Back in early December I called the Mayor’s Press Office asked the general staffer about arranging an interview with the Mayor for a column for Triathlete magazine. Rahm Emanuel had finished 9th out of 80 in his age group in the Chicago Triathlon in 2011 and Triathlete was interested in a profile on the Mayor of Chicago if I was granted an interview. (Come to think of it, my original pitch to Triathlete was in November.)  Multiple emails and phone calls later and more pitching to his Press Secretary, Tarrah Cooper, a very professional, highly organized 25 year old, told me I was given the slot to interview Emanuel today. My fingers were crossed all day that his schedule would still permit…I prayed something else more urgent would cross me off his list.

I waited at my computer, file of questions open, land line phone by my side- charged and ready to go- when Tarrah phoned me on my cell at 1:10 pm…”Hi Betsy, we are running 10-15 mins behind today.” “That’s perfectly fine. I’m here and ready for his call, no problem,” I said relieved he was still planning to call. Then my phone rang just 10 mins later…

“Hi Mayor Emanuel…thank you for calling and finding some time to talk to me today. I’m writing a profile of you for Triathlete magazine.” Okay…”How did you find your way to triathlon?”  There we were….his familiar voice was loud and clear on the other end of the phone. It was like I knew him, but I didn’t. Conversing with him was totally different then hearing snipets of him speaking on the news.

I learned a lot about the Mayor in a short 15 min. interview. I learned about his passion for swimming, his daily discipline toward his coveted workout schedule (7 days a week!), his love for his wife and family, his devotion to the City and his competitive nature (and sarcastic twists)- all qualities that have propelled him to success and leadership throughout his career. From White House Chief of Staff to Mayor of one of the largest cities…In a way at the end of our conversation when I asked him if he planned to do the Chicago Tri again this year, he said he hopes to- he’d like to, but his schedule is not his own- I felt a bit sad for him. He’s lost a bit of his freedom with his political office; with giving so much of himself. In his life as a public servant, he’s schedule is not his own – even on a Sunday morning.

When I asked him about his bike lane and rack initiatives in Chicago – his voice became a little more tense as he put on his mayor hat – “I want to make this a very bike friendly city…” He is no doubt passionate about Chicago.

“Thank you, Mayor, for your time. I appreciate it. Have a great day.” “Thank you…”he said.

Read more details of my interview in the May 2012 issue of Triathlete magazine! Mayor Emauel is a triathlete in every sense of the word!

Salt Lake was a bit balmy for their standards this time of year. Temps reached 55 one evening. I had no reason to complain. But being the snow experts they are, they had the snow making machines cranked up and spitting out snow for weeks before we arrived! The base was a measly 38″ or so, way down for the 200+ the previous year, but that didn’t stop us from sneaking in 3 good days of skiing. And a spa treatment, an Alpine Coaster ride and lots of good quality time with family. We were there hanging out with the in-laws – grandparents. There’s nothing more enjoyable than seeing your 14 and 10 yr old ski with their 70-something parents. They still ease down the mountain with such grace and style- pure love of the sport and mountains!

Back at home- after a spring-like 54 degree day last Wednesday- the snow came flying down and blanketed the ground with 4-6 inches in beautiful white just 24 hours later. Okay, I was bummed we weren’t going full force right into spring, but now that I’ve been out snowshoeing and shoveling, I’m glad winter arrived. Yes, I actually think I would miss the season if we just skipped over it completely. I know I’m not alone in stating at least winter will be short this year.

Gliding through the snow on my snowshoes and swinging my poles warmed me up quickly. Riley bounced along exploring and sniffing on the golf course. This dog is truly in love with the winter- nice a cool & snow to eat! I came back from a great outside, no-impact workout with a clear head feeling exhilarated! I’ll be back out there soon…

What do you love about winter?

Hosting Thanksgiving was a bit rough – on my feet for hours at a time and in the grocery store with help from my mom. Nonetheless, it’s REALLY IMPOSSIBLE to stay off your feet during this busy time of year! I exerted more energy for a few days trying to hobble around on crutches…not fun, but necessary. And so I adjusted. Changed my mindset for a few weeks and propped up my foot as often as I could.

