Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, Cami Ostman
The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell
Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and America's Greatest Marathon, John Brant
Born to Run, Christopher McDougall
Iron Heart, Brian Boyle
Running With Joy: My Daily Journey to the Marathon, Ryan Hall
Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell
Predator, Patricia Cornwell
Port Mortuary, Patricia Cornwell

Currently Reading: Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell
Up Next: The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Midnight, L.J. Smith

Ironman

Over the weekend, many people participated in the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas. I enjoyed reading the tweets from people that had friends participating. The athletes had a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run.

I asked someone on twitter how far they had to go in each discipline. I was given the answer, then another person that I talk to on twitter told me to "back away from the Ironman." I thought that was funny. I have never had an ambition to ever do a triathlon. I can swim, but not very fast. The only time I go swimming now since I'm adult is when my husband and I are on getaway vacation. Which is once a year. I have a bike that is at least 15 years old and I haven't rode in two years. I got my bike out over the weekend and went for a ride. The ride turned out to be really short. There was something wrong with the chain. I took it to the local bicycle store to get fixed. While I was at the bike store, I saw beautiful Trek bike that I would have loved to have. It only cost $1000. And of course, I can run.

I'm in the process of turning myself into an ultra runner. All of my free time is spent on running. I replied to the two ladies I was chatting with on twitter that I have no plans to do an Ironman. That ultra running is enough for me. One of the ladies said, "Never say never." That is so true. I said a couple of years ago that I would never run a marathon. I still haven't run a marathon, but I will be running two ultra marathons this fall. Who knows maybe when I have my fill of ultras, I can start training for an Ironman 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run). But right now my one true love, besides my husband, is running and I have a feeling it will be for a long time.

Tour of California

I've always enjoyed watching sports on TV. It really doesn't matter what it is. I like to watch any type of running (road, cross country, marathon and track), triathlons and cycling.

On the Versus channel last week was the Tour of California. I recorded the last few stages of the race to watch. Stage 7 was really interesting to watch. This stage involved huge climbs up to Mount Baldy, which has an elevation of 7,930 feet. The entire 75.8 mile course had the cyclists climbing more then 15,000 feet. I bet they were so happy when the stage was complete. The cyclists were trying so hard, but the huge inclines were getting to them. Two RadioShack teammates, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner of the USA, worked together to finish first and second.

I noticed something during the race that made me shake my head and laugh. The spectators at cycle races are crazy. If I was riding in these events, I would want to stay far away from them. Spectators run next to the cyclists. I think most of them just want to be on TV, but maybe they are cheering the riders on. Besides running beside them, some of them dress up in costumes. I got a huge laugh at the people who wore a Pope outfit, a Richard Nixon mask while wearing only a Speedo and the two guys wearing sumo wrestler outfits.

The cyclists that compete in any stage bicycle races are amazing athletes. They ride for hours everyday, make huge climbs and endure time trials. What can be said about them. I'm just in awe of them.

Future races

It is never too early to start thinking about next year's running season. Well at least the longer races. I will be running plenty of short races (5Ks, 10Ks, 5 mile trail) around the county in 2012. No need to plan for them. These are a couple of races that I would like to do. I don't know if I will run them or not. Like I said, just something to start thinking about.

I would like to run the Caumsett State Park 50K in New York on March 4, 2012. This 50K is also the 2012 USA 50K Championship for the USATF. I am a member of the USATF this year. I plan to renew my membership in 2012 also. According to the Caumsett State Park website, the course is a measured 5K loop on a paved path with two small inclines. The path runs through the historic Caumsett Park with stunning views of the Long Island Sound. That sounds really pleasant.

I'm interested in running the Mad City 100K. A 100K is 62.137 miles. This past April, the Mad City 100K Road Race served as the USA 100K Championships for the USATF. The 100K race is 10 laps of a 10K loop that takes runners by the shore of Lake Wingra, some scenic neighborhoods and through the University of Wisconsin Arboretum.

I'm planning on the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio to be my first marathon. The marathon will take place on April 22, 2012. I ran the half marathon this year and set a new PR. The course was nice and flat. That is just how I like them.

This September, I'm running the Run Woodstock trail half marathon. I hope next year to step it up to the 50K or 50 mile trail run.

In October, Tussey Mt. Ski Area in Boalsburg, PA hosts the USA 50 Mile Championship. It is a 50-mile single loop on mostly unpaved roads in the Rothrock State Forest. The terrain includes uphill, level and downhill grades.

