Dry Valley Half Photos

Grace gave me some photos yesterday and I wanted to share them. Before and after the Dry Valley Half Marathon this past October 2010.

Dry Valley... Pikermi!?

Now you get it, Dry Valley Half Marathon was yesterday. I had run the last 10 miles of the course a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I had a nice pace and the hills weren't so challenging that I was dreading them, just aware of them.

The hardest parts of the race yesterday were the late start time, 1:30PM, and the fact that it was an unseasonably warm day. Lewistown's high yesterday was 74°. When you are running long distance it feels like it's 20° warmer. You can do the math and my feet took the brunt of the heat from the asphalt and started to blister about half way through the race.

The heat, the blisters, the "dry valley" were all challenges and I really felt it. For the first time since maybe March I actually had to take walk breaks during my long run. That was so mentally discouraging that I was shocked that my finish time was less than 2 minutes off of my PR (personal record).

My knees are a bit swollen, my blisters are re-inflating time to time but my muscles are feeling much better after a night's sleep. My over all therapy has included chocolate chip cookies, a congratulatory gift from my mother-in-law. My super ugly and painful feet now look a lot better with bright indigo nail polish. It covers up where I have 1/2 a toenail on my one foot and a bruised nail on my other. This was another perfect finish line gift from my Dad & Mom.

Thanks to all who gave me support before and during the race. Seeing Jimmy-the-eye at mile 12 with a bottle of water was a godsend and I am sorry I missed the awesome chalk drawings he left on the bridge I crossed. I was too busy looking for pot holes since I could hardly lift my feet.

I finished about 38th of about 50. My biggest victory of the day was not asking Jimmy-the-eye to drive me the last mile back to the parking lot. That's a hard thing to suppress when you have stomach cramps and are just wanting it all to be over.

I really liked the race except for the heat and time of day. I would also encourage volunteers not to be shy about lending encouragement. Shy cross country running teens who mutter "good job" as they are texting friends don't quite convince me that they are rooting for me. Huge kudos to Jimmy-the-eye for standing for hours and being a cheerleader for the 37 who passed before me. They didn't get a water hand out but they got his heartfelt encouragement. I bet he was the best out there and I know they loved seeing his Pikermi chalk art. Go, Go Go!

10 on 10/10/10

The last 10 miles of the Dry Valley Half were my long run today.

Dry Valley Half Marathon

Next race is the Dry Valley Half Marathon.

I Completed a Half Marathon

I am not an elite runner. I am not a fast runner. It's still hard for me most of the time to think of myself as a runner at all. I open with these thoughts because it's hard to begin posting my accomplishments knowing that there is a very small slice of my blog readership who readily choose to pass judgement, see the negative side of everything and tear me and others down for reasons I can only guess. Some may call it paranoia but it's really called a Stat Counter that pinpoints who is reading our blogs and from where. Correction, reading my blog, not "mine and my husband's"... just mine. These are people who know Jim and me equally have called me inhumane or say I have questionable ethics in situations where they are most clearly out of line and in the wrong.

Along with the endurance I have built in running I am doing my best to feel good about my accomplishments without letting the cattiness that I know exists in the world get the better of me. I know that when some (a very few some) see my photos or read my entries they say and think things like, "If I had all that extra time I could __________." or "Look at that poochy stomach, she isn't fit all." or "What hidden agenda is really behind this entry?" To those who are looking to find fault in the world, question my words, motives or activities please start looking elsewhere. My blog is about my pursuit of true indigo and "pursuit" is the key word. I have no answers for anyone who is looking to read about anything else. Short of making this blog by accessible by invitation only, all I can say is that there nothing more for you to see here folks, goodbye.

Now that I have banished the foolish demons who seem to say, "so what", "big deal", "get a life", "get a job", "What does this have to do with ______?" I will start the real substance of this entry, I COMPLETED A HALF MARATHON! How often does anyone get to use the words "I completed" and "marathon" in the same sentence!? Oh, I am grinning widely as I sit here with slightly swollen knees and an overall acheyness.

I finished the Diva Half-Marathon in 2 hours and 19 minutes. For anyone that likes comparisons to how elite runners fair (now that I have encouraged that anyone reading this should be interested in how cool it is and not to prove how amazingly slow I am), my finish time is pretty much the record for women's FULL marathon. The world record for women was set by Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain in the London Marathon on April 13, 2003, in 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Just to continue to freely string vaguely related thoughts together, congratulations to Paula Radcliffe who had her baby boy this past Goose Day!

