Author: wsuzanne2

The Chicago Marathon 2015!

Woot woot!  Getting ready to run the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11th! We just returned from a week of no sleep in New Jersey attending a balloon convention which probably was not the best choice, but it sure was a lot of fun!  Heading to Chicago for the expo and to pick up our race bibs, then we will attend the Team Dinner for Team World Vision.  Alex is heading out to run with the dogs, the last run of our taper.  He is definitely ready for this race since he has trained faithfully and on a very hilly course.  This race is very flat, although some of the streets are the original city streets of Chicago, red brick, and are very uneven.  Yesterday the city started shutting down the parking meters along the race route….Alex’s favorite part of this race is the crowds…I love seeing the city so early in the morning and the feeling of excitement in the air!  Can’t wait till Sunday morning…but I need to update my playlist on my I pod first.  Priorities!  Have a great day friends!

Back in the game!

The podiatrist fixed me up with a shot of cortisone and some shoe inserts, so I am good to go!  We have a busy weekend with corporate events and birthday parties, so we will be doing our long run, 20 miles, on Sunday.  I wish we could make the 20 miler along the lakefront in Chicago on Saturday but there is just not enough time.  Getting excited for taper down…although I don’t feel that I actually hit enough miles, Alex is ready!  We will be having a ball and raising funds for The March of Dimes at O’Hare Airport next week for a 5K.  Can’t wait!  We will joined by 3 of our 4 kids…keeping it in the family!

Down but Not out!

Well, my foot is not fractured, just very angry.  A bone spur, plantar fascia, and swelling…but no break.  So the show must go on, but with stretching, a new pair of running shows, and a visit to the podiatrist.  We are up to 18 miles…at least my husband Alex is.  I took a stroll around the neighborhood today to try out the foot, a mile and half, then iced it in an ice bath.  I am a convert to ice baths!  Tomorrow I am going to try a stretching class and rest, then Saturday I will try the workout.  We are clowning Saturday afternoon which is always fun after a long run!  I think I will be face painting so I will get to sit at least….have a great weekend!

Fundraising Friday!

While challenging ourselves to do something that only .05 percent of the American population has done seems kind of crazy, raising money can be even more daunting.  But we have both finished a marathon before, and have raised money for other charities that are still near and dear to our heart…so we know that we can accomplish these goals with your help!  In 37 days we will be at the starting line of the Chicago Marathon, something that we want to do for some crazy reason, but in some parts of Africa women and children have to walk 6 kilometers each way just to get clean water!  This puts them at risk and is incredibly time consuming.  We are hoping to bring clean water to 80 kids…for a lifetime.  Can you help us with a small donation?  I am waiting for an “all clear” from my Dr. to resume running but am still cross training.  Alex is getting ready to run his longest distance to date this weekend, 18 miles, in beautiful Door County.  Running 18 miles takes time, even for someone who is a relatively fast runner, but he is doing it for the kids.  Thanks so much for your consideration!  Have a great weekend!http://www.teamworldvision.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=39767

What a difference a week makes!

Last week we completed a 6K…after a two hour warm up.  This week I can barely walk after helping a friend move and completely over doing it.  Running is out of the question.  I hate icing, but I know that is what my foot and ankle needs.  We have a mission, to run/walk the Chicago Marathon, but my goal is to be  healthy.  I am going to rest up my foot now so that I can run later!  My husband ran 12 miles on Saturday with our team in the rain…and is on track for a great time for the Chicago Marathon.  We are both keeping up with our “no added sugar” life style.  He is down 30 pounds and his size 36 Levis are literally falling off his body.  The combination of no sugar and running have resulted in him needing to go shopping for new clothes…although a lot of his old clothes now fit.  We went to a movie last night which used to be our excuse to eat buckets of popcorn and drink soda but we didn’t have either.  It used to be hard to pass up sweets but I am coming up on 9 months sugar free and the appeal is gone.  Our favorite drink besides water is unsweetened iced tea with fresh lemon from McDonald’s…simple pleasures.  I’m not going to freak out about my injury…I will have to cross train in the pool until I recover.  No matter what, I will finish the marathon October 11th.  And I know that my weight loss is not dependent on my ability to run, but on the choices that I make every day about what food I am choosing to fuel my body.

Clowns on the Run unleashed…

When we met we were both runners…well, he was a runner and I ran when I was angry or upset, so I was mainly a poser.  One of our first dates was going on a run together…I guess he didn’t catch on that it was an occasional kind of a thing for me!  33 years later it is still more of an occasional thing with me, I have been running after kids for 26 years which didn’t really allow time and energy to spend running.  I have also spent 25 years running our small clowning business…which leads to our name Clowns on the Run.  Yesterday was a particularly manic Saturday as I walked 6 miles, ran 4 miles in a 6K to benefit World Vision, then face painted at a two hour event and clowned for 2 hours at a birthday party!  We have been on a mission to improve our health through eating well and eliminating sugar from our diet, and getting back in shape through walking and running.  So far it is working, we have both lost weight and continue to try and eat the healthiest foods possible.  Life is a marathon, not a sprint.  Have a great day!