Uncle Geof, The Horse

I love it when Christmas falls on a Friday!  With all my vacation time used up for the year, it was wonderful to get off work on Thursday afternoon and have until Monday off.  Thursday, Paige and I headed to Clinton for Christmas Eve with my mom, Kev, and my sister and her family.  We got there just in time for our traditional homemade chicken noodle soup dinner - its the best.  After dinner, the kids were chomping at the bit to open presents - imagine that?!  They passed the gifts out and away we went.  Santa brought lots of good stuff this year.  As the kids checked out their goods, we eased into a comfy spot for post-meal relaxation.  Soon it was time for a little coconut cream pie - it was delicious!  We ended the night by turning off all the lights in the house except the Christmas tree lights, then we sat there listening to holiday music and looking at the tree - it was the perfect ending to a great evening!  Mom and Kevin did a great job, as usual, making a fantastic meal as well as creating holiday cheer.

Christmas morning, we packed up early and headed to Paige’s family Christmas.  Despite getting off a little later than planned, we still managed to get there before Holms and Conan and that was the important thing - wink, wink.  As the house filled with “the kids,” and the smell of coffee brewing mixed with that of bacon cooking.  It was great fun and the eats were quite tasty.  Thanks Sandy, for inviting me into your home and being such a wonderful host!

That night, Paige and I drove back to the city and celebrated our final Christmas by opening our presents to each other.  It was wonderful and each of us got surprised more than once.  To cap off the weekend, we made the short trek up to Lincoln Park Zoo for the annual Zoo Lights Festival. Its been a couple of years since I last went to the festival and I absolutely loved it, even more than I remembered.  They have about 80% of the zoo open and filled with lights.  They have music playing and live bands throughout.  One of the coolest things this year was the synchronized lights which followed the music they were playing - hard to describe but really quite entertaining.

We set out this year to have a full holiday experience and I would say we accomplished that.  Thank you Paige, for helping bring Christmas to life.

This past weekend, my uncle Steve brought my grandparents into Chicago for a visit and it was a chair-bustin’ good time!  I had Monday off so we decided they would come in on Sunday afternoon and stay for the night.  Paige and I got up early and put together a stew in the crockpot - our first experiment with a slow cooker.  We walked over to the Doubletree to check them into their room and on the way back, we bumped into our neighbor Kalina.  We told her what we were up to and she mentioned that she had parking passes that she bought for a discounted rate and offered us one for my grandparents - what a good neighbor.  We did end up paying her what they cost her but it was half of what we would have had to pay otherwise, thanks Kalina!

Grandma Giving That Treadmill A Workout

They rolled into town and we got them up to the apartment, which they hadn’t seen before and gave them the “full” tour.  Dinner turned out great and Paige fixed some biscuits which were a nice touch.  We finished with brownie al a mode thanks to Paige’s baking prowess.  Then we watched a movie called Holiday Inn, it was perfect for the night.  By that time, everyone was getting tired (as evidenced by the snoring coming from the couch, I won’t name names).  We walked my grandparents back to the hotel and got them situated, Steve stayed with us.

Paige had to work Monday morning, so we got up and sent her off.  After some lounging around, Steve and I walked over to pick up G&G for a little breakfast.  Back at the apartment, we had a combination of cereal, bagels and smoothies - delicious!  Then grandpa held down the fort while grandma, Steve and I went to the gym.  We all got on the treadmill, side-by-side, it was awesome!  Grandma split her time between there and the bike and when Steve and I were done, we played a little ping pong.  Not one to miss out on the fun, grandma grabbed a paddle for a little action too.

After a quick shower, we were off to get lunch.  We ate at the new Whole Foods where we were completely overwhelmed with all the options.  Then we made a quick stop at REI.  They dropped me off at home and then headed back to Iowa.  What a fun visit, thanks Dunmores for making the trip!

As Hooper says, “I fought the good fight,” but finally submitted to the siren that is the iPhone and it is glorious!  Okay, like downhill skiing, I knew I’d love it once I finally gave into it but I love it so much more than I even anticipated.

