great day!

I can't remember a better day for running than today!  It was about 45 or so degrees when we left at about 8am, and warmed up to about 55 by the time we finished.  And all along the route my running parters and I talked about how beautiful it was.  We mentioned those pictures in the front of Runners World magazine, 'rave run' and thought our run today would qualify.

We went to Barrington.  If you've never been there, you should check it out.  There are any number of loops from 10-20 miles of the most beautiful running you're going to find in the Chicago area.  We live in the city, but drive the hour to get out there because it's worth it.  There are plenty of hills you won't find downtown as well as quiet roads with little traffic.

We've been running there for years, as have many others.  What used to be a secret is out now.  It is a great place to train for a race, and a great place just to enjoy a long run.  I've noticed alot of cyclists are going out there lately as well. 

We went about 14 miles this morning.  We tried to go easy, but the weather was so great, it was tough to hold back.  I know I'm in the taper mode for the marathon though and that is the first priority.  As a matter of fact, Nike asked me to be an honorary captain for their Northside vs. Southside promotion.  They're going to donate a bunch of money to the charity arm of the baseball team (Cubs or Sox) whose runners put in the most miles.  So it's a good thing to be involved in.

They measure the miles by using the Nike-plus ipod system.  I've mentioned before that I am not big on running gadgets, but I have to admit this is pretty cool.  I ran with it the other day.  It plugs into my ipod, and there's a sensor you attach to your shoe.  Then it tells you how long you ran (time and distance) as well as your pace etc.  You can then enter it on your computer to keep a diary.  It's a novelty for me, but I can see where people would really get addicted to it.

In any case, it really feels like marathon day is getting close.  I'm paying close attention to the weather forecast, and, of course it's supposed to be below freezing next week.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it rebounds with warmer temperatures the week after for the race.  In the meantime, enjoy your runs the next couple days.  Dress warmly!