Training in the Windy City

Just got back from a week in Chicago:) As I was recovering from last weekend's awesome marathon training run, I was reminded of another recent trip back home where I had the opportunity to do a Saturday morning run along Lake Michigan.

We were staying with Mark's dad, so I began the run at 55th Street, and made my way north towards downtown. It was a cool and cloudy day with a few sprinkles - perfect running weather - and I loved every minute of the 10-mile run.

As I was leaving, I turned back to grab my cell phone, remembering just how much fun I had documenting my run in San Francisco last year. Here are the snapshots I took, some better than others:

Cloudy Chicago Skyline

Shedd Aquarium

Soldier Field (GO BEARS!)

Gold Star Families Memorial and Park

Waterfall behind McCormick Place

Quality Friday: Sweet Home, Chicago

There is no doubt in my mind that Chicago is, and always will be, home.

Last weekend, Mark joined me on my business-trip back (as I promised he would!), and we enjoyed packing in every free moment of our six day visit spending time with family and friends. It was exactly the vacation that we needed, and our time spent with loved ones was refreshing and rejuvenating (though never quite long enough).

Even weather in Chicago was absolutely perfect, so similar to the amazing California weather that we enjoy on a daily basis. Last weekend almost made me forget that there are terribly cold winters and stifling hot summers to contend with:)

We were graciously hosted by Mark's dad, allowing the two of them to spend time quality time together while I worked on Monday and Tuesday. Here's a brief recap of our visit:

Friday afternoon, and after settling in and enjoying lunch with Mark's dad, headed out for an evening with my family at Brandon's girlfriend Shruti's parent's home. BJ and Nimmi prepared an amazing feast of Indian cuisine, which we enjoyed immensely, along with their warm hospitality.

Saturday afternoon, we met Mark's family at our traditional meeting spot, Carson's, where we got to spend a few hours enjoying their company. Afterward, we headed out for an evening of fun and games with Mark's poker buddies - a truly fantastic crew.

Sunday, we went to church in the morning, then to Brandon's for a quick lunch, to the Grafton for a few drinks, made a quick stop at Melissa and Steven's to give Mark a tour of their new home (and to meet Cosette) and finally to Orlando's for the rest of the evening.

Sadly, my camera only made its way out on two occasions, both on Sunday, so here are the few photos I have to share:

Daniel, all grown up at 18, and getting ready for his first year in college!

Grill-master, Brandon, whipping up lunch at his place.

Me and my Jonny. I can't tell you how much I love every one of my brothers.

Michael, Audrey, Kjersten, Melissa, Esther, Mark and Steven at The Grafton.

I love these ladies!

Monday night we enjoyed a huge dinner at Randy and Vivian's, and Tuesday, met up with Mark's cousins for dinner, drinks, and some outdoor Olympic viewing in Wicker Park. And on Wednesday we had lunch at our Greektown favorite with Mark's dad before spending our final afternoon and evening at my parent's house.

Just like every trip back, it was over far, far too soon. This Quality Friday, is dedicated to the the moments spent at home and the memories created with our favorite people on earth. WE LOVE YOU, CHICAGO!

Quality Friday: Making Every Minute Count

Last weekend's trip back to Chicago was as Jam Packed as could be. Really, is there any other way to do it, when you only have a few brief days to spend with family and friends?

I'm amazed at the number of people I was able to see and the number of things I was able to do in the short time between Saturday evening and Tuesday afternoon. My spirits were lifted, my belly was full, and my eyelids were heavy by the time I headed back!

Saturday night, after dinner and wine at home with Dad, Jonathan and Casandra, I briefly stopped in at Melissa and Steven's to hug and spend a few moments with Orlando and Esther.

Sunday morning began early with brunch at Starbucks/Tre Kroner with Melissa, Ann-Marie and Kjersten, followed by church at Edgebrook.

The Original Brunchettes.

