Car Filled With Junk

I was walking home last night and happened across one of the funnier things I’ve seen in a while.  It was a car that had enough space for a driver but otherwise was completely filled with miscellaneous junk- it was unbelievable!  After I passed by, I decided that I needed a picture so I turned around and snapped this photo.  If you look close, you can see a half empty jar of peanut butter, a spoon, some papers, some newspapers, a shirt, a bag, and a bunch of other crap.  What you can’t see in the picture is that the car was clearly sagging under the weight.  The back of the car was nearly resting on the tires.  It definitely gave me the urge to go home and sort/purge.

This weekend is going to be fun.  Tomorrow is the Sunburn Six in the Stix - a 6 hour event organized by our own Brian Gaines.  I am hoping to run 35 miles in that amount of time.  You can actually follow along by going to the website link above and clicking on the runner tracking tab.  Brian is going to experiment with a live webcam too, should be interesting.  I will make sure to “look good” when I roll into camera view.

Sunday will be my second Ravinia outing of the year - Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  Teague and Jillian are going to meet us to take advantage of some free tickets we got through work - you’ve got to love corporate sponsorship.  And, as luck would have it, Jen and Gary will also be in attendance.  Like I said, its going to be a good weekend.

Paige and I left Chicago on Friday under sunny skies, by the time we got to the western suburbs, it started to sprinkle.  Soon it was raining and my grandma called to let us know that some heavy storms were coming our direction.  We took this as normal grandma worrying and kept our westwardly travel plans.  Before 10 minutes had passed we were in the middle of the worst thunderstorm I’ve seen in years!  It was raining so hard that the highway was flooded and cars were pulling off the road.  The rain was now coming down sideways because the winds were so strong.  We called my dad to do a weather check - he said there were tornado warnings but nothing conclusive.  We decided to continue on and soon, it passed and we were back to more modest rain.  Even though we made it through unscathed, it definitely slowed our progress.

Heading Out For A Long Run

We rolled into town around 10:15 PM and spent a little time with mom and Kev before calling it quits for the night.  Saturday morning was a leisurely one with coffee and chatting before heading out for a long run.

At Eagle Point park

Paige was brave enough to ride along with me so I gave her a tour of my childhood stomping grounds.  She got to see where I first went to kindergarten, where I flipped over my handlebars, the woods where I used to build forts, where I used to go sledding, and every other “landmark” I could think of… 30 miles covers a lot of landmarks.  The run felt amazingly long and I didn’t feel all that great but I was glad to push through and finish.  When we got back to my mom’s house, they were waiting with tacos - yum!  I had quite few, man were they good!  Then, finished lunch with a bowl of homemade maple nut ice cream - double yum!

After lunch, we were off to grandma’s house.  We met Jim, Brenda, and Danny for dinner at Vitale’s for some of the world’s best pizza.  After dinner, we hung out with the grandparents for a while before departing back to Chicago - this time with much better traveling weather.  We were both tired and working to keep each other awake but we did eventually make it back home and promptly went to bed.

With no alarm set, it was nearly 11:00 before I woke up.  A lazy morning put me behind for the day but the rest was much needed and greatly appreciated.  I left for my run in 80+ degrees but it actually felt pretty good.  I ran 10 miles with several laps around the 2nd annual Chicago Criterium.  The race was awesome and the run was good too.  Eventually, I headed back home and cleaned up before heading to see The Ugly Truth which is a pretty decent movie and was good for a few laughs.  After a little grocery shopping and dinner, the weekend has come to an end.

VT100 - First Weigh-In

Last I left you, it was mile 30 and we were sending Paige down the road.  When she got to mile 47, the smile was still in place - whew, what a relief!   This was the first weigh-in on the course and all checked out fine which meant that she was taking in plenty of fluids.  After a full change of socks, shoes and a fresh shirt, off she headed.  Mile 57 was going to be my last aid station before I joined in the fun at mile 70 to pace Paige for the final 30 miles.   This was a relatively quick stop with a refill of the bottles and the addition of some warmer clothes since the temps were already starting to drop some.  She also grabbed her handheld flashlight, just in case.  I left the aid station and headed for the Bill’s aid station to drop off our final (mile 88 something) drop bag and then back to the start/finish area to change into running clothes and pick up the shuttle back to the 70 mile (Camp 10 Bear) aid station where I was planning on meeting her.

