Which races are harder - Chicago, Illinois or Madison Wisconsin?

It has been a few years since I updated this blog.  I have been making comments on the Running Ahead message board, and have let this thing turn into a "cobweb".  However the section that I contribute to on Running Ahead has gone quiet, so I thought I'd dust off this blog and start adding contributions again.
I've run races in flat Chicago and hilly Madison Wisconsin. People  I talk to think the hills make the races harder.  I don't know about that.  I've come up with a checklist to determine whether Madison races or Chicago races are harder.
1. Do you need to hear music when you run?  Try the big Chicago races like the Rock & Roll Half or the St. Patrick's Shuffle. There are plenty of bands and D.J.s playing.  Going to Madison?  The Madison Mini, a half marathon in August has plenty of music blasting.  Otherwise, bring your Ipod or whatever MP3 player you use.
2. The climb up Observatory Drive on the University of Wisconsin campus can be taxing, but so can a long straight seemingly never ending stretch of South Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
3. Crowds or no crowds?  Chicago's Marathon gets 40,000 plus.  The Madison Marathon? 2,000 at most.  Are you used to crowds?  Maybe you want to test that by running on Chicago's lake shore path on a summer Saturday or Sunday when all of the running groups are out, the Tour de France wannabees zip by on their bikes, and well..everyone is out for a lovely day.  Maybe you want to try a neighborhood 5K such as the Fall into Fitness, held in Portage Park in September.  Field of about 300.  Too big?  Go up to Madison in October for the Fall 15K for a pastoral Sunday race?  The field is slightly under 200.  Hills at no extra charge.
4. Crowds at the packet pickup.  Do they bother you?  If not, most of the big Chicago races have their packet pick ups at McCormick place.  These "health & fitness expos" are filled with exhibitors with  impulse last minute items.  Consider it a victory if you walk out with your race packet, and having not spent a dime.
Too crowded?  Too many vendors?  Madison's the place for you.  The full & half  marathons have their packet pickups in a downstairs hall at the Monona Terrace Convention Center.  You can get in and out, and still have time to enjoy the view of Lake Monona.  The Madison Mini's packet pickup was at Union South on the U.W. campus.  This year, they've changed it to the Alliant Energy Center.  Oh well, they do have a field of about 3,000

A point-of-view scene from this year's 10 miler

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_jX1KwJ8oI

The award for the best pre & post race music goes to...

...The University of Wisconsin Marching Band, for their performance at the Crazy Legs Classic in Madison, Wisconsin!  A wonderful break from that thumpy-thumpy EDM, or whatever you call that pop nonsense.
The band played when the waves were being sent off, and at then end in Camp Randall, the football stadium.  The "Chicken Dance" never sounded better.
Otherwise, it was a quiet run through the U.W. Campus.
I am not a U.W. Madison alumni, but I love running the &*^% hills of Madison.
That didn't sound convincing.  Take two:
I am not a U.W. Madison alumni, but I love Madison.  I've enjoyed visiting there.
Oh yes, the hills are an interesting challenge.  (Was that diplomatic?)
I ran my first Crazy Legs this year with 16,000 of my closest friends.  It was a great experience.
The line for the free beer was too long, so I passed.  (Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy -OK, but Coor's Light?!?!)
The post race food gets high marks.  In Camp Randall stadium, they had orange slices, and bananas.  Outside the stands, Noodle's offered samples of mac & cheese - very nice.
The winner for me was the dried sweet cranberries offered by the state cranberry growers association.  It was the first time I had those.  Wonderful.

Random Thoughts About the Chicago Marathon

--You want to run this race?  Yeah, yeah of course you have to train -you already know that.  But ask yourself this: Do I have a tolerance for large crowds? Remember-this year's field was 45,000.

--I volunteered at the Marathon last year, so one half of my brain understood that I'd be in a big crowd.  Yesterday, the other half of my brain got it when my corral started running. THIS is what rush hour on the expressway would look like if no one drove!
--Not everyone tosses their sweatshirts, gloves, etc. before the start.On Columbus Drive after the tunnel, I almost tripped over a sweatshirt.  First two miles were an obstacle course.

--Surely, this crowd will thin out, I kept thinking at the 10 mile.  Umm, no.

