Chicago 26.2: A Recap of #13

Thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number and that wasn't lost upon me when I started training for this marathon. This was my second marathon of 2018, my sixth Chicago Marathon, and 13th total overall, and I still can't believe it. Running a marathon is not an easy task.Ever. No matter how many times you do it, it's hard, it's stressful, and ithurts. But I love it, and I keep coming back for more as long as my body cooperates (which actually hasn't been much in the last few years). People constantly ask me why I continue to do them and it's because I truly love running and the purpose and sense of accomplishment it gives me. Sure, there are moments where it totally tears me down and makes me question myself, but there are way more times that it makes me feel like I can tackle anything. And those are the moments I stick around for. 

Adios Summer and Hello Fall

Oh hey. It's been a while since I've written. I'm not exactly sure why, but the creative juices haven't really been flowing this whole year. However, although writer's block may be the case, I just can't let a month go by without a little catch up with you guys (or for me to have to look back upon. Same same.)

So even though the last week was 90 degrees or more, it's officially fall here in the Chi. Sure the leaves are starting to change, but up until today, the temperatures had not. Heck, I went to the beach and swam in the lake the last four out of five days. To be able to just head down to the beach on the weekend or after work (more on that in a few) is something that makes me so happy. Sometimes a leap in the lake is exactly what my body and soul needs. It's soothing and refreshing to me and just automatically puts me in a better mood. But, the weather tide has finally seemed to turn and now reality that summer is officially over has begun to set in. I love fall and hoody season and although it's going to get cooler, that certainly won't stop me from heading down to the water at least once a day. So as the seasons change, some other things have as well. So instead of just being so vague, let me just get to it and fill you in.

My One Year Chicagoversary!

Time certainly flies when you're having fun. Happy Chicagoversary to me!! I can't believe its been exactly one year since I packed up my entire life in New York City and moved to Chicago. On this morning exactly one year ago, I woke up super early and headed out for what would be my last sunrise run as a New Yorker. I ran to the reservoir and saw one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen there as tears rolled down my cheeks. It was a very bittersweet moment and I can still close my eyes and remember it vividly. I can't think of a better way that I would have wanted my last morning to go.

This morning, I felt it only fitting to try and start my second year here on another high note with a sunrise workout. Duh. I had a great bike ride along the lake as the sun rose beautifully. (I know I do these all the time, but this one had more significance.) I seriously feel like it was just a few weeks ago that I landed back home in Chicago and started my new life here. Although it was such a hard decision to make (it took me over a year to actually make it), I absolutely think moving back home was the right one. This was probably my most stress-free and most fun years in a long time, and I'm not going to lie, it was much needed and well-deserved. Of course there have been some struggles along the way as expected, but all in all, I am extremely happy to be back here permanently (for the foreseeable future).

My First Real #SummerTimeChi

It’s almost summer vacation and since most of this year was more or less a vacation for me (hello “adult gap year”), I don’t feel the need to count down the seconds until summer like I have in years past. Of course, I’m still super pumped for this school year to end and to go to the beach everyday and just chill out. I mean, that’s the life, isn’t it? But for the first time in like forever, I don’t have any solidified summer plans. Usually I plan a long-ish trip and a visit home to Chicago with a few other things in there, but because I still don’t know what the fall holds for me, I can’t really plan anything. (And I can cross that trip home to Chicago off the list because, hey, I live here now!!) I mean sure, I could plan a million things, like a big Europe trip again and have an amazing time, but financially, it may not be the smartest thing to do until I know that I will have a steady paycheck come September. Plus, this is my first actual full adult summer living in Chicago and #SummerTimeChi ain’t no joke so I’m ready to dive in head first. I’ve had some FOMO over the last decade seeing things my friends who lived here were doing while I was in NYC. Of course I was doing some very awesome summer NYC things too, but part of me always felt like I was missing out on all the amazingly fun looking Chicago events. And now it’s finally my turn. Woohoo!!

Not 13, but almost 1

This morning, I got a reminder message on my phone: Today would have been my New York anniversary.  On this day thirteen years ago, I moved to NYC and started a new life there. Seems like just yesterday I made that move that forever changed my life. I was actually supposed to be there today running the Brooklyn Half Marathon (and getting my revenge for last year's race), but instead my hamstring and knee still aren't healed so I never booked the flight. Turns out though, I probably wouldn't have been able to race anyway because of my Shingles. I tried putting on a sports bra last night (in hopes of trying to workout this morning in some capacity) and nope, it hurt way too much on my rash. Plus, I still don't have much energy and don't know if 13.1 would have been possible to run today. 

This Jewish Girl LOVES Christmas Time

Its December!! It's the last month of 2016 and one of the most cheerful and festive months of the year. I am usually only home in Chicago the last week of Chicago for winter break and only get downtown once or twice in that time, but now that I live here, I get to experience the holidays in the city all winter long. Some of the holiday stuff went up mid-November and now that Thanksgiving is over, most of it is up which makes me so excited. For a Jewish girl, there are few things in life that make me more excited than gaudy, bright, sparkly Christmas decorations. I make zero apologies for it. The brighter and tackier, the better. It makes me soooooo happy!!!

