So some of you may or may not know that kindof enjoy running! It's always been an enjoyable thing for me to do, wind down, and relax a little (I realize that relaxing may be a relative term). And especially right now, working a desk job for 9 straight hours a day, getting home and going running and moving my poor atrophied legs a little is literally a life-saver.
Well, just before leaving Utah for Chicago, I was sitting in my living room with my cousin Jennie, at which time we made a decision that can only be described thus...a momentary dance with insanity: we signed up to run the St. George Utah Marathon in October! This marathon is actually pretty tricky to get into, as they cap the amount of runners at something like 7,000 people. After giving reserved spots to people who've done the race 25 times, assorted dignitaries, and anyone bribing the race officials, they divy up the remaining spot to people via a lottery! Jennie and I actually thought ourselves safe, as the chances of getting picked to run is actually kinda slim . . . but as luck would have it, we made it! And so . . . Bring on the Insanity!
So with exactly 83 days left (exactly 12 weeks from yesterday), I've started up a pretty good training routine that keeps me pretty busy and makes it so I can eat more food than a shrew (who eat, by the way, more food for their body weight than any other mammal alive . . . except for me know of course). Anyway, I'm out running just about every night, or when I can drag myself out of bed early enough, in the morning!
One huge benefit of running so much, is that I get a good chance to explore Schaumburg. I know an area around our house with a radius of about 5 miles, pretty well. It's fun finding new lakes, trails, rivers and the occasional windy suburban neighborhood (well, actually Schaumburg is the definition of suburbia, so there are a few of those streets). Check this out, to see my run around the forest preserve that's pretty close to our house.
Here are some important things I've learned while jogging around and exploring Schaumburg (just in case you ever have the opportunity...):
#1 - If you're ever running near an open body of water near sunset, always keep your mouth as closed as you can, and tilt your head down. If you really want some extra protien, eat some eggs, they taste a wee bit better than gnats and mosquitos.
#2 - You can't look out the window and know what the weather will be like for the next hour. At the start of a 1 hour run last week, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was a very nice 80 degrees. Halfway through the run I was hugging a tree to escape the torrential downpore that a wild-crazy storm brought in, and by the time I got home again it was nice and sunny, back up to a nice 80 degrees (albiet about a bazillion times more humid)! Chicago's channel 4 weather girl has got to work hard to earn my trust back!
#3 - I mentioned the humidity, but after living in the desert for half a decade it's like trying to run at the bottom of a swimming pool! Result - you tire faster and need more water, and you sweat like crazy (Naomi's favorite part)!
Sorry there's no pictures with this one . . . I can't exactly run with a camera
2 comments:
Wow! That will be so fun(?) for you!! I remember watching my uncle do that one when we were growing up. Let us know the date and maybe we can do a Hanks reunion to watch you!`
Dope dude! I've always wanted to run a marathon, I can't believe you and Jennie are actually going to do it! Way to go cunado! p.s. I too eat like a shrew, unfortunately I'm not running like you to make up for it ;)
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