1/2 Marathon and Beyond

So, I'll be honest here: I've had it with the training for this thing! About 3 weeks left to go?! Seriously?! I'm about to create the Desiree Smith 1st Half Marathon this Sunday and run it myself and be done. The blisters are annoying the crap out of me. I just want this to be done and over with already. Nevertheless...I'm staying on top of training, and it's going well. I did 11 miles last Friday morning - took all my will power to get out of bed at 5 AM for that one. But anyway...

Last Saturday I went to my boyfriend's cousin's wedding. It was SO much fun! The area behind the church was absolutely beautiful, a stunning view of Lake Michigan. I had a great time with my boyfriend and his family. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:











That last photo of Phil and I is my absolute FAVORITE! Love the city skyline, love our smiles in this photo. I also love that I look more toned than I have in a long time, and so this photo really inspires me to stay healthy!

I realize that after the half marathon is over, it won't be long before shorter daylight hours and colder weather is upon us again, and I'll need something new to keep me motivated. So after some careful research on training, I finally registered for the Sky Rise Chicago Tower Up! event sponsored by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. In other words...I will be climbing all 103 floors of the Willis (Sears) Tower.

RIC provides world-class rehabilitation care to patients - children and adults - from around the globe for traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, as well as stroke and cancer. The funds raised through SkyRise Chicago will directly impact patients' lives by supporting advances in patient care and cutting-edge research at RIC.

It's pretty intimidating, climbing stairs are a different beast! I will start training about a week after the half has taken place, so I will have plenty of time to prepare. The training tips for the Hustle up the Hancock helped me decide to participate in this event - yes, I realize the Hancock is a shorter building, however, it says you should be able to easily run 3 miles regularly before participating in that stair climb - so I figure training for 13 miles makes it OK to climb the Willis Tower.

I am required to fundraise at least $100 for the event, in addition to the $50 registration fee I paid to participate. I will push this more over the coming months, but will still make mention of it now - if you would like to donate to the cause, you can do so on my Personal Page for the event. ANY amount, small or large, is greatly appreciated! If just 10 people donate $10, or 20 people donate $5, I can reach my goal. I will be honest - I hate doing fundraising, hate asking people for money. But if you could help out this cause and help me reach my goal, it would really mean a lot to me!