Two years ago, I was deciding between either a Blackberry or an iPhone - I went with the Blackberry.  This decision was really based on the carrier, the keyboard, and the push email.  Last year, my brother bought an iPhone and spoke its praises - he’s quite techy and I trust his opinion.  Then my buddy Tom got one - I knew this would be a good test of its durability - it seemed to hold up okay.  Late this summer, Susan, who I work with, got one after she lost her Blackberry and absolutely loved it.  Ben and Bethany converted a while ago and have been happy.  Then, we’ve been spending a lot of time with Brelly and they each have one and are constantly showing us cool little things the iPhone can do.  Finally, Rob and Rina both got them this fall and have been selling pretty hard.

A month ago, Paige and I decided it was time.  But when we got to the Apple store, Paige realized she was still in contract and got sticker shock when paying full price - we walked out empty handed.  Yesterday, we went back to the Apple store and she was able to get a prorated discount so we closed our eyes and leapt into the iPhone abyss.  It was a little after 9PM when we left the store and nearly 1AM by the time we were able to pull ourselves away from playing to go to sleep.  Today has been one long exploration, starting with the GPS directions to get us to our group run this morning.  This afternoon, we downloaded “apps” and then walked over to the Apple store to get protective covers - which, of course, match.

We are totally consumed with all the fun and practical stuff these tiny little computers can do - its a good thing we have all weekend to play with them before having to go back to work!

This weekend was a lot of fun.  Saturday, Paige spent the day with two of her girlfriends from high school.  They had all moved on the same day and thought it would be fun to have breakfast at one house, then lunch at the next house and dinner at the final house, ours.  They made the rounds and had a blast seeing each other’s new digs.  I spent the day running errands and relaxing at home.  After dinner, we headed to Brelly’s house for their holiday party.  We got there a little late and missed Jim and Torey who had to boogie but the rest of the party goers were still in good spirits.  We enjoyed some snacks and CHUG talk.  We had brought stuff to stay the night and when we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer, finally submitted to going to bed.  They have two wonderful dogs, Mia and Britton, who are incredibly loving, they climbed right into bed with us just like it was our nightly routine - I LOVED it!  In the morning, they had gotten up by the time we awoke but quickly rejoined us when they heard us stirring - more doggie snuggling to get the day started.  After some lounging around, we headed to a local restaurant for brunch and sat around drinking coffee and talking for hours before deciding that if we were going to run before dark, we needed to get a move on.  Back at the house, we were discussing trial running options in the area when Brian mentioned that he was thinking of going….. sccrreeeaachhhh, the room went silent.  Brian has been in hibernation since Javelina and this would be his first run back; we were delighted.  Kelly was on board too.  We got dressed and headed to the James “Pate” Philip State Park for a snowy run; it was awesome.  It was tough to say goodbye but the weekend was coming to an end and we still had some things to do.  Thanks again Brelly, we had an absolute blast!

This past Thursday was our holiday social for the Chicago Ultra Runners Group.  Torey came up with the idea to have a secret santa gift exchange for those who were interested.  The cap was $15 and the theme was running related, imagine that?!  I got Kelly, you know, the -elly of Brelly.  One thing that I think we can all agree on is that Brelly are thoroughly outfitted, so my job was to find something useful (or fun) for under $15.  The usual suspects (socks, gloves, etc.) were all in the running but eventually I decided on an Amphipod which is a little pouch that slips into your waistband to hold money, keys, ID, GU, or other small items.  I love mine so much and hoped to convert another into a fan as well.

We met up at D4, an Irish pub near our house.  This location was convenient for us but it was also perfect for our get together - it was festive and had a good selection of yummy food and brews!  Paige and I got there a little late due to my PT appointment, but we got caught up pretty quickly.  After eating dinner, the exchanging of the gifts commenced.  All the gifts were placed in the center of the table and then passed out from there.  After everyone had a chance to open their gift and formulate a guess as to who their Secret Santa was, we started guessing.  About half of the people actually guessed correctly which surprised me a little.  I had actually seen the distinctive packaging of my gift accompany Mr. Bill into the restaurant, so I was one of those who guessed correctly : )  Mr. Bill got me two boxes of seasonal Vanilla Gingerbread GU - its gonna be yummy, thanks Bill!

