What’s not to love about running through the City with thousands of other runners… with marshmallows, candy, M&M’s and more along the way? And then to end with hot chocolate & hot fudge fondue at the finish line? Another “sweet” run today… The 15K Hot Chocolate Run.

My favorite musical is celebrating the big Three-Oh!!!

Hard to believe that “Les Miserables” has been entrancing theater audiences for thirty years now! That darn barricade continues to fall, Eponine is STILL on her own, people are dying every single night on stages all around the world. And yet I can’t get enough of it. I’ve already seen it “too many times” live on stage, the recent Hugh Jackman movie version more than a few times, as well as DVD versions of the 20th & 25th Anniversary Concert Events. So image how excited I am to see that there was a 20th Anniversary Concert Event… hopefully coming to DVD really soon!!!

A beautiful building facade along Lake Shore Drive’s Gold Coast all lit up to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was the prettiest thing during this morning’s gray, misty & drizzly bike ride.

Last night was the ArtBash Gala Fundraiser to benefit ArtReach Chicago. Unfortunately I couldn’t go to the ArtBash because of ART IN THE BARN conflicting on the same weekend. But I did get a opportunity to donate ten soda-fired tumblers for the VIP Swag Bags.

Exciting to see some of the happy faces that sent me a Selfie from the evening’s Gala festivities! Hope their “adult beverages” tasted even better in one of my stamped tumblers!

Triathlon mornings start very early. Thousands of hopeful triathletes all bringing their bikes & gear into the Transition Area… which opens at 4:00am!!! It’s the place where you store all of your gear, and will return to repeatedly throughout the race to change for each leg. This morning was so misty & foggy, we all kinda looked like gorillas in the mist.

And for the record, the Chicago Triathlon is the LARGEST Triathlon in the US!!!
More than 9,000 athletes from across the country run, bike, and swim along Chicago’s lakefront. It’s the fifth oldest triathlon in the world. Athletes from 46 states and 18 different countries. Kind of exciting!!!

Here’s a view of the Transition Area from above… now that’s a LOT of bikes!!!…
courtesy of the Chicago Triathlon Facebook page.

And then, once you have all of your gear sorted & organized by race, it’s time to get ready for the swim – and head over to the Swim Start. Since I was doing this race by myself this year (my Tri-partner in crime Chris had to bow out with a bad stress fracture), I didn’t really have anyone good to take photos “during” the race. We’ll have to wait for the professional race photographers to send out their shots of the triathletes… to see how goofy I look in mid-stride!

Today was the second and third triathlons to complete my Chicago Triple Triathlon Challenge! Yesterday we did the SuperSprint… and today was International distance immediately followed by Sprint distance.

So I started with the Swim in Monroe Harbor. Basically straight across form Buckingham Fountain south to the Shedd Aquarium and then back north to the Chicago Yacht Club. Luckily for all of us, the water temperature was SO MUCH better today than yesterday. A full 8-degrees warmer! Which makes a HUGE difference. Yesterday’s water temperature was 56-degrees! Today, an almost “balmy-by-comparison” 64-degrees. Still cold. Who am I kidding? But not so cold that it hurt like yesterday!!!

Some more photos from the Chicago Triathlon Facebook page… of course, it was a lot darker when I started in Wave #1. My start time was 6:00am… about 20 minutes BEFORE sunrise!!!

Then it’s back to the Transition Area to change for the Bike portion. Then it’s up onto Lake Shore Drive headed all the way to Hollywood where LSD ends. Turn around and come back to the city. Then it’s a few more miles “under the city” as we ride Intermediate Wacker Drive and the “best-kept-secret” Busway to McCormick Place and back. Again at the Transition Area to switch to my running clothes. Then it’s off south to 31st Street Beach and back to the Grant Park Finish Line.

