I Won The Lottery!

Chicago Marathon LogoNo, I didn’t win the kind of lottery that would let me quit my job. I did, however, get selected for one of the 33,000 public lottery slots in the Chicago Marathon! Come Sunday October 12th, I’ll be running my ass off in an attempt to prove to myself that spontaneity, insanity and months upon months of physical training can be fun and painful! That reminds me, I’d better put in for a vacation day on October 13th. I think I’ll have earned a day of rest by then.

In the meantime, I have 180 days to kick my training into high gear and get ready for the most physically challenging event I’ve ever undertaken.

28,510 Paces Next Year

Long RoadI’ve toyed with the idea in my head for a while now. About a month ago, I started telling friends and family of my plans (many of which just thought I was drunk). Yesterday, I began my training, and on October 12th 2014 I will put my year long commitment to the test. I intend to run the Chicago Marathon in 2014.

It has been nearly a year since I have been to the gym, so going there after work last night seemed strange yet vaguely familiar. I wasn’t as far behind physically as I thought I would be. I was able to keep up a brisk walk on the treadmill (3.6 mph) for an hour without the heart rate monitor telling me to stop and call an ambulance. As unimpressive as that sounds, it’s better than what I expected. I’m not a fan of tread mills (or stationary bikes for that matter) but the consistency and control they offer over my pace at the beginning stages of my training are definitely welcome. I’ll stay indoors on the treadmill until spring, and then transition to actual pavement once the weather is a bit more cooperative.

Road-Race-Online-Sports-RegistrationBut wait, there’s more! So Jenn had been discussing my plans to run a Marathon with one of her co-workers, and he said that he ran a Marathon once too. He also said that “it’s one of those things that you do once, and then never need to do again. Twenty-six point two miles is a very long distance to run.” I thought about that, and decided to amend my plans. Not only do I plan to run the Chicago Marathon in 2014, but I vow to continue my training and improve upon my time in the Chicago Marathon in 2015. Yep, I’m going to at least run it twice. Don’t ever let it be said that I do anything half-way.

And just in case you were wondering, a pace is an actual measurement from Roman times equating to approximately 1.48 meters. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Finally, a good use for the Chicago gun buyback program

Originally posted on the Chicago Tribune website.

Chicago’s gun buyback helps group pay for youth shooting camp
Downstate group collects more than $6,200 in gift cards for old, damaged weapons.

Last weekend, members of a downstate group drove to Chicago, handed in about 60 weapons as part of the city’s trade-in program and walked out with more than $6,200 in gift cards.
While the city gun buyback program is meant to reduce the amount of deadly weapons in Chicago, the guns traded in were rusted, damaged and, according to the group, pretty much useless.
Police said the pro-gun group is taking advantage of a program intended to take firearms off the street. Officials from Guns Save Life, based in Champaign County, countered that they are putting the money to good use — to purchase ammunition and firearms for a youth program that teaches gun safety and marksmanship. The group also traded in a handful of BB guns and starter pistols.
“We just took advantage of Chicago’s induced, artificial market on rusty junk,” said John Boch, the group’s president.

(Click the link above for the full article)

Absolutely brilliant! My hats off to these guys. I’ve seen their Burma Shave style signs going down I57 before. A very clever group working to protect our rights.

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