Chicago Marathon....check!

Well, yesterday was the big day and I survived my very first Chicago Marathon!!  Yesterday, could probably be one of the coolest days of my entire life - thus far.  From waking up well before sunrise, and seeing a few bar flies staggering home, I made it down to Grant Park with Chris to line up with 45,000 other people for the marathon!  It was great to have him down there to help me calm my nerves before the very start of the race.

Running through the city and seeing all of my friends along the way was by far one of the greatest things ever.  I was amazed by the number of people out there cheering everyone along the way and how there wasn't one part of the race where there wasn't someone holding up a sign of encouragement.  Just before Chinatown was probably one of the worst parts of the race.  My legs were starting to tight up and the soles of my feet were really feeling it, however just before turning into Chinatown I saw my traveling cheer group which gave me the extra push to go the last 5 miles.

I finished the race in one piece, which was my main goal.  Probably one of the coolest things I saw just as I was finishing was a man fell about 100M before the end and two medical assistants ran out there and put his arms on their shoulders and helped him cross the finish line.  What was even cooler was that the crowd began clapping and cheering him on as he crossed...it was just like in Cool Runnings! Minus the bobsled and luck egg of course :)  It was great to celebrate with everyone at Jack's after the race as well!

I'd like again to give the biggest THANK YOU to everyone for their support and generous donations to Catholic Charities.  Thanks to all of you we were able to raise $2,180 (actually more thanks to company matching programs).  A special thank you to The Walker's, The Burt's, Jay Feeney and Christina Ridgeway, Chris Kudia for your donations!

Here are a few photos from the race:

Excuse me, but are you running for Australia?

After a serious search after work today between Sports Authority and Niketown, I was finally able to settle on an outfit for the marathon.  I'll be wearing a bright yellow (yes, bright yellow) shirt, with green shorts and a green hat.  So, I pretty much look like I'm running on behalf of the country of Australia.



No, that's not me running, but get the idea?!

I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow, along with details for the marathon such as how to track my progress and places to hang out, cheer and be merry :)

I'd like to say a big THANK YOU! to Chris Hoel, Brittany Turski, Elise Melancon and Cheryl Swinford for your generous donations to Catholic Charities.  Thanks to you, we're going to surpass our goal!

And We're One Week Away!

In officially one week I'll be finished with my very first Chicago Marathon.  The excitement has been building up over the last few weeks, but reality finally set in while I was on an absolutely beautiful 9-mile fall run this morning.  With each stride forward, I'm getting closer and closer!  After my run I cooked a feast for the Bears game, but filled with Buffalo food.  There was plenty of chicken wing dip, chicken finger subs, bacon wrapped dates (thanks, Chris!) and chili to pass around.  Thank goodness I had that run in the morning...  However, while running, I saw a woman rollerblading.  Do you think they'll let me Rollerblade the marathon versus run it? ;)

Yesterday, I went shopping with Chris to pick out my marathon outfit.  I was more than a little bummed to realized the shirt I wanted to wear was a long sleeved shirt and not short.  I'm not sure how much I really want to run 26.2 miles in sleeves.  So, it's off to Sports Authority, Niketown and/or Fleet Feet to figure out what to wear next Sunday.  I'll be sure to find something and let you all know so you can look out for me.  Think bright colors!!

Also, a big THANK YOU!! to Bill Bressie for his generous donation to Catholic Charities.  Thank you everyone for all of your support.  We're almost there! :)

Let the Countdown Begin!!

I can't believe it, but it's almost here!  In 12 very short days, or 288 hours, I'll be starting my very first Chicago Marathon.  Let the countdown begin!

After a jam-packed weekend of events and the rain that never seems to end, I'm taking a canoe to work tomorrow, I went for a nice three mile run this evening to get the legs nice and loose.  I'll have to say I felt pretty good and am looking forward to a six mile run tomorrow.  After discussing with my roomie, and fellow marathon runner, DJ, I'm going to try to change my diet over the next two weeks to just be a bit more careful that I'm putting things in it that can supply me some energy to get through the race.

Now, on to more important things, like my outfit for race day.  I'm thinking of wearing bright so that you'll be able to pick me out of the sea of 45,000 on Sunday.  When I was walking past The Runner's Edge in Andersonville on Saturday I saw some bright pink and bright orange shirts.  What are your thoughts?  Or should I go with something a little more unique?!

