Sunrise Running In Chicago

Two weekends ago I was in Chicago for our annual firm retreat. While it was great to see my colleagues from other offices, learn about the unique psychological traits of lawyers (seriously!), and brainstorm about different ways we could increase our collaboration across practices, the highlight for me was running in Chicago along the lakefront. 

On the first morning, we met at 5:30 to squeeze in 8 miles, showers and coffee before the 8:00 am opening sessions. We were staying at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers which is only a few blocks from the Navy Pier, so we ran down E. Illinois Street to the Navy Pier and headed north.  

I’ve stayed at that hotel many times, and run along the lakefront many times, but I’ve always headed south, towards the planetarium, so running north was a bit of an adventure. One of the women with us only wanted to run 6 miles, so we turned around at the south end North Avenue Beach, ran her back to the hotel (since it was still dark) and did a lap around the Navy Pier to hit our 8 mile goal.

The second morning was the “fun run relay,” an optional activity complete with t-shirts, prizes, and donuts from Glazed and Infused. Each relay leg was only 2 miles, so I decided to check out the course and do a 2 mile warm-up.

Every time I’ve stayed at this hotel and run along the lake, I’ve gone out the front door of the hotel and taken E. Illinois Street to the Navy Pier, going through a few intersections and crossing under North Lakeshore Drive. I had a d’oh! moment when I learned that I could go around to the back of the hotel, cross over the Chicago River, and pick up the Chicago Riverwalk which would take me to the lakefront with no traffic to dodge! 

And it even was well-lit!

The sunrise over Lake Michigan never disappoints! 

 

As for the “fun run,” I learned that “fun” has a different meaning when a bunch of lawyers is involved. 😉 I was the last runner of my team, and saw that others were pushing hard and running fast. (The psychologist did say that we generally are a competitive bunch.) I put in a good effort, and ran my leg at an 8:00 min/mile pace. I did have fun, and I did enjoy the donuts!

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Do you have a favorite city you like to visit?