Mile 70 - Preparing To Head Out

It was dark by the time I got there and I started to wonder how her handheld batteries were holding up; it is an incandescent flashlight which burns through batteries like crazy.  After waiting for about a half hour, I walked up the road a little ways to meet her.  When she didn’t come and the road was completely dark for quite some time, I started to walk and then run toward her to make sure she wasn’t in the middle of the woods in the complete dark without light.  After about 2 miles, I met up with her and she was singing Christmas songs to keep herself company - all my worry for nothing, she was fine.  I ran part of the way back with her but the rules say that runners can’t have pacers before mile 70 so I left her behind and told her I’d wait at the aid station for her.  She arrived moments after me and immediately weighed-in.  She had gained weight which meant that she was drinking too much or retaining too much water but they told her to slow down on the intake and let her carry on.  We tended to the feet, loaded up the packs, put on our headlamps and headed into the night.

We quickly met our first of many hills and it was a dandy; I had trouble with it and I was on fresh legs, I don’t know how she did it.  When we reached the top of the hill, I felt I was being paced and not the other way around.  It is a strange but wonderful experience to run at night.

Somewhere In The Night

There is an unexplainable calm and a bit of a surreal feeling as you pass quietly through the dark world seeing only what your headlamp illuminates.  It is easy to pass in and out of a zombie-like state where you loose track of time - it is truly wonderful.  We ran for the next several miles by ourselves but eventually came across some other runners who we then ran with, or close to, for a while.  It was interesting to watch the ups and downs that the runners would have - someone would feel strong for a while and take off then we would pass them and they would look nearly dead.  Paige, on the other hand, was steady as a grandfather clock - tick-tock-tick-tock, she just kept CHUGging along.  Through our conversation, I knew she had her ups and downs but she didn’t show it and her mood remained positive - it was inspiration to me, who was feeling quite tired and didn’t really have a reason to be.

Somewhere around mile 80 (though I’m not sure exactly), we were running along a stretch of single track and I heard a rustling in the grass to my left - I looked, and my headlamp followed, and saw a porcupine.  I stopped and took a good look and mentioned to Paige, who had kept running, that she should come see the porcupine.  She reluctantly stopped and turned around but I could see in her eyes that she would have rather kept her momentum and watched the Discovery Channel’s special on “Porcupines in the Wild,” it made me laugh to myself.  As we started back down the trail, my mind began to wander to all the other creatures that lived in these woods - moose, bear, skunks, owls, … and, you know where I am going with this… snakes.  At the end of the day, I didn’t see any snakes and Paige only spotted one tiny one early in the day but I was on the look out now.

As the miles kept passing, we spent all of our time either going up or down and I began to get light headed though I didn’t let on because it was my job to remain tough for her but inside I was wondering if I was going to make it myself.

At Sunrise Overlooking A Valley

The night was supremely clear and the stars were awesome!  Living in Chicago, we don’t get to see many stars and the ones we see aren’t all that bright but here, it was a whole different story.  I saw one shooting star and made a wish upon it (we’ll see if it comes true) but soon, we could see the sky begin to brighten and the stars slowly melted away.  After many more long uphills, we arrived at Bill’s aid station.  Paige got her feet worked on while I filled bottles and changed my own clothes.  When we left there, we only had 12 miles to go.  The sun was now up and I was wide awake.  We passed through some gorgeous fields, saw some amazing valleys and barely had the energy to appreciate it - we’d been up for 27 hours and were tired.  The next couple of hours are a blur but I know we ran a lot of hills.

Strike A Paige - Mile 92

Earlier in the week, Torey had posted a “shout-out” to Paige wishing her good luck and mentioned a mile 92 “strike a Paige” challenge.  A little history, Paige is known for her ability to pose for a picture.  Knowing this, Torey challenged her to pose at mile 92 with a classic Paige pose.  When we got to the aid station at mile 92, Paige had not forgotten Torey’s challenge and posed enthusiastically for the camera - what a trooper!

For those who haven’t run an ultra marathon, let me share this little bit of “insider” information - you get intimate with people quickly.  The body functions that we normally curb when around others are let out of the cage as though we are alone.  Not to be too graphic here but a lot of noises are heard and public peeing becomes the norm.  Paige learned the ways of the ultra like a champ and I feel honored to have been there to witness it.

20+ Hours Into VT100

There was no concern about the time limit but we were both motivated by the closeness of the finish line.  Our pace picked up and we blew through the final aid stations in no time, opting for forward progress.  Soon, we could hear the finish line loud speakers and knew that our journey was coming to an end.  We stopped on the trail and shared an emotional hug for a few minutes thinking about what had transpired over the past 29 hours and let the emotions loose.  What a day/trip it had been and it was all started to sink in with the finish line so close.  I ran ahead to make sure I could get a picture of her crossing the finish line which she did in style.

