Chicago Marathon Training: Week Two

Monday:  Monday is supposed to be a rest day, but its hard for me to take a day off once I get into a workout routine, especially since I kind of let myself go the past six months, fitness wise.  I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the elliptical, some ab work, some pull ups and triceps dips, and then 10 minutes on the stair climber.

Tuesday: According to my Training Peaks schedule, I was to do 3 miles at an easy 10:30 pace. I'm not one who enjoys running on treadmills for any length of time, but since Mike has been going to the gym pretty consistently, its nice to have the motivation of a workout buddy.  So, I sucked it up and completed the miles on the treadmill.  I did some ab work, too.

Wednesday: Scheduled to do 4 miles at 10:00 min/mile pace.  I found a nice 4 mile loop thanks to gmap-pedometer.  Mike and I finished it in just over 36 minutes, which obviously means we were hauling at close to a 9:00 min mile pace.  I've never claimed to be good at pacing, but somehow I usually end up running a fairly consistent pace around 10 min/mile.  Next time, I'll trust my gut to slow down.

Thursday: Same as Tuesday, at least for this week.  We were much closer to a 10:30 pace this time, but still clocked in a little fast.

Friday: Rest day!  I actually rested, too, well resting in terms of not working out.  I was, however, busy running errands for most of the day, so I wasn't exactly kicking my feet up either.

Saturday: I had a CPR class that started at 9am, so I wasn't confident I could be up and moving, log our run, shower and get to my class by 9.  I intended to get the run in later in the evening, but that never happened.  I rode my bike to and from the CPR class, as well as a first aid class I had later in the afternoon, so technically that could qualify as the "cross training" I would normally do on Sunday, the day after my long run.

Sunday: Mike and I made up our long run (5 miles at 10:30 pace) today instead.  We basically flip flopped the Saturday/Sunday schedule.

Two weeks in and I'm feeling really good.  I've had some mild knee pain after running a few of the short runs - not sure what to attribute that to - but even though its been mild, I've been good about icing them for 10-15 minutes afterwards, just in case.  It seems to help, as I don't have any soreness the next day after any of these workouts.

The real challenge will be keeping up any semblance of a running/training schedule when Megan and I are on our vacation.  I haven't quite yet figured out how I am going to do my long runs, let alone the weekly short runs.  We'll be active on our trip, no doubt, but it won't always be the same as actually running and getting that type of cardio activity.  My upcoming long runs the next two weekends are 9 miles and 10 miles, and for the first one we'll be in Oklahoma City (traveling to Albuquerque) and San Diego.  In San Diego, it might be nice to find a route along the ocean, but in Oklahoma, I'm not as sure where to go - perhaps I may be able to find a high school or the University track to run around.  As I start to pack some of my gear, I'll look into my options.  I would hate to get two weeks behind with the good start I have!

Jen and Meg's Excellent (Road Trip) Adventure

By now, I've eluded to Megan and I's epic road trip coming up next week, so I thought I'd share a few details as far as our itinerary.  I've never done a road trip quite like this - the only real road trips I've done are when Megan and I have driven to/from Colorado (with only gas/food stops), or back in college, the two of us drove straight through to Panama City Beach, FL for Spring Break.

Without further adieu, here is our planned route:

Chicago to Memphis, TN (1 night)
Memphis to Oklahoma City, OK (1 night)
Oklahoma City to Albuquerque, NM (1 night)
Albuquerque to Grand Canyon, AZ (1 night)
Grand Canyon to Zion National Park, UT (3 nights)
Zion National Park to Las Vegas, NV (1 night)
Las Vegas to San Diego/Escondido, CA (3 nights)
San Diego to Yosemite National Park, CA (2 nights)
Yosemite to Salt Lake City, UT (1 night)
Salt Lake City to Cheyenne, WY (1 night)
Cheyenne to Omaha, NE (1 night)
Omaha to Chicago

We have a few planned activities in most of the locations - for example, we are going to get some Memphis style BBQ while in Memphis, and of course hit up plenty of breweries.  While at parks like the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Yosemite, we'll of course try to camp, assuming we can get a site (many camps sites fill up a year in advance during the summer months).  In San Diego (Escondido), we are going to the Stone Sour Beer Fest, which we're super excited about.  But, beyond that, I think we're going to wing most of the trip, in true road trip fashion.  If you have any suggestions of where to stay (particularly in San Diego) or what to see while were in each of the places above, please leave a comment.