Heather William's winning time yesterday was 1:24:46. I think I saw her close to her 8th mile when the route kissed and I was just past my 4th mile. It was so crazy inspiring to see the top runners crossing over this long bridge that passed over the Meadowbrook Parkway as we ran on the same bridge in the opposite directions. I know it was a discouraging sight to some women around me. I thought it was great and I made my way to the right to yell encouragement over to the top runners as they (seemingly) effortlessly made their way into their final 5 miles.

My goal was to try to come in before 2 1/2 hours. The course cut off was 3 1/2 hours and when I first considered signing up I was still really uncertain that I could even make that time. I crunched a few numbers, projected my pace at what I knew I could run at the time, factored in walking time for what was yet unknown and I was still getting about 3 hours. With 11 weeks to train, I decided to sign up.

The amount of time and effort training took impacted my life a little more that I hoped it would. During the time A&A visited I had to pass on joining them for a few activities that fell after my "long" runs. Walking the Grange Fair ended up pushing my limit because my ham string was a bit of a problem at that time. I passed on strolling through the bi-annual Antique Machinery Show and flea market because the only morning I could schedule in my last 12 miler (a commitment of well over 2 hours at the time) was the only day everyone else could go. As I sat at home recovering I got a call from my mother-in-law. We both commiserated that neither of us was up to walking the long and bumpy route of the flea market. My reason was the self-inflicted work out, hers is advanced Parkinson's disease.

Logging over 20 miles most weeks was new for me but the hard part was the taper that lead up to the race. The final week I hardly ran at all; 9 miles split out over 6 days. It allowed time for self-doubt and a lot of introspection. I had to have faith that I trained properly and the week of rest was going to allow my to do my best on race day. It really worked out for me and a real highlight was the day before the race. I ran a gentle 3 mile jog through Eisenhower Park with the man I love.

To those of you with whom I have talked, shared emails and IM chats about running, get medical ok and DO IT. Do it slowly, do it with a stroller, do it with a dog you can control, do it with a stability walker. Do it for a minute, do it for an hour. I found that I need a bit of structure like a training plan to help me stick to it but tried to allow flexibility in case life got in the way. You may prefer to just run when you feel like it for as long as feels right. I run alone for the most part. I like working through my inner demons and the private self improvement time to just sweat. You may like running with a buddy or a group. I also need a goal, a training program that progressed to an end was a goal. A run of 8k became my next goal. Then I set my sights on a 5k fund raiser then a 10k run. It was then, in early July, I found I could slowly run 7 miles without stopping. I was on track for a rookie training program for a 1/2 marathon. Oh yeah, yesterday I completed a half marathon.

The race itself was more of a party than a race. The route was a little boring in some places but about every mile they had DJs blasting songs like, "It's Raining Men," "Material Girl," "Hot Stuff" and my fricken favorite (as I downed Ibuprofen at the 9 mile mark) "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Cheesy stereotypical diva disco music it was and it made for a LOT of fun if taken in the right spirit.

I went into the event knowing that the glitz was a big part of it and instead of saying, "This is so stupid" or "I hate pink" I went prepared for it all. I laughed at the tutus, tiaras and costumes other women wore and took my own special purple feather boa to swap the pink one they adorned me with for the final mile of the run. I did my best to encourage those around me and that kept my heart light.

I may not be what some (demons!) call a runner but I can tell you I have run long and hard away from participating in catty attitudes, name calling and snide comments about others. Running has empowered me to feel accomplished and good about myself and others with whom I have to live in this society.

My running is mainly a solo activity and I am still introverted. I can't bring myself to many group functions but when I do I am much more frequently at ease. Instead of glowering from a corner and putting down everyone I see, I do what I can and try to see the good. It makes me a heck of a lot happier person to surround myself with people and activities that can stay positive. Running has really been one of those activities.

Thinking of the competition aspect of being in a race, I am so slow that the only thing I am competing against is the myself. I am trying to have a good if not better pace for myself in a race. This is a big change from when I was a little girl and could outrun every other girl my age (and most of the boys) in the county but that is a story for another blog entry. My views of competition are wary ones but I have found a way to enter races without as much stress as I had imagined.

