The Paleozoic Trail Runs. . . Trials on the Trails

The Paleozoic Trail Runs 50K/ 25K was held on March 16th, 2013 at the local Chicago land trail system at Palos Park. If you have never been to Palos and live in the Chicago land area..... what are you waiting for?!?! It's one of the only single track trail systems that has a great mix of hills and semi-technical trails. It's the local hangout for the mountain biking crew and runners alike.  I was super excited about this race for several reasons:
 1) This was the first time an ultramarathon has ever been held in the park.
 2) It was the weekend before the Chicago Lakefront 50K, so it was a good test to see how I could handle two races during consecutive weeks
3) I got to run it with my running buddy, Tiffany. (This was my favorite reason for running it)

The race took place over the St. Patrick's day weekend, so I made sure that we had some festive attire on. Luckily, Tiffany got us St. Patty's day socks. I wanted to make us look like leprechauns, but got some resistance from my buddy and decided socks would have to do. :) Just as an aside, we got a TON of compliments on our festive attire and I snuck in several "I told you so" to Tiffany.

I got to the park about 45 minutes before the race began. I went to the Start/Finish area to pick up my bib number, timing chip and goodie bag. While I was there, I got to see my friend Ian and Deanna. I thought Deanna was going to be running the 25K, but she told me the news that she broke her arm (again) and wouldn't be able to race. I was pretty bummed that she wasn't able to run and talked with her about the injury and how long she would be out of commission. She was going to spend her day helping us runners out at the New Leaf aid station. New Leaf Ultra Runners is our local ultrarunning group in Chicago and they were manning one of the aid stations. I got in touch with Tiffany and she came with her friend Caroline. This was the first time I met Caroline and she was running the 25K that day. It was her FIRST trail race, so I was so excited for her. We were all chatting with new and old friends when all of a sudden, the race director told the 50K runners to "START!" It was a little unsettling, since we weren't warned about the start of the race, but we just shrugged our shoulders and started to run. This race was a training run for me, so I just wanted to take it easy and have a great day in the woods with friends.

The course doesn't actually utilize the single track trail system, but follows the crushed limestone trails. I think this was due to the fact that the trails were pretty sloppy with all the snow, ice and MUD. Oh, I must have forgotten to mention the mud. There was so much mud on the course that it made the race pretty challenging. It was a great workout for the legs though. :) We spent the first part of the course chatting about upcoming races and life in general. I saw some friends along the way to say hi to. The weather was cool, but very comfortable. There wasn't a strong wind and it was mostly overcast. We got to talking to another runner that was actually from the Wisconsin area and she also had done the Windbreaker Indoor Marathon at the Pettit. It was fun talking to a fellow Wisconsinite. Then, all of a sudden we came to a road crossing. I knew for certain we were not on the course. The race director had told us that at every road crossing there would be police officers to direct us. We were stuck. We had no map of the course and we didn't know if we should backtrack or keep moving forward. Luckily, a man in a pick up truck came down the road and told us that we needed to follow the road because we had made a wrong turn. About 20 of us runners were running along this road and finally see the trail that we were supposed to be on. Oh well, a minor set back. No one really was too upset about the lack of course markings and I just kept saying "Well, at least we got our moneys worth". :) That's the beauty about ultrarunners, we are usually a very laid back bunch and don't get too upset about many things.

We were back on the course and almost back to the start/finish area. The course was two loops going east and then a smaller loop going west. We got back to the start/finish, got some fig newtons and sports drink and then we were back on our second loop. They also had these delicious gummy hearts that made me the happiest ever. I LOVE candy and I LOVE candy during races. It's a small treat to look forward to when you are out battling the mud and slop. I could start feeling my legs were getting tired, but I think it had more to do with the mud and my wet feet. My feet were sliding around and causing some small blisters to start forming. I usually never take my shoes off during races to treat my blisters. I usually just stomp my foot to pop them, because when I take off my shoes my feet love to swell up and then I have a hard time squeezing them back into my shoes.

