Chicago with Mom!

Fun day today! My mom goes to a doctor in downtown Chicago, and she had an evening appointment, so I went with her and then we did some shopping and went out to dinner! I haven't been to Chicago to do anything non-school related in a long time, so it was quite fun. I LOVE Chicago and think it's (one of) the greatest city(ities) in the world, so it's exciting whenever I head down there. Michigan Ave is THE place to be for shopping in Chicago, so we walked around there and my mom told me stories about when she used to work in the city a loooooong time ago. Apparently Walgreens (a drugstore!) used to service lunch, so they would go there for a lunch a couple times a week, which is kind of a foreign idea to me since their grocery items are rather limited now. We walked past a Garmin store, so I wanted to go in and looks at the watches, of course! Garmin also has devices for planes and boats, which I didn't know...kind of crazy, if you ask me. They also have a dog tracking device, which I think is funny...and definitely something my sister would buy!

After shopping, we headed to the Grand Lux Cafe on the recommendation of my mom's coworker. Everything reminded me of The Cheesecake Factory, who apparently owns them, so that made sense. We got an awesome booth that overlooked the intersection of Michigan and Ontario, so it was fun to people-watch while eating! I had a tasty pulled pork sandwich, and my mom had a burger...both were excellent! Dessert looked tempting, but we were both full so we passed. I think you have to go to places like The Cheesecake Factory ONLY for dessert if you want because the desserts are meals in themselves...but oh so yummy!

I was definitely hungry for dinner tonight after my run this morning, and the craziness of work yesterday. When we get busy at work, it's non-stop and time flies...but we're running the entire time! Definitely exhausting.

Monday, January 16th
3.05 miles in 23:58, avg pace of 7:52

I tend to run a little on the faster side if I run after work. I think my legs are all warmed up from being on my feet all day, so I don't have to spend the beginning waking up my legs.

Tuesday, January 17th
7.25 miles in 55:13, avg pace of 7:37

I did NOT want to run this morning! However, like 99% of the time, I felt much better once I got out there. My mile splits were: 7:54, 8:00, 8:01, 7:39, 7:32, 7:11, 7:04, 1:48 (7:07). Those were some flying miles at the end, which was possibly a little too fast, but it felt good! Definitely made me feel better because my legs have been tired the past few days.