I really didn't fall off the face of the earth!

Ok, it's been a while since my last post... and posts have been scarce in the last few month.

I really didn't fall off the face of the earth!  Just a short post today to keep you all in the loop on the crazy last month!

But don't worry, I have not been just sitting around!  Over the last few months, I took a step back and gave myself a break from running.  After the beating that I put myself through last summer, I needed scale things back a bit.  Time to focus on some strength training for a while Not to mention all of the craziness of the holidays that we all have!  

 I am still at the gym 4-5 days a week, if not more (yes you may have seen Facebook posts or Tweets about these or  snippets on Instagram.  I may not be putting in the miles, but these workouts make up for that!

 We spent New Years Eve with awesome friends, both new and old! This was the first time in several years that we were able to host NYE at our house.  Unfortunately several friends had to miss the fun due to the beloved flu bug that was going through the area.

I have made amends with the dreadmill and although I still don't LIKE it,  I know that I have learned to tolerate it! So far, I have managed to pull off a 4 mile dreadmill run, but I am sure that more are to come.

We even headed up north for a weekend filled with hockey at the two schools that my husband and I each went to!  Was fun to be back in both arenas watching both teams play!  It was a lot of driving and several late nights, but it was worth being able to introduce my son to the two hockey teams that I spent my high school years watching!

 I have also done more tweaking on my nutrition and started making a few more small changes. Each weekend, a portion of my time is spent prepping my breakfasts and lunches for the week.  I have managed to only have to go out for lunch once so far this month!

Then it was off for a quick trip to Chicago to meet part of the crew that I am running the Chicago Ragnar with this summer!  Yes, I have joined forces with a crew (thanks to my Twitter Friend Jenn), mostly from the Chicago area, to run from Madison to Chicago this summer - on my Birthday!  Although I have only met part of the team, this already promises to be a weekend to remember!

So now, we are 3 weeks into January, Half marathon training is underway and it's time to start putting on some miles.  Just one last hurdle in the way before that can happen though...  I found out last month that I need to have sinus surgery to correct a severely deviated and also tilted septum.  That all happens on Thursday.  Yes, little nervous about the surgery, but in the end if it helps be breathe better, I'm not going to complain!  Also very curious on how this plays into the whole breathing while I am running concept!

The 7-10 days post surgery are going to be rough - no work, no running, no gym... EEEEK!  But on the bright side - time to catch up on a bunch of those movies that I have been wanting to watch but have not had the time!  My Netflix cue will be my new best friend for the week. 

2015 is off to a fun start, with awesome family, great friends and plans to be made!   Lets make it great!

What are you doing to make this a year to remember?

Beat the Hill 2015

2014 is officially behind us. Today is the start of a new year, new adventures, new challenges and goals and so much more.

A friend of mine recently challenged us to figure out what out our "theme" for the year was going to be. What was going to drive us to make it the best year ever.

I started thinking about this and nothing really jumped out at me...

until I went to the gym yesterday.  

I grabbed one of the new headbands that another friend of mine gave me for Christmas and it was clear!

When I first saw this headband, I thought of all the hill training miles ahead of me...  I hate running hills, but know that they are a important piece of the process.  

But there is more to this...

The Hill may is not just the physical hill in front of you!  The Hill can be any challenge in front of you.  That daunting project at work, a difficult decision to make, your health, or even that day's workout.  Anything that you need to get through can be considered a hill in your lift!  These are all Hills that we need to face daily and we need to 

I am determined to beat the hills in front of me this year.  I know that I have set some crazy goals for my self (half marathon training and fitness goals), I have some continued challenges at work and so much more.  I am determined to face each of these challenges and make the best of it. 

This does not mean that you are going to conquer each hill right away.  Some hills might take several tried to get over.  You might get part way up and face setbacks.  These are not always failures, they are additional learning opportunities to make yourself better.  Learn from them, embrace them and keep going.   Don't forget, sometimes, when you get to what you thought was the top of a hill, you may find that the hill continues to climb.  Keep pushing on and you will make it to the top!