I was back on the paddle courts Monday, but with limitations. No match play this week for me.  I so crave being outdoors and active…that I did get my butt into the pool and swim and managed to cycle twice. So, on the mend….it’s good to take a mental break and step back, assess what I enjoy (I do miss running!!) and be thankful for what I can do. And be patient with my healing, for long term benefits. 

I jumped for a lob during a paddle tennis match. I came down on my left foot and heard and felt a pop in my calf. We had just started the match, too, and I was looking forward to playing. I stopped right away and knelt down to rub my calf. It hurt! I was in denial, I felt this couldn’t be happening to me. It just can’t.

My teammate came over to see how I was. We stopped play and my captain came out of the hut and said “Betsy, it’s not worth it.” She was right…but I really didn’t want to stop. My gut knew there was no way I could run and land on my foot.

I went into the hut and commiserated with my teammates and after some ice and little bit of stretching had to forfeit the match. My captain, Janet, offered to carry me on her back to the car and Chris carried my bag. I had tried calling Bruce but he was so busy he didn’t pick up so I hobbled into his office and plopped into a chair. He was happy it wasn’t my achilles tendon – I’d be out for long term and never be the same. So he slipped on a compression sock, gave me a boot, and crutches. 

Staying off my foot is going to be tough. And yesterday was Brad’s 14th birthday. We celebrated – there is much to celebrate! 

We hope an ultrasound will show exactly what snapped and Bruce will have a better idea of my recovery. 2- 6 weeks? I’ll take the 2 if I get a choice! 

Being active has it’s benefits and I’d never stop to avoid injury. I may even jump in the pool today with a buoy and swim some much needed laps! And there’s always water running….as Mark and Kim say, they’ve got the weight belts and it’s great for recovery. 

I’m on the road and hope it’s fast!

Team Morgan & Noxon in our team wind breakers Photo by Mary O'Brion

When a 20+ mph wind whipped up and slapped me right in the face at 7 am Saturday morning on the streets of Chicago, I was inclined to turn around and go back to my warm car.

Instead, Bruce pulled out the garbage bags he brought to keep us warm. It’s a classic style. A runner’s winter secret. The good ol’ garbage bags.

Style smmyle…who needs pricey techno wind jackets?

We donned the garbage bags after several pit stops at the Fairmount Hotel, warm and private…

As we made our way down to the starting & staging area near Grant Park the wind calmed down considerably- people were wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts, while we felt the thermal warming of our plastic.

The crowds were huge as they gathered for the 5k start – from Coral A back to the Open Coral where there were hundred even thousands of walkers. Through the flood of people we heard the announcer say there was a semi-truck that had an accident or was stuck at an underpass. The police were clearing, but they were-routing the course. A 15 min late start – 7:55 am.  The 15k course would stay the same.

We made several more pit stops to the porta-potties, then shivering, did a short warm up before heading over to the 15k “staging” area. RAM was organized I have to say! We all inched our way up to the front half of Coral A. A guy with a garbage bag jacket stood next to us!

8:35 am and the sun was up & warming us up. We shed our “jackets” and I took off another one of my layers. We all wished each other luck – Toby, Scott, Mark, Kim, Bruce…and the horn went off.

The course was excellent – and the wave of runners immense. All we could hear was the footfall of thousands of people in the streets of Chicago. We ran down Columbus, LaSalle, W. Monroe, W. Jackson, Van Buren, S. Michigan, then back toward the Shed – up a hill at the finish (yeah not happy about that one).

It was cool running between Chicago’s towering buildings absorbing the architecture…then in the streets past town homes, through sun and shade – wind and warmth. I ran steadily with Kim & Toby passing the mile markers/clocks and checking our pace. Every now and then checking in with each other – are you OK? You’re looking strong….

I felt good…but had to go to the bathroom during most of the run – despite my several pre-run stops. I heard some people ducked into a Starbucks for a quick pit stop. I kept my focus ahead – but maybe should have stopped!

The finish could have come a bit sooner! My watch was saying 10.2 miles by the time I crossed the line, but then the satellite reception between the buildings was interrupted and threw off my watch.

I grabbed some Gatorade quickly after my finish and mingled – the sun shining and runners crossing the line continuously. A glorious race day!