--Surely, this crowd will thin out, I kept thinking at the 15 mile.  Umm, no

--Surely, this crowd will thin out, I kept thinking at the 20th mile. Maybe it did, but only because everyone was passing me.  I was walking by then.

--I didn't want to get too caught up in the atmosphere, and start running faster than my intended pace.  To make sure I didn't, I wore earplugs for the first 13 miles.  That was pointless.  The spectators in the Loop and the North Side neighborhoods were loud.

--On the other hand, I wish I kept them on.  I liked hearing the live bands, such as the Taiko drummers, Illinois-Chicago's band, etc. Electronic Dance Music, or whatever you call that thumpy-thumpy shit sucks.

--I expected to be bothered by my glutes.  I was surprised that my feet felt as if they were swelling.  That didn't happen when I ran the Madison Marathon last year.  I'm running Madison next month, and I'll wear different shoes.

--Membership has its rewards!  I'm a member of the Chicago Area Runners Association,or CARA.  We had a CARA Compound at a local hotel.  Thus we had our own gear check, and a space to go to post-race.

Plenty of food and "Runners High P.A." from Lagunitas brewery to drink.

This is the outfit I've picked out for booth the Chicago and Madison Marathons.
It'll be my first Chicago Marathon tomorrow.  Have I gotten pre-race jitters?  No.  I've been marveling at the contrast between last year's Madison run, and tomorrow's extravaganza. Madison's field is capped at 1500, which is the size of oh...two or three Chicago Marathon corrals?
This year's Chicago field is 45,000, which is equivalent of two or more suburbs of Madison, I guess.
After picking up my packet, and a few other things, I one of the shuttle busses back  from McCormick  to Roosevelt & State L station.  Before heading home, I....wait a  minute -  that's a contrast.  In Madison, I strolled over to Monona Terrace from the hostel, picked up my packet, and then maybe wandered over to Capitol Square to watch them set up the race.  Today, before heading home, I wandered East on  Roosevelt Road to Columbus Drive.  This is the end of the Chicago course.  Everything was fenced off, the P.A. system was being tested, and a bunch of other last minute activities were taking place.  I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve looking at the presents under the tree.  Couldn't touch them.  Couldn't shake them.  But I knew it was for me.

10 Idle Thoughts About Running, Part 1

 1. Track coach & Physiologist Dr. Jason Karp asserts that “marathons change lives”. I'm sure there's some truth to that. I'll say that road racing has changed my perspective.

2.  I never cared about how crowned a road was until I started running on them,and my left glutes started giving me a hard time.

3.  Why do cracks appear longitudinally at the top of a road's crown, anyway?

4. Before I started consistently running, I'd grumble about bus routes being interrupted by the Chicago Marathon. Now, I'm running in my first Chicago Marathon, and hey people-it's a temporary disruption! You'll have your streets back in the late afternoon.

5. Do marathons change lives?  I don't know, but running the Madison Marathon made me slightly condescending.  "Why yes, I'll run your flat course, but Darling, we all know real marathons are run over hills."

6. I downloaded the 2013 course.  There are some long straight stretches. "Straighter than a preacher/ longer than a memory" as Steve Earle sang in "Nowhere Road.  After running over 22 miles, that last long stretch up Michigan Ave. looks like a "nowhere road".

7. I felt the same way about John Nolen drive during the Madison Marathon.  I'll spare you the rant.

8. Several weeks ago, when I went to pick up my bib for the Madison Half Marathon at the Monona Terrace convention center, I paused near John Nolen Drive.  I was about to unleash a torrent of obscenities at that drive.  ("Mommy, why is that man yelling at nothing?  Dear, he ran a marathon here back in November, some people just don't know how to let bygones be bygones.  You'll understand as you get older.")

9. I restrained myself and stayed quiet.  However, at the bib pickup & expo, I talked about it with a volunteer who had run the full Marathon.  He observed that it's one thing to see where you finish, which is the State Capitol building, and then another thing to know that you have to run another three miles to get to it.

10. I was going to spare you a rant.  Sorry.  I lied.  Marathons change lives. ;-)

The 2014 Madison Half Marathon: Thoughts on a "variable"

If my road racing was a scientific experiment, then the first three half marathons I ran would be part of the "control" group,. because
1. They were all run in Chicago, therefore
2.I slept in my own bed at home, and was guaranteed a quiet night.
3. The races  started far from where I lived, therefore I had to get up early in the morning in time for a light meal,and a long bus/train  ride to the start area.
4. They were all run on mostly flat, or  gently rolling terrain.  The only thing approaching a hill was the off ramp turnaround point during the 2012 Chicago Half  Marathon.

