This week has been a bit of a scramble but I did manage a swim on Monday (70 laps = 1750 yards = .99 miles = 40:04 minutes) when Aby’s track meet was canceled due to rain. Yesterday I squeezed in a lunchtime shake out run. My legs were still heavy from Sunday’s race so I needed something slow and relaxed. When I run at lunch, I always hit Chicago’s lakefront and it was a perfect day yesterday for lollygagging and photo taking! I ran out on the lakefront, then came back thru Grant Park to get a view of the fountain!
Sears Tower:
Entrance tunnel (under Lake Shore Drive) to Grant Park by Museum Campus:
Shedd Aquarium:
Chicago Skyline looking North toward Navy Pier:
Grant Park:
Buckingham Fountain:
All in all, I ran 4.5 miles at a very leisurely pace. The City is so alive, there are lots of people milling around doing the tourist thing and I love seeing them and seeing the sights myself in the brightness of spring. It’s the days that I can get out and run at lunch that really help me appreciate the beauty of Chicago.
People frequently ask what I do when I get back to work and am hot & sweaty. I wash up in the bathroom! If I actually go to the gym, to run on the treadmill, I can shower there. However, I normally run outside so I just wash up and use the Yes to Cucumber Wipes. Then I tell people to stay away from me. 🙂
Over the next 3 weeks, I will be focusing on increasing my run miles. A couple days a week I will be running more than once (2x and eventually 3x per day). My first multi run day will be this Saturday with a hilly 13 miler in the morning and a 5K Fun Run in the afternoon. I will continue to build the bike miles. I will also be focusing on getting out as much as possible on mid-day lunch runs to acclimate to the heat pre-Ragnar. The heat is the one thing we can not control and we will be running all hours of the day & night, particularly since there are only 6 of us running the 200 miles. Stay tuned for lots of fun training in the weeks ahead! Oh, and send me a truck load of ice for ice baths, okay?
What is your next goal and/or focus? Everyone needs a goal, please share yours with us in the event that something YOU are doing might inspire and/or intrigue someone else!
Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com **
TooTallFritz 
I miss working downtown! (And living in the city.) I actually work near a pretty nice residential area, I should start attempting lunchtime runs. My office is small enough (and I have my own office) that I could get away with being a tad stinky as long as I don’t have an afternoon meeting.
Wow, those pictures are great! What a nice run. Nice tip on the wipes.
Beautiful, beautiful pictures! I like doing lunchtime runs but usually I get so distracted by other things in the office that it’s hard to get away. I need to block out my work calendar just for my running needs. =)
My goal is to do speedwork at least once a week. I don’t particularly enjoy speedwork, but I do like seeing the resulting improvements!
I know, it’s hard for me to get out too. And carrying my gym bag around is heavy! LOL!
I love Chicago – so much to do and see there. My kids and I had a great time in 2008 when we went, but I’d like to go back to see the overlook thing at “Willis” Tower.
I’ve tried to go see the overlook several times but the weather has to be perfect with clear skies or apparently you can’t see much. Each time I go, I am told that visibility is poor and if I choose to go up, I will not get a refund if I am disappointed with the view…..so I don’t go up. 😦
Skinny Runner recommends ShowerPill athletic wipes. Thought I’d throw the suggestion your way. Thanks for the pictures!
Thanks, I did see that but haven’t tried them. I have about 4 of these cucumber wipes that I need to use then I might give the ShowerPill a try.