Walk On . . .
It's late. It's 11 o'clock.
I just got out of the shower - I actually just got home, because I took the 9:20 train. At that time of night, the train makes every stop. The milk run, if you will (although it's at night). And I should be in bed, but this was a pretty kewl evening, and so here I am.
The firm I work for participated in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge, a 3.5 mile (just over 5K) race. I signed up to do this last year, but I was sick on race day so I missed it. I have been walking a lot lately, and I wanted to participate this time, so I signed up as soon as we got the notice.
It was big fun! I think that I was the (ahem) oldest woman in my firm's group, and I didn't acquit myself too badly!
I ran a 5K once about 25 years ago (in another life ;-)), but it was in Washington Park in Denver - it was nowhere near the size of this race. This time I walked. There were more than 17,000 participants tonight, and proceeds from the event (it cost $40 to enter - the firm picked up the tab) went to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a wonderful place to support. One of my cousins used to drive a truck for them in food rescue (that's perishable food that goes right to a shelter, rather that to a food bank).
I brought some canned goods and some oatmeal in my back pack and dropped it off at one of the trucks.
The walkers start at the "non-competitive" start, behind the runners. By the time I got to the starting clock, it said 5.29 (that's minutes/seconds, not the time :-D) It was a beautiful evening to walk in the Windy City, and I was really excited to be there. I walked pretty much by myself, which was fine with me because I was working pretty hard. I'm not the fastest walker, but I can walk for a pretty long time. But tonight, I was caught up in the excitement of the crowd, and I pushed myself to walk a little faster than usual.
I was thinking all along that it was a 5K race (3.1 miles), but instead, it was 3.5 miles. I had hoped to do the lesser distance in under an hour (which I did. I was at 52.29 at the 3-mile marker! Yay!), so I'm really proud of myself that I finished the longer distance in just about the time I hoped for the shorter. And hey - I wasn't the last one in!
I did the race in 1 hour, 1 minute. Exactly!
And I'm pretty impressed with myself :-D
And what a perfect night in Chicagoland - I had to futz with this a little in Photoshop because it was awfully dark, but I think you can see it well now - click to biggify. I really don't think there is any skyline as magnificent as this one anywhere else in the world. I mean it.
And now, I'm clean and I've taken a couple of Advil (just in case). This sleepy girl is headed to bed (and I'm sleeping in tomorrow!). Here I am - and yes, my face does
always get that red. It has since I was a child - and my head sweats so much that my hair under that hat is completely soaking wet. But I was fully recovered from the race and not even breathing hard. The red lasted for about an hour. So it goes - it's one of the reasons I never could do a lunchtime workout and go back to the office. I'm sorry I had such a baggy shirt on, but I had on my workout shorts, and they are form fitting - I didn't want my tush out in plain sight. Thus, I look a little shapeless (Well, I think that the uni-boob look from the sports bra contributed to the odd look), but I'm a happy, tired girl.
Sleep tight :-)
I just got out of the shower - I actually just got home, because I took the 9:20 train. At that time of night, the train makes every stop. The milk run, if you will (although it's at night). And I should be in bed, but this was a pretty kewl evening, and so here I am.
The firm I work for participated in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge, a 3.5 mile (just over 5K) race. I signed up to do this last year, but I was sick on race day so I missed it. I have been walking a lot lately, and I wanted to participate this time, so I signed up as soon as we got the notice.
It was big fun! I think that I was the (ahem) oldest woman in my firm's group, and I didn't acquit myself too badly!
I ran a 5K once about 25 years ago (in another life ;-)), but it was in Washington Park in Denver - it was nowhere near the size of this race. This time I walked. There were more than 17,000 participants tonight, and proceeds from the event (it cost $40 to enter - the firm picked up the tab) went to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a wonderful place to support. One of my cousins used to drive a truck for them in food rescue (that's perishable food that goes right to a shelter, rather that to a food bank).
I brought some canned goods and some oatmeal in my back pack and dropped it off at one of the trucks.
The walkers start at the "non-competitive" start, behind the runners. By the time I got to the starting clock, it said 5.29 (that's minutes/seconds, not the time :-D) It was a beautiful evening to walk in the Windy City, and I was really excited to be there. I walked pretty much by myself, which was fine with me because I was working pretty hard. I'm not the fastest walker, but I can walk for a pretty long time. But tonight, I was caught up in the excitement of the crowd, and I pushed myself to walk a little faster than usual.
I was thinking all along that it was a 5K race (3.1 miles), but instead, it was 3.5 miles. I had hoped to do the lesser distance in under an hour (which I did. I was at 52.29 at the 3-mile marker! Yay!), so I'm really proud of myself that I finished the longer distance in just about the time I hoped for the shorter. And hey - I wasn't the last one in!
I did the race in 1 hour, 1 minute. Exactly!
And I'm pretty impressed with myself :-D
And what a perfect night in Chicagoland - I had to futz with this a little in Photoshop because it was awfully dark, but I think you can see it well now - click to biggify. I really don't think there is any skyline as magnificent as this one anywhere else in the world. I mean it.And now, I'm clean and I've taken a couple of Advil (just in case). This sleepy girl is headed to bed (and I'm sleeping in tomorrow!). Here I am - and yes, my face does
always get that red. It has since I was a child - and my head sweats so much that my hair under that hat is completely soaking wet. But I was fully recovered from the race and not even breathing hard. The red lasted for about an hour. So it goes - it's one of the reasons I never could do a lunchtime workout and go back to the office. I'm sorry I had such a baggy shirt on, but I had on my workout shorts, and they are form fitting - I didn't want my tush out in plain sight. Thus, I look a little shapeless (Well, I think that the uni-boob look from the sports bra contributed to the odd look), but I'm a happy, tired girl.Sleep tight :-)
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