This weekend's Madison Half Marathon was DEFINITELY the variable, because:
1. I stayed at a Hostel near the starting area.  My sleep could have been interrupted  by late night travelers/bar crawlers entering my dorm room.  Fortunately that didn't happen.
2.  I didn't HAVE to get up so early, but on race day, I'm used to it.  Get up. Make that Ancora coffee I bought the night before (local shop on King St. -shameless plug).  Big pot for everyone. Eat a small meal.
3. The race had hills! (Feel free to say DUH, it's Madison!) Yes, I knew that from the full Marathon.  But by God, whoever laid out the course wasn't going to let the runners forget it. The Carroll St. Start was on an uphill grade.  Once we ran three sides of  Capitol Square, we ran downhill for a little while before winding our way up, up, UP through some part of the U.W. campus, and then onto Observatory Drive.
4. There were other ups & downs.  The evil geniuses course planners had us run through the Arboretum on a downhill course - which was the opposite direction of the full marathon route, I think.  When that pleasant jaunt was over with, there was a steep hill to climb on Edgewood Ave.  I noted other runners were walking it, but I made it a point to run the hill. It was a slow run.  I had to make myself angry to produce enough adrenaline so I could manage a slow run up a steep hill.  Gasp. Gasp. Goddamnit I didn't pay an entrance fee to walk! Gasp.  Gasp.
5. I didn't get in as much out door running beforehand as I would've liked to.  My expectations weren't as high.  I wanted to not take this event too seriously, so I taped a saying to my back.  See photo.
6. However, if I did better than 2:24:00, I'd be happy.
7. Final time 2:18:50

More "coming attractions"

Good day for a run down to the Navy Pier flyover construction site.  It doesn't look like much now, but when it's complete, it will reduce a lot of the foot and bicycle traffic that flows under Lake Shore Drive.

Horner Park river bank botanical restoration project

This is a Northwest side  park  that had a dirt trail I used to run on.  The dirt trail is cordoned off now, because it is part of an Army Corp of Engineers project to remove invasive species trees and plants.  They will be replaced by plants and trees indigenous to this area.  Details here 

A couple of Saturdays ago, I ran over to Horner and took some photos.  Sigh,  yes.  A part of my finger got in the way of the lens.  That is NOT part of the restoration.

A DIY "stick" (self massage tool)

Last week, after running the Lakefront 10 miler I decided to stick around for a free massage Chiro One was offering.  My left glutes act up after a long run, so a massage seemed like a good idea.  The masseuse used a stick.  It worked well.
However, after visiting the website I wondered if I could create a cheaper alternative.  I have a cheap store brand wooden rolling pin that I bought at my local Jewel.  Never used the thing.  Could I duplicate the bumpy surface found on some foam rollers?  Sure.  A trip to the dollar store later, and I had  a bath mat, which I cut to size.
How to fasten?  I didn't have the right size nails, nor did I have the appropriate sized staples.  I did have fast drying glue.However, to make sure the mat stayed on the rolling pin, I channeled my inner Red Green and resorted to "the handyman's secret weapon - duct tape".
You can see the result here.

It works just as well as the stick.

Rethinking the drinking #2 - Why not BYOH? ...

...as in Bring Your Own Hydration.

Disclaimer: I have no experience organizing a road race. Specifically, I have no idea how many of gallons of sports drink mix, water and cups to order for a race that has up to 1,000 entrants.  However, volunteering at today's Turkey Chase 8K made me wonder if too much was ordered.

I was at the first hydration station the course map gives you a rough idea where it was.  I can tell you that it was 10 feet from the lakefront.  Today was in the high 20's, and there was a westward wind which could have blown a lot of used cups in the water.  Fortunately, my fellow volunteers and I were diligent, and made sure this didn't happen. 
See photo:

The race started at 9:00 AM CST, and by 9:07 the fast runners, i.e. the ones doing 5-7 minutes splits had zipped by us as if we weren't there.  By 9:15, we were all handing out cups of water and Gatorade, but we were in no danger of running out. (Hey, we even offered drinks to non big-wearing passers-by.) 

