Why we need to move Halloween

These are not evil bats out of Hell, they are misunderstood mammals

Depending on who you ask, Halloween is a yearly celebration that either honor the dead, or flat out worships evil. Many believe Halloween is a pagan rite dating back to some pre-Christian festival among the Celtic Druids, which split from the mainline Pagan groups over dogmatic changes and a particularly contentious game of Monopoly. Some schools even ban it outright so as not to offend the one Jehovah witness who cannot celebrate. And hey, even the Catholics are starting to get involved.

I’ll leave all that for the alien anthropologists that explore our post-apocalyptic planet to decide. What I want to talk about today is the practicality of celebrating this holiday in its present form on the last day of October.

When I was a kid, I recall the majority of Halloweens growing up as being cold, dark and rainy. As in sucky weather for trick-o-treating, which was the sole motivation for it being my favorite holiday. I’m not even sure I thought if it as a holiday in the true sense of the word. I just knew I liked scary things and getting free candy. Think how disappointing it is to a kid being told that you cannot go trick-or-treating because it’s freezing cold outside and raining cats and witches.

And when I got to be an adult (not to be confused with Grown Up) I learned that Halloween equaled parties with lowered inhibitions. Those who celebrate Samhain — pronounced “sah-win” or “sow-in.” — consider it a liminal time, when the veil between life and death grows thin. I considered it a time when the odds of me scoring improved greatly.

Eric Zorn has advocated this for years and fortunately, he re-posted it today:

It’s always too dark and almost always too cold on Oct. 31 for a proper celebration. At least half of the costumes are concealed by winter coats. And the historical associations with Halloween are by now so tangential to the actual date that moving it would offend few sensibilities.

I don’t know about sensibilities since people seem to get their panties in a bunch about lots of stupid things. I’m not even sure who we ask to change this! I read somewhere that Congress and the President have changed Thanksgiving throughout the years to suit their needs. Somebody get on this right away…you got until next year to fix it.

Happy Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve and Samhain!

****************

Like me, you probably dislike all of the ads on this page. They pop up unexpectedly, sometimes cover text, start playing videos and clutter the post itself. We bloggers have no control over any aspect of the ads (content, form, placement, etc). I am sorry that they have taken over our blogs on ChicagoNow and appreciate your continued support.

Follow Mysteries of Life on Twitter (@MysteriesOLife), Facebook or subscribe via email.

ObamaCare Website glitches got you down? Here’s a workaround

Should not require a degree in Insurance

I don’t know much about The Affordable Care Act except that it is nicknamed Obamacare because our society has the attention span of a litter of contused kittens. Also, apparently it is so complicated that supposedly intelligent and much more successful people than me come to different conclusions about whether it will destroy civilization or simply help some people who need it.

Oh and there is the problems with the website, which I can help you with. The only reason to use the government website is to comparison shop or qualify for subsides. But that can be done the old-fashioned way, by directly contacting different insurers. As of 1/1/2014, private insurers can’t turn down individual applicants, so why not just apply directly?

Insurance companies are designed to make money and the people who run them are usually smart cookies. Having known about Obamacare for some time they probably didn’t waste any time preparing for the day when they would be forced to give everyone insurance. They also have an existing infrastructure that is designed to handle large volumes of customers. So go online or call the insurance companies directly.

Once you’re familiar with the plans and deductibles based on the first company you contact, you can then get quotes for similar plans from other insurers. As a guide, I’ve listed the steps that a friend took below, with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois references. I imagine it they would work as well with human, Aetna and other carriers.

1. Explore basics about the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum plans:
   http://www.bcbsil.com/health-insurance-shopping-guide/compare-health-insurance-plans
2. Check whether your doctor or doctors and hospitals are in the networks the insurer offers:
   http://provider.bcbs.com/
3. Call or use website for quotes and to compare plans:
   1-866-514-8044 or https://retailweb.hcsc.net/retailshoppingcart/IL/census?plantype=majormedical
4. Apply by phone or website:
   1-866-514-8044 or  https://retailweb.hcsc.net/retailshoppingcart/IL/census?plantype=majormedical

Rinse and repeat for other health insurers.

