ten day forecast

lookin' good, lookin' good! a little on the warm side, actually, but much better than the mid-40's at last year's marathon.

dress for a beautiful day in chicago, my dear supporters, and don't forget sunscreen!

fifty things

in honor of my 50th blog post (wow, that went fast!), and our first three months in northern california, here are 25 things that we miss about chicago and another 25 things that we've learned about the bay area.

mark and i worked on these together, and it was fun to see what we could come up with! thanks, honey, for your help.

what we miss about chicago:

1. our families


2. our many wonderful friends, especially our brunch club ladies and poker buddies


3. being able to get together with them on a moment's notice - now it takes a lot of planning (and a plane trip)


4. our church family, and singing with the choir and praise ensemble


5. driving down lake shore drive in the summer with the windows rolled down to let in the mist from buckingham fountian settle in


6. seeing that gorgeous skyline (san francisco has NOTHIN' on chicago)


7. the amazingly beautiful lakefront


8. how easy it was to find a beautiful place to run


9. watching the air and water show from the rooftop of our family friend's marine drive condo building. let me tell you, those blue angels came awfully close


10. balmy summer nights, where you can sit outside without fear of getting chilled


11. seeing the leaves change into the gorgeous colors of autumn. feeling the seasons change.


12. knowing that we won't have even a dusting of snow at christmas. what will i do with my wool coat, or mark with his favorite leather jacket?


13. walking around old orchard. or any mall for that matter. we haven't been in (or found) a single we've moved away


14. side streets. around here, there's often only one way to get to where you're doing. you get pretty tired of the same two lane road after 19 miles


15. especially when the radio stations don't come in clearly. mark misses V103 and tom joiner in the morning. i miss my good ol' country, US99


16. all the wonderful food choices, including:


17. the greek islands - opaa!!


18. hecky's bbq (and to be honest, this is a substitute for mark's all-time hole-in-the-wall south-side bbq favorite - dds)


19. jimmy johns (seriously - there's no better sandwich, and we miss you)


20. portillos (beef-n-sausage sandwiches don't even exist in the bay area)


21. giordanos pizza (and although the bay area has something similar to offer, its just not the same)


22. having jamba juice and potbellys right next to each other in evanston. we've tried jamba and quiznos, but its just not the same


23. okay, enough about food. we also miss good ol' chicago sports


24. da bears don't show up quite frequently enough on the cable around here (although after this weekend's game, that just might be a blessing!)


25. and, of course, we love the bulls and the white sox, too

ah, sweet home, chicago.

things we've learned about the bay area:

1. the drivers here are terrible


2. apparently, the use of turn signals and heeding the right-of-way aren't standard driving procedure, and tailgating at 70mph is the norm. please tell me why WE have to take a driver's test in order to get a california licence?


3. motorcycles drive in whatever bit of space they manage to find between cars - much like i saw when i visited botoga, colombia a few years ago


4. if you want to get through rush hour quickly, make sure you have 2 other people with you - carpool lanes here even faster than chicago's express lanes


5. there is a $4 toll to cross any bridge (and $5 for the golden gate). that's a minimum of $8 for us to travel into san francisco or head to palo alto! and it costs at least $4 to get home from east bay. there are a total of 6 bridges in the surrounding area - kinda hard to avoid. thankfully, mark's trip to school is toll free.


6. whereas the traffic isn't worse that chicago's when driving within san francisco, getting there is a whole 'nother story. i spent almost 3 hours (and $8) driving to the airport one morning.


7. u-turns are allowed at almost every intersection


8. there are hills everywhere. and they're tough to run.


9. we have been reminded of God's spleandor and nature's beauty again and again. just today, on his trip home from school, mark was struck by the awesome beauty of the mountains meeting the water.


10. and how about the weather? it really doesn't rain here in the summer


11. on the flip side, though, summer in san francisco is truly cold. as in, 55 degrees, cold. as in, foggy, cold. as in, i-need-to-wear-a-fleece-jacket-in-the-middle-of-july, cold. good thing we live inland, where the sun shines and the temperature is a comfortable 75 degrees.
    in fact, as soon as the thermometer falls below 60, the winter coats come out (including down and fur. really, now.)


12. driving on snow and ice is viewed as a horrific experience


13. and we've been asked more than once about having to put chains on our tires to make it through the winter :)


14. with napa valley a hop skip and jump away, you can buy wine just about anywhere. even at some coffee shops, i've heard.


15. unfortunately, as great as they are at making wine, they CANNOT make giardinera. we had a craving for italian beef last week, and could only find a "napa valley company" giardinera at the local grocery. much to our dismay, it was large pieces of carrots and cauliflower, soaking in vinegar! where were the peppers? and the oil? so disappointing.
    
16. oddly enough, sticks of butter are shaped differently. they're fatter and shorter here


17. and milk and eggs seems to costs twice as much


18. green is the color of choice! as city-wide bans on plastic bags are being discussed, we've seen reusable fabric bags pop up in many local stores.


