Did you Run Lucky?

I honestly didn't know what I was getting myself into last night when I put my usual Thursday spin routine aside to go for a run. I had an invite that told me to arrive at Niketown at 6 p.m., bring my I.D. and wear green, but that was where the details ended. While the mystery was a selling point for me--and hundreds of other runners (or so it seemed judging by the line and amount of people packed into Niketown first floor)--it wasn't enough to convince a few others to join me. I'm being a little unfair with that as I only asked three runners: one had to work late, another (hubby) wasn't feeling well and I can't argue with someone who has to go to work at 5:45 a.m., and the other had an appointment. But after it's all said and done, they missed out.

If there was ever a night to celebrate running and get excited for the season ahead, last night was it. And I'm not just writing that because the weather couldn't have been better to get out and run--a night that we haven't seen since sometime in late January (I remember because that was the last time I ran outside)--or that it was Thursday and we only had one more work day to survive before the weekend, or that March typically means spring's arrival and we weren't bracing for a late-season snowstorm. But the crowd coming out to run was huge--and they were dressed in green as the invite requested. And the celebratory atmosphere, you couldn't help but want to run through the streets. I should have known better since the cold didn't keep runners inside last winter for Fleet Feet's midnight run, but it didn't click until I saw the registration/gear check line filling the front of the store and runners continuing to spill in until our 6:30ish departure time.

As for how the mystery unfolded? That's going to be a story of words and some pictures. And forgive me in advance for some of the lackluster photos--I was trying to snap away as quickly as I could but sometimes my camera didn't want to cooperate or I was too close to the scene to capture it all in one shot without sacrificing something.

First up comes the sea of green among the runners. You know how you make a request to wear a particular color or bring a certain item and inevitably someone forgets or doesn't play along? You really couldn't have an excuse last night, even if you really didn't have green in your closet. There were kilts, old Shamrock Shuffle tees, fleeces, green man-and woman--suits, hoodies, and that's just talking about the gear we came with. Nike was quick to provide green gear for those without or those who wanted to accessorize. We're talking shamrock scarves, green glowing glasses, "Kiss Me I'm Irish" necklaces, T-shirts, green and white striped arm warmers (or at least I think Nike provided those since several donned pairs), and even some special Run Lucky jackets and green feather boas.

Step two was assembling outside the store and waiting for the green light to charge full speed ahead. We lined the sidewalk at the corner of Michigan and Huron, huddled like we would be for a race start and then it was off. And in typical race fashion, we started running only to stop a few steps later and then take off again. But unlike a race, there was no pushing or shoving to get to the front of the pack--no one cared who was first, no one cared how fast we ran (thank goodness since I could hardly move after smacking my tailbone on the slopes the week before), and no one cared about who we ran with. It was more about the allure of where we were going, where we'd make the next turn and who was going to get stopped by the "Don't Walk" signs. And what we'd encounter next on this journey, like the bagpipers lining the route, signaling that we were on the right track.

I kept wondering how far we'd run west before stopping and found my answer when we wound south, west, north and west again to reach the El tracks, climb the station's stairs and wait for our Shamrock Express. Talk about special treatment: Nike commandeered a train decked out in Run Lucky regalia to transport us to the next spot. Now normally I'm not a fan of waiting for an El, but this was worth waiting for...we had commuters staring at us--mostly in disbelief--bagpipers serenading us as we waited (and check out their shoes, they're green!), and Irish step dancers freezing their legs off on our account.

Next it was full speed ahead to our final destination: Mystic Celt on Southport. That's where we needed our I.D.'s and where we were greeted with two drink vouchers and a runner's buffet complete with those snack foods craveable after a long run--wings, cheese sticks, bruschetta and veggies. Typical me to focus on the food, but that wasn't the true highlight of the night. Hanging out with other runners--many strangers for me, but for once it was OK--marveling at the green get-ups, imbibing and playing Nike trivia. Can't complain when you answer a question about Nike Air and score a skullcap and arm warmers--some peeps even went home with iPods. And capping off the evening was a concert by U2 cover band Elevation--but by the time they came on I was seated on a chartered bus back to Niketown, not entirely by choice but more because I was already committed to teaching swim lessons. Not a big deal, but knowing that I've needed running motivation all winter, Nike was feeding it to me last night and I was gladly eating it all up.

And the good news for those of us in Chicago is that this fun run was only the beginning. You can't expect a special El and beer regularly, but Niketown hosts runs every Thursday from their Michigan Avenue store. Convenient for those who live in the area and the perfect stopping off point for anyone working downtown who wants to workout before heading home. Or in my case, motivational since it's hard to make up an excuse when everyone else is running, too. Now if only I could carry Thursday's momentum forward for the races coming all too quickly on the calendar.