Weekend plans

I was so busy last weekend. A couple of long drives in the car, a 25K race and my sister's bridal shower. This weekend is very different from last week. I have nothing big or exciting planned for this weekend. This weekend will be nice and relaxing. My plans include running, cleaning my house, going to the grocery store and church. It is nice to have a busy and fun weekend once and a while. But I'm glad it is not every weekend. It would definitely wear me out. I'm looking forward to a nice and quiet weekend.

Boston

My husband and I will be heading back to Boston, MA next week. We will be there for a long weekend. I will be running a half marathon next Sunday.

We will arrive in Boston a few days prior to the race. Our plans so far are to visit Lexington and Concord. When we visited Boston back in 2009, we did go to these locations. But we were disappointed. We rode a bus to get there and a trolley took us to Lexington and Concord. We really didn't see much because we had to be on the trolley schedule. And we had to be on the trolley. They were are ride back to the bus stop. This time around, we are renting a car. With the car, we will be able to take our time and actually see things.

Besides visiting Lexington and Concord, we are unsure of what else to do. I suggested to my husband that we visit the Museum of Fine Arts the day we land. They have a photography exhibit by Lee Friedlander that I would like to see and we always go to museums on our trips. I guess that is the art major in me. Besides the museum, we will need to find something else to do that day. We land pretty early in the morning.

When we were in Boston before in 2009, we visited most of the tourist attractions. We would like to find something else to do or see. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

Axed

Four out of the five new TV shows that I watched this season have been canceled. The TV shows not coming back for a second season are The Good Guys, The Chicago Code, Detroit 1-8-7 and Mr. Sunshine. My husband and I liked all of these shows and were disappointed when we heard that they were axed. The only new show that my husband and I both watch that didn't get canceled was Blue Bloods.

When the new TV season starts, I don't think I'll watch any new TV shows. It is better not to watch them, then get disappointed when the networks get rid of them after a couple of episodes.

Peace Officer Memorial Day

USA 25K Open Championships

I ran in the USA 25K Open Championships Saturday. The USATF championship was part of the Fifth Third River Bank Run. The Fifth Third River Bank Run the largest 25K road race in the United States.

The day of the race, it was cold and raining. Doing a warm up run to the staging area, I got all wet by the rain. The rain was coming down so much, it drenched my waterproof jacket. After the jacket was wet, it really didn't keep me warm. Before the race started, I couldn't stay warm. My teeth were chattering and it had me wondering if I could finish the race. By then, it was time to line up and start the race.

At the start of the race, I stayed with the 9 minute mile pacers. It felt good to run at that speed and I was keeping up with them. The course was packed. I heard runners around me saying that it was worse this year. So many more runners participating in the 25K. For the first 6 miles, everyone was bumping into everyone and stepping on the back of everyone's feet. I have to agree that it was crowded.

The water stops were disasters. So many people crowding in to get water, Gatorade. I got what I needed, but not without nailing someone else in the process. I hung with the pacer group until mile 7. It was a water stop that separated us. I moved over to the left of the trail to get something to drink. When I did that other runners got behind the pacers. It got so crowded behind them and I couldn't catch up and get closer. When I couldn't catch up, I could feel myself slowing down. I tried to pick myself up, but I couldn't do it. I continued at the slower pace for a couple of more miles.

When I passed the 10 mile mark, I felt better and picked up my pace. I even started passing a couple of people. Around this time, it was only sprinkling and starting to warm up. Everything I was wearing was soaked. I told myself I only had five more miles and I have run that plenty of times. It was time to go.

I crossed mile 13 right around two hours. I was OK with that. I wasn't too far behind of where I wanted to be. My goal time for the race was to finish between 2:20-2:25. I felt if I kept up my pace I was going to make my goal. The finish was on a slight incline and I surged up it. I crossed the line in 2:24:30. I finished within my goal. I was pleased with my first effort for a distance longer then a half marathon.

I will probably run this race again next year. I hope I will be able to hold my pace better and top this time.

Weekend

I can't believe how busy this weekend will be for me. I'll be driving two hours west of my house Friday afternoon to run in the Fifth Third River Bank Run. I will be running the 25K Saturday morning. As a member of the USATF, I will be running in the USA 25K Open Championships. The USATF members who win and finish near the top will be able to represent the United States in international competition. I know that won't be me. I just want to have fun and run well. This race will be my first one over the half marathon distance.