Here are a couple other sites:

https://www.humana.com/individual-and-family/products-and-services/medical-plans/ (Humana)
http://www.goldenrule.com/health-insurance/ (United Healthcare/Golden Rule)

Use your friend Google to find others:

As for the Affordable Care Act, while I think that any large, complicated government run program is likely to pail in comparison to a free market equivalent, I think it will ultimately work out. The software geek in me knows it will probably be a much later iteration after the politicians on both sides of the aisle figure out a way to leverage the benefits and mitigate the blame accordingly.
****************
Thank you for reading and I hope you will comment below. Here’s the part where I beg for stuff because we get paid in likes, shares, re-tweets and feedback. Please also do any and all of the following:

Follow Mysteries of Life on Twitter (@MysteriesOLife), Facebook or subscribe via email.

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Most important Marathon Training Tip: Don’t forget your shoes!

For a marathoner, the most essential piece of equipment is your running shoes. You can survive without your GPS sports watch, you can probably find a suitable singlet and pair of running shorts and every marathon expo has loads of gels, powders and headbands. But your shoes are essential because your shoes are unique to you in that you hopefully broke them in sufficiently for the big day. Yes you can usually find a similar pair at the marathon expo but you really want to avoid running in shoes bought/used less than 3 weeks before Race Day.

Sometimes, however, you cannot avoid it.

In 2004, a couple of my runner friends and I decided to run the Cincinnati Flying Pig marathon. It was a relatively short drive from Chicago and we figured it would be a great Spring Marathon. On the drive out, Jeannie realized she forgot her running shoes at home. She came to this realization just as we passed the theoretical point of no return on our road trip. Because of our work schedules and finances at the time, we didn’t bake any additional time into our trip i.e. it was too late to turn the car around and go back for the shoes because we had to be at the hotel in time for our marathon pasta dinner.

Jeannie had to get someone from the local shoe store to open the shop (they close early on Saturdays in Ohio). Luckily, they had her brand and size in stock. It’s not an ideal situation because you want to run your marathon in a pair of shoes that you have broken in, but it is better than nothing.

A couple weekends ago, my runner friend Drea ran the Berlin Marathon. She and her husband made a trip out of it by flying to Amsterdam and Prague before boarding a train to Berlin. One of her flights was delayed and this domino-ed with other connecting flights which caused their luggage to not arrive in Prague at the same time as they did. The same luggage that had her race gear, including her running shoes. Luckily, Drea’s luggage arrived a few hours before her train departed for Berlin. She too was prepared to overpay for new shoes that would have matched her MIA pair.

I avoid this problem by going to the extreme.

One spring years ago, I flew to Paris to run its marathon (also with Jeannie). It was just a few years post 9/11 and a few months before we declared war on Iraq. Suffice it to say I wanted to be prepared in case something didn’t go as planned with my luggage. I wore my running shoes and as much of the running clothes I planned to race in as possible. I had my jacket with gloves, my singlet and even my running socks. In my carry on bag, I had my running shorts and tights since I wasn’t sure what the weather would be like until race morning. Otherwise, I just might have shown up on the flight wearing either one or possibly both. Basically I dressed for the flight as if I would start the marathon the minute I landed.
___

Thank you for reading and I hope you will comment below. Please also do any and all of the following — I know pushy right!

• “Like” and “Share” this post
• see some mildly amusing photos and posts on my Facebook Fan Page.
• follow me on Twitter @Icarus2013
• subscribe by email below

if your inbox is lonely, type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free. By the way, do you have Gmail? If so, make sure you go into your “promotions” box and drag one of my emails over to your “primary” box. That way, you’ll never miss one of my posts!”

Halloween Costume Music – a Wonder Woman Song

I had such a crush on Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman back in the day.

___

Thank you for reading and I hope you will comment below. Please also do any and all of the following — I know pushy right!

• “Like” and “Share” this post
• see some mildly amusing photos and posts on my Facebook Fan Page.
• follow me on Twitter @Icarus2013
• subscribe by email below

if your inbox is lonely, type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free. By the way, do you have Gmail? If so, make sure you go into your “promotions” box and drag one of my emails over to your “primary” box. That way, you’ll never miss one of my posts!”

