2024 Review in Photos

Welcome to our 2024 Year in Photos. If you are here, you've successfully navigated here via the QR code embedded in this year's Holiday Card! During the process of composing the yearly Family Holiday card, I go through photos from the past year to use in the card. It is hard to cull the photos that will be printed in the card, so this year I decided to add some "technology" to the card in the form of a QR Code to access this post with many more photos and stories from our year. Enjoy!

 

 
Christmas and holiday greetings from our family to yours.

 

 
We enjoyed relative stability over the past year (that’s our way of saying not much has changed) - Scott and Shirley are still in Illinois, mostly retired (Scott took on contract work as a Project Manager). Erica is still in Madison with her dog (Charlie) and horse (Cookie). Brian is still in St Louis. We all traveled to Charlotte NC in the summer for an extended family gathering on Lake Norman. Scott, Shirley and Erica road tripped there allowing us to take Charlie. We enjoyed being with cousins, grandparents, aunties and uncles, taking in the “Lake Life”.

 

 
Brian also traveled to the UK and Europe. Erica took a trip to Seattle. Shirley had the privilege to travel to Japan and Germany with her sister Teresa, who ran the Tokyo and Berlin marathons. Shirley also attended her 35th college reunion in Cambridge MA, reconnecting with so many friends.

 

 
Scott and Shirley also road tripped to Tulsa, OK to visit old friends from their Indiana / GE days, the Bowlins. Jeff and Janine were such gracious hosts, showing us the unique sights in Tulsa, taking us to the Pioneer Woman Ranch and Tallgrass Prairie where we encountered the herd of Bison.

 

 
While we are incredibly grateful for these “big trips / experiences”, we take joy in our daily and local lives - walks to see the sunset, the birds that visit the feeder, our golfing friends, our longtime friends and neighbors, visits to local parks, local college athletics and the myriad of activities available within a couple hours.

 

 
We are so lucky to have friends and family to share with these big and the small things with. We hope your holidays are filled with light and peace, may you take moments of joy with you into the New Year.

 

 
Now for the photos!

 
January brought freezing temperatures which enabled Shirley and her photography friends to take photos and video of freezing bubbles.

 

 

 
In February, Shirley traveled with sister Teresa to Japan. First stop - Kyoto, where we took in massive bamboo forests and temples with their impressive Tori gates and lanterns.

 

 

 

 
Then it was off to Toyko for the Toyko marathon. Teresa's husband, Ray, flew in for this portion of the trip. Teresa and I made friends in Kyoto - Ed and Karen Hsu from Seattle. Ed also ran the marathon so we met up with them during and after the event.

 

 

 

 
We did a lot of sightseeing in Toyko, and of course the food (ramen counter here) was amazing.

 

 
In April, Teresa flew out to Illinois to experience totality of the solar eclipse. We drove south to the small town of Olney and spent the day hanging out in the town's park with friends, white squirrels and other groups of people all present for the almost four minutes of total darkness as the moon crossed over the sun. It was an amazing experience.

 

 
In Spring, Bluebells carpet the forest and woodlands. We are lucky to have access to numerous forest preserves to enjoy the sea of flowers. Shirley frequents the nature preserves with with friends My and Brenda

 

 
Erica riding Cookie in a clinic in May.

 

 
Photos from Shirley's 35th college reunion at MIT. Taken at the top of Baker House, the dorm we lived in while in school. We all miss this million dollar view of the Boston skyline. With friends Robin and Henry:

 

 
Shirley and her favorite group of guys, known as "The Quint" as all five shared a room their freshman year:

 

 
While Erica traveled to Seattle, Shirley took care of Charlie in Madison.

 

 
Shirley and her girlfriends on their annual Fine Lake weekend in Michigan. This year we visited Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids.

 

 
Matty, Shirley and Erica saw Cage the Elephant in concert in Charlotte as part of our NC Family vacation.

 

 
Tubing on Lake Norman. You can see Winnie and Brian out on the water in the inner tube!

 

 
Another group photo on Lake Norman, with Charlie!

 

 
Rocking out at a Royel Otis concert - with Jill and Mary

 

 
In late September, I flew to Germany with my sister and brother in law. Teresa ran the Berlin Marathon, earning her 6th Star in the World major marathon series. We enjoyed great weather on marathon day.