We go to the New Leaf aid station and I got to see some friends and took pictures and got some more of those gummy hearts. . OF COURSE! By this point we were running with another friend, Nikki, from the running group. I hadn't seen her in awhile, so it was so nice to catch up with her. She was running strong and wanted to keep a good pace, so we said our goodbyes and she took off ahead of us. We were about a half mile to the start/finish area when I spotted something blue on the trail. I screamed, as I often do when I see weird wildlife while running. We stopped and saw that it looked like a salamander. Tiffany wanted to move it off the trail so that it wouldn't get accidently trampled over. I tried to pick it up, but it secreted a very strange white substance. Eventually, Tiffany rescued it and took it off the trail. We were laughing the rest of the race about the fact we spotted a salamander in the dead of winter. That was our good deed for the day and makes for a great story.

The start/finish area was in our sights. We made a quick refuel and were off on the small loop going west. This would be our last loop and was about 5 miles. This section was pretty tough with the sloppy mud and the hills. My feet were pretty mangled up from being wet and rubbing around inside my shoe. We continued our banter, got complimented on our St. Patty's Day socks and then did an Irish Jig. :) At this point, we were beyond slap happy.

With only a few miles left in the loop we saw a few women a head of us and got a little competitive. We kicked up the pace to move ahead of them and didn't slow down until we saw the FINISH area. We cruised into the finish. Ian handed us our medals and we also got a beer cozy. At the finish area I met another runner from our group, Tony. It was nice to finally meet him. I was pretty cold, stinky and my feet were killing me. Tiffany and I took a finish photo with our well deserved medals and then I hit the road.

With the course marking mishap, we don't actually have final finishing times. We ran a mile or so further than we were supposed to and many other runners either ran the correct distance, more or less. The race directors weren't able to determine who ran what distance. I felt pretty bad for the race directors, but this was an inaugural event and I really hope they will put this race on again in 2014. The volunteers were amazing and the aid stations were packed full of goodies. Sometimes, there are mishaps in races but other than running a little farther than I signed up for, I was really happy with how the race was directed and supported. It was a great run with friends out on the trails, which are two of my favorite things. 

Breaking The Ice

The Ice Breaker Indoor Marathon and Half Marathon took place on a cold and windy day in January. The event is a weekend affair. On Friday night, they feature a 5K run, on Saturday they have the half marathon and Sunday morning is the marathon. If you sign up and complete both the Half Marathon on Saturday AND the Marathon on Sunday, you have completed the Gold Medal Challenge. This is what I had signed up for. I figured this would be great training to do back to back long runs. The race directors outlaw any personal music devices. When you register, you list two songs that you would like to hear and the MC will broadcast the music on the speakers. I must add, this race takes place at the Petitt International Ice Skating Rink. You are on a track that goes around an Olympic Speed Skating Track and there are two ice skating rinks inside the speed skating track. Needless to say, there is A LOT of skaters to watch and the building is temperature controlled so that means no brutal wind or chill during a January run. . BONUS!

Bill and I made our way up to Milwaukee on Friday night. I had my usual pre race jitters, but nothing too major. I knew I could run the distance, but I never actually ran a race on an indoor track and was worried that I would want to gouge my eyeballs due to sheer boredom. I think that was what I was most worried about. We got to my parents house and visited for a little bit before I decided to go up to bed and get some sleep. I had a half marathon to run in the morning at 7AM. My alarm went off around 5:30AM. I was nice and rested for the race. My Dad was going to drive down with Bill and watch me during this first race. I love when my parents are able to come to my races. It's so nice to be able to have their familiar faces at a race, it always picks my spirits up. My Dad got us some pre race coffee, I got my bibs for the half marathon and the marathon the next day and then we went down to the track to figure out where I needed to put my drop bags and fuel. The really cool thing about this race is that there is only 1 aid station. You write your bib number on your bottle and your GUs. As you come around the track, you tell the volunteers your number and that you need your water bottle or GU and on your next lap they have it waiting for you and hand it off. You never have to stop at the aid station and wait. It was the coolest thing and the volunteers took such good care of the runners. After I got my water bottle marked and my GUs lined up, the runners went to the starting line. The temperature in the building was perfect. I was very comfortable in my running skirt and I knew my long sleeve shirt was going to have to come off sooner or later, but I wanted to stay warm as long as possible.