In a race, the momentum of the crowd carries me. The distractions of the runner's costumes allows me to not worry if I will complete the race. The road itself throws in potholes to keep me aware. I am trying to complete a run not win a race. If I have energy at the end, I always have had, I really start moving. I want to cross the final steps with life and joy in my heart. I may pass other runners or be passed but it's not about them other than using them as landmarks or distractions. I am selfishly running in a group.

Running like a diva was strange but a fun diversion. I mugged for cameras and allowed myself to be a fool. I flounced a little with the HOT pink feather boa and tiara I picked up at mile 12 until it got annoying and hot at mile 12.5. I knew my dear family was waiting with my purple feather boa and I would follow through with my planned "gear swap."

The finish line welcomed my pounded feet as I raised my arms in victory. The chip sensor on my sneaker allowed the MC to read my name and location to the crowd. I crossed out of the paparazzi zone and on to claim my medal, champagne and lovely rose from smiling firemen. Yes, they were buff but none were shirtless on this chilly breezy morning.

I met up with my family who gave me amazing purple flowers. I gave my perfect rose to A Rose by Any Other Name because I was SO appreciative of the support she and her husband have given me this year. I then busted a move of victory at the Luna tent. After looking for another friend and anything else to do, we all decided to pack it up and have lunch on Manhattan.

Today is glum and rainy and it's hard for me to move even 5 feet. It's a good day to blog and do household chores. I am cold and stiff but still filled with a wonderful optimism that allowed me to hobble outside to see a flock of 35 geese winging their way south. Autumn has taken a firm hold and I am satisfied. I completed a half marathon.

My Trip to Long Island

Here are some photos and a more upbeat post that go along with the one above (after, which tends to load first).

Jimbo and I set out before 3AM to reach Eisenhower Park in Garden City, NY on Long Island about 8:00 AM. We wanted to get there in time for the first of the Diva Half-Marathon festivities. The Friendship Run was scheduled to go off at 9:00. It was a chance to meet some of the other women who were registered for the race on Sunday and take a 3 mile run through the park. I was all for it because Jim is my friend, I wanted him to to be able to run with me and I wanted to get a feel for the park well in advance of the race.

We learned a few things. Driving East on the Long Island Expressway just after sunrise is a real pain. There are no hills to hide the blazing sun when you are heading due East. We learned that the light on Hempstead Blvd at the base of Eisenhower Park leads to a pedestrian only walkway, the one to Park Blvd is farther to the East. I also realized that I get bored waiting around for things.

We decided to loosen up and explore a little before the Friendship Run. We jogged away from the car at a really slow pace and immediately came across some white and red arrows painted on the walkway. They were so friendly, we had to follow them. We followed them for less than a mile when we came to a sign describing that the white arrows lead on a mile loop and red ones lead on a 3 mile loop. We checked our watches and felt we could do a 3 mile loop on our own and get back in time to say, "Hi" before the Friendship Run folks started out.

This run with Jim was the real highlight of the weekend. The morning was beautiful and the route took us by some neat areas of the park. The 3 miles were just enough to work the kinks out and we got back to the parking area in time to see people standing around and waiting to start the group run.

Sadly, the facilitators were reticent to start drawing people in or introducing themselves. It wasn't unfriendly but the Friendship Run wasn't very friendly either. We were just as shy as the rest of the folks standing around and I didn't feel like facilitating something that was really the role of someone else. No bother, we had a nice run, changed out of our sweaty running gear and went to pick up my racing packet at a health and fitness boutique just a mile away.

This left us with a lot of idle time. It was mainly a good thing as were drove a lot of the race route for the next day. We determined that it was next to impossible for Jim to see me at the 10th mile marker the way the map had made it seem. There was an exclusive golf course that owned the very thin strip that looked like the part of Eisenhower Park that fell between the race route's 2 mile point and 10th mile point.

We also had time to check out where I thought we could have supper, it was too far and hard to get to. We realized using the external speaker on the iPod used battery power much more quickly than I expected. I had no way to recharge it before the race because I left the USB cord at home. I didn't trust the laptop to sync properly with it. We found an Apple store at a mall and bought a wall outlet converter with USB cord.

