The Show Must Go On?

Last week, I nearly booked myself a plane ticket to New York City to watch the marathon this weekend. Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan would be in town. Meb Keflezighi would be running. The Halls would be there (at last check I swear they were coming). The Garmin guys would be running--go Jake and Justin! And of course all the latest and greatest gear would be on tap at the expo. Mizuno offered the chance to win a slot at a special brunch and they were showcasing the Breath Thermo top that looked like just the layer I needed to stay warm this winter--and after not being one of the lucky ones to win shoes or invited the Mezamashii Project, I'd take any opportunity I could to win a second chance. Basically, if I could get myself to the Big Apple without spending an arm and a leg, I wanted to be there.

Then Sandy happened. She tore across the East Coast and flooded some of the most unfathomable spots in the city that never sleeps, making New York look like it was Universal Studio's Earthquake ride (I promise I'm not joking about what happened, I just couldn't believe that so many Atlantic landmarks were destroyed). But what did I start thinking about after the initial OMG moments? The New York City Marathon. Would it go on as scheduled or would it be canceled?

Fit-Q: What's your ideal running temperature?

Credit: lululemon athletica

It's fall and it's marathon season. Sometimes that means cool temperatures (we hope) but in recent years, we haven't been so lucky especially when the Bank of America Chicago Marathon hits the Windy City. Remember the year it snowed? It was 1993. How about the year where it was so hot the race was cancelled and runners were encouraged to pull off course? That was the 30th anniversary in 2007, where temperatures soared into the high 80s and it felt like an oven on the city streets. Or when the starting temperatures were at freezing? It was 2009. Or what about last year when it felt like summer? 

Sure marathons get their fair share of weather extremes--don't remind me about the Grandma's Marathon I ran where it was uncharacteristically warm and the promise of cool air blowing off Lake Superior didn't happen--from rain to sun, wind to still air, cold to hot. And sure the weather can change in an instant. How many times have you looked at the weather forecast only to watch it change again and again before race day? I know I was expecting to see temperatures in the 60s or 70s when I looked at this year's Chicago Marathon forecast--I've simply grown used to it, between the warm races the last two years and not running a chilly race once this season (and I've been racing since March).

But while some of us beg for chillier air, even if it borders on freezing, others want a little warmer weather. So we want to know...

What's your ideal running temperature, marathon or not?

poll by twiigs.com

Note: Degrees are measured on the Fahrenheit scale.  

Photo grabbed from lululemon athletica at flickr.

The Daily Feed: Sites We're Searching 8/16

It's only Monday, but I'm already looking forward to next weekend to redeem myself on the bike. Let's just say that Saturday was a struggle and not just because of those darn roads. I wallowed in self pity for a while but know that's not going to get me anywhere. And when cruising around on some of my favorite sites, and finding a few new favorites, it turns out I'm not the only one who's been struggling. Here's what's been catching my eye--the good, the bad and the feel-betters:

• Professional triathletes have bad days too. Just read about Joanna Zeiger's recent race--it'll make you laugh, especially if you've had some of her thoughts while out on the race course like me.
• When you train, train, train, sometimes you just need to tell yourself to slow down and take some time off. Relief set in for me when I stumbled upon this off season report.
• Happy race reports? Don't worry this isn't all depressing. You'll find greener pastures if you read this pro report from Ironman Lake Placid or this Steelhead 70.3 age-grouper report.
• The triathlon season might feel like it's winding to a close but if you're like most of us, you've probably avoided buying most of the gear essentials until now. Check out the must-haves to buy courtesy of Fleet Feet Sports Chicago, whose owner Dave Zimmer was up early Sunday morning to give WGN the low-down.
• Free running advice from elites and their coaches? Yes way! You have to watch Terrence Mahon's, who coaches Ryan Hall, Deena Kastor and Josh Cox to name a few, drills for strengthening your run. Brought to you by Nissan's Master the Shift, there's a collection of tips along the right sidebar.
• Why am I wasting the day away indoors? With no clouds in the sky, the sun in full force, and the temps finally cooling to a more bearable level, I should be outside. I need more days like today, please cooperate weather!