In the end, we ended up throwing out stuff in cups. Couldn't drink it all.  Couldn't give stuff away. The unused bottles Gatorade concentrate and and unopened water jugs were set aside for another race.  The experience left me wondering if I had to be there.

To review: this was a very cold Thanksgiving day 8K.  A high of 20 degrees F.  But even if the morning had been in the 40s, did a race that only goes slightly under 5 miles need two hydration stations?  How about one near the turnaround point North of Cermack road, and then all the other liquids near the finish line?

I would not be wondering about this if this was a Summertime 8K. I wouldn't be wondering about this, if it was a springtime race in the South.  Heck, I've done early morning runs in Austin, Texas on Easter weekends.  70 degrees  at 6 in the morning?!? Every one's hydration demands are going to change when the mornings are in the 60's & the 70's.

But I'm in the Midwest.  Even if we didn't have this unusually  cold November weather, no one's going to collapse from dehydration when it's 40 degrees outside, unless they're really careless.  It seems that during October, Midwestern race organizers could "green" up their races a little more.  

In other words:  less hydration stations,  which would mean less paper cups, and thus less mess to clean up.  Encourage people to bring their own water bottles and hydration belts.

Perhaps the waiver could be changed to include a phrase saying: "Although the organizers will provide a limited amount of water and sports drink on the course, you the entrant will be assumed to be responsible for knowing you hydration needs.  You are encouraged to wear a hydration belt or to bring your own water bottle."

Run the Madison Marathon in 4:40? Um, er, how about COMPLETE the Madison Marathon - Part 2

Post Marathon thoughts.
--The official time: 5:05:50
--Yes, I walked some of the race.  Pride, Schmide-at the 18th mile I started alternating short walks with runs.
--I'm definitely buying one of those roller thingies, that are used on the IT band.  I need something to massage the glutes, which started giving me problems around the 18th mile.
--When I went up to Madison in October, I intended to find the "boring parts".  i,.e. long flat parts that SEEM TO GO ON FOREVER.  In retrospect, I should have walked sections of John Nolen drive.  Yeah, yeah, it's a very scenic view of Lake Monona and Monona Bay.  However, it's at the 23rd through 25th mile, BEFORE you make the climb to the finish line at the Capitol.  And it's a long way down Nolen before you get to the turnaround.
--Saturday was a good day to get the pre-race jitters/gawking tourist mode out of my system.  Try the Farmers Market at the Capitol.  They have kale.  Note: they sell cheese curds.  Um, maybe for a post race protein recharge.
--I'm glad I changed my motel registration to a hostel registration.  Not only did it save $$, it was closer to the start line, and - lo and behold - there were other marathoners staying here!  Nice to know I wasn't the only nutter waking up early on Sunday.
--However, I was the first marathoner up.  I've gotten used to getting up early (i.e. 4AM CST) in order to get to downtown races.
--This was the QUIETEST road race I've ever run!  No bands by the side of the road.  There were people with boom boxes once in a while.  Other than that, the loudest sound was the sound of human powered transportation.  MY ROAD, MADISON!  You can have it back on Monday.
--Don't people use these races to play "dress-up"?  I only saw one Supergirl, and one "Wonder Woman".  There was someone wearing a "Run Against Walker" sweatshirt, but otherwise, no snark about the present Governor.
--The spectators were so polite.  That is, no really smart-assed signs, as compared to what I've seen in Chicago. No, KEEP RUNNING - I JUST FARTED.
--However, I did see:  WORST. PARADE. EVER
                                    26.2 IS YOUR BITCH
                                    SORRY, YOU STILL HAVE TO RAKE THE LEAVES
                                     PAIN NOW. BEER LATER
                                   
--Then there was the woman holding the sign which said: IF 26.2 MILES WAS EASY
                                                                                      I'D BE YOUR MOTHER
--Huh?

Things I see on a run through Chicago

In order to break up the tedium of a long run down Foster Ave., I sometimes run South to Carmen, go East on Carmen, and head back North to Kilbourn.  The Kilbourn segment of the run is interesting because of the houses: flat roof Lustrons(?) on the East side, and bungalows on the West Side.  The neighborhood is called North Mayfair.

Run the Madison Marathon in 4:40? Um, er, how about COMPLETE the Madison Marathon, and otherthoughts..

