## ![](media/image1.wmf){width="6.833333333333333in" height="2.03125in"}Chicago Distance Classic

"Too long", "Too hot", "Badly organized", "Lousy course". These were a
few of the reasons I heard for not running the Chicago Distance Classic.
But, it was a new course this year, the weather didn't look too bad, and
maybe I tend to be a contrarian by nature. Whatever it was, at six
o'clock one Sunday morning I headed over towards the Eisenhower on my
way to the race. The start was on the UIC campus, at Harrison and
Halsted, and the first thing I noticed was that parking was a breeze. As
I turned off the Eisenhower at Racine I was directed to a large
multi-storied parking garage which turned out to be about 300 yards from
the start. I hadn't registered for the race (getting out of bed at 5
a.m. is too traumatic for any advanced commitments to be made), and I
pictured standing in long lines to pay my money and get a number. Not
so. About five minutes was all it took, and I was all ready to go with
forty-five minutes to spare until race time. This was another event
where the T-shirt and goody bag were not handed out until after the
race, so there was no problem with running back to the car to store
stuff. This is such a remarkably good idea that one wonders why it's not
standard practice. I hadn't been on the UIC campus before so I took the
opportunity to look around, and I was favorably impressed. Why kids
would want to go off to college at Champaign or Normal or some other
place in the middle of nowhere when they could go to UIC is beyond me.
Activities at Champaign/Normal: watch corn grow, drink beer. Activities
at UIC: art museum, symphony hall, planetarium, restaurants, Wrigley
Field, shops, beach, theater, Grant Park concerts, Goose Island beer. No
contest. But I digress.

We started at 7:45, ran west on Harrison, over the freeway at Loomis,
and then headed down Jackson towards the Loop. A left turn put us on
Wacker Drive, going towards the Merchandise Mart and the Tribune
Building. We plunged into the depths of Lower Wacker Drive and then out
onto a path running parallel to the Chicago River. (That water is
already green. There\'s no need for additives on St. Patrick\'s Day). At
this point we were about 3 miles and 26 minutes into the race and, in
the only sign of faulty organization that I saw, went past a marker that
said "Mile 9\". "Ah", said a voice next to me, "Record breaking time!
Good!" The path took us under Lake Shore Drive and out onto the
Lakefront Path just south of Navy Pier. It was as we trotted down
towards the Field Museum that I got into conversation with another
runner, and we exchanged stories about races we had run, and races we
intended to run, and races we would have run if it hadn't been for some
unfortunate circumstance---the usual sort of thing. My friend was quite
impressed by my account of the Summer Biathlon that I had run the day
before, but being a city boy expressed some reservations about taking a
trip into the wilds of the western suburbs. ("Sugar Grove? Where the
hell is Sugar Grove?"; "Near Aurora"; "Do they have farms out there?").
A little later on he grabbed several packets of liquid Power Bar from a
track-side stand, and started ingesting them. It seemed to work because
the next thing I knew he was a hundred yards ahead and going well. But
it was only temporary. Around Mile 9 (the real Mile 9) I caught up to
him again. "You've got to know when to take that stuff", he remarked
sadly, "Take it too soon and all that happens is that you get a bit of a
buzz". By now we were back onto Wacker Drive, and I decided that it was
time to turn up the pace a bit, encouraged by the sight of three shapely
female behinds going past me, each with the letters FSU printed across
the back of their shorts. FSU? What could that stand for? In my oxygen
deprived state, the mind boggled briefly until I realized that it was
probably nothing more erotic than Florida State University. The behinds
disappeared into the distance, and I concentrated on seeing if I could
pick off other runners in what looked like my age group. Other people
seemed to have the same idea, and for the last couple of miles the pace
around me increased significantly. Then it was back down Harrison, with
crowds and cheer leaders and loud music, and at last the finish line.

One more thing. As I was browsing the post-race food stands, I heard my
bib number called---I had won a raffle prize! It was a gym bag with a
bunch of stuff inside, including a pair of runner's sunglasses that,
looking in a mirror, I thought made me look just like Tom Cruise in "Top
Gun". Admittedly, I can't see too well with them on, but the resemblance
is definitely there. So, a fine race, well organized, with a great
course. And the weather was perfect as well. I'll be there next year.

Dick Page

Avon Breast Cancer Walk

We did it! And I do mean WE because even though I was the one physically
participating in the event, you walked with me in spirit. There were
many times when I might have liked to just throw-in-the-towel but
knowing that I had all of you behind me kept me motivated to go on.

