Bobbling about Chicago with family and running friends

 

We got some much needed sleep perhaps aided by a couple of wines, but an early start needed for todays action.  Up well before 5am local time, we almost sticking to GMT at the moment and will need to do the same tomorrow. My fellow traveller Tom did his whole US trip this way recently and I can see some advantages for sure. I love being out and about early, breathing in the city as it starts to wake up.

Also our chance to check out some routes into the city on public transport, and give chrissi her Saturday running fix with parkrun having involved some very convoluted planning if we wanted to get one of the ones near Chicago.  

So it was out into the Chicago darkness and found the metro, the red line down to Grant Park a very straightforward journey. Already many of the other early risers and runners packing the metro, many in their bobble hats, the quirky name for what others might call a shake out run, with is a phrase that very much gets my goat.  I thought there might be some historic reason for the name but it turns out its because you receive a bobble hat for entering!

Was lovely seeing the skyscrapers silhouetted over Grant Park as the sun began to rise and all the 5kers congregating, taking their pictures, very excited for their run. No-one gets stressed about a 5K, beginning to think I had made the mistake of taking the longer option now seeing how much fun everyone was having. Of course you can do both, as a shakeout run, but I'm not going down that annoying rabbit hole again.

With us down to one phone (remember that?) we had to made necessary arrangements to meet up after the run. I found the hotel lobby of the Congress Hotel a very suitable location, could jump on their wifi, do a bit of blogging and admin whilst Chrissi did a bit of run style sightseeing around the city centre. I found a $6 deal in Dunkin Donuts to be a highly rewarding addition to my alone time, breakfast muffin, coffee and hash browns, the fast food are where the bargains are over here. Pushed the boat out and got a custard donut which I knew Chrissi always thanks me for on holidays, especially if I get two and don't eat hers!

So Chrissi arrived full of beans, I had been in touch with my running bud Dee who was out here, so we walked up to meet her and Neil for a pre race briefing for tomorrow. Dee is very much the professional to my amateur so I welcomed her advice, even though I follow about a tenth of it.  On the way to them we saw the beginning of Route 66, quite exciting as some of you long time readers may recall we drove on some of it a few years back on a different holiday. We also saw some Ferris Bueller memorabilia, he came up in conversation a few times today, his day out of course taking in a number of Chicago landmarks.  

Our chat with Dee and Neil was in a Starbucks, useful again for wi fi, and meeting other rather excited runners. One called Courtney, described herself as a semi pro asked if we knew where she could get cortisone jab. Even Dee did't have the answer to that!

Chrissi and I then went over to the marathon expo to finish what I started yesterday, picking up my T shirt and some freebies. Our route took us past Chinatown which interestingly will also be on our route tomorrow, along with a whole other range of places I haven't committed to memory. The expo had a nice buzz to it, and you realised you are part of something quite big with these marathon Majors.

It was then a metro back to the hotel to freshen up before going out for an evening meal with a cousin of Chrissi and his partner, who live just outside Chicago. His partners daughter lives just outside Philadelphia which meant some of the evening was a real time exchange of package (Chrissis phone) in a parking lot in New Jersey, between her daughter and our Uber driver from over there. One step nearer to Chrissi being reunited to her dearest possession, and we can't thank them enough.

The took us to a lovely restaurant called The Smith, and it was a pleasant walk down where we saw a church famous for gangster past but also seems to have connections with the current Pope, a Chicago boy I understand. We discussed some matters of religion, politics, sport, family and other matters home and abroad. I tried to be good having pasta and no alcohol, god knows if it makes any difference, but you can hear all about that tomorrow. As we parted company I began to recognise that I had a long way to run tomorrow, and shit has got real....