Soul ran the Hot Chocolate 15k and it was great.

Yesterday was the Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k. I swore after running it last year that I wouldn't run it this year. But...they lured me in by offering a medal...that is all I want now, medals and a fun run. However, this year around I got a dedicated timing corral. I was in the 2nd corral to start which was amazing because I hate standing around for 30-45 waiting on the race to start. It was pretty cold.

So it was my first run in a little over 2 weeks. I am very glad that I waited those 2 weeks to let my calf fully heal up. I had zero problems with it throughout the entire race, which left me very happy. However, I am super sore today in the rest of my legs, but

nothing serious. Figure I am going to take a few days off to let everything heal up and then I will get back out there. I miss running with Billy and I know he is missing his morning adventures. I started with a sweatshirt that I thought I was going to take off during the run once I warmed up, but around mile 6 I was super glad that I left it on as it was pretty chilly. After the run I had to wait in a line of at least 120 people to get to gear check. My body temp plummeted and I went home before I even got my chocolate reward. I feel kinda bad because my gf finished the 5k not long after I left...but I just needed to get to a warm place and get my body temp up. Next year I will make sure to have one of those foil blankets to trap body heat. no doubt.

My watch gave me a 9:26 pace, but the timing chip game me a 10:06 pace, which is probably correct. Overall I finished 1:34 chip time, 1:38 gun time. So hooray! I ran the entire time, I had a great time, and I got a medal with a smile on my face. I just enjoyed the run and the sights.

Knot in my calf the size of a golf ball

So for the last few weeks I have had some issues with my left calf. Nothing too major. It gets tight after a run, but I stretch it out and am good to go. It might be sore for the first 0.5 mile but then it loosens up and I dont feel anything.

Fast forward to Monday night. I did an easy 4. After I got home and stretched and cooled down and showered I noticed that it was difficult to put pressure on my left leg. I tried to massage it to find the trigger point, but without luck. Yesterday (tuesday) at work I massaged and rubbed and massaged and stretched and rubbed and finally the bugger rose to the surface...holy shit, it is pretty big. Ive never experienced something like this before. It is kinda exciting in a masochistic kind of way.

Slept with a heating pad last night o try to loosen it up. Sitting at my desk now rubbing and stretching. Hopefully this thing will subside before the Hot Chocolate in November. If not...Im going to be limping like a mother for a few days after the race.

I think I need to schedule a sports massage and hopefully they can work out the knot.

Nike customer support was awesome. I finally got in a run and made some bagels

A little over 2 weeks ago my Nike+ GPS Sportswatch band started to tear/separate from where the computer connector is. Bummer. I really like this watch. I decided to shoot Nike an e-mail and see what they could do. They said that since I bought it within the next year that they will replace it for free. Score! It was super painless and the lady I spoke with on the phone was American. That is a big deal to me. So kudos to Nike for not outsourcing their customer service phone numbers. They received my watch and are going to issue me a voucher to re-purchase a new one from their website. I kind of wish they would just send me a new one, but whatever. It is what it is and I am satisfied.

I got out for a run after work yesterday and it was glorious. I haven't laced them up in almost 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS! I don't know why, I think maybe my brain/body needed a solid break after recovering from the calf injury.  It was worth it. I felt light as air. I did under 4 miles because the president was in town and janked up my normal route. Whatever, it was still a great time. I missed it and my mental health really needed it. Big time. 

Sunday....so I think I am done rooting for the Bears this season. Cutler is just so off and on it makes it hard to watch. So, instead of watching I decided to bake bagels and Italian bread! I had never made either before but I love baking bread. I think everything turned out amazing.

Over a week...

So it has been over a week since my last run. My calf finally feels 100% and I have been stretching out to stay limber. However, I currently have no motivation to go run. I know I have a 15k coming up in a month...but I just dont really care. Hopefully Ill get in a run once the rain lets up and that will re-motivate me. It is too early in the season to stop running.

Dude with exact stride cadence blew past me the other day...why?

Am I missing something? I was on a run with Billy a few days ago and on the tail end of my run there was this guy who I heard coming up behind Billy and I. I could hear his footfalls and I realized that they were falling at the exact same time mine were. The guy caught up to us and quickly passed and put distance between us. I watched his feet and it was like we were mirror images in terms of footfall.....why was he so much faster than me? Is it stride length or something?...I want to run that fast.

Nagging injury

The last week or so I have been dealing with some lingering leg pain. I am going to take the rest of the week off and hopefully get out there on Saturday or Sunday. Im not sure exactly what the deal is other than my calf is sore..probably a strain...and my knee is sore...probably from lack of stretching or something. So for the rest of the week I am going to focus on limbering the fuck up. Im pretty flexible, but I need to really work on making my muscles longer.

