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
Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons, Ryan Powell & Eric Grossman
Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run, Marshall Ulrich
I'm Here to Win, Chris McCormack
Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell
The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness, Pam Reed
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, L.J. Smith
William and Kate: The Love Story, Christopher Andersen
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, William Kuhn
My Story, Sarah Ferguson
The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown
Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths, Jay Mulvaney
Sarah: The Life of a Duchess, Ingrid Seward
Diana in Private: The Princess Nobody Knows, Lady Campbell Colin
Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher

Currently Reading: The Death Valley 300, Richard Benyo
Up Next: Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself, Sarah Ferguson

Weekend update

I had a very pleasant weekend. It started with a trip to one of the local ice cream shops in town. They advertised that Friday was the return of the pumpkin flurry. Since I love anything pumpkin, I asked my husband if we could get some ice cream. I ordered a pumpkin flurry and it was so good. It had vanilla ice cream, pumpkin, graham cracker bits and whip cream. I will be heading back to the ice cream shop plenty of time's this fall to get the limited time pumpkin flurry.

After eating ice cream, we headed down to Toledo, Ohio. My husband and I did a little shopping. He got some new clothes as did I. After shopping we met up with one of my sister's and had dinner together at Don Pablo's.

Saturday morning was the start of a 24 hour run challenge on dailymile. I decided to run in the virtual 24 hour race because it would be fun. Challengers didn't have to run the entire time, just logging miles whenever you had the chance. I ran an easy six miles in the morning. I could have run more that morning, but I needed to get ready to photograph a college cross country invitational. The invitational started at 11 a.m. By then, it was hot and humid. I felt sorry for the runners. One of the women passed out during the race and was unable to finish.

At 8 p.m. Saturday night, I got on my treadmill and logged some more miles for the 24 hour race. I finished about 15 minutes before midnight, but I ran another 24 miles. That brought my total for the day to 30 miles. I could have probably gone a couple of more miles but at that point I had been awake for 20 hours. I was tired. I finished the challenge in ninth place with 30 miles and third woman overall. The winner of the challenge ran a total of 64 miles.

I woke up early on Sunday morning. After sleeping less then five hours, I was awake at 6 a.m. I thought about running, but I decided to take the day off. I finished up some work on the computer and worked on statements for an upcoming gallery exhibition that I'm in. I mentioned that I was tired and I ended up taking a two hour nap before noon. I also feel asleep on the couch while watching TV later that night for four hours. When I woke up, the clock read 11:45 p.m. With that I decided it was really time to head to bed.

I enjoyed my three day weekend. I wish I could have more of them.

World Championships Day 5 - 9

Day 6 of the Track and Field World Championships in Daegu, South Korea started well for the Americas. Team USA won three gold medals that night. The three gold medal day started with Jesse Williams. Williams became the first U.S. high jumper to win a world championship since 1991. He cleared 7 feet, 8 1/2 inches. Aleksey Dmitrik of Russia also cleared the same height, but Williams won the gold because of fewer misses.

The second gold of the day went to Jennifer Barringer Simpson in the women's 1500m. Like Williams, Barringer Simpson was the first American to win a world championship since Mary Decker Slaney in 1983. On the final lap, Barringer Simpson was in seventh place. With 200m to go, Barringer Simpson started working her way to the front. Running down the homestretch, Barringer Simpson passed everyone on the the outside from lane 2. She ended up winning in 4:05.40 and she finished ahead of Great Britain's Hannah England by two-tenths of a second.

The final gold medal of the day went to Lashinda Demus in the women's 400m Hurdles. Besides winning the gold, Demus also set an American record with her time of 52.47. Her time beat Kim Batten's previous AR time of 52.61.

Day 7 at the championships was another great day for the Americans. Dwight Philips won his fourth World Championship in the long jump. He won with his best jump of the season at 27 feet, 8 1/2 inches. The men's 4x400m relay that consisted of Greg Nixon, Bershawn Jackson, Angelo Taylor and LaShawn Merritt won gold in 2:59.31. In the women's 200m, Carmeliat Jeter and Allyson Felix won silver and bronze behind Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown. Campbell-Brown won with a time of 22.22. Jeter was second in 22.37 and Felix in third with a time of 22.42.