Chicago Marathon Training: Week One

Having just gotten back from vacation, I knew I had no time to waste in getting started with my marathon training.  In fact, I learned I was already a week behind.  As soon as I signed up for the marathon, I was intent on doing better than I did in 2009.  My finish time then was 4:53:45 - not bad- but well above the goal I originally set (4:20).  I'd say I blame a fair amount of it on the weather - it was a bit colder than I expected, and I don't think my body every really warmed up.  But really, my training plan was equally at fault.  I did all of the necessary long runs on schedule, but I didn't do as much of the mid week running and/or cross training that probably would have helped condition my body to hold up over 26.2 miles.

Here is a recap of how my first training week went:

Monday:  To get back into the swing of things, Mike and I went to the gym and I ran 3 miles on the treadmill, then cooled down with 10 min on the bike.

Tuesday: I went to the gym solo and did the elliptical for about 30 min, then rode the stationary bike for about 30 min as well. 

Tuesday night, I learned that with my participation in the Girls in the Game charity race team, that I receive a free membership in the Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA) summer marathon training program.  The entitles me to a whole bunch of goodies, but most importantly a structured training regimen, including mid week runs as well as the main, supported group runs on the weekend.  I'm hoping this will take some of the logistical pressure off in terms of carrying enough water, etc.

Wednesday:  A little full from dinner, I hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes of cardio then some ab work as well.

Thursday: I went on an approximately 3 mile run in the neighborhood.  It was HOT.  I am never running at 11am when it is over 75 degrees again!  I could do that when I was 18, but apparently not at 30.

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday:  Mike and I ran together, and all told I logged just shy of 5 miles at about a 10 min mile pace.  I didn't feel quite ready for the scheduled 7 miles, and neither did he.  In hindsight, I wish I would have pushed myself a bit more and done at least 6, but oh well.

Sunday: Cross training - At the gym, did 30 min on the elliptical, plus some ab work.

So, week one is officially in the books training wise.  Kind of a light start considering I should have had better base fitness coming into things.  In the past I certainly would have, but working full time, plus taking two classes for the last six months left me pretty short on time.  Next week I'm ready to kick (no pun intended) things up a notch.  Next weekend's long run is only 5 miles, but I'll need to log some quality miles during the week before the 9 mile long run in two weeks.

Support Me in Running the Chicago Marathon for Girls in the Game

As some of you know, I ran the Chicago Marathon for the first time in 2009.  I enjoyed the challenge of training for such a big goal and the race day experience is one I'll never forget (especially the cold!).  Despite the countless days of soreness during the process, I decided I'd like to feel the accomplishment of finishing the Chicago Marathon again and signed up to run this year.

More importantly, I signed up to run the marathon through a charity race entry for a local Chicago non-profit, Girls in the Game.  Some of you locals may have heard of them, but for those who haven't, Girls in the Game primarily works to support school age, underprivileged girls in Chicago, primarily through sports and fitness activities, education in the areas of nutrition as well as tutoring in academic subjects.  The overall goal is to help these young girls develop leadership skills and self-esteem so they can live a better, healthier life.  I encourage you to visit their website for more about them and their many programs in the Chicagoland area.

Why am I running for Girls in the Game?  Looking at my own life, I recognize many of the benefits playing sports and physical activity had and continue to have in terms on my health and personal development.  I was lucky enough to have these opportunities and a strong support system, but many of the girls who Girls in the Game help serve do not.  Girls in the Game offers nearly all of their programs for FREE to the girls, and the fact is, their programs work.  After a year of participating in their programs outside research showed these girls exercise more, have a lower, healthier BMI (Body Mass Index), eat more fruits, vegetables and healthy foods, have a healthy body image and feel good about themselves, and believe they are leaders with the ability to change their lives and their communities.  I plan on volunteering with Girls in the Game this summer and hopefully throughout my time in PT school as well.

Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of meeting several of the other Girls in the Game race team members at a kickoff party and it was clear that we all have the same goal: to help raise money for Girls in the Game.  I ask that you please consider supporting Girls in the Game by making a donation via my marathon fundraising page here.  All online donations are secured with 256-bit encryption.  If you prefer not to donate online, I would gladly accept a check made out to Girls in the Game, mailed to my me.  Please leave a comment with your email address if you prefer this option and I will send you my address.

