Soldier Field 10 Mile Race and Weekend Report

So it is 11:30 pm on Memorial Day and I am still awake after a long weekend of pretty heavy training, given this is only the end of the first week of IM training. On Saturday I was a guide for my friend K. at the Soldier Field 10 miler here in Chicago. K. has achromatopsia and has been visually-impaired since birth but you sure wouldn't know it if you met her. She has a better sense of direction than me, doesn't run into walls and parked cars, and is waaaay smarter (she's a lawyer). We've only run together on three or four occasions, but she's already run a marathon and several other long-distances road races, so she didn't have much of a problem! Anyway, she set her best time yet and ran a 1:45 race, despite all of the slow people we had to push out of our way. Talk about bottlenecks. There were 9000 people running on a freakin' bike path. But hey, it was fun.

On Sunday Th. and I rode out to Lake Bluff or one of those little towns up north. We were both pretty tired after Saturday's run but we still managed to put in about 45 miles. Yeehaw!

Today I took it a bit easier and ran about 4.5 miles. The gym closed early so I didn't get to swim but the run felt good. My feet feel better and it is not because of the crap orthotics the podiatrist gave me. It is because of my magical Newtons. They are slowly dying, however, so I bought a new pair this weekend, this time in lime green. Can't wait to wear 'em when they arrive in the mail.

Week 2 of Ironman training, here I come!

Panama City shark

OMG, check out this video. This is where I will be swimming on November 7th. Fortunately on race day there will be 2000 other swimmers thrashing around, so chances are good that the sharkies will leave us alone. The part that bothers me is the training swims where I am all by myself cloaked in a wetsuit that makes me look like a delicious seal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI6VIkf3ilI

On Pretend Tonsillitis and the Joys of Riding a Tandem

Dear readers,

I am finally recovered from some dreadful illness that made me hack up blood and check my temperature every 2 hours (yes, yes, I am a bit OCD) after it went up to 101 last Wednesday. Nonetheless I got stir crazy after taking 2 days off and hopped back in the pool Thursday and Friday for some easy swims. On Friday I was convinced I should visit the doctor as my left tonsil was the size of a small grape. My mother was worried I had the swine flu. Alas, it was neither according to the nonchalant Dr. Bhojwani who might as well have been a robot considering the lack of information he gave me. I returned home and kept doing the same things I'd been doing - taking ibuprofen, drinking fluids, and "resting," the only change being I had 20 bucks less in my pocket.

Anyway, I went out Saturday for a short run and an easy tandem ride with my friend, Kim, who I am guiding at the Chicago tri (she is visually impaired but you'd never know it from her attitude!). Only it wasn't easy because I was still sick, it was 35 degrees with the wind chill and I was wearing shorts. And riding a tandem is like driving a truck - especially if the person behind you is heavier! Before I rode with Kim, I practiced with another guide, Jane, who is about 6 feet tall and probably 175. Needless to say, we almost bit it on the first attempt to turn (we later discovered the second set of handlebars were loose, so that didn't help either). With Kim, who is a measly buck 10, the ride was a lot easier. Fortunately, Jane's husband came to pick us up 'cuz there weren't no way no how I was runnin' back to Jane's house. I couldn't feel my fingers.

I can't wait for the bike leg of the Chicago tri when everybody on the course comments on how "cute" Kim and I look. Apparently there are a lot of idiots out there who assume we're just riding the tandem to be sassy and sisterly.