Paige - Finishing Her First 100

Thoughts on the day:

• Ultras are an amazing experience,
• The people you meet are genuinely awesome,
• Watching someone complete their first 100 miler is beyond words,
• Crewing is almost as much fun as running and nearly as tiring,
• Running at night is unbelievable,
• All the training is worth it,
• Paige is a rock star,
• I want to do this sort of thing for the rest of my life,
• Vermont is beautiful,
• Paige is nearly as famous in the ultra community as a movie star is in L.A.,
• There is little that compares to the ultra running community.

I can’t really do the day justice but suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.  Paige, you were amazing - congrats on finishing your first “hundo” - I feel extremely fortunate to have shared the experience with you.  I still can’t believe how easy you made it look; you wore a smile the whole time and looked cute to boot.

At The Finish

To read Paige’s race report, click here.

2:15AM came early this morning. It had rained all night and the pitter patter on the tent served as a bit of a lulaby helping both of us sleep quite well, all things considered. The scene around “camp” was awesome - illuminated tents with little bobbing headlamps all around looked really cool. After getting prepped at the car, we walked down to the start area. The porto-potty line was fairly long but moved quickly. After a few bites of a bagel and some last minute clothing modifications, Paige lined up with over 200 other hardened athletes. The race got underway at 4AM as scheduled and after all the excitement of the start, I was standing there in the dark at 4AM with several hours to kill. I went back to the tent for a while but then decided to head over to the first crew accessible aid station (Pretty House, mile 21.1). I got there just as the leaders came through, and they were moving! When Paige came in, she was smiling from ear to ear. We got her refeuled, rehydrated, switched socks, and then got her back on the trail. The next crew stop was at 30 miles. By then, the sun was out and it was steamy! I was having a blast with the folks at this station, they came up with a nic name for all the runners coming through and they were pretty hilarious. When Paige got there, she was feeling a little hotspot on her foot so we cleaned it off, she pierced the tiny blister that had formed and then we taped it back up. After a little bit longer stop, we got her on her feet and heading down the road again. She was still smiling but also noted that “it was hilly out there” and that they were “not small ones either!”. Often, the downhills can be harder on the body than the uphills - I think Paige would have agreed with this comment. Next up, mile 47 - I’m hoping for more smiles. Meanwhile, its lunch for me, complete with apple pie ala mode; should be good fuel to help me pace her through the last 30 miles of the race.

We started day two by sleeping in - what a great start. Then we got showered and packed up before having some breakfast. After eating, we wasted no time getting on the road heading for the race just outside Windsor, VT. When we arrived at the checkin area, it was sunny, humid and HOT! Paige met several fans of her blog as we worked our way through the process. She picked up her number and then went over to the medical personel for her mini-physical. They took her blood pressure, asked her a few questions and then made her weigh-in. At several points along the route, they have the runners weigh-in and if at any point, they have lost more than 7% of the original body weight, they are forced to drop from the race for safety reasons. Once we completed all the requirements, we left to set up camp. They have a camping area very near the start for the runners which is nice considering the 4AM start and the remote location of the race. Setting up the tent, more cyber friends introduced themselves - everyone recognizing the pearls, Paige’s trademark, and the blond hair. By the time the tent was up, I was sweaty! We headed back to the central area to see some more of her friends and I got to meet Jeremy and Mike. Jeremy created a company called Atayne that produces activewear that is made from recycled materials. We spent the next hour getting things ready for race day and discussing the details of the day before heading to town to get a sandwich. When we got back, it was time for the prerace meeting. They discussed the rules and some last minute details for the run - it was a tough looking bunch. They served a nice dinner for everyone and while everything was delicious, Paige thought the chocolate cake took the prize for “best item”. With dinner done, we retreated to the tent for some relaxation. So as I sit here typing, Paige is reading and the rain is pattering the tent - I feel sleepy, which is good considering the 2:15AM alarm. Nitey, nite.

