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For those of you that aren't from the Chicago area (or perhaps have been living under a rock), the Chicago Marathon was this past weekend. I DVRed the race and recently finished watching the coverage. Seeing the course and all the people running it, it brought back some strong emotions. (I may or may not have shed some tears.) I have a lot of history with this race over the years, both spectating and attempting to run it.

Helping my cousin cross the finish line 2009

Marathon Expo 2011

Running with Maggie in 2012

My history with the marathon is a long and bumpy one. I also had plans to run the Illinois Marathon in 2013, but my little nugget decided to exist so I put my marathon plans on hold. (Totally worth it, obviously.) Every October I get the itch to run the Chicago Marathon. This year was no different and I'm thinking that 2014 might be the year I cross the finish line. I plan on doing things very differently than the first time around (I plan on hiring Coach Britt again.) I'm hoping that the extra motivation of little Patsy will help me with that extra push to break through the wall and cross the finish line! Registration will open in February or March and there are rumors that the registration system might be changing, but we'll see how it goes. If it is meant to be, it is meant to be.


This year, I did get the chance to meet up with some amazing Oiselle teammates that were in town for the race from both Illinois and all over the U.S.! They were all happy to meet Patsy and were very accommodating. It was so nice to actually meet people that I've been following on Twitter and Instagram in real life! Also, I had no idea we had so many local team members (the team recently expanded, including more team members in IL). The wheels are already turning to plan another local Oiselle event. I am excited! Stay tuned!

Food trucks are the new craze in delicious dining in lots of cities throughout the U.S. Chicago is no exception, with the caveat that there are some strict rules in place which have made it difficult for some folks to conduct business. I've been a huge fan of this movement an have seen some delicious food trucks come and go as some found it was easier to close up shop than to deal with the regulations. There are certain food trucks that I've been following for a few years now, deliciously devoted. I never really thought that so many NEW food trucks would be popping up along the way, so I didn't really frequently check out new arrivals. The other day I came across an article talking about some of the food truck laws and it cited some new truck names that intrigued me. Thankfully with Twitter, lots of these trucks are super easy to follow.

Last week I got an email from Steven (of FakeMeats.com fame who is also Kim's husband) inviting me to a surprise birthday and ACE test passing celebration for Kim. It was in Greyslake, IL (aka about 1.5 hours from my house) on a Wednesday night. Regardless of the logistics, I knew when I got the email that I was going to go. Kim is just one of those great people that always does great things for others. It was time to return the favor. :)

I drove to work that day and met up with Maggie afterwards (now that we are work neighbors) who was keeping me company on the drive up. We arrived early and made ourselves comfortable while waiting for Kim to arrive. When she came in, you could tell by the expression on her face that she was totally surprised!

Kim's chair complete with orange balloons

The Chicago Running Bloggers wanted to get a group shot so we could post it to our blogs (duh). It was nice and surprising to see so many of my running friends, not in running clothes.

L to R: Emily, Erin, Kelsey, Anne, Kim, Maggie, Me, Kelly

Although the party was still in full swing, I had to leave early to make the trek home as it was a work night and Baby Wilson needed some sleep. Although, not before Kim and I got some photos together!

"Baby Wilson is telling me the secrets of the universe..."

Kim didn't get to feel a kick yet, but that just means we have to hang out again for lunch before Baby Wilson comes. I think I see a NFC lunch in our future. :) Of course, I couldn't come to the party empty handed so I picked up a sweet cat shirt (unfortunately, not Loop Looks approved), some cat socks, and a necklace set. I couldn't find socks with grey cats on them, so I picked grey socks with green cats instead.

Data is not impressed (If you don't know who Data is, click here)

All in all, it was a really fun night. I'm glad we all got the chance to surprise Kim! She is such a great friend and great person, it was nice to see her celebrated appropriately. :) Now that she has her official personal training certificate, I just might need to go to one of her strength classes after Baby Wilson arrives!

In July, I participated in the Foodie Penpal program through The Lean Green Bean's blog. My pal Kelly had participated last month and it seemed like so much fun so I thought I would give it a try. There are a few rules (of course), but basically you are assigned someone and you send them some fun food stuff in your area. You get their email so you're able to ask them some of their food preferences as well as their address. I wanted to send my person a fun Chicago box so I had lots of fun deciding what to include.