As the saying goes, no amount is too small.  Also, if you know of anyone else who may be interested in supporting Girls in the Game, please pass along the link to my donation page.  THANK YOU for your support!

Additionally, I encourage you to follow my training and summer activities via my blog.  As you can see, I have been updating it much more, including the recap of my most recent vacation to the Pacific Northwest.  My friend Megan and I also started a beer/travel blog (admittedly, there is a bit of crossover), which you can view here.  Finally, I'll post updates to my Facebook page often, including the donation link, so don't be surprised if you see it again soon.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer,

Jen

5th Annual Mother-Daughter Trip: The Recap

Warning! This entry will be a doozy, since I'm attempting to capture ALL of our vacation awesomeness in one post!

Day 1: Portland/Seattle
Not much to report here - we had an early evening flight into Portland International airport (PDX), then immediately drove up to Seattle for the next two days.  We attempted to find a place to grab at least one start-of-vacation beer, only to find the pub a few blocks from our hotel was closed (!) by the time we got there.  Boo.  We ended up getting one beer at Fado Irish Pub, but the place was insanely loud, so we decided to call it a night.

Day 2: Seattle
Day two began with heading to the Space Needle and surrounding attractions.  We got some great views of the city from atop the Space Needle, which we learned was built for the 1962 World's Fair.  Located just next to the Space Needle is the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit.  This is a beautiful, colored, blown glass exhibition featuring an outdoor "garden" and series of rooms inside.  Below is one picture of the exhibit (inside the glasshouse).

One thing I wished we would have had more time to see was the Seattle EMP Museum, which features a myriad of exhibits related to music, science fiction and pop culture.  They had special Nirvana collection, featuring tons of random memorabilia from the band.  I also never made time to visit the house where Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love lived during their time in Seattle.  Not really a major landmark, but I am a fan of both their bands, so I suppose it is kind of like the grunge version of Graceland.

After doing the tourist thing, we embarked on a pretty decent walk to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, which is home to one of the Elysian Brewing Company pubs.  It also happens to be their main production brewery.  We had a few appetizers and of course a few rounds of beers, which Megan and I were both fans of the beer, and especially their new "Beers of the Apocalypse" series, which they started to coincide with the end of the world (according to the Mayan calendar).  We tried two of the beers at the pub and would later buy a bottle of another while in Portland.  I didn't find anything too special about the beers, but the idea and bottle artwork was memorable.

We finished up at Elysian and made our way to another famous destination in Seattle, the Pike Place Market, home to the original Starbucks location, as well as the Pike Place Fish Company.  We enjoyed dinner with Megan's cousin at the Pike Brewing Company, but we were disappointed by their average beer offerings.  For our nite cap, we finally made it to the Collins Pub, a mere 500 feet from out hotel and discovered they had a pretty good tap list, though not much to speak of in terms of atmosphere.  So, we downed a couple of beers, and called it a night.

Day 3: Seattle/Mt. Ranier National Park
For our last day in Seattle, we decided to see even more (natural) scenery by driving to Mt. Rainier National Park.  The drive was longer than we expected, so it ended up taking up the majority of our day, unfortunately.  At the park we went on a short hike along the Paradise River to see Carter Falls (below).  We then drove up to another part of the park known as Longmire to snap a few photos and grab a picnic lunch.  As you can see, the park was beautiful, and I can only imagine what some of the longer trails are like to hike.  Hopefully I'll make it back up this way soon.

Following our drive back to Seattle, we stopped at a few touristy spots - one being the famous 'Fremont Troll' (right) and Gasworks Park (right, below)

Feeling famished, we made our way to the Pyramid Brewing Company alehouse across from Safeco Field (home of the Seattle Mariners).  Megan and I split a sampler of beer and were glad to find they had a good lineup of beers outside of their flagship hefeweizen and apricot ale.

Day 4: Vancouver
The drive from Seattle to Vancouver was easy breezy, and we even got through customs in just a few minutes.  Since it was relatively early in the day, we got in some sightseeing/exploring at the Capilano Suspension Bridge park.  The Capilano Suspension bridge is apparently the longest and highest suspension bridge in the world.  They also had a cool, "cliff walk" experience where you walked along a narrow, curved platform that was suspended 30 feet away from the face of a cliff.

