I know I am really late with this post.  I hope you are all having a great year so far.  I can’t believe we are halfway through the month!!!

I spent New Year’s in San Antonio.  Love the weather there!  Great times there.  All I did was eat and watched movies.  Yeah, fun times!  I also went downtown a few times but only ran twice.  It is definitely hard to run while on vacation.  How do other people do it?

I got a late start to running this year.  My first run was on the 4th but better late than never.  To date I’ve ran 58.22 miles.  Can I make 100 this month?  I hope so.  The New Orleans Marathon is less than 2 months and I am excited about it.  My goal is to beat my time at the ING Hartford Marathon of 5:25:22.  Can I also aim for 4:59:59 or less?  Hmm, I’ve heard that New Orleans is hilly but anything is possible right?

So far I am signed up for 5 races.  My goal is 20 races this year.   I made a calendar of my races and I have 15.  Yikes!  I need 5 more!!  The names in green are half marathon.  Miriam at 12 Half 12 Club is aiming for 12 half marathons this year.  Awesome right?  However, for some reason not enough of them in the Chicago area.  I guess I can travel to another state right?

1. Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon: March 4, 2012
2. Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle: March 25, 2012
3. Chi-Town Half Marathon, April 1, 2012
4. Wrigley Start Early 5K/10K, April 21, 2012
5. CARA Lakefront 10 Miler: April 28, 2012
6. Run to Remember 5K, May 5, 2012
7. Y-Me Race at Your Pace 5K, May 13, 2012
8. Alivio y Salud 5K, May 19, 2012
9. First Midwest Bank Half Marathon, May 6, 2012
10. Fleet Feet Sports Soldier Field 10 Mile: May 26, 2012
11. Fleet Feet Women’s 5k/10K, July 15, 2012
12. Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon, July 22, 2012
13. Oak Brook Half Marathon, September 3, 2012
14. Marine Corps Marathon, October 28, 2012
15. Philadelphia Marathon, November 18, 2012

Yep, I was running Tuesday morning along the streets of San Antonio.  I ran a little over a mile and then turned around to head out for a different route.  The plan was to run 4 miles.  Well, I was running against traffic on the street (there was no sidewalk) and I saw a few cars coming my way.  I decided to jump back on the grass to avoid getting hit.  Well, I miscalculated and brushed against some plant.  Immediately I started bleeding.  I stopped the bleeding and thought about actually keeping on running.  I saw my leg and blood and decided not to.  Luckily I was not too far from my sister’s house so I called her to pick me up.  Total miles ran was 2.04.

Today the cut did not look much better.  I had forgotten to put Neosporin on my leg yesterday so it looks like it might be infected.  Sigh.  Also, I did not run today.

Hopefully tomorrow it will be better.

I hope you’ve all having a good holiday!  I sure am.  My sisters and I and my nephew came to San Antonio for the holidays.  We will be here till January 3rd.  So glad we came.  The weather has not been so great but it is supposed to warm up this week.  I don’t get back to work till the 9th so at least I will have a few days to relax in Chicago.

I have been a good girl this year so I decided to treat myself to some running shoes.  I already own a pair of Pure Cadence which I love so I bought Green Silence and Ravenna.

I LOVE the colors of the Green Silence.  I also love that they’re so lightweight (about 6.4 oz).

The Ravenna feels so comfortable!

I cannot wait to run in these shoes.  So did you get something for yourself for the holidays?

As you know I am not running the Chicago Marathon tomorrow because I will be running the Hartford Marathon next Saturday.  I love the Chicago expo and made my way there after work.  Love it!!!  I did not plan to be there too long but ended up staying there till about 6 or so.  I bought some great things as you’ll see below.

The best part of the expo was the Brooks Pure Heaven area.  So nice.  They had people doing gait analysis and then they gave you suggestions on which pair to buy.  I know I overpronate but was told that it is was a slight one.  Oh well, I still overpronate and was recommended to wear the Adrenaline, Ravenna, and the Pure Cadence.  I walked over to the next booth (Fleet Feet) to try them out.  Love, love the Ravenna!!!  So comfortable!!!  I was tempted to buy them (only $85) but realized that I still had a few hundred miles left on my Asics Kayano.  I fell in love with the Pure Cadence.  Such a beautiful shoe!  The only thing is that it is $120.  I think it is a bit pricey but still love it.  My birthday is next month so maybe I can treat myself to these.

Other things that I bought are:

• Balega running socks.  I already own pairs of Smart Wool and Thorlo but still like Balega.  I guess a runner can never have enough socks.  Oh year, and I own a fair pair of compression socks.
• CW-X capris.  I get pain in my quads and hamstrings when I run so I am hoping these will provide support during the race.
• SnuggBuds.  These are the BEST headphones.  I have tried quite a few sets and they all slip out with the sweat.  These come with 3 different inner ear buds to properly fit your ear.  I bought my first pair last year and have had a great experience with them.  They are a bit pricey but worth it.  However, within the last month or so there was no sound coming out of the left side.  At the expo I told the vendor about it and she told me that if I return that pair I could get 50% off the next pair.  Of course I forgot to take the pair with me!!  I even tried to talk her into giving me the discount but no luck.  Anyway, I still bought a pair for next week’s race.

I saw Dean Karnazes.  He was there for a book sign.  Wow!  He looks a little too thin but I guess that is what happens when you run a marathon every single day.

Looking forward to seeing the runners tomorrow at the Chicago Marathon.  I plan to get a picture or two of Ryan Hall.  I hope he wins or at least places in the top 3.

Yes, I ran 20 miles again.  How did it go?  Much better that two weeks ago.  I got to the lake around 6am but waited a little because it was still very dark and I was not going to run alone in total darkness.  Ten minutes later I was cruising along.  Great weather.  I wore a long sleeve shirt because it was chilly but yet perfect for running.

I did make a few stops along the way but managed to finish in 4:06:20.  The best part was that I ran without my iPod.  It just so happens that something is wrong with the headphones and I cannot hear the music on the left side.  So annoying!!!  I was “entertained” with the lakefront view, the sounds from the cars along the lake front, and of course the conversations by the other runners.  However, I don’t think I will have all of this at the Hartford Marathon so I definitely need to get a new set of headphones.  By the way, my legs feel fine.  A little sore but I can actually walk around without limping.  Definitely a good sign.

I can’t believe that the marathon is in less than 3 weeks.  Yes, I am ready to tackle this race!!!

On a different note, I am making beer bread from “Tastefully Simple”.  Yes, it is made with beer and it is THE MOST DELICIOUS bread and so easy to make.  Just add a 12 oz. bottle of beer to the mix, stir for 20-30 seconds, spread batter in a loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.  I love eating this with spinach dip.  This bread is for my book club this afternoon.  I will do a taste test and hopefully I won’t eat it all.