeting up, he said he was bringing the cowbells.  I thought that was funny and said “ok sure, see you there.” Alright, hand one over.  I’m down.  Soon enough, the first runner came through.  Followed by the rest of the pack.  Not sure  how many times I actually heard shouts from the runners for “more cowbell!!!!” and then cheering.  It was great!  Nikki thought John was kidding as well.  Nope.  After people started finishing, she walked up and said “I don’t even have to text you- I just followed the cowbell!”

This was my first mini blogger meetup, so it was weird to actually just start talking to someone I’ve never met.  But at the same time, we know what each one has been up to.  So that was kind of crazy…

We ended up going to Julius Meinl after the race for post-race breakfast.  Even though I wasn’t running the race, I still felt the need to partake in one of my favorite traditions after a race…  Give me an excuse to get baked eggs and I’ll take it.  You weren’t kidding Nikki- this place was goooood!Chicago bloggers unite!  Don’t be jealous, Michelle- I know you wish you could be here… :p  Anyways, that is me, Phampants, and Tales of My Second City.  Enjoy the eye candy…

Now the dogs are looking at me like it’s their turn to go play, so we’re going to go for a walk before more rain comes.  And at some point, I plan to get my lazy ass up and do some more Shredding with Jillian.

Enjoy the weekend, kids!

This is not any given Sunday.

Thanks so much for all the great comments everyone!  Seriously, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one thinking I was being unreasonable.  And- let me just confirm- I was f-ing angry on Saturday.  That’s why I didn’t deal with them longer that day.  I knew I needed some cool down time.  Otherwise I was going to flip some shit.  And if I’m wanting them to bend a little in price on a replacement, I figured that over the top nice (yet assertive) would be the best way to go.

I went in to the store Sunday and talked to a sales guy about my situation.  He was really great.  He also informed me the lady that helped me had since “left the store”.  I assume that’s nice speak for “got canned”.  Because when I mentioned her on Saturday, eyes were rolling.  I didn’t ask questions.  So anyways, this guy introduced me to “modular” sectionals.  That way, each 3-foot (approx.) segment of it would easily be moved in.  And I can still get the length I want.  Perfect, right?

Yes.  But expensive.  A little more expensive than what I planned.  And a little more expensive than me being able to try and talk them into an even trade.  So I’m undecided.  Here’s the one in particular that we’re pondering (via Blackberry pic):Now this is the one with leather- there is also one I can get that is ALL microfiber.  I like the leather ok, but I really had an all microfiber couch in mind.  It’s also a little darker than the planned color I had in my head.  It would still look good (in my opinion) against the blue wall, but I’m just not sure yet.  I’m calling in some friends to look with me and get a second opinion.  Thoughts?  Like I said, the four pieces together would be a bit pricier.  And the warranty on it (because it’s a bit bigger after all is said and done) is also more.  I’m hoping to talk that one down.  And the guy said he’d see what he could do about waiving the delivery fee.  On that one I am like, “hell yeah you’re waiving the delivery fee.  This is a mess.”

Either way, I have thinking to do.  There’s also another one he showed me that I just adore, but it’s twice as much as I was originally going to spend… and yeah- not happening.  I cannot pull money out of my ass, sir.  As cool as that would be.

I am also looking elsewhere, just so everyone knows.  But I’d still prefer to go here- being as how (in theory) they should be a little flexible and I’d be getting the delivery waived.  We shall see.  I’m still very bitter and resentful about it.  But I figure I have this week to talk to them some more and make a final decision so that I can have it delivered the weekend I get back.

Moving on- I also ran by the mall for a bit to pick up a birthday present for a friend and use a free panty coupon at Victoria’s Secret (yeah, you know what I’m talking ’bout).  I think I’ve gotten more free panties there than ones I’ve actually paid for.  Don’t tell them that…  But the mall is never just a “quick trip”.  Woodfield is actually one of the largest malls in the United States and it is ridiculous to navigate through all the stores, kiosks, and sassy little junior high kids with too much makeup and more expensive outfits than I will ever wear.  Headache unavoidable.  This is why I prefer grocery shopping over going to the mall for clothes shopping.  Except for when a little kid at Trader Joe’s decides to repeatedly ram me with their “future shopper” mini grocery cart as their mom looks at me and then turns back to what she was doing.  Then it would be a tie…

After all that running around, I came home to finish start packing for my little gig in Wrigleyville.Does it look like I’m forgetting anything?  ha ha.  Because I almost did!  I tucked my Shred video and threw my hand weights into the car… gotta keep shredding! 