Also, for those readers that are interested and have a free moment, please stop by my fundraising page and show some support for the Catholic Charities "Neighbors in Need" program.  Every little bit makes a difference! -  http://www.active.com/donate/catholiccharitieschi/runkatelynrun

A big THANK YOU! to the following for your support of me running the marathon and Catholic Charities, your kindness is truly appreciated - Colleen Calvey, Erin Cohn, Ursula Slotkus

20 Miles...Check!

Well, this was the 2nd biggest weekend of training, I ran 20 miles on Saturday.  To my surprise I actually felt fairly good the entire time, however a little later was another story.  I should really learn to factor in adequate "nap time" between running distances like that and then moving on to my next activity.  However, I think that I'm going to miss the 20 mile diet; it's my only excuse to eat a Big Mac and still be hungry afterwards!

This week will be filled with a few nights of light runs and only 12 miles on Saturday.  I'm looking forward to it

Also, I owe a big THANK YOU! to Aunt Judy & Uncle Jerry, The Weld's, Erinn Corrigan and Minni Nauhria for their generous support to Catholic Charities and my running.  Thanks everyone!

Dearest iPod

Dearest iPod,

It's been a long summer of continuous play and I know that we've had a lot of close calls, you falling under the wheels of the 151 bus comes to mind, but I ask one thing of you...hang on for 25 more days.  Please.  You've been temperamental all summer with turning on and off at your own will and playing only 15 seconds of a song before skipping to the next one, but I need you to hang in there for the big day.  Once October 9th rolls around, I promise I'll keep you in a safe and quiet place.

Keep on playing,

Katelyn

This Saturday will be the big 20 miler along the lakefront.  Hopefully I'll see a few friendly faces out along the way :)

Also, I owe a huge THANK YOU to the following supporters - Mom & Dennis, Brittany & Dave, Nicole Evankovich & Bill Wood.  Thank you for taking the time to support the Catholic Charities and more importantly, thank you for your continuous words of encouragement! 

Help me reach my goal by donating here - http://www.active.com/donate/catholiccharitieschi/runkatelynrun

One Month Away!

Well, after taking a bit of a hiatus on long runs to take a much needed and extremely fun trip out to Colorado to go hiking and camping, and then I had the pleasure last month of pulling my hamstring (which has made training interesting for sure).

The marathon is officially only ONE MONTH away, yay!  So, now it's time to finish the tail end of my training program and prepare for the big day.  Now that I've been looking back on my training over the spring and summer, I can't believe how much fun it's been.  Don't get me wrong, I had my bad runs (and boy were some of them), but overall it's been a great experience and I'm going to miss it to a degree.  Never in my entire life would I expect to feel good after running 18 miles and it's been great running into people along the lake path during the summer.

With the big day less than 30 days away, I have to send a big THANK YOU to pretty much everyone.  I can't believe how supportive my family and friends have been over the last six months.  I truly don't think I could have gotten this far without all of your support and well wishes.  You're all the best!

Also, today's September 10th.  Let's wish Kath (my mom) a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Hope it's a fabulous day!

Here are some photos from Colorado :)  Hiking counts a running, right?!?!

A Few Photos from Along my Path to October

Hey Everyone!  Here are a few photos I'd like to share.  Some of them are from under Lake Shore Drive at Belmont, from when I ran north along the path to Montrose Beach, photos from a clear day and when I got to meet Al Roker thanks to Catholic Charities - who I'm running for!  Enjoy and thanks for stopping by :)

I'd like to send out a big THANK YOU! to my Dad & Hope and Kate Toland for their generous donation to the Catholic Charities.  Thank you for your support of this cause and your encouragement along the way!

And for those of you curious after my last post - we've had more Phyllis sightings!

This One's for You, Phyllis!

So, I have been training for about 15 weeks now, which I know seems like a ridiculous amount of time but I wanted to put in a few extra runs before the big day, and after a while you begin to see the same people out on the path.  You know what type of shoes they wear, the shorts they prefer to run in and what water fountain they'll always stop to get a drink and catch a breath; they almost become friends to a degree because you always wave at one another.

Well, on Saturday's when I do most of my long runs there has been one person that I consistently see out there, and I won't lie, passes me and puts me to shame while running.  She's about my height, still has her blond hair, runs with an intensity that I only wish I had and is about 70.  Yes, you read that correctly, 70.  For the last 15 weeks I've wondered who she is and how the hell she's remained in such amazing shape.  Well, on Saturday I finally had that question answered when I saw her blazing down the stretch of Ohio Street Beach in her Team World Vision orange shirt with the name "Phyllis" across the front.

