I Ran with The Bachelor!

Correction: I tried to run with the (former) Bachelor, Dr. Andy Baldwin. He's fast!

If you told me five days ago that I’d be running with a former star of ABC’s The Bachelor, I probably would have laughed and said, “That’d never happen.” But yesterday, it did.

Dr. Andy Baldwin—remember him from The Bachelor's 10th season as the triathlete, naval officer, physician extraordinaire?—was in town to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon. And I, by some stroke of sheer luck, got to run with him (thank you Got Chocolate Milk and Team Refuel though I think you thought I was a faster half marathon runner than I actually am). Or rather, chase after him.

My half marathon with Dr. Andy lasted all of two miles, right about the point where my legs realized how fast they were running and figured out that they couldn't sustain that pace. My measly pace—not counting the half Ironman the weekend before, the week of physical therapy and the long bike ride the day before—couldn’t keep up for 13.1 miles. And when I glanced at my Garmin and saw our 6:14 average pace at the first mile, I knew I'd be in trouble. I barely keep a pace like that for a 5K—and that’s on my good days and for the first mile, maybe two.

Running and REFUEL-ing with a Bachelor

Dr. Andy Baldwin: endurance athlete

Usually I'm playing the "woe is me" role, lamenting over how everyone else seems to workout with celebrities while I miss out for one reason or another. Liz has run with Kara Goucher--and if memory serves me correct, Ryan Hall. Jenn from the Fit-Bottomed Girls trained with Bob Harper (can we say awesome?). Some Chicago media peeps got to run with Abdi Abdirahman when he was in town to run the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. Close to 150 Chicago runners got to run with Scott Jurek and Born to Run author Chris McDougall when they were in town to talk running, nutrition, his book and everything in between. And a handful of triathletes and triathlon fans got to dine and/or run with Craig Alexander and Dave Scott when they were in town last week (Where was I? Stuck at my desk and then sleeping).

That's not to say that I'm not without opportunities of my own--I've worked out with Shawn Johnson, field kicked a football with Robbie Gould, snacked with Shea McClellin, and had to keep my jaw from dropping open while Michael Johnson stood directly in front of me. But I can barely contain my excitement for Sunday's XSport Fitness Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon. Instead of slogging through my two-hour run by myself, sans iPod (it died--good thing RnR races are all about music) and along the routine route along the Lakefront, I'll be running with Team REFUEL and trying to keep up with Dr. Andy Baldwin.

Hooked on Brooks RnR Gear

Dear Brooks, when did you start creating such cool Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series gear? No joke, I wanted at least three of the T-shirts and the navy hoodie I spotted in the 10 minutes I had to spend at the expo. And had the lights not turned off, begging expo goers to exit at 6 p.m., you probably would have gotten a sale out of me.

It doesn’t take much for me to drool (almost) over running gear. Name a race expo—Rock ‘n’ Roll, Boston, Chicago—and I can always find something that’s begging me to take out my wallet and spend, spend, spend. Not necessarily because I want the coveted Boston Marathon jacket or all the gear that sports Chicago running pride, although that tends to be my first inclination. I’m practically the ideal customer, always wanting to buy a T-shirt secondary to the race shirt that every participant receives regardless of how many tees I already have exploding out of the drawers at home. You should have seen me at last week’s Ironman 70.3 expo—sure enough, I had to have the shirt with every participant’s name printed on the back to make the M-Dot logo.

A One-of-a-Kind Rooftop Workout

That move would hurt! Credit: quinn.anya

It’s hot. It’s humid. It’s drought season, and we’re practically begging for rain just to get some relief from the heat. But if I had to beg Mother Nature and the Rain Gods to hold off on letting the skies open up to downpour, drizzle or thunderstorm, I’d want it to happen on Tuesday, July 24, because I’m not about to miss a rooftop workout on account of bad weather. Even if I can’t do a plié to save my life.

Forget sweating on the gym floor or feeling like you’re stuck in the studio rooms for hours on end. Equinox is offering an outdoor workout that’ll wake you up and work you out. And it’s on the rooftop garden of one of Chicago’s most craveable restaurants and most spectacular hotels. The fitness club is taking its Barre Burn class outdoors at the NoMI Garden on the seventh floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel on Michigan Avenue on July 24, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Space is limited but if you RSVP to Sarah.Roberts@Equinox.com, you could still score a spot for this rooftop rendezvous for dancers, fitness fanatics and anyone looking for a good total body workout.

Fit-Pic: Swimming Ironman 70.3 Racine

The swim is easily my favorite part of a triathlon. It might be the shortest part of the race, but it's the one discipline that rarely leaves me disappointed with the results. Just don't count two races in Chicago: one were I hyperventilated for some unknown reason, and last year where a rip current took over most of Lake Michigan and left triathletes swimming upstream. So if there's one portion of today's Ironman 70.3 Racine that I want to remember, it's the swim. That plunge into Lake Michigan to swim 1.2 miles was divine--the coolest, literally and figuratively, part of the day.

Stay tuned for a race report, but I'll be catching up on some sleep and hydration first.