Chicago is for runners

So I really, really, really love running in Chicago, and that is what I got to do today.

We were scheduled to run 10, but we decided to take it back a notch and run a couple less miles, because we were planning to spend ALL our time walking around downtown (and frankly, I am so glad we did, because there was the strongest wind I have ever run against and it was exhausting, plus I picked up a blister and my hips hurt like death, so anyway).

Back to the beginning of the week:

4.5 Monday (treadmill)
4.5 Tuesday (speedwork on treadmill)
5 Wednesday (outside on trails by myself in the evening...pretty grueling run, but it was exactly what I needed after a really rocky day)
3 early Friday morning. plus a TON of walking around downtown--at least 4-5 miles, likely more.

7.25 (at least--maybe more?) Saturday morning--we started out from our hotel (the Hilton overlooking Grant Park), ran down past Buckingham Fountain and along the lake by all of the yachts, over the river and down the Riverwalk to the very end of Navy Pier, then turned around and ran back along the lake out to the Field Museum, past Shedd, and all the way around Adler.  At this point the wind picked up at it was INSANE.  I was running SO fast because otherwise I would have fallen over from the wind battering at my back...when I stretched out my arms and the wind caught my long-sleeved shirt it was seriously acting like a sail.  The whitecaps were crashing against the breakwater next to us and it was awesome--until we turned around and started running into the wind back through the Museum Campus and back to the hotel.  Great run.  A little harder than usual because I didn't have anything to eat other than a couple of granola bars until 1 pm that day, which is tres unusual for me, but that's how the morning worked out.  Then we showered and walked all over the city for another 4 hours.  Awesomeness!  And my hips hurt so bad all the way home from running stairs against the wind that I am super excited to get into bed tonight!

So running in general is more challenging these days.  Any guesses as to why?

Oh--and I have a summons for jury duty next week, which could seriously wreck my running schedule (and the rest of my life.  So uncivic of me, but I am really really hoping that I get dismissed and I don't actually end up on the jury.  I can't even imagine how I would work that one out.)