The weather that weekend was absolutely perfect - sunny and warm; it
couldn\'t have been any better had we been able to put in a special
request directly to the Big Guy himself. On Thursday we checked in,
watched the safety video, and received our tent assignment. After all
the processing was complete we arrived at our hotel around 8:00 p.m.,
had dinner, and tried to call it a night.

We were picked up by bus at 4:45 a.m. from hotel and taken to Kenosha
for the opening ceremony (there really are two 4:45\'s in a day). If
there had been an accident with the bus there would have been no fear of
anyone flying around and getting hurt as we were all wedged like
sardines with no where to go.

After a very motivating opening ceremony at Anderson Stadium (local high
school), we set off down the trail for CHICAGO. The easiest way to get
through the walk was not to look at it as a whole \"Kenosha to
Chicago\", but rather a walk from facility to facility set up for us
along the way.

Stops were set up along the route with the following provisions:

Grab N Go - Gatorade and water

Pit Stops - Gatorade, water, power bars, fruit, bagels, and medical
facilities

Lunch - Gatorade, water, medical facilities, and sack lunch

Port-a-potties were provided at all stops. Our chant was - Drink and
pee, drink and pee, no IV! And we drank lots of fluids. Prior to the
walk, port-a-potties were what I dreaded the most and ended up minding
the least. I never thought I would bond with a port-a-potty.

The types of facilities were alternated and for the most part set up 1
1/2 to 3 miles apart, but there was a 4 mile stretch between a \"Grab N
Go\" and \"Lunch\" which seemed to go on forever; let me tell you how
hard it is to walk with a full bladder. During the 3 and 4 mile
stretches some of us did manage to take over a construction site
port-a-potty that was unattended, the facilities at the Chicago Botanic
Gardens, and a few other flush toilets at train stations, small grocery
stores, and Loyola University to get us through when the going got rough
(no pun intended).

There would also be people along the route to watch for our safety and
any problems which might arise. One group was called \"Sweep Vehicles\";
usually a car or van which would pick you up and take you to a \"Pit
Stop\" or \"Grab N Go\" if you indicated that your were having minor
problems or were falling behind in time; if you were having major
problems they would take you to camp.

There was no specific time in which to finish by but the facilities each
had an opening and closing time and we were told if you found yourself
reaching a stop as it was closing or shortly there after that you should
have yourself \"Swept\" down the road a little to make up some time;
they did not want us on the road without fluids or nourishment.

The other mode of transport was the \"Sag Bus\" which would pick up from
certain stops and take people directly to camp. When we were in areas
which couldn\'t be easily reached by a motor vehicle, bicyclist\'s would
monitor us for any problems. We were well looked after during the entire
route; even having crossing guards at some of the areas of heavier
traffic to make street crossing safer and quicker.

The trail from Kenosha to Waukegan was beautiful, wooded on both sides
most of the time, and a joy to walk. After that we would find ourselves
mainly in a city atmosphere except for a small stretch after Great Lakes
Naval Station. The first day was supposed to be approximately 24.5 miles
but ended up being over 28 miles since additional miles had to be added
because we had to re-route; one city would not allow port-a-potties.

I stopped to eat, drink, stretch, and use the port-a-potties as often as
they were offered so neither dehydration or mental exhaustion ever
became an issue. Half way though the day my right knee, which had been
bothering me prior to the walk, swelled and was starting to become
uncomfortable so I had it taped for support and kept going.

The one big mistake I made the first day was not stopping to sit down
and rest. Since I didn\'t feel tired I never bothered to sit down; the
only sitting I did was 20 minutes for lunch and when using the
facilities. Seems my thigh muscles were tired even though I was not and
during the last 4-5 miles of the route, the muscles in the front of my
thighs decided that they had had enough - first the right and a few
miles later the left.

With thigh muscles burning I would pause, massage the thighs, and keep
going. By the time I hit camp in Lake Forest at the Lake Forest College
I could barely walk. I was directed to the Chiropractic tent where they
put electrodes on my thighs, gave them some kind of electrical
stimulation, provided me with some magic gel called \"Biofreeze\" and
suggested that I not walk the second day. I told them it would all
depend on how I felt the next morning when I woke up; if I was able to
walk after I stood up the next morning then I would walk, if I was not
able to walk after standing then I wouldn\'t - simple as that. They gave
me some additional \"Biofreeze\" to use that evening but said I should
not use it before I walked the next day since it would mask the pains.