After the race, I will be driving back home. Once I get home, my husband and I have to go shopping for my nephew's birthday. Later that evening is his birthday party and we need to find him a present.

I will have another busy day on Sunday. Sunday afternoon is my sister's bridal shower. I will be riding to the shower with my Mom and sisters. The shower is about 45 minutes away, so that means another car ride.

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, Cami Ostman
The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell
Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and America's Greatest Marathon, John Brant
Born to Run, Christopher McDougall
Iron Heart, Brian Boyle
Running With Joy: My Daily Journey to the Marathon, Ryan Hall
Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell
Predator, Patricia Cornwell

Currently Reading: Port Mortuary, Patricia Cornwell
Up Next: Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell

Half Fanatics

When I still planned on running the Run Woodstock trail marathon, I thought I would have a change to join the Marathon Maniacs. I would have met the criteria to join. I would have run a trail marathon and two ultra marathons in the span of six weeks. I could have joined at the bronze level of two marathons within a 16 day time frame and three marathons within a 90 day time frame. But it is not meant to be this year. Following the advice of the friend that is running my first ultra marathon with me, he suggested switching to the half marathon.

I looked up the Half Fanatics website because I'm running a bunch of half marathons this year. I believe I meet the criteria for the Neptune status. I don't know if my 25K that I'm running this week will count, so I'm skipping it in the count. I will be running a half marathon in Boston on May 29, a half marathon in Ann Arbor on June 5 and a half marathon in Pinckney on September 9. The criteria for Neptune is two half marathons with a 16 day time frame. I'm running two half's on back-to-back weekends. The second is three half marathons within a 90 day time frame (Boston, AA and Pinckney).

It will be exciting to join this group. Hopefully I'll be able to meet some fanatics at some local races.

I guess that decision wasn't final

I made my decision on Friday to run the Run Woodstock! Trail Marathon. Over the weekend, I talked to my friend that will be running Dances with Dirt 50K with me. I asked him which race would be better to run as a training run for DWD, the half marathon or the marathon? He told me that I should go with the half marathon. The reason for running the half marathon is that parts of the race are run on the DWD course and he said my legs would be fresh after the half. Since he is running DWD with me, I am going to follow his advice.

I will be registering for the Run Woodstock Hippie Half Trail Marathon on September 10. I guess The Glass City Marathon in 2012 will be my first marathon after all.

Panther Road Race

I ran a 5K on Saturday morning. Going into the race, I just wanted to take it easy. I knew I wouldn't be trying to run a PR. I have never run the course before, but it was a nice one. The course was a hilly country block. We ran on pavement and dirt roads.

At the start of the 5K, I was surrounded by women that were in my age group. We mostly all ran together for the first half mile. Leading up to the mile was the first hill. That is where I dropped them. It was nice to be out front of them. They were no longer running right next to me. My first mile time was 8:15. The second mile was just like the first. We were off of the pavement running on dirt. I stayed in the middle of the road to avoid potholes that could twist my ankles. Mile two also had a hill. Still no one around me, I charged up the hill. After running up the hill, we turned a corner and had a slight downhill run onto pavement. It felt really good to be running downhill. I passed the second mile mark in 16:30.

The last mile didn't have any downhills. It was basically a steady incline leading up to the finish line. I didn't look at my watch, but I could tell I was slowing down. I told myself to get going and catch the father and daughter running ahead of me. I started to catch them within a half mile to go. I think the incline was getting to her. At this point I was really thankful that I included hill intervals into my weekly runs. It was really coming in handy during this race. When we turned the corner into the parking lot leading to the finish line, I picked up my pace. I was running hard, but I failed to catch the girl. Yes, a 10 year old girl. She beat me by 14 seconds.

I finished the 5K in 26:23 with a pace of 8:29 a mile. I was happy with my finish. I didn't catch the 10 year old girl, but I did run well on the hills and finished strong. I finished the race as the fifth overall female and first in my age group. Not bad for a run on hilly country roads.

Decision

I decided I'm going to register for the Run Woodstock! trail marathon on September 10. It will be my first marathon ever. This marathon will be my training run for trail 50K that I will be running two weeks after the marathon. I don't plan on running this marathon too fast. I just want to get through it without any problems and get a feel for the trails.