The person that was assigned my name was Melissa and she lives in Connecticut. I've never actually been to Connecticut before so I was looking forward to experiencing some food from different parts of the US! She listened to my weird pregnancy restrictions and wishes and what she delivered was fantastic!

The contents included:

• Ranch seasoning from a local spice shop. I've already used this seasoning on vegetables and it is quite outstanding. It would probably also be good mixed with some sour cream or greek yogurt as a veggie dip. With the fresh cucumbers we have in our garden, I just might have to experiment!
• Local honey. I haven't tried this yet but I'm sure it will be amazing!
• Lemon Lime and Sarsaparilla flavored soda from a local old-time soda shop. I love that she included caffeine free options for this pregnant mama! The Lemon Lime tasted like an unfrozen freeze pop. It made me feel like I was in a diner in a movie. The husband and I enjoyed the Sarsaparilla soda last night. It tasted very similar to root beer and was a nice after dinner dessert. :)
• Tomato-basil jam. We haven't tried this yet but I imagine it would be delicious on toast with an egg breakfast. Maybe we'll open it up this weekend?
• A lovely hand-written card explaining it all!

When I got an email to see if I wanted to come to the Chicago Marathon kickoff event and meet Dathan Ritzenhein, it only took me a short amount of time to come to my answer. YESSSSSSS. In case you didn't already know, I'm a huge Dathan fan and was really excited at the chance to meet him!

Watching Dathan fly by as he grabs the 3rd fastest American marathon time at the Chicago Marathon 2012.

I drove downtown on my day off work to meet up with Maggie at a super awesome $2 lot just about a mile away from the House of Blues, where the event was taking place. We made it just in time to see Shamrock Shuffle and Chicago Marathon race director Carey Pinkowski award Dathan with a ceremonial first registrant and first bib. (Dathan will be running both races in 2013.)

They briefly talked about his proposed strategy before we headed out for our our fun run. We ran into Lindsay as we were trying to get a closer photo and she joined us on our run too. We took it slow and easy as it was icy and windy out on the river path but we had a fun time while doing it! This was actually my first run in about 3 week so I was excited at the chance to run with some friends in the city that I love. I felt great and it was nice to feel the pavement under my feet and the wind in my hair (although, preferably not that much wind in the future). After just less than 3 miles, we were back at the HOB. We grabbed some water, Gatorade chew samples, and headed to the food line.

It was at that point that Lauren found us and introduced herself. She had sent us the invitations so it was nice to get the chance to meet her. When we had originally walked into the HOB, we were tagged as "media" and had to sign a release form. I felt really official and wished I had been wearing a shirt that said "I'm kind of a big deal," Ron Burgundy style. We were awarded a fancy drink token that I didn't end up using because I was driving, but it still felt cool either way.

After being hydrated and fueled, it was time for the main event, to meet Dathan! I could barely control my excitement as we waited in line to get his autograph. He seemed nice and down to earth in the little bit I got to talk to him. I was telling him how I watched him both of his Olympic trials in 2012 and during the Olympics as well. And that I cheered really loudly as he ran past during the 2012 marathon. He said that the cheering from folks really does help. I was a bit star struck so I probably came off like a major dork. That's okay though, I am a major dork so if the shoe fits...

After walking away with our autographs, I realized that we didn't get a picture! I thought I would give Dathan some time to recover from my nerdiness before going back for a photo. In the mean time, I tried to channel my inner Kelsey and took this photo. I'm holding the autographed photo of Dathan with him in the background. (I think he's mid-bite so it is super classy.)

After saying goodbye to Lindsay, Maggie and I continued our mission to get a photo with Dathan. He was ever-so-gracious as we came back, explaining that we didn't get a photo the first time around. I had asked someone standing by to take the photo. As we thanked him and walked away, I reviewed my photos only to see that they turned out suuuper dark.

Turns out the guy taking the photo was not an iPhone user and didn't realize that his finger was blocking the lens and absorbing all the flash. BUT, thanks to the magic of friends with Photoshop, Maggie was able to doctor up the photo, turning it into a true gem.

Thanks Dathan for coming to Chicago to hang out with all of us runnerds as we gawk over your speed and treat you like a celebrity! Thanks to Lauren to inviting me to such a wonderful event. And thanks to Maggie and Lindsay for staying back with me as I gingerly got back into the running ring. :)

Are you registering for the Chicago Marathon this year? I don't plan on it but I know I have another Chicago Marathon up my sleeve... some day...