Immediately after church, I picked up Leslie and we cruised downtown to the Greek Islands where we met Norman for a lovely lunch. I wasn't even remotely hungry when we arrived, but who can resist a plate full of taramasalata and an order of pastitsio?

Just a few hours later, I had my third meal of the day at a restaurant - dinner at Garcia's with my parents, brothers, Shruti and Casandra to celebrate Dad's birthday. I've missed so many family events in the past month - Jonathan's college graduation, Mom's birthday and Mother's Day, Brandon's birthday on Wednesday, and Daniel's high school graduation tonight - opportunities that I'd have to spend time with my fantastic family if we didn't live 2000 miles away.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

After allowing the day's worth of food plus cake to settle, Jonathan and I even went for a run at 11pm on Sunday night!

Monday and Tuesday were filled with meetings at work and a chance to gather hugs from friends at the office, enjoy snippets of their lives and a few minutes of face time. And on Monday night, after a team dinner (yes, another one!) at Carlucci's, Melissa and I headed out to see SATC, followed by cosmos at the new Velez Luce home (where I also spent the night in their chic guest room)!

Chicago, I love you. I miss you when I'm gone, and enjoy every moment when I'm back. The only thing that could have made the weekend better is if Mark had been there, too.

Next time, I'm bringing him back with me. Period.

quailty friday: there's no place like home for the holidays

a song couldn't be more right. it was such a treat for mark and i to be back in chicago - together - and to celebrate the week between christmas eve until new years eve with family and friends.

christmas eve
despite beginning the day 2000 miles away, we were able to keep with tradition, and celebrate christmas eve with mark's dad and sister at norman's home in hyde park. it was the first year we have ever had pizza for christmas eve dinner, but low key and easy also equals stress free and fun!

we continued the evening by heading to our dearly missed church for a beautiful candlelight service. the scriptures and music celebrated Jesus and the true meaning of christmas. and walking through the doors felt like coming home, and the warm and tender greetings from our dear friends touched us deeply.

and it didn't end there. we then joined melissa and steven's at their home for late night catching up with melissa's mom, lillie.

christmas day
we have always spent christmas day with my family, and since we stayed with them all week, this year it was fun to be able to sleep in. we spent an enjoyable morning and early afternoon preparing the meal together. in fact, the day was so laid back that we didn't even get to opening gifts until the sun had already gone down!

that's how you can tell we're all grown up. no one's begging to open presents on christmas morning:)

the cute couples. and yes, that's a mojito glass in shruti's hands. who would have ever thought in a million years that there would be drinks served?

brandon, shruti, daniel, casandra and jonathan

i think this is such a cute picture of casandra and jonathan. and have you noticed the cute haircuts on shruti and casandra? both recently donated their hair. i'd like to think i inspired them:)

gift time!

the highlight of the night was definitely enjoying dessert after all the presents were opened. the conversations and anecdotes got so funny that i tried to capture them on video, and would share them with you, but they just don't do the night justice. all i can say is that brandon attempting to put cooling eye drops into mark's eyes had me laughing so hard that i literally fell out of my seat and was rolling on the floor crying.

love those times.

the rest of the week

we tried to pack in as much as possible during the days that followed.

we played board games a few times (and yes, the boys did beat us twice at cranium). my mom and leslie and i spent an afternoon downtown in the snow. i laughed till i cried at the movies. mark reconnected with a close high school friend. we saw many loved ones. the list goes on and on.

and from trips to friends homes, to poker and xbox games, to brunches and lunches and dinners with any and everyone that would come out to play with us, we had a great time.

lunch group at fogo de chao. talk about over-indulgence.

dinner crowd at carson's. (l-r: norman, leslie, stacie, reggie, burton, kim, audrey, wylene, mark)

the week flew by, and by the time we left we were tired (exhausted, really) and extremely content.

we headed back to california on new year's eve (sadly, missing out on the fun at "4133"), and got home just in time pop open a bottle of champagne, turn the tv on, and countdown to the new year. and then collapse into our extremely-wonderful-and-very-missed bed!

sweet home, chicago

last week brought me back home for a few days, and boy were they busy ones! i packed in as much "seeing people" as i possibly could, and here's a bit of a recap of the little taste of home that this quick trip brought!

