Finishing A Run At Kettle

Leading into the weekend, Paige and I felt like we were a bit run down and tired from a week of not getting enough sleep but that didn’t slow us down much.  Friday after work, we packed up our stuff and headed for Brelly’s house.  We hung out for a while and got to bed late (after 11PM).  Morning would come soon with the alarm going off at 4:30AM for a 5:15AM departure for Kettle Moraine.  Brian and I are running the Ice Age Trail 50 in a month and had made plans to join some CHUGs and an unofficial training group to run part of the course.  We rolled into the parking lot of the Nordic area around 7:10AM and went about getting ready to run.  It was sunny but quite cool and we were still very sleepy.  I looked up and saw Paige standing there looking defeated and when I asked her what was wrong, she replied “I am so NOT into this.”  She was tired and cold… and about as cute as girl could be.  After a little hug and some encouragement, she got dressed to run.

We headed out on the first 9+ mile loop with Ben and Sarah and warmed up nicely.  The trails in Kettle are awesome and the morning was perfect for running.  I was feeling okay but not great and had a hard time finding a groove.  Just as we were finishing up our loop, we heard someone approaching from behind, it was Ed.   We greeted him and our group grew by one (though we had lost Ben and Sarah by this point).  The end of the loop brought us back to our cars where we refilled our water bottles and made some slight clothing adjustments before heading out for the second portion of our run.  Paige turned back after another mile or so and then it was just Brian, Ed and me; we were all planning to do 25 miles or so.  We chatted as we ran and time passed quickly at first but soon, I was starting to feel less than stellar again.  Nothing was really wrong, but I felt tired and generally fatigued.   We took turns leading the way along the winding single-track, through pine tree laden woods with the aroma of the forest coming to life under the warm sun.  I absolutely love that area and those trails.  Eventually we hit Hwy 12, our turn around point, where we filled our water bottles and took a short break before heading back.  The return trip was tough mentally and physically but we still had a nice time.  When we got back to the car, Paige was waiting and was in a much better mood with the sun warming things up, a nice run in her legs and a nap taken.

We said our goodbyes to Ed and headed toward home.  We stopped at McDonald’s for some post run grub - always delicious.  By the time we got home, we had just enough time for a quick shower and power nap before heading to meet up with some CHUGs for dinner at RAM Brewery.  After dinner, we continued the evening at GameWorks.  I was completely beat but somehow managed to play 400 games of Skeeball, okay that is a slight exaggeration but it was a lot.  Paige was on fire with Skeeball and the tickets were rolling out of the machine as fast as she could tear them off.  At the end of the night, she cashed them in for candy to help ease the sweet tooth she had developed at some point during the day.  Ben and Sarah used their tickets to get a cool little parachute wearing alien which they immediately tested out by having Ben drop from the second floor overlook (it worked like a charm and brought smiles to everyone’s face).  Once we had all had our fill, we parted ways for the night.

We got back to Brelly’s and four minutes later, we were all sound asleep.  We slept in and woke up to Brian and Kelly fixing breakfast.  We could smell coffee first and then bacon - yum!   After breakfast, we played with the dogs for a while and lounged around before facing the reality that it was time to head home.  Thanks for another fun weekend Brelly!

The latest in a series of recent purchases (I need to rein that in), is one that I really didn’t think would ever make it to my closet - Vibram FiveFingers.  I know they’ve been around for quite some time, but they have gathered some significant traction in the past year.  Many are attributing this surge in popularity to a book called Born To Run, which was written in 2009 and sings the praises of minimalist running including barefoot running.  The concept is that if you put too much shoe around your foot, you inhibit its natural functioning and are more likely to become injured for a variety of related causes.  Like most crazes, I was skeptical.  I dismissed the notion that shoes cause injury, not based on science but my own personal experience.  But I couldn’t disagree with the idea that walking barefoot felt good and surely stimulated muscles that shoes lullaby to sleep.