 

 
At the top of the Reichstag in Berlin, the day after the Berlin Marathon with Teresa and Ray:

 

 
The Berlin Wall:

 

 
Then we took the train to Munich - to attend Oktoberfest!

 

 
Our October trip to Oklahoma included taking in sights in Tusla, along Route 66 and Pawhuska, OK. Can you see Scott in this first photo?

 

 

 

 

 
Shirley continues to take photos with her Nikon in challenging situations, including these flying egrets, full moon shots and ones of the comet. She missed photographing the Aurora borealis but hopes there will be opportunities in 2025.

 

 

 

 
Finally, enjoy this outtake from this year's Christmas Card Family photo. It's never a dull moment around here!

 

 
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a wonderful 2025!

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Tokyo Marathon Expo 2024

I visited Japan with my sister as she was running the Tokyo Marathon. The Marathon Expo opened on Thursday, February 29, 2024 in the Big Sight Convention Center. We take the scenic Yurikamome Line (The U Line) from its origination at Shimbashi Station (Stop U1) all around the Tokyo Bay Waterfront to the Big Sight Station (Stop U11). Much of this train system runs above ground so there’s lots of interesting scenery to take in as it moves along the Japan harbor and across the Rainbow bridge.

 

 
Seen along the journey on the Yurikamome Line:

 

 

 
Crossing the Rainbow Bridge:

 

 
The Expo itself was a crazy experience. They separate the runners from the guests and while the runners wait to retrieve their running bibs, the guests are granted access to the Marathon Merchandise Asics store. This was like a Black Friday store opening with people rushing the merchandise racks, grabbing everything in sight only to realize the only sizes on display were XL and 2XL. And not Asian sizing but US sizing! When the Expo Store workers started opening up boxes with smaller sizes in the back, we all mashed up against the door's opening, grabbing garments being thrown to the crowd. It was like a mosh pit. I managed to get XS, S, M jackets for my sister to choose from and she ended up with the XS size jacket. An experience to remember!

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My 2018 Running Year - The Worst and Best Year

Yeah, yeah, almost 2 months into 2019 and here comes a recap of last year?
Forgive and indulge me a little bit - even though we are well into 2019, last year's experiences still continue to mold me and I constantly need to be reminded that success does not hinge on running "X" miles a week. Read on to get the rest of the story:

2018 - It was the worst year of running, it was the best year in spite of that.

Coming off my 2017, with all its accomplishments, why wouldn’t 2018 eclipse it all? Several reasons emerged - my Pride went before the fall, age caught up with even me, and well, maybe it just wouldn’t be the year where I smashed all my goals regardless how hard I tried to control things. Yes, I am an admitted control freak (just ask my kids and they will resoundingly nod their heads).

I couldn’t control my left hip’s pain and I didn’t foresee tearing something in my right glute (an injury obtained while doing yoga of all things). I could only adjust and force myself to be patient. But, these injuries forced me to slow down, adjust my workouts, divert my focus and in the end, resulted in a 2018 full of rich experiences.

What went down: due to nagging left hip pain and lack of trail miles, I withdrew from my planned spring ultra. What I did instead: after a year’s hiatus, I returned to the pool and realized it wasn’t so bad. I drew solace from the dark and cold winter mornings, somewhat thankful I didn’t have to brave those elements on the road.

Instead of running that ultra during spring break week, I traveled to Thailand with my daughter, sister and a local running friend! The impetus of the trip was my daughter’s desire to visit a high school friend studying abroad. We flew over together then parted ways once I had delivered her to her friend’s place in Bangkok. My local running friend, Brenda, and I met up with my sister in Chiangmai. We hiked up a mountain, visited temples, took a Thai cooking class and interacted with elephants. We flew to Phuket, relaxed on the beach, kayaked in sea hongs of Phang Nga Bay, experienced bio luminescent show and had a wonderful vacation.








I rested my hip and returned to running in time for the Illinois Marathon weekend. But no Marathon for me. Instead, our family (me, husband Scott, kids Erica and Brian) formed a team and ran the Marathon Relay. I have wanted to do this as a family for many years but could never convince the non-runners. While we’ve all run 5ks , the 6+ mile distance seemed long for the kids. Erica has been running more and it was her desire to field a team that tipped the scales.
Scott ran the first leg, then I met Erica at the first exchange (she had to work earlier that morning). Erica took the second leg and Scott and I made our way to the next exchange point. I ran the third leg, enjoying the thinned running field. The last exchange is located approximately 2 miles from our house, perfect for our son who would run the last portion of the race. Perfect because this allowed him to sleep in while the rest of us were on the course!
We met Brian at the entrance to Memorial stadium, ran in together and crossed the finish line. We were blessed with perfect weather that day - sun and mid 50s. It doesn’t get much better.


