pollygolightly

Lakefront 50/50 October 26th, 2017  On the spur of the moment this spring i decided that if I could run a marathon, there's no reason I couldn't do a 50k (it's just 5 more miles, lol, yeah okay). So I signed up for one in Chicago. It's said to be the flattest and fastest. The flat aspect was most important to me, and that it was on a paved trail next to Lake Michigan.  Ever since my first marathon I have wondered if ultra running is more welcoming and encouraging to those of us who take longer to finish. I was disappointed in myself at my first marathon, but I was also really bummed that everything was gone... the aid stations got shut down, they closed the course, there was no food left at the finish line, just complete abandonment by the race officials and race directors.  If my friends hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't even have finished as I wouldn't have known where the finish line was even located. but I digress.... My parents really wanted ...

I found this idea on a Facebook post - it isn't mine, but i love it and i'm going to work on each of these questions this weekend. today I'm starting with my highlights of 2017. The highlights of 2017 would be Melissa and Kathy showing up at mile 17 of my first marathon with a cookie and Jessica running with me the last quarter of a mile at that same race. Baby J being born was a highlight, because anytime a baby is welcomed into the world it is a wonderful day. Having my parents at my 50k was huge. I am very glad they got to be there and see me finish a race, they stood outside in the cold and worried for nearly 9 hours about me. The entire weekend of the Chicago Marathon will go down as a highlight. Running that race with Elina and Paula was The.Best. Melissa surprising me at my first official triathlon - such a great day. 

Sunday, October 22nd, I traveled to Chicago to run the Frank Lloyd Wright 10k. I was supposed to be at Marine Corps Marathon cheering on friends, but several of them deferred, and with all of the drama in my life I chose to stay local. We got there early and picked up our packets - they had already run out of the specialized bags (old t-shirts made into totes), but we got our long-sleeved shirt and our bib. We had about 2 hours before the race started, so lots of napping was involved. The race is on quiet streets in a beautiful residential area. I spent some time warming up and checking out the rest of the back of the pack. Finally it was time to go, so they said go and I was over the start timer just a minute after - much different than 2 weeks ago when it was over an hour after the official start of the race.  The race course is well marked, and there were aid stations nearly every mile it seemed. The weather was beautiful, sunny and a breeze (which was welcome due to the humidit...

I did it! 26.2 long miles.... The weekend was all about enjoying the experience and spending time with friends. oh yeah, and getting through 26.2 miles of Chicago streets. I've been rather anxious about the race, I worry about time limits and being swept onto the sidewalk...of not having a finish line to cross. Elina offered to run with me since my previous plan didn't work out. She assured me she wasn't worried about a finish time, but that she would push me to try and make my goal. I saw so many friends, and knew so many people running it is hard to remember everyone! Friday Bonnie picked me up and we drove into Chicago, we got checked into the hotel and then off to the Expo!  This is probably the largest Expo I've ever been to, so much to see! Packet pickup was very smooth and well organized. Bonnie and I wandered around checking out all of the booths for a bit. Oofos and Nike were my favorite booths! We even got to see Deena Kastor! Then we were of...