• wednesday afternoon, my plane landed and i got to see snow on the ground!
• quickly headed to my parents, let myself in, tiptoed into the living room (not that it was a surprise, but still), and was greeted with squeals and hugs from my mom and dad. dad's first comment was "i'm having trouble getting to your blog...can you help me with that" :)
• daniel was home, too, and jonathan got home shortly afterwards, having just finished his last final (congrats, jonny!) - we all headed out to dinner, and enjoyed a scrumptious meal.
• brandon joined us for dessert, and after some light shopping in downtown evanston, mom and i headed over to see his NEW CONDO!!! it really is gorgeous. proud of you, brandon!

• thrusday, i headed in to work for the day, and then had a delicious dinner out with my work team.
• i left and got to my old high school just in time for my brother, daniel's, concert choir performance. they sounded amazing - great job, daniel!
• mark's dad, norman was there, too. and i got to see my choral conductor, mrs. brown, from my own concert choir days! as in, the teacher from the class where mark and i met almost thirteen years ago. i haven't seen her in over 10 years!
• afterwards, the family enjoyed a relaxing night at home - brandon's girlfriend, shruti, was also at the concert and hung out later with us.

• friday brought another busy day at work, which i got to break up with a wonderful lunch with my dear friend, lindsay. i really do miss her.
• after work, i stopped by my friend precious' home, for a quick visit with her, and to meet her beautiful twins! jakob and jaimie are beautiful, and i'm so happy for this wonderful family.
• after picking up some wine, i met melissa for dinner at a local favorite (seriously, they make good everything), and even ran into our friends mandy and don, who were having dinner there, too!
• we got to spend the rest of the evening enjoying melissa's beautifully decorated pine scented home and some catch-up bff time. and i finally got to see her spain photos:)

• and saturday morning, i woke up for an early flight home. snow was falling, beautifully covering the ground, and it felt like christmas to me. ahhh.

i can't wait to head back next week. it'll be fun for mark and i to be there together this time, and we're looking forward to a wonderfully busy week. save some snow for him, okay?

homesick

something about being far away from home (home being chicago, of course) as the holiday season began, started to get me down last week.

my week of vacation, during which i was finally able to slow down and relax a little, was followed by a week of very little travel for work. nice as it was, it also left my mind free to finally realize just how much i miss my seeing, and being with, my friends and family.

you see, for a while after we moved, i was finding myself back in chicago every few weeks, so the experience of moving 2,000 miles away was just a little bit cushioned. following this "transition" came almost 2 months of no trips back. and with it, a noticeable lapse in communication with folks back home (and i fully admit that i am as much to blame as anyone), no more marathon to train for, the reality of not being able to get together with anyone easily, missing out on things i wanted to be a part of, and then, our first holiday in california.

i started to feel very, very, far, far away. and the sadness hit like a ton of bricks.

i've never lived away from home before. i went to college 15 minutes from my parents house, and since we've been married, mark and i have never lived more than an hour away from the people that we care about most. so this has been a first for me, and all-of-a-sudden, all at once, the reality of distance set in.

i started to notice that i didn't have much energy to do anything. after a day of sitting at the computer, all i wanted to do was take a nap. and with mark working some nights, i was especially lonely. i found myself in tears one night, wondering things like does anyone even miss us? and can't we just pick up and go home? thankfully, i have a wonderful and supportive husband who held me as i cried, and even cried with me (until we were both laughing:), reminding me that these feelings are normal.

and the next day, i spent a few hours re-connecting with my dearest, oldest friend.

and then i got an e-mail from my mom that reminded me that i'm at the top of her list.

and the next day, we got a call from our friend, and church choir director from home, just to see how things were going with us.

and then my brother, brandon, called and we spent a long time catching up and planning for Christmas.

and to top it all off, i also found out, that work will be bringing me back to chicago even sooner than our planned Christmas trip!

and so, i feel a million times better.

isn't God good? He knows exactly what we need, exactly when we need it, and He always, always, ALWAYS provides.

a marathon to remember

..it doesn't matter if we don't finish within our goal time -- or don't finish at all. what matters is that we tried, that we enjoyed the process. what matters is that we got out there."

