Last Day of April Post

All the bells and whistles:  My upstairs neighbors and Condo Association President of Shangri-La Condo Association listed their unit for sale over the weekend.  Although the floor plan is identical to ours, they have an arguably better unit in that it is on the top floor and comes with parking.  Yes sans elevator it is a hassle but manageable for a young family.  They also have better slightly floors and nice exposed brick that makes people go ga-ga.

Our downstairs neighbors sent out an email last month saying they are moving to the burbs and will place their unit on the market on May 27.  They do not plan to rent their unit out in the meantime and they said something about not selling it for less than they owe so as not to bring property values down any further in Shangri-La.

This pleases me on several levels with some concern caveats.  If they can sell within 10% of their asking price, it sets a more recent comp in the building for the rest of us to work off of. 

If they are unable to sell then it sort of validates my efforts in 2010 to do the same thing. 

Of course, if they do sell, it does spell the end of the Golden Age at Shangri-La Condo Association.  Before these neighbors came along the Condo Board was an inept group of do-nothings. 

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Reached my goal about a month early:  Checking the scale yesterday I found that I weigh 200.2 lbs!  Given that I was hovering around 215 lbs that week between Xmas and NYE, that works out to be 15 pounds in a little more than 4 months.  Here's how I did it.

In that same amount of time, I ran 260 or so miles.  Now before anyone panics, that works out to less than 15 miles a week, give or take.  In that time, according to my DailyMile stats, there were two weeks in which I only ran once and one week in which I ran 0 miles.  I also didn't even run on a lot of weekends because I was too busy playing with the new house.

As usual the bulk of the weight didn't even come off until the weather got warmer and the body's natural programming to store fat for the winter switched off.  Also as usual I did better in weeks when I did have more consistent running (duh) for instance, 3-4 times spread out over the week, versus not doing anything all week and then getting a run in on Thursday and Sunday).  While I didn't make any major diet changes, we have made a morning smoothie part of our daily routine.

 All of this ties in with my getting back to my pre-knee scope running form. I noticed earlier this month that it wasn't as much of a struggle to get going on the dreadmill as it has been.  

So the question now is can I drop another 5 lbs before the Soldier Field 10 miler in four weeks.  In theory, it is doable though it will have challenges as well.  Since the weather is getting nicer, I do tend to grill more.  And working in IT does make giving up drinking a nonstarter.  Fortunately, I do have a half marathon this weekend so that should burn some calories.

Why do the more comfortable Running shoes cost more

So this is as good place as any to record my latest shoe purchase.  I just bought the Aasics GT-2000 in black/brilliant blue/lime for $120 -- less a 10% coupon that knocked two bucks off the price after sales tax. 


Aasics GT-2000

They are a little more on the neon side than I generally prefer but since Runner Commandment 7 is Thou Shalt Not Buy Shoes based on Color, I'm stuck with them.  I tried on several pairs at Universal Sole while picking up my race packet for the Lakefront 10 and these were the ones that felt the best.  That’s not to say the other shoes didn't feel good, in fact any of the ones I was shown by the Felicia Day clone would have been perfectly fine.

I'm also considering getting a second pair of shoes now as backup instead of waiting until these are shot.  Conventional Runner Wisdom is to buy two pairs of the same shoes and alternate them between runs so that the cushions have at least 24 hours to decompress.  Alas, I'm:

1. Too cheap and
2. Too undisciplined to do something like that.

More to point #1 since I spent ~$120 on the first pair (after discount) I want my second pair to be cheaper.  So it’s likely the $58 neutral or the $90 stability I saw at Dick's Sporting Goods the other week.  I will have to go back to Dick's and see which feels better, IIRC the $90 felt better but I want to double check.

My cousin asked about the Newton Line.  I cannot say anything about Newton.  I've heard of them but I don't recall if my runner friends endorse them or not.  They came on the scene during the time I was not running as much so obviously I wasn't gonna invest $200 beans in any running shoes. 