And by “finish” I mean of Triathlon #2… Number Three still to come!!!
So it’s grab a medal, some Gatorade and head back to the Swim Start where they’ve moved our wetsuits & swim gear there for us already. Another change of clothes and it’s back in the water. This time it’s shorter… basically even with Buckingham Fountain north to the Yacht Club. Then “transition” back to bike gear for another roundtrip on Lake Shore Drive up to Hollywood and back. One last “transition” and it’s back in running gear for the last leg. This time the Finish Line does indeed mean FINISH!!! Triathlon #3 DONE. A celebration… and a HUGE sigh of relief!!! I made it… yeah me! Luckily, my friend Nancy was there to hang with and snap a few pictures. She has done the Sprint Relay swim portion… not quite exhausted, and willing to be my photographer!!!

Not only did I get my three medals… I also got a commemorative Triple Tri running vest. Only the “official” Triple Tri finishers got them… and that’s me! An official Triple Triathlete!!! 58.8 combined Triathlon miles for the three distance. Whoo-hoo!

After the race, Nancy and I hung out for awhile and then I finally got a great stretching session from the folks at Athletico. A little tight, a little sore… and very thankful for their “magic hands.”

So here we have it, the end of my day and the end of the Chicago Triple Triathlon Challenge.
Another adventure under my belt!!!

So what’s next???

One down. Two to go tomorrow for the Chicago Triple Tri Challenge.
This morning’s SuperSprint was a rainy, muddy, puddley mess with flooded transition areas & squishy running paths. Oh yeah, it was raining and the lake is FREEZING cold. 56-FRIGGIN’ DEGREES COLD!!! So cold that it knocks the wind right out of you. Tough to catch your breath. Kinda feels like you have asthma… and struggling to find a swim stroke beyond flailing!

Otherwise a great day… hoping tomorrow has better weather! Today was the short one… tomorrow will be a lot longer & a lot further!!!

Kinda muddy along the run…

And flooded in the Transition Area…

Exactly one week later…  and I’m back for another healthy dose of Cirque du Soleil.
And coincidentally, the seats that we have this time are EXACTLY the same as last time?! My parents ordered the tickets online, and my niece Taylor was sitting in MY seat from last time.

Kinda fun to see the show for a second time. To see the things you missed the first time. And to watch for any small differences in the performance. It is live after all.. so something’s gotta be different!!!

Also fun to see it with my sister Jen and my niece Taylor. It was their first time under Le Grand Chapiteau! Jen has seen some of the shows in Las Vegas, but never a traveling show under the tent. And for Taylor this was her first time seeing Cirque du Soleil live EVER!!! Also their first time enjoying circus popcorn with chocolate M&M’s sprinkled all over… yep, my doing!!!

The show was wonderful again as expected. There were a few differences. Some of which I was not pleased with. But no one else would probably even notice. For some reason, the juggler at the beginning who does his “duet” with the drummer was nowhere to be found. No juggler ever?! And the “Aviator” character who did the traditional tubes & planks balancing act on a non-traditional swing… did hand-balancing on that same swing?! No tubes. No planks. Same actor. Same costume. Similar, but different… and sadly, not quite as exciting.

Otherwise, our evening under the Big Top for KURIOS was fun for the family. My parents enjoyed the show, and Jen & Taylor loved their “first” Cirque du Soleil experiences!!! And I can never get enough!!!

Yesterday was a wonderful day… beautiful weather, incredible rides and a full day of fun with my niece Taylor and sister Jen. It’s was our annual adventure to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Ilinois. My cousin Kim was supposed to come with, but she was instead bed-ridden with a back injury. Probably not the best idea to taunt the injury with jostling on some roller coasters?!

We arrived early before the rides open. They allow you to enter the park, but the actual lines don’t open until 10:30am. So there was plenty of time for a few “glamour shots.”

We considered several different roller coasters for our first ride of the day. Taylor was being a little cautious, so we ended up back on “The Viper”… her favorite wooden roller coaster from last year. Lots of bumps, twists and hills that make you fly out of your seat. Okay, she’s right… it is a pretty great roller coaster!!!

Of course there are the prerequisite spinny, twisty, going-around-in-circles rides that Taylor loves!!! Jen gets a little squeamish on these spinny rides, so it’s just Taylor and I taking on the challenge… again… and again… and again…

We didn’t quite make it on “The Demon.” A little too “bouncy” and not quite as smooth as we would like. Taylor did it last year but wasn’t too much of a fan. Too much head shaking & jostling around. But I did get a great shot of it while we were waiting in line for another spinny ride!