After the morning thrills, we ventured back into Vancouver and over to Granville Island to seek out Granville Island Brewing, as well as Dockside Brewing Company.  Granville Island was a nice spot, but they didn't serve anything more than snacks, and had a goofy 12 ounce rule, which meant we couldn't have any more than 12 ounces of beer per person (crazy, right?!).  Supposedly it is because of the way their business license was setup.  Dockside ended up being more of a restaurant than bar or taproom (and a bit pricey for lunch) so despite our efforts, we decided to go elsewhere for lunch.  We finally settled on Yaletown Brewing Company as our (late) lunch spot.  Good grub, good beer, so I couldn't complain! 

Later that night, Megan and I wandered out to find a local place to get a few drinks and ended up at a spot across from our hotel called Back Forty.  It was pretty dead, but then again it was a Monday, but we enjoyed our time, chatting up our bartender and having mugs full of Big Rock Brewing beer.  As you can see to the right, their beer mugs were pretty unique! 

Day 5: Vancouver
This day started off rainy and dreary, so we decided to stay indoors and visit the Vancouver Aquarium.  It has been many, many years since I've been to an aquarium, so it was kind of neat to view the various exhibits, especially the larger marine life - sea lions and sea otters, dolphins and beluga whales.  After visiting the aquarium we took a quick lap around Stanley Park then headed off to get some lunch at Steamworks Brewing Company.  Beer was good, and food was good, but expensive, as would seem to be the theme in Vancouver.  Fortunately *most* places took American dollars at an even exchange rate which made things much easier.

When dinner time rolled around, I wrangled the group into taking a long walk to a place that I read was the place in town to get authentic poutine, a Canadian culinary delight.  Apparently, poutine originated and is most popular in Montreal, but nonetheless, plenty of places in Vancouver peddled the dish.  Poutine is pretty simple - its basically french fries, covered in gravy and cheese curds.  Sounds delicious, right?  And it was!  Having fulfilled this craving, we ventured back to the hotel, where I considered stopping at Japadog, a Japanese style hotdog place, but I decided otherwise.

At night,  Megan and I decided we'd venture out for a "late night."  We bar hopped to three different places, all located in Vancouver's Gastown neighborhood.  The first was The Cambie, a sort of dive bar, which happened to be connected to a hostel of the same name.  I read it was a favorite spot for locals and known for having cheap beer (yay).  We indeed drank a few cheap beers then headed a few blocks away to Six Acres, a tiny gastropub with a small plate menu and extensive beer selection.  In keeping with our usual M.O. we ordered beers and snacks.  One of the beers we tried was a watermelon witbier, 'Seedspitter,' from a brand new brewery, Parallel 49.  Girly and fruity? Yes, but it was really tasty!  Our last stop of the evening was to a highly recommended pub, the Alibi Room.  Widely known for having the biggest and best taplist in town, we were not disappointed.  The atmosphere inside was dim, but like so many things in Vancouver, pretty hip.  I got a "frat bat" (sampler) of various Canadian brews, and can't say I didn't like a single one.  I wish we would have checked out this place sooner because it was my kind spot.  It reminded me of a larger Map Room.

Day 6: Vancouver
Our last day in Vancouver was (finally) sunny and fairly warm, so we decided to be adventurous once again and head to Grouse Mountain a nearby mountain resort/park.  While our moms opted to pay for entry to the park, which included a sky tram ride for getting to the top of the mountain, Megan and I took the challenge of doing the 'Grouse Grind' a steep 1.8 mile long trail to the top of Grouse Mountain.  It took us approximately an hour a a half, and we huffed and puffed most of the way!  Our reward was some pretty sweet views at the top (right) and only $10 for the sky tram ride back down.

Later, in keeping with our pact to take it easy before the long drive back to Portland, we had a chill night consisting of dinner at Back Forty, and then Megan and I stayed for one beer afterwards.  I also made a necessary stop at a drugstore to pick up some dill pickle flavored potato chips and some Canadian candy for the full Canadian culinary experience.

Overall, I was impressed by how diverse Vancouver was and couldn't escape just how "cool" of a town it felt like.  I wish I would have better prepared for how much more expensive food and drinks were, but luckily my credit card charges weren't as bad as I thought.

