True to Form

I have to laugh at myself. Otherwise I'd cry.

First, the bad news. I didn't keep keep up the blog writing. The good news is that since the last post I've run several races including 2 marathons: the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco (2010) and the Chicago Marathon (2011). Neither of them were stellar in terms of personal training (mostly non-existent) and finish times. Any bad experiences can be chalked up mostly to me and to weather conditions, not to the race organizers. I would highly recommend both of them. I won't go into all the ups and downs of each race, just a few highlights that might help you determine whether they are worth your while.

Both races are held in cities with plenty of interesting activities to keep the family occupied. They are well organized; for me this is key, as even some well established races don't live up to the hype.
Finishers of the Nike course receive a Tiffany necklace served on silver platters by San Fran's finest firefighters, making it totally worth the grueling hills of Frisco. (Here's a tip for cheaters: you still get the necklace if you turn off at the half-marathon mark...I came thiissss close to making that turn.)

Chicago is a fairly flat course, so for that reason alone it should be on a marathoner's list for those seeking a race to PR. The only variable I wasn't expecting was the warm weather on race day...it reached 80 degrees! Chicago is located on Lake Michigan, and in early October, the weather can be unpredictable. I believe it snowed in Chicago the following week. I'm not just a fair weather runner, the temps have to be optimal--not too hot, not too cold, but just right. By the third hour in the heat I found it hard to recover, even with the great race support--including water-filled sponges on the course to cool down. But excellent medical support, beer flowing at the finish, and being able to walk back to the hotel rather than wait for bus transport as is typical of some big races make this one a "must do."

So, in the next blog, I'll get to the current state of things in my running world. Let me be clear--I am not a great runner by any stretch of the imagination; I didn't really start running until age 40. But I have completed 8 marathons. So I think that gives me a teeny tiny bit of running cred.