So, Kim, you may have had other reasons for giving me this headband, but in the end you gave me the key to my mission for 2015!  Thank you for being a continued inspiration in this crazy world we live it!  I can't wait to see what we can accomplish in 2015!

What will you do to beat the hills in front of you?

Face your Hills, learn from them and enjoy the climb!

Make 2015 a great year!

Fitness Follow-up Friday

Fitness Follow-up Friday is here! Well, it was here a few days ago but since we were out of town for the weekend, I didn't have a chance to post it until now!

Several people have asked what all is included in my weekly fitness.  So going forward, I am going to try and give you some idea of what my weeks consist of!  Each Friday will (hopefully) consist of a Fitness Follow-up!

Super Saturday Circuit

Super Saturday!

Last weekend started off this adventure with a Super Saturday Circuit at the gym!  30 Minutes, 9 exercises, as many rounds as possible.  The gym was packed and it was awesome to see everyone pushed it as hard as they could to get through this workout!  I managed to get through 4 1/2 rounds in my 30 minutes, using heavier weights on the OH lunges that I normally would, and modifying my plants to be one leg plants!  Then the circuit was followed by a 5 minute mini-mission consisting of sit-ups, squats and bicep curls!  I was definitely feeling that at the end!  After the workout, I spent some time in the other end of the gym hanging out with a foam roller and doing some other stretching.  Overall great way to start my weekend!

Sunday Funday in Bairds Creek

Sunday Funday with Friends!
Sunday afternoon we hit Bairds Creek and wandered the trails for just over 4.5 miles.  It was an awesome crisp afternoon spent enjoying the beautiful fall afternoon, watching ducks in the pond, sprinting up hills, and listening to the woodland creatures scurrying in the leaves.  I even got Colleens daughter to RUN up and down some of the hills with me!

Colleen - Next time I am climbing that tree when I see it, since we never made it back by it this time!!

Monday Morning Mini Rowing session

Manic Monday
Monday Morning wake up call!!  Last week I started meeting Tom at the gym for some mini rowing sessions before work.  We usually do a 5 minute warm up and then another 5 minutes of intervals.  Normally we do 1 minute on and then 30 second rest in between (5 total intervals),  but today we hanged it up and did 40 seconds on and 30 seconds off for 8 rounds (still 5 minutes total rowing time).  Those shorter intervals will catch up to you quick, however we both found that we actually rowed further in the same about of time!  Last weeks intervals gave me a total of about 1200m in the 5 minutes, today it was over 1300.

Remember, you need to change things up once in a while, otherwise your body becomes accustomed to the workouts and you may find yourself stuck on a plateau!  Keep your body guessing!

Afternoon Strength Adventures

Monday afternoon was Strength time at the gym!  Thanks Joe for  another great session! It was just one more day that I can say that I left the gym knowing that I pushed myself a little harder, stepped out of my comfort zone more, used heavier weights and still lived to tell about it!

Tuesday
Tuesday was "sleep in" in day... well not really. Instead of the alarm going off at 4:15 or 4:30, it went off at 4:45 so that I could get dinner in the crockpot before being at work for 6am.  After work it was time to hit the gym for another Strength class with Joe!  Forgot to take a picture of the board but it was a day full of Rowing, Clean's, KettleBells and Squats!  Between the KB work during the workout and then the mission at the end, I think I did  a zillion squats.  Ok maybe not a zillion, but it felt like it!  Then the Farmer Walks with 40lb KB's in each hand were epic!  Was fun to have Joe working out with us today as he was testing out the new MyZone units that they got in at the gym!  Thinking I might need to get one for myself to play with too!

Wacky Wednesday

Wacky Wednesday = Crazy sock day at the gym!

No rowing with Tom this morning since I have other things going on after work, needed to get my circuit in early!