Worried About Weather

Why all this talk about the weather? I asked today's Fit-Q about the weather to see if anyone else worried about weather as much as I do before I race. I wasn't always this way, but I think the whole weather-monitoring gig started with the 2006 Chicago Marathon.

I remember windy, rainy and chilly conditions predicted, neither of which I wanted to experience, and nearly called off my race to register at the last minute for the Detroit Free Press Marathon the following weekend. The marathon was already full (if I remember correctly) and I raced anyway under conditions that were not nearly as bad as what I was reading on weather.com the night before--got a PR in the process too.

Follow that up with a rainy 2007 Boston Marathon where I almost turned in my registration to defer until the next year with the weather threatening a Nor'easter to hit Monday morning. Sure, the Boston hype kept me running but waiting for a bus in Boston Common and huddling under an awning at Hopkinton Middle School were not my idea of good race prep.

My neuroses hit a new low before Ironman Wisconsin two years ago. We were pummeled with rain Thursday night, three days before the race, and the forecast was calling for the rain to clear and then come again on Sunday race day. Not good for this freaked out racer who was totally a fair-weather fan when it came to taking her bike out--and knew all about Ironman Wisconsin 2006 where it was cold and rainy and Ironman Lake Placid 2008 where it poured. Packing my transition bags was an adventure in itself--would it be windy, would I was a windbreaker or arm warmers, did I have anything that would keep me dry? I was checking weather.com and accuweather.com, choosing between which site had the better forecast and might be more correct, up until the time I turned off the lights for bed and as soon as I awoke at four something in the morning.

So with temperatures hot last weekend and predictions for another hot two days this weekend, I was online once again to see just how the weather would shape up come Sunday morning for Ironman 70.3 Racine. I'm already picturing my hydration cooking in the sun in the transition area, and remembering the strange taste it took on the last time it sat too long in hot weather. The heat? No surprise there. But the threat of thunderstorms? I wasn't liking the looks of that, especially when it wasn't just weather.com showing the inclement weather. Accuweather and NOAA--my other go-to sources on conditions--didn't fare any better and in fact, they were worse. Take the NOAA hazardous weather outlook for the evening:

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN MINNESOTA ARE EXPECTED TO SLIDE
SOUTHEAST INTO PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATER TONIGHT.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD STILL BE SEVERE AT THE TIME...AND PRODUCE
DAMAGING WINDS.

But wait it continues into Sunday morning.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN SUNDAY WITH A
CHANCE ELSEWHERE.  THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS
EAST OF A LINE FROM SHEBOYGAN TO DELAVAN IN THE MORNING AND EARLY
AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA.

With T-minus 16 or so hours til race time left me wondering just how bad the weather could get. It was more the hazardous weather and the 75 percent chance (Accuweather), 60 percent chance (NOAA) and 40 percent chance (Weather.com) that were scaring me. And leaving me to hope that Racine wasn't a survival mission, or another duathlon like Steelhead 2008.

Here I am, wanting to race, but unsure of it being the best decision to make. I have another half IM in two weeks that usually ends in a plod, rather than sprint, to the finish because I'm exhausted or injured from Racine. My husband the sherpa wouldn't be joining me and I'd be on my own aside from the people I knew racing. And an old injury, the darn calf and Achilles that kept me in PT last fall, felt like it was flaring up again. This Racine idea has DISASTER written all over it but I was too stubborn to quit. But that's another post in itself--the mental game. Plus I couldn't help but worry about my bike. When it was new, I was protective of it, but that hasn't changed two years later. I still didn't want it to get wet sitting in the transition area over night--if it rained--and feared my bike tarp that usually makes a showing at this race was going to be banned per race rules (thought I read something about that). 

Call me crazy, but I really was driving myself nuts thinking about this stuff. Yet I don't think I'm the only one out there who worries about weather before a race. What would you do? And do you worry as much as me? It's OK if you do, maybe we can form a self-help group. Photo grabbed from burnham-on-sea.com.

Fit-Q: What weather keeps you off the race course?

Funny how last summer we were cursing Mother Nature for not giving us a summer--at least in the Midwest. Now she's lashing out and giving us one of the hottest on record in recent years, which makes the air conditioning, cool treat and waterpark businesses boom (my guess, anyway) but keeps race conditions for us athletes less than ideal. Or maybe I should say far from ideal, especially when we're sweating buckets, slowing our speeds in an effort to save our race, or opting to not show up in the first place.