So Phyllis, this one's for you!  You're an amazing athlete and I hope to be moving as well as you when I'm 70!

Best,

I run more like Betty White, "Katelyn"

On an actual running note, I ran 18 on Saturday and I never thought I'd say this after running 18 miles, but I felt really good.  The soreness that I felt from running 17 the week before wasn't as bad and I just need to remember to do more stretching before and after these runs.  Also, a little shout out to Erin H. making sure that I didn't fall asleep during the movie :)

A special THANK YOU to The Jagmin's for their generous donation to the Chicago Catholic Charities.  Thank you for helping me get one step closer to my goal!

15 and Feeling Good!

The weather this past week definitely threw my running program for a bit of a loop.  With the 90+ degree temperatures at the beginning of the week I decided to run my 4 miles at the gym.  Tuesday was pretty awesome running home from work in the fog the entire way, standing at Monroe & Lake Shore Drive you couldn't even see The Field Museum!  Saturday's long run of 15 couldn't have been any better.  I woke up bright and early at 5 am only to realize that the storm from the evening was still going on, bringing with it some heavy rain and lightening.  At about 7 a.m. I was able to get myself out on the path and it was so nice to be out there when it wasn't the temperature of the sun.  The humidity was there for sure, but the intense heat had yet to arrive.  I had my ups and downs, but I felt good for the majority of the run and could have added a few more; however I had somewhere important to be - the Cubs game (they actually won too!).

I'm looking forward to another week of running, realizing that the big race is only a little over two months away!  Here are my photos from the week, enjoy!  The Field Museum is supposed to be at the end of the first photo, but the dense fog completely kept it out of sight.

Now I Remember Why I Hate The Treadmill

When I first started running I loved the treadmill, it was my friend.  It helped me gauge my speed, let me run regardless of the weather and it allowed me to watch Paula Deen on the Food Network!  However, over the last year I've started to run more and more outside and I've fallen in love with that.  I enjoy running along the lake watching the waves, looking at the beautiful downtown skyline and my favorite - people watching.

Today it was hot, ridiculously hot, and I came to the conclusion that if I was going to run outside in the insane heat on Tuesday, that on Monday I was going to make the treadmill my friend again.  I had to run 4 miles on the treadmill today and it was quite possibly the worst 4 miles of my life.  Not because it was a poor run, I actually felt good, but because I was absolutely bored the entire time!  I wasn't able to enjoy the run and take everything in.

Here's hoping that tomorrow goes well and I don't melt somewhere between North Avenue & Fullerton!

Halfway There!

Sorry for the delay in writing, it's amazing how summer can just get away from you!

The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy with my running patterns.  I've had some great runs and then I've had some really, really, really bad runs.  The worst had to have been a few weeks ago when the humidity finally hit Chicago.  I was supposed to do a 12 mile run and I was excited for it when I woke up, especially after the great 12 mile one I did the week before.  However, about 3 miles into the run, I realized that it was going to be a pretty bad one.  The temperature was only 87, but the heat index made it feel like 101 degrees - YIKES!  Needless to say, when I got to 6 miles I realized that I had nothing left in me and walked home the last 6 miles.  For those of you wondering, my sunburn was AMAZING after that.

The runs I've had since then have been fairly good and within the time frame that I would hope to be.  Yesterday I did 14, which is the most that I've ever run in my entire life and I'm happy to say that I ran the entire time, bring on the other 12.2!  The time was a little slower than I would have liked, but I need to take into account the distance I'm running and the weather elements as well.

One thing that I've realized while running is that I'm absolutely OVER my current running mix on my iPod, so I'm open to suggestions.  Let me know if you have anything that you recommend!

Here are some photos from my runs over the last three weeks.  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy!

I'll never be able to escape it

There was one thing that I could always guarantee after a nice round of golf during the summer, that I would always have a rocking farmer's tan after 18 holes.  There's nothing like finishing a round only to find out that I was burned from the bicep down, just a few inches above my knees and that there was a small "V" on my neckline compliments of my polo shirt.

Well, I learned after my 12 mile run on Saturday in the sun that farmer's tan don't just apply to golfers and farmers, but runners as well!  When I got home from my run I figured that I was just a little overheated from the run along the lake, in which there was NO wind/breeze, but more and more throughout the day I realized that I had actually gotten sunburned during my run.  And yes, it was a rather attractive shade of red once again from the biceps down, just above my knees and this time no "V", but a lovely red circle.  Next time I'll remember the sunscreen!