We had lunch at the mall. We had spring rolls and soup from the Soup Man at the food court. As we relaxed a bit, we could look down and watch a woman making chocolate dipped strawberries in the Godiva shop a level below.

We then got some gas for the car, drove more of the race route (it's 13 miles you know!) and parked in the park again. We walked over to where the finish line was being set up so I could see the final approach. The final stretch is where I always need an extra boost and asked Jim to stand along it the next day. We chose a section of the course where he would hand off my favorite purple feather boa and potentially take the boa and tiara I had been given about 3/4 a mile before.

As we walked that stretch and made our plans, we saw the marker for mile 13 spray painted on the ground. We walked the final tenth of a mile with the flags and finish line getting closer. As I approached it I started to choke up with the awesomeness of knowing I would cross it the next morning. I pictured myself in my signature race day day hat; my hat that recognized Ruffian, the filly, a champion race horse on the mid 70's. She was an amazing horse who refused to stop running even after she had broken her leg in a match race that was billed as the battle of the sexes. They tried to set Ruffian's broken leg but she didn't come out of the sedation well. She thought she was running in a race and broke her other legs as she came out of the sedation. It is her spirit, this great huge woman of a horse, I carry with me in every race. She is buried less than 20 miles from Eisenhower Park in the infield at Belmont Park. What I would have to endure to get to my finish line was a big unknown at that point. I doubted my leg would break but injuries happen. I knew I had prepared for the race as best as I could and planned to keep Ruffian with me the whole way.

On the walk back to the car I realized I may have over extended myself a little more than I should have before race day. Some sweaty bits from the run earlier never really dried and I was feeling a chafe potential. It was time to check into the hotel.

The hotel was not far but road closures the next morning for the race would make the return route winding and take maybe 15 minutes. We checked in along with many other women carrying Diva Half-Marathon swag bags from the race packet pick up. Our room was nice and the real bonus was the local dining guide. There was a Thai restaurant much closer than the one I had thought we would go to.

We had a really nice meal and took some away with us. More spring rolls, drunken noodles with tofu and a veggie pad thai. Perfect for loading some carbs. We returned to take a sunset swim in the indoor heated pool, went back to our room and played with the crazy shower head that was too high for me to reach. It gave a great calf massage but the third jet was aimed at a not so enjoyable area. YOW! We laughed and laughed about that.

It wasn't that the shower was so funny but we were really tired and were sleeping by 7:30. I had set out all of my racing gear like a little triathlon transition zone so getting it all together at 4:30 AM would be a no brainer. We ended up getting a solid 8 hours of sleep!

I showered so my hair had time to dry and set about systematically fueling up, last hydration and getting my gear on. My shorts were custom made for me by Nancy Radetsky, mom of one of Arron's co-workers who makes tights. I had a complimentary colored shirt and wore a glamorous fabric necklace generously shared by my best friend, Missy. My clothes were as diva as I could get with my matching painted nails.

The feet got extra attention. Not dirt or stone or fabric pills in the socks nor shoes could be tolerated for over 2 hours of pounding asphalt. I applied generous layers of a substance called Body Glide over my toes. My outer toes can blister sometimes. My supination has me running on the outside of my feet and I tend to run mostly on my toes.

True to form, we were the first to arrive in the park. This allowed us to get premium parking by the finish line and port-a-potties. I walked to the start corral and posed under the pace group I hoped to be in. There was a chance I really belonged in the 11:01 - 12:00 minute milers. The 13 or 14+ corrals I was pretty sure I would be running around more people than running with that pace group. Getting to the start line is always a pain in large groups but it's much less of a concern when you have a chip that tracks your time from line to line.

The morning was breezy and had quite a chill. I was tired and excited. We got a text from Arron and Amy that they were catching the Long Island RR that would have runners on it. They could just follow the women to the park.

As I walked back, I realized that I had put WAY too much Body Glide on my feet. It turns more solid and if over applied turned into little solid balls. We went back to the car and I was glad for the extra pair of socks. I re-applied the Body Glide in a more suitable amount and I was set to warm up.

Final fuel of fruit mash ups an hour and 1/2 hour out were good but multiple potty trips were needed. With less than 1/2 hour to the race, I resigned myself that it was mostly nerves at that point and the typical 30 person deep line wasn't worth it. It was a good call, I never needed to stop for the potty from the on.