I really didn't expect to be running a marathon this year. My plan was to have The Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio be my first ever. Well it will be my first, my first road marathon.

Clean

A couple of weeks ago, I was pulling out from a parking spot that was near a concrete island. I don't know the real name of it, but the island is an area for plants and a light pole. I thought I pulled out enough to get around it. How wrong I was. I hear a loud noise and then heard something fall to the ground. I parked my car and got out. I saw the damage. The concrete lip of the island ripped off trim that ran along the bottom of the passenger side of my car. I was not happy. I picked up the trim, put it in my car and drove home.

I wasn't going to fix it. That was until I opened my passenger side door. When the trim was pulled off the car by the concrete, it pulled up my right front fender. When I opened the door, the door rubbed on my fender. Not good.

I waited until I received our tax return before making an appointment at the body shop. I took my car there last week and had it looked at. The body shop guy gave me an estimate. I wasn't surprised at the price. It was what I was expecting. My tax refund paid for it. He asked me if insurance was paying for it. I told him I was. He was surprised. I said it was my fault because of my stupidity and I would pay for it. He asked if I was sure. Yes. I was. I later found out from my husband that our insurance wouldn't even covered it.

I dropped off my car earlier this week and received a loaner car. The loaner car was the same car as mine just four years newer. I loved that car. It had great pickup and different options then what I have in my car. I really liked the radio buttons that were on the steering wheel.

A day later, I dropped off the loaner and picked up my car. The body shop did a fabulous job with my car. When I sat in the drivers seat, it was all the way back. My feet didn't even touch the pedals. The seat was also really low. It took about five minutes to change all the mirrors and get my seat back to where I had it. I noticed something else was different about my car. It took a couple of seconds, but I figured out what it was. The body shop guys dusted the inside of my car. I've owned my car for six years and never dusted. It looks like a brand new car. It was awesome. They also vacuumed my car out too. I need to go to the body shop more often. (Not really). They really know how to clean. This morning on my way to work I noticed something else. They cleaned the inside of my windshield! I was blown away. I've been wanted to clean it forever. Now it is done and it is crystal clean.

As you can tell, I'm very satisfied with the job that they did on my car.

Training run

I just thought about this the other day. I think I know which way I'm going to go with it too. I will be running my first ultra (50K) at Dances With Dirt in Hell, Michigan on September 24. DWD is a trail run and I need to prepare for it.

Two weeks before DWD is a Run Woodstock! Run Woodstock! is many races held in one weekend. It also takes place in the same area as DWD. They offer a 100M/100K, 50M/50K, marathon, half marathon, 5 mile, 10K and 5K races over the course of three days. I was thinking of running the marathon or half marathon as a training run for Dances With Dirt. I am currently leaning towards the marathon. If I can finish the marathon, I know I will be able to run another five miles.

My decision about which race I'm going to run should be made by the end of this week.

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, Cami Ostman
The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell
Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and America's Greatest Marathon, John Brant
Born to Run, Christopher McDougall
Iron Heart, Brian Boyle
Running With Joy: My Daily Journey to the Marathon, Ryan Hall
Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell

Currently Reading: Predator, Patrica Cornwell
Up Next: Port Mortuary, Patrica Cornwell

Road Ends 5 mile trail run

I ran the Road Ends 5 mile trail run Saturday in Pinckney. I have never run it before, so I didn't know what to expect. I signed up for it because I wanted to try something different. Trails are something different.

The course was very hilly and had tons of rocks and roots scattered all over the trail. I was always looking ahead of me to see the path ahead so I wouldn't trip or twist my ankles. At one point during the second mile, I didn't lift my foot up high enough and tripped and fell over a root. I was asked by two guys behind me if I was OK. I was. I ended up landing on my left hip. It is a little sore still this morning. Otherwise, no injuries.

Most of the first two miles included huge hills. I got up them, but they did take a lot out of me. I was really thankful that the third mile was mostly flat. I made up a minute or two by speeding up and passing a bunch of other people. There was a huge hill during mile 4. There was no point for me to try to run up it. I walked the hill like the others in front of me. It slowed my time. It basically wiped out the time I made up in mile 3.

