marathon training kickoff

Last night I arrived home to discover that I was missing my apartment key.  I sat like a homeless person in the hallway until BMB returned.

 
Luckily I had some furry friends inside the apartment to keep me amused.

 
Once I got into the apartment and stopped torturing the cats we led the charge for the early bird crowd busting down the doors at the Olive Garden.

 
We had a gift card burning a hole in our pockets and made the most out of what turned out to be a $12 dinner.  I started with a glass of the house blush wine.

 
And went on to consume 5 breadsticks and the cheese ravioli.

I sure was paying for the meal this morning when I woke up at an ungodly time for a Saturday.

 
All for good reason.  Today was the first day of marathon training through the CARA Summer Marathon Training Program.

Before leaving I had my typical pre-run breakfast of a Clif Bar, coffee, and water.

 
We met the rest of the downtown CARA group at the Chicago boat house on Monroe and Lake Shore for the 6 AM start. 

 
We had heard great things about the program, and it being our first marathon we thought it would be an awesome way to ensure a good experience.  The group meets every Wednesday and Saturday, with different groups for pace times and running levels.  

We had picked up our CARA goody bag and race materials earlier in the week.

 
Training plan, shoe strap that identifies you as a member of the club, pretty cool bag with separate compartment, a marathon book, and some sweet deodorant.   There was also a ton of charity information but as we are dedicated to the MMRF we could ignore it.

 
We also were given some sweet Cara race tank tops. 

Today we joined the 10 minute mile pace group of about 25 people for a 6 mile run.   My friend Sara also joined CARA, and poor BMB (and the rest of our group) had to put up with our giggles the entire time. 

 
We headed north along the lake before turning around at a designated water stop. 

It’s so nice to not have to worry about bringing water or my Garmin and just run with the group.  I love races so much because of the group mentality so CARA is going to be fabulous.

The run flew by and before we knew it we were doing a group stretch back at the harbor. 

 
As goofy as it is I think the stretch will be extremely beneficial to me as I tend to head directly to the fridge or shower when I’m done running.   It was a fabulous start to our marathon training and I’m so excited for the upcoming months.

After walking the mile home and showering we took advantage of the early hour and beat the rush at Yolk.  I ordered my standard Blue Bayou Frittata.

 
Deeelicious.  Blue cheese and eggs may be my favorite combo. 

 
BMB also ordered a french toast combo to take back to our awesome doorman Armone. 

 
He was so excited when we brought it back.  He’s the man and never charges us for lost keys or broken toilets. 

Now we are waiting for the stinkin’ fog to move out so we can get on with our day.   Jazz fest and BBQ on the agenda for today… have a great Saturday!