Rentspek app helps renters with affordable home inspection

Just about everybody has been through the awful process of hunting for a new apartment. On the surface everything looks great, but after you sign the lease you begin to realize the place wasn’t really what it seems. Renters don’t get the luxury of home inspections prior to signing on the dotted line. Fortunately, the good folks at Landlord Advisor LLC decided to change that.

Landlord Advisor, LLC announced an early November beta launch of its new free mobile web app RentSpek for iPhone and Android. The app allows renters to conduct a thorough inspection of homes and apartments for rent to help streamline their search. The system is designed to increase transparency in the rental process and help tenants rent with confidence.

“After doing extensive amounts of research on everything from the life of appliances to the cost & down-time of common repairs found in homes, condos and apartments we developed an algorithm to grade a property based on your findings during your visit,” said Phil Castello, founder of Landlord Advisor, LLC. “We’re designing this as a free app for anyone to use.”

The app will walk users through the property and ask them a series of questions about different aspects of the unit. Each answer is scored and used to determine a letter grade of A through F. The grade RentSpek developed is based on the same home inspections homebuyers would purchase before buying a home. Landlord Advisor dissected those and developed a unique scoring system based on issues that could arise during a short term living situation.

Renters will be able to take photos to accompany each question and save that information to look at later when assessing their apartment choices. RentSpek users can then revisit the RentSpek reports to compare the properties they’ve toured.

RentSpek users can add notes or pictures to they’re inspection using their phones cameras. The whole process should take less than 30 minutes.

“I think the simplicity of the app is what will make it useful. The app walks the user through the property and has them check things they may never have looked at during a walk though before,” said Castello. “Because renters have an endless list of sites and services to search for a place, we think RentSpek will be the prefect tool to help choose their apartment.”

Castello said the longer term plan for RentSpek is to provide crowd sourced information for rental listings on its Parent site Landlord Advisor and a feature certification feature allowing Landlords to show that their property is RentSpek Certified.

“As the RentSpek system gets more home data, I don’t see any reason that this system couldn’t replace the traditional home inspection all together.”

The web aspect of RentSpek is already being developed and should begin initial testing by the end of October. The mobile web version of the RentSpek app will launch in early November. A crowd funding campaign has been set up on IndieGoGo.com to raise the $55,000 to build a native mobile app.

“Because we’re a small operation, we don’t have the resources to build the app in house. About a month ago, we began soliciting quotes from app developers large and small to see who would be the best fit for this project.” Castillo said. “The average quote for building a dynamic app like this was in the $50,000 range, which is where we got our goal number from. That is an enormous amount of money for us, considering we bootstrapped pretty hard to get where we are with LandlordAdvisor.co. ”

Landlord Advisor (landlord-advisor.com) was founded by Phil Castello in 2012. With the development of RentSpek Paul Zimmerman has joined Landlord Advisor LLC as a Limited Partner.

You must be DAFFI to run a Marathon

October 13, 2011 at 7:38am

The Chicago Marathon has come and gone and while most have moved on, some people are suffering from Post Marathon Depression (PMD). While I did not run this year, having completed 21 marathons, I can attest to runner PMD. You go through training and have good long runs. You got your gels, your shoes and your running gear ready. You’re prepared and think you’re gonna set a new PR, maybe even qualify for Boston. Then the big day comes and before you know it, you’re at the halfway point struggling to just finish. Somehow the marathon just didn’t go the way you planned.

You’ve heard of the five stages of grief, well I give you the five stages of PMD:

•D – Disappointment

•A – Anger

•F – Frustration

•F – Faking It

•I – Insanity

Disappointment: Every marathon has a goal, and it usually isn’t “just to finish”. After 18-20 weeks of training you kinda get an idea for what you can do based on your 20 miler training run and you’d like to do a tad better on race day. Assuming your goal was realistic, you really don’t want to hear things like “at least you finished” or “not everyone can run one of these.”

Anger: Just like coping with Death, you are pissed off at someone, especially after hearing cliches like those above. Maybe you curse Mother Nature for the weather or God for making you a partying iguana instead of a speedy gazelle.