19. interracial couples are notably common - especially the combination of black and asian:)


20. there are no blue police surveillance cameras monitoring for crime in the neighborhood or gunshots to wake us in the middle of the night, both of which we experienced near our most recent home in chicago


21. and as opposed to having different "sides" of the city to avoid due to their high crime, there's only one truly dangerous area in the bay, which it is much easier to avoid at all costs


22. "banged" hats - those cocked slightly to the side - appear on teens everywhere, and don't symbolized any gang affiliations


23. vendors do an excellent job of preventing theft by asking to see your license with every credit card purchase


24. and interestingly enough, the main "wildlife" we see roaming around are stray cats. its a funny reminder to us of our 5-year anniversary trip to jamaica last year, and the "don't feed the cats" signs :)

a trip to the zoo

mark and i decided that we would take turns chosing what we would visit next in our discovery of the san francisco bay area.

i got to pick first, and thus, we headed just north of the city to the serene and beautiful muir woods. mark choice for our next destination took us south along the ocean, to the the san francisco zoo.

we started our day in chinatown, actually, where we enjoyed a light dim sum lunch. we then headed across the city to the ocean, and took the famous "great highway" coastal tour down to the zoo.

it has been years since we've been to the zoo, and let me tell you, we had a great time! not only were the animals amazing, but so many of them were outside rather than enclosed in small spaces or behind the bars of cages.

here are some photos of our favorites animals.

i've always enjoyed watching the gorillas, and these two were just traipsing around for all of us.

the bears were amazing, as well. polar bears, black bears, and even grizzlies! i don't think i've ever seen a grizzly in person.

and our all-time favorites: the large cats.

we saw them in the cat house about an hour before these were taken. just fed, they were fairly quiet and content - not too frisky. behind the bars in his cage, however, the king of the jungle has his sights on me. his eyes followed as a walked up to the bar in front of his cage. as he stared me down, a chill ran down my spine as i imagined how daniel must have felt in the lion's den.

a pair of sumatran tigers

the king, resting after his meal.

this beautiful lioness was literally four feet in front of us, separated by what felt like a all-to-thin layer of glass. as we she groomed herself and lay watching us, a little girl excitedly ran up to the glass and crouched down to get an eye-to-eye view. as they started at each other, her dad said "look at the eyes on that lion. she's examining her afternoon snack". wide-eyed, she stepped away and ran to cling to his leg. :)

aside from the wonderful animals, we enjoyed watching the children. their excitement, fascination and love for these creatures absolutely made our day. some day *sigh* we look forward to taking our own children on trips to the zoo.

quality friday: relaxation station

this week, i found the perfect way to unwind from a long day, sore legs, and a cluttered mind.

bubbles....tension-releasing vapor bath....lightly scented candles....a glass of wine...and some quiet time writing in my journal.

i felt wonderfully relaxed and rejuvenated afterwards. definitely the quality highlight of my week!

countdown: 24 days

with just over 3 weeks until my first marathon, and with the recent emergence of some training difficulties, this story gave me my much needed inspiration today:
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The most beautiful site

Just as impressive as Chicago's historic landmarks are the random acts of kindness and sportsmanship you'll witness throughout race day. Carey Pinkowski, who's marking his 18th year as race director, recalls his fondest moment: In 1999, now four-time champion Khalid Khannouchi was at mile 15 with the elite men going west on Adams when the group came up on a physically challenged runner. "Out of the back of the pack, Khannouchi darts across the street, puts his hand on the man's shoulders and gives him a thumbs up, then darts back to the leaders pack." With all the pressure, the science behind the pace and the seconds that are so valuable, says Pinkowski, Khannouchi was willing to break away and encourage a fellow runner. He ended up winning that day in world record time: 2:05:42.

congratulations, vlada and michal!

over labor day weekend, we enjoyed the gorgeous outdoor wedding of our dear friends.

the afternoon was perfect for san francisco in late august - sunny (not one bit of fog, nor a single cloud in sight), breezy (as you can see from the pictures below) and altogether lovely.

we are thrilled that we were able to share with them in the love of their wedding day, and look forward to building our friendships in their new marriage.

congratulations, vlada and michal - we hope you two are enjoying your honeymoon!

the san francisco skyline from treasure island - a view equally as stunning at night

a lovely bride...and her classy ride

walking down the "aisle"

first dance as husband and wife

with the new mr. and mrs. bortnik

quailty friday: gratifying

finally, this week at work, i felt it. i found myself truly glad to be doing what i was doing.

adjusting to my new position has been a bumpy road for me. many of you have asked how i like my new job, to which i've answered "its okay - i'm adjusting", and i'm sure you've wondered a bit at my tentative answer.

the truth is, that in addition to adjusting to the constant travel and a recent move across country, i've also had to adjust to the many new expectation of my job. for example, i've found it especially difficult to learn something completely new one day, and then have to teach it (as an expert?!?) the next. and whereas i recognized that there is a learning curve that at some point i'll get to the top of, that doesn't necessarily make it any easier in the face of those looking to me for answers. and wanting them now.

