Super Start to Summer

Summer launched on a great note.  Beautiful weather. Beautiful place. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.  The Soldier Field 10 was my almost perfect.  Bike the Drive. The Chicago Blackhawks won the first two games of the the Stanley Cup finals. 

Soldier Field 10

It all started Saturday morning.  The birds sang.  While the sun struggled to wake up, I popped out of bed.  I didn’t get the sleep I wanted but I felt good.  After Matthew, Patrick, and Lou got their things together, we headed off to Soldier Field 10. Getting to the Chicago lake front was quick and parking was a breeze.  We had plenty of time to warm up, stretch, chat, and stretch some more.  I didn’t see my supervisor and her husband.  I didn’t have her cell phone number also.  Did they over sleep?  Will we ever see them on this busy day?

I loved how Fleet Feet Chicago set up the starting line.  The starting line was split down the middle.  To the runner’s right was corral A and to the left was open corral.  It was different.  It was better.  It was a good use of a traffic barrier on the road.  It allowed the crowd to leave the starting line in a smaller grouping as the road narrowed as it went under McCormick Place.  

Where I stood in the corral was a jaw dropping view of the Soldier Field’s colonnades framed by trees standing guard along the road, blue skies above, and anxious runners waiting to be unleashed on the course.  I felt unusually good.  As we neared the starting line, I found my supervisor and her beau.  They jumped in with us.  My supervisor as my brother and I our pace.  She told us to go on ahead so her beau (J), my brother, and I left her behind.  We ran as a group for the couple of miles.  Traffic broke us up.  I felt REALLY good and decided to abandon the plan.  When the group broke us up again, I sped a bit up.  Matthew caught up and told us our pace has been increasing.  We lost J in the crowd.   I swore I heard his laugh at around mile four but I couldn’t find him.  Ultimately, he finished over two minutes before me. 

It just felt good that day.  My brother helped me manage my run.  I ran happy.  I ran free.  The race didn’t feel crowded like other races I’ve entered.  Yes, I cramped up after drinking a strong Gatorade but I ran through it. Matthew told me he’ll be leaving my side after mile seven.  I told him to run sexy.  He pulled away from me.  “I’m so close!” I thought to myself. I kept Matthew within my line of sight and slowly caught back up to him.  I pushed it harder hoping he would follow.  I looked back and saw he didn’t follow suit.  It was just me.  Soldier Field continued to grow larger in the horizon. 

I returned to the place we started.  An awful lot of people were huffing and puffing.  The crowd was tired.  The fifty yard line was within reach.  I started hooting, hollering and clapping my hands to get myself and everyone excited to get on the field.  I has extra to throw it into another gear as I entered the field.  I crossed the finished line and someone patted me on the shoulder.  I turned around expecting my brother and saw bib number 900 extend his hand for a hand shake and said something positive.  That quick moment was the highlight of my race. 

I found Matthew at the finish line, Lou floating around outside, and Patrick searching for us.  We relaxed and took a photo to celebrate our finish.  Later that night, the Chicago Blackhawks won game 1 and I discovered that I ran the event in 1:28:51, just enough to qualify for corral A.

Bike the Drive

For a second straight day, I woke up before the sun.  Patrick was kind enough to drive Matthew and me to Grant Park for Bike the Drive.  We rode south to the Museum of Science and Industry.  I must say, the volunteers on the southside seemed much more excited and into it than volunteers on the northside.  I might consider living down south.  I took a few great photo perspectives while riding.  I just wish I had one with me and my brother.  It was a blast riding a carless Lake Shore Drive.  It’s something I definitely want to do again. 

After the ride, a co-worker told me she leaves us at the end of June.  It made me think a lot since then.  A Blackhawks win prevented me from getting all ‘emo’ about my life.  I’m glad she’s leaving.  She’s following her heart.  I need to do the same.  The theme for this summer will be building a foundation and create the path towards what I want. It’s been in the back of my mind for a while.  Thanks Tiff for bring it to the forefront of my life again.