Frustration: you cannot believe you spent 18 Fridays going to bed at a decent hour during the socially active summer a one shot Sunday. If you have a bad 5K, you can make it up next week, but your garden variety marathoner needs at least a month to fully recover before running another race competitively. Eventually you realize that you rarely get to run the marathon you want, you only get to run the marathon you are given.

Faking It: After a week or so of bitching, you have to at least pretend you are over it or your friends, loved ones and/or co-workers will arrange your death. Seriously, stop bitching about it. See my point above about running the marathon you are given.

Insanity: By week’s end you might join your running mates for an easy, untimed recovery run. You rediscover what you love about running and you quickly get over it by planning your next marathon.

****************
Thank you for reading and I hope you will comment below. Here’s the part where I beg for stuff because we get paid in likes, shares, re-tweets and feedback. Please also do any and all of the following:

Follow Mysteries of Life on Twitter (@MysteriesOLife), Facebook or subscribe via email.

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Steve Bartman Legacy: 10 years is enough, it’s time to let it go

UPDATE:  Steve Bartman has received an official Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series Championship ring as a special gift from the Ricketts family and the Cubs organization.

It’s time to set the record straight on some Chicago history. First, Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow did not start the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Second, Marie Antoinette* did not say “let them eat cake.” And finally, Steve Bartman did not cost the Cubs the National League Championship Series against the wild-card Marlins who went from being down three games to one to defeating the Cubs in a bizarre NLCS 10 years ago.

* okay not a Chicago Factoid but I’d like to believe if she were alive today, with head attached, she’d hang out here.

Today is the 10th anniversary stories of Oct. 14, 2003, the night when a now infamous Cub fan reached out and deflected a foul ball at the wall thus, according to bitter fans and erroneous folklore, costing the team not only an out but the game — the sixth in the National League Championship Series against the Marlins — and the next game, and no doubt inducing the succeeding decade of futility as well.

It’s time to put this legend to rest and set the record straight.

First and foremost, he only did what any other fan would have done in the same situation. You’re gonna tell me that if you are sitting in the expensive seats and a fly ball comes your way, you’re gonna have the presence of mind to ignore it? Maybe if you are in the ground level box seats you think differently, but Bartman was sitting in the [in the front row along the left field corner wall behind the on-field bullpen edited: thanks to alert reader Douglas Pittman ] and the ball looked like it would have hit the edge of the wall, so it was considered out of the field of play.

Second, many forget or overlook the relatively easy play that shortstop Alex Gonzalez booted that cost the Cubs the game. Sure you cannot assume the double play in baseball, but he at least gets the runner at second out. And then maybe Prior either regains his composure or Dusty Baker has the good sense to put in his closer.

Third, Moises Alou’s reaction to missing the foul ball was completely unprofessional, and directed undue attention to Steve Bartman. If he had just walked back to his position like any other player, nobody would know the fan’s name. I get trying to sell fan interference, but once it was over, let it go. Alou also took years to admit that he probably wouldn’t have been able to catch the ball.

ESPN did a 30 for 30 episode on this which was very good. The ESPN film was pretty decent at revealing the amount of hatred and vitriol thrown in his direction. Pretty embarrassing if you are a Cubs fan, to see the way many behaved. Even to this day, comment threads are filled with people who not only blame Bartman, but actually want the guy to die or something, as if that would magically erase the results of Game 6 (not to mention the whole kill another human being over a stupid fly ball thing).

Finally, if the Cubs had won Game 7, this would be a mute moot point.

If anything has erased the memory of Bartman, it’s those subsequent, Bartman-free collapses in 2004 (2-6 down the stretch to cough up the Wild Card), 2007 (swept in the first round after sprinting to an unlikely division title), and 2008 (swept in the first round after winning a National League best 97 games). The Cubs have proven capable of mucking things up all on their own, thank you very much.

