New Kicks

With the help of some birthday money from family, I splurged and bought a new pair of running shoes. I hardly call it splurging, because when you're training for a marathon, it's all about the shoes. On Saturday, Scott and I hit up Green City Market for some fresh produce and then walked to the Fleet Feet store on North and Wells so I could buy some new shoes. As it turned out, they were having a decent Memorial Day Weekend sale, so while Scott picked up a few shirts on clearance, I tested out a new pair of Nikes. Here is a picture of my new kicks:

Aren't they magnificent? These shoes are compatible for the Nike+ chip. Thanks to my mother & father-in-law, I am now a proud owner of the Nike+ chip. The chip tracks running workouts and logs all of your runs. It also documents your PR (personal record) for specific distances, such as a 5k, 10k, etc. I've only used it a few times, so I need to calibrate it soon to improve its accuracy. The chip fits in a carved out section of the right foot shoe, underneath the sole. Here is a picture of how it fits into the shoe:

It's kind of sad to think that by late August, I'll have to buy yet another pair of new shoes. You put on a lot of miles training for a marathon and everyone I've talked to highly recommends getting a second pair of shoes about a month or so before the race.

On a serious note, official training starts June 7. I'm scared to death. Once June 7th hits, there's no room for excuses. OMG, I'm 7 days away from hell. Pray for me.

Chicago Running Clubs/Groups

Last week I tried something completely new as an effort to keep my motivation high. I participated in the Niketown Run Club (located on Michigan Avenue). It was a great way to meet new people and run a different course. This time, I ran along Erie to Lake Shore Drive and then I headed north along the lake shore path. Once I got to Oak Street Beach, I turned around and headed back. This was the 3-mile run option. The Run Club also offers a 5-mile and a 7-mile path. After the run, Niketown offers FREE bagels, nutrition bars, water, and Argo Tea serves samples of their latest drink. It's not a bad deal, if I do say so myself. = )

Tonight I am going to try out a running group at Fleet Feet Chicago. This is a regular running group, as well. They offer fun runs on Mondays, Wednesdays (Ladies Night) and Saturdays. Tonight is a special run. It's called the Cinco de Ryo Goose Island Fun Run. Just like the Niketown run, you can choose to do a 3, 5 or 7-mile run. What's so special about this run is that afterwards, everyone is going to head over to a local pub and drink up FREE 312 Urban Wheat Ale. This sounds like perfect the motivation.

As a side note, I finally bought a new iPod armband. My playlists are starting to get old, so if you have any song suggestions for me, I would greatly appreciate them. Also, I'm considering buying a Nike+ chip. I still need to do a little more research about the product, but I'm definitely interested.

I had a great run on Sunday morning along the lake. I was surprised at how few runners there were, but I was actually quite happy about it. I didn't have to fear of colliding with one of them (or a biker). My run on Sunday also marked one of the last times I will wear capris while running. Bye, bye pants. Hell-o shorts!