This past weekend, Paige and I went to Running Away to look around.  While we were there, we tried on some “minimalist” shoes out of curiosity.  They felt okay but not all that different.  As we were talking with the guy, he started talking about the Vibrams and before long we both had a pair on.  We walked around the store and within minutes, decided to try them out.  When we got home, we headed over to a local track to do some walking around the infield - they felt amazing!  We were both like little kids with smiles plastered across our faces; for some reason, it almost felt like we were being “naughty”.  We spent the next 25 minutes or so just walking/running around the track before walking home in them.

I know its early in the experiment and I don’t see myself doing much actual running in them, but I absolutely love how they feel and plan to slowly increase the amount of time I spend in them each week.

Paige On The Cover Of 'Chicago Athlete'

Paige was recently contacted by the local sports magazine called Chicago Athlete to do a story on the Trash Runners group she helped start.  She answered a few questions over the phone and they asked if she would mind if they met her to take some photos for the magazine.  Turns out they liked the story enough to put it on the cover of their ‘green’ issue.  So, I am now dating a cover girl and its every bit as awesome as you might think. : )

Here is a link to the story they did along with some more photos.  Hardcopies are available at various locations all around town.  Great job baby!

Paige, Me, Rina and Rob

Paige and I are freshly back from our trip west (or at least we were when I started this blog entry), where we had five fun filled days/nights in the mountains of Utah.  Rob and Rina picked us up from the airport with Lucy in tow.  We promptly met up with Ben at a Mazza for some delicious Middle Eastern cuisine.  The temps were mild and it felt good to walk around town.  Friday, we picked up some skiing gear and headed to Alta.  The weather was warm in the valley but snowy and cold in the mountains.  Rob was staying on top of the conditions and by the time we got there late morning, they had nine inches of fresh snow and it was still falling at a rate of a little over an inch an hour.  Rob secured us a couple of free ski passes - yay, FREE!  We had a quick bite to eat and then headed up the mountain.

This was Paige’s first time on skis in a while and she was a little intimidated by it all but her excitement and easy-going attitude ruled the day.  We got off the Collins lift at 10,500 ft in the middle of a whiteout.  Paige was nervous but she was also a trouper and turned her tips downhill.  It was going to be slow going due to the low visibility and getting our skiing legs beneath us but Rob and Rina patiently led us down the hill.  Soon we were approaching the bottom and Paige, while not completely over her fear, was loving the Utah powder.  We spent the day skiing both sides of the mountain and ended up on the Albion Base side.  While Rob went to get the truck from the Wildcat area, we went into the Albion Grill to get some refreshments (aka PBR on tap) - a perfect ending to an awesome day.

That night, was the Alta clinic’s annual party.  Rob had got us cleared to attend, so we had a little time to kill before festivities got rolling.  We made ourselves comfy and chatted about the day.  As the party heated up, we met several of the folks who work at the clinic and their families - an awesome group who made us feel right at home.  After the party, we picked up Lucy and headed up to Park City to stay at Rob and Rina’s new/newly remodeled condo.  We had stayed here last September but they had gutted the place since we were there and we were eager to see the finishes… the place looked amazing!  Everything just worked - homey but functional, outdoorsy but modern - we loved it.

Here We Are Working On Our Sunburn

Saturday morning, we slept in a bit, had a quick breakfast and hit the slopes.  Their place is “ski in/ski out”, so all we had to do was walk a couple of houses down and put our skis on - very cool.  We spent the day navigating the Park City Mountain Resort in warm temperatures and under blue skies which was quite a contrast to the previous day.  Paige and I failed to apply sunblock and by lunch time, it was evident that we were going to be burnt though to what extent, I didn’t realize at the time.  We got a lot more skiing in before the mountain closed and for our last run, we made our way over to the Quittin’ Time run and skied right to R&R’s driveway - did I mention how cool this is?  I think Paige was glad to have her skis off after a day of being unpleasantly surprised by the steepness of the runs we found ourselves on but she, as always, remained a good sport and eventually made her way down the hill.  After skiing, we met up with the Lewis crew and friends at The Oasis Cafe where the food was good but the ambiance is what really sold the place.

