Pre-Marathon Two-Miler

Took a two-mile pre-race run with Allie, up Foster Avenue to Lake Michigan. That was a very good idea, not just because that's the thing you're supposed to do, but I have gotten really freaked out about the weather.

Allie keeps saying how perfect the forecast is. Yes, dry is paramount, I would be miserable if it were due to rain, downright maudlin. It would be like saying goodbye to all my toenails. But it's supposed to be in the mid-40s tomorrow, and I would prefer the mid-50s.

And yet, it was the mid-40s  this morning and it felt all right. I have my disposable cold weather sweatsuit, and think I can manage in shorts. The wind will be a challenge, but I just don't want to wear long pants.

We are Team Challenge!

Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 19:41
Pace: 9:51
Route: Foster Avenue to Lake Michigan and Back
Temperature: 45°
Climate: sunny & cold
Mood: getting better
Stretches: oh, uh. no.
Water: yes

Met up with all the Team Challenge folks at Bar Louie last night, got to chat up some of the organizers, runners, and supporters, and to enjoy a fine Goose Island IPA. I was hardly the one who had traveled farthest to be here. For several this will be their first marathon, and I was feeding off their excitement.

The plan is to meet up at the Congress Plaza Hotel tomorrow morning at 6:30, a warm place to gather before heading into the elements. This is a welcome invitation, as so many marathons I have attended require hours of standing around outside in the cold until the start.

It was pretty brisk out last night, but Chris, Allie and I still did a little walk around that neighborhood after the meet-up in search of dessert, and I found Gordo's which makes hand-dipped ice cream bars. Perfect!

We closed the evening seeing The Infinite Wrench, which is literally one block from where we are staying. It's always fascinating to me to share the Neo-Futurists with new people. It has been some time.

Interlude

CLE in CHI

We are in Chicago. And by we I mean Chris, Allie and I. We began this journey together and we will finish it together, I on the course, and they showing support.

We decided upon the train. Chris had never taken Amtrak! I am not certain, but I believe I have not taken a train since before we had living children. I wondered if it was the same, or if cutbacks had made it unpleasant.

Rest assured, it's the same. Wide seats, and plenty of them. Years of legroom. We boarded at three in the morning, and I stayed awake for a short while, writing, looking out into the darkness. And while coach is not the most comfortable place to sleep, sleep I did.

It's very relaxing taking the train. No one rushes about, it is a very not-tense way to travel. And quite possibly the cheapest. I keep waiting for the airline industry to collapse, but it won't. The government will continue to prop up planes, and Amtrak will go the way of the streetcar and the stagecoach.

Chicago was raining was when we arrived at Union Station, and we had a choice; take our car to Andersonville and drop off our things first, or to head straight for the Expo.

We chose the latter. I am quite used to carrying my bags with me through crowded spaces, and we successfully got our packets (Chris calls it the $200 T-shirt) and I was able to get a new glasses strap and some yummy, yummy gels.

We are staying at the apartment of Chris's best friend Ben. It's a beautiful place, and a real Chicago townhouse, with a wood pantry off the kitchen, cabinets in the short halls between rooms. It is a gift to be able to stay at a place like this, on a weekend like this.

Apart from a bagel just before the train arrived, however, we had not had anything to eat. "Breakfast" was at 1:00 PM (CT) at Pauline's Breakfast which was just exactly what was necessary, in sustenance and decor.

A little later there's a reception for members of TEAM CHALLENGE, and our apartment is literally a five minute walk from the Neo-Futurists ... so guess what we're doing tonight?

Can't wait until the weekend comes!

On average, a dozen people read this blog. Unless I post something on social media, between ten and twenty people read each individual post. That's enough to assume they are all bots. No offense to those one or two of you who may be human.

You may have noticed I have had nothing to say for about a week. That is because my mother was in the hospital, I won't go into details, she's fine now, really. Fine and at home, which is good.

But I have never wanted to run a marathon less than I want to run Chicago on Sunday. I haven't had nor taken the opportunity to train properly. My long runs have been painful, and I'm not better prepared now than I was three weeks ago.

Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 34:32
Pace: 8:37
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 62°
Climate: cool. nice.
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

That, and I am depressed. Unfocused. Stressed out.

There is good news. I had an allergy test yesterday, and I am not allergic to seafood. I am allergic to the histamines that can develop in seafood that has been sitting around for a few days, so. Maybe no more raw seafood, no more sushi.

Tomorrow I meet with a new doctor, which I hope is a fruitful relationship. I need a physical. I am concerned about my sugar intake. Yesterday I wrote a play about it.

The weather in Chicago this week should be ideal. Dry, cool. Fifty degrees. I will be prepared for that.

That's it. That's all I got.

What's That Lyric?
Meccanik Dancing (Oh We Go!) - XTC

Gonna use my legs.

Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 1:11:59
Pace: 9:00
Route: Forest Hill-Lakewview Cemetery Run
Temperature: 67°
Climate: nice
Mood: better
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Baseline: 179.5 lbs.
Today: 167.5 lbs. (+1.5)
Goal: 160 lbs.

What's That Lyric?
Brass In Pocket - The Pretenders

Don't run away and let me down.

Distance: 3 miles
Duration: 26:33
Pace: 8:50
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 46°
Climate: cool & sunny
Mood: not good
Stretches: yes
Water: not enough

What's That Lyric?
Save It For Later - The Beat

Wish we could turn back time.

It was a hard-earned lesson, but I it was made clear to me at a very early age that it is not necessary for me to let everyone in the neighborhood know our family's personal business. My mother also impressed upon me that it was never appropriate to judge or comment upon other families on their business.

In short, I was taught to mind my own business. I was never very good at it, but that's what mom would have preferred.

So I will not comment her health, or how her issues are affecting my ability to train for this race. Let me just make clear this is the case, it is trying, and mind your own business.

Distance: 6 miles
Duration: 50:08
Pace: 8:21
Route: Forest Hill-Cain Park Loop
Temperature: 56°
Climate: overcast, some light rain
Mood: bad
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

It's not that this is hard, it's that its not happening. I am hoping for a miracle next week. This has become a terrible time to be attempting another marathon. I used to get up early to run, but I can't because I need my sleep. I would run in the evening, but I can't because everyone has schoolwork to accomplish and I am needed to keep the house in order.

There's no time, and when there is time, I feel guilty for having taken time. I hate this. I cannot remember the last time I was happy.

I cannot remember the last time I was happy. That's very depressing, isn't it?

What's That Lyric?
Stressed Out - Twenty-One Pilots

We're running in our last race.

Distance: 4 miles
Duration: 36:06
Pace: 9:01
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 73°
Climate: overcast & mega sweaty
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes, not enough

What's That Lyric?
I'll Be You - The Replacements