Sunday was a nearly perfect day for a swim, bike ride or run. Or all 3 together in the Accenture Chicago Triathlon, certified by the Guiness Book of World records as the largest in the world. My friend Kristine, who inspired me to do a triathlon, joined about 8,500 people on the Chicago lakefront for swimming, biking, and running. All week leading up to the event, Chicago was hit by heavy rains and flooding. But, this weekend, the sun came out, the sky was blue, and the temps were in the 70's, with a slight breeze off the lake. The swim took place in the Monroe harbor and was illuminated by a beautiful sunrise. That view almost made up for the frigid 68 degree water temp. But, once I got moving I warmed up. I just wish it would've made me swim faster, too. The bike ride was a course I knew well, going north on Lake Shore drive to Foster Ave and then turning around and riding back to the Harbor. I had done part of this route with some fraternity brothers during Memorial Day weekend's Bike the Drive. The run went south towards the Shedd Aquarium and around the Adler Planetarium, with a finish near the Buckingham Fountain, which celebrated it's 80th birthday this weekend. All-in-all it was quite a day! My unofficial finish time was 2:06:55. I had hoped to break 2 hours, but will have to wait until next year's Owensboro YMCA Triathlon for that mark. The afternoon was topped off with a short nap and an ice cream social at Ken and Rebecca's, which tasted very good after some exercise on a warm, summer day. M & M ice cream was my favorite, but the Orange Popsicle was pretty good too!

Today's Mileage: 13.7 miles
2007 Year to Date Mileage: 258.2 miles