More medals were won by Team USA on Day 8. The women's 4x400m relay team of Sanya Richards-Ross, Allyson Felix, Jessica Beard and Francena McCorory defeated Jamaica with a time of 3:18.09 to win gold. In the women's 100m Hurdles, Danielle Carruthers and Dawn Harper placed second and third to Australila's Sally Pearson. Pearson won in a time of 12.28. Carruthers and Harper both finished with a time of 12.47. Carruthers out leaned Harper at the finish line to claim silver. Walter Dix finished behind Jamaica's Usain Bolt to win silver in the men's 200m. Bolt defended his 200m title with a time of 19.40. Dix ran a season's best time of 19.70. In the men's 1500m, Matt Centrowitz won the bronze medal in 3:36.08. Centrowitz finished behind Kenya's Asbel Kiprop and Silas Kiplagat.

On the ninth and final day of competition, the USA won more medals. In the men's triple jump, the US won gold and bronze. With a leap of 58 feet, 11 1/4 inches Christian Taylor won gold and Will Claye won bronze with a jump of 57 feet, 4 inches. Bernard Lagat finished second behind Great Britain's Mohammed Farah in the men's 5000m to win a silver medal with a time of 13:23.64. The US women won gold in the 4x100m relay. The team of Bianca Knight, Allyson Felix, Marshevet Myers and Carmelita Jeter beat Jamaica to win in 41.56. With that victory Felix won four medals at the World Championships (2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze).

The United States won the most medals during the championships with 25. They won 12 gold, 8 silver and 5 bronze. I would say it was a successful World Championships for the USA.

Photo Credit for Felix & Jeter: Adrian Dennis/Getty Images
Photo Credit Barringer Simpson : Photo Run

Michigan football

The season opener for the University of Michigan Wolverines starts Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Wolverines will be playing Western Michigan Broncos.

Much has happened since last season. Former coach Rich Rodriguez was fired on January 5 and on January 11 Brady Hoke was hired. Hoke was head coach at Ball State and San Diego State. He did spend eight seasons in Ann Arbor coaching the defensive line before leaving for Ball State to start his head coaching career. Hoke was on Michigan's coaching staff during the 1997 National Championship season.

I'm very optimistic about the upcoming football season for the Wolverines. Under Rodriguez, the Wolverines were awful. His coaching record at UM was 15-22. I think the Wolverines can do better with Hoke at the helm. He has been apart of the system, on staff during their National Championship season and he knows Michigan's style of football. Hopefully things will get better in Ann Arbor. I don't think I could watch another season of horrible football at Michigan.

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
Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons, Ryan Powell & Eric Grossman
Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run, Marshall Ulrich
I'm Here to Win, Chris McCormack
Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell
The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness, Pam Reed
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, L.J. Smith
William and Kate: The Love Story, Christopher Andersen
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, William Kuhn
My Story, Sarah Ferguson
The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown
Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths, Jay Mulvaney
Sarah: The Life of a Duchess, Ingrid Seward
Diana in Private: The Princess Nobody Knows, Lady Campbell Colin

Currently Reading: Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
Up Next: The Death Valley 300, Richard Benyo

World Championships Day 3 & 4

The Track and Field World Championships in Daegu, South Korea continue on after the shocking 100m men's final without Usain Bolt.

Amantle Montscho of Botswana just nipped Allyson Felix of the United States in the 400m final. Montsho won the event in 49.56 over Felix who ran 49.59. Anastasiya Kapachinskaya of Russia was third in 50.24. Montscho won the first World Championship medal for her country of Botswana.

USA's Carmelita Jeter won the 100m dash in 10.90. Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown was second in 10.97 and Trinidad and Tobago's Kelly-Ann Baptiste claimed third in 10.98. This is the first World Championship for Jeter. In previous World Championships she has earned bronze twice.

In men's 110m hurdles, there was a disqualification. Dayron Robles of Cuba came across the finish line first in 13.14 but was later stripped of his gold medal for interfering with China's Liu Xiang. Robles made contact with Xiang twice during the race. When Robles was disqualified, that gave Jason Richardson of the US the gold medal, who had finished second. Richardson finished in 13.16 and Xiang won silver with a finish of 13.27. Andrew Turner of Great Britain won bronze with a time of 13.44.