So what keeps you from participating in a race? Or are you so determined to reach the finish line, you don't care what Mother Nature throws your way? What keeps you from a race weather-wise? Tell us!

Fit-Pic: Oh the Sights You See on the Lakefront

Spring--or rather, summer--has sprung in Chicago. For this week anyway. After the sun pushed its way out on Saturday afternoon, it was sticking around for a Sunday fun day on the Lakefront. And by 10 a.m. Sunday morning, people were out in full force taking advantage of that path we love for all of our active pursuits (including Biggest Loser Season 9 finalist Michael Ventrella). Walkers, runners, cyclists, leisure bike riders, inline skaters, baby joggers--you name it, they were out. And early, too. By 10:15 a.m. the popular beach spots had comfortable crowds and the path had runners and cyclists battling for space--and I was among them but more focused on taking in the scenes than trying to hustle home and back to the AC.

That's how I was finally able to get a picture of the above Lakefront fixture--Speedo man donning the straw hat--I've spotted in years past but never had my camera--or the guts--to snap a shot. This marks the third season I've seen him pacing the Lakefront, usually somewhere between Oak Street and Fullerton, and he walked right by me while I snapped a picture of the beach bootcamp (see right). And well, since he was out and about--and I stood still--I finally wanted my proof that interesting characters do exist on our Path. And well, some people have unique ways of exercising on the Lakefront. You have the cyclists and the runners, in the blurry distance you have the beachgoers, and then you have peeps like the Hi-Guy (missed catching him out there today and he deserves a write-up all his own, so stay tuned) and this Speedo-wearing resistance-band-carrying walker.

Consider yourself warned for things to look for next time you're out along Lake Michigan. Speaking of which, have you ever seen any odd-ball or unique characters while out and about?

Fit-Pic: San Fran or Chicago?

If it weren't for the Aon Tower, John Hancock Building, Lake Point Tower and Navy Pier dotting the skyline on my daily bike ride and the flatlands I pedal more than an occasional bridge-crossing hill, I could have sworn I had been transported from Chicago to San Francisco. Our typical clear and often sunny morning was replaced with a fog that's more often seen in the Bay Area than the Windy City, covering the tops of buildings and lurking like an omen for rainfall. It's situations like this--picture-perfect skyline mornings, clear evenings with a farmers moon in view, sunsets with unique cloud formations and coloring--that make me regret leaving my camera at home. Such was the case when the fog hit yesterday and then again this morning.

Yes, we crab a lot about the weather here at Fit-Ink, but I think it's safe to say that both Liz and I have been frustrated with the conditions we've faced this season especially when it comes to planning morning cycling workouts. While the fog didn't keep us from riding, it did create an eerie atmosphere, especially as I rode home alone and no longer feeling the ride euphoria I usually get on sunny days. So yesterday was no exception, at least for my crabbing, when my sun was replaced with that uncharacteristic fog. The first skyline shots were the best renditions I could muster up from flickr artists to depict the morning. Meanwhile the final shot--which I have yet to post--is the one I took post-ride of the actual conditions (I cheated and opted to take the picture from my house rather than walk back to the Lakefront to show the scene I saw on my ride). But thank goodness it wasn't rain--we both needed and wanted Tuesday's ride and it was well worth it to get out there even if my pristine conditions weren't available. Granted teleporting to San Francisco wouldn't be bad either, both for the hill workout and location change.

This one is similar to what I saw on my ride, as I rounded the turn by the Oak Street Beach.









Photos grabbed from Andrew Ciscel and biblicone at flickr.com. Posted by Kate

Fit-Pic: What Some People Will Do for a Wetsuit

What some people will do for a wetsuit--waiting in line, camping out and maybe even arguing a bit over who was actually in line. But judging from the predictions for this weekend's weather in Chicago--weather.com's initial forecast of 74 and sunny (at least when I checked on Saturday) has now changed to a sub-70 day--and after taking a dip in Lake Michigan where I was freezing for a majority of the mile, they may have been onto something. These triathletes wrapped around Fleet Feet's Piper's Alley location on Monday morning, hoping to score one of the 60 or so wetsuits the store was offering for rental for this weekend's Chicago Triathlon.



