When It Rains, It Pours

Wow, what a weekend we had in Chicago. Chicago Endurance Sports trained a team for the Chicago Half Marathon and for many, it was their first shot at the distance. So I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of them show up at the start Sunday even though the rain was coming down in sheets!

Chicago had what they are now calling a "20-Year Rain" with over 8 inches in some areas this weekend. It just kept coming down. The race staff had to make a lot of last minute changes due to flooding and tackled the huge challenge of putting on the race in horrible conditions. I must say I was really impressed with our runners for showing up and towing the line on a horrible day (and a day that was perfect for sleeping in). I am equally impressed with all the volunteers and family and friends that stood out there helping us run the race. The Chicago Half Marathon staff did a phenomenal job in challenging conditions and we all got through it one inch at a time.

Sometimes racing in the worst conditions make for the best of memories.

Congrats to all that were involved and here's to drying out!

Jenny

Country Roads

There's something about a winding road that sucks me in and takes me for a ride. I was out in the country this weekend at our annual girls getaway and had the chance to run on an open, winding, hilly country road. There is almost nothing better...no cars, plenty of wildlife and fresh, crisp air. It was the perfect training run for my upcoming Rim2Rim4Roy Adventure across the Grand Canyon and a most excellent way to defrag and unwind.

I'm 30 days out from my GC Adventure and getting in a lot of great training these days. Some long, fast hikes, some trail runs and a lot of climbing workouts. It should be a good recipe to get me through.

I want to publicly thank everyone for their support (emotional and financial). We're just beyond the half way point of our goal to raise $11,000 for the Tug McGraw Foundation. (Which also happens to be the total amount of elevation gain on our journey)

If you are interested in making a donation to the team (every penny counts), CLICK HERE.

Happy Trails,

Jenny

A fun training run and a bad hair day...

I'm back from a long weekend at the Virginia Beach Rock n Roll Half Marathon. This is one of my favorite races of the season and a fun way to end the summer. It was a funny race for me and I struggled a little with the humidity. I think mostly because the weather in Chicago has been dry and cool all summer that I just wasn't acclimated for the 87% humidity even though the temps weren't crazy hot (75-80).

I can always tell how I will do in a race based on what my hair looks like:) Nice, smooth curls = a strong race. Out of control frizz = a tough race. And the minute I stepped off the plane in Norfolk, my hair looked like Rosseane, Roseannadanna. It's actually a great barometer for knowing when to cut back on pace and go with what the day brings, and I did just that. I actually used this race as a training run for my Rim2Rim4Roy challenge in early October. I ran to the start, ran the half marathon and then walked back to the hotel. Twenty miles in total and a perfect training day for me.

So I guess we're headed into fall, and with that begins my search for the perfect carmel apple. Because what is fall without carmel apples? Not a fall at all...

Happy Trails,

Jenny