5:15 Circuit class was THE way to wake up!  Was nice to see Lisa at the gym early today (I usually see her when she comes in for 6am, as I am jumping in the shower after the 5:15 class!) 3 stations, 9 exercises and burpees were not one of them!  4 minutes of wallballs, pushups and squats was tough but the 4 minutes of KB swings, pushpress and squats was enough to make my arms cry!  Then when you throw in some weighted crunches, Russian twists and flutter kicks, you get a morning workout that will definitely get you moving!

Tired Thursday
I am calling today Tired Thursday because I was too exhausted to get out of bed and get to the gym this morning.  My body said sleep, so I did  :)  I had to work at the bowling alley tonight for a few hours for a private party and the multiple trips up and down the stairs to the basement meeting room at least made me fee like I got in somewhat of a workout!

Finally Friday!
No work today since John and I were heading out of town for a long weekend, but I still was up early and got me workout in!  I also decided to splurge and get myself one of the new MYZONE monitors at the gym.  Charlene worked on getting it set up for me while I was doing a quick warm-up and then it was time to test it out!

MYZone  is a heart rate monitoring system that was recently installed at the gym to give us live feedback on how hard we are actually working out!  Anyone that is wearing a monitor has their live date displayed on the TV monitors that have been put up in each gym, to include current heart rate, calories burned, points earned (based on workout time, time in each heart rate zone and more!) and most importantly - your current max heart rate percentage! If you are not pushing hard enough, everyone will know - how's that for motivation to push your self that much harder?

This morning, started out with a rowing session with Tom, so my data was the only one on the screen (each gym has it's own screen showing data for those working out in that room).  I instantly found myself challenged by the numbers!  I was on a mission to keep that percentage as high as I could!   It was really cool to have a more accurate calorie burn too, since this takes into your age, heart rate etc.

After Tom and I finished rowing, I stuck around for the 6am Strength class.  There was one other person in class with a monitor too so it was interesting to see how our numbers compared during the 45 minute class!    At one point, we both we over 90%!    

After just one morning, I am easily able to see how this is going to help me get even more out of my workouts!  Results from this morning?  718 total calories burnt, peak heart rate 164, point earned 271.

What did you do to push yourself this week??  What are your goals for the next week?

Race Recap: Door County Fall 50 2014

What do you get when you cross 5 crazy runners, 3 bunches of banana's, 2 dozen hard boiled eggs plus a cooler full of other food and water, 1 fueled up support vehicle, 50 miles of beautiful fall countryside and perfect weather?

You get the Door County Fall 50!  A 50 mile race from the northern tip of Door County, starting at Gills Rock, meandering down quiet tree covered roads, through several charming small towns, up and down crazy hills.

That is exactly what we did last weekend!  Darci, Robin and I were this time joined by Dena and Darin to enjoy the fall beauty of Door County.

Start line of the Door County Fall 50 - Gills Rock 

Way back in February, Dena put out a shout out to all of us at the gym to see if anyone was interested in tackling this race.  It didn't take long for us to get a team together!  The day that registration opened, Dena got right on getting us registered, and it was a good thing that she did!  The relay portion of this race sold out in less than an hour!

 We left Green Bay well before the sun was even thinking about coming up and started this crazy adventure!  This is one of those events that you never know what you are going to get for weather... Late October in Door County could bring any thing from sunshine, rain, snow, clouds, wind... you name it, it could happen!  This year we were extremely lucky!  Although it was a little chilly in the morning, the entire day was filled with sunshine!  The wind off the lake was a bit chilly at times, but I will take that over snow or rain any day!

 Our team was started with the 9am wave and had an estimated finish time of 4:49pm - just under 8 hours.  We were on a mission.  We arrived in Gills Rock just before the 8 am wave of relay runners was taking off, so we had plenty of time to get ready. I was running the first leg so it was pre race fueling, and making final decisions on what I was going to actual wear for this first run of the day.  The crisp morning air was refreshing and I opted to stick with the capri's and left my jacket on.   Once we got started, I realized quickly keeping my jacket was a wise choice - the breeze off the lake was cold!  But you won't hear me complain - I'd rather have a cold breeze that 90 degree heat!