I was pleased when I passed a volunteer and he said we had less then a quarter mile to go. I picked up my speed and headed towards the finish line. With less then 200 yards to go, I was sprinting towards the finish. I gave it all that I had. A guy that I passed during the race out sprinted me right at the finish line. He was less then a step ahead of me. I was hoping to hold him off. Besides the guy beating me right at the end and my fall, the race was really fun and challenging. I finished in 52:13:70. I improved my 5 mile trail run time by 26:05. I checked my previous 5 mile trail run time from February. I thought I improved by 19 minutes, I was wrong. I went off a different time. I improved my trail run time by 26:05. The improvement is huge. It is that big because the trail run I did earlier this year, snow was up to our knees. It is so much nicer running without snow to slow you down. I will be running this race again next year.

Prince William and Princess Catherine

Britian's Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, left, wave as they leave Westminster Abbey at the Royal Wedding in London Friday, April 29, 2011.
Associated Press Photo by Alastair Grant

Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge stand outside of Westminster Abbey after their Royal Wedding in London Friday, April, 29, 2011.
Associated Press Photo by Martin Meissner

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey, London, during their wedding service, Friday April 29, 2011.
Associated Press Photo by Anthony Devlin

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton exchange rings in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster Abbey, London, Friday April 29, 2011.
Associated Press Photo by Dominic Lipinski

Royal Wedding

I am looking forward to the royal wedding between Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton Friday. I know a lot of people aren't into it, but I am.

I am a total nerd. I have already set my DVR to record coverage from BBC America and NBC. I'm sure they will both show most of the same images, but I still want both. I always need something to watch while running on the treadmill. The BBC America coverage will be live and commercial free. Which will be nice. I won't have to pick up the remote and fast forward through the commercials.

Mike

Happy 37th birthday to my husband.
I love the first photo.

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, Cami Ostman
The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell
Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and America's Greatest Marathon, John Brant
Born to Run, Christopher McDougall
Iron Heart, Brian Boyle
Running With Joy: My Daily Journey to the Marathon, Ryan Hall

Currently Reading: Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell
Up Next: Predator, Patrica Cornewll

Glass City Half Marathon

Sharing a couple of photos from the Glass City Half Marathon from April 17, 2011 in Toledo, Ohio. I finished the half marathon with my best time ever at 1:56:53. A huge improvement by almost seven minutes from my previous half marathon, the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon, from October 2010.

Photo Credit: PBS Sports Photography

Random things

The end of Lent is near. Only one more hurdle standing in our way before Easter. Good Friday is today and I will be fasting again. I really hope I fast better today then I did on Ash Wednesday. I ate too much food and really felt bad. All of the meals that we eat on a fasting day are supposed to add up to one meal. I'm really going to stick with it today.

It will be a challenge again today. I will be running after work. I won't be running a marathon like I did on Ash Wednesday, but it will be a run of 15 miles. After my run, I hope just to have a banana or a protein drink for lunch. Both of those items aren't big. By the time I eat something small for dinner, everything I ate for the day will add up to one meal.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been eating too much food. I do run a lot of miles and I get hungry. That has been leading to overeating and I have gained a few pounds. I know I will be able to lose those pounds I gained by watching my food intake. I need to get back on track and stop eating everything in sight.

My plan was to run the trails today. I think I might be ditching that plan. The weather is calling for showers and temperatures in the 40s. Yes, I'm a cold weather wimp. It was in the 50s yesterday and I was wearing my winter coat and a hat. And I was still cold. If it rains on race day, I will still run the race. I paid money to do it and I don't like wasting money. I still have time next week to make it out to the trail to get in a final practice run before next Saturday's race.

Trails

My next race is April 30. It is not a road race, it is a trail race. I'm running the Road Ends 5 mile trail run. To prepare for the race, I need to get back on the trails and run.

My hope is to get back on the trail in town this week. But I don't know if it will happen because of the weather. There are thunderstorms predicted a couple of days this week. Later this week, there are a couple of possibilities to run on the trails. Friday is looking good. The forecast is supposed to be mostly cloudy and 50°.

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, Cami Ostman
The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell
Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and America's Greatest Marathon, John Brant
Born to Run, Christopher McDougall
Iron Heart, Brian Boyle

Currently Reading: Running With Joy: My Daily Journey to the Marathon, Ryan Hall
Up Next: Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell

Boston Marathon

The 115th Boston Marathon took place on Monday. I was bummed because I couldn't watch it. One of the reasons I couldn't watch it is because I was running at the time and the other reason is I don't have the Universal Sports channel. I could have watched it on the Internet through universalsports.com, but I really didn't want to pay to watch it.