Day 7: Portland
By the time we arrived it was close to 3:30pm, so we were able to check into our hotel, nicely located in the heart of downtown Portland.  Megan and I convinced the moms to take a short hike across the Morrison Bridge to check out Hair of the Dog Brewing, a place we managed to miss on our previous visits.  The beers were worth the wait, albeit strong!

The original Voodoo doughnut

Beer sampler at Hair of the Dog

And of course, since we were in the neighborhood, we also dragged our moms to Cascade Barrel House to introduce them to the world of sour beers.  Much to our shagrin, they weren't really fans, but Megan and I certainly enjoyed our 3rd visit to Cascade.  Before getting dinner, we couldn't resist a stop at Voodoo Doughnut (especially when the line wasn't long).  We justified it as "dessert" and brought their famous pink box to dinner with us to Deschutes Brewing Company.  Megan and I had been to Deschutes before, but just for one beer, and the fact that the pub was family friendly and had more than just burgers and sandwiches, was something we thought might appeal to our moms.  I had some awesome mac and cheese with fennel sausage and opted for their "regular" sampler of beer, whereas Megan hand picked a few of their pub exclusives/limited releases.  Back at the hotel, we scarfed down one of our doughnuts and promptly passed out from a full day. 

Day 8: Portland
Much like we did for a day in Seattle, we ventured out of the city and towards Mt. Hood,  ending up in the quaint town of Hood River, about an hour away.  Hood River reminded me of Lake Geneva, but on a much cooler scale.  There were tons of little shops, coffee/bagel houses, restaurants and of course, beer! 
Megan and I were stoked to finally make it to Full Sail,  one of the larger Portland area breweries, as well as one we'd never heard of, Double Mountain.  I was impressed by both places, which had some really great beers.  At Full Sail, I was drawn to their Session Black Lager, and at Double Mountain, we all agreed that the Clusterf#ck single hop IPA was amazing. 

On our drive back to the city, we stopped off at a few scenic spots to snap photos, and once back in Portland, mowed down some delicious pizza from Sizzle Pie.  For our night out, Megan and I opted to check out The Commons Brewery, which we learned had just opened back in December.  The place was so small we almost walked right by it, but once inside, we were literally drinking IN the brewery (right).  Even though they were just starting out, they had some interesting styles of beers (including a sour) and all the beers we had were solid.  Just like with Cascade Barrel House from a few years ago, it felt pretty cool to have discovered this place early on, and I'm excited to see more from them.  We also hit up what is perhaps my favorite place for beer in Portland, the Green Dragon.  We ended up chatting with a few locals (including our bartender from back in October), munching on some snacks and ordering up a few sampler trays.  The favorite beers of the night for me were "Sweet Heat" by Burnside Brewing, as well as the Russian River "Supplication" (sour beer).

The night wouldn't have been complete without a late night snack after our walk back - I ate my bacon maple doughnut and Megan got some nachos from a food cart (I managed to help here a bit with those, too).

Day 9: Portland
We found out that Saturday was the annual Rose Festival parade, which apparently is a pretty big deal to the folks in Portland, as evidence by the closing of city streets and the large crowd that gathered to watch the action.  In addition to the parade, we also checked out the scene at Portland's Saturday market, which I likened to the Bucktown Art Fair, but on a slightly smaller scale.  There were various merchants selling crafts, apparel, food, etc. 

Around 11:30am, the four of us headed to the Portland Fruit Beer Festival at Burnside Brewing Company, which Megan and I had bought tickets for prior to the trip.  The fest started off well, with a small crowd, which made it easy to sample the 20+ brews available. 

Despite the "fruit beer" theme, there was quite a wide variety of beers represented from traditional to the more exotic.  As always, we identified a few hits and misses in our book.  Quite possibly my favorite beer I tried in Portland was not one featured at the festival, but one we tried the night before at the Green Dragon and again at Burnside Brewing Company in their pub.  It was actually an imperial version their Sweet Heat, an ale made with apricots and some type of chili peppers.  It was exactly as described, sweet then heat, but on a bigger scale than what we'd tried the night before.  If only they bottled it!


After seeing the crowd that had gathered, which made lines slightly unbearable, and seeing the moms had enough of their beer fill, we headed back to the hotel for some downtime.  For dinner, we decided this would be the night we sampled from the array of food trucks located within a few blocks of our hotel.  I opted for something slightly more exotic and got a great falafel sandwich, while my traveling companions opted for a cheap (yet excellent) Mexican food truck.  Back at the hotel, we chowed down our food, Megan and I finished a few of our stockpiled beers at our hotel, had a mini karaoke session, and hit the hay shortly after midnight.