--When I applied for the Fall Madison Marathon, I was asked what my predicted time would be.  Since it was my first marathon, I took my average time in the two half marathons I ran and doubled it.
--However, I've been taking an "unexpected taper".  In other words, I'm getting over a bout of bronchitis, and haven't done any long running in almost two weeks.  I'm taking antibiotics, and taking it easy.  The most vigorous thing I've done was a four mile walk yesterday. It didn't leave me collapsed in a massive coughing fit, so that's progress.
--Therefore, tonight, I'm going to escalate to a thirty minute  treadmill run.  No blazing speed- 11:30 miles at most.
--I'd like an 11:30 per mile pace to be my starting pace.  It's going to be hard to exercise self control at the beginning, and not want to zip along at a ten minute pace.  (Well, that's zipping along for me.)  According to the elevation chart on the map, the first mile is mostly downhill.

Notes of a First Time Volunteer

1. I'll have to wake up early.  REALLY early.  Wake up at Oh My God Dark Thirty in order to make it down to the Start Corrals where I am volunteering.
2. But I do get a light breakfast and a jacket with the logo to wear.
3. As usual, there will be hydration stations offering water and Gatorade.  Other stations will offer gels: "...PowerGel® Energy Gels will be featured at Aid Station 13 (Mile 17.8) on the Bank of America Chicago Marathon course route. Available flavors will be in both caffeinated (Chocolate, Strawberry Banana) and non-caffeinated (Vanilla, Orange Dream and Pomegranate Blueberry Acai.." it says here.
4. On the other hand, take a look at the map
Notice that at Halsted St., South of 18th, there's a food station.  It's indicated with a banana.
Huh? Someone who needed a potassium fix is going to run along, grab a yellow one, start peeling and then eating, all the while running?
I can't wrap my mind around that.  I eat bananas after the run, not during it.  A gel during the race, chased with water?  Sure.  A banana?  I don't know.

Can you see THIS during the Chicago Marathon?...

...I think not.
While I'm volunteering at Chicago's Marathon next week, I'll be running Madison's fall Marathon in November.
I was curious as to how hilly the course was going to be, so I went up there for the day, to walk as much of the course as I could.
OK, they're not as steep as the ones I've walked/run in Austin, Texas, but ya sure, ya betcha it will be rolling terrain.
It's a scenic course to, in that it will take the runners through the Wisconsin Arboretum. The fall colors might be gone by November, but you might see these birds.

These are wild turkeys.  I also saw a pheasant crossing the road, but he/she moved too fast to shoot.

The Measure of Things

        I wish I had one this earlier:  Measure the distance of my run from my house to River Park, Measure the distance of the hilliest part of the River Park trail, and....yeah yeah.  Well, better late than never.  Why my concern?  I've signed up the Madison Marathon on Nov. 10th, and I have become panicked greatly concerned about not getting enough hill work in.  I need practice at running downhill, as much as I do running uphill.  Within the Chicago city limits, there are very few hills that would match the Madison terrain.  River Park has a section, that comes close to it.  It runs between Foster and Argyle Avenues.
      Yesterday, I did a series of runs, putting the Map My Run app on my phone to good use.    The run from my house to the River Park trail is 5.9 miles.  The really hilly part of the River Park trail is .3 miles.
I was going to run the hilly part at least 6 or 7 times, but I just had to check on the progress of the resurfacing of the nearby track, which is South of Foster on Argyle, West of Albion.

   RESURFACING DONE!! MUST. RUN. LADDERS!
   So, bugger the hill work - I ran a mile of ladders.
   While running I had an epiphany: I want a pair of track spikes.  I never ran track & field in high school or college, but dagnabbit, before I leave this Earthly  life, I want to tear around this track in some red spikes.
Yup, that's my "Midlife Crisis" - no cherry Corvette Convertible.  I'm cheap, I admit it. Give me a pair of
(fill in brand name) shoes with spikes, and let me haul my assets around this track.

Some of you are saying "You were distracted from your training plan." Um, yes & no.  My plan was to measure distances run for future reference.  I did get some hill running done.  However my plan is to look for ways to add variety.
And I missed this track while it was being renovated!  I liked to run a mile (4 laps) to check my pace.
The weather's still good here, and there's still time to get those spikes.

Gee, thanks for asking.