                                                   

The gun went off and we were off! I just wanted to run a nice and easy pace and didn't go out to set any land speed records. I just wanted to get used to the track and see how I did with 48 laps around the track. They have a large monitor that counts down your laps. In the early stages, I made sure NOT TO LOOK AT THE MONITOR! If you don't look at your lap count, it actually surprises you when you do finally look and see how far you actually went. I was running very nice and comfortably and loved seeing and hearing (they had a cowbell) my Dad and Bill as I came around on each lap. I took a GU at the half way point. The volunteers at the aid station were dancing and keeping us runners entertained. As part of the Gold Medal Challenge, we wear gold bibs so you knew who you were going to see tomorrow at the marathon. It was nice that the race directors gave us special bibs.  The announcer will tell you on the loudspeaker when you are on your last lap and I couldn't wait to hear that "Leslie Jacobi is on her last lap". YIPPEE!!! I did a full out sprint and came in at 1:59. As I got off the track, the volunteers hung a bronze medal around my neck for completing the race. I was ready to rest and run a marathon the next day!

That night I went to sleep early. I was not as nervous about the marathon, since I knew what to expect with the track. The miles really went by quickly and I just hoped the same thing happened at the marathon.  Bill and my Dad dropped me off at the race. This time, they hung around for a couple laps but decided to go visit some local places in Milwaukee and then they were planning on picking up my Mom so she could see me finish the marathon. I was planning on finishing the marathon in 4 hours and 15 minutes. I really wanted a 4 hour marathon, but as soon as I started to run I realized that unless I powered through I didn't think my legs would take me to a sub 4 hour finish. That's alright, I didn't do any speed work prior to the marathon so wasn't expecting a record setting time. I just really wanted to finish the miles in one piece. When my family left I was alone for the next 3 hours. The hours went by pretty quickly. I made sure not to look at the number of laps that I had left. I didn't want to focus on how many laps I had left, since that may have made me nuts. I was so excited when the played the "Imperial March". I'm a HUGE Star Wars nerd, so I fully appreciated the other "nerd" that requested that song. I got excited to hear my song that I requested "MGMT: Electric Feel". That song reminds me of our wedding reception and dancing with friends. I thought about that day and how thankful I am for being able to run, having a supportive husband and a loving family. I had a total of 2 GUs during the race, water and the volunteers would fill my bottle with powerade when I requested it. At about the 3:45 mark, I saw my Mom come through the doors. It was so wonderful to see her. I had been running so long without seeing my family and my spirits were instantly lifted. I started to cry tears of happiness when I saw her. I was ready to finish this thing out. I asked Bill how many laps I had left and he held up all ten fingers. Yes! I was almost to the single digits. I powered through the last ten and realized that my hopes of a 4 hour finish were not going to happen. But, a 4:20 finish could be possible. I pushed my very tired legs and heard the familiar "Leslie Jacobi is on her last lap". YES!!!!! I sprinted that last lap to a 4:19 finish. As I got off the track, the volunteers made sure I was alright. Then, they hung a silver medal around my neck AND a gold medal for completing the Gold Medal Challenge.

The race was organized FLAWLESSLY! They had a huge spread of food at the post race gathering and the volunteers spoiled us with answering our every demand. It was also so nice to see the fasties sprint around that track in record time. Also, running in a climate controlled environment in the dead of winter was also a plus. A few weeks later, I recieved a 2nd place age group award for my marathon finish. It was a pin that I have place next to my bronze, silver and gold medals.

I would highly recommend this race to anyone. You will not die of boredom and the miles really do go by very quickly. I can't wait until next year!!

All That It's Crocked Up To Be

The many joys of a crock pot. This may sound a bit melodramatic, but I am in love with our crock pot. We got it as a wedding present and, when we put it on our registry, I had no idea how much joy and pleasure we would get from it.

When I was little, I remember my mom making dinner in the crock pot. Everything always turned out moist and delicious. I remember the house being filled with the aroma of roasting meat. It also brings back images of warm chili during the cold days of winter. There is just so much nostalgia that is created by a simple kitchen gadget.