Before long I realized the 1st exchange point was right around the corner!  That 4.8 miles of rolling hills was done before I knew it!  The rest of the crew was ready and waiting at the exchange point and Robin was off and running!

We spent the next 8 hours going from one exchange point to the next, taking turns running the hills and winding roads of Door County!  There was nothing easy about this course.  If you were not going up hill, chances are you were going downhill.

Darin taking off in Sister Bay

 The exchange points were always filled with excitement.  Teams cheering each other on, strangers encouraging one another, crazy costumes and food (did someone say chocolate chip cookies?!?!?)  Since all of the solo runners started at 7am, they had a few hour headstart on us.  Yes there were about 150 brave souls that were running the entire 50 mile course solo!  I have the utmost respect for anyone that even attempts to run 50 miles in one day!  I was looking forward to seeing several friends on mine out on the course today, but that was going to have to wait until later!

One of the best parts of this race it checking out all of the other team names and costumes!  Through the day we saw chickens, the Flinstones, Super Mario Brothers, the Crew from the Wizard of Oz and more!  There was a group of ladies (2 teams) that were dressed as Chickens and we were chasing those chickens all day long!  At one point, we finally passed one of the chicken teams but that other team was just to quick!  If we had another half mile, Dena might have caught them at the end!

Scenery driving through Ephraim

If inspiration is what drives you, there is no shortage of that during this event!  It was very humbling to see those solo runners giving it everything to make it through those miles!  Think you are too old to do an event like this?  Never!  we passed several 60+ runners and at least one that 70+ runner!  These guys were not going to let a little thing like age slow them down!

There were also a few teams from myTEAM TRIUMPH out of the course!  Running a 50 mile race is one thing, but running it while pushing a Captain in a race stroller take dedication to a whole new level!  Matt and Andy guided Captain Joe through his 50 miles and if you can see from the below photo that there was no shortage of smiles coming out of Egg Harbor!  The other mTT team (Team Top Gun) consisted of a small army of angels (or in this case co-pilots) to carry Captain Jacob (ie Maverick) through his journey - all the way, wearing their flight suits!

Awesome work guys!

In the end we gave it everything that we had, we pushed ourselves up those hills, enjoyed the amazing fall colors of door county, shared some great laughs, ate A LOT (I hear those PB&J's were pretty awesome at the half way point!).  We could not have asked for better weather - yes the wind was a bit cold at times, but I won't complain - there was no snow!  It was another awesome day outside of the gym!

Official Time 8 Hours 1 Minute and a few seconds!  Next year, we WILL make it in under 8 hours!

What did you do this week to get outside?  Grab your friends and get outside - I know we enjoy it every time we do!

Thanks Team Renegade Runners for another awesome day!!

Another crazy week and even crazier weekend!

Another crazy week has come and gone!  

One of my favorite quotes lately has been "Get comfortable with Being uncomfortable" This past week I definitely got out of my comfort zone and tried a few new things!

Last week on Thursday, my friend Colleen invited me to Bootcamp at her gym.  1st class was free and then they also offer the next full week of classes free too... so now was my chance to try a few new classes!

Monday night it was Insanity!  Now, I didn't get a change to get a picture of us after this workout - and that is probably a good thing!  I am sure I was looking mighty fine!  I managed to make it through the class with minimal  modifications, but yes, I did have to modify some.  I left knowing that I pushed it to my fullest potential!

New fitness adventures for the week

Tuesday morning I hit the 5:15am circuit at the gym, my favorite way to get my day started!  Nothing like a good workout to get the body moving!  Then Tuesday night was PIYO class with Colleen and Cat.  All I can say is WOW!  I felt like Gumby a few times, being twisted in all kinds of different directions!  It was really awesome to get some yoga mixed into the routine!  I can tell how adding this to my normal routine would be a huge benefit to helping me with my flexibility and balance.  

Tuesday Morning wake-up call!