My psychobabble two-cents:  I do think that while research and technology has improved the running shoe, I do wonder how much of a game changer a $200 pair of shoes can be.  If we got in our Delorean and took a pair back to the First Boston Marathon, would the winner who ran 2:50 have run a 2:30 instead?  Unless there is some new breakthrough in shoe design or materials, we might be at the threshold of what a shoe can do for us.

Lakefront 10miler Report

It's all about the Finisher Medal

Yesterday I ran my third race of the year, the Lakefront 10 miler. Based on the finisher medals in the basement, I've run this at least half a dozen times. Though there were undoubtedly years when they didn't give a finisher medal.  Personally, I prefer my race entry fee go towards a finisher medal to the T-shirt they generally give though there has been a switch from useless cotton T-shirt to Technical Shirt that you can run in, which kinda makes sense for runners. 

I arrived about 15 minutes before race start (based on the timestamp of my parking meter receipt) which was enough time to get to the start but not enough to risk gear check.  Fortunately, when you park so close to the starting line, your car is a better gear check anyway.   Saw B before the race and MH on the course twice. Did not see SHB and couldn't find race results for her. I suspect she didn't make the race after all.

There was the expected pre-race acknowledgement of what happened in Boston last week and more people paid attention during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner than usual for a race.  I've always thought it was ridiculous to ask runners to take off their headbands and hats for this.  After the race started I saw someone from my CARA summer training group and said hello.  It turns out several of our 8:30 pace group was running this race. 

Thursten Howell the IV told me that everyone was talking about meeting for breakfast afterwards and considering one of my past suggestions, Julius Meinl.  Since I knew I was not going to be able to hold pace with Howell the IV so we made plans to meet at a designated spot post race. 

They actually had a good range of songs

I had a better race than I did last year. My overall time (1:24:27) was about five minutes faster and my pace was a good 36 seconds faster than last year's effort. That said, it was still a tough run. I haven't run more than 6 miles at a time this year and I'm sure I posted positive splits. I ran the whole thing with very short walk breaks at select water stations. This was to give me a quick rest and often a chance to adjust my tights. It felt very warm during the run, too hot for three layers but too cold for only two. At the finish, I cooled off very quickly and couldn't wait to change into my dry shirts.

Last year I finished just under 1:30 and I recall I walked a little more. This year there was a better experience though I did notice more people passing me than the other way around. Assuming I can be consistent with my running and shed a few more pounds (203 lbs that AM) I should be able to shave a couple more minutes off my time at the SF10 next month.

So after the race, once I caught my breath, I found everyone and since we were getting cold, we opted to head for Meinl skipping the post race party (who really needs a cold beer at 9:30 anway).  It was a very large group and we took over the back section of Meinl.

We talked about what we had been up to and what we were training for, and what we were gonna do this summer running wise.  We talked about Boston, of course.  One of the young fast runners who is also very involved in the young adult catholic community pointed out how great it was that our runner community is so positive and uplifting and friendly.  I kinda wish our Catholic Community could be the same way I almost told him.  I didn't want to burst that bubble though.



Just past Mile 9

He is onto something though.  The Runner Community has this shared bond that the Catholic Mass attempts to achieve through the Communion Ritual (with various degrees of success).  Except for a very small number of self-centured or standoffish runners, most of us are able to connect with each other whether you've run 1 marathon or a dozen, or even none-at-all.  We've all had races were we ran like the wind and runs where we sucked wind.  If you do this long enough, you've had the joy of acheiving a new Personal Best along with the sorrow of missing a BQ by that much. 

It's a community I felt exiled from in 2009 and 2011 when I wasn't training for a marathon.  It wasn't an intential exile unlike the one I'm experiencing with my Catholic Friends but rather a out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of exile.  Hopefully I can continue to improve my running stamina enough to avoid that exile again. 



The Bar is done, just in time for Happy Hour

So it took a little bitof time but we managed to get the most important room together. The bar

Some stuff is DIY, other stuff requires Professionals

If only it were that simple

So one of the things I was able to work on during the brief warm front last weekend was work on this leak. We call these our wizard of oz doors and there was a small leak coming into the basement. The previous owner probably put some caulk to deal with it short term with the intention of fixing it permanently once the weather was more cooperative. However the temporary fix was probably good enough to put off fixing it in lieu of other projects. Then he decided to sell the place so now it's my problem.