Bill and I really enjoy a healthy Sunday night dinner and the crock pot has allowed me to make a great dinner, without sacrificing my Sunday preparing it. I have made pot roasts, chickens, pork tenderloins and meatloaf. My favorite is the meatloaf recipe. It uses ground turkey and shiitake mushrooms, instead of red meat. I love it so much I decided to post it and hopefully, you too, can enjoy this delicious dinner with your family.



Ingredients
2(1-ounce) slices whole wheat bread
1.5 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup grated fresh onion
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Preparation

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until crumbs measure 1 1/3 cups. Combine the crumbs and next 6 ingredients (turkey through garlic) in a large bowl, and shape meat mixture into a 9 x 6-inch loaf. Place loaf in an electric slow cooker.

Combine ketchup, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a fork. Spread ketchup mixture evenly over top of loaf. Cover with lid; cook on LOW for 5 hours.

Nutritional Information

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Amount per serving
Calories: 265
Calories from fat: 43%
Fat: 12.7g
Saturated fat: 4.2g
Monounsaturated fat: 5.1g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.7g
Protein: 25.2g
Carbohydrate: 12.7g
Fiber: 1.9g
Cholesterol: 152mg
Iron: 3mg
Sodium: 545mg
Calcium: 41mg

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Trust me, if you decide to make this for dinner you will not be disappointed. It also makes delicious leftovers as well. Also, enjoy this meal with a beverage. I would imagine an India Pale Ale or Brown Ale would compliment this meal.

Lake Bluff Brewery

The joys of a new brewery in the Chicagoland area. Bill and I were eagerly anticipating venturing up to Lake Bluff, Illinois to taste some new brews from the Lake Bluff Brewery. Our plans were ruined last week, due to the Metra train having some technical issues. This Friday, would be the day. The best part was that we would be meeting my very best friend up there for dinner. Bonus!!



I have been following the brewery on Facebook. I would highly recommend looking for updates on their Facebook page, since the web page doesn't seem to get updated as frequently. The brews that they had on draft were:

- Inspiration Pale Ale
- Tis the Saison Belgian
- Belgian Monkey
- Black Squirrel Bourbon Stout
- Guest Brewery- Bell's Oberon and Bell's Amber Ale



I started with the Belgian Monkey and was very pleased. It was an average belgian beer, with a nice fruitiness and still packed a punch. It wasn't "out of this world", but it was very enjoyable. I then tried the "Tis the Saison Belgian". This was definitely not a typical Saison, but it was still good. I would categorize this as more of a belgian beer, not a Saison. I prefered the "Belgian Monkey" over this one. Bill tried the "Black Squirrel Bourbon Stout". It was very difficult to pick up any bourbon characteristics, but it was a solid stout. If the name didn't say Bourbon, I wouldn't have even known there was any kind of bourbon flavor. He also tried the Inspiration Pale Ale, which was also a pretty average Pale Ale.

The menu is limited, since it's more of a Tap Room then a full out restaurant. We started with the hummus plate, which was pretty good. I had a turkey panini and Bill tried the pulled pork. The food was average. The space was very nice. It was crowded when we got there around 7PM, but seemed to thin out as the work crowd went home.

We met two of my favorite people there, Tanya and Jon Citron. Tanya tried the Saison and enjoyed it. She is not much of a beer drinker, so I was surprised that she liked it. Jon enjoyed one of the Bell Amber Ale. This place definitely has an extensive wine list as well, so there is something for everyone.

Lake Bluff Brewery just opened, so it will be very interesting to see how they develop and grow as a brewery. As long as they continue to put out well flavored beers and keep it interesting, I know they will have a successful run in that space. They are conveniently located at the Lake Bluff Metra station on the Union Pacific North Line.

I would recommend venturing up to Lake Bluff to try them out. Just keep in mind that they are young, so their beers aren't as well developed as a more mature brewery. Don't expect to be blown away, just expect to enjoy your visit.