For more pictures, check out some of the evening's events at this slideshow. Top photo grabbed from Nike Run Club Chicago's Facebook page. Posted by Kate

Back on Track with 2010 Fitness Goals

You promised yourself in January that 2010 was the year you planned increase your fitness, train for a particular race or learn a new sport. Or maybe you knew that come January 1 it was time to forget about the holiday hustle, all the times you hit snooze and skipped a work out, and the extra helpings you allowed yourself during the festivities. Regardless, you had goals set on New Year’s Day.

Now February has come and gone, March has rolled around—faster than you’d like to admit—and you still haven’t found time to go to the gym, map out a race calendar and register for that key event, or return to that routine you so diligently stuck to last year. But it’s not too late to get started on accomplishing those goals or feel like you’re constantly playing catch up with the rest of the group. Here are five ways to join or jump back onto the fitness bandwagon:

Hop in the pool. Before triathlon season comes around, get in the pool and practice your strokes. The open water will be a lot easier to tackle if you can hone your skills in calmer pool waters. One way to do it: Practice drills that will make you more efficient in the water.

Try a new sport. If you ran a half marathon in 2009, consider a triathlon in 2010. It might seem daunting to have to add swimming and cycling to the mix, but look at it as cross training that’s even more beneficial for the run. Or if you think you’ve done it all, reach out of your comfort zone for an adventure race, work your flexibility in yoga, or learn to ski—cross-country skiing is one of the best cardio exercises around.

Improve one sport in your repertoire. If you’ve done triathlons, consider isolating one of its disciplines to focus on before the season starts. Set up your bike on an indoor trainer and feel comfortable in the saddle without worrying about balance or dodging pedestrians on the path. Push yourself harder in your runs or aim to get faster through track and interval work. Practice transitions in your living room.

Join a group training program. They’ll hold you more accountable for training, you’ll have a coach guiding you, and you’ll meet new friends that love training as much as you do and can make great workout partners. The good news is that many programs get underway in March and April, especially if you've set your eyes on a half marathon, half Ironman or marathon this year.

Free fitness. Who doesn’t love a free workout? The New Year doesn’t just mean crowded gyms with more people trying to get fit and lose weight. Those gyms and other facilities like yoga studios offer deals to check out what programs they offer. Or if you love to run but don’t want to run alone, there are plenty of weeknight and weekend fun runs to keep the legs moving.

Photo grabbed from truebod.com. Posted by Kate

Three Things To Do...

...Before the weekend ends. This week has flown by far faster than I expected. Actually, wait, I take that back, this month has flown by faster than expected, and I can hardly believe that we'll be ringing in March come Monday. But as February draws to a close, there are a few deadlines that have crept up on me that expire at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday night. And no, I'm not referring to the Olympic flame being extinguished--even though that's an event I'm sad to see come to a close, especially since it's meant something interesting to watch on TV at all hours of the day and lots of unique stories to follow.

Mark your calendars for these events that you don't want to miss:

• Ironman Lottery. I blogged about this chance to win a spot to Kona, Hawaii, more in depth last year. And it's hard to believe that the deadline to enter this year's lottery rolls around on Sunday after being open shortly after the 2009 World Championships came to a close in October. Give yourself a chance to race this infamous Ironman course that started it all and features the best in the sport, pros and age-groupers, by entering the lottery here.
• Greater Outdoors Project. Nominate, apply, or suggest an organization worthy of receiving a $50,000 grant courtesy of the Redwood Creek Greater Outdoors Project. Think about outdoor organizations that restore public parks, non-profits trying to complete river restorations and clean-ups, community groups that preserve, protect and provide access to the outdoors and get them listed on the ballot that the public will vote on April 1 through August 31.
• Ironman 70.3 Racine. If you're planning on racing the Ironman 70.3 in Racine, Wis., come July 18, you might want to sign up sooner rather than later. This is my personal reminder too as I've been telling myself for at least the last month that I wanted to add this race to my 2010 calendar. Reason to sign up by Sunday? The race fee increases from $200 to $225 when March rolls around. Click here to register.

Know of any other important deadlines that come at the end of February? Add them to the comments as we'd love to hear them. Photo grabbed from wallpaperstock.net. Posted by Kate

The Daily Feed: Sites We're Searching 2/24

Between the Olympics, a trip out to Colorado for some skiing and some coaching programs about to get underway when I return to reality in Chicago, it's easy for me to say I have my hands full this week. But that's not keeping me from staying connected and doing my usual online reading. To be honest, I'm probably reading more than I should since I have limited hours in front of my computer after long ski days and should really be sleeping to let my muscles recover. Here are some favorite reads that are keeping me up late at night:

• What do those Olympians jam to when they're training and competing? Find out some of the top hits courtesy of the Fit-Bottomed Girls.
• Yikes to the women's GS race that partially went down today. I feel for Julia Mancuso--check out one of the reports at nbcolympics.com.
  