~ john bingham

i woke up sunday morning ready to take on the world. every part of me was confident that by mid-afternoon i'd have completed my very first marathon, and i was looking forward to the thrill of the day. after weeks [and weeks and weeks] of living and breathing running, race day had finally arrived.

i quickly showered and applied a thick layer of spf 70 in anticipation of the expected heat, consumed my favorite race-morning meal of waffles covered with peanut butter, bananas and syrup, grabbed my race gear, and we were off.

ready to run

good 2 go

by 7:45am, i had found a spot at the start line, surrounded by nearly 35,000 other runners. i could see the 12 min/mile pace group nearby, and realized that i was further back than i wanted to be, but there was just no way to push forward to get to the 10 min/mile group. already, the temperature was in the mid 70's - much warmer than i had hoped - and i reminded myself that i was going to need to start slow.

at 7:59 the horn sounded and the crowd erupted in cheers. the elite athlete were off, and 20 minutes later my timing chip beeped as i crossed the start to music that had me pumped to go. mile 1 felt great. i had no knee pain, adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and the only thing i needed - already - was some water. as i checked my pace, i realized that i was running faster than i should have been, so i reminded myself, again, to slow down.

i saw the signs for water and gatorade as i rounded the corner, and was relieved. but as i approached, i quickly realized that there none left. "not a huge deal," i reassured myself as i moved forward, "i'll just get some at the next stop." yet i couldn't help but panic a little when i heard someone comment that if the aid stations didn't have water, they would just head off-course to buy some at a 7-11. my mind raced... what?!?! i hadn't brought any money! why didn't i think to bring money? what if there was no water for me to drink?!?!

thankfully, i found something to drink, but it was a battle to hydrate all along the way. for the first 8 miles, the water and gatorade stops were in complete disarray. there were no filled cups neatly lined on tables, ready to be handed out by volunteers. instead, many stations were completely empty, and volunteers were yelling "keep going - water at the end of the block". i pushed my way through lines, even grabbing a used cup to have it refilled when all the new cups were gone. at one point, i even stopping a runner with a huge jug of water, and begged for a drink.

hydration aside, battling the heat was another challenge. the temperatures soared to 88 degrees, and we were all struggling to keep cool. shop owners and residents all along the route had pulled hoses out to spray us down in an effort to help keep the runners cool. i assure you, it would have been a far different day, had it not been for the support of the thousands of chicagoans lining the course. i ran through lincoln park, bucktown, greektown, little italy, i was met with encouragement. it was exhilarating to hear the cheers, the clapping, and until the letters of my name feel off my shirt, i had hundreds of people cheering for me by name. "go audrey!" "You Can Do It Audrey!" "WAY TO GO AUDREY!"

and as i ran, accepting that i was dropping further and further off pace due to the heat and humidity, all i could think about was the next time i would see another family member or friend. i kept scanning the crowds that i passed for familiar faces, and was so thrilled to see my cheering coworker at mile 5, that i stopped to give her a sweaty hug! my mom met me with a hug and a banana at mile 6, and mark and leslie with high-fives and yells of "KEEP GOING AUDREY" at mile 7.

the list goes on and on. i saw my coworker again at mile 10, just missed mark and leslie at mile 12, saw my mom two more times at miles 13 and 16. melissa, kjersten, esther and grace met me at mile 15. and brandon surprised me at mile 17, where he started to bike alongside me for a bit. it was each of these individual moments that motivated me to keep going. the oppressive heat, the pain that found its way back into my knee, the mental struggle were all but forgotten when i saw the face of yet another one of my amazing supporters.