Spectators hold up clever signs.  I've seen ones saying "Run Like You've Stolen Something" or "Run? I Thought You Said Run".  Here are some held up near the start of the 2013 Soldier Field 10 Mile Race.

I know they're too far away to be seen in this photo, but the one that caught my attention was "Have You Pooped Yet?"

This next photo, by the way, is not the line to the portajohns.  It's my view from the start.  People were assigned to corrals, and were started in segments.  "Wave starts", they call them.

The road goes on forever - but not in a straight line

In my previous long runs to the Lakefront trail or to River Park  I've run long, straight stretches on main roads.  If I go to the Lake front, I return on Irving Park Blvd. If I return from River Park, it's on Foster Ave.... a long straight never-ending run.  Or so it seems.
I'm beginning to think that the  long straight runs are more psychologically tiring than physically tiring.
Come to think of it - is there a road race out there which features a five mile straight, flat segment?   The ones I've been in have turns and curves every 2 or 3 miles.  My route from the Lakefront is "straighter than a preacher/longer than a memory", as Steve Earle once sang.  Today's run would be a change.
Instead of the long hoof down Irving Park, I started down Milwaukee to Addison.  Then Addison to Kimble.  North on Kimble to Irving Park.  East on Irving to Western, and then South to Addison.  After that, there was a long stretch to the Lakefront trail.
After hoofing down the Lakefront trail to Grand Ave., I made it back as far as Belmont Ave. turned West and carried on until Clark St.  That was enough.  Public transit home.
The route can be seen here


Our crazy winter weather continues in the Chicago area.  It spiked up to 50!  You wouldn't know it because of the wind.  Nevertheless, I got my long slow distance run in while the sun shone.

It was another chance to briefly try the android version of RunKeeper.  I'm not crazy about the way it sucks up the battery life, but a 30 minute test couldn't hurt.
I started it at one of the mile markers, but noticed that when I got to the next mile marker it didn't announce that I had run a mile.  Huh?  It let me know when I ran 1.2 miles though.

On the way back, I tried the MapMy Run app.  At least it didn't deplete the battery life too much.

Dashing through the snow - with "new toys"

Today was the coldest weather I've ever run in.  It may have gotten up to 23 degrees. And yes, there were snow flurries.

A few days ago, I received the hi-viz vest I had ordered from Dick Pond Athletics.  I have tried running with a belt with pockets to carry my phone, etc.  However, I don't like the way stuff bounces around.  I have "re purposed" a couple of photo vests by cutting out the back, but black and olive aren't very visible at night.  The Fuel Belt vest fits the bill-pockets and visibility.

The other "new toy" is the android version of RunKeeper.  This is the second time I used it.  Previously, I had tucked the phone in my pocket only to hear my phone tell me my time, distance and pace.  
Oh, I had to wear the ear buds.  
Because I run on sidewalks, I have to be mindful of any cross traffic, and haven't wanted the distraction of music or any other sounds from ear buds.  Today I wore the 'buds while the RunKeeper app was on.  I decided to cross check the results with my stopwatch, and the MapMyRun  map charting tool.
My route took me from my home  to the trail in River Park The trail follows the North Branch of the Chicago River. (btw. the water level in that branch looks really low!) Along with  one trip up & down the trail, I did a mile around the track close to Argyle St.
. I intended it to be a long slow distance run.  How one does an "lsd" run in such cold weather, I don't know.  I'm not sure I did.  I'd consider 12 minute miles "lsd".  
I'm going with the figures gleaned from my stopwatch, and MapMyRun.  I'm claiming 13.52 miles in in 2:29:00 with an 11:01 a mile pace.
Mind you, I stopped my stopwatch before stopping the RunKeeper app.  Yes, there was some fumbling around with the phone. However, I find the RunKeeper app results..um... optimistic. 14.01 miles in 2:30:25.  OK, I'll buy that.10:44 pace?  Meh, I'll believe 11:00.
On the other hand, the route that RunKeeper charted out was fairly accurate. 
On the way home, I wanted to break up the monotony of a long, straight run down Foster Ave., so I took digressions through the newly renovated Eugene Field Park, plus some side streets.
RunKeeper did get those digressions.
I still want to test out RunKeeper on a path with mile markers. I have Monday off, so I might try it again on the Lakefront trail.