Stacy Chair I - Tecumseh, MI

Run, Walk & Eat 5K

I ran the Run, Walk & Eat 5K Sunday. It was a cool, windy and sunny morning. The wind was blowing in our face every direction we ran in.

I got passed by a few people and I passed a few people as well during the first mile. I really didn't think I was going that fast because only a few people went by me. At the mile marker, a volunteer said 8:12.

Not bad. It wasn't as fast as my first mile during my last race, 7:30. Kind of wished it was. The second mile was run on streets through neighborhoods. I was hoping the trees and houses would block the wind. It didn't. I could tell I was going a little slower on this mile. When I reached the second mile mark, the volunteer said 17:05. With my daily runs going well with increased speed, I thought I could pick up the pace over the last mile.

I passed a guy who was doing the run/walk method. I would catch and pass him, then he would start running and pass me again. It happened twice, but I was finally able to pass and keep him behind me for good. But I was unable to keep a guy behind me. He finally passed me and ran away from me as we were approaching the third mile marker. When I passed the sign, my watch read 24:58. I told myself to run faster and finish below 27 minutes. I did pick up the pace and finished strong. I finished the 5K in 26:47 and placed 3rd in my age group. I believe that is the fastest I have run a 5K in a while. That made me very happy.

I hoping my increased pace on my daily runs will help me get faster. I would love to run 5K's in 25 minutes again. I'll keep doing the work and see what happens.

Books read in 2015

The Bridge at Chappaquiddick, Jack Olsen  
And Then I Cried: Stories of a Mortuary NCO, Justin Jordan   
Art on the Block, Ann Fensterstock  
The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed, Jay Margolis & Richard Buskin  
A Family Business: A Chilling Tale of Greed as One Family Commits Unspeakable Crimes against the Dead, Ken Englade   
Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, Michael Gross
Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else, David Balzer
Dead Center, Shiya Ribowsky
The Monopolists, Mary Pilon
Silent Witnesses: The Often Gruesome but Always Fascinating History of Forensic Science, Nigel McCrery
Lives of the Artists: Portraits of Ten Artists Whose Work and Lifestyles Embody the Future of Contemporary Art, Calvin Tompkins
Sin, Shame & Secrets: A True Story of the Murder of a Nun, the Conviction of a Priest, and the Cover-up in the Catholic Church, David Yonke
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artist, edited by Sharon Louden 
Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Mental Hospital, Alex Beam
Look Who's Back, Timur Vermes 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
Big Eyes: The Screenplay, Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves, Robert Lacey
Emergency 24/7: Nurses of the Emergency Room, Echo Heron
Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs, Sally Mann
The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital, Alexandra Robbins

Currently Reading: Conspiracies and Secret Societies, Brad Steiger & Sherry Steiger

Printed Matters

Shepard Fairey/Library Street Collective

Jon Furlong/Obey Clothing

Just down the street from Inner State Gallery is another gallery, Library Street Collective. LSC's current exhibition is Shepard Fairey: Printed Matters.

Fairey works included serigraphs on paper, wood, metal and final art collage. Besides the work inside the LSC, Fairey also painted several murals outside the LSC in an alley called The Belt and a large mural on a building near the LSC. A large Obey sticker was put on a water tower near the LSC, but I missed it. I remembered it after getting home from Detroit.

I have been a fan of Fairey's for a couple of years. Seeing his beautiful work up close was great. I loved all of his silkscreens and wanted everything in the gallery.

Printed Matters will be on exhibit until August 15, 2015. Library Street Collective is located at 1260 Library Street, Detroit. Gallery hours are Wednesday - Saturday: 12 - 6 p.m.

LAX/DTW

Liz Brizzi - Claramunt Printing Co/Inner State Gallery

My husband and I visited the Inner State Gallery in Detroit over the weekend. The current exhibition in the gallery is LAX/DTW: Thinkspace Invades Detroit.

I loved the works by the featured artists of the exhibition: Liz Brizzi and Stephanie Buer. Brizzi had three works of photo collage and acrylic on wood panels. I loved them. The rich colors and decayed look of the buildings
portrayed. Buer's work was fantastic. Her oil on canvas photos were great, but I really loved her charcoal on paper drawings. When I first looked at them, I thought they were black and white photos. The drawings had so many details, along with shadows and light. Amazing.

