NORTH SHORE CHANNEL TRAIL

It is summertime and I am home in Chicago. It was perfect weather to work a half day. I did not take a two week vacation this summer, so I am allowing myself some downtime as I see fit. In the afternoon, I wanted to check out the 'nearby' NORTH SHORE CHANNEL TRAIL.  This is a seven mile point to point trail in Chicago that includes Skokie as well. The trail is nearly completely paved and mostly flat. One of the high points is passing through the 'sculpture park' on McCormick Blvd. (Although I must say that too much of what passes for 'art' these days is absolute garbage.)

'CHARGER' (artist: Ted Gall) Painted Steel

A 'normal' person would determine that the trailhead for this park is nearly 8 miles away, so it might be prudent to drive or bike to the trailhead. If you have read this blog more than three times, you are aware that I am not a 'normal' person. I stretched the eight mile hike to the trailhead to nearly ten miles. After traversing the entire seven miles of the NORTH SHORE TRAIL I continued into Evanston for another four miles or so. After hiking 21 miles, I hopped on a subway train to return home. This was my plan all along.  I was NOT looking to complete a forty mile hike! Twenty One wins at BLACK JACK, and it was a winner for me too!

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The 'SEVEN MILE' North Shore Channel Trail

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Along the way I checked out the progress of the new FLAGSHIP WHOLE FOODS opening in Lincoln Park next Spring.

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It's not everyday that a person in Chicago sets out for a 'walk' and finds himself in Skokie.

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I always enjoy visiting STEEL ROOTS, only two miles from my home.

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Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Generic - Canadian Bacon Ham, 4 slices	240	4	6	44	2,080	4
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese	425	0	21	28	650	2
	665	4	27	72	2,730	6
L U N C H
Campbells - Beef noodle soup	140	15	5	9	820	0
BLT on White Bread	375	32	21	10	728	1
	515	47	26	19	1,548	1
D I N N E R
Pineapple, Fresh, Chunks	450	117	0	9	9	90
Whole Foods - Tuna Avocado Roll	420	70	1	18	680	0
DARK CHOCOLATE GINGER	170	29	7	1	5	25
365 - Dark Chocolate Chip Granola bar	130	0	2	2	0	0
	1,170	216	10	30	694	115
S N A C K S
MILK CHOCOLATE CHERRIES	250	35	14	3	14	29
DARK CHOCOLATE GINGER	200	41	5	0	50	36
Banana Chips	150	17	10	1	0	10
Whole Cashews	320	18	24	10	0	4
Dark Chocolate Coconut Chews	260	26	18	3	32	17
	1,180	137	71	17	96	96
Totals	3,530	404	134	138	5,068	218
Your Daily Goal	5,530	691	184	277	2,300	207
Remaining	2,000	287	50	139	-2,768	-11
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 3,600 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 192.8 lbs in 5 weeks.

Your Exercise Diary for:

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking	340	3,600
Add Exercise Quick Tools
Daily Total / Goal	340 / 30	3,600 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	732 / 210	7,940 / 4,130

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from wikipedia...

The North Shore Channel is a drainage canal built between 1907 and 1910 to flush the sewage-filled North Branch of the Chicago River down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The sewage carrying duty has been largely taken over by the Chicago Deep Tunnel, but there are still occasional discharges due to heavy rains. The North Shore Channel flows from Lake Michigan to the North Branch of the Chicago River. A sluice gate usually prevents the canal from back-draining out to Lake Michigan in Wilmette, although the gate must be opened occasionally to prevent downstream flooding. The north end of the channel is near the Bahá'í House of Worship. The channel flows southwest, and then south, through or near Wilmette, Evanston, Skokie, and Lincolnwood, and into Chicago. The south end of the channel flows into the North Branch at approximately 5100 north and 3000 west in the Chicago street address numbering system. Chicago's only waterfall within the city limits, which looks like a concrete spillway, is in River Park, where the upper North Branch drops about 4 feet (1.2 m) through a dam into the confluence. In 1999, the system of which the canal is a part was named a Civil Engineering Monument of the Millennium (as part of the Chicago wastewater system) by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

