Windy City Running

When I travel for business it's a Catch-22. I am currently in Chicago for a brief business trip; I haven't been here in probably four year. I love being able to come here and do things that I wouldn't normally do when I am home, such as go to Niketown (bought three pairs of socks), go running along the lake, eat things I know are bad for me (burgers, steak, apple pie, etc.). Then there are the negatives....I hate travelling because I miss my family; I feel like I inevitably miss out on something when I'm gone. Maybe one of my daughters does something so amazing and I am not there to see it...you get the idea.

I got here yesterday afternoon after a short flight. I had all intentions of going out for a nice long run, but it just didn't happen. Instead I decided to go for a walk up to Niketown to peruse the store that I love so much. After some deliberation I settled on a few pairs of socks....that was it, just socks. So very sad that I couldn't find anything else. After shopping, it was off to ESPN Zone to grab a bacon cheeseburger and watch some football games. FYI, this is traditionally how I spend my free time in Chicago.

Today was a different story. I got up relatively early (6:00AM), threw on my running clothes, and headed out for a nice run along Lake Erie. I wasn't feeling all that great, but I didn't really care, I just enjoyed running through the city and out to the path along the lake. I was able to watch the sun rise over the lake to a beautiful Monday morning and just enjoy the scenery. I wish that I could give some run stats, but the buildings in the city really screw with the GPS and it had me running around a two minute mile pace for a while....is that even possible? I believe I ran around six miles and for about 48 minutes.

I finished off today (after six hours stuck in a conference room with seven other guys pouring over spreadsheets) with a great dinner at Shaw's Crab House. I ate some oysters, a blue cheese encrusted filet mignon, and then an awesome apple pie ala mode. Needless to say I am friggin' stuffed and ready for bed.

Tomorrow I plan on getting up early and going for another run along the lake before seven or eight hours in that same boardroom before heading back to my beatiful wife and daughters.