Tchau 2013

I'll get the running portion out of the way first...:

1433 Miles ran in 2013. An increase of 15% over 2012's 1245 miles. (An increase of 188 miles.)
2013 was a fantastic year for me! Running Wise it was a great year.This blog usually only highlights the running side of things, which is a tiny sliver of my real life.  I love looking back at my little slice of the internets to see where I've been and where I can improve.
One of the main highlights of 2013 was visiting Brasil for 9 days in January.  I was so happy to meet L's parents finally :)
I also enjoyed eating all the Brasilian foods- like this "Pastel" filled with ham, tomato and cheese from the farmers market post run. I still think about all the wonderful fresh foods I ate while there.
I also ate HALF of the most awesome mortadella sandwich in the world. That sandwich is like a once a year treat. But DAYUM it was delicious with a cold beer in the middle of the market.

Bar do Mane, Sao Paulo.

Along with all the amazingly friendly people I met in Brasil, I found a new "friend" at Parque Ibirapuera on one of my runs.

Galinha d'Angola

I hope to return to Brasil in 2014 to see L's family and our friends again. Just absolutely not during the World Cup or Carnivale.  Until then, I'll just keep cooking Brasilian food and looking at my old photos and posts from the trip.  Part 1,  Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,  Trofeu Cidade de Sao Paulo. (10k Race)


We did cool things.

Like go to 2 Chicago Bulls games.

Air Benny!

I went to a Chicago Cubs game again with co-workers. It's a yearly tradition.
L and I went to the Chicago Beer fest again and sampled waaay too many delicious beers mainly from the Mid West.

Pretzel necklaces worn like true craft beer geeks. We meant business.

We also brewed beer twice. The first batch (an IPA) came out terrible. Currently our 2nd batch- a Chocolate Maple Porter is in the fermentation stage and will hopefully yield a better result than our lysol IPA.  

One byproduct of the brewing process is the spent grain used in the "mash." Since this does not contain hops or anything else poisonous to dogs, it is completely safe to turn it into dog biscuits. This is the first time I've baked dog treats and was actually fun to make. 

CB knew I was making these for him and kept supervising me the entire time. I've never seen him so focused on one thing for so long. He is very pleased with the finished product and hopes we brew beer again soon.

Just add some peanut butter, eggs, and flour to the grains and BOOM 170+ biscuits!

We also went to cool places this year.

Asides from the trip to Brasil, we went to Las Vegas like we do each year for a conference. I realized this trip that I am "too old" and/or "not old enough" to really enjoy this place anymore.

**Too old because im not into getting shitfaced with the douchebags at the clubs, 

Not old enough because I don't enjoy gambling like the octogenarians. 

We also took a trip to the San Francisco Bay area so L could be a groomsman in his friend's wedding. While there, we went to the world famous Mikkeller Bar in San Francisco, and I was able to take some time before the wedding to go stand up paddle boarding in Monterey Bay where I made some new sea lion friends.

I can't believe the sea lion jumped out in front of me. I still can't believe I captured a photo of it. 

Friends and Family are everything.

We were fortunate to see so many people we love this year.

My Daad, L's God daughter, and some of our close friends among many others.

Oh and the *most significant* happening of 2013 was L and I got engaged!

We did it in the "Brasilian style" because well, L is Brasilian. The custom is quite different from America. There's no OMG TOTES SURPRISE viral showy proposal or diamond ring. Instead, the couple agrees to be engaged and exchanges matching wedding bands which they wear on their right hand. Once they are married, they switch the ring to their left hand.

We got engaged in July. Yes, I purposely didn't share on social media for 7 months, oh the horror!

Yeah, so 2013 was a pretty kick ass year for L and I and CB. So many memories happened here that obviously weren't mentioned- these were just the "highlights."

Tchau, 2103. It's been fun.

Feliz Ano Novo, Happy New Year!

-xaar

2013- a fantastic year of running.

2013 was a hell of a year running wise for me. I PR'd in every distance, made a ton of friends, and most important: stayed injury free. I got to run in exotic places, and run with extraordinary people.