Tables of Ghiradelli chocolate (Twilight choc with sea salt & almonds was the hot give-away- & it’s very good!) were for the taking and we headed to the Post Race Party tent for some fondue and hot chocolate before heading back home.

Cooling down at the post race party

On HC Facebook page some people were complaining that the distance was incorrect because of the re-routing of the 5k….come on…give the organizers a break! It was a last minute snafu they couldn’t control and I think they did a great job in quickly responding to the problem.  Handling that many people with a time line – and all of the co-ordination it takes to run a huge race like this has to be 24/7 job the weeks before…Be thankful we all could run!

So….Turkey Trot for some? Which race is next? I’ll be working on core strength, giving my legs a bit of a break and hitting the water for some much needed laps!

But…still a few more run clinics to attend before backing off on running for a little

We have an update on the WGN Show – I found out Friday from the producer that our segment will be aired THIS SUNDAY, THE 13TH at 11:30 am….so check it out. I’ll blog again and Tweet. Also the TWT Indoor Tri is that day. Be sure to check it out!

 

Time for the Hot Chocolate Race!

It’s a grand entrance.  Union Station in Chicago is the Expo location for the Hot Chocolate 15k & 5k race this Saturday.

It only made sense that Mark and I took the train into the station this rainy, windy morning. We hit the Expo at 9:30 ish – early enough to avoid the crowds. And by looking at all of the packets/bibs that were boxed and ready for racers- this was gonna be huge! The Expo times run from 7 am – 9 pm today and tomorrow.

Goodies include a race wind-breaker jacket (photo to come)…and plenty of options to buy more HC “official” apparel:

Hotc C's very own stylin' gear

Of course all of these shirts, hats, mugs etc. will be available race morning. These running, racing, enthusiasts LOVE the latest gear and apparel. It’s tempting…I caved in and bought a Sugoi base layer shirt – I just couldn’t live with out (lol). Well, I have to keep up with technology. I was tempted to buy a new Sugoi wind breaker jacket with new magnetized sleeves – yah, it’s true. While running at a good clip, you can easily pull off the sleeves of your jacket, tuck them in your back pocket and run much cooler in your vest- price tag is $120.00….I’ll probably cave the next time.

I certainly couldn’t pass up the Twilight Dark Ghirardelli chocolate square – or 2. I love the dark and it’s good for you, too. After all, that’s the draw for the race, the chocolate, right? More at the finish line. Fondue- it’s OTT.

RAM Racing is on a marketing BLITZ with this race….we talked to Dave Wallach, the new Chief Marketing Officer for RAM racing and he said they’re running  ALL of the Hot Choc races across the country – San Fran, Tx, DC and I can’t remember where else. Anyway..it’s big. The website even has a You Tub video on the coral starts. check out their website: Chicago’s Grant Park Hot Chocolate 15k/5k

Organization is good and I’m counting on them to get me to the starting line!

In preparation, Vachee led our run clinic last Saturday giving us long hill repeats with gradual accelerations on the flats. Lots of flats…then more hills. Pacing was important so we didn’t tire out at the end – and it was a 1:00 hour plus workout.

I tried kickin’ my butt with my heels as I went up the hills, going as hard as I could without falling over It helped me gain some momentum and the extra umph I needed to get up the hill at the top. And I didn’t feel that I exerted too much.

After dashing home after the clinic, Eric was already off to football practice game walk-through and Brad was organizing his haunted house in our garage with his friends. They worked on it Friday after school, then most all of Saturday and more on Sunday. This was a dedicated bunch of 13 & 14 year olds scaring up some screams for Halloween. It was also a lesson in cooperation, negotiation, and teamwork – more than anything else. I was was impressed with their hard work – taking a few breaks here and there to play some football in the back yard- but hey, they kept at it and produced a great “show” yesterday!

Trick or Treaters were lining up to go through the haunted house- only to find that it was closed a few times because of wall issues. Apparently, a few plastic walls were pulled down by accident when scared kids reached out or ran into a wall by mistake. It was dark in there and the strobe lights were going. And the scary music…and creepy skeletons…they thought of it all.

We survived…as did the kids who were brave enough to design the “house” and those who walked through. I like a good scare now and then – gets me running faster when I think I might be chased.