• Hooray for the medal winners from the U.S. Ski Team for making the cover of Sports Illustrated.
• I became a fan of the Nordic Combined team Tuesday night when they won silver. What an exciting race and I can totally see why Johnny Spillane would call it a fun sport to watch and not just because he races it. Exhilarating to the finish between Billy Demong and Austria's Mario Stecher.
• I love watching this video from The Today Show about aerialist Emily Cook.

Photo grabbed from Sports Illustrated's March 1 cover. Posted by Kate

Olympic Favorites from the Sidelines

When it comes to the Olympics--summer and winter--I'm obsessed. A healthy obsession, at least in my mind, but you'll definitely find me glued to the TV for the two weeks of competition. And now in the electronic age, I'll also be online, hunting for any and everything related to the Games: gear, footage not televised on prime time, athlete bios, random facts, you name it. One thing that has been a favorite since I started tuning into the swimming events in 1992 is the Olympic fashions, especially those goods that Team USA sports during the two weeks of competition.

In 1992, it was the warm-up jacket the swim team sported atop the medal stand--don't laugh but I even tried to create the jacket myself with cloth-friendly markers and a Tyvex-like jacket that came in a kit. During the 1996 Atlanta Games, I had to have a set of warm-ups made famous by the women's gymnastics team when they won gold. Let's just say I was thrilled when I tracked down a replica at a Champion store near my aunt's house--still have the pants in my closet. And I bought some random Roots gear to support Team USA for Athens 2004. For Salt Lake in 2002, I managed to resist any purchases outside of Olympic pins but we might all remember how trendy those Roots berets were. The same holds true for 2006 and 2008, where I mostly ogled the designs and only wished for a reason to add them to my collection.

Not to bore you with all this history, but I thought it might help explain my shopping spree wish-list for the 2010 Games. When the Games opened last Friday, I was already pumped from some pre-Olympic goodies and gear information, but the opening ceremonies only fueled my fire. Here's some of my Olympic favorites, gold-medal worthy in my book:

Nike. I was hooked from the time they announced the medal stand look, but their Olympic collection has a few other favorites as well. The men's knit hat, the track jacket ($80) and the medal stand jacket ($175). Or the Zoom Fly Sister One+ ($110) with its special USA pattern unique to these Games and given to the athletes when they arrived in Vancouver.

Lululemon. It's not official Olympic gear, but the Lululemon hockey hat is one cool toque. It may look odd off the head, but it works. This Vancouver-based company almost had to come up with something to offer when the Olympics came to town, and they scored with this hat complete with tooth grease to make you grin like a hockey player. Also check out rest of the cheer gear that doesn't have to go into storage when the Games end.

Polo. Ralph Lauren is the official outfitter of Team USA for the opening and closing ceremonies and one look at the outfits Friday night and I'm hooked. For Torino, I was all about the Roots USA vest; this time I'm hooked on the Polo sweater and hat worn by the U.S. Olympians during their march into BC Place. The sweater is available online for $425 (a little out of range for my tastes unfortunately), but my eyes are still out for how to score the knit hat. It's not part of Polo's online collection of Olympic gear, but Meredith Vieira sported one on The Today Show, which leaves me hoping that they're out there somewhere.

Olympic Pins. Always favorites at the Games are the Olympic pins. From the basic to the unique, there's a pin that catches everyone's eye--or trade for one that does. Some of the best can be had at official Olympic stores especially those on-site in Vancouver, or check out what's available at this Canadian retailer.

Red mittens. The world is smitten with these mittens that made their debut during the Olympic torch relay. So much so that the media liked to report that they were flying off the shelves and hard to come by. These red mittens adorned with a white maple leaf in the palm and Olympic rings on the top of the palms are in high demand--already sold out online and hard to find in Vancouver--but available in vast quantities in other Canadian provinces. I should know--I desperately wanted to score a pair and lucked out when a family friend went shopping in Windsor, Ontario. Plus, what better way to help support Canadian athletes?

Olympic mascots gear. How can you not love the adorable mascots for the Vancouver Games? Quatchi the sasquatch, Miga the sea bear, Mukmuk the marmot and Sumi the animal guardian spirit are everywhere from T-shirts to plush toys to pins where they participate in Olympic sports. I love these guys!

It's a good thing I already purchased some pins and a mascot T-shirt when I visited Vancouver in October. Otherwise, I'd be rushing to purchase more than just those popular red mittens. What are some of your favorite 2010 souvenirs? Photo grabbed from jaunted.com. Posted by Kate