2013 Running

14 races ran:
•5k's -4
•8k- 1
•10k's- 2
•10 miler- 1
•1/2 marathons- 3
•Marathons- 3

5 of the races I ran with friends.


2013 PRs:

21:30 5k- Pumpkins in the Park 22:18 Previous

36:59 8k- Shamrock Shuffle. 39:57 Previous

50:03 10k- Trofeu Cidade. (Beaten unofficially in longer races)

1:16 10 miler- Soldier Field 10 1:22 Previous

1:46:09 Women's Half 1:46.15 Previous

3:35.12 Fox Valley Marathon 3:40 Previous


The remaining 9 races I ran alone- although I either knew others running or spectating so I really wasn't "alone."

Running Outside of Chicago

I was very fortunate to run in 2 places outside of Chicagoland this year.

Parque Ibirapuera in São Paulo Brasil was just amazing. Between coconut water vendors, interesting wildlife (galinha d'angola), and beautiful scenery for the loop- I fell in love with this park and cannot wait to return.



The Los Gatos Creek trail will always be close to my heart. I was fortunate to do a long run there while on vacation during the summer and instantly remembered why I missed the trail so much since moving to Chicago 3 years ago. The friendly runners, the hills and beautiful scenery make this place one of my all time favorites.


Favorite runs:



I cannot really pick a favorite run. Sometimes a run by myself in freshly fallen snow puts the biggest smile on my face.


Running with L is always a treat.


I even got to run with Shawn Johnson for a 10k!


Running with friends is something I don't do often, but always makes the miles fly by.


Only friends can get me to run 14 miles during a crazy snow storm with psycho snow plow drivers and 6"+ of unplowed snow.


Running with CB is something I always look forward to because seeing my little man happy melts my heart.


Overall I'm thankful for all the amazing memories Ive made this year through running. There were some moments of pure bliss, as well as some of stinging disappointment. I've learned a lot about myself this year and how tough I truly am. I'm looking forward to 2014 with open arms.

- xaar

Tchau 2012

On the running front:

1245+ miles run
618 Cycling miles
1859 total miles

13 Races Run

The biggest change in my usual running routine was hiring Britt as my virtual running coach. With her training plan and support, I was able to achieve one hell of a PR in the marathon which I am certain wouldn't have been possible on my own.

 3 Marathons.
And a PR of 25 minutes in Fox Valley for a 3:40

Running the Chicago marathon with my L, was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

Ing Miami, Fox Valley, Chicago Marathon Part 1 and Part 2 (slideshow) 

Grinning like a crazy fool for every step of the Fox Valley 26.2

2 Marathons were run with my best friends in the whole entire world. 

4 Half Marathons.
I took 2 minutes off of my 2011 half time for a PR in the Chicago Women's Half of 1:46:15

Rock n Roll St. Pete (FL), Chicago Spring Half, Chicago Women's Half, Rock n Roll Chicago

While RnR Chicago was a bust because of the heat, I had fun and the photos turned out awesome!

1 8K.
I came back from the hip flexor injury and took 2:11 off of my 2011 time for a new PR of 39:57
Shamrock Shuffle

5 5Ks
No PR this year. My 2011 PR of 22:18 Still stands strong. But I did get 2nd AG, and 2nd overall in the races I ran.

New Year's Day 5K,  Run to Remember, Karhu 5k, Grant Park Turkey Trot, Schiller Chiller Trail Run

Churro Dog

Loads of memories made with the Churro Bear Dog.

Concerts/Events attended:

Several Cubs games attended

Flo Rida post RnR St Pete. He put on a great show!

Starship Cobra post RnR Chicago

And Lollapalooza! My favorite band was Amadou e Mariam, but Florence and the Machine, and Jack White were also pretty good. The whole day was just a crazy experience.

2012 was a great year. 

I got promoted at work, saw family and friends, got to visit a few states, drank over 300+ unique beers and fell in love with the town I live in, Chicago.

I'm welcoming 2013 with open arms. Some things in early 2013 i'm looking forward to: a Chicago Bulls game, and a much anticipated trip to Brasil.  

Tchau 2012, it's been fun!

Feliz ano novo!