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.