Day 4 finals included the men's 800m, women's heptahlon and the men's 400m. Sadly out of those three finals, only one American won a medal. LaShawn Merritt won the silver in the 400m in a time of 44.63. Nick Symmonds ran in the 800m final. Symmonds finished in 5th place with a time of 1:45.12. The winner of the event was David Lekuta Rudisha of Kenya. In the women's heptathlon, the highest placing American was Sharon Day in 18th place.

Felix photo credit: David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Jeter photo credit: Kevin Frayer/Associated Press

Gifts

My wedding anniversary is just over three weeks away. I was talking with my husband sometime last week about what kind of gift that he wanted for our 10th wedding anniversary. He said he didn't know. He then asked me the same question and I also didn't know.

I Googled 10th wedding anniversary gifts earlier and found out that the traditional ten year gift was tin or aluminum. According to about.com, "tin and aluminum is a symbol of how a successful marriage needs to be flexible and durable and how it can be bent without being broken." Which I didn't know.

My husband and I both came up with a good idea. We have been using the same baking sheets and cake pans that we received as gifts from our wedding. Those pans and sheets are in rough shape. They have quite a bit of rust on them. Our idea was to replace them. Over the weekend, my husband and I drove to Toledo, Ohio to shop at Bed Bath & Beyond. We bought new cake pans, cookie sheets, spatulas, cheese grater and a plate grill. We bought the plate grill because I've been wanted a panini press for a while.

Its been a wonderful ten years with my husband. Hopefully if our pans rust, we don't wait another ten years to replace them.

World Championships Day 1 & 2

The IAAF Track and Field World Championships have only been going on since Saturday and so much as already happened.

The big news out of Daegu, South Korea was Usain Bolt of Jamaica was disqualified from the 100m final for a false start on day 2. With Bolt out of the final, fellow countrymen Yohan Blake won with a time of 9.92. Walter Dix of the United States, was second in 10.08 and in third was Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis, 10.09.

On the first day of the World Championships, Kenya swept the medals in the women's marathon and the women's 10,000m. Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat won the marathon in 2:28:43. Kiplagat did have an issue during the marathon. Heading into a water stop, she ran in front of Kenyan runner Sharon Cherop. Their feet got tangled and Kiplagat fell onto the pavement, hitting bother of her knees. Cherop helped Kiplagat get up and she continued running to claim the gold.

In the women's 10,000m final, Kenya swept first through fourth place. Vivan Jepkemoi Cheruiyot was the winner in 30:48.98. Shalane Flanagan was the United States highest finisher in seventh place with a time of 31:25.57.

Also on day 2 of the championships, the United States won their first four medals. In the men's decathlon, Trey Hardee, won his second consecutive world title. While teammate Ashton Eaton won the silver medal in his first year at the championship. Eaton is the first American to win silver in the decathlon at the World Championships. In the women's long jump, Brittany Reese won the gold with a leap of 22 4.5 feet/6.82 meters. Mentioned earlier, Walter Dix won silver in the men's 100m.





Bolt photo credit: Kevin Frayer/Associated Press
Hardee photo credit: David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Daegu

I've been waiting for these next nine days all year. Tomorrow is the start of a glorious two weeks of Track and Field World Championships in Daegu, Korea.

The first event of the championships is the marathon. Representing the US women is Katherine Newberry, Alissa McKaig, Collen DeRuck, Tera Moody and Zoila Gomez. The runners on the US men's team is Nicholas Arciniaga, Michael Morgan, Sergio Reyes, Jeffrey Eggleston and Mike Sayenko.

All of the World Championships will be broadcasted. Most of the coverage will be on Universal Sports channel. I'm really disappointed about that. My dish company doesn't have that channel. I will have to settle for the NBC coverage. NBC will be broadcasting the championships for four days only. Only four days out of nine possible days. Boo. But I will take what I can get because I love track. Can't wait to watch the best athletes in the world compete against each other.

