There is something about Chicago that is magic to me. It is the city where my journey in long distance running and endurance sports truly began. Chicago is where I spectated at my first marathon. It is where a group of runners told me I could run a marathon (of course, I proceeded to laugh at their confidence because I didn’t think that was fathomable). It is where, a year later, I ran my first marathon. It is where I came back four years later and ran my fastest and most recent (eighth) marathon.

When I think about Chicago, I think about running. It is a place where my running dreams started and where many have come true. It’s also a place where I continue to dream about my next big running goals.

I spent the past week in the Windy City. I’m fortunate my work travels take me there often. As I walk the streets where the marathon weaves and log early morning miles along the lakefront, my eyes nearly pop out of my head as I google at my surroundings and my heart nearly bursts from joy.

Here are some scenes from my running adventures in Chicago this past week.

In addition to running, I got to eat a FABULOUS meal at the famous Girl and the Goat with one of my close friends who lives in Chicago (who also happens to be an incredible marathoner and Ironman triathlete). We had the green beans, cauliflower, octopus and scallops. In a word: YUM!

Here is what my week of training looked like:

• Monday: 75 minutes of Yin Yoga at Bella Prana via ClassPass {affiliate link}
• Tuesday: REST and travel to Chicago
• Wednesday: 4-mile run along the Chicago lakefront
• Thursday: 45 mins of spinning at Flywheel Gold Coast in Chicago via ClassPass (I LOVE that my membership lets me try some of the best classes in other cities)

• Friday: REST and travel back to Tampa
• Saturday: Ran 7 miles with friends … I added a little more miles to the day by biking about 3-4 miles with Mr. rUnladylike to do some errands and walking to dinner (a little less than a mile) on Saturday night

• Sunday: 1 hour of barre at Barre Fitness Tampa via ClassPass

This week, I’m off to Nevada and Arizona for an adventure of a lifetime. I will be off the grid for a few days, but I still have some special surprises for you. Be sure to check runladylike.com for some very authentic voices who will be taking over the pages of this corner of the Internet with some powerful running stories.

What city most reminds you of your running journey? How was your week of training last week?