Stephanie Buer - BFFS/Inner State Gallery

So many amazing works of art were apart of this exhibition. Some of my other favorites: Andy Kehoe - Eternal Glos of the Celestial Peaks; Bec Winnel - Caught In A Wonderland; Brian Mashburn - Re-Tread; Derek Gores - Voodoo Victory; Hueman - Division; Kevin Peterson - Fossil Bright In The Sun; Kelly Vivanco and Jacub Gagnon - Fox Tales. View these mentioned works and the rest in the exhibition.

Stop by the gallery if you are in or near Detroit. LAX/DTW runs until July 4 at Inner State Gallery.

Inner State Gallery is located at 1410 Gratiot Avenue in Detroit. Gallery hours are Saturday: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and Sunday: by appointment only.

Orange in the New Black

The new season of Orange is the New Black was released on Netflix on Friday. I finished Season 3 on Saturday evening.

I won't spoil it for anyone, but I was disappointed in this season. Many of the story lines were boring. Since they were boring, I didn't care. I did like the story lines with Boo/Pennsatucky, Healy/Red and Nicky. The story lines I didn't care about was Piper/Alex/Stella and Leanna/Norma.

I read the OITNB has been renewed for a fourth season. Hopefully that season will be much better then this one.

Books read in 2015

The Bridge at Chappaquiddick, Jack Olsen  
And Then I Cried: Stories of a Mortuary NCO, Justin Jordan   
Art on the Block, Ann Fensterstock  
The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed, Jay Margolis & Richard Buskin  
A Family Business: A Chilling Tale of Greed as One Family Commits Unspeakable Crimes against the Dead, Ken Englade   
Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, Michael Gross
Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else, David Balzer
Dead Center, Shiya Ribowsky
The Monopolists, Mary Pilon
Silent Witnesses: The Often Gruesome but Always Fascinating History of Forensic Science, Nigel McCrery
Lives of the Artists: Portraits of Ten Artists Whose Work and Lifestyles Embody the Future of Contemporary Art, Calvin Tompkins
Sin, Shame & Secrets: A True Story of the Murder of a Nun, the Conviction of a Priest, and the Cover-up in the Catholic Church, David Yonke
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artist, edited by Sharon Louden 
Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Mental Hospital, Alex Beam
Look Who's Back, Timur Vermes 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
Big Eyes: The Screenplay, Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves, Robert Lacey
Emergency 24/7: Nurses of the Emergency Room, Echo Heron
Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs, Sally Mann
 
Currently Reading: The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital, Alexandra Robbins

Divison I Outdoor Track and Field Championships

mgoblue.com

The Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place June 10-13, 2015 in Eugene, Oregon at the University of Oregon.

The Oregon men and women's teams won the team championships. The men won Friday with 85 points over Florida and the women took the title Saturday with 59 points over Kentucky.

mgoblue.com

Three ladies scored points for the University of Michigan Wolverines. U-M finished in 19th place with 14 points. Cindy Ofili finished as runner-up in the 100m hurdles. Ofili broke her sister's, Tiffany, school record by finishing the race in 12.60 for second place. Kentucky's Kendra Harrison won the race in 12.55. Erin Finn placed fifth in the 5000m run in 15:43.97. Finn became the first-ever Wolverine to achieve All-America status in both the outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m run, as Finn ran the 10,000m at 2014 Nationals. The final Wolverine to score was Brook Handler. Handler ran the 1500m in 4:16.19 good enough for seventh place.

mgoblue.com

The Michigan men also had athletes performing at nationals. Mason Ferlic competing in two events, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase. Ferlic's first race didn't go well. Ferlic fell into the pit during the 3000m steeplechase and was unable to recover. Ferlic finished 12th place in 8:57.30. University of Texas El Paso's Anthony Rotich won the race in 8:33.90. Ferlic's second race, 5000m, didn't go well and he DNF.

Cody Riffle finished in 23rd in the shot put with a throw of 59-10.5 ft. Morsi Rayyan competed in the 10,000m and finished 21st at 30:31.11.

 Men's Team Scoring
Oregon: 85 points
Florida: 56
Arkansas: 53
LSU: 45
USC: 40.5

Women's Team Scores
Oregon: 59 points
Kentucky: 50
Texas A&M: 47
Arkansas: 43
Georgia: 41

iRun for Kassie 10K

I ran the iRun for Kassie 10K on Saturday.

It was a cool, cloudy and windy day. It rained most of the day and night before the race. The 10K race goes from paved streets to dirt roads. With everything being wet, I knew the dirt road would be soft and squishy.

Before the race started, they asked for all of the 10K runners to come to the front. It really doesn't matter where everyone lines up. Besides a 10K, a 5K is also run. Both races start at the same time. When the race started, I found myself near the front. Only four other girls and ladies were ahead of me, along with a bunch of guys. The 5K/10K are the same until the 5K turnaround.

