5K: St. Patrick's Run at Diversey Harbor

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to run 5Ks as often as I could. I started training in December, and my first one was during my birthday weekend downtown.

R was only there for a few minutes before he took off to go fish, so there is only one photo of me, and the rest I took while I was running. :) The theme was St. Patrick's Day, so again there were lots of people dressed up in costumes. I stuck with just a dark green top (peeking out under my running jacket).



It was really freakin' cold out. So glad I had invested in all the cold-weather gear; I wore every single thing! We also got a t-shirt for signing up, and I added that to the layers as well.

The race was at Diversey Harbor. It's too soon for any of the boats to be in yet, but it's still a pretty area. We lucked out; the rain and fog that had permeated the area broke up in time for the race, so it ended up being a really nice day!



People getting ready:




Then we were off! It was pretty muddy with lots of puddles on the path, so it was slow-going in spots as we all navigated through narrow running areas in a large group. I think next time I will try to get a spot further up in the crowd; I know I ended up running with the slower people around me, but we were very far back and it was almost all walkers behind us. That actually doesn't do well for my motivation because it makes me feel even slower than I am, if that makes any sense.

The two mile mark (the time is from when the race started, not my actual time):


I averaged just under 13 minutes per mile. Not bad, not great. It gives me lots of room to improve as I keep racing! I won't lie; I did stop and walk 3 times during the race, for short stints. I'll be looking to improve on that too.

The three mile mark. I got a good hard run in after that, with my final burst of energy:


My final time was 39:26, my pace was 12:44, and I came in 815 out of about 1800 participants. 37 out of 48 of my division (Women ages 40-44), and 457 out of 545 for my gender overall. Not that any of those stats really matter, except as a personal baseline so I can see my improvement as my 5K year progresses.

They were serving bananas and green bagels to runners afterward. Ha!



Instead, Hubby and I went out for pancakes. I love pancakes after a run; that's a tradition I think I will keep.

Now I just have to remember to post the next one here too. Should be in April!

Chicago by Segway

We rented Segways this weekend and explored Millenium Park and Museum Campus. It was great fun, and I highly recommend it for anyone visiting the city who wants to see the lakefront without walking it. Here are some of the highlights:

Group Yoga at the Pavilion


Monroe Harbor


Skyline with the newly renamed "Willis Tower"


In front of Buckingham Fountain


Riding up to Soldier Field


South Loop condos


Field Museum


Dinosaur enjoying the sunny day


Self-Portrait of me and my Hubby


I even have more to post tomorrow. *gasp*

Guest Photographer: Richard Plocinik

My husband recently went on a trip with his family to Michigan and Pennsylvania, and inspired by my passion for photography, decided to take a camera with him. He hadn't used one in a long time, but I was pretty impressed with what he found!



This was taken in Stony Creek State Park in Michigan, in a random unmarked clearing. I love the light in the trees behind, and the perfect framing of the bench. You get a great sense of how tall the trees are, and how quiet it must have been.




This was on a priest's gravestone, in the Pennsylvania cemetery of the church where he served for forty years. I loved the intricacy of the detail; the priest was someone they obviously respected, but the shared love of the church comes through even more.




The house's decorations are split completely in half, right down to the different shades of yellow paint and even the different walls along the sidewalk. Impressive!

All these shots are even better viewed in large:
Bench in Clearing
Priest's Gravestone
Split House


My husband has a good eye, doesn't he?

Tree in two seasons: Spring and Winter

The plan is to do a four-season series of this majestic oak.

From this winter:




From this spring:

Agora Sculpture Revisited

Back in January, I photographed the Agora sculptures in Grant Park. I returned this month and tried to capture them in a less 'intimidating' perspective. The little girl riding her Disney Princess bike around the statues helped a lot with changing the mood of the scene, I think. (The entire series is available in the Agora set at Flickr.)

Flick Park bridge in winter

Some of you might recognize this bridge, as it is one of my favorites to photograph in the fall. You can also see more Pairs sets photos at Flickr.