Ben and Me

Ben was the tour guide for Sunday and he had snowshoeing on tap.  After a leisurely coffee at the Coffee Garden, we packed up our stuff and Ben picked us up, his friend Terry was with him.  We headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon toward a popular hike called Donut Falls which, to my disappointment, did not actually produce any donuts.  It was a gorgeous day and the hike was amazing!  Terry was having some trouble with his snowshoe staying on which gave us several opportunities to stop, look around and take in the scenery.  This was Paige’s first time on snowshoes and she was taking to it like a pro.  I think it scared her a little when we got our crash course in avalanche safety but after we got going, she seemed to relax.  About 45 minutes into the hike, the trail started to get steep and we soon came upon the falls themselves.  You couldn’t really see much of the falls due to the snow and ice but that was beautiful in its own way.  We lingered for a moment and then headed up the most technical section of the trail we would face.  It was slow going and nearly straight up.  The snow was deep and loose in this section because it was well shaded and we were finding it difficult to make much progress.  Eventually we did make it to the top of the ravine and it leveled off into a much more manageable trail.  Soon we came to an avalanche field which must have slid several days (possibly weeks) before because it had fresh snow on top of icy chunks underneath.  We looked up the side of the mountain, noting the slide path and the natural features that guided the slide - nature is a cool thing.  We hiked a little further, had some lunch and then turned back.

Bethany and Laura were waiting at the Lewis’ household for us and after a brief stopover, we headed to Park City for dinner.  With the troops ravenous, it didn’t take us long to decide on a spot for dinner, Flanagan’s it was and with PBR on tap, I was happy.  We had a delicious dinner and then walked around Main Street for a while before stopping at the candy shop for dessert.  I always love going to Park City, its got a great blend of outdoorsy mountain town combined with upscale comfort.

Grandeur Peak Jumper

Monday was another low key morning followed by a hike up in Mill Creek.  Lucy led the way most of the hike up Grandeur Peak.  We started in snow and then ended in snow.  The trail was fairly slick at the bottom and required some focus to keep your feet underneath your body but it soon cleared and the hiking was awesome.  As we approached the saddle, we could see the snow up ahead.  We were just short of the actual peak but considering the amount of snow we would have to traverse and the light hikers without gaiters we were wearing, we decided this was as good of a place as any to turn around.  So, we had some snacks and took some pictures - jumpers, of course - and headed back down the trail.  About a third of the way down, Rob spotted something on the hill, could it be… a bear?  In reality, it was probably just a bush or boulder that was uniquely colored but for this story, I’m sticking with the bear story.

It was our last night in Salt Lake and the Lewis’ decided to host us for a most delicious dinner at their house.  Ben has many talents but throwing together a delicious and nutritious (that’s for you Hoops) dinner is at the top.  On the fly, he made a lentil soup that is still making my mouth water just thinking about it.  I don’t know how he does it but he comes up with the most amazing meals without a recipe.  It was great sitting around chatting and having so many people I love in the same room.  We said our goodbyes to the Lewis’ - always hard to do - and headed back to Rob and Rina’s place.

Tuesday we got a leisurely start at home with Rob & Rina fixing us breakfast and then did a little shopping at Patagonia Outlet and Kirkham’s.  Eventually, we had to face reality and pack our things for the airport and our trip home.  We said our goodbyes to Rob, Rina, and Lucy and got on a plane back to Chicago.  It was a fun time that went too fast, as usual.  A BIG thank you to the Salt Lake Crew for having and entertaining us!  And, a big thank you to Paige for being so flexible and fun to vacation with, you’re the best!