Hot Chocolate, Chicago, a Stomach Bug, and a 22 Miler

Had a great time last weekend on my trip to Chicago.  We had a smooth easy drive into Chicago and arrived at the Expo in record time.  My sis and her friend were still standing in line to get into the Expo, so Amy and I were able to walk up and join them.  The line to get in to the Expo and get the race bib was ridiculously long.  My sister's total wait time was well over an hour.  We were all excited when we finally got in and received our race bibs and the cute sweatshirts.  We shopped a bit at the Expo, then headed down to our hotel.  We were able to meet up with my friend Kim and some of her friends for dinner at The Scout.  Then we headed back to our hotel at about 11, so we could get some sleep before the race. 

We were just about a 1 mile walk from Grant Park, though it was some more walking to get to the bag checks then back to the corral.  The corrals were jam-packed, so we had to wait outside the entrance to our corral until they started moving our start group forward.  We were finally able to get in, but this caused us to be at the very back of our corral.  This year, the 5K and 15K were all started together, so for the first 2 miles we could hardly move.  Our pace was over a minute per mile slower than usual during that first mile, as we just could not really get anywhere with all the people.  There were several people that appeared to be in the wrong corral, too.  Once the 5K group turned off, we were able to pick up the pace and get into a nice groove.  The temps were chilly, but perfect for the run.  Amy and I ran together for 7 of the 9.3 miles, then I pulled a bit ahead through a dark underpass tunnel, where she slowed a bit to watch her footing (probably a smart idea).  I ended up finishing in almost exactly the same time as last year.  I ran much better this year, but those first two crowded miles messed up the overall finish a bit.  Also, as this was within my training for the full, I didn't want to go all out and risk injury.  This run was just for the fun of it. 

After the run we had our Hot Chocolate and Chocolate Fondue! Yum!  It was a bit of a walk from the finish and bag pick up to the celebration area, but that allowed me to get plenty of walking in to add to my mileage (since the 9.3 was actually a little less than my full training plan called for).  We waited for my sister to get to the area and enjoy her chocolate.  I saw my friend Kim again briefly, so we were able to share our race experiences.  Then we returned to the hotel to shower and change before going out to lunch.  We had a great lunch at Rock Bottom Brewing Co., then did a bit of shopping.  We returned to the hotel for a little rest, grabbed some appetizers in the hotel bar, then took a cab to Zanie's Comedy Club for some stand up comedians.  The next morning we grabbed breakfast, then did a bit more shopping before heading home.  I enjoyed my time in Chicago!

I had a professional development day on Tuesday and completed a 7 mile run that evening.  Then I woke up Wednesday morning feeling just aweful.  I ended up throwing up several times throughout the day and couldn't keep any food down.  I had to miss Wed. 3 mile run.  I had aches all over my body and chills in to the night, so I had to again stay home from school on Thursday.  By Thursday late afternoon, I decided I could try an easy run, so as not to get too far off my training plan.  I ran 3 miles, walked most of mile 4, then ran again at a slower pace for another 3 miles to get in my 7 miles.  It wiped me out.  I was only able to eat small porions of food still on Friday, and I was exhausted by the end of the work day.  We went out to dinner at Olive Garden to carb load before my 22 mile run (the last super long run before the taper).  I was only able to eat half of my meal (and I even got one of the under 600 calorie meals), though I did have a little salad and one and a half breadsticks, too.  I was worried about the 22 miles with such a messed up week!

Saturday morning, I had my usual pre-long run meal of peanut butter and jelly on toast with a banana.  I also had a Zipp Fizz (drink powder mixed into water).  I mapped out a course along the roads that was a hilly coarse, since most of my long runs have been on running/biking trails with fewer/smaller hills.  It was very windy out and warm (the high made it into the 80's as a warm front moved through today).  I ran at my usual pace for the first 9 miles, feeling good even with the wind, hills, and it heating up a bit as time went on.  Then on mile 10, just as I was getting into a really hilly section of the run, my stomach started cramping up.  From then on, I had to take a lot of walk breaks.  I tried eating extra chews and an extra mini payday bar.  I refilled my water when I need to, so I stayed hydrated.  I even stopped and bought a Gatorade at a gas station.  I'd walk awhile, then when I felt the cramping had stopped, I run for a bit until the cramping started again.  I haven't had stomach cramps while running for a very long time.  I'm assuming it was related to the stomach bug from earlier in the week; I'm probably still not fully recovered.  But, I did complete the 22 miles.  I'm not happy that I had to walk for a lot of it, but I am pleased to have completed the distance.

My husband had to use the eliptical for several hours, then he rode his bike to meet me at the car.  He is doing everything he can to keep up his fitness, still hoping for the ability to run at the last minute to complete the full.  We came home and showered and changed then went out to a late lunch.  Afterward, we came home and pretty much just laid around the rest of the day.  I still feel tired today (Sunday).  The kids spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa, so I'm going to go pick them up in a while.  I really hope I can get some energy back and start eating more, so I can finish strong with the training plan and be ready for the full on December 1.