Thankfully 2 years later the White Sox cleared the city’s shame and won the World Series.  *crickets*

Let’s also keep in mind, the man — who didn’t even end up with the souvenir ball — could have decided to capitalize on this situation. Instead he has avoided the limelight for 10 years. This guy has been harder to find than Osama Bin Laden. I think the best way to move on is to stop saying that Bartman’s grab at a foul ball in any way, shape or form changed the the outcome of the series.

By the way, I like to think that Bartman moved to Canada for a few years, learned a different sport and has returned to Chicago to help lead another team to a championship.

I cannot be the only one who thinks Marc Tresman looks like an older Steve Bartman — You never see them together, right?

****************
Thank you for reading and I hope you will comment below. Here’s the part where I beg for stuff because we get paid in likes, shares, re-tweets and feedback. Please also do any and all of the following:

Follow Mysteries of Life on Twitter (@MysteriesOLife), Facebook or subscribe via email.

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Sex before the Marathon and other last Minute tips

If you are running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, right now you are either cool as a cucumber, a nervous wreck, or somewhere in between. At this very moment you might even be questioning everything you did in training. This is actually perfectly normal. The truth of the matter is you are ready. Yes, you’re ready. Trust your training, even it was less than perfect. But in case you are one of those people that need to fixate on something, here are some tips for these last few (gulp) hours.

Note:  I’m writing this specifically for the 2013 Chicago Marathon.  If you are running a different marathon or reading some other year (perhaps you hopped into your Delorean, or are an alien anthropologist exploring our post-apocolyptic planet), you should still be able to utilize some of the more general tips below.

Marathon Expo

Go on Friday if you can. The Expo is huge and you will use a lot of energy walking around. Be sure to get your race gear first before you go shopping. Repeat: Get your stuff FIRST.

2006 marathon expo

After you get your race packet, take a couple slow laps around the vendor booths. There is usually a lot of free swag to be had. Conventional Wisdom says don’t buy new clothes or shoes for the race. The exception might be a pair of cheep gloves or a hat given the really cold forecast. In past years they have sold these tyvek style clothes that are easy enough to break off and remove while running once you warm up.

Disclosure: I’ve bought a new race singlet and I know a couple of people who had to buy new shoes and it worked out fine.

Day Before the Race

Sleep in but not too much, you might find it hard to fall asleep the night of. Eat a good breakfast and lunch and a light dinner. It’s too late to carb load so don’t over do it on the pasta. However, if you like pasta, by all means don’t deny yourself.

Try to stay in and veg. Stay off your feet as much as possible. This is an excellent time to catch up on movies you might have missed or to clear out your DVR of TV shows.

Night Before the Race and Sex

This is your Last chance to get your race gear set up. Gather your race bag with what you will need pre- during and post race in mind. Think warm, dry, extra toilet paper, Neosporin, flip flops or dry socks. A little cash, a cell phone, a towel. Remember this year (and for the foreseeable future) you can only use the clear bag issued by the Chicago marathon.

Is it okay to have sex the night before? if you can get it, great. Just don’t spend all night looking for it. enough said.

Race Day Morning

Do your usual long run morning routine with the possible exception of getting up a little earlier than you did for your LR during traing. Dress warm and plan to strip down pre-race or along the course. Take into account it will be in the low 50s at the start , so you may have to adjust with some additional clothes.

Just keep the wicking fabrics (coolmax) you’ve been wearing all summer as your first layer (closest to your skin) and add a warming layer (some breathable fleece or a jacket) over it, and don’t underestimate the power of a hat and gloves in keeping you warm. Consider something you want to throw away to wear over everything to the start that you can toss as you warm up. It will be collected, washed and given to a homeless shelter.

Don’t forget the body glide!

Running with someone during the race

Only other marathoners will be allowed on the course so if you are running with a friend, perhaps someone you trained with, have a conversation about how things will work. How will you stay together at water stops? Will you wait for each other for a bathroom break? What if one of you is feeling better or worse at some point? Will you stay together no matter what, or will you split up? Have this discussion sooner rather than later.

Also know that you can only start in your assigned corral, so if you are not in the same one, starting together may not work if one of you is in Wave 1 (A-E) and the other is in Wave 2( G,H, etc…).