An Evening of P's

Ah how I love Friday nights. It's the end of a work week and the beginning of the weekend. Our Friday night plan was to head up to a brand new brewery in Lake Bluff, IL. It's about a 40 minute Metra Train ride from our place in Evanston. I was excited! Our plan was thwarted by a faulty Metra train. We waited for the train for quite some time, but the rumblings in our belly told us that we needed to get food and we were going to stay local. We decided to hit up this really cool gourmet pizza/beer place called "Union". Bill and I hardly go to this restaurant, because it usually caters to the "Martini" Crowd. We were both pleasantly surprised to see some decent beers.

They had Pepe Nero by Goose Island on tap. This is a new beer for GI, so I was excited to try it. It is a Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale that is brewed with peppercorns.



It has this beautiful dark color with a very nice roasty sweetness. It doesn't have a lot of body to it. I could definitely see myself eating a juicy steak with this beer. It was good, but not amazing. If you see on draft, I would give it a try.

The second beverage I had was Bavik Petrus Aged Pale. I am a big fan of sour beers and this one was a slam dunk.



As you can see by it's color, this beer is light and almost champagne-like. It is aged in wood for 24 - 30 months, so it has a delicious hint of oak. It has a delicate mouth feel and a slightly sour ending. If you are not used to sour beers, you need to take a few drinks of these types of beers just to get your taste buds accustomed to the sour taste. There are also hints of fruit as well. This was a really great beer and is definitely one of my favorite sour beers.

The last "P" of the evening, was some awesome pizza. We got a pesto, goat cheese and sun dried tomato pizza. It didn't compliment our beers, too much, but everything was delicious.

If you see Pepe Nero or Petrus at your local establishment, give 'em a try. You will not be disappointed.

Lake Bluff Brewery is this weekend, let's hope the Metra trains cooperate.

Who's Goosing Goose Island?

In my neck of the woods, Monday mornings are pretty uneventful. I am usually wishing for the weekend to be longer and excited about the week ahead. This past Monday (March 28, 2011) was an atypical Monday. I got into work and read the headlines "Goose Island Brewery Sold to Anheuser-Busch" Say what?!?! Our very own Chicago institution sold? And sold to a company that mass produces watery garbage. I was angry, disappointed and mostly hurt by these events.

Goose Island Clybourne holds a very special place in my heart. This was the site of a very special first date with someone who would eventually become my husband, Bill. I made sure to order something without any sauce (I'm a huge slob when it comes to eating) and during our conversation knew that this guy was going to be my life partner. Whenever Bill and I frequent Goose Island, I always remember that very first date and how lucky we both are to find each other. Plus, we both enjoy good quality craft beer! We enjoyed coming here, since we were supporting a local business that wasn't yet tainted by a large corporation. Needless to say, reading that headline really struck a chord.



The Internet was buzzing with posts regarding how Goose Island was selling out and others felt that this was a good thing and would eventually increase distribution and production of Goose Island beer. The transactions details is that Anheuser-Busch bought Goose Island for $38.8 million. This includes a $1.3 million expansion of Goose Island's brewing facility and eventual capacity. Goose Island is no stranger to Anheusuer-Busch, as they have used them since 2006 to help distribute across the U.S. Some Chicago bars are now boycotting Goose Island and are not going to be ordering or serving Goose's products in their bar.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that Craft Beer is definitely going through a change. I have yet to determine if that's a good thing, but I certainly hope that this will not mean the "Corporation" of Craft Beer and I also hope quality does not suffer. It would be a shame if Goose Island's beers turned into a glorified Bud Light. I personally, am nervous that the quality of the beers will decline. I also feel that craft beer should stay away from the huge corporations. The best part of traveling or being a beer nerd is getting your hands on a beverage that no one else can get in your area. You surprise your friends with this most coveted brew and it's exciting. You can do beer swaps with fellow nerds across the US. We are going to lose that with the current happenings at Goose Island. I think that takes away from the nostalgia of craft beer.

Only time will tell if Goose Island really got goosed by a Bud Light.

The Half Marathon Plunge

Today was my first race since Rocky Raccoon 100 mile. It was the Chi Town Half Marathon and 5K put on by AllCommunityEvents.com. The proceeds went to the Special Olympics, so I felt good that it was a low key event (ie: No huge corporations getting the benefit) and it also helped a really great organization. Two of my friends were also running the race, Charles and Laura. Charles was running the Half Marathon and Laura was running the 5K. Charles is training for his first Iron Man in New Zealand next year, so this was his first foot race in quite awhile. Laura is a crazy fast runner. But, this race would be a PR no matter what she ran since this was her first race as a pregnant chick. And Bill came as our support crew.