Since my little "funk" continues, I thought I should embark on another "inspiration" post talking about all those that inspire me.

Today I'm going to talk about the running community. I first started running as part of the track team in high school. There was definitely a huge sense of community as you were part of a team and all that jazz. When I started running again in college and afterwards, I did it by myself. I would run on the treadmill, around the city, just because I liked to run. I would run with a few friends here and there but I did the majority of my training on my own (including my first half marathon).

It wasn't until I decided to tackle the marathon that I realized I wouldn't be able to do this on my own. I signed up for the local CARA group and started training.

With some of my training pals at the CARA compound before the Chicago Marathon 2011

After the Illinois Marathon (and half marathon) 2012

After the training for my first marathon was over, I didn't know what to do. I had all this extra time on my hands and I had made all these new running friends! The training group kind of dispersed afterwards so I decided to get in touch with my local running group, the FNRC. I had run with a few of the folks a few times, but over the winter, we really got the chance to do some bonding over the weather conditions and general running talk.

My first long run with the FNRC

First time meeting Maggie

After the marathon was over, I also decided to start this old blog. That opened me up to a whole entire world of the running blogger community. Some of these folks started off as acquaintances but have become friends over the months we've known each other. We do meetups, race, drink, eat and do all other sorts of things together. I really am lucky to be friends with so many great ladies.

My first ever  blogger meetup before the Shamrock Shuffle 2012

Girls weekend at Zooma Great Lakes 2012

Oiselle teammate meetup on the Chicago lakefront path

Chicago Blogger Holiday meetup

To me, all of these runners are inspiring in so many different ways! Whether it is my pace leader and pal Jeanne qualifying for Boston for the first time; Maggie PRing all the time getting faster and faster; Amanda W PRing when not planning it while overcoming injuries along the way; Amanda TTF who somehow manages to run marathons, complete triathlons while also raising a family at the same time; Kim who works full time, helps run a company with her husband, and maintains a vegan lifestyle; Sara who loves running marathons more than I ever thought possible; Erin who always looks adorable whether she is or isn't wearing running clothes; and Kelly who (has an awesome name) always shares great recipes and goes after her dream of becoming an Ironman, something I can only imagine in my wildest nightmares... And all the other ladies who I didn't mention but who continue to inspire those around them without even realizing it!

This post has got me feeling all warm and fuzzy... and very fortunate to have such great ladies in my life! I may be taking a little bit of a break but I know when I'm back at it, these ladies (and a few guys) will be there for me, no matter what. Who do you run with and how do they inspire you?

When I heard fellow Oiselle ambassador and blogger Lisa at Yo Momma Runs was coming to Chicago for a few days, we decided to plan a run together! Since she had never been to the city before, I knew we had to do it up right and made plans to head to the lakefront path. (Those of you unfamiliar with the path can check out some great photos on these blogs here and here.) Due to my short "lunch break" time frame, I jogged to Lisa's hotel and we headed to the lakefront from there without much haste. (I wanted to get the most out of the run.) It was so nice chatting about life and some of the differences between the south and Chicago. Once on the path, it was not at all crowded so we really got to experience the view of the lake and the city in some of the best ways possible. She's thinking about doing the Illinois Marathon (which I helped Amanda run earlier this year) so I gave her some ideas about the course, etc.

When setting up the self timer on my phone, we realized we had on the same capris... I guess that is what happens when you run for the same great brand! :) On the way back, my navigating skills were not as great as the way out so thankfully Lisa had remembered a short cut from her explorations earlier in the day. (You can check out some of her explorations here.)

I know I've said it before but I'm really lucky to be an ambassador of such a great organization and I get the chance to meet other runners and bloggers from across the United States!

Speaking of other bloggers around the United States, a ton of us from the Illinois/Wisconsin area will be running the Zoom Women's Half Marathon (and 5k) this weekend. I'm really excited to spend a whole weekend talking about running with some of my favorite internet pals IRL! So excited, in fact, that I was (procrastinating) packing on Monday night... I had to make sure I laid out all possible outfit ideas for all possible weather conditions.
You never know how it could be on race day morning, especially if you're racing away from home! Thankfully I've already packed most of the things on my checklist! :)

Have you done a destination race? Do you tend to overpack (like I already know I'm doing)?