Eric finished up his football and got started right away on basketball. Brad’s in a hiatus right now until basketball starts for him. Love those indoor, 1 hr games with no elements to contend with.

The lightening sirens sounded on Sunday and rain pelted down in the last quarter of Eric’s Jr. Titan game. The game was getting rough – players limped to the sidelines crying from being hit too hard.

Running or soccer next year, Eric? Please?

A 10-mile run yesterday on another gorgeous fall day and I’m feeling very ready for the 15k on Saturday. Looking forward to lacing up!

It’s tough…the other day while practicing paddle with fellow team mates, I felt I let my partner down on one of the games I served. I was just not focusing…or should I say had trouble focusing. I tried and it wasn’t happening. It’s one thing when you, as an athlete, are out there alone- running, biking, or swimming- and if you screw up your swim or your T1, it’s all you- it’s on your time only, no one else’s. But when you play paddle with a partner or have several teammates, you must communicate and your bad shots, poor decisions, or lack of focus is not up to par, it affects your partner, too. Inadaquate sums it up. Ugh….luckily we were just practicing. I guess at least I could peg my weakness in the game – a low ball toss on some of my serves and my mind was elsewhere.

So, the other day, when my football player came home from practice, when it was cold & rainy, and said his coach yelled at them and he didn’t want play again next year- what do you think I said? It’s tough…it’s almost over…just do your best and hang in there, the last game is Sunday. Honestly, I’m not opposed to him NOT playing football, with all the hitting and what not. I told him to seriously think about doing cross country next fall. The coaches don’t yell, but encourage the kids no matter how fast or slow they are. Plus, all you need is a good pair of running shoes! His ideal – little practice and more games.

But – you can’t expect to be ready and do well in a game if you haven’t practiced.

And here I was today, on my own, as I was rotating out on our team paddle match
so I had a little extra time to run AND swim. I enjoyed my 3 mi easy run, every step of it with my new song- David Gultta with Usher. Then grabbed my swim bag and headed to the pool for a 20-30 min swim of drills. I saw an acquaintance swimming there – triathlete who’s also running the Hot Chocolate 15k next week.

Right away, i felt my arm muscles work the resistance of the water. It was refreshing. I did drills, and enjoyed moving through the water without any particular workout.

I like my solitary workouts and I like team sports. It’s a give and take with the team
and sole survivor on your own!

How do you do it? How does someone who’s inactive – doesn’t exercise at all- get off the couch and start?

We met this morning at Lake Shore Athletic club on Fullerton to tell all. Women who Libby and I featured in our book, Tri The Journey, told some of their secrets on camera- their life story and how getting active and doing a triathlon changed their lives in many ways.

Joni, Nancy & Pam – all amazing women who have inspiring stories to tell. Nancy – how she went from mom of three to doing an Ironman- giving herself a gift of health that made her an even better mom and wife. Nancy jumped into the pool to tell Jane her story, with Greg doing all the lighting and camera work. Jane, who has an awesome smile, listened intently to each of our stories and advice.

We headed into the spin room with Joni to tell her story of how, at age 59, came to do a triathlon. She learned to swim, and bike and speed walks the run. Joni’s now done 8 tri’s and still going. She had the desire and keeps on going.  Afterward, we got some “B” roll tape of Joni on the spin bike with me coaching…

Then off to the track to interview Pam- how becoming a triathlete helped her find her true calling (see my previous post). She went from advertising sales turned actress and voice over talent. WOW! All because she gained confidence in herself to so something she’s never done before and to take ownership of her life.

Libby and I ran on the track with her – whew! The power of three!

Then to the weight room where Libby and I had the spotlight. Jane shot us question after question – what does it take to get into the habit of exercising? (Jane’s in the groove – she loves to kick box and works out 6 days a week!) What does it mean to be an athlete? What can you do to become active if you are inactive?

It takes baby steps some days….it takes some desire, a program, a goal, some support. But let’s get people moving – and it’s OK to SWEAT! Learn MORE by watching the show…

Check out the show on Sunday, November 6th at 11:30….you’ll see our segment all from our 4 hour taping!

GET INSPIRED!