Hey Chicago, Waddya Say...

This has been one hell of a week in Chicago. If you happen to live under a rock, let me fill you in: the Chicago Cubs just won the World Series on Wednesday. Let me repeat: The Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Wow, it feels so great to type that. After 108 years, the Cubs are the World Champs again. It's truly been incredible to witness and frankly, just a surreal thing to be a part of in the city of Chicago. The high that this city has been on is something that I have never experienced before and I couldn't be more grateful to have been a part of it first hand.

Chicago 26.2: A Recap of #11

I did it!!!! Yesterday I completed my ELEVENTH marathon and I crossed that finish line with huge smile on my face and then completely broke down in tears. Big, happy, hard-earned, sobbing tears. After everything that has happened with my injury over the last six months, I couldn't believe that I actually did this. Sure, I've run a marathon before (which doesn't make it any easier), but this was one that I wasn't totally sure would happen, even down to the last day. But now I sit here sore, accomplished, proud, and happy. And still can't believe I did it.

Chicago Check-In

I have now been in Chicago for a little over a month and half now and I am still loving it. Even though this is obviously my new permanent home and I've already said this, I still feel like I'm on vacation. I don't know when it will actually set in that I am not going back to live in NYC again. It's so strange. I am legit shocked that I got acclimated very quickly and this change of locale wasn't as challenging as I imagined it would be. Change has never been an easy thing for me so the fact that this hasn't been super difficult still (who knows, it may hit me in another few weeks) is seriously shocking to me.

So what's been going on here you ask? How am I keeping busy with myself? What the heck have I been doing? Well, here's the lowdown of my fresh start here back in Chi-town...

I live in Chicago now...

I have officially been an adult Chicago resident for a full week now and am loving every second of it. Running along the lake. Going to the beach. Seeing the gorillas at the zoo whenever I want. Being so close to my parents. Having a "big" apartment. So far, so good ChiTown.

Okay, so even though I live here now, it still feels like I'm here on vacation and just staying at an Airbnb (which I've never even done before) and not here permanently. I always come home for about two weeks this time every summer so this just seems like instead of staying at my parents house, I am at an awesome apartment in the city. I am exploring the neighborhood and trying to just enjoy myself as much as I can. I don't think it will truly hit me that this is my new home until my NYC friends all start going back to work and Labor Day comes and goes.

One Big Leap...

"Hello fear. Thank you for being here You're my indication that I'm doing what I need to do." And let me tell you, right now I am scared shitless. But I am also very excited and very hopeful. It still hasn't totally sunken in yet, but last week I made the final decision to leave my job as a teacher (and a coach) and also make the move back home to Chicago. These were two major life decisions made very quickly but with a ton of thought. They were things I had been thinking about over the last year and I finally had to pull the band-aid off and do it. Were they the right decisions? I don't know. Were they the smartest decisions? I'm not sure. But did they need to be made? Yes. 

Twelve.

Twelve has always been my lucky number. And today happens to be my twelfth anniversary living in New York City. Can you believe it? Wow.

Since I was born on January 12, I have always used 12 as my go-to number. Because of this, it makes this anniversary a little more special to me. I also know I say this every year, but its crazy to think I have lived in this marvelous city for 12 years. If you would have asked me 12 years ago if I would still be living in New York City in 2016, I would have laughed in your face. Seriously. Well, I guess the joke's on me because I instantly fell in love with New York and made a life for myself here.

Chicago 26.2: A recap of #10

Well ladies and gentlemen, I am officially a ten-time marathoner. I'm not gonna lie, that feels pretty great. But thats really the only thing that I am feeling good about right now. My body hurts and I'm pissed about my time. I know that being able to run 26.2 miles one time is a big deal, so ten is great, but this race was just not my race. Not even close. And I can't help but be super disappointed about this.

I had a very different mindset coming into this race than I did last year in Chicago. Last year I was aiming for a PR and walked away without it. (I can't even go back and think about that because it will make me cry.) This year, I knew that a PR wasn't going to happen and and pretty much had expected that. I knew I'd be okay if I finished this race under 4:45. With the feelings of perpetual leg fatigue most of training, putting on ten pounds out of nowhere (stop telling me its muscle from training cause its not), and the whole bladder issue, I knew this wasn't going to be my best race. I also however, did not expect it to be one of my worst. And that sucks. It really fucking sucks.

Hmmmm...

I just finished my third trip of the summer and just like the other ones (DC and Europe), this one was fantastic. I just got back from eight days at home in Chicago and as I usually am, was so pumped to go there and then was so sad when I left. I feel like each time I come to Chicago lately I have a better time than the last. I don't know why exactly, but I do. I see old my friends and new ones, eat my favorite foods, relax at home, and explore the city. I just love it. I don't know if this is a sign to move back home or what but this is definitely something that crossed my mind A LOT this trip home.