Next up was her other favorite roller coaster… “The Whizzer.” It’s one of the original rides form when Six Flags opened thirty years ago. It’s not the tallest or fastest, but it does give you a great view of the rest of the park and its many roller coaster!

And yes, for the record…
Every roller coaster does have a sign that clearly states cameras are NOT permitted while on any of the rides. It also says that arms & legs are to remain in the car at all times. Ha!!! But if we all followed the rules, we wouldn’t have great pictures like this, right?! I rest my case.

After several roller coasters and a lot of spinny rides, it was finally time for lunch. And who doesn’t love huge corn dogs & cheesy nachos?! Not the healthiest of options, but… when in Rome…

And then it was back to the spinny… maybe not the best idea on a newly full stomach?!
I’m sure some good Dippin’ Dots will settle that back down!!!

We took a calming “diversion” to settle someone’s stomach and recharge in the calming & air conditioned Sky Trek Tower. It’s a very slow, revolving elevator that gives you great views of the park.

Front to back… “Raging Bull”, “Giant Drop”, and the original classic “American Eagle”…

“The Whizzer”…

“The Viper” on the right…

The classic carousel at the entrance…

Another great shot of “The Viper”…

And “Hurricane Harbor Water Park” that we never quite make it too.

After our refueling ride up the tower, it was finally time to tackle some water rides!!! First up, “Logger’s Run.” Another Great America classic that has been there for thirty years… and you can tell.

And once you’re wet, you might as well go for another water ride… this time it was “Roaring Rapids” where we all got soaked!!!

What better way to dry off than another trip on Taylor’s favorite “The Viper”???

And Taylor’s nemesis… “Raging Bull.” It’s my favorite of all the roller coasters, but Taylor was NOT a fan last year when she went on. I think it was far too open on the sides, and only has a lap restraint – not the full over-the-shoulder-lock-you-in-contraption as some of the newer ones. So the closest we got to it this year was walking under it as we were in line for “The Viper”… again.

Sunset shots of “The Viper” and “Raging Bull.”

And what trip to Great America is complete without a couple funnel cakes at the end?! I mean if you’re going to go, you might as well go all the way, right?! So I had them add ice cream & hot fudge to mine! Taylor chose the classic powdered sugar route… but obviously was left wanting more!

After the funnel cakes, our day came to an end back where we started. With a beautiful view of the iconic Great America Carousel. And the conclusion to another great day at Great America with Taylor & Jen. Sorry Kim… maybe next year?

Just the sight of the big yellow & blue tents make me giddy!
And knowing that we’re going in for another wonderful Cirque du Soleil experience is even better!!! Tonight was my adventure under the Big Top for the latest touring show by Cirque du Soleil… KURIOS : Cabinet des Curiosities.

By now you may have realized that I’m kind of a Cirque du Soleil groupie… or junkie… or stalker?! I love all things Cirque. Can’t get enough. I’ve seen all of the shows that traveled through Chicago. I’ve seen the shows in Las Vegas. I’ve traveled to other cities to see them. I’ve even worked for them for two shows (Varekai & Dralion). So imagine my excitement with a new traveling show here in Chicago… after a far-too-long absence of four years!!!

Inside the tent, the stage is a dark & moody place. Lots of contraptions, inventions and mish-mashes of things & textures. It doesn’t take long before you realize that this is most likely going to take on a “steampunk” vibe. And who doesn’t like steampunk?!!!

The show was wonderful. Lots of amazing feats… and some “usual” circus acts you’ve seen before yet with that whimsical Cirque twist!!

The music for this show is also a lot of fun. Very upbeat & bouncy. Especially the first number where you get to “meet” the cast of characters. I always love seeing how they incorporate all of the athletic performances with the live musicians & singers. Loved the juggler & drummer duo interaction!

Congratulations & Thank You Cirque du Soleil… you’ve done it again!!!
And I’ll be back again next Wednesday evening with my niece Taylor!

Grab yourself some tickets if you can.
They’re scheduled to be in town through September 20th.
And then the tents come down and the “magic” disappears from Chicago!