Me And Paige - Critical Mass

Friday was my second critical mass of the season and after me hyping it up so much, Paige decided she was game to give it a try.  I loaned her a “safe” bike and we headed down to Daley Plaza on a perfect summer night.  The crowd was huge though we never really got to see the whole crowd because we got there just as they were leaving so we pulled into the rear of the pack.  We could see that it stretched for blocks ahead of us but was so dense that we never really moved up much.  We rode for an hour or a little more and decided that was enough for the evening as we were both getting hungry and were tired from a long week.  I know I had fun and I’m pretty sure she did too.

Trash Run - There Were 8 Bags Like This

Paige started a group called Chicago Trash Runners.  They meet once a month at a predetermined spot to do a little running, a little trash collecting, and a whole lot of socializing.  This weekend’s run was on the southside in Washington Park.  It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining, very calm winds and warm but decent temps.  There were 7 of us and we picked up a LOT of trash!  I found many of the items you’d expect to find (i.e. bottles, cans, cigarettes, food wrappers, etc.)  but then I also found a bunch of stuff I didn’t fully expect (i.e. a shoe, some sort of tool shaped like a screw driver but with markings on it, lighters, a syringe, a spoon, etc.).  After we had our fill of collecting trash, we all headed over to Medici’s in Hyde Park for lunch.  We had a nice spot outside in the sun, the food was good and so was the company.  Thanks Paige for setting up such a fun event!

Me And Dad

Saturday night, I caught the Metra train up to Ravinia to meet my dad, Andrea, Brian, Kelly, Jen and Gary to see Diana Krall.  It was a gorgeous night (at least to start with…oh, that was foreshadowing).  Dad and Andrea got to the park early and staked out a great spot on the lawn.

Andrea, Me, Brian and Kelly

I got there around 6:15PM and quickly got comfy in my lounge chair.  They had brought some good eats and we wasted little time before digging in.  Brian and Kelly showed up shortly thereafter; Brian opened their cooler and revealed the treats they had brought - Blue Moon complete with a fresh orange!  Soon it started to spit and before long, we were glad we were under a thick canopy of leaves because a steady rain began to fall.

The concert was very enjoyable but the meat and potatoes of the evening was the company; it was so much fun to be there with a mix of my friends and my family - I love it when the best of both worlds collide.

Me, Jen And Gary At Ravinia

Palos Hills With The CHUGs

Sunday morning was a CHUG outing at Palos Hills.  The group consisted of Torey, Jerret, Jim, Debbie, Tony, Paige and me.  After some quick greetings, we headed out for a loop.  Torey took the lead with her trusty map in hand.  Debbie had driven down from Wisconsin to share in the fun - that is pretty hardcore if you ask me!  Jerret was doing his first trail run ever and took to it like a natural.  Tony was just a week off his 70 mile run and was running strong wearing his new tights - look out, the guy will be unstoppable now!  Jim was just a week recovered from his 100 mile trek to Milwaukee (don’t worry, the post is still on its way - no excuses) and he looked smooth as silk - what a running machine!

Me And Paige

Paige was doing her last long run before Vermont 100 and had a “character building” run, I was impressed with her ability to smile through a tough day.  Toward the end of the second loop, several of us were pretty wiped and looking forward to finishing up.  Inevitably, the conversation turns to food at this point.  I mentioned that a burrito sounded good and Jim quickly jumped on that idea.  It didn’t take much convincing to get the rest of the group on board for a little post-run Chipotle action.  I got my burrito and boy did it hit the spot!  Yet another awesome CHUG outing; thanks to those who made it out and to those who couldn’t make it, we missed you!

Torey, Paige and Tony

Debbie, Down From Wisconsin