Week Zero

Got back from Chicago last night and woke up at the crack of dawn this morning because I was still on Chicago time. Chicago was fun but I am so happy to be back in the comfort of my home. Also really happy that this is Week Zero...aka recovery week. I may go ride the stationary bike a bit later to alleviate some lactic acid build up in my quads because they are still sore today. But looking forward to resting a bit this week. I also somehow picked up a sore throat on my trip back on the plane. Ewww. Hope it goes away fast.

Anyways, I am going to take this week off from running but will be running 6 miles this weekend. Then it is back to training next week, with a 10 miler next weekend, and a 15-20 miler the weekend after that. Then another taper because I will be running the Malibu Marathon on November 14! I'm actually looking forward to it, mostly because I feel so uninspired by my performance at Chicago. I am only running the Malibu Marathon for fun but it will be good for me to get all my angst out at that run.

So I am sitting here recovering and decided to do one final photo post of the Windy City since Sister K just uploaded all her photos!

This is me at the entrance into the expo. I was pretty tired from my flight but still excited to be there.

Here is the Event Alert System color coded board. Too bad it didn't stay at GREEN the entire day.

Me trying out my Chicago Marathon shirt which I love because it is a Nike shirt and it fits great. Fast becoming one of my favorite shirts to wear.

Sister K took a photo of the Injinji sock display. She is weirded out by the separation of the toes with these socks. LOL.

I took this photo the day before the race. Little did I know how steep that little incline would feel the next day at mile 26.

Me petting "the bean".

Reflection photo!

More architectural wonders of Chicago.

A Delmonico steak that I shared with Sister K at Kinzie Chophouse.

This Irish pub was right across the street from our hotel. I think it was a part of the Hilton host hotel for the race. We had a inside joke about this pub so we had to take a photo of it.

The morning after the race. We went for a walk in Grant Park to walk off some of the soreness in my legs and a Columbus Day parade was gearing up to go.

Old style police car with a skull in the rear window. HA!

Old style fire engine. That guy in the truck is posing for this photo if you look close enough.

Finally made it down to see the lake up close.

Woah don't get too close to the edge!

There is this amazing running trail along the lake that I would love to run if I lived there. Great views.

I mean, look at this view!

Look at this ridiculous line to get into the Shedd Aquarium on Columbus Day! It was easily 400 people deep. :o

MC doing what he does best.

In line to get my hands on a Chicago dog before our flight home.

This was really good!

Now that we are back, I can post where we stayed. Here! This hotel is at at a great central location right next to the Hilton host hotel. It was slightly cheaper to stay here. The diameter of the bathroom sink was the size of a small plate but if you can look past that, this place is great.

Front of the hotel.

More snacks on the flight home. I am going to start eating better starting this week. I've put on a few pounds while training for this marathon. Too much delicious bread!

I love this photo because this picture just says it all about how I felt at the end of the trip.

When I got back in town, I had a bowl of Vietnamese Beef soup (Bun Bo Hue). I had a noodle soup craving the whole time I was in Chicago.

Woke up this morning with a sore throat and had a turkey bacon, egg white on whole wheat English muffin from Starbucks. Just what I wanted.

I am posting this because I fell in love with this facial cleanser on my trip. I got a sample size of this for my flight but it turned out that I loved it so much, I got a bigger one.

I am also loving this stuff. Sister K and MC tells me it smells like spoiled beer but I really like the way it taste. Plus it supports digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity, and healthy skin and hair. What's not to like?

Persian flat bread that I got the other day because they were baking these fresh out of the oven at a local market. So good!

And now, I am battling my sore throat with these 2 weapons and catching up on some of my shows. :) Great to be back home!