I was in the city a lot this trip, not even doing anything remotely social, but mostly just enjoying what the city has to offer. None of it was really new to me, but it just made me think how if I lived here I could do it all the time and be totally happy doing so. Chicago is known as one of the best cities around in the summer and it sucks me in every time I'm here. #summertimechi is the real deal, folks.

Chicago 26.2: A Recap

As I sit here on my parents couch the day after the Chicago Marathon, I am physically in some pain and mentally kind of numb. I don't feel like I ran a marathon yesterday. I just can't believe its over. I had been looking forward to it from the moment I got accepted through the lottery and now its over.

The prep for this race has consumed me for the past four months and I had one goal in mind and that was to PR. All I wanted was a sub-4:30 marathon. I did the best I really could preparing for that and I missed it by 10 seconds. Ten mother-fucking seconds. Honestly though, I handled it a lot better than I thought I would so that's a mental victory for me. However, that means I am still on this mission to PR, which means Chicago 2015 might have to happen. But lets take a look back at Chicago 2014 while it's still fresh in my mind.

Suburban vs. City Running

As we all know, running is a big part of my life. Especially now with the Chicago Marathon nine weeks away! Ahhhhh. Halfway there baby! I've been doing my best to get better and faster at it, but obviously, its a struggle. With all the travel I have been doing this summer, I've been doing pretty well staying on track. Most recently, I was home in the suburbs of Chicago, and thankfully got in all my runs.

I've run at home for years and have the same couple of routes and paths that I take each time. There are obviously some pros and cons to running at home in Glenview versus running in New York City. They are both two very different running environments in so many different ways. After a few days, I get bored with each location anyway, but I power through because there is a goal in sight. And in my boredom, I also make lists in my head. Tons of lists. Random lists of thoughts. To do lists.  I love lists. One of those lists this time around was the pros and cons to running at home in the suburbs. I've thought it many times before, but this time I put pen to paper, or keyboard letter to blog post...

ILL...

Okay you guys, yesterday was AWESOME! So awesome. Like I had the best time. So what did I do that was so awesome? I took a huge trip down memory lane, that's what! I went down to Champaign, Illinois with my parents to visit my (our) old stomping ground of The University of Illinois. The best educational institution in this great country. It was awesome. Oh, did I mention that already? Well, it was awesome. I loved every single second of it and can't wait to go do it again.

Every time I'm in town I nag my mom to take a mini road trip down there for the day and we always have so many other plans that it never works out. I get disappointed but I understand because it's a lot of driving in one day (about 4.5 hours round trip). However, this trip back to Chicago, I made sure we actually marked a day on calendar to go down. It was finally happening!! I couldn't wait. Plus, we even convinced my dad to come. He was a little hesitant at first but also ended up having a great time down there. All of us had have made so many memories there. Both my parents went to U of I (they met there!!) and I obviously went there and loved it.  I basically came out of the womb bleeding orange and blue and have never stopped.

Reporting Not Much Has Changed

Right now I'm at home in Chicago and staying at my parent's house as per usual. As always (this never gets old), I love taking a trip down memory lane and going through my old drawers and finding new (old) stuff in there. Diaries, pictures, collages, and report cards. Yes, report cards. This time around, I found my childhood report cards from grades K-5. I laid them out on my bed (not my childhood bed...wahhhhh) and poured over them. What surprised me most about them was that they were all handwritten. Hand-freaking-written. Yikes. Big applause to all the teachers who did report cards before computers really hit the scene. I've got mad respect for you. Even more than I had before. I think its annoying now doing it on the computer entering the grades,  typing the comments, but writing them out for each child must have been a HUGE pain in the ass. Huge.

I CAN Make it Anywhere!

Well, it's finally happened...I'm officially a New Yorker. Today is the ten year anniversary of my big move to New York City. If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, right? Well, I've made it suckas. Not that there was ever any doubt in my mind.

But really, this anniversary is a huge deal to me. Huge. Ten years is a long freaking time in a place where I was planning to just stay one year. A place I pretty much came to on a whim. A city where I knew no one and had only been to one time prior. It was a giant leap of faith that I took and sometimes I still have to pinch myself to believe I really did it and have been here ever since. It was one of the wisest decisions of my life and I couldn't be happier with my choice.

Chicago Still Has my Heart

All my summer blog posts have been about my travels, so why not write another one on that topic, huh? This time, it will be about my trip home to Chicago this past week. I go home every summer since I have the time off, but this was by far my shortest summer trip. It was only seven days long. Sigh. Because my mom went back to work already and both my dad and brother work everyday and I don't have a car there, they didn't think it was a good idea I stay much longer than a week. Usually I would disagree with that and fight to stay longer but because I was gone for so much of the summer already, I wanted to have some free time in NYC to just relax before work starts again. This summer sure flew by. Eight weeks just isn't enough!!

Everyone that knows me, knows that I love going home. I love hanging out with my family and basically lounging around the house. It's like I never left when I am there. I immediately make myself at home while at home. Obvs. Of course there is pool time and downtown time, and plenty of eating time included too. Even though it was a relatively short visit home, there were many highlights this vacay as per usual.