It is getting cold and I have had to switch my running routine to after work, which I am not a fan of. I prefer to run first thing in the morning and get it out of the way. Running after work is fine, I just have to pay more attention to the food that I eat. Meaning I cant get a slice of pizza for lunch anymore. I also have to watch my coffee intake.

I do believe that soon I am going to be relegated to the gym dreadmill. Oh well, at least it will take some stress off of my joints for a few months. I really really really do not want to put on that winter 15lbs this year. It takes me all summer to burn that back off. That is my goal!

Chris Pratt, Hockey, Paint, and a good run

Chris Pratt hosted SNL this weekend. I love that guy. He gives fat guys a good name. Well...not really fat...but man sized. There are so many Hollywood actors with the frame of women so it is great to finally see a movie star that is pined after by the vaginal society, but is also the proper size for a man. So hooray for hopefully changing stereotypes. 

So last week the GF and I went to 2 Hawks game. They are so much fun to go to and I love live Hockey. the game is so fast paced and tough. Football keeps getting boringer...more boring....every year with the additional rules and replays and all the scandals. Other than the Bears and maybe the playoffs, I am not going to watch much football. It is just becoming too boring for me.


Since we finally got rid of our weirdo roommate, we are turning the other bedroom into a study, which I am very excited about. I was able to bring my electric piano out of the closet, which makes me very happy because I love playing it. We are in the process of painting the room a really light grey and a burnt orange. I think it is going to look really good once it is finished. This morning the GF said she would finish the entire room because I took the dogs out this morning... haha, we will see how true that is.

I had a good run this morning with Billy. We did 4 solid miles. I really need to up my morning runs to 5 miles, but getting up pre-6am isn't something that I really want to do. I don't want to cross that threshold into that time frame. I already get up early enough. I don't need a 5:55 wake-up call. 6:06am is good enough for me. So for now, I am going to stick to 4 miles.

So I was supposed to review a product. Some kind of new energy drink powder stuff...I sent the company my address and information almost a month ago, and then this weekend they asked me if I still wanted to review the stuff....come on now, get your act together. You said you would get it out to me over a month ago, and then you didn't get it out at all. Plus you signed me up for e-mail spam. I don't want to review the product anymore because I already have a bias against it. I am very schedule oriented and if you can't keep to the schedule you lay out, I lose interest immediately.

A dick joke, Bi-polar awareness, pre-dawn runs, Jack Reacher & The Maze Runner

Q: What happened to the chinese man who walked into a wall with a boner? 

A: He smashed his his nose.

Always lead with a joke. 

So bi-polar awareness. I am trying to be a little more out spoken about being bipolar. Normally I keep it to myself and just let people judge me as some weirdo...but lately I have been telling people I am bipolar. Now a lot of people say they are...but if you have never experienced a rapid cycling, then you have no idea how painful it is. Imagine being on a roller coaster with no lap bar to keep you in. You go up and down and up and down and you have zero control of it. You just try to hang on for dear life and hope that it ends soon. My episodes sometimes last for days, other times they only last minutes. It's a feeling like wanting to cry, masturbate, laugh manically at everything, and wanting to run a marathon at the same time. It sounds fun, but it is very scary. I have a long history of suicidal thoughts and part of the reason I run is because it calms me down. It is not my therapy, it is part of my medication. A small cog to the whole machine. I had a rapid cycling episode yesterday...it wasnt pretty...but then I started to play the piano and smoke a little and it all went away. Pot is wonderful. I am on actual medication also, but it doesn't always work as it needs to. Some days I am a zombie and other days I feel nothing.

Pre-dawn runs are difficutl for me. I forced myself up and onto the road this morning with Billy, but it is just so hard to go outside when it is still dark out. I hate running in my normal glasses and I cant see anything if I dont run with some kind of glasses. I need to get online and order a pair of prescription glasses that change color. Maybe I will do that today. 

I have been reading quite a bit lately. I have burned through 4 books in a little over a week. I tried to read one Jack Reacher novel, and I just couldn't do it. It was so predictable and boring. The plot line had been done a million times before. Picture this...gritty wanderer who is ex military comes into a town and his first decision is always correct and he solves a crime because he is outside the law and doesn't have to follow procedure so he can get rough with people and kill people and he gets the hot girl and they bang all the time....sound familiar? No thanks.

The gf and I went to see the Maze Runner this past weekend. It actually wasn't too bad. It looked cool. The storyline was pretty far fetched, but it was original kind of. The movie 100% ended to set up a sequel, which is fine. I will probably go see the next one also.

Brookfield Zoo 5k...not a run Id do again.