a photo text sent by my mile 15 support crew

still, it was impossible to ignore that impact of the heat that day. every aid station along the way was full. sirens could be heard almost constantly, and chicago had to call in EMTs from neighboring suburbs to help treat and the many people who suffered from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. as i crossed the timing mat at 30K (ashland and 15th street), i saw a man surrounded by about 8 other runners as one person applied CPR and another pumped his chest. i remember slowing down to pray for him and for clarity for myself, as i evaluated for the 10th time that day how i was truly feeling. was i pushing myself too hard? should i continue on?

i was fine, but others were not. over 300 people were taken to hospitals. one man died, and i later realized that he was likely the same man i saw. devastating.

i kept going. at some point, i realized that it hurt more to walk than to run, so i ran. soon after, i heard a voice behind me, and realized that it was my dear friend, kathy, who mark and i had supported in last year's marathon - an experience that inspired me to run this year. i was elated! we hugged, and decided to finish the race together.

shortly after mile 20, a woman's voice could be heard repeating "the marathon has been cancelled due to the heat. slow down - do not run. the marathon has been cancelled". cancelled!?!? at first i didn't understand. what did she mean, cancelled? chicago had never cancelled a marathon before. i had just run 20 miles, and knew i could do 6 more (or at least, i thought i could). up ahead of us, firefighters had opened hydrants to cool us down as we slowed to a stop. i was disappointed and i started to deflate. all that wasted time and effort - my weeks and weeks of training - had been in vain. i wasn't going to finish.

i knew that mark, norman, leslie, jonathan and casandra were all waiting at mile 21, and wylene, reggie, josh and kim were at mile 23. i called them all to tell them that the race had been cancelled. i walked ahead to find my mile 21 support crew who had started to walk towards me, and we met with hugs. as we headed back towards chinatown together, we debated what to do.

at some point i decided that i wanted to at least walk to the finish. mark quickly said that he'd walk with me, and soon jonathan and casandra chimed in that they'd do it, too. we met brandon, and later my mom, and together walked to remaining 6 miles to the finish line.

i can't tell you how amazing it was to have this group with me. i thank them, again and again, for helping me to end the race on a positive note. had i taken the shortcut back, had i boarded one of th many busses sent out to cart us to the finish, i would have been even more disappointed.

brandon, jonathan, casandra and mark - my six-mile support crew!

with my biggest fan:)

reggie, wylene, josh and kim - still waiting at mile 23! AMAZING!

five down, only one more to go

crossing the finish in 6:22:29. sigh.

to keep me warm?

finisher's medal

thanks for the flowers, honey!

so almost a week later, how do i feel? will i run another marathon? i'm not sure. my knee and my body are still recovering. i have mixed emotions about the day, the events throughout, and especially about seeing my finish time published in the paper and on the marathon website. i didn't get to feel that amazing feeling as i crossed the finish-line that i've been told about by many marathon veterans. in fact, i don't even know for sure that i can run 26.2.

one thing that i do know, is that i'll never forget last sunday for as long as i live. from the start to the finish its filled with countless memories and stories that i can, and will, tell for a lifetime.

yes. it certainly was a marathon to remember.

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!

the brunch club goes orange

i must say, the rest of my week in chicago was just as fantastic as the first half! unfortunately, work has kept me so busy since i've returned, that i haven't had much time to write about it!

i was thrilled to be in town for the august brunch club gathering, and have finally found some time to post my review of orange.

check out other reviews, and stay tuned for future chicago brunch club appearances!

so far, so great!

three days and four nights in chicago (so far) equals:

• workday breaks and lunches spent catching up with friends and coworkers
• wonderful evenings at my parent's house, conversations with my brothers on the updates in their lives, and fun times resulting in very little sleep each night
• quality time with my bff (complete with lattes, cake and the best of conversations)
• dinner with mark's dad and sister at a tried-and-true favorite, where we also got to celebrate leslie's first day at a fantastic new job!

looking forward to what the rest of the week has to offer :)