I also had to run by a guy friend’s house to drop off my extra set of keys.  In case disaster happens, he’s close by.  Hopefully he doesn’t abuse the power.  If I come home to a raided pantry and all my alcohol is gone, I’m hunting him down…

Am I forgetting anything?  Oh- I also did The Shred and got in some more elliptical time.  Right after church this morning.  I contemplated yoga last night, but was just beat by the time I was done running around.

Whew!  Usually Sundays are my laziest.  This was not the case.

Oh and CALLING ALL CHICAGO RUNNERS/BLOGGERS- still thinking about the meetup after Race to Wrigley on Saturday.  If you’ve let me know you’re interested or might be able to go, I’ll be emailing you.  If you think you’re interested and I haven’t heard from you- just let me know!  Maybe a little breakfast after that 7:30 race?  I think it’s ideal…   If you can’t do breakfast, just let me know if you’ll be at the race- I would love to say hello at the very least!

Ok seriously, I almost started this post with “this is going to be a short one”.  Clearly that didn’t happen.  Enjoy your Monday!  And you’ll be seeing me tomorrow with two little doggies who can’t wait to say hello! 

Run for the Cheetah 2010

I’m probably never ever going to sleep in past 8:00 on the weekend ever again, am I?  Ahhhh…. how life has changed from when I was a 22-year old college kid nursing a hangover…

But that’s ok.  Yesterday was a good reason to be up early.  I was out the door and picking up Annie to take a drive down to Lincoln Park in Chicago by 7:30.  We had things to do.  Like kicking ass and taking names… Details you want?  Ok. Here’s Annie as we’re walking to the park- we were both anxious for the race to start:Wave at Annie!  And feel free to say hello!  She informed me she’s one of the regular readers of SCR… Hey girl,  heeeeyyy!The race started right at 9:00 with a little rain in the air.  Nothing too bad- I was more concerned about wind- but that wasn’t much of a problem, either.  My leg was feeling quite alright.  I could feel a little twinge (is that a word?  If not, I’m using it from now on to describe feeling the spot of concern without really feeling pain).  I started out at a decent pace, and closed in on the first mile a little under 8:30.  This surprised me considering I haven’t really ran at all since the Shamrock Shuffle three weeks ago.  As soon as I realized my pace, I knew that I would comfortably hit a finish under 27 minutes (the time I had decided I’d be ok with all things considered).  I hit my stride in the second mile and pretty much just carried it through the rest of the race. 

After I got done, I quickly turned around, grabbed our stuff from gear check, and hustled to find a spot to watch Annie finish.  This girl rocked it!  I am soooo happy for her!  I found her after she crossed the line and we gave each other a big hug- victory!!!!  Here’s Annie’s re-enactment of crossing the finish line:And here’s me stretching out the little leggie that gives me problems and just giving my body some recovery from the shock of all the sudden having it’s owner telling it to run:

And after I got up, I realized my big mistake…  The ground was a little damper than I realized.  Awww… my poor flat and wet butt.  I just can’t win… in more ways than one.  Come ON Jillian, we’re supposed to be working on this issue!

Final time you ask?  25:18!  That’s a 8:09 average pace!  And I placed 8th in my age group- so that’s kind of neat.  Considering all the protest my legs have put up, I was completely happy with the time.  I’m hoping to break 25:00 on my next 5k I run.  Still up in the air if that’ll be Race to Wrigley in two weeks.  I’m hoping it will be. 

And little Miss Annie clocked in her first 5k ever at about 32:30!  I was soooo proud of her!  Can I say that enough?  I love that I have a few running buddies now…

But enough about racing.  It was time to eat.  We ended up at Toast (thanks for the suggestions, btw!).  I asked Annie if she would be ok with that one and she said her boss had also told her that’d be a good place to go.  We had to wait to be seated, which was fine because we were still walking it out and stretching.  And the wait was seriously worth it…  LOVED the restaurant.  Loved the food.  Loved the company!And loved the coffee… mmmm.  We both went back and forth on what to order.  After giggling about the menu’s “pancake orgy” (yes, I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old), I settled on the Omelette Lorraine.Oh man it was good.  We enjoyed our breakfasts over some good conversation.  Well, good conversation on our parts.  I don’t often mind the people around us (or even notice- hello, I’m focusing on my food!).  But we were seated next to a first class jackass.  I mean really.  I wouldn’t have even mentioned it if some of the things that came out of his mouth weren’t some of the most obnoxious and egotistical bull I’ve ever heard.  Apparently, there are no girls hot enough for him in the clubs anymore these days.  But it doesn’t matter because he’s too good looking to have a girlfriend right now anyways.  The couple sitting with him looked embaressed because they knew he was offending everyone within ear shot.  He said much more, but I’d rather not get into much more detail than that.  I have never had such a strong desire to stick my foot out as he got up to walk out.  But I was in a good mood.  And I didn’t want to deal with the possible law suit that would occur.  Not worth it.