After finishing my run, I checked twitter to see who won the race. I read that Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya ran the fastest marathon in history, finishing in 2:03:02. Ryan Hall had a great race. Hall became the fastest American in history with his fourth place time of 2:04:53.

On the women's side Rochester Hills, Michigan Desiree Davila finished second to Caroline Kilel. Kilel won the marathon in 2:22:36 and Davila ran 2:22:38. With that time, Davila became the third-fastest American woman in history behind Deena Kastor and Joan Benoit Samuelson. Fellow American Kara Goucher finished fifth with a personal best of 2:24:52.

Like I mentioned before, I didn't see the Boston Marathon because I was running. I turned on SportsCenter to catch a replay. I was extremely disappointed in what I saw. SportsCenter spent a total of 20-30 seconds talking about the Boston Marathon. And to top it off, they only showed highlights on the men's race. I guess the women's race, that was extremely close, didn't matter. I watched ESPN news later that evening and they actually showed highlights of the men's and women's wheelchair and the elite men and women. I finally got to see the end of the women's race and it was very exciting.

I wish ESPN would broadcast the Boston Marathon. In the area where I live, Universal Sports is not even offered. The Boston Marathon is a special event that many people are interested in. It should be shown on a station that most of the people in the area receive.

Photo Credits:
Photo of Mutai: Associated Press/Charles Krupa
Photo of Hall: Associated Press/Steven Senne
Photo of Davila: Associated Press/Michael Dwyer

Glass City Half Marathon

I wasn't nervous the entire weekend over the half marathon. If I was going to get a new personal record, it would happen. If I didn't get a PR, I knew I would have plenty more chances to get it.

The morning of the race, it was cold and very windy. I didn't know how the wind would affect my race. When I crossed the start line, I just ran the same pace as everyone around me. I didn't look at my watch until crossing the first mile. It read: 9:02. I thought to myself that was slow. But really it wasn't. I maintained that pace for basically the entire half marathon.

I knew when I crossed seven miles in 62 minutes I was going to get my PR. I just knew I had to keep running at the same pace. After running 11 miles, I looked at my watch to see the time. It read: 1:48. I told myself that if I happen to slow down to a 10 minute mile, I would still finish under two hours.

I hesitated looking at my watch near the finish. I didn't know if my time was where I wanted it to be. Before running into the Glass Bowl, I peaked at my watch. I couldn't believe it read 1:55. I was so happy. I wanted the best time possible, so I sprinted to the finish and crossed the line at 1:56:53. I beat my previous PR by almost 7 minutes.

I liked the course. It was nice and flat. I enjoyed running through the Ottawa Hills neighborhood and on the Metroparks paths. I'm thinking that Glass City will be the first marathon I run in 2012.

Weekend plans

So much to do this weekend. I've been waiting for this weekend since Sunday.

Our plans for Friday include a trip to Cabela's. Cabela's is a The North Face dealer and I want to check out the running clothes. I'm sure I'll find some clothing that I like. Hopefully it won't be too expensive. After checking out some clothes, my husband and I plan to see The Conspirator. It is directed by Robert Redford and it is about Mary Surratt, the female co-conspirator charged in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. After the movie, we will be eating dinner at Don Pablo's.

On Saturday, we will be traveling to Toledo to pick up my bib for the Glass City Half Marathon. Hit the expo and go eat some pasta for dinner. Sunday morning I will be toeing the line for my first half marathon on the year. I really hope I can run a sub-two hour half. That is my goal. If I fail to reach it Sunday, I will try again when I run my second half Memorial Day weekend.

The Kennedys

The Kennedys miniseries ended Sunday on ReelzChannel. I watched all eight parts and liked it. I love to read or watch anything about the Kennedys. The Kennedy's are just a fascinating family. Growing up privileged, having three family members hold positions in government and the many tragedies that pledged the family make for an excellent story.

As much as I enjoyed the miniseries, the critics didn't. Some critics said that there was "no chemistry between Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear." That "it's not very believable." And the miniseries is "woefully bad." I thought that Barry Pepper played the role of Bobby Kennedy very well. I thought he looked like and sounded like Bobby. I also liked Tom Wilkinson playing Joe Kennedy. Wilkinson acted the part wonderfully. After all of the books I've read about the family, I thought it was a great portrayal.