The alarm went off at 4:30 AM and we were out the door by 5:30 AM. All the travel plans went smoothly and we got to Burlington by early afternoon (1:00 ish). We are staying in a nice little B&B right near downtown and the owners are awesomely attentive but not overly so. We spent the first part of the afternoon wandering around town, had some lunch, and then took a short nap - yum. We also stopped at the local running store which was amazing! The service was terrific and the selection was exactly what I would buy if I ran a running store. They had Patagonia on sale and Paige and I both added to our respective stock piles at 40% off. The late afternoon brought a powerful thunder storm, complete with flooded streets, broken branches, and lots of loud booms - this was our cue to take a nap. After our nap, we went to pick up some supplies at the grocery store. Then it was off to explore town a little more. We had dinner at The Vermont Pub and Brewery which we both agreed was good but not great but two thumbs up for the value (i.e. it was super cheap). After a brief walk down Church street (which was designed by the same dude that designed the Iowa City and Boulder ped malls) we called it a day and walked back to our temporary home. It was a wonderful start to the trip.

Its been a rough couple of weeks at work but as of tonight, I am officially off for the next 5 days and excited to be heading to Vermont!  Paige and I leave early tomorrow for the east coast and I feel more than ecstatic!  I finished my packing last night (that’s never been done before) and tonight was a very relaxing evening despite having a hard time unwinding after work.  We fly into Burlington and stay there for a day, then we’re off to Windsor, VT for the race.  They have had a ton of rain over the past month so the trails will likely be quite muddy (one of us is looking forward to that and it isn’t me).  We have also heard that it could be unseasonably cool - good running weather.  Best of luck to you Paige, I hope that your first 100 mile experience is as wonderful as mine.  And, I hope I can be half the support crew that Andrea, my dad, Torey and Gary were for me.

Another bit of “fun” is that I got approval on some upcoming time off including time off to: 1) go with Gary to Utah to help pace him through Wasatch 100 in September and then stick around to see the Utah gang for a few days, 2) go to Phoenix in October to run Javelina Jundred with Brian (and Paige and Kelly), and 3) go to California in November to see Rob, Rina, Ben, Wyn, Tom, uncle Steve, …. anyone else want to come???  Having these items on the calendar definitely helps the mood.

Off to bed for a few hours of sleep.

Home Of The Chicago Fire

All week I had been looking forward to a “down” weekend after several busy weeks in a row.  Friday night, I met Paige after work and we agreed that the best way to start the weekend was with some sushi - we were right!  Oysy has great sushi in a comfortable environment at a reasonable price - what more could you ask for?!  When we left, we were stuffed so we took a leisurely walk up Rush and then back down Michigan Ave., did I mention that I love living downtown?  It had been a while since either of us had gone for a stroll and it felt wonderful.

Saturday was a lazy day of sleeping in, cooking some pancakes with bacon and then doing a little run in the afternoon.  After several hours and a few squirts of air freshener, the place still smelled of bacon even when we came back from our run - I won’t be inclinced to do that again anytime soon.  Thank goodness it was delicious going down.

At The Fire Game

Saturday night, Ainsley had generously given us two tickets to go to see the Chicago Fire game.  Even though the score would not reflect it, it was an amazingly exciting game.  At the end of the night even after overtime, the score remained zero to zero.  Thanks for a wonderful night Ainsley!

Me And Paige At Gary's

Sunday was another picture perfect summer day in Chicago.  After some coffee and a little lounging, it was time to log some miles.  I suited up and Paige got the bike ready and off we headed.  We headed south along the lakefront with me running and Paige riding along side.  She was taking it easy this weekend as part of her taper for her upcoming 100 miler - which she is totally going to rock!  After the run, we showered up quick and went for some grub.  We split a burrito and chips with guac and then headed over to Gary’s.  He recently moved back into his house and was having a sort of “house warming” get together but really it was just an excuse to spend time together.

The Host With His GF (Shhh, Don't Tell Her)

He fired up the grill and we watched some “bad” movies (and by bad, I mean some of my favorites).  What a fun time.  Even though it wasn’t a completely down weekend, it definitely provided some much needed recuperation.

One of Paige’s friends is in an improv group called Cell Camp and they have a ton of funny stuff on www.funnyordie.com but this one really got me laughing.  I have watched it several times and it never disappoints.  But I warn you, don’t watch this unless you are prepared to laugh.  And remember, he knows its a lot to ask…

Full Moon Over Lake Michigan

On Tuesday, we had a full moon.  Even though this picture doesn’t do it justice, it was absolutely gorgeous and so bright that it was casting shadows in my apartment.   This is looking out my window, you can see the reflection of the moon on Lake Michigan with Lake Shore Drive in the foreground.  I love this view especially on a night like that.