More triathlon coverage to follow. Stay tuned. Posted by Kate

Does the Weather Affect Your Workout?

Rain rain go away, I don't want to see you 'til another day. Of course a beautiful, sunny weekend couldn't continue its pleasant course for the week. I woke up this morning to rain pattering on my window, gray gloom filling the sky and a temperature reading close to 20 degrees less than it did the day before--and I was north of the Windy City when the temperature cracked 60.

Recalling my time away from home, specifically the run I squeezed in yesterday morning where the only complaint stemmed from the wind blowing at me a little more than I would have liked, I realized I would have been miserable if today's weather showed up on yesterday's doorstep. No run, no refreshing morning outside, no good soreness from my running muscles being broken in after their winter hiatus. The weather totally affects my workout mood for the day, how about you? Photo grabbed from trasguete at flickr. Posted by Kate

poll by twiigs.com

15 Days to Boston Marathon: Forecasting

With less than 15 days before the 113th running of the famed Boston Marathon hits the streets of Beantown, why not explore some of the fun facts surrounding the race? I'll countdown to race day with some random bits of information for the race that filled to capacity a few months ago and expects to draw at least 200 runners from Chicago itself, and almost 800 from Illinois. They're all associated with the race and published in random order with no specific level of importance.

Today I'm kicking off with something that will hit home to all of us in the Windy City, who stared out the window into a snow storm yesterday. If you're a little shocked at the snow falling on April 5, don't be surprised if you see some other unusual happenings from Mother Nature come April 20. She's been known to brew some crazy clouds and hellacious heat over New England before. Take some of these notable years:

• 2007--a Nor'easter was expected to thrash down on Boston Monday morning, just in time for the race. It poured Sunday night and waiting for the buses in Boston Common to ride to Hopkinton was a puddled mess, but the rain slowed, at least for most of the race, to only make the run a little chilly as opposed to soggy--kind of like the 2008 Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon that runners called a monsoon. And Boston.com labeled that day as having the worst weather conditions since 1970. Yikes!
• 2006--according to one blog, this year had temperatures that runners could only dream of for running a 26.2 journey. Lucky ducks! He even checked out the Farmers Almanac forecast for the day and it didn't sound too bad.
• 2004--this day sounds a lot like the 2007 Chicago Marathon that many runners would like to forget. The temperature was 83 degrees when the race started at noon and 86 degrees by mid-day when many runners were finishing. The crazy part is that didn't keep runners from crossing the finish line: 20,404 entrants, 18,003 starters, 16,783 finishers. A record number of runners were treated for heat-related illnesses on this hottest Patriots Day since 1976.
• 1999--another warm day, although nothing in comparison to 2004, where temperatures reached 70 degrees in Wellesley. But 98 percent of those starting the race finished despite the warmer day.
• 1976--the Bicentennial year race went down as the "run for the hoses," with temperatures swelling past 100 degrees and more than 40 percent of the 1,898 starters to pull out before finishing. This is the hottest Boston Marathon on record.
• 1970--you'd have been pretty determined to run this race which saw tons of rain and 44-degree chilly temperatures.
• 1968--temperatures were a bit on the warm side, at 72 degrees, the year Amby Burfoot, now an editor at Runner's World, captured the crown.
• 1961--Boston gets cold too, facing 39-degree temperatures and cold winds blowing off the Atlantic.
• 1958--another hot one, where this April day rose to 84 degrees. And the 1956 Olympics runner-up Franjo Mihalic won and is the first and only Eastern European resident to win the race.
• 1952--again it was hot, where temperatures reached 88 degrees.
• 1941 and 1942--these years went from one extreme to the other. It was a warm 72 degrees in 1941, followed up by a chillier 44 degrees the next year.
• 1914 and 1915--both of these races were labeled as being held on unseasonably warm days.
• 1909--not quite a run for the hoses, but with marathon running not being as popular as it is today, I'm surprised the race was even held with temperatures reaching 97 degrees. Heat wave!