I spent the rest of spring slowly regaining mileage. Winter's grip held spring captive and when it let go, summer barreled straight in. Cold then hot. Brian graduated from high school, and suddenly it was summer.



One morning, I received a text from my sister about a “vendor she uses at work who is the title sponsor of the NYC marathon” (TCS! Tata Consulting Services) and “extending an invitation for her work team to participate in the NYC marathon”.
OMG, the NYC Marathon! I've entered the lottery 4 times and 4 times been rejected....

Long story short, my sister manages to get me and her husband entries into NYC. And not just regular entries but VIP entries (special bus, special area in the Athletes' Village, special Finish line treatment and more).

I start rebuilding miles. Cross training. I get the official invite in mid June.
Then I injure myself doing yoga on Friday, July 13. I’m not a superstitious person, but seriously?
I assume the pain in my butt will go away in a few weeks but it doesn’t. By September I realize that I won’t be able to execute a normal marathon training cycle and start weighing options:
1. Drop out of the NYC Marathon
2. Do whatever I can from a training perspective, start the marathon and do the best I can. I could take a DNF (Did Not Finish) if things got really bad.

I go with Option 2 - because when will I ever get this opportunity again? I follow several talented runners from my Run club via Strava and one of them is injured yet continuing to train for her fall marathon via the elliptical. I follow her lead and embark on a non traditional training program of swimming, cycling and elliptical. I incorporated a run-walk strategy 3 weeks prior to the race. My “20 miler” was replaced by 50 laps in the pool, 30 minutes of pool jogging, one hour cycling class then 6 miles using a 1:30 run, :30 walk cycle. I peaked my running at 8 miles, the week before the marathon.

Instead of my normal 10 minute pace, I ran - walked the marathon with my sister and had a great time. If I hadn’t been injured, I would have run my own race. In the end, this was a great way to soak up NYC, support my sister and her first marathon experience. I wouldn’t change it for even a BQ. (Ok, maybe I would for that).





So what did 2018 teach me from a running / fitness perspective? To be patient with injury recovery, to embrace the circumstances and do the best you can. Don’t let past accomplishments dictate how you face current challenges. I will never repeat the 5K PRs I earned in my 20’s. I doubt I will ever BQ. I’m ok with all that. Even with the lowest yearly mileage since 2012 and my worst marathon finish, I had an incredible running year. I expect 2019 will have its ups and downs but I intend to keep moving forward.

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Chicago Marathon 2016 Recap

Since the Chicago Marathon was on October 9th, I wrote this post more than a month ago.
Life got in the way (our Siamese cat, Louie, went missing around October 13 and I dropped everything to search for him. The good news - he showed back at home 8 days later).
So, better late than never....


“I have put many miles between who I am and where I came from.” - Raine Cooper
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” - Haruki Murakami

When posed the question of “what are your goals for the Chicago Marathon?”, I took the seemingly easy way out by stating “eh, I don’t have a specific time goal, I just want to get through the entire 26.2 miles without cramping”. Truthfully, I was looking forward to sharing this race – the city, its diversity, the spectators - with my running friends on a nice fall day, without the presence of rain, thunderstorms and oppressive humidity (elements we had become way too familiar with).

Sunday marked my 5th marathon and 2nd Chicago Marathon. I first ran Chicago in 2014, in similar conditions – a lovely fall day with light breezes, low humidity and ample sunshine – perfect conditions, yet cloyingly deceptive for the prone-to-cramp folks (like me). In 2014 I cramped terribly and vowed I would learn from my fueling mistakes, so this would be the test. I experienced the race much like two years ago, but this time armed with the support of running friends who ran parts of the race with me. Their support, along with virtual support from all over made the experience amazing.

Picture Perfect Marathon Day

Walking to The Start Corrals with my Running Friends

Highlights? There are too many to list – For a day, the city is transformed into a sea of people instead of cars, giving everyone involved a new perspective. There’s the start line rush of running into the middle of the street, finally freed of the congestion in the start corrals. I am always impressed how much room the runners have, with the looming buildings of the Loop above. Traversing five of the famed Moveable Loop Bridges is a highlight of the course. I took in the serene beauty of the brownstones in Old Town, its streets flanked by yellow tinged trees, then grooved to the fun vibe of Boystown.

