Weekend Running

Saturdays are my long run days and this past Saturday I had 7 miles on my training schedule.  After forcing myself to get up at 5:45, I head out for my run.  As much as I hate waking up at the crack of dawn (literally) on Saturday, I love the feel of running early in the morning.  Walking to the lake and seeing Michigan Ave almost completely empty is such a cool feeling.  It's a nice change from the typical city craziness.  

Almost car-less Michigan Ave

I am always surprised how many runners are out early Saturday morning.  However, it's a lot of people in a good way.  It's not so many that I feel like I'm weaving in and out between people but enough to create a feeling of comfort and camaraderie (yes....it's corny, I know).  When I started my run, it was in the mid 70s and a little humid.  Definitely run-able weather!  It was also a beautiful morning.

Start of my run

I had a great run this weekend for a couple reasons:

1. The past few weeks, my Run Keeper app (see this link for a summary from an older post) hadn't been accurately tracing my distance and therefore messing up my pace/time.  I was so happy that it miraculously started working again on my run!  Having the app helps me pace myself throughout my run...HUGE relief!

2. I saw some friends while I was running.  Seeing people I know always adds a little excitement to my run especially when they are unexpected.  One friend is running the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon next weekend.  The other, is a new blog friend named Katie who is training for the Chicago Marathon.  Her blog is Peace, Love, and Oats, definitely worth checking out!

3. My final average pace was about 30 seconds faster than my 7 mile run at this time last year.  Seeing improvements always makes a run feel like a good one!

End of my run

One bad part of the run: I synced my Run Keeper with a playlist that was shorter than my run.  After mile 5, the music stopped.  For about half a mile, I ran without music.  I quickly realized that I would not last another 1.5 miles without it.  I had to stop and change the playlist so I could finish my run.  Note to self for future runs: always check the playlist length to make sure it will last the entire run!

Thought y'all might appreciate a little post run sweaty smile!

At the end of my run, I noticed a really cool thing that was by the lake path entrance:

You can rent bikes by the hour!  Such a great thing to keep in mind for visitors or for friends without bikes.  This bike rental was located at the Division St entrance.  I didn't see any others at other points during my run, but I am sure they are located at various spots.