Graffiti Alley II

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
Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons, Ryan Powell & Eric Grossman
Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run, Marshall Ulrich
I'm Here to Win, Chris McCormack
Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell
The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness, Pam Reed
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, L.J. Smith
William and Kate: The Love Story, Christopher Andersen
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, William Kuhn
My Story, Sarah Ferguson
The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown
Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths, Jay Mulvaney

Currently Reading: Sarah: The Life of a Duchess, Ingrid Seward
Up Next: Diana in Private: The Princess Nobody Knows, Lady Campbell Colin

Oiselle Racing Team

I follow Oiselle, a women's running apparel company, on twitter and in a random tweet a photo was linked. The photo was of a couple of runners wearing a Oiselle racing tank. I sent Oiselle a direct message asking if those tanks were sold on the website. I received a replay saying that members of the Oiselle Racing Team wear them. If I was interested in the team, I could receive more information about becoming a member.

I was interested in the team, so I followed up with an email. I received a questionnaire. I filled it out, sent it back and waited. I heard from Sarah, marketing director of Oiselle, that they have recently received many applicants for the team. It was going to take time to sort through all of them and decide on new members. About three weeks after my initial email, I was informed that I was selected for the team.

I'm thrilled that I was selected to join the running team. My bio page is on the same page as many other wonderful women runners. I'm so honored to be apart of a fantastic group of women and this wonderful company.

New York

My husband told me last week that he may not be able to take time off of work in October. That didn't make me happy. I will be running my second 50K in October. It will be my first road 50K and it is in the great state of New York.

If my husband is unable to get the time off, I will be going to New York alone. Besides driving to the race location alone, I wouldn't have a pacer. I would have to rely on myself and the aid stations for everything I need. I trust I would be able to pack a couple of drop bags and my Camelbak full of items I may need. I read and heard that most ultras have well stocked aid stations and wonderful volunteers. I'm sure the volunteers would encourage me to keep going, but it would be great to hear those words from my husband.

I run multiple races every year. I will have run 20 by the end of this year. My husband doesn't get to see me race often. He was with me when I ran half marathons in Toledo, Ohio and Boston. Even though I didn't see him when I was running, I knew he would be waiting for me at the finish line. That was a great feeling to know that out of the thousands of people at the race, I had someone waiting for me. It was wonderful to see him immediately following the race telling me I did great.

My husband will only see race two more times this year. Hopefully he will be with me in New York and then in Detroit when I run my last half marathon for the year. Having him there just makes the run and the day special. Running is a huge part of my life. It is nice to be able to him share that with him, if only for a couple of races.

Graffiti Alley - Ann Arbor, MI

Just a little taste of Graffiti Alley in Ann Arbor. I wanted to photograph this alley for years. I finally had my chance last Friday. It was wonderful. Beautiful colors everywhere you looked.

Sauder Village III

Books read in 2011

A few years ago I tried reading, The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown. I only got about 150 pages into the book. I had to return the book back to the library two weeks after I checked it out. The library has a two week limit on new books. When I checked out this book and a couple of others, I read a couple of other books first. After completing those books, it was then I realized I only had a couple of days to finish The Diana Chronicles before it had to be returned to the library. I was sad that I never finished the book.

I saw this book on the shelf the last time I was at the library. I checked it out because I wanted to finish the book. I'm glad I checked it out again because it was a good read. But I like to read any book that about Diana.

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
Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons, Ryan Powell & Eric Grossman
Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run, Marshall Ulrich
I'm Here to Win, Chris McCormack
Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell
The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness, Pam Reed
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, L.J. Smith
William and Kate: The Love Story, Christopher Andersen
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, William Kuhn
My Story, Sarah Ferguson
The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown

Currently Reading: Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths, Jay Mulvaney
Up Next: Sarah: The Life of a Duchess, Ingrid Seward

Sauder Village II

Pittsford Wildcat Cross Country 5K

I ran the Pittsford Wildcats Cross Country 5K on Saturday. I have only photographed cross country on this course. I have never run on it.

I ran a warm up on the course before the race started. The first thing I noticed was all of the hills and very long inclines. I decided that I would just make a go of it and try my best.

When the gun went off, I found myself near the back of the pack. I was able to use my speed coming off the first huge downhill and started to pass runners. At the start of the race was the only time people passed me. No one else passed me for the rest of the race.

