The Long and Winding Road

We reached a new milestone yesterday. We ran . . .
. . . wait for it . . .
. . . twenty (20) miles.

We could not fathom running twenty (20) miles and yet we did through our training and with your support. Because of the Accenture Chicago Triathlon this weekend, our training program ran on Saturday instead of Sunday. In addition, they moved us to the Southside training site. The course was a little convoluted with us doing a few doublebacks rather than one long length turning around at the mid-point. We started in the middle at 31st Street Beach, then ran south a mile or so, then back north past Buckingham Fountain, and then way down south past the South Side Cultural Center (71st Street and the Lake), then back north to the starting point at 31st.

There was limited parking at the 31st Street Beach lot. There were a lot of cars looking for parking so Kinnier took the first spot he saw despite the fact that the cars on both sides of the spot had crossed their parking space lines. Kinnier had to get out through the trunk (pictured here) because neither door could be opened.

The Southside was pastoral but there were very few trees on the running path. As a result, we did not have much sun cover. It was hot, very, very humid, and sunny during the run. When we started in the morning, it was already 74 degrees with 90% humidity. It just got hotter from there, reaching 89 degrees when we finished the run. Those conditions made all the difference for most of us and we could not drink enough water (or keep up our sodium levels) with how much we were sweating.

We finished with a sense of accomplishment despite some low points in morale. For the first time on the long runs, the endorphins did not always win out against fatigue, and there were even a few brief moments of irritability in the pace group. We recognized those moments right away and were able to extract the humor from any number of negatives. We are all still a big, happy family and finally got a group picture, with almost everyone in-town this weekend. As you can guess, this is the "before" picture, the "after" picture would not have been a pretty one. In addition, the group broke up a little bit because injuries and the conditions really took their toll on some. There were a few packs of runners among our group, and Jennifer finished ahead of Kinnier, in a different pack, a couple of minutes ahead. Kinnier's prior injuries were not a factor. The heat really got to him, and a new nagging discomfort (in his right leg knee joint) slowed him down, but funnily enough only during the walk breaks, not during the runs.

Statistics:
Distance: 20.0 miles
Start Time: 6:58 a.m.
Time: 4:28:13
Temperature at Start: 74 degrees
Humidity at Start: 90%
Temperature at End: 89 degrees
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Maximum HR: 172
Average HR: 146
Money Raised to Date: $7,760
Days until Race: 61

During the run, we consumed our own Shot Blocs, a cookie, pretzels and even grabbed a Twizzler at one of the water stations. Of all the treats, Kinnier's favorite was the handful of ice cubes he got at mile 14. As they melted in his mouth, much too quickly, they gave Kinnier a boost that lasted more than a mile. After the run, we each had a small bag of chips, a bagel, half a banana, half an orange and some strawberries. Afterwards, we visited Jennifer's sister Cathy, her husband Hue, and their kids, Benjamin and Christina. They made us a great lunch that really helped refuel us: chicken and apple sausages off the grill and an awesome spinach salad with beets, goat cheese, avocado and candied walnuts -- all of our favorite (non-Nicoise) salad ingredients.

By the way, for the first time during our training, all the AIDS Marathon runners (both Saturday and Sunday groups and both Southside and Northside runners) ran together. In honor of our successful Southside run despite the weather and the wonderful lunch feast, we quote Moby the musician and look ahead to the marathon, our personal Moby (the whale, that is).

See myself in the pouring home;
See the light come over now;
See myself in the pouring [sun];
I watch hope come over me.
Yeah, yeah
* * *
Here we are now going to the south side
I pick up my friends and we hope we won't die.
Ride at night, [run] through heaven and hell;
Come back and feel so well.