Are friends and/or family going to be watching for you on the course? Make sure you know where they are going to be and which side of the street they will be on. It will probably be easier for you to spot them than vice-versa, at least on the first half of the course.  And of course remember to have 4 marathon race goals.

Most Important Piece of Advice

Do Not Go Out TOO FAST!
Repeat: Do not go out too quickly. It seems impossible at the beginning miles of the course because you have a fired up crowd and you are full of energy. Trust me, my nickname is Icarus because of several marathons where I went out much faster than my planned pace and had to do positive splits on the back half of the course.

What do you mean I still have 16 miles to go?

Instead, try to hang back and not waste energy dodging people. It will be tight on the corners for the first few miles until your running lanes open up. There is plenty of time to gradually increase you pace.

Resist the urge to Bank Time because this seldom if ever works. The best races are steady and even, or bonus if you can run negative splits. Run the early miles conservatively and enjoy passing folks at mile 23 who have nothing left.

After you cross the finish line

Let people help you at the finish. If it means letting someone help you get your warm up pants on or help you walk back to the hotel. You’ll be spent. And don’t refuse the refreshments even if you aren’t hungry, you will be soon. Keep the Mylar blanket around you to stay warm as you cool down.

what you didn’t see was me eating a slower runner at Mile 17

Also, don’t be a spoil sport. My the Running Gods grace you with awesome PRs. However, If you have a crummy race, you are still a rock star for doing it. Boasting like crazy or Crying like the world is ending (Tears are okay–and often unexpected) on end is kind of a drag. Be proud of what ever you do and then let it go and get ready to celebrate the accomplishment.

Thank your friends, family, pets and anybody else who made everything possible. And if you like, share with us your tale of a great victory or blood, sweat and tears in the comments.

Remember your training and you will cross the finish line!
___
If you like what you read, please follow me on Twitter and like Mysteries of Life on Facebook and be sure to roll over the Like button, then click “get notifications” on the drop-down menu, that way Mark Zuckerberg’s new filtering system won’t keep you from knowing when I post something.

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Chicago Marathon Security restrictions prohibit friends running along

In past years Chicago Marathon participants could have someone join them along the race course and run a few miles for encouragement and fellowship. As long as the “spectator” didn’t start with the runner or attempt to run through the finish line, a blind eye was turned toward these runner helpers (I call them Gunners although that is not an official term.) Not to be confused with Bandits — people who run a race without officially signing up (and paying the entry fee) — these Gunners can be instrumental in someone’s marathon success.

One year that I ran the marathon I had a friend meet me at Mile 20. I don’t remember for certain but I think he used a bib from a previous year (like no one has thought of that right?) and he ran me in those last 6 miles. My gunner was awesome in that he was extremely positive and would not let me quit or slow down, thus making sure I got a new PR for the race.

Unfortunately, for safety and security, spectators will not be allowed to join a runner on the course as it winds through 29 Chicago neighborhoods. Undercover officers will be in the crowd and video surveillance will be used Source. I specifically emailed the following question to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Q&A inbox:

Question: Is it possible for someone to run with someone along a portion of the race course? Say from Mile 20-25?
Response from BoA Chicago Marathon: Definitely not. There will be spotters this year looking to runners without the event issued bib.

I understand why it has to be this way , I — like many runners — just don’t like it. The risk-to-reward-ratio is entirely out of whack. Preventing someone from joining their friend on a 26 mile race course in order to thwart a potential terrorist is like locking one door while leaving all the windows of your house open to stop a thief; There are so many more options available to bad guys.

Time for a Marathon Bib Transfer Program

Several of my friends registered for the Chicago Marathon and now for various reasons, cannot participate. Some are injured or ill, some are undertrained, some have physically relocated. When I ran my first marathon in 1998, you could wait to sign up until the month before the race to determine if you were really to run. By then you would have completed at least one 20 mile run and if you felt it wasn’t going to happen you were not out race fees. A few years later, the race started closing earlier and earlier. Today you have to register while there is still snow on the ground and hope you can get in.