Running through Old Town

The miles continued and my mind started to wander - I wondered if the asphalt just past the Gel station was poured with some special concrete mix, or if the prominent squish-squish-squish sound from my shoes was a result of gel remnants on the ground (I think the latter). I gratefully took pretzels from a girl in Pilsen as I had tired of super sweet Gatorade. I cheered on the two blind runners I passed and the double amputee running through Lincoln Park. I noticed ribbons fluttering on runners’ shirts and wondered who they represented.

As I passed mile 19, I remembered “this is where I started to cramp two years ago, maybe it won’t happen this time”. Two miles later my hamstrings knotted up twice, forcing me to walk some short distances, but luckily the cramps didn’t return. After mile 24, I knew if I could maintain my current pace, I might get a PR. Those last two miles ended up being my fastest miles of the day, PR accomplished!

4:20:18, I'll Take It

In the end though, the marathon is about doing what you think you can’t do, supporting those who run and those who cannot and (hopefully) enjoying the run. Getting a faster time or achieving your “A” Goal is just icing on the cake.

After this race, I decided that my next running adventure would be a little different, one that scares me. So I signed up for an Ultra Marathon! I will be running the Clinton Lake Ultra, a 30 miler close to home. I've run the 10 mile loop once and know it will be a great challenge. With that race in late March, I am considering the NYC Marathon for the fall, assuming I make it through the lottery process.

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The Catch Up - April, 2016 - Horses and Running

Yeah, it’s been so quiet here on the blog, so much so, I bet you all figured I just stopped taking photos, and disappeared into the abyss.
While not 100% true, life has certainly been busy and I’ve gotten lazy about taking photos, getting them up to flickr (heck, even my auto publish from Instagram stopped working for two weeks) and posting all those mundane details about them. My parents even noticed my lack of activity and called me out on it!
So, here’s what I’m dubbing the “Highlights” and “Dimmer Lights” of the last several months, and this is April's installment. I have more written for May and June (since it is now July)!
I am purposefully not using the term “Low Lights”, as I really have nothing in my life that truly warrants a “Low Light” category.....

April Highlights:
Equestrian Zone Competition - Erica and I flew to Amarillo, TX so she could compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association’s Zone 7 competition. She is an active member of Illinois’ Equestrian Team and qualified to compete at the Regional level in March. At the March competition, she won her Regional event (Novice Flat Equitation Class), which allowed her to compete at the Zone level, in Texas.



The event was hosted by Western Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX.


Highlights – the weather was warm, I got to see some friends who recently moved to Amarillo (yeah, kind of random). The event was a great experience for Erica, who attended with another rider from the club.



Announcing the winners - In a process akin to a beauty pageant, the competitors line up and the judges announce the placements in descending order until there are only two left.


So the excitement mounted when Erica's name was not announced.... three left, two left and wow, she's the winner!



The biggest highlight of the month - Erica winning this competition, which meant she advanced to the National Competition!



Dimmer Light that weekend – I set off the Airport security machine and then proceeded to fail the next level of testing (swabbing my hands, clothes for bomb producing chemicals). Yeah, I had to be taken into the “back room” and personally searched. No big deal, just a little humorous (Sorry, no picture, I know you are disappointed).

Running - I ran Marathon number 4 at the end of April. Highlights: This was my best marathon training cycle to date. With the exception of a slight quad tear early on, I executed all the runs, didn’t get sick and went into the race feeling great. I hit my target pace of 9:30/mile up until mile 20. That’s when “Dimmer Lights” started in the form of calf and hamstring cramps. Darn those cramps! I got them when I ran Chicago, too. Race day was a complete slog, with rain throughout the race, somewhat reminiscent of last year, but not as bad. Even with the rain, I was cheered on by so many people I knew - that makes a big difference and really makes this race special. I ended up walk – running the last 3 miles and as a result, wasn’t tired after the race. No PR either. Oh Well.

The only photo I got, after the race, with my running friend, Sandeep.

An interesting trend – all of my marathon times are within 2 minutes of each other. Consistent, that I am! I recovered quickly and was back to running three days after with no soreness.

And that's a wrap for April. Tune in again for May highlights - more horses, travel to the UK and a fun concert.

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