My goal before the first mile was to pass the group ahead of me. In the group was a guy, woman, teen girl and teen boy. I ended up passing all of them. I even passed some of them while running uphill. I ran my first mile in 8:59. Which I thought wasn't bad considering the hilly cross country course.

For the second mile, I had a group in front of me. The group included a couple of boys, girls, guys and a woman. I used the flat part of the course to increase my speed and go faster. But mile two did have its share of hills and long inclines. I worked hard and used my arms while running uphill. I caught two girls before reaching the mile marker 2. I passed the second mile in 9:18. I was slowing down. I knew where I lost time. It was back on the hills and the long inclines.

After reaching mile two, there were two teen boys and a woman ahead of me. I wanted to pass all of them before the end of the race. The boys were closer to me then the woman. My immediate goal was to catch them. I ended up catching up to one of the boys. I followed him for a while and finally passed him on a curve on the course. I tried my hardest to catch the other teen and the woman, but the final hill on the course got me. The course ended with a huge uphill and I lost time to both of them.

I was pleased with my effort on the cross country course. I didn't expect all of the hills and inclines. I did the best that I could. I finished the 5K in 28:24:24 and placed first in my age group. They awarded medals to the top five runners in each age group. I was excited to find out that I topped four other women to win my age group.

I think I will run this race again next year. Pittsford has a nice course and I want to run better on the hills and inclines. Now that I know what to expect when running on that course, I hope to lower my time next year.

Miles run in 2011

At the beginning of the year, I didn't expect this at all. I have already run over 3000 miles and it is only August.

My New Year's goals included continuing to run 80 mile weeks. Which I have done. Another goal was to push myself and increase to 90/100 mile weeks. That has also been done. A lot . I only wanted to reach that a couple of times this year. I said that because I was unsure if I could actually run that many miles in a week. But I know I can. And I do it week after week.

The year 2011 is already half over. It has been a great running year for me. I will be running my first ultra in just over a month. I'm really looking forward to the new challenge.

2011: 3096.3

2010: 1483.4

2009: 656.6

2008: 643.2

2007: 329.6

2006: 308.9

2005: 223.8

2004: 191.4

Ann Arbor

My husband and I enjoyed our day trip to Sauder Village last that we are doing it again. This time we are heading north to Ann Arbor.

My husband and I don't go to Ann Arbor very often. It is about 40 minutes away from our home. When we go out of town, we usually head to Toledo, Ohio. Toledo is actually closer to our home, but we know Toledo better then Ann Arbor. It seems like it would be the other way around since Ann Arbor is in the state I live in.

We are going to the University of Michigan Museum of Art, University of Michigan Bookstore and Graffiti Alley. We may also walk around campus and stop at other locations. Nothing has been set in stone yet, except for the first three places. I haven't been on campus, besides the track building, in years. I'm not sure when the last time my husband was on the campus. I picked the museum because I want to see a contemporary Chinese woodblock exhibit and other fine works of art. The bookstore made the list because I love books and I would like to shop for some new Michigan clothing. Graffiti Alley had been on my list of places to go to for years. I love graffiti and a whole alley dedicated to it.

Should be another fun day trip.

Books read in 2011

I'm currently reading some library books. I have noticed that people like to bend corners and pages, write in them or tear out pages. I just finished reading My Story by Sarah Ferguson. Someone thought it would be a good idea to change York to Pork. It was done several times in the book. Another reader obviously didn't like it. They got some Wite-Out and went over the changed letter. When it dried, a Y was written. It saddens me that an adult did that. Can't they be mature enough to not write in a library book?

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
Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons, Ryan Powell & Eric Grossman
Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run, Marshall Ulrich
I'm Here to Win, Chris McCormack
Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell
The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness, Pam Reed
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, L.J. Smith
William and Kate: The Love Story, Christopher Andersen
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, William Kuhn
My Story, Sarah Ferguson

Currently Reading: The Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown
Up Next: Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers, Myths, Jay Mulvaney

Community Day 5K

Before the race, the race director said to me that this was a PR course. He asked me if I was going to get one today. I told him, "I'll try."

When the race was started, I found myself going slower then normal. I don't know why I was doing that. I asked myself, "What am I doing?" After that, I picked up my pace. I started passing runners around the half mile.

