Happy St. Patrick's Day

Since we moved to Chicago I decided that I wanted to work towards something that I had never accomplished before.  After doing a little bit of research, I decided that running the half marathon here in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day would be the perfect opportunity. Despite having a busy work schedule and spending the majority of my free time with Jeff exploring the city, I committed myself to training and working towards this goal. It wasn't easy training in the winter time but I was so thankful to have had a gym here in our building. Overall, I am grateful for this experience!

people were dressed crazy for St. Patrick's Day

As we were walking to the race, all I could think about was, "What was I thinking?" It was so cold outside and I had began to wonder if I had worn enough clothing for the race! The weather was HORRIBLE!!!  Very windy, rainy (sideways because of the wind), and freezing!

before the race

 When I made it to the finish line, my face was completely FROZEN, and I felt like I had been skiing.  I couldn't smile because my cheeks were numb and bright red from wind burn.

the finish line

by the time we got back to our apartment my face finally thawed

  All in all, I loved running the race!!  There were crazy people all around, and it was such a fun atmosphere.  I will admit that I was tempted during the first couple miles to follow the signs for the 7k... that way I would still get my exercise in, be able to cross the finish line, and be out of the cold faster; happy to say, I ran the entire thing, 21K, 13.1 miles.

 Later that day, Jeff and I headed out for a yummy dinner at Cheesecake Factory, and decided to take the scenic route by the river.  People in Chicago LOVE St. Patrick's Day.

they dye the river green!

every bar was PACKED by 10:00 a.m.

  We had such a fun St. Patrick's Day this year!  It has definitely climbed higher on my list of favorite holiday's.