Chicago - Day 2

It was a HOT day in Chicago yesterday, but the most surprising thing was the huge gusts of wind.  When we would walk out of an air conditioned building, the blast of hot wind would take your breath away.

We started our day with a stop at Navy Pier.  We had White Sox tickets last night, so we all got some gear to wear to the game.  Then we checked out the Stained Glass Window Museum.  Amazing!  Here are just a few of my favorites.

We stopped for lunch before heading to McCormick Place for the Expo.

I usually love expos, but at this one, I just couldn't help but feel nervous.  I don't know why, since this is my third half, but I think it's maybe because this is my first destination race, and I've built it up in my head and don't want anything to go wrong.

We picked up our shirts, bibs, and bags, and headed in to check the various booths.  It was very crowded, and it was difficult to get to some of the booths.  Hubby got some shoes with a huge discount from one booth (the old Ghost 5's - I was sad they didn't have my size!), and then we saw the Run Disney booth and I got a quick sneak peak of the medal for the Tower of Terror 10-miler we're running in October.

I also loved the Nuun booth.  I've just recently fallen in love with Nuun, and they had coolers with little sample cups so you could try all the flavors.  I've been wanting to try the Grape and Kona Cola.  Thumbs up on the Grape - not so much on the Kona Cola (which could be because I don't ever drink Cola).  I also tried the Lemonade, which was good too.  They had a special deal - 2 tubes for $10 and you got a water bottle free.

The kids, well, really, just my 15 year old son, were bored, so we decided to head out.  He actually was really wanting to go to Target, of all places, to get a few things.  So we headed out and found the coolest Target ever!  It's two-stories, and has not only a people escalator, but one for your cart too!

Here's a quick shot of our cart heading up the escalator.  I tried to stop and get a better pic, but there was a lady behind me, clearly irritated by the crazy tourist taking pictures of her cart.

We headed back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool before heading to U.S. Cellular Field for the White Sox game.  I grew up here, and in my house, there was a clear divide between my dad and I, White Sox fans, and my mom and brother, Cubs fans.  I went to many games as a kid at the old Comiskey Park.  Before I moved away (20 years ago), they built the new field and my dad took me to a game for old times sake before I left for Tennessee.  It was so cool to take my kids and think back on many good memories.

It was REALLY HOT!  Even at the end of the game, the temperature was still in the upper 80's, and unfortunately, where we were sitting, that breathtaking wind that we had battled earlier in the day was nowhere to be found.

We still had a lot of fun.  Even the kids, who aren't really baseball fans, told us afterward that it was a lot of fun.  We headed out as the lightening started, knowing a storm was heading in.  Luckily, we got back to the hotel just before the storms started.  The good part about the storms is that they brought cooler temperatures with them.

I don't know what the plans for today are.  Hubby is meeting some internet running friends down by the lake this morning for a run, and from what I understand, this is a group run with Josh Cox, who is the current US record holder for the 50K.  

This time tomorrow I'll be running my half - so nervous!!