So yesterday was the Brookfield Zoo RunRun, or whatever they call it. This is the one that my work paid for and they paid for the "fun run" portion.
There were so many kids and strollers that there was literally no point in trying to run. I would have been dodging and bobbing and weaving around people the entire run...and I hate runs like that.  I just feel like I accomplish nothing.
My buddy from work ran it as well and he said the same thing even though he was running the entire time. He covered almost 4 miles in a 3.1 race. That is how much zigzagging was needed.

Today is my 2 year anniversary with my gf. It is pretty amazing.

Brookfield Zoo RunRun 5k, a solid 4 this morning, and Maze Runner

Quick post before I leave work for the day. I should have done this earlier so I had more time...but I forgot...and Im HOOKED on this new book series "The Silo Saga".

Sunday I am running a 5k with a work friend at the zoo...so that should be fun, but Im guessing my time will be shite because there are so many turns and twists..Im used to running flat and straight for the most part.

Billy and I had a solid 4 miles this morning. I really need to up my runs to 5 miles because 4 miles is just too easy now.

Tonight the lady and I are going to see the Maze Runner...the movie looks OK. I wanted to read the book first, but I have so many other books on my plate right now.

Dark mornings make for no motivation

Now that the seasons are slowly changing, I am finding it to be difficult to get out in the morning to run before the sun is up. Normally I dont mind getting out when the sun just came up...but doing 1/2 of my run before the sun even begins to make an appearance just doesn't sound like fun to me. I need to either change that mindset or start running after work. I am going to give that a go today me thinks. The GF has trial team practice, so that leaves me and the Billy alone to do whatev's. He really needs to be run. We are looking to sign him up for a Doggy Daycare place to hopefully wear his ass out one day a week.

Im back baby!

Did a solid 4 miler on Saturday morning with Billy. It felt great. My pace was up and down, but I finished right around 40minutes. Everything felt good. I was a bit sore on Sunday, but today(Monday) I feel fine. I did not go run this morning because the weather was a bit grey and it was dark out. I need to either buy a pair of glasses I can run with in the AM or learn to run with my normal glasses, which I hate. I wonder if the website where I get my glasses from does transitions....I will have to look today.
Hopefully going to get out tomorrow for a few miles. Since the weather is changing and it is darker in the morning it is going to take quite a bit of willpower to lace them up and hit the streets.

Tomorrow, we run...tomorrow night, we Riot

Tomorrow morning will make 5 full days of rest. I haven't run once other than to get out of the way of a cab. I have walked to and from work, which is a little over 2 miles round trip and my legs feel fine. So tomorrow I will go out to do 3 miles, but I might do 5 depending on how I feel and how the first 3 go. Really it all comes down to how the first mile feels. I think Ill be okay.

Riot Fest is this weekend. We are going tomorrow. The gf has a few bands she really wants to see, and I want to see the Wu Tang Clan and Taking Back Sunday. It should be fun. We went last year and it was gross. It rained really hard the morning of so everything was mud. The weather forcast for tomorrow is sunny and in the 60's. So hopefully the weather follows the script.

Registered for the Hot Chocolate 15k

Pretty excited to be running this race this year. I did it last year and it was OK. I prefer races that give out medals...and this one gives our a tech hoodie AND a cool chocolate bar medal...so this should be fun!

Recovery is the worst part...

I AM SO BORED! Recovering after a race is the worst part for me. Today is day 3 after the race and I feel pretty good. Little twinges here and there in my calves, but nothing serious. As much as I want to go out and hit the pavement, I have to wait a few more days. I dont want to return too early and hurt myself. I figure Friday or Saturday I will go out for a little 2 miler to test the waters. '

I have so much time in the mornings to do whatever. This morning I watched Doctor Who...which I love the new Doctor BTW...at least so far. He is a crotchety old man. Billy is bored out of his skull. I have been trying to keep him occupied by hand feeding him all his meals and having him do tasks/tricks. However it isnt enough. Oh well...soon enough we will be back out on the road.

Watermarked photo's! Don't copyright me!

The day after....

So everything below my waist is sore and heavy today. Haha. It feels good in a way. I know I pushed my body to the limit and that I can do better. I think I am going to decide if I wanted to sign up for the Hot Chocolate 15k before the end of the week. As of right now I want to do it. They are giving out neato looking medals this year...and I am all about the medals.

I slept like a rock last night. We went over a friend's house for dinner and had a few drinks. By the time we got home I could barely keep my eyes open. I wish I had gotten a few more hours though. Oh well, early to bed tonight and then hopefully Tuesday I will begin to feel back to normal.

Good race. New PB. Need to do more long runs.