Race day weather really can be a total crap shoot. Not only has the race had its ups and downs of extremes in its 113-year history, but you never know what'll happen from one year to the next. Take 2008 where it was almost starting to look a little like a repeat of 2007--minus the downpours--before the race started. But in the time it took to board a bus in Boston Common and arrive at Hopkinton High School the gray sky started to push out and it began to warm up. When the second wave of runners took off for Boylston Street, the sun was out and it had warmed to 60-something degrees, good for spectators and not so good for all runners, especially those of us who dealt with winter cold and snow while training.

As for the 2009 forecast? Weather.com only forecasts 10 days ahead, but it lists the average high at 58 degrees and the average low at 42. But the highest recorded temperature for April 20 was 89 degrees and the lowest was 21. Accuweather's 15-day forecast only goes as far as Sunday, April 19, and that's predicted to be 46 degrees and overcast. Or if you're looking for the Old Farmer's Almanac prediction...that's calling for cool temps, maybe some showers. I wonder who will be right. Photo grabbed from mccannjl2002 at Flickr. Posted by Kate

P.S. 15 days was technically on Sunday, I just got a little late with my posting so you'll see a double for today with No. 14 arriving later.

Weather or Not

Does the weather ever get you down? You've heard Liz and I lament over the snow and bone-chilling temperatures all winter, then may have noticed a spring in our step when our Windy City weather improved and we could shed our layers. With last week being gray and gloomy, my mood seemed to coincide with the weather--difficulty getting out of bed, mopey, finding it hard to focus, and sounding like Eeyore every time I spoke. Plus Sunday's snow put a damper on my Shamrock Shuffle plans, leaving me to spend yet another day working out at the gym and spending an afternoon indoors.

So it got me thinking, can weather affect your mood? I figured I couldn't be the only fluke out there and right away, a study released in October 2008 popped up on WebMD. Only problem the results from this study done in Germany didn't produce the results I expected. I guess I've taken living in the Windy City for granted and didn't even take into account how wind could affect mood. And apparently it can give you a negative mood moreso in the spring and summer than the fall and winter. Not many were fans of the shorter days--I'd hate to live in the far north where it's even more dark in December--and darker moods could put you at risk for seasonal affective disorder. And I knew there was a reason I'm always eager to get outside when the temps heat up and the sun comes out more frequently. Not only do I feel better, but according to this 2004 study, my mood is elevated from spending time outdoors when it's nice out. But I'm starting to think that maybe I'm spending too much time outside in the summer so it's making that winter indoor time even tougher to struggle through. Or maybe I'm just crazy. Let us know if you've met your match when the weather goes sour. Photo grabbed from Photobucket. Posted by Kate

Spring Has Sprung in Chicago

Hey, Mother Nature, this post's for you. I've been whining, complaining...practically crying...since December. I'm pretty obsessed with weather, pretty sensitive to the cold, pretty darn wimpy when it comes to low temps. This winter has been rough on me.

There was the icy morning I had to jog backwards to shield my face from pelting hail (I only made it half a mile). There was the snowy day when it took me almost 15 minutes of stumbling to jog one mile to the gym. There were so many mornings I was late to work because I neglected to calculate "de-robing and re-robing" time into my workout (ETA: about 15 minutes/sweat session). There were those countless extra loads of laundry...fleeces, base layers, running tights and wool socks add up fast.

But this weekend, you started to make it up to me. You blessed Chicago with a beautiful 62 degree Saturday. I ran long on the lakefront that morning and giddily dodged the puddles of melted snow and ice as I sweated through my (too many) layers. Today, instead of the painful silence of another dark, icy dawn, I awoke to chirping birds and slipped on shorts and a lightweight windbreaker. It was windy, yes, but it was 51 degrees and it was...Heaven. On. Earth. I know you well enough to understand that this can't last. That's not how you roll. Tomorrow the birds will be gone, the gloves will be back and I'll have a new load of laundry. But here's a big-time shout-out because the last few days have been am-azing. For all the time I spend complaining about the weather, you deserve serious props for the good stuff, too. So, thank you, Mother Nature!!! Photo grabbed from Louise LeBourgeois on Flickr. Posted by Liz