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Weekend Warrior

The Chicago Marathon hits town on Sunday. We've got an alternative two-day race that's high on pleasure and low on pain.

Thursday Oct 09, 2008.     By Centerstage Staff

Lifestyle Feed

Running the marathon on Sunday? Well, we just don't get you. Sure, it's a huge accomplishment that serves as a testament to what the human body can do, but so is eating an entire deep-dish pizza (something we do not recommend doing on the day before the race). With that in mind, we've devised a weekend workout that is high on pleasure and low on pain. See you at the finish line.

Carbo-load
A Mano
Eating a big bowl of pasta before the marathon is a no-brainer. Why should that pleasure be limited solely to people actually running in it? In that spirit, A Mano's Pastapalooza (running through Saturday, 5-10 p.m.) is open to everyone. $26.20 gets you a three-course meal including your choice of a wood-oven pizza or a trio of antipasti and salumi, a handmade pasta and your choice of dessert. Even if you won't be working off those carbs the next day, you can still feel good about yourself; $2 from each dinner will go to Girls on the Run, a national nonprofit organization that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running and mentoring programs.

Love stuffing your face and feeling philanthropic at the same time? You'll love these sweet deals connected with Breast Cancer Awareness Month..

Stay hydrated
Meli
Even the laziest oaf knows that marathons are named for the ancient Greek city-state which Pheidippides ran from to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated. So what better place to celebrate than in Greektown this weekend? Instead of chugging Gatorade, though, have a sip of one of this cafe's interesting smoothies (like maple pecan, for instance). Pair it with an egg-white scrambler and or some baked oatmeal and you might start to feel like a real athlete! (Especially if you're surrounded by hungover UIC students.)

You'll need plenty of smoothies if you're planning on making the trip to Champaign this weekend to see the Illini take on the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.

Keep your heart rate up
Chicago Country Music Festival
Saturday-Sunday at Soldier Field Parkland, free
If you need some motivation to get up and go, watching the 19-year-old Taylor Swift do her thing onstage should do the trick. The "Should've Said No" chanteuse closes out the Country Music Fest (in a new location outside this year, just outside Soldier Field) on Sunday at 7 p.m., and there are plenty of worthwhile acts earlier on, including Son Volt and Justin Townes Earle on Saturday.

Can't stand country? Our music calendar has what you need, including all the info on this year's Riot Fest shows.

Cool down
"The Trojan Candidate"
Runs through November 3 at Neo-Futurarium; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; $12 suggested donation
You want a real marathon? How about the 18-month endurance test that is the Presidential election? We're finally on the home stretch of the race, so what better way to celebrate than with a play from Theatre Oobleck, the genius company behind "The Strangerer" (an existentialist jape on the 2004 Bush/Kerry debates). Its latest election play, about Barack Obama battling an intergalactic Dick Cheney virus, features the always delicious Diana Slickman as an angel, and a sock puppet as Joe Lieberman.

Got a real political streak? Check out one of Obama's favorite restaurants this weekend.