I looked at my watch when I reached the mile marker, it read 7:30. I didn't realize how fast I was running. Shortly after that was the 5K turnaround. When the front running ladies reached that point, three of them made the turnaround. That meant only one lady was still running the 10K and was in front of me.

The 10K course goes from city streets to country dirt roads. Country dirt roads have wonderful rolling hills. I thought I ran the hills well. I kept my head down and just looked about 5-10 feet in front of me. I always do that to make sure I don't run in potholes. I always keep my head down on hills because I don't need to know how much farther I have to go before reaching the top of the hill. Once I got over the hill, I increased my pace on the straightaways. Or at least I hope I did.

This course is just an out-an-back, so when I was getting close to the turnaround, the leaders were passing me on the left coming back. Everyone was friendly. We all waved, gave thumbs up and said good job. That is the nice thing about small town races. As the leaders were passing me, I counted that seven people were ahead of me, six males and one female. When I reached the turnaround, I stopped quickly at the unmanned water table to pick up a small cup of water. I started running again after picking up the glass. That is when I saw two other ladies coming towards the turnaround. I didn't realize other runners were that close to me. I kept going to avoid being passed by one or both of the other ladies.

Around mile 4 or 4.5, that is when I heard footsteps getting closer to me. Very soon, one of the ladies behind me was beside me and then quickly in front of me and running away. I wanted to keep close to her, but she was so fast. The gap between us grew so quickly. With that lady passing me, I was still the third woman. I didn't want to be passed again. I decided to keep my pace going to hold off the other woman.

Only two mile markers were put out on the course. When I reached the marker that read 5 miles, my watch read 44:xx. I knew I could finish the race strong. I just kept saying just two more hills then it is all downhill. I got up the hills well and passed some of the 5K walkers near the end. Running from the street to the track, the race time was being displayed on the football scoreboard. When I stepped on the track, the scoreboard read 53:xx. I was happy, but I just wanted to be done. I thought my pace around the track was good and I came into the finishing line strong. I finished the race in 54:46 and was 3rd overall woman, 2nd in my age group and 9th overall.

I thought it was a good race. I wish  I was able to keep up with the lady that passed me after the turnaround. There isn't a lot of 10K races in the county, so anytime I can run one, it is fun. Onto the next race.

Girl and cat sketch

Sketched this girl and cat Saturday evening. Used an HB pencil. Still deciding if I want to make it a painting, colored pencil or chalk drawing.

Books read in 2015

The Bridge at Chappaquiddick, Jack Olsen  
And Then I Cried: Stories of a Mortuary NCO, Justin Jordan   
Art on the Block, Ann Fensterstock  
The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed, Jay Margolis & Richard Buskin  
A Family Business: A Chilling Tale of Greed as One Family Commits Unspeakable Crimes against the Dead, Ken Englade   
Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, Michael Gross
Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else, David Balzer
Dead Center, Shiya Ribowsky
The Monopolists, Mary Pilon
Silent Witnesses: The Often Gruesome but Always Fascinating History of Forensic Science, Nigel McCrery
Lives of the Artists: Portraits of Ten Artists Whose Work and Lifestyles Embody the Future of Contemporary Art, Calvin Tompkins
Sin, Shame & Secrets: A True Story of the Murder of a Nun, the Conviction of a Priest, and the Cover-up in the Catholic Church, David Yonke
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artist, edited by Sharon Louden 
Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Mental Hospital, Alex Beam
Look Who's Back, Timur Vermes 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
Big Eyes: The Screenplay, Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves, Robert Lacey
Emergency 24/7: Nurses of the Emergency Room, Echo Heron

Currently Reading: Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs, Sally Mann

American Pharoah

New York Times/Chang W. Lee

New York Times/Ben Solomon

 New York Times/Chang W. Lee

New York Times/Chang W. Lee

American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes Saturday and the Triple Crown. American Pharoah is the 12th horse in history to win it. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978.

American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes in  2:26.65. Coming in second was Frosted and third was Keen Ice.

The jockey that rode American Pharoah to all three wins was Victor Espinoza. Espinoza came close to riding a Triple Crown winner in 2014 with California Chrome. California Chrome came up short in the Belmont Stakes last year.

Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross

Alex Ross

A new exhibition just opened at the Art Gallery of Windsor. The exhibition is Heroes &
Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross. It opened May 30 and runs until September 20, 2015.

Alex Ross is considered one of the greatest artist in the comic book field. Ross's work concentrates on classic superheroes using watercolor.