It took me 30 minutes to make a 5 minute trip from the medical tents to
my tent and I told my daughter, who crewed, that she was crazy if she
thought I was going to make the trip back down to get something to eat;
I had eaten all day long and was not hungry and if I did get hungry I
would snack on some crackers I brought with me. She brought me supper to
the tent and after making a halfhearted attempt at eating, I made one
trip to the port-a-potties about 100 feet away and called it a night at
8:00 p.m. Total muscle exhaustion provides for the best nights sleep
ever. I slept all night long which is unusual for me.

I can\'t say too much about what living in a tent city was like the
first night as all I did was seek medical assistance and conk out; they
tell me the entertainment was nice and the hot showers in the
semi-trailers were great. Lake Forest is a beautiful city and the campus
is quite nice to.

Day two found me able to walk and after eating breakfast, stretching,
and a liberal rub down of \"Biofreeze\" (I normally follow directions
but not this time), I set off down the trail. Today I had decided that I
would rest periodically and not push it and if I had to be \"Swept\"
along the way a time or two to finish then I would do it.

On the second day my thighs were great but the baby toes which had only
been a minor problem the first day, decided to rear their ugly heads. I
had wrapped any problem areas on day one with mole skin which works
great on flat areas but only seems to aggravate baby toes. The morning
of the second day I wrapped the baby toes with Band-Aids since they were
already blistered and wrapped the toes next to them with something to
prevent blisters (did not know of this stuff ahead of time) but as the
morning wore my baby toes began bothering me more and since I had run
out of Band-Aids, I decided to seek medical attention at the rest stop.

Due to the fact that I had purposely walked slower and stopped to rest
regularly, I arrived at the lunch stop 15 minutes prior to its closing.
I got in line to be seen by medical, was told to strip off my Band-Aids
while waiting and after waiting an hour to be seen was informed that
most of the medical equipment had been packed so they didn\'t have the
proper items to care for my toes.

The young girl attending me slapped on two bunion like pads on each toe
and then told me I should catch the \"Sag Bus\" as that was all they had
going at this stop, no \"Sweep Vehicle\", so unless I wanted to walk
another 2 miles down the road to the next stop that was my only choice.
At this point with my toes exposed and not properly wrapped I could
barely walk down to the \"Sag Bus\" let alone make it another 2 miles so
I was taken to camp. If only I had kept my toes wrapped I would have
toughed it out to the next stop and had my toes looked at there. The
second day which should have been a 21 mile day ended for me at 11 1/2.
What a let down it was to be driven into camp rather than arriving under
my own steam.

The first thing I did upon arrival at camp was to sign up with
Chiropractic for additional electrical stimulation to the thighs; it
helped the first day so I felt it would assure me that the third day
would go well. While waiting for my thigh treatment I went to the
Podiatry tent and had my toes attended to and got everything I needed to
get my baby toes though the last day of the walk. The only other thing I
accomplished that day was to eat supper and take a shower.

The second night\'s tent city was set up at Old Orchard Jr. High School
in Skokie; not as scenic as Lake Forest but very spacious. The hot
showers really were great but still didn\'t stick around for the
entertainment. I was back at my tent by 8:00 p.m. and again conked out.
The only draw back to the tent city either night was having to crawl out
of a nice warm sleeping bag to strip down in the chill of the morning
and having to lay down to put on your clothes.

Sunday was very uneventful. My thighs cooperated and I found as the day
progressed that even though my baby toes would start bothering me after
stopping to rest, that they would also become numb and cease to be a
problem after a half mile or so of resuming the walk. The walk along the
lake front was beautiful and seeing the skyline of Chicago was
fantastic!

The final day was just over 15 1/2 miles and felt like a short jaunt
compared to the first day. Our closing ceremony was held in Lincoln park
and then it was home to reality again.

I have been asked by some if I would be willing to walk again next year
and at this point I would have to say the mind is willing but the body
would probably not be. My thighs never caused me any problems after the
first day and I have obtained the knowledge that would allow be to
better protect my toes, but after a month my knee is still causing me
problems which I feel may take many months to heal which would make
training impossible.

You might think that during a long walk there would be plenty of time
for introspection on life but let me tell you that even though thoughts
may start out like that they get basic real quick as you begin thinking
about how much some body part hurts or WHERE\'S THE NEXT PORT-A-POTTY???