At 6:45 AM, we all piled into Laura's amazing old school Lexus (dubbed the Ghetto Sled) and we headed down to Lincoln Park Zoo. A picture of the "Sled". It's pretty amazing.



It was balmy outside (30ish degrees) and the wind was definitely making my feet and hands go numb. I was excited to see how my recovery was going and testing my legs. I was aiming for a 1:45:00 finish and I felt like it was a very realistic goal. This race had pace groups, so I stood between the 1:55:00 and the 1:45:00 pace group. I put on my headphones and we were off!

My legs and feet were hitting the crushed lime stones pretty hard at the start. I think it was a mixture of my feet and shoes being cold and the path being cold. It felt great to stretch my legs and my pace was a 7:30 min/mile. I was getting into a rhythm and felt pretty darn good. The course goes north on the lakefront path up to Wilson and then loops back south. It was a great course, since the loops allowed the runners to see each other, which I love.

At the first aid station, I got a cup of water and kept running through. My legs felt really great and I was excited. I decided to pull back on my pace and stuck to a 8:15 min/mile pace. After 4 miles I really felt warmed up and decided to take off my gloves. I was pushing through the wind and stayed on the non-asphalt section of the Lakefront path. We are very lucky to live in Chicago and have the beautiful Lakefront Path. There were bikers, dog owner, runners and walkers all enjoying the path and cheering the racers on.



I used to run this path all the time a few summers ago and have decided that I will be making more frequent runs along the path this coming year. It's such a great resource that we have and it's so beautiful. After my daydreaming, we were coming up to North Avenue beach and the wind was making its presence known. My face started feeling very hot and I realized I forgot to put moisturizer on it. As I am writing this, my face has that familiar burn of windburn. Lovely! The Lake Michigan waves were magnificent as they crashed on the shore. We made a turn to go on the other side of Lake Shore Drive where we went through a nice little park to turn back around where we came from. This was a nice little section, since we got a break from the wind.

Coming back north on the Lakefront path, I saw Charles and he looked like he was having a great time. He had a nice big smile on his face and was running strong. I got a little "pick me up" when I saw him and saw that big smile. I mean, that's what running is all about. Just enjoying yourself. I looked down at my watch and realized that a 1:45:00 was not going to happen today. My left leg started acting up and I was having a sharp pain going from the top of my hip all the way down my calf. Darn! I had about 4 miles to go. I wanted a sub 2 hour finish and that was still very possible. When there was only 5K left, we were circling back to the finish. I saw Laura (her race was already done with), Bill and our good friend Jeff cheering for me. Jeff lives in the neighborhood and it was great to see him out there. I looked down at my watch and saw I was at 1:50:00 and pushed towards the finish. I crossed the finish in 1:53:00. It was a little bit of a disappointing finish, since I had a goal and really wanted that 1:45:00, but was still happy with my finish and happy to have a post-Rocky race in the bag. They gave everyone a medal for finishing, I grabbed a banana and a cookie. (The cookies were awesome and should be at all post-race events). Bill tapped me on the shoulder and we headed over to Laura and Jeff. Laura finished 3rd in her age category! Her baby got his/her first age group award and I have a hunch him/her will have a gift for running. We waited at the finish for Charles to come through. We spotted him and cheered him to a great finish.

We headed to Fountainhead for a post-race brunch and I got a very well deserved burger with sweet potato chips. Yum!

All in all, it was a great morning. I got to test out my recovery and realized that I might have to schedule a leg massage and be more diligent with using my foam roller to roll out my legs. I got to hang out with some awesome friends and even got a medal. I highly recommend this race for a new or experienced runner. It had a great vibe, a scenic course and it's for a great cause. Next up, a marathon in Indiana next Sunday. I will not have a time goal in mind, but will see how my legs feel this week and just enjoy the run. That's what it's all about! :)