According to the press release, Ross was drawing original comic books by the age of 13. He was later hired by Marvel Comics to illustrate characters in the comic book event, Marvels. Ross also had a very successful comic book series, Kingdom Come.

Paintings and sketches from Marvels and Kingdom Come are included in the exhibition, along with new projects. Also included in the exhibition are works by Norman Rockwell, Andrew Loomis and Ross's mother, Lynette. These works are included because they had a big influence in his life.

Art Gallery of Windsor is located at 401 Riverside Drive West in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m - 5 p.m.

Books read in 2015

The Bridge at Chappaquiddick, Jack Olsen  
And Then I Cried: Stories of a Mortuary NCO, Justin Jordan   
Art on the Block, Ann Fensterstock  
The Murder of Marilyn Monroe: Case Closed, Jay Margolis & Richard Buskin  
A Family Business: A Chilling Tale of Greed as One Family Commits Unspeakable Crimes against the Dead, Ken Englade  
Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, Michael Gross
Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else, David Balzer
Dead Center, Shiya Ribowsky
The Monopolists, Mary Pilon
Silent Witnesses: The Often Gruesome but Always Fascinating History of Forensic Science, Nigel McCrery
Lives of the Artists: Portraits of Ten Artists Whose Work and Lifestyles Embody the Future of Contemporary Art, Calvin Tompkins
Sin, Shame & Secrets: A True Story of the Murder of a Nun, the Conviction of a Priest, and the Cover-up in the Catholic Church, David Yonke
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artist, edited by Sharon Louden 
Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Mental Hospital, Alex Beam
Look Who's Back, Timur Vermes 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
Big Eyes: The Screenplay, Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski

Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves, Robert Lacey

Currently Reading: Emergency 24/7: Nurses of the Emergency Room, Echo Heron

Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Championships

mgoblue.com

The Division I Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Championships took place Thursday-Sunday at Hodges Stadium on the campus of University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.

mgoblue.com

The Michigan Wolverines men's and women's teams had athletes participate in the preliminaries in Jacksonville. On Day 1, Cindy Ofili qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon June 10-13 in the 100 meter dash. Ofili ran 11.53 and finished second in her heat to earn a spot in Eugene. On the men's side, Morsi Rayyan will be traveling to Oregon as well. Rayyan placed 10th in the 10,000M in 30:08.83.

On Day 2, Mason Ferlic finished second in the 3,000M steeplechase to claim a spot in Eugene. With the finishing time of 8:35.45, it was a new PR for Ferlic.

Day 3 saw more Wolverine qualifiers to earn a trip to the Outdoor Championships. Cody Riffle placed ninth in the shot put with a throw of 62-3.25 ft and Ferlic qualified for the championships in a second event, 5,000M. Ferlic finished fourth in 13:57.88. On the women's side, Olifi ran a PR in the 100M hurdles in 12.81 to qualify in another event. Shannon Osika and Brook Handler both qualified for the 1500M. Osika finished fourth in 4:17.59 and Handler was 10th with a time of 4:20.60. Making the trip to Eugene too is Erin Finn in the 5,000M. Finn finished fourth in 15:58.64.

Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon

I ran the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon on Sunday.

The weather was awful. It was pouring down rain. It was cold, 50°, and the wind was blowing at 20 mph. While lining up to run the race, my teeth were chattering and my hands were numb. I wore a poncho over my jacket, shirt, singlet and shorts. The poncho kept the top of me dry, but my shorts, socks and shoes were soaked.

When the race started, I didn't know how I was going to do. I was cold, but so was everyone else. A couple of miles into the race, my hands warmed up. The poncho wasn't long enough to cover my arms, so I rolled up my jacket sleeves. The sleeves were already wet by then, but it did feel nice to get the wet sleeves off my forearms.

I thought I was keeping a steady pace throughout the race. I was running 9 minute miles, which is good on this tough course. Last year the hills killed me on the course. This year, I didn't think they did. The two biggest hills are located before mile 8 and 12. The hill at mile 8, I got up it pretty well. After cresting the hill, I was able to pick up the pace and keep going. The hill at mile 12, took a little bit more out of me. I was able to run up the hill, but my legs were very tired at that point. I wanted to get up that hill and be able to pick up the pace going into the finish line. My thoughts and legs weren't on the same page. I did the best I could and ran as fast as I could. I crossed the finish in 2:08:42. That time is three minutes faster then last year's race and a minute quicker then this year's Glass City Half Marathon.

I will keep working to improve my half marathon times. I just need to figure out what works for me and what doesn't. Onto the next race.