Although I didn't run the Chicago Marathon this year, I headed to the expo anyways. Why? For the free stuff aaand.... The chance to meet Desi Davila!!! You may remember that I am a bit of an Olympics nerd. When Maggie mentioned that her contact at Brooks was able to set up a meet and greet for some of her Chicago Blogger friends, I cleared my schedule and made arrangements to be there.

When Desi first walked up to our group, all of our faces all lit up with excitement. I mean, we were meeting one of the most famous women in current American distance running! It was really hard not to geek out too much when talking to her.

L to R: Amanda, Sara, Jeni, DESI!!, Maggie, me

I read the Runners World article about her so I felt like I already knew her! I did get some one-on-one chat time where I asked her what kinds of things she has been doing since London (water running? elliptical? etc.) She said that she has been completely resting and not putting any pressure on her leg. Complete rest! Sometimes, that is what our bodies need despite what we want to do. She only just got cleared to ride a bike a few weeks ago and she explained how great it felt to just sweat. While we were chatting, lots of people were taking walk-by photos of her and it was a little strange (I am for sure in the background of a few). If she had the chance, she would ask them if they wanted to be in the photo too. You can just tell that she is a genuinely sweet and down to earth person who just happens to have this amazing athletic ability and complete focus and drive to get stuff done. And she is so tiny! It was really great meeting her so thanks to Maggie and Brooks for helping set this up!

After meeting Desi for a little bit, we got our gait analyzed to find out what pair of shoes would best fit our running style. Turns out the Brooks Adrenaline are a good fit for me. Next, we went for a fun run along the lake with some of the Brooks ambassadors. It was such a beautiful fall day and the view was wonderful!

When we were back at the expo, we ran into Nicole Fritz and snapped a quick pic!

All of the Brooks people were so surprised that we all knew each other and that we kept running into people that we knew. All I have to say is that the running community in Chicago is small and big all at the same time!

Have you ever met an Olympian? Was it hard to keep from geeking out? I know it was for me!!! :)

Wow. This past weekend was pretty much a runnerd's dream so it will take me a few days to talk about everything that happened! First, I'd like to talk about spectating the Chicago Marathon.

I headed downtown bright and early because I wanted to see the elites run by. One of my running group friends, Diane, carpooled with me as we parked and walked to our designated spot: Mile 17. After watching some of the speedy wheelchair racers go by, it was time for the elite men. Diane had never spectated a marathon before so I told her she was in for a treat! The first pack sped past us in a blink and Diane grabbed a quick pic (better than mine).

Not too far behind was the elite I was most excited about seeing, Dathan Ritzenhein!
I absolutely love this photo. Dathan looks like he is literally FLYING. He ended up finishing 9th overall in a very tough field and shaved 2 minutes off his previous PR, finishing in 2:07!! This interview video from Flotrack is great. Dathan talks about some of the mistakes he made (even elites make mistakes) and how he struggled with the "Roosevelt Hill" (just like the rest of us)!

After the elite men went by, it was time for the elite women!

After the elites, we had some down time before our first group of friends came by. We decided to make the most and take some more photos!

Diane and I at mile 17

My general store was quite the site.

Diane was meeting her friend Jeni at the halfway point so she hung out as long as she could at mile 17 before making the walk to mile 13 (due to logistics of the course, this walk was actually less than a mile). Due to the wave start, my friend Kate S. passed Maggie so I walked to try and run with Kate! I walked to try and meet her but with the wave of runners and spectators, I totally missed her and a bunch of our friends that she was running with. I was so upset!!!! :( I was so worried looking for Kate (and obsessively checking my phone for the next update) that I almost missed Maggie! Thankfully, she spotted me in my bright FNRC shirt and we were on our way! Maggie was running this at her own pace and just enjoying the scenery. (You can read her full recap here.) I took a lot of pics but this one is my personal favorite.

I ran with Maggie from mile 16-23. It was nice to sing along to Gangham Style (complete with the dance) as well as cheer for the runners while they were running. People looked at me as if I was crazy and that I had too much energy! That was why I was there! To help boost the energy of those that didn't have it anymore. :) I hopped out at mile 23, knowing that Maggie could finish this race at ease (and she totally did). Next up, I hopped in with Amanda and ran with her until they pulled me off the course.