I do want to say a big THANK YOU to all for the financial and moral
support which made it possible for me to participate in the 3-DAY. The
monies went to a very worthy cause and the walking helped me to find out
just what my physical limitations are. Over 55 miles in three days even
with loosing 9 1/2 miles on the second day.

Thank for the memories!!

Ginger Warren

Running Club Summer Social

The ARC held a summer social/pizza party on July 15^th^ at Papa
Passero\'s in Darien. Although our turn-out was fairly small, those who
were there had an enjoyable time. There was plenty of free pizza, soda,
beer and conversation for all running club members who attended. We
anticipate having a similar social this winter (probably in December),
so if you missed the summer one, be sure to check the ARC newsletter or
web-site for the date of the next one.

Early Bird Runs

The second of three scheduled summer morning fun runs was held on
Wednesday, July 14^th^. A small but committed contingent showed up for
the event. If you have missed the June and July morning runs, you\'ll
want to mark August 25^th^ on your calendar. That is the date of the
last morning fun run this summer.

For those of you who are not morning runners, you may still want to come
out and give this a try. This has been a fairly hot summer, and running
at noon can take it\'s toll. I know it is a little hard getting up for a
7:15 AM run, but it is a great way to beat the heat and still get in
your workout. The runs begin at the Waterfall Glen trailhead at Cass and
Northgate Road. There is a 4 mile run for runners and a 2 mile course
for those who want to take it slower. Afterwards, there is plenty of
orange juice and bagels/muffins for breakfast. The event is finished by
8 AM so runners can get into work and shower.

ARC members who like running in the morning have talked about continuing
these runs into the fall. Please let us know if you would be interested
in continuing these runs past the end of summer.

July\'s Fun Run

(*Dateline Argonne July 21, 1999*) Fourteen mentally deranged runners
ran the first modern staggered-start Argonne fun(?) run on a clear,
humid and very hot day. Runners and walkers estimated their times for
the 3.2 mile run/2 mile walk and started at different times so that all
runners and walkers should finish at the same time. With the difficult
running conditions, estimations were difficult, but almost all runners
and walkers finished within 3 minutes of each other.

After the race, runners consumed cold juice, water and watermelon.
Cookies were ignored. Also, I lied on the website \-- there was no
raffle.

Chuck Jonah

Dash and Splash \'99

The ARC\'s August fun run will be hosted by Jean Smith and Dale
Alexander. This month's event will be held over lunch on Tuesday, August
24. The 5 K run and 2 M walk will begin at noon at the Argonne pool. The
running club will cover the cost for any members who want to use the
pool after the race.

Web Page update.

This month, pictures from the second annual red dress run were added to
the website (pictures were taken by Don Bohringer of IPNS). Also added
to the website were pictures from this year's River-to-River Relay run.
Jack Picciolo continues to update our race calendar \-- **what about the
rest of you**. I have also added a link to the Chicago Amateur Athlete
(first item under running related web sites), which contains a large
listing of local races and other fitness events. (The link was broken
earlier but has been repaired). It appears as if the site is on a 10 Mhz
Trash-80 , but at least you won't have to worry about line speed! If you
find connections that don't work let me know at CDJonah@anl.gov \-- also
let me know if the server is down. I can't fix it but I can get it fixed
if I know about it.

Chuck Jonah

The Results are In!

Thanks for all ARC members who voted in last months elections. There
were no major surprises this year. The winners this year are:

President: Karl Grimm

Vice President: Laurie Culbert

Treasurer: Paul Eident

Secretary: Kristi Wood

Webmaster: Chuck Jonah

Newsletter Editor: John Schlueter

I\'m sure that all of these people would be interested in hearing your
ideas about the running club: what we are doing right, what needs to be
improved, new ideas, new events, etc. The more involved you are, the
less work it will be for these people to make the ARC something you want
to be part of.

Cool Down

The Argonne Running Club Newsletter is edited by John Schlueter. Please
send your stories, photos, tips, race reports, race entry forms,
comments, etc. to me. Mail: Bldg. 200; Internet: JASchlueter@anl.gov;
Phone: 2-3588. ARC president: Karl Grimm, Bldg. 208, A205A, ,
b23921@ra.anl.gov. ARC webpage: chemistry.anl.gov/ARC/ webmaster: Chuck
Jonah, Bldg. 200, Rm. B157, 2-3471, CDJonah@anl.gov. For membership
information, contact Paul Eident, Bldg. 200 Rm. L175, 2-3579,
eident@anlchm.chm.anl.gov.