Running camps

I didn't run cross country in high school. The reason I didn't run cross country is because it wasn't offered as a sport. Cross Country was offered as a sport in the early 2000's, long after I graduated.

During the summer before the cross country season, the runners usually go to a camp. At these camps, the runners work on fundamentals, proper mechanics and gain valuable race experience. Now I think that sounds like fun. I would love to have a coach watch me run and tell me if I need to make corrections on my form. Most of the running camps that are offered are only for high school students. I don't fit into that category any more. I'm an adult, but I want to get better.

There are camps out there for adults and I've been using Google to find them. I'm unable to attend any camps this year, but I would love to attend one in the future. I'm sure there are more camps/retreats for adults but these are the ones that I found.

ZAP Fitness Adult Running Camps is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina between Boone and Blowing Rock. This year they are offering five camps. Starting in June, the have a Women's Mini Camp, in July Bear Week and Adult Running Vacation Camp. A marathon prep mini camp in August and an End of Summer Camp in September.

Mammoth Track Project has an adult running camp in September. I would love to attend it, but it is very expensive. The cost is $2,999. Some of the camp details are running twice a day on different terrains, eating organic and locally grown food, proper running development, bio mechanical efficiency, goal launching, body maintenance, nutrition and eating dinner with local Olympians.

Jeff Galloway Running Camps/Running Retreats has many locations which are nice. He has a camps in Vail, Colorado; Blue Mountain Beach, Florida; Lake Tahoe; Athens, Greece; Florence and Rome, Italy and Carmel, California.

Craftsbury Running Camps is located in Craftsbury Common, Vermont and this running camp is for runners of every level and age.

This isn't a camp, but an awesome training run that I want to do someday. The Western States Endurance Run has schedule training runs on the last 70 miles of the trail. These training runs are to help runners and newcomers to the event to get accustomed to the trail and the conditions on race day. The best part is you don't have to be a Western States runner to participate.

Books read in 2011

he Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, Cami Ostman
The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell
Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and America's Greatest Marathon, John Brant
Born to Run, Christopher McDougall

Currently Reading: Iron Heart, Brian Boyle
Up Next: Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell

Dad

John Wayne Clark
April 10, 1942 - August 15, 1998

I can't believe you have been gone for 13 years. Where has the time gone? It doesn't seem like it has been that long. Your 69th birthday was Sunday. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you and miss you.

A running life

I read Dean Karnazes' book, 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! and loved it. I watched the documentary about the Endurance 50, UltraMarathon Man: 50 Marathons - 50 States - 50 Days, and loved that as well. Watching Dean or reading his books inspire me to push myself to be a better runner. If you asked me last year if I ever wanted to run a marathon or beyond, I would have told you that I didn't have the desire to do it and I didn't have the time to train for it.

Back in January, something inside of me changed. I thought I was perfectly happy running half marathons. After reading an article in Running Times about New Year's resolutions, that is where I got the idea to start running 100 mile weeks. I thought I would try to run 100 mile weeks maybe a couple of times a year. That didn't last very long. After my first 100 mile week, I wanted to do it again. And I have. I have run 100 mile weeks nine times this year. For the next two weeks, I won't be doing that. I need to taper for a couple of races.

Another thing that changed was I wanted to run longer. Usually the marathon is the next step up after running half marathons. I basically skipped the marathon and signed up for a 50K. Not one, but two this year. I am ready for my next challenge. I have definitely put in the miles, I know I will be able to finish. My goal is to hopefully jump up to a 50 mile race in 2012. It all depends on how I do in this year's 50K.

I love running so much, I sometimes wish it was my job. I would love to be able to do what Dean is doing right now. He is running 3000 miles for 75 days straight in Run Across America. Run Across America was designed to inspire Americans to get up, get active and get healthy. I would love to wake up every morning and run in a different location and state. I know it would make me happy. Until then, I will have to settle for my 2-5 hour daily runs.

Can Lake 50K

I decided to enter a race over the weekend while talking with my husband. I will be running the Can Lake 50K in Canandaigua, New York on October 8, 2011. Besides going there to run in the race, we will be arriving early in New York for some day trips to other cities nearby.