Day 10: Portland/Home
We made one last trip to Voodoo Doughnut, where I picked up (another) bacon maple bar and an original glazed for my breakfast of champions.  We made it back to Chicago safe and sound, and although I really enjoyed our time in the Pacific Northwest, I'll always say, its nice to be home.  I couldn't ask for a better start to the summer with my best friend and our moms.  We even started planning our 2014 vacation, which more than likely, will mean a return to cruising the seas!

UP NEXT: I have approximately three weeks until my next major vacation, which is an epic two week long, cross country road trip with Megan.  We'll be making our way from Chicago to as far west as San Diego, with stops in Memphis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park (Utah), and Las Vegas.  On our return leg, we'll spend time in Yosemite National Park (California), Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, and Omaha. Most of these places I've never been to, so it should be pretty exciting.

First day of (Fun) employment

Today was my first official day of what I'm going to call (fun)employment.  The plan all along was to take this summer off in anticipation of the next three years being pretty busy year-round with school, and today was the first day where not having a job actually felt real.  My last day at work was actually May 31, but the next day, we left for out Mother-Daughter trip and I was pretty busy doing last minute errands, cleaning, packing, etc.  I knew it wouldn't actually set in until we got back from vacation. 

To be honest, it didn't feel much different than just having a day off.  I suppose I had been preparing for the day for quite sometime, but for some reason I thought it would feel odd, especially after I had a rather emotional last day - yes, I cried - but I also knew that would happen.  I really enjoyed working at Scoutware for the last 6 years, and will especially miss the people.  I was able to say goodbye to a lot of folks in the office and others via Skype.  I'm fairly confident I'll keep in touch with everyone through various means, but I know it won't make up for the day-to-day interaction I was used to.  Some of the folks had become my quasi brothers and sisters, and that meant a lot to me.

Anyways, enough with the sappy stuff...

On the whole, I'd say I had a productive day.  I woke up, took the dog for a walk, went to the doctor to get some shots/tests and blood work done (for school), did laundry, vacuumed, took out the recycling, accepted my school financial aid loan package, completed my entrance counseling for the loans, put together a shoe rack, picked up some medications for Inga, dropped off my bike for a tuneup, ordered some textbooks and supplies for school, and took Inga on another walk.  And with all that, I've pretty much done everything I needed to do for the whole week, so it should be interesting to see how I fill up the rest of my time!

Though I will not have any sort of 9-5 routine, I do plan on keeping busy, however.  I have approximately three weeks until Megan and I take off for our epic, two week cross country road trip.  This also means I have approximately three weeks to get in *some* kind of shape for our various adventures, one of which includes a 12 hour + hike in Zion National Park, known as The Narrows.  Plus, this week begins the typical 16/17 week training program for the Chicago Marathon.  Mike and I hit the gym tonight so I could work my legs back into running.  I think the last time I really ran at all was probably the Shamrock Shuffle back in April.  Yikes!  We'll see how sore I am tomorrow.

Beyond working out, I'll be doing a fair amount of reading, starting with reviewing medical terminology and anatomy and physiology, as well as knocking off all the unread books from my Kindle (which numbers 8 at the moment).  I'm open for any suggestions as to more good books I can pick up along the way.  In addition to these things, I'd really love to (re)learn basic Spanish and guitar.

Finally, at some point Mike and I will also be taking a vacation or two (location TBD).  All of these things should lead me right up to my PT school orientation on August 23rd and our first day of classes on August 27th.

In the near term, I found out that Girls in the Game is having a kickoff party for their marathon race team at Goose Island on Clybourn tomorrow night.  I only found out about it after emailing the race team director about joining the CARA marathon training program.  I guess they had the wrong email address for me, which is odd, considering I had received previous race team correspondence. Oh well, at least I didn't miss it!  I'm looking forward to meeting a few new people and finding out more about getting ready for the marathon.  I'm also hoping to connect with someone about logging a few volunteer hours per week.  See, I told you I would be keeping busy!

I'll also work on posting something about my first vacation of the summer to the Pacific Northwest.  All I will say for now is that I drank A LOT of beer and ate a LOT of good food.