Now that I'm into my sixth week of training for the marathon, I'm happy to say that my speed is picking up a bit.  I've had two great long Saturday runs in a row and I'm hoping that my third this week (12 miles again) will be just as great.  For runs that are six miles and over, I'm running about 30 seconds faster than expected, so I might try to cool it down a bit.  I do have 20.2 more to run after all :)

There Should be Rules for Running Along the Lake Path

I don't think that I could have asked for a better day to run home from work on Tuesday - it wasn't too cold or too hot, the sun was out, there was minimal wind and I was able to get my speed up a little bit.  The only thing that could have made it a better running experience would be if people understood the rules of the path!  There's nothing more annoying while running than the group of five people that feel the need to walk all in a line versus two and two, what ticks me off even more is when they look at you like you've disrupted their in depth conversation of the latest episode of "Jersey Shore".  With the weather hopefully taking a turn for the better, I guess this will have to be something that I get used to...

I'm starting to learn the important of keeping with my running schedule.  After sticking to my schedule for a week again, I was able to have a pretty good run and finish with a great time for 6 miles.  Also, this past weekend I bought a bike to keep moving on my days off from running and to mix it up with the yoga I'll be starting soon to work on my stretching.

Also, a special THANK YOU! to Melissa Sue :)

Looking forward to the 11 mile run ahead of me on Saturday!

Running Along the Green Sea!

After the intense summer storm we had last night, it's easy to confuse Lake Michigan with another body of water.  On Sunday, I was able to run along the Michigan side of Lake Michigan and it was beautiful and serene, something out of a picture.  Today was the exact opposite!  The waves were crashing up against the walls and the greenish/brown color of the water definitely made for an enjoyable run, minus the wind coming in from the north.  I really enjoy running in the not-so-ideal weather elements, it allows me to focus and take in a view of the city and lake that I rarely get to see.

Regardless, it was nice to be outside and running again after taking a brief break for some fun in Michigan!

Hopefully I'll be able to get a run in the rain in soon :)

Is that Betty White Running?

I think the one thing I've learned from running this week was to never, EVER go for a 9 mile run following a bachleorette party.  The runs throughout the week were great, I was able to pick up my speed, but with all the lovely weather we've had this past weekend I had to bump my long run from Saturday to Sunday.  I was able to keep a consistent time for the first 8 miles, but I'm pretty sure that Betty White ran faster than me during the last mile.  My running during the last mile could have easily been confused with power walking, but I'm ok with that.

Oh well, on to week 4!

Slowly Getting into a Groove

I started off my second week of training fairly strong.  Got the majority of my runs completed outside with the few days of beautiful weather we had in the city and then the weekend came...  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get in my long run of 9 miles on Saturday, but I've built in a few extras weeks into my training program to accommodate the few busy weeks that I have during the summer to use them as "cushion" runs.  However, I now have the pleasure of running them THIS Saturday, yay....

I've started to use my short runs as a time to build up my speed and see just how fast I can run.  Today I tried that and I was able to run a full 50 seconds faster than I normally run a mile!  I've gotten into a habit of knowing what I can consistently run 13.1 miles in, that I've stuck with the same pace.  While my main goal is to just finish the marathon, I'd like to do it in a decent time.  So hopefully I'll be able to pick up the speed over the next few months.

Thanks again to everyone for their words or encouragement and support.  You guys are the best!

Katelyn

And We're Off!

The week of May 8th marks the beginning of my training for the 2011 Chicago Marathon.  I'll be running on behalf of the Chicago Catholic Charities "Neighbors in Need" program.  I'm extremely excited to be running in it and touched by all the words of encouragement I've received from my family and friends. 

With the help of my good friend Brittany T, I was able to help create this blog to keep all of you updated with my progress of training for the marathon and give you the ability to post any comments or suggestions that you may have for me!  The blog will be updated at least weekly, so you can all see my progress with training.  Since this is my first marathon I'll be following the Hal Higdon training program, however I'm interested in hearing from all of you as to what has and has not worked for them.

I would like to give a special thanks to Chris, Brendan and Angie for their generosity with donating on behalf of my running campaign for the Chicago Catholic Charities.

Also, if you're ever looking for a running partner on Saturday mornings or after work, let me know, I'd love to see you out for a bit on the Lakefront Path!

Thanks for stopping by!

Katelyn