At this moment...
12.26.08
Caffrey and me on Christmas day.
12.25.08
Merry Christmas!
12.21.08
At some point I need to get out and run (that is unless my better judgement kicks in). Right now it is minus six degrees with wind chills as low as minus 30 degrees with blowing snow. I thought I was supposed to run 20 miles today, but thankfully I was a week ahead in my training plan. Still I'd like to run at least 13 miles but more would be nice (Update: I only ran three. I could have run more but small icicles were starting to form on my eyelashes and I began to worry about the very small exposed areas of skin around my eyes. I attempted to run with sunglasses, but with a facemask on they fogged up. Plus, the blowing snow made the streets incredibly slippery. Oh well, at least I ventured out and ran a bit).
Yesterday I caught the train to Chicago and had a really nice brunch with KK and RK. We went to The Gage on Michigan Ave. and I had some delicious oatmeal and some really amazing potatoes that were swimming in brie. Then RK was kind enough to let me borrow his member card for the Art Institute.
After my trip downtown I caught the Red Line up to the northside and met Mikey at the Gingerman before heading over to the Metro to shoot Kill Hannah.
Fog machine + strobe lights = metering nightmares. Seriously, a very challenging shoot. Big thanks to DW for the photo/media pass. I had a great time. And Kill Hannah sounded pretty damn good. I do have to admit that looking out into the audience made me feel like an old man. At one point some girl called me sir. I asked how old she was and she told me 16. I then told her that she was four years old when I first saw Kill Hannah. Larger versions available here.
12.16.08
I suppose it's time that I get used to the fact that winter is here for the remainder of my marathon training. Seriously, for the second week in a row I went out for a five mile run in the snow after work. I must be slightly crazy. At around the second mile I looked down only to discover that the Yaktrax on my right foot shoe had decided that it wanted to break. I took it off and kept running. Maybe it was for the better since it forced me to slow down my pace and adjust my stride? Either way, I completed the run without any other problems, especially since all of the runs from last week were absolute crap. It was a good run, and I'm happy that I decided to wait until after work to run. Although, I did have a completely irrational fear that my eyelids were going to freeze shut due to the blowing snow and cold. I think I had far more icicles on my beard than this photo demonstrates. It was kind of difficult to take a photo of myself as the icicles were beginning to melt. And I don't look as crazy as I did last week (see below).
12.15.08
All of a sudden it became Monday.
My grandma with Caffrey.
The $22 box of chocolates that really cost $45.
12.09.08
I can't seem to catch a break with the weather. Last week it was either really cold or snowy on the days when I needed to run. Tonight was no different. Still, I managed to get in four of the five miles I planned on running. The wind out of the north, combined with the snow, was brutal.
[Shot with my trusty Canon G9.]
12.08.08
12.07.08
I attempted an 18 mile run but was only able to make it to mile 15. I called it a day when my Gatorade froze. By mile two my beard started to freeze. Yeah, it was cold and now I'm exhausted. Not a good running week.
12.06.08
400 Santas ran through Arlington Heights (actually, I think there was less than 400 Santas) but I was not one of them...
Truthfully I thought it was going to be more surreal. Maybe it was the weather, but the runners didn't really seem all too excited or that into the run. Before the race people kept asking me if I was with the Daily Herald. I suppose I looked professional with two cameras hanging off of me, one with a 16-35 lens and the other with a 70-200 lens, my red camera bag and my beard. I always get a kick out of people asking me if I'm with a newspaper.
Since I wanted to take some photos of the run I woke early and attempted an eight mile run. I only ran six miles. There was still a significant amount of snow on the ground and I was worried that I'd strain my muscles for my 18 mile run tomorrow. Six miles was a struggle. Luckily I had on my Yaktraxs. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative tomorrow.
12.05.08
