Pics From My Lakefront Run

Went for a run this morning.  Got out the door at 6:45 a.m., a little later than I would have liked, but the heat wasn't that oppressive yet.  Better to get a little more sleep and run when it is 5 degree warmer. In addition, I need to acclimate to the heat eventually.  My first race since March is next week...

Boot Camp Drills

Boat Heading out of Belmont Harbor

Bird Chilling

Skyline and Me Chilling

9.25 Miles total @ 7:57/mile pace

CNN Fail: Health Care Mandate Struck Down Screen Grab

This morning, cnn.com erroneously reported that the Health Care Mandate was struck down.  Luckily, I was able to get a screen grab of the incorrect headline:

Health Care Headline Fail

A minute or two later the correction appeared:

The Correction

Cricket Hill Training

Ran over to Montrose Harbor and did some hill training on Cricket Hill in preparation for my hilly 5k on the 4th of July.  Need to get my shins used to running fast downhill.

On top of Chicago (at least the top of Cricket Hill!)

8 Miles Total at 7:41 pace (including hill training)

Bikinis, Archery, Birds and A Bottle of Coors, all at 7am

Some sights from my 7 a.m. 8 mile run by the lake this morning:

Sun Worshipers at about 7 a.m.

If you look a little more closely, looks like the beach party has already started:

Coors (at least it's not Coors Light)

Some sun, beer and a lake view seems like a better idea than struggling with my "slow run" for the day.

Popular Bird House by the Lake

Archery Range near Belmont Harbor, who knew?

Finally, thanks to a fellow runner, a photo of me, not taken by me...

The Most Non-Newsworthy Running-Related Newspaper Article Ever - Karhu 5k

From the Chicago Tribune on 6/13/2012:
_________________________________________________________________

Downers Grove runner completes Karhu 5K

"2:20 p.m. CDT, June 13, 2012

CHICAGO—

Michael Fierke, 25, of Downers Grove, completed the Karhu 5K in 26 minutes, 48 seconds.

The event took place June 9 in Chicago. A total of 378 runners finished the 5-kilometer race, which started and ended in South Shore Cultural Center. The course includes passing through Lakeshore Path and Jackson Park.

Marcus Benzel, 18, was the men's overall winner with a time of 17:13, while Christina Overbeck, of Chicago, was the women's winner in 18:19."
_________________________________________________________________


Did I miss something?  How did a 25 year old guy who finished a 5k in just under 27 minutes make headlines in one of the largest newspapers in the U.S.?  Was the race really that difficult?

Muggy at the Track

I got to the North Park University track at about 6:30am and it was already steamy.  Luckily it was overcast and not sunny at all.  Since today was a recovery day, I did not do any intervals or any speed work.  Got to see a local elite train, however.

5.5 miles @ 8:27/mile.

7:45 to 8am: Lap swim

Ahhh, 70 degrees! Well, at least for a few minutes...

Started my run this morning at around 8am.  It was overcast and according to my house thermometer, the outdoor temp was a relatively cool 70 degrees!  So I made my way to the to the lakefront.  Unfortunately, the sun came out and the temps started to soar.  Had to walk twice during my 9 mile run.  By the end of my run the temps were in the 80s.  Oh well, the cooler temps were nice while they lasted.  

The last time I trained seriously was in March, so as of now, I am not used to running in the heat. I will definitely need to acclimatize to the hot temps soon so that I can do some heavy duty marathon training in July, August and September. See pic of the last of the clouds leaving the city, as things were about to heat up:

The sun came out and chased the clouds away...

Total Miles for the day: 9 at 8:03 pace (includes 2 walks).

Longest Run in Two Months - Eight Miles

This morning, I ran the longest run I have done in two months. Eight whole miles!  Did not feel too bad. Maybe the swimming I have been doing in addition to my low mileage runs has built up my endurance more than I thought.  Short runs are sweet, the recovery time from short runs is a matter of hours and not days compared to the 12 to 16 milers. However, I will need to do a few of those higher mileage runs before the Rock 'n Roll Half Chicago next month if I hope to have a decent finishing time.  Anyway, got a pic from today's run overlooking the entrance to Belmont Harbor.

My Race Medals

Put four of my race medals in a shadow box recently.  My three completed marathons (Chi, LA, NY) and my 1/2 marathon (Indy Mini) p.r. medal.

 The other 40 odd medals are in a storage bin in the basement.

Desiree Davila Collects Whiskey

As if we needed another reason to think Desiree Davila is über cool: See this quote from today's USA Today:

Desiree Davila: "Yes, I collect whiskey. It's fun to just sit down, kick back and have a drink. We have some friends that are really into it. I probably have 15 or 20 bottles."

DD At the 2012 Boston Marathon Expo (looks like she has a bottle water, but who knows?)

Wonder if drinking whiskey is part of her training regimen?  If so, I will have to start my collection today!  

I wonder what the odds are if she will medal in the Olympics?  I guess it is dependent on weather/depth of the competition.

18 Weeks Before the Chicago Marathon

If my calculations are correct, the Chicago Marathon is exactly 18 weeks away.  My last two marathons did not go as planned (NYC ran injured) and Boston (took the deferral).   This time, I am going to try running less training miles, but get my fitness up nonetheless.  So, I am going to have to cross train like hell.  I want to avoid running injuries if at all possible.  Right now, I am mainly running a couple of miles a day and swimming for 30 minutes every day M-F. I do yoga once every Saturday.

I may peak my weekly running mileage out at 50 miles instead of 70 or 80 as I have in the past.  We'll see how well I stick to that one!

The biggest thing holding me back from running consistently over a calendar year is the fact that I over-train.  This leads to injury.  I am going to have to err on the side of under-training over the next 18 weeks and take pleasure in finishing the marathon regardless of my finishing time.  As an added challenge, lots of eating in drinking since Boston has put on 10 lbs. which makes me slower.

If I can stay injury-free, those lbs. are coming off real soon.