MARC, MARATHON MAN

First, I will never run a marathon. I do not aspire to run a marathon. I will not jog a marathon. I do not aspire to do that either. But walk....that is a different story. Two months ago, I joined the Chicago Marathon (from the sidewalks) and mirrored their route and completed the 26.2 miles. For the past few weeks I have many times taken a 'power walk' of ten miles or more.  Yesterday, I had a doctors appointment in Skokie. Skokie is not exactly next door. The doctors office is 13 miles from home. I had energy, I had time and I had the wild idea to walk there. And then walk back. And that is precisely what I did. This was the map of the path(s) offered by google.

It is obvious that google has determined that a human being should be able to walk 3mph which is how it is determined that a 13 mile walk should take 4 hours and 20 minutes.  'Athlete' that I am, I was able to make this trek (turned out to be 13.5 miles) in 3:21:25.
4.1mph

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The route that I took home was a bit longer. I was a bit tired(er) and yet my speed was remarkably almost the same as the speed to my destination. On the way home, the trip was 14.75 miles. The  return trip took 3:40:18.

4.02mph

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One would think that after walking 13.5 miles to Skokie + 14.75 miles back from Skokie (28.25 miles total) that one would be through for the day.  One would be wrong.  I decided that I 'needed' to 'break' 30 miles for the day.  A short walk to downtown Chicago and through downtown and back home at a more leisurely pace with my family added an additional 4.5 miles. When the day ended I had logged 32.75 miles.  I don't know about you...but I was impressed with myself. 32.75 miles? An actual marathon is 'only' 26.2 miles.,

One thing that never happens when one walks on a treadmill or works out on an elliptical machine is that new cool things are never 'discovered'.  This is a picture of a subway entrance in Chicago which has been reworked to tout a new Greek exhibit at the Field Museum.  My daughter is in the photo just to give some sense of scale.

TROJAN HORSE SUBWAY ENTRANCE to promote Greek Exhibit at the Field Museum

Your Food Diary For:

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal - Original, 4 packet (28 g)	400	76	8	16	300	0
Red Delicious - Apple, Small, 1 apple (2 1/2 " diameter)	56	15	0	0	1	11
	456	91	8	16	301	11
L U N C H
Starbucks - Reduced Fat Turkey Bacon, 2 Sandwich	460	56	12	26	1,120	6
That's It - Apple & Blueberry Fruit Bar, 1 serving	100	26	0	1	25	19
	560	82	12	27	1,145	25
D I N N E R
Whole Foods - Tuna Avocado Roll, 1 container	420	70	1	18	680	0
WHOLE FOODS - NATURAL WASABI GREEN PEAS, 3/5 cup (30 grams)	216	34	5	7	432	4
WHOLE FOODS 8497 - CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA, 68.75 g (3/4 cup)	300	50	9	6	75	19
Chick Fil A From Website - Diet Lemonade, 30.6 oz medium	40	12	0	0	20	4
Calbee - Baked Shrimp Chips, 1 oz (28g/About 22 pieces)	130	19	6	2	230	1
	1,106	185	21	33	1,437	27
S N A C K S
WHOLE FOODS - YOGURT PRETZELS, 80 g (approx 8 pcs)	380	56	0	4	360	38
whole foods milk chocolate - milk chocolate marshmallows, 9 pieces	330	63	8	0	30	57
	710	119	8	4	390	95
Totals	2,832	477	48	81	3,273	158
Your Daily Goal	8,341	1,042	278	418	2,300	312
Remaining	5,509	565	229	337	-972	153
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 6,411 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace	202	2,324
Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace	221	2,537
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	26	328
Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace, walking dog	25	193
Walking, 2.5 mph, leisurely pace	33	227
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	802
Daily Total / Goal	508 / 30	6,411 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	673 / 210	8,861 / 4,130

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total calories consumed 2832 calories

total calories burned (32.75 miles) 5609 calories

total net calories 2777 calorie defecit

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fitbit day 111

60006 steps

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Red Alert!  Tomorrow I post my before and after pictures... I know that I am looking forward to this.