Newfangled Dad

There are only so many things you can do as a runner when the finish line temperature is 91. Yesterday was not a day for PRs or learning much about my new nutrition strategy. It was mostly a day for desperately trying to stay hydrated, cool, and finding a way to tolerate a few calories when absolutely nothing sounds good. Points to the North Shore Half Marathon--RAM Racing organized a pretty decent event. It had a lot of bells and whistles that other races don't have. They did a great job of encouraging runners to slow down in the heat, drop back to the 5k distance if they had doubts, check in with First Aid, etc.. They had a couple of sponge stations with enough for everyone and wet towels at the finish which were very, very welcome. But there were a few important things that could have been done better that really made for a miserable day. The water stations were fairly far apart. I also really would have liked to have seen more sponges and cooling off closer to the start. It...

Kelly and I laughed--half depressed--in the car during afternoon rush hour yesterday that the travel time from inner suburb to downtown Chicago and the travel time on Sunday morning to a race 30 miles away on the North Shore will probably take about the same amount of time. Gotta love Chicago expressway traffic. Actually, travel time at 5:30am on a Sunday morning will probably be faster to the race. But if I wanted to pick up my packet anywhere nearby, it had to be at the west Lincoln Park location of the running store.  Just like race morning, I volunteered to go by myself to packet pickup, but appreciate the company. It maybe wasn't the most pleasant journey in stop-and-go with the kids, finding parking, then quickly back in the car. By the time we got home it was Cole's bedtime. Kelly was so sweet, however, insisting that someone who puts the  hard work in to run 13.1 miles deserves support. She'll have her hands full with the kids while I race. Luckily, we should hav...

What better way to finish off your last training run before your half marathon (complete with limping 3 miles of it due to a suddenly tight calf) than taking your toddler to the swimming pool for the first time this summer? The soreness in my leg I'm chalking up to a combination of poor eating/hydration lately and overuse from stepping up my runs. Last week I did a 12 mile run much harder than usual and the week before was a rare track workout. Not my typical routine. Injury. That's the way with distance running. For race week, I've dedicated myself to proper hydration and nutrition as I taper off the miles and add carbs for Sunday. The goal with taking Cole to the pool despite the temps only being in the mid 70's was to see how he reacted before I took Leda in a baby carrier. Trying to be prepared. He was a funny little guy. Chattering teeth and lips turning blue from almost the minute we got there, but a smile on his face. It wasn't that cold if you were in ...