Race is in the bag. Time of 2:15 and some change. That is a full 7 minutes faster than my last. So hooray for that. My goal was 2-2:10. 2:15 isn't far off. I'll get it next year. The medals are cool looking. 

I might take a try to complete the Chicago Half Marathon Series. It's 3 races. We'll see. Let's not wear the bear before it's dead. Winter is coming. 

Overall the race was ok. It was a pretty much an out and back course with very little turns or elevation changes. There were plenty of water stops but I skipped quite a few of them until mile five or six. I feel like I fueled pretty efficiently. I started eating my cliff bar at around mile five and I finish at around mile nine. It was not a whole bar because I can only carry so much. However I planned it like that because I knew soon they were passing out Gu gels. I had a chocolate one and I think I figured out the secret to taking one. I would take a little bit and swig it with a little bit of water and mix it in my mouth. It tasted just like chocolate syrup. Without the water it tasted like ass and I wanted to spit it back out of my mouth. Although I fueled efficiently my legs gave out at around mile 10, maybe somewhere between 10 and 11. The mind, lungs, and heart were willing, but the legs said no more.  I had to walk a little bit but I kept my walking to a minimum and my pace never dropped below 11:38 minutes a mile. Before mile 10 my pace was 10 min which is exactly what I wanted. 

Around mile seven I was keeping pace with the 2:10 Pace team and I lost sight of them. I do not know if my pace slowed down or if they just took off but all of a sudden I was 50 yards behind them. I am good at keeping pace, not catching up. Oh well. Just means I need to put in longer runs. Do more miles. 

The bag check pickup was a cluster fuck. None of the bags were organized. I waited a full 45 minutes just to get my gear. Oh well. Gave my lady and Billy a chance to sniff me out. Billy actually found me first. He pulled her over to me which was pretty cool. I still wish he had been able to run. He would be stupid happy right now. 

I think I might do the Chicago Hot Choclate 15/k and call it a race season. Maybe. We will see how the winter goes. 

Race day is mañana

I am awake early and feeling good. The race is tomorrow and the weather is supposed to be nice. Billy is laying down at my feet and I made coffee. I can hear the farmers market going up in the park outside and Grace place doing their morning Saturday thing for the homeless. I am a little nervous. I don't want to hit the wall like I did last time. But if I do I know it just means I need to train harder next year. Really, my goal is always just to finish the race no matter how I finish. On that note I really need to do laundry. I do not think I have any clean running clothes!

Solid run! A Man on a unicycle. A weird coin on the sidewalk.

Wootwoot! Solid 4 miles this morning. This is my last run until the race. I am so glad that I got out and knocked it out. I felt good. My stride felt good. My legs felt strong. My heart beat was slow. I am so ready for this race to get here. I feel like I have trained ok. I feel like I am fueling correctly. I know I could have trained more...or should have trained more, but cant live on should and coulds. Billy was very happy at the end of the run, albeit wound up. I love it when we get in a good run and I can tell that he is really happy. He gives up his belly so quickly.

Towards the end of the run this morning, we saw an older Asian man riding a unicycle. It was weird because he was riding it going up hill and he was working hard. It had this bright orange tire on it. Im curious what he is doing...I wonder if he is part of the Cirque du Solei down at Navy Pier. A man riding a unicycle by a non-hipster isnt something I see everyday.

On the way to work this morning, I found a funny looking coin. It is a 10 Lipa, which is apparently Croatian. So that is kind of neat. It is worth $0.02. Makes me wonder why was someone carrying this coin around. Oh well...it is mine now.

Paused the GPS during a run and forgot to unpause it...and my gf wore my dog as a hat

This morning's run was better than yesterday, but still not great. I really am surprised how much form I lost by taking a week completely off. Billy and I did a little under 4 miles, and we walked a bit, but this time it was only my left leg cramping up. That should clean itself up by walking to work this week I hope. I might go out again tomorrow to see if I feel any better. I really want to put in one strong 4 mile run before the race.

It was beautiful out this morning. The sun just came up and it was overcast, but there was a little breeze and it was cool. It seemed today there were squirrels all over the damned place. Billy's attention was everywhere but on me, which is fine when we are running as long as he doesn't cross over me.

My lady woke up this morning after I got out of the shower after my run, and decided it would be funny to wear Molly as a hat. Molly is my smaller dog, she is only 6lbs...it was just cute because it was the first thing she did after waking up. Sometimes...sometimes....

Back to work today, which is a nice change of pace. I worked from home twice last week and I left work early twice, and on top of that having Monday off, I feel like I haven't worked in a week. My mouth feels quite a bit better thus far. Just general soreness which is to be expected.

Going to e-mail the race organizers today and see if I can run with Billy. Who knows...I should have e-mailed them months ago instead of race week.