Wednesday I opted to sleep in a bit and just hit the gym after work.  The workout was nothing to sneeze at either!  Strength Circuits!  Full on arm workout that left me with nothing left after all those rounds.  Floor presses, Seasaw presses, Below Deck push-ups and BosuBall Side Planks... But when those rounds were done, it was time for the "extra credit"... 30lb kettle bell in each hand, walking around the gym for 5 minutes! 

Doesn't seem like anything too bad, but anytime you either dropped or set down your kettle bells, you had to stop and do 10 push-ups.  Don't put your kettle bells down, you don't have to do any more push-ups.  I was determined NOT to do anymore push-ups!  I spent my 5 minutes walking around both the strength and Circuit sides of the gym, making laps through the entire gym.  My arms were burning but I was not stopping!

In the end I managed to do my entire 5 minutes without having to do any pushups!  Granted I couldn't lift my arms for another 5 minutes, but I did it!

All the toys were out at the gym on Wednesday!

Thursday night was the final free class for me at Energy Fitness & Dance and it was truly memorable!  It was Bootcamp night again!  Last week, everything we did was with tires... this week it was pumpkins!  

Over the course of the hour, we bonded with our pumpkins, squated with them, lunged with them, dragged then around the room on carpet squares.  The tires from last week were probably jealous of these beloved pumpkins!

Pumpkin Bootcamp!

Friday was break time!  My son had the day off from school and I needed a break and had a bunch of stuff that I wanted to get done, so I took the day off from work!  It was really a treat to be able to sleep in - even if that meant that I was still awake by 7:30am, it was past 4:30 so I was not going to complain!

Plus, my new running tights finally arrived!  Just in time for Saturday's Door County Fall 50 relay adventure!  But that is a whole new post... so stay tuned for those adventures!

On another fun note!! ENERGYbits is running a special promotion right now called BITS for BIBS: 

To celebrate your success and commitment to a lifestyle of running and working hard to achieve your fitness goals, the ENERGYbits team would like to congratulate you with some fun swag and a chance to brag!

All you need to do is:

1. Email Emily Pettengill  (epettengill@energybits.com) a photo of one or more of your 2014 race bibs and your twitter handle.

2. In the subject line of the email put “BITS for BIBS”.

3. Immediately (or within 48 hours of emailing Emily), place your next order on www.energybits.com.  

Don't forget to use the code RenegadeRunner for a 25% discount!!

4. The ENERGYbits team will include a SWAG Bag (value $50.00) when they receive your order.

5. They will post your bib photo on a promotion card and Tweet it!

Don’t delay! This promotion will only run for a few weeks!
[Please Note: they can only send one SWAG Bag per person. Thanks!]

Below is a sneak peak of what you might find in your SWAG bag!!

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21 Day sugar Detox complete!

They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit... coincidence that this sugar detox is 21 days?  I think not! Could you go 21 days with no sugar?  This means ALL sugar (with the exception of a few fruits), grains, processed foods and a whole lot more

The day after we came back from Women Rock Chicago weekend, I started my 21 day Sugar Detox adventure.  I knew it was not going to be easy but I also knew that it was something that I needed to do!  Here is what I found out over the last 21 days...

Day 1 - Since I didn't get back from Chicago until late last night, food options were limited for today but I made due with what I had and made it through the day!  Microwaved eggs in a cup were my lifesaver this morning with a little steak added in for good measure!  Who doesn't love steak and eggs for breakfast!

Day 4 - definitely irritable.  unfortunately my 16 year old son was the recipient of the irritability after I got home from gym after work.  Not his fault that I was irritable and I felt bad that I took it out on him.  Trying to plan ahead for the next few days as I was going to be traveling.  Wanted to make sure that I had plan approved foods and snacks so that is was not so tempting to just stop and grab something quick

Day 5 - Long day, but the planned snacks helped!  Dinner was definitely non-conversational but it worked.  Hard boiled eggs, bacon and baby carrots in the hotel room!