Every good brunch needs a bit of dessert, so we walked back up the block to this little shop:I had stopped in Starfruit to pick up a race packet before, and loved how cute it was.  But never tried anything.  I’m not a huge fruit person (in which I mean I really don’t eat hardly anything considered “fruity” at all), so I stuck with the original flavor of the Kefir froyo and got a little reese’s pieces goodness to put on top:True love.

I got home and crashed on the futon (which is only around for another week before it gets replaced- so I’m saying my goodbyes).  I also finally watched The Informant.  After much thought, I thought this movie was “ha ha….eh.”  You’ll know what I mean if you’ve already watched it.  The plot bored me.  And I honestly spent alot of the movie semi-confused.  But some of that could be blamed that I was watching it in tired-coma-like-state.  My brother was the one who said it was funny.  And I told him after I watched it, I wanted to write Red Box for my dollar back.  And then we went back and forth with some random quotes Matt Damon had throughout the movie.  His random narrations were pretty funny.  Because they were just ridiculous.  But the movie as a whole was just “eh”.  That’s why I stand by my rating of “ha  ha…eh.”  Take what you want from that…

Have a good Monday!

One Tequila, Two Tequila…

Mr. Craigslist came and picked up the chair this morning.  He wasn’t a creeper.  No worries.  But Mon was there, as my red-headed spunky sidekick.  Just in case.  Ha.  Mr. Craigslist was actually kind of nice- and turned out he and his wife were originally from a farming area in Ohio.  So we got along just fine. 

After he left with the papasan chair crammed into his car, Mon and I headed to downtown Arlington Heights to enjoy the day that was even WARMER than promised.  Gorgeous!  We popped in and out of a few boutiques and stores here and there, but I was a big fan of this store I didn’t know existed called Runner’s High n’ Tri.I was intrigued by the shoe selection, but decided to come back when it was less crowded.  Check out how cool this wall is:The wall was signed by random athletes who had stopped in! 

Then we decided it was time to hit Fuego.But it’s not called Fuego anymore- Now it’s Salsa 17.  For some reason or another, there was a name change last month.  It really made no difference to me or my tastebuds.  We both had planned for this to be a “fun” outting, so we decided to order by the waiter’s recommendations. Margaritas!  Don’t worry- it was almost noon by the time we had our first sip.  That’s acceptable, right?Mon was happy.And so was I.  Clearly. 

Then we decided just to split a couple apps for lunch.  So we had some guacamole made tableside along with spinach quesadillas…Fabulous.  I overdid it a little with one too many tortilla chips.  I blame it on the margarita.  It was a strong one.  And I was a little loopy by the end of it.  So after I dropped Mon off at her car (that was getting fixed), I went home and lounged.  Even got in a little cat nap as I watched the Cards game (great day yesterday, boys!).Here’s something randomly fun- see that upper pic on the bookcase?  That’s me as a blond in there on my 21st birthday…  Wanna see it up close for fun? But I guess it’s kind of hard to tell how blond and overly tan I am for my own good in this pic.  So here’s another one.  Keep the smirking to a minimum, please…Too funny, right?  A couple of you had asked when I mentioned that I used to be blond, so I figured I’d just bring these up for kicks. :)  Oh and that’s Mary to my left and Laura to my right.  It seems we just naturally tend to pose in that order… which I totally didn’t realize until I was writing this.  And even looked back through more facebook pics to confirm it.  I guess we all have a good side?

Anyhoo, it was a fun Saturday.  I hit up the Red Box near me again as to keep me entertained for my night in before the race.  Has anyone seen Zombieland?  It looked kinda funny when it came out in theaters, so I thought why not- I’ve already exhausted most of the options in Red Box.  And it was funny.  I’m not into the gruesome factor, so I had to look away a couple times (even if it is seriously unrealistic), but I laughed.  It was much appreciated “off” humor if you’re into that kind of thing.  I also rented The Informant on a recommendation from my brother.  That one was saved for later today.

I also made sure to be semi-productive after the little nap and before the movies.  Yoga and the elliptical.  This was the first time I had been on the elliptical in awhile- and it wasn’t bad.  I read about Kendra’s difficulties after giving birth in an old US magazine.  Good stuff…

Ok, so this is posted as I am on my way to my 5k- Run for the Cheetah.  See ya kids later, I’ve got some business to take care of…