Sweet Sixteen

We're celebrating how sweet it is:
a. to reach a new milestone in distance;
b. to see the sunrise on the lake;
c. to surpass our halfway point in fundraising;
d. to do all of the above;
e. to finally turn sixteen (16) and get our drivers' licenses.

To find out the answer, check the bottom of this post and turn your computer screen upside down to read.

Anyway, our training group met one hour earlier (6 a.m.) to account for the longer distance (16 miles) and the hotter seasonal temperatures. Our pace group also was set at a slightly slower time to otherwise account for any difficulties. We were lucky enough to see the sun rising on Lake Michigan, a bright red disk reminiscent of the Japanese flag, and a sight that neither of us has had in several years.

Leaving from Foster Avenue, we ran down the Lakefront Path south past Randolph Street, turned around, and ran back up. Kinnier's knee was a bit tender but was not in nearly as much pain as two weeks ago. (See prior post, entitled Second Coming for details.) Jennifer had recovered from sinus surgery just nine (9) days before, and was back running without a problem. Generally, the run went pretty well with warm, but manageable, temperatures. On the northern portion of the path, there is intermittent shade, but downtown where the lakefront is all concrete to the water's edge, it warms up fast. The uneven pavement radiates heat and the sun's rays reflect of the waves without mercy. Kinnier and others definitely noticed a drop-off in energy during the last couple of miles but the pride of reaching a new long distance kept us going.
We also encountered Eric, a friend of ours (and colleague of Kinnier), on way back up the path. We don't often see people we know on our runs so it was a pleasant surprise. (During our July 3 Nike Run Club session we saw Matt, a friend/former co-worker of Kinnier.). We were slightly embarrassed since Eric saw us on one of our timed walk intervals. It was a great pick-us-up, and the embarrassment quickly passed when we realized the pride of running sixteen (16) miles.

Statistics:
Distance: 16.0 miles
Start Time: 6:29 a.m.
Time: 3:20:51
Temperature at Start: 68 degrees
Temperature at End: 79 degrees
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Maximum HR: 161
Average HR: 142
Money Raised to Date: $4,435
Days until Race: 79

Answer to Opening Question:
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