What drew me to this 50K was that it is a road ultra and is mostly flat and friendly to first-time ultra runners. According to the website, there are a couple of climbs and hills. My first ultra will be run two weeks before at Dances With Dirt in Hell, Michigan. DWD isn't a flat course and its on trails. It will be difficult, but rewarding. I think I will be up to the challenge of running two 50Ks within two weeks of each other. I'm looking forward to it. I know I'll be walking a huge hill on this course. If I walk more along the way, that is fine. I'm just looking forward to participating in this wonderful race.

Top Photo: South End of Canandaigua Lake
Bottom picture: Map of the 50 mile and 50K course

Final two

It wasn't the ending I hoped for. At least the women's basketball final was closer then the men's final. Texas A&M Aggies defeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish 76-70 to win the national championship Tuesday.

I enjoyed watching the women's tournament this year. Before it started, I thought Connecticut and Stanford would be playing for the national championship. We were all wrong. It was great seeing two teams that nobody really expected to be playing for the championship.

Photo Credit: Associated Press/Mark Duncan

Books read in 2011

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned, Laurell K. Hamilton
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Origins, L.J. Smith
The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust, L.J. Smith
Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, Dean Karnazes
The Kennedy Detail, Gerald Blaine with Lisa McCubbin
The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After, Steven M Gillon
50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathon in 50 Days, Dean Karnazes
The Brotherhood: A Precinct 11 Novel, Jerry B. Jenkins
127 Hours, Aron Ralston
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, James W. Douglass
My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso
On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, Dick Russell
Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss, Dean Karnazes
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Second Wind: One Woman's Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, Cami Ostman
The Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell

Currently Reading: Dual in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley and America's Greatest Marathon, John Brant
Up Next: Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell

Iron Heart

While reading the current issue of TrailRunner magazine, I came across a wonderful article about Brian Boyle. Brian was driving home from swim practice in 2004, when he was in a car crash. He was flown to a shock-trauma hospital and he had lost sixty percent of his blood, his heart moved across his chest, his organs and pelvis were pulverized and was placed in a medically-induced coma. After all that happened to Brian, he ended up making a comeback. Three and a half years after his crash, Brian was an Ironman finisher in Kona, Hawaii.

In the article Boyle said that since he finished an Ironman, why not try ultra running? Boyle finished the JFK 50 Mile last November in 9:50. This coming July, Boyle will be taking on a 100 mile trail race.

If that isn't an amazing story, I don't know what is. Brian wrote a book about this experience. The book is called Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead. I ordered the book online over the weekend. I can't wait to read it.

Random things

I'm so disappointed. Thursday night was the one night only showing of My Run in movie theaters across the country. I really wanted to go to see it, but I couldn't. I had to work. My Run is the story of Terry Hitchcock losing his wife to breast cancer and raising three children. He wanted to bring attention to the difficult lives of singe parents. Hitchcock ran 75 marathons on 75 consecutive days. How incredible. It took me years to see Spirit of the Marathon. I hope it doesn't take years before I see documentary. I really hope it will be offered on Netflix.

After a long layoff, I finally ran some intervals Wednesday. I incorporated them into my 13.1 mile run. For the first four miles, I did 8x400m. The last two miles, I threw down 4x100m. I decided to try to do some speed work once a week. Ever since gas prices climbed, I haven't been joining my track club for Tuesday night workouts. I miss running with the group, but it is too expensive to keep filling up my car. Especially when I saw gas was $3.65 a gallon. I have the discipline to run over 100 miles by myself every week, I need to have the discipline to do speed work by myself also.

I photographed my first track meet of the year Wednesday. Its spring and March and that meant the weather was awful. The temperature was in the high 30s, but it was windy. The wind made it very cold just to be standing outside. I was wearing a sweatshirt, a hat and my winter coat but I was still cold. When I photograph events, it is hard for me to wear gloves and work. Gloves are bulky and it is hard to shoot and take notes. I went without gloves for the entire track meet. The track meet lasted about three hours. But I shouldn't complain, I wasn't wearing a track uniform and running in the cold like the kids were. I'm just happy that the track season has started. Warmer weather will be on the way.

The University of Toledo is about 35 minutes south of my home. The Toledo Rockets women's basketball team will be playing in the WNIT championship game Saturday at their home, Savage Arena, at 3 p.m. against the University of Southern California. The Rockets defeated UNC-Charlotte 83-60 in the WNIT semifinal Wednesday to advance to the final. Hope the Lady Rockets can pull off the win.