I think Amanda was smiling much more here, at mile 24 than when I left her at 25.5. Either way, I'm glad I was able to help her reach her goal! Amanda got a shiny new PR and finished under her ultimate goal time as well. You can check out her race recap here.

Afterwards, I walked to the Congress Hotel to congratulate all my Yankee Runner friends. The FNRC was pretty split up after the race so it was hard to get together.

Either way, I had an absolute blast out there cheering for all my pals along the way! I'm surprised I still have a voice, to be completely honest. It was a great day and this only fuels my desire to get out there and give the Chicago Marathon another attempt. We have some unfinished business! (To read about my Chicago Marathon experience the first time around, you can check out my post here.)

CONGRATULATIONS to all the finishers, whether you PRed, completed your first marathon, or just crossed the finish line with a smile on your face. You are all awesome and I hope to join you out there again some day! :)

On Thursday I had lunch plans with Kim at our favorite go-to place, Native Foods Cafe. When we started discussing it, some others caught on and it ended up being a huge group! The food was delicious, and the company was fantastic!

L to R: Amanda, Maggie, Amanda Thanks for the photo Kelsey!

After our meal, the waitress was kind enough to take our photo. If you've been on my Facebook page, this may be old news.

L to R: Kelsey, Kim, Katie, Erin, me, Maggie, Amanda, Amanda

Friday was an extremely busy day so I wasn't able to do anything but work, and I went to bed early in preparation of my long Saturday morning run. The main group was doing an 8 miler (as prescribed by Hal Higdon) but I decided to do 10 miles instead. The temperatures were perfect and a 9:30 pace was easy and comfortable. I'm getting ready for the random miles I'm going to be running next week. There will be more to come on that later this week... I really am loving these fall temps. I ran in capris, a short sleeve, and my Oiselle arm warmers. The outfit was perfect for the temps! Annnnd let me just tell you, I am in love! The arm warmers are my new favorite fall running accessory. They stay up, are breathable, and very comfy. The first run with them I was a little apprehensive, but on the 2nd and 3rd runs, I like them more and more (much better than my other arm warmers).

I know I run for Oiselle and talk about them a decent amount, but their products really are awesome. I just feel really lucky to be an ambassador for them and their company! They are a little bit more expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for! (Not to mention, you're also supporting a small, woman-owned, business here in the USA!) If you don't have any pieces, feel free to shop directly from their website, or they do have items available on Amazon and Running Warehouse for a little cheaper.

In other news, I officially signed up for the Zooma Half Marathon over the weekend. We (lots of Chicago area running bloggers) are making it a weekend trip full of lots of blogging and running-nerd-ness. I can't wait! If you live near Lake Geneva or just want to come and cheer us on, the event is on October 20th and there is also a 5k option!

I don't usually have time to blog on the weekends and this weekend was no different. This weekend was jam-packed full of fun activities so when I wasn't out enjoying the day, I was sleeping. Lol. So now I have too much to say so I'm going to spread it all out.

Saturday morning I picked up Maggie on our way to the city to pick up our Shamrock Shuffle packets and enjoy the expo. But before we headed to the expo, we met up at the Bean for some photos (obviously, we're bloggers) and a run (obviously, we're running bloggers).

Katie - Live Half Full, Kim - Ilax Studio, Erin - Eri-thon, Bobbi - Zero to 26.2, me, Maggie - Mag Mile Runner, Rachael - A Runner's Crave

We ran on the lake front path, up to Oak Street Beach. It was a nice and comfortable run and we all kept the same pace and it worked out very nicely!


And then back down to Navy Pier. It was great to get to know these folks better in person and now I have more great blogs to follow! (That's never a bad thing.) Once we got to Navy Pier, we went to the food court for lunch and talked about when we're planning our next meetup.

Kim, Katie, Sarah, Kelsey, Bobbi, me, Rachel and Maggie not pictured: Amanda and Erin

Afterwards I was spent and tried to go to bed early but that never seems to work out as planned. Sunday was the big Shamrock Shuffle where I had a big goal that I thought I could achieve. Spoiler alert (if you haven't already checked DailyMile): I met my goal better than I expected :) Race recap to come out later this week!

In other news, I will be posting my next raffle tomorrow tonight (I got too excited and couldn't wait until tomorrow). Stay tuned!