Day 6 - Long day, on my feet working a race expo.  So thankful that I can still have my EnergyBits, as they were really needed to help with keeping away the hungries today!  Lunch again was quick , but still managed to stick to my plan for the day! Pumpkin pancakes and bacon are really not that bad cold!

Egg bake breakfast!

Day 7 - Color Run morning, walking with friends, followed by a brunch buffet.  It would tough figuring out exactly what I could have.  I know brunch was not perfect, but I walked away from the buffet without touching the cheesy hash browns that I love, skipping the dessert table and no pancakes or waffles!  Thank goodness for carved meats and chicken, as well as a build your own omelette station!

Day 8 - Monday morning was not working with me!  With the busy weekend (race expo, lots of driving, plus a color run and grocery shopping), even tho I was asleep my 9pm, my body did not want to get out of bed this morning!  Thankfully I did at least some prep last night and had my egg bake waiting in the fridge!

Day 9 - Did ok all day, including figuring out options at the Boy Scout potluck that we had... but got home and to fend off the munchies, I grabbed a few tortilla chips and hummus...  oops!  But I guess that was better than the chocolate torte looking dessert that was staring at me earlier.  (I actually learned later that it was a s'mores dessert, not a chocolate torte so the middle layer that I thought was vanilla pudding was actually marshmallow fluff!  So now I don't feel like I missed anything as the marshmallow fluff doesn't even sound good right now)

sweet potato with bacon and ghee

Day 13 - this morning was the first run I had since starting this program.  I purposely waited until after the Women Rock Half Marathon to start my 21 days, but with my run calendar, it was impossible to avoid all races.  Today was the 5K Run for the Hill of it race out at Bairds Creek.  I ran this last year so I was familiar with the course and the terrain.  My overall pace was comparable to last year (last years course was a bit short so they added some distance to it this year to make it the correct length).  This morning, just a banana and EnergyBits to get me through... and then eggs and (uncured) bacon when I got home!

Day 14 - I really have to say that I have been feeling pretty good through the last 2 weeks!  I really have not had any huge cravings, even though by bag of chocolates from Chicago is still sitting on my night stand.  1 week to go!  Thankfully the family has been supportive of what I have been making for dinner.  There have been a few things that John has suggested for dinner that will have to wait, so I guess next week, we will be having French Onion soup for dinner one night!

Day 19 - I caved tonight!  We were volunteering at the Annual CP Center Auction and the appetizers that the servers were bringing around the room looked too amazing to pass up.  Did learn real quick tho - skip the meatballs, not worth it!  However the grilled chicken skewers were awesome!  The Bruschetta was awesome too, Yes I did have some and it was worth it!  Everything in moderation!

We made it!


Things I learned:
1.  I really don't drink a lot of coffee anymore, but for the first time in years, I can honestly say that I don't miss the flavored creamers etc in it!  I now am convinced that I can take it black, but on occasion I will add some almond milk or coconut milk/cream, just to change it up a little!

2. I really did not miss the sweets.  I picked up a small package of donuts for the guys on Sunday when I was grocery shopping and I really never had the desire to even eat part of one!

3.  At the end of 21 days, I splurged.  Not over the top, but enough that I realized really quick that I need to keep the sugar in check.  Natural sugars in fruit etc is one thing, but chocolate and breads are not my friend!  I was so tired, exhausted to the point that I felt like I needed to sleep for 3 days!

4.  There were several recipes that I tried that are going to make it into the normal rotation of meals (the Ginger Beef with Broccoli and the Buffalo Shrimp were huge winners!) and there were a few that I will never make again (sorry, the mini meatloaf's were NOT received well by my family and no one even wanted to eat the leftovers!)

Summary:

It was not perfect.  I had some slip ups, ate a few things that I should not have, and yes I had a few beers.  In the end, I am glad that I did it!  I proved to myself that I don't NEED the sweets, breads, and other processed stuff that I cut out in the last 3 weeks.  Yes, I missed my Spark in the morning, but that was about the only thing I really missed!