I was running a fast pace and holding it. Times were being yelled out at the mile. I passed in 7:59. My goal for the second mile was to pass the two women in front of me. I started to reel both of them in. I passed both of them before hitting 1.5 miles. My next targets was a couple of boys and teens. I keep steady and I was getting closer to them. I passed them after crossing the two mile mark in 16:24.

My goal for the last mile was to hold my pace until the end. If I could do that, I would have a new 5K PR. Just ahead of me was a guy and another teen. I caught up to and passed the guy. The teen wasn't as easy. I ran behind the teen for a while. We turned left around a corner and he stayed on the right side of the road. I headed to the left side of the road. I was ahead of him until we started up a incline. It was then I heard many footsteps behind me. I didn't turn around for I knew the group I passed around two miles was coming to get me.

The group of 4-5 passed me with .25 miles to go. I was hanging with them until they found another gear. I couldn't keep up with them. I let them go. I finished the 5K in 25:45:74. I was 45 seconds off of a PR. I was 30th overall out of 94 or 95 runners and finished third in my age group. Even though I didn't get a PR, I was still pleased with the 5K. I was very happy with the way I ran the first 2.5 miles of the race. I want to be able to hold onto that pace for the last half mile of the race. That is something I will definitely keep working on.

Sauder Village

Sauder Village is located in Archbold, Ohio. It was about a 45 minute drive from my home in Michigan.

My husband and I enjoyed walking around the historic village. The building I most enjoyed was the W.O Taylor Printing Office. Inside the printing office, it housed the "Archbold Herald", the community's first newspaper. I loved see the hand press and the linotype. My favorite was the backwards words and letters. I work at a newspaper and we have the latest technology. It was nice to see how far the newspaper business has come.

Day trip

No work for me today. I have three weeks of vacation left this year. I took today off. It is just a nice three day weekend.

Besides sleeping in and running, I actually have something planned. My husband and I will be traveling to the Historic Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio. The last time I was there was in fourth grade. I really don't remember too much about it, except for the gift shop. Sauder Village is a living-history village. It shows how life was in the late 19th and early 20th century in northwest Ohio.

It should be a fun time.

Sarah

I was reading the book William and Kate: The Love Story by Christopher Andersen a few weeks ago. In the last few pages of the book it mentioned Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. The blurb mentioned that she was going to have a show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN, in June 2011. The show was called, Finding Sarah.

Reading that sentence, piqued my interest. I really didn't know that much about Sarah. Sarah married Prince Andrew when I was almost 7 years old. I vaguely remember their wedding. In 1996, Prince Andrew and Sarah divorced. They had two daughters during their marriage, Beatrice and Eugenie. Probably what I remember about her most was she was a spokesperson for Weight Watchers.

I did a search on the TV and found the show Finding Sarah. I DVR'd all six hour episodes. I found out that so much has gone on in her life. The biggest scandal was when she was caught by a newspaper reporter selling access to her former husband Prince Andrew for $40,000. Sarah is trying to rebuild her life after the scandal.

The six part series, follows Sarah as she changes her life. Over the course of the series, she receives help from Dr. Phil McGraw, Suze Orman, a shamn and a horse whisperer. Besides receiving help mentally, she also gets physical help also. Sarah wanted to get back into shape and agreed to do a 26 mile trek in Yellowknife, Canada with a trainer.

Throughout the six part series, the viewer can see the changes in her. The Duchess has come to terms with her past failures, family issues, scandals. After all of it, she looks at herself differently and has a better self worth. I enjoyed the series. It was a wonderful journey for Sarah and the viewer can see the changes in her. I hope she continues to have a positive outlook on life and to do what's best for herself.

Kindle

My sister stopped by my house Saturday to drop off a birthday card for me. Inside the card was a gift certificate to Amazon. She said I could use the money towards a Kindle or books, whatever I wanted.

I think I want a Kindle. The problem is I won't be able to purchase one right away. I need to save some money to pay for the rest of it. I think I'm still on the fence about it. I should probably buy it because I read a ton of books. Buying many hardcover books isn't cheap. If I bought the Kindle, eBooks are cheaper in most cases. I wouldn't have another stack of books in my office that I would donate to the library in a year or two. On the other hand, I do like holding a book in my hands. I still enjoy going to the library. I know I wouldn't have to give up the library. I probably wouldn't have to give up buying books. With Borders going out of business, my book purchases will probably drop some.