We ran into Arron, Amy and our friend Katrina all at the same time. I was shedding my warm up pants and getting ready to make my way to the corral when the National Anthem played.

Cutting through the lines to the potties and the small corals made for quite a traffic jam. The pre-race 5k race went off as I finally got close to my group. We stood as sardines for quite a while but my plan was to go slowly at first.

I would say all went as planned. Jim, Arron and Amy were able to take my jacket at the second mile marker. I checked my watch and was about 1:30 off the posted clock time. I blurted that out and 3 "I love you"s for the 3 of them as I trotted by.

The sections of the race that doubled back on itself was the most fun. You could watch the faster runners go by on the opposite side the firs time and then the slower runners as you headed back the other way. with all of the various costumes, this made for a lot to look at.

I finally took water and a Gu packet that had been stashed in my bra at the 4 mile water break. I got most of the water down and didn't feel the need to walk. My pace at that point was about an 11 minute mile.

We crossed a long bridge over a highway and I said out loud, "The sights I have seen." We made our way by the Nassau Coliseum and clicked off 3 more miles before doubling back across the bridge on the other side. This was where the strong breeze was what I call a head wind. The bridge was an incline and the wind was a force. It was nice to make the turn up along the East side of the park and I looked down onto the little pond Jim and I ran along the edge of the day before. "Just lovely," I said to no one in particular.

The stretch between mile 7 and 9 were annoying for some reason. The section of neighborhood was grungy and t affected my mood a little. It was cold and the families waiting to cheer on mommy were looking frozen. I thought, wrongly, that mile 8 would have water and downed a second Gu only to have to run a mile and a half to wash it down with water. That's 16 minutes of cloying sweet paste in my mouth. I was sad when I decided to littler my Gu wrapper and a gum wrapper because I was tire of carrying them.

The 9th mile marker was a bright point, good music, joking with fellow runners and Spider Woman passed me with an energy like she had just started the race. The water helped the Gu kick in just after the 10th mile marker. I wished at had been just before because it had a significant incline and... well... it was mile 10. "Why is this part always so hard?" again to no one in particular.

The 11the mile marker had me singing abut kissing cats and a little sprint to beat the clock time of 2 hours. I saw it ahead and shouted, "YEAH!" and treated it like a little finish line. I crossed it at clock time 1:59:35. My watch had me closer to 1:58:00.

Next was the section of the course that looped around a high school. We could see a short section of runners who had just ran around the school coming out and running off totally changed. I could see mundane runners ahead of me heading toward the school and emerging on the other side as glamorous starlets. It was a hilarious sight. A transformation like Dr. Seuss's Sneetches as they traveled though the "fix-it-up chappie's" machine but instead of coming out with stars on their bellies they were all wearing hot pink feather boas and tiaras!

Those pink feather were everywhere. They flew into my mouth as I ran through the tunnel of extended arms offering boas and tiaras. I seriously did not lose any time grabbing up a little fun on the way along this part of the route. It was the next part, along the edge of the hoity toity golf course where all of the hot pink feather were being blown to. Photographers were going crazy on this section and I tried to look like I was having a grand time as my boas was making me a little warm.

I finally took off my gloves and prepared to leave them and my new diva gifts with Jim, Arron and Amy. They were right where I expected them and swapped it all for my PURPLE boa, a gift from Amy & Arron weeks prior. They took a movie of me and as I run off with it you can hear me yell, "Now I'm a Divaaaaa!"

My crazy loving family all raced ahead of me to the finish line to see me cross, diva style, clutching my boa over my head in victory. Just before I crossed the line I heard someone off the side of the course loudly say, "How'd she get PURPLE!?" That made me smile the whole way across the line.

I was tired but 11 minutes faster than I had hoped will get me that. I spooked around the festive grounds for a bit but knew a long trip home was ahead. Amy and Arron came back to Manhattan with us after a near miss with one of the poorly design Cube cars. They graciously allowed me to shower. THAT was a gift. We had a great meal at Candle Cafe before the loooong trip home.

Jim and I had a lot of fun talking about our individual experiences. I didn't sleep the whole way, even though we got stopped in traffic for a half hour on the Poconos. Long trip to Long Island and back and it was long on fun!