This morning I re-did measurements at the gym and I was happy with the results!
Down a total of about 3 inches between my chest, waist and hips and 3.8 pounds!!  I will take it.

 Aside from that, I feel great and am ready to roll!  I loved the extra energy that I seemed to have and am going to continue with avoiding processed foods when I can, limiting sugar to only natural sugars and trying new recipes!

Are you addicted to sugar?

I challenge you to 21 days!  You can do it and you won't be disappointed!

Chicago, Running, good friends and Ice Cream! Combining for a perfect weekend!

The weekend that we have been waiting for all summer was finally here!

Friday Morning, Darci, Robin and myself hit the road and drove to Kenosha to catch the train to Chicago!  Our ultimate destination?  The Women Rock Chicago Half Marathon!  When Robin put out a call to her female running friends this past spring, I was quick to hop on board for this awesome weekend!  Before long, we talked Darci into coming along - at first to run the 10k, but then she changed her mind and decided that this was going to be her 1st half marathon!  This weekend's race would also launch my Half Fanatics status from Neptune to Saturn!  4 Half Marathons within 37 days!

Waiting for the train in Kenosha

 The best thing about taking the train into the city... not having to drive downtown Chicago!!!  We caught the early train and were in the city by 10:30am!  Plenty of time to get checked into the hotel and enjoy the city for the afternoon!  We walked the mile and a half from the train station to out hotel, stopping to snap a few pictures along the way, enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze.

Trump tower, overlooking the river

 I will have to say that my Marriott Rewards status worked to our benefit this weekend!  We were upgraded to a room on the 33rd floor with an awesome view of the city!  Was definitely a different experience going to sleep with the sounds of the city so far below you!

 Once we got settled in to the hotel, we figured it was time to start our afternoon adventure!  We had a 2.5 mile walk from the hotel to the Nature Museum in Lincoln park for packet pick up, and find lunch somewhere along the way!  Walking up Rush street was just as much about people watching as it was checking out some of the local restaurants to figure out where we wanted to eat!  Needless to say before we knew it, we were past all the restaurants and into the residential area closer to the park.  So, it was picking up packets before food!

 The expotiquie was actually a lost smaller than I thought it would be... I guess I was expecting a little more since it was Chicago, but then again, I'm not really sure how big I was expecting.   We looked through the few booths that were there, made a few purchases and were on our way!  Time to hike back to the hotel and find lunch somewhere along the way!

Of course, I had to spot the Ghiradelli store when we were walking back up Michigan Ave... so we had to stop... and buy chocolate!  This was going to be interesting if I am starting my 21 day sugar detox on Monday!  Either I was going to have a stomach ache from eating a half pound of chocolate in 2 days, or I was going to have them staring at me for the next 3 weeks!  Oh well!

Small Cobb Salad for lunch!

We actually ended up eating lunch across the street from the hotel at California Pizza Kitchen and then heading to Trader Joes around the block to pick up some munchies and breakfast foods!   Lunch was awesome, but dessert was even better!   It was the perfect shared dessert for us after all that walking!

Salted Caramel pudding

The rest of Friday was extremely relaxing as we just lazed around the hotel.  I don't even think we turned the TV on all weekend when we were in the room!  It was just nice to kick back and relax after the 9 miles we ended up walking today (mile calculations are all thanks to Darci's fitbit).  After a quick dinner at Big Bowl (again right around the corner from the hotel), I think we were all asleep by 9pm!  We were joking at one point about the fact that here we were, in Chicago on a Friday night and we all were in bed before some people were starting their evening!  But the alarms were going off early!!

How many shades of pink can I wear for one race?

With alarms going off early and taxi's to catch to get to the start line, we didn't waste time in the morning!  Time to run Chicago! We were actually at the start line  with plenty of time to relax, and just enjoy the morning, but then it was time to get down to business!