It was a fun night and it was good to see so many CHUGs make it during a busy time of the year and on a blustery night.(*Thanks Torey for the title of this entry, I borrowed it from you.)

Pre-Race

This past weekend was the Tecumseh Marathon which my procrastination left me as a spectator and it was glorious!  Paige has done everything from a 5K all the way up to 100 miler but had yet to do a marathon; this weekend was her first and she did great!  We left work a little early on Friday and headed down to meet up with some fellow CHUGs in Nashville, IN.  We got there pretty late (after everyone had gone to sleep) and went straight to bed.  On a recommendation from my buddy Teague, we had rented a cabin along with five other CHUGs near the finish of the race.  The cabin was awesome with a hot tub, kitchen, pool table, two bathrooms, wrap around deck and two fireplaces - of course, we didn’t get to see it until the following day.  The next morning, we got up, properly greeted everyone, ate some breakfast and then hit the road.  The race started at 10AM, which is rather late by most standards but it allowed it to warm up a little from the overnight low which was in the mid-20’s.  I drove Paige to the start while the others took the shuttle bus.  It was fun to see so many familiar faces and everyone was in good spirits.  We gathered all the runners together for a group shot (though I think we were still missing a couple) before they all took off into the woods.  My plan was to meet up with Paige at various points along the course and was actually quite successful in seeing her.  My first spotting was at mile 10, she looked good and seemed to be having fun.  I also got to see most of the other CHUGs (except for the real speedsters, you know who you are) at this stop, everyone was looking fresh.  Bill, who was doing his first marathon, and Leslie were in great spirits!

Paige In Route To A Strong Finish

The next stop was just a few miles later and everyone was still relatively close together.  It was an easy course to spectate on with scenic country roads that provided ample parking.  As the day passed, I would see Paige a total of six times throughout the run and each time, I would get excited.  I met several people who were there to cheer on their own runners and we would often overlap at the road crossings.  The day went by quickly and before I knew it, I was on my way to the finish line.  I got to see several CHUGs finish including my girl, who had an amazingly strong second half of the race.

Bill And Leslie At The Finish

After some socializing at the finish line, we all headed our separate ways.  Those of us staying at the cabin, showered up and headed into town.  We ended up at a brewpub called Big Woods Brewing Company, they had only been open 3 weeks and were still working out the kinks - they made a great BBQ pizza but I reserve the rest of my opinion until next time.  I was beat and after a couple of games of pool with Jim-E-Jo, I was ready for bed.  In the morning, we cleaned up the cabin, said our good-byes and hit the road.  Paige and I stopped in town at an awesome place called Muddy Boots Cafe.  They had great coffee, attentive service, a cozy atmosphere and yummy food.

Paige And I In Our "Poofy" Coats After The Race

I love running but spectating is nearly as much fun.  Congratulations to Bill on his first marathon finish and having a whole lot of fun along the way, to Leslie for escorting Bill, to Torey for pushing through and finishing strong, to Tony for running “a slow time”, to Ben and Sarah for getting ‘er done, to Mike, Ed, Dennis, Deanna, Jim-E-Jo and Kristi for another one in the bag, and especially to Paige for finishing her first marathon in style.  I had a lot of fun, not surprisingly, and loved southern Indiana!

This summer, I had some lingering pain in my right ankle.  It never got that bad but never went away either.  It didn’t hurt more when I ran so I didn’t worry too much about it.  After Javelina, I took some time off thinking that my body would repair itself but, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the ankle pain remained.  Last week was my first physical therapy appointment and I am amazed at how much progress we made in one visit.  He did some poking around, felt my range of motion, compared legs, tested my muscle strength, and watched me walk before starting some therapy.  He also taped my ankle before I left.  With some minor ankle manipulation and a few stretches, I was already feeling better.  Mike (the PT) was amazing!  When he asked about my plans for 2010, I mentioned that I was hoping to do Rocky Raccoon 100 in February, he replied, “we can work around at that,” without blinking an eye - that was the right answer.

Paige and I are still thinking about what races we want to do in 2010 but it feels good to be able to start planning, knowing that I will be healthy and pain free!