Zach Runs Chicago

In February I went to an unveiling event for the new Nike Plus Fuelband : And it's a pretty sweet looking little device right? Here's a brief description of what it does, from the website: "Nike+ FuelBand tracks your activity through a sport-tested accelerometer. Then translates every move into NikeFuel. Nike+ FuelBand tracks running, walking, dancing, basketball - and dozens of everyday actions. " And if you're not really an athlete, as the presenter said at the unveiling, "...it's also a cool watch." Though he also made sure to add that "If you have a body, you are an athlete." And even though I'd argue that this thing is actually designed to measure every other type of exercise besides running (it can obviously measure the energy you burn while running, but it's not a GPS tracker that can give you your pace or distance), after testing it out that night (in a series of larger-than-life exercises on Soldier Field involving catc...

My weather app tells me it's 80 degrees outside, but as soon as I hit the street it feels like someone has turned on the a/c. Ten minutes ago I thought it was summertime and now I'm noticing other runners wearing long-sleeve shirts and walkers wearing light jackets... At this point any Chicagoan who's been through at least one winter here is telling me to shut my mouth (or still my fingers, I guess) right now because I'm complaining about a cool breeze on an 80 degree day in mid-March; I'm actually complaining about running weather that's just about as perfect as can be. Okay, point taken. But still, it was surprising how quickly the weather changed based on winds off the lake. Still, I alter my plan to run to the lakeshore trail, feeling the wind coming off the lake (even on Dearborn), and decide to just head to Lincoln Park. I wave to the stony Lincoln statue, as he sits on his throne eying a yoga practitioner attempting to impress him with her flexibility bef...