 Overall, the first half of the race was pretty good for me, there were however several things over the course of the morning that I was not really keen on.  At first, I was keeping a decent pace and the cooler temperature made it easy to enjoy the amazing scenery of running along the lakeshore! However, once I hit about half way, the warmer temperatures started to get the best of me.  The lack of adequate water stations was also becoming evident.  Granted I always run longer distances with water, so I was not completely relying on the aid station, but today was one of those days that the extra would have been appreciated!

Coming back south towards the city

As you can see from the above photo, this was also NOT a closed course.  I actually lost count of how many times I was almost run over by a cyclist, even when I was clearly on my side of the running path, or came upon a large group of runners (not part of this race) that had no intention of sharing the path... oh yeah, don't forget about the rollerbladers that seemed to think it was fun to literally come up right behind you and then zoom past withing inches of you!

It was easy to find Darci and Robin when I got the the finish line - there were sitting in the grass just past the medals and water waiting for me!  Robin kicked out another awesome 2hour run and Darci rocked this course and hit a sub 2:30 time for her 1st HF!

In the end, this ended up being my slowest half marathon of 2014.  Official race time = 2:40:37, but I finished! It was awesome to be part of Darci's first ever half marathon.  The course although beautiful (who doesn't love running along the lake!) but the open course and the lack of water stations left me with a not so fuzzy feeling about this one!  I heard wonderful things about this race from other friends of mine that ran it in the Twin Cities a few weeks ago, so I am thinking that it was just a fluke here in Chicago, but still makes for a tough day.

We stuck around the post race party long enough to get our pendants, medals, champagne and calendars! We were also a little disappointed in the fact that there were only about 4 of the calendar models around the finish line area! Isn't that why we ran this one?  The hot guys at the end?  There was one handing out the pendants at the finish line, one by the Women Rock car and then 2 at another photo spot.  Oh well, by this time we were just ready to go back and relax, find showers and eventually find food!

After a relaxing afternoon hanging out in the lobby, utilizing the free wifi, charging our phones and more people watching, dinner was a no brainer - had to be pizza... delivered to us in the lobby!  OMG!  I forgot how good a true Chicago Deep Dish pizza was!  2 slices tho, and I was stuffed, but oh so worth it!

The my twitter friend Jenn came into town to pick us up to take us for ice cream!  Now we are not one to have to pass up on ice cream, but we were not expecting the treat we got.  We were expecting some run of the mill ice cream shop like several of the local places here.  Nope!

Jenn and I finally meeting after months of tweets!

We ended up at Margies Candies.  Apparently this is her and her families favorite ice cream stop in the entire city... and I can see why!  The sundaes were awesome - but then when isn't homemade hot fudge not awesome?  It was awesome to get to hang out with Jenn, her daughter and sister even if just for a bit. After a long day, it was the perfect way to unwind!

Sunday morning, we all slept in!  Yes, we actually slept past 7am!  Granted it helped that we closed the room darkening blinds to keep the morning sun out!  After munching on some leftover pizza, banana's and other random stuff we had left in our room, we headed out to catch a few more sights of the city before we headed back to the train station.

Morning Spark, Women rock style!  :)

 Although we only planned on heading out for a short walk to Millennium Park to visit the Bean, we ended up walking another 6 miles, taking in Millenium Park, Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, then back up the lake shore to Navy Pier before heading back to the hotel to do last minute packing and heading to the train station!

The weekend may have been over and we had to head back to reality, it was a weekend that I will never forget!  Spending time with the girls, in Chicago, Running my 5th Half Marathon for 2014 and laughing so hard that my abs will never forget... Priceless!

 Over the course of 3 days, we figured that we put in 33 miles on our feet - 13..1 running and about 20 walking!  Guess it's a good thing because between the ice cream, pizza and chocolate, there were a few extra calories out there to burn!

 This was the second weekend adventure the 3 of us had this year and I look forward to whatever adventure head our way next!  Just one more reason that I love my gym - without Fitness Renegades, I may never had met either of these awesome women who share the same crazy love of running, fitness and travel!

Next stop for us... I guess you will just have to wait and see!  We are bringing more Renegade friends on the next adventure!