So I researched a caulk and ordered a general purpose one that will bond between metal and stone. Someday I will have to involve us waterproofing or some similar company. In the meantime, I had my in-laws available so I put them to work. I stripped away all the old caulk then FIL dug up and realigned the nearby pavers. This was to get water to drain away from the doors. Finally MIL recaulked the doors because she is really good at those things.

Unfortunately, there is still a leak.  On top of that water is also getting into the garage.  Therefore  I have to call the pros.  Since we had a pseudo-Monsoon in Chicago yesterday, the earliest appointment I could get was middle of May.  At least that gives my wallet some time to rest.

Slowly getting the Artwork on the Walls

Boulevard of Broken Dreams is too
college to be shown in family room

Little by little we are slowly getting around to hanging up what counts for artwork around here. I have what I consider two cool pieces of grown up artwork, along with a couple of other smaller items that cover the walls nicely. Nightingale has some pieces that have nice frames but she isn't happy with the pictures per se.

She also had a bunch of paintings of her family's farm in Michigan, which was sold years ago. We had them in our Condo and I hung them in the dining room the Friday after Thanksgiving of that first year she moved in because I was tired of them living on the floor.  I was certain she was going to hang them here but somehow tthey migrated North for her sister's new home in Gross Pointe. 


Picked up this painting in Virginia Beach

So the goal is to find things at estate and garage sales throughout the summer. Now the conflict is that I wanted to hang as many things as we could so the corner of the attic the paintings were sitting in would be freed up. Nightingale was afraid that once we hung something, it would be permanent. So we compromised, and found places for the two grown up pieces that I have.

   



Boston Marathon becomes Boston Massacre

So for those that don't know -- or in the event this blog is something the alien overlords read centuries from now when they return to earth, bored out of their minds from an extended millenia of Intergalactic carpooling -- a couple of bombs went off at the Boston Marathon yesterday. 

What was otherwise an ordinary spring day quickly turned into a bloody massacre when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon killing two and injured more than 100 people on site.

As information slowly trickled in, and I watched as much of the broadcast feed as I could get, the news reminded me of 9/11 all over again.  How many times are we gonna have to see this movie, I thought.  I wish I had said this:

"The human garbage who commit these atrocities take advantage of the fundamental American freedom to move and associate freely. And they cowardly target defenseless people who not only pose no resistance to them but have no idea they are even part of whatever conflict the terrorists think they're engaged in. Terrorism is cowardice."

Kip, commentor on CoS

When I got home, after fighting back tears during my drive, I went for short run yesterday, in the rain.  it wasn't a quality run but I like to think it helped a little bit.  I've never been good enough to get into Boston and would have been fine just qualifying all those years ago.  I've long since put that desire on the back burner.  Now I kinda feel like I need to figure out a way to run that racecourse, a course that will forever be changed.

What to say about yesterday that hasn't already been said.  One of the bloggers on ChicagoNow said it pretty well: 

• Don't blame anyone social, political, religious, or ethnic group for the attack. Namely, don't blame the Middle Easterners or Muslims. Blame just the person(s). Evil isn't a consequence of heritage. Evil is evil.
• Don't generalize. One person in a social or ethnic group can cause damage but don't extend the guilt to everyone else simply because of their heritage or nationality.
• Don't blame President Obama. Or Bush. Or Al Gore. Or another political party or person you disagree with.
• Don't immediately use the tragedy to promote your beliefs or causes. People from all sides in politics are already guilty of this.
• If you are not a 'believer,' don't make fun of or fault people for praying. Even if you don't believe it provides material assistance, it can't hurt. And it is often of comfort to both the pray-er and the pray-ee.
• If you are a believer, don't denigrate people who don't believe or make fun of them when they are supportive of your own beliefs and desire to pray. It's an act of generosity, people. Of solidarity. The atheists who are tweeting these things *understand* that now is not the time to make show of our divisions or differences.

This is a time to move carefully and cautiously.  There will be plenty of time for accusations later.

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