Shufflin' my shammy

I just ran my first Shamrock Shuffle! This is kind of a big deal for me because it's one of the most popular and fun races in Chicago, it kicks off the Chicago running season, AND - most importantly - my husband and friends have been running it for years, and I never thought I could do it, and I DID IT.

My goal was at least under 55 minutes, and dream goal was 50 minutes. I got to 52:24, which is pretty much dead in the center of those two goals. So I'll take it. 

Here's a photo of Grant Park as all the runners began arriving. I had a pretty good vantage point from my 12th floor room at the Congress Hotel!

And here's my view in G corral!

It was a chilly morning, but aside from my cold hands, I wasn't too affected by the temperature during the run. Afterward, I even drank most of my beer! (I'm sure a beer will taste nicer after a summer run.)

Inspired by what a fun race the Shuffle was, I signed up for a triathlon in June. A few of my law school friends did it last summer, so I figure I'm in good enough shape to do it, too. The training schedule got fairly complex, because I'm also training for the Soldier Field 10-miler, but I figure that the triathlon training counts as cross-training for that run!

By the way, for those of you more interested in crochet than running, I finished the Sophie's Universe blanket and will post photos soon!