this week, i found myself on a last minute trip to spokane, washington. i wasn't thrilled to be going at first, with many things to catch up on "in the office" and again, feeling that i was a far cry from the expert that they would be expecting. what i found when i got there, though, was that what they really wanted was a listening ear and someone to show, with their physical presence, a dedication to solving the problems that they were encountering.

that, i could do. thankfully, the issues was well on its way to being solved before i even got there [thank you, to my wonderful coworker who worked for a week to diligently to troubleshoot with them over the phone], and the urgency of patient care delay has been removed from the situation. and so, i spent two days organizing and spreadsheeting all the data that they had generated, analyzing the potential causes for this shift they were seeing, discussing options for further investigation, giving suggestions for optimizing their process, and nodding as their needs and concerns were expressed.

it truly felt good. and best of all, at the end of it they were more than appreciative of my efforts - the perfect reward.

happy feet

okay, let's be honest here.

the last two weeks of training have been really tough on me.

i'm tired from all the miles i've been logging. i don't love getting up at 5am during the week to run before work, and i hate the thought of doing so on the weekends for a 2-3 hour trek. my runs lately (including at the triathlon) have found me a) feeling sluggish and exhausted, b) taking an excessive number of walk breaks, c) realizing that i haven't done much running in the heat, and heavenhelpme if its hot on october 7th and d) wondering what. is. going. on?

last weekend, i found myself wandering into a local running store to try to find the answer. i considered that perhaps my shoes needed some new insoles, to provide extra cushion, or maybe some shin supports would help ease the pain that was starting to find its way back into my legs. i had almost walked out with these two items, when mark encouraged me to let the sales person re-fit me for shoes.

through a digital analysis of my foot pressure points, and a jog on the treadmill, i found that not only had i been previously place in the wrong type of shoe (previously based on my arch rather than my running stride), but i was also in the wrong size.

i walked away that day with a new pair of shoes, and eagerly awaited my next run.

wouldn't you know that i was scheduled for an 18 miler the very next day? perhaps not the ideal place for a novice runner to try out her new shoes, but i did nonetheless. the first 12 miles were AMAZING. i felt great. in fact, my shin splints were practically gone. my pace was steady and my spirits lifted. i found myself filled with renewed excitement for the challenge ahead.

then somewhere in the last 6 miles the bubble burst. or rather, three blisters formed, and my knee started to ache.

tuesday, i had difficulty putting pressure on my right leg. the blisters didn't hurt too terribly. i decided that the shoes were again the wrong size (too small this time), and headed back for an exchange. the half size up didn't relieve pressure points, but this pair sure did!

asics gel nimbus 9

wednesday, i tried to run in new-pair-number-two, but the knee just wouldn't have it, so i kept it short and sweet (or should i say sweaty, from the rediculous amount of effort it took me to run just 3 miles?).

thursday, (after a number of ice treatments) the pain was gone, and i decided to try them again for a 9 mile run along the gorgeous centennial trail near my hotel. it was a picture perfect afternoon, ruined only by that constant ache in the knee.

the great news? pair number two fits perfectly - i have happy feet! now if only i can figure out what to do with the rest of my legs...

banished...

...to the patio for the next two hours, while we let our apartment air out from the ant ex"terminator" spray-down....

...with a kitty that is not only yelling at me...

...but has apparently learned how to escape from her carrier!

i was hoping to avoid this. as a result, i get to try to keep her from slipping between the bars of our railing or from sitting/jumping from one of the many ledges.

i have a feeling that this won't be a productive afternoon. and to think i have a plane to catch in 6 hours. oy.

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(updated at 2:00pm)

seriously. the last hour has been a constant battle:

lap kate vs. laptop

quality friday: go team!!

on sunday, team wildphins proudly completed the chicago triathlon as an international distance relay team!

this was the second year that my brother brandon, his girlfriend shruti, and i pooled our efforts together to compete in this challenging event. shruti kicked the team off on a fantastic start in her 1.5 km (0.93 mi) swim in lake michigan, brandon followed with a strong 40 km (24.8 mi) bike up and down lake shore drive, and i was able to bring us across the finish line after a 10 km (6.2 mi) run south along the lakefront past museum campus, down to 31st street and back.

during last year's race, with just 100 meters before the finish line i heard the sounds of helicopters overhead and saw motorcycles with camera crews racing past me as race officials warned "keep to the left - runners coming". shortly after, the first two professional athlete raced past me to cross the finish line amidst the cheers of hundreds of fans. as amazing as it was to be there for glory of their finish, it also quickly settled in that these pros, who began the race in a wave that started an hour and fifteen minutes after us, had managed to pass me in the last minutes of the race.

thus, our goal for 2007 was set...to "beat" the pros to the finish.

and we did! team wildphins finished in 3:00:23, 8 minutes before the winner crossed the finish line with an incredible time of 1:48:48.

shruti - getting ready to jump into the COLD water at monroe harbor

well done, shruti! here we are waiting in the transition area while brandon biked

brandon, after completing his bike down LSD (and yes, he did wear a helmet)
displaying our medals after a strong finish (i'm still pretty sweaty here!)

why wildphins, you ask? when we found that brandon's creative team name "more cowbell" was already taken, we opted for a tribute to the mascots of our alma maters!