GRRR! I know I'll figure out what I'm going to do soon. It is just that a Kindle is a big investment. I just want to make sure it is the best decision for me.

Books read in 2011

Last Friday was the first time all year that I been to the local library. What brought me back to the library was the box of books I donated. When I walked up to the desk with a huge box, the librarian said with a smile, "This isn't the post office." I thought that was a cute joke. She was pleased to receive the donation.

Besides dropping off the donated books, I needed something to read. I mentioned last week giving up on a book after only reading a chapter. I looked in the young adult section first and nothing caught my eye. Then I headed upstairs to the younger children's books looking for Harry Potter. I found the shelf where the Harry Potter books where and they were cleaned out. The only Harry Potter book left on the shelf was book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. That doesn't do me any good when you want to read the series from the beginning. So I went back downstairs to my original love: biographies.

I found several books quickly. The books I put in my library bag where about my favorite people to read about: Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana and my new favorite Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. I checked out only five books. They are due back on August 25. I'm sure I'll finish them in plenty of time.

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
Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons, Ryan Powell & Eric Grossman
Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss and a Record-Setting Run, Marshall Ulrich
I'm Here to Win, Chris McCormack
Book of the Dead, Patricia Cornwell
The Extra Mile: One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness, Pam Reed
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls, L.J. Smith
William and Kate: The Love Story, Christopher Andersen

Currently Reading: Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books, William Kuhn
Up Next: My Story, Sarah Ferguson

Weekend update

Since I didn't have a race Saturday morning, I decided to take a rest day. I shocked my husband when I said I wasn't planning on running. He said that it was weird because I usually run. Taking the day off of running, let me do some other things.

After picking up a few items at the grocery store, I watched the movie Love Actually. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this movie. The huge cast was mainly British actors in the leading roles, except for Laura Linney. This movie is about love shown through ten different storylines. What really made it interesting is how some of these characters interacted with other characters from the movie. Some where friends, co-workers and family. The movie flowed well and connected everything. The character I enjoyed the most was Rufus. Rufus was only a minor character, but he was played by Rowan Atkinson. Rowan Atkinson is well known for his role as Mr. Bean. Atkinson played the role of a jewelery salesman who can't wrap a gift fast enough for Alan Rickman.

I was a little confused at the end of the movie. Most of the characters are meeting loved ones at Heathrow Airport. Alan Rickman just got back from a flight alone. He is met by his wife, played by Emma Thompson. Alan and Emma's characters kissed each other on the cheeck. They didn't look too in love to me. I had to Google it to make sure they were still together. I guess the movie could have made it more clear. Yes, I'm a nerd.

I woke up with my husband's alarm on Sunday morning. After he went to work, I ran 20 miles. I could have probably run a couple more miles, but I thought 122 miles run for the week was enough. I can always run more this week. After my run, I read and took a short nap before going to my niece's birthday party.

My niece turned three on Sunday. My sister hosted a lunch for family for the occasion. My niece blew out her candles on her cake after lunch. My sister gave her a piece of cake. She said she didn't want it. It didn't go to waste. I ate it. That cake was very light, fluffy and delicious. I can never turn down cake. I bought my niece a Beanie Baby lion named Midas. I bought it because it is something that I thought was cute and I actually wanted it for myself. Yes, I'm 32 and I still have stuffed animals. #Nerd.

I didn't go big with her present because I knew my brother and sisters would do that. My niece got many gifts. When she was opening them, it looked like Christmas. My brother-in-law, my niece's dad, said "she's not spoiled" in a sarcastic way. Everyone spoils them. She loved all of her gifts. She couldn't decided to play with first. My sister, her mom, bought her some Disney princess glamour shoes. It was a 4-pack. Once the box was opened, my niece tried on all of them. She decided to wear the blue pair. She looked so fancy in her heels.

It was a nice and relaxing weekend. Spent time watching a movie, reading, running and seeing family. I wish I had more of these weekends to enjoy.