Basically there is a big commitment of time, energy and resources for a person to train for a marathon, and it stinks if Life comes along and throws a wrench into your monkey that prevents you from running it. The Chicago Marathon’s official stance is that you cannot trade or transfer your bib and there is no deferral option. The dubious reason given is for insurance purposes. Apparently if something happens to you while you’re running under someone else’s name, you wouldn’t be covered by the insurance policy and I suppose technically the waiver “you” signed wouldn’t apply.

It’s an unfortunate situation especially since the entry fee is almost $200 these days. Which means people are gonna do it anyway. The risk of getting caught is low and the desire to recover at least some of your money usually outweighs any moral dilemmas.

The Powers-That-Be at the Chicago Marathon should really just accept it and come up with a system to transfer or defer your entry. They could charge a modest fee and impose a limit such as must be done at least 30 days before the marathon and limited to 500 people. I’m certain the technology exists since the New York Marathon use to let you defer and other races allow you to switch from one event to another.

However, just like the Cubs will probably never have to worry about attendance, the Chicago Marathon will never have to appease the average runner as long as it keeps attracting the elite world record changers. It’s a shame because the Chicago Marathon is an otherwise World Class event that falls short in this one “user-friendly” area. A- Cary Pinkowski.

And with all the concern for security, this supports my point. The spotters may be able to pick out someone jumping in from the crowd but they are never going to be able to tell if someone is an original registered participant or someone who bought a bib on Craigslist last minute. Which makes all the more case for implementing a bib Transfer System. Today, the risk of getting caught is low and the reward — injured participant getting their money back and person who missed registration getting to run the race — is high.

If there were a nominal fee for transferring your Bib, I think most people would pay it if it meant 1) registered participants who couldn’t run get most of their money back and 2) people who didn’t get to register get a chance to run Chicago. And if you let them defer for a year, that’s even fewer potential bandits.

It’s obviously too late to implement this year, but the Powers-That-Be at the Chicago Marathon should consider this for future marathons.
___
****************
Thank you for reading and I hope you will comment below. Here’s the part where I beg for stuff because we get paid in likes, shares, re-tweets and feedback. Please also do any and all of the following:

Follow Mysteries of Life on Twitter (@MysteriesOLife), Facebook or subscribe via email.

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

Are you running the Chicago Marathon? Here’s how to set reasonable expectations

A lot of people, first time marathoners especially, say that all they want is to just finish the race.  And while that is an accomplishment to be proud of, it’s sort of a lie.  Almost everyone who signs up for the marathon has a time goal in mind, even if they keep it to themselves.  You cannot help it. You want something to show for your months of blood, sweat and carbo loading.

Unfortunately, there are some things you cannot control, like the weather or how you feel on Race Day.  As of today, the advanced forecast for Sunday calls for Thunderstorms. And guess what?  This is Chicago where the weather changes more frequently than an understudy in Cabaret — by Sunday the forecast might be hot instead of cold.

I’ve seen this movie before.  The Chicago Marathon of 2007 was ridiculously hot even before the gun even went off.  In 2008 the start was comfortable enough but the temperature climbed quickly. In 2010, the weather betrayed us again.

If you have a bad 5K, you can go out the next week and run another one to make up for it.  But with marathons, you pretty much get one shot, unless you are one of those freaks of nature that can run a marathon every weekend or even every day. All that training and sacrifice and if it isn’t your day, there’s not much you can do about it…except adjust your perspective and expectations.

According to my Athlinks account, I’ve run the Chicago Marathon 11 times.  I also ran a makeup marathon along the Lakefront after that devastating 2007 heat wave.   I’ve run marathons in other cities and countries too and the one thing they all have in common — besides 26.2 miles — is that you run the race you are given, not the one you want.

It’s perfectly normal to expect a certain outcome.  Believe me, I’ve been the victim of my own unchecked ego many times.  I’ve learned the hard way that if you don’t keep your expectations in check, you are likely to have an emotionally disappointing day. Here’s how you do it:  Set at least 4 goals.
[placegallery]

****************
Thank you for reading and I hope you will comment below. Here’s the part where I beg for stuff because we get paid in likes, shares, re-tweets and feedback. Please also do any and all of the following:

Follow Mysteries of Life on Twitter (@MysteriesOLife), Facebook or subscribe via email.

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

****************