Calvary Cemetery VII - Toledo, OH

LiveCentred Half Marathon

I ran the LiveCentred Half Marathon Saturday. It was a great day to run. It was cool, sunny and hardly any wind. This was the day to chase a PR. Unfortunately, I didn't chase a PR. While running on Friday, my right hamstring started to get tight. It hurt. I stopped and stretched off a set of stairs. The stretching seemed to loosen my hamstring up. I was able to finish my run without any more issues. 

With my hamstring not at 100%, I knew I wouldn't be chasing a PR. I was OK with that. My main goal of the day was just to finish, have fun and not injury my sore hamstring. When the race started, I felt pretty good. I ran the first mile in 8:25. I just kept telling myself to push it while I could. I was also prepared to DNF if I needed to. I was able to pass a few people and a few people passed me.

I was on pace for the first 8 miles, which thrilled me. I lost some momentum at the aid station around mile 9. The first volunteer offered me water. I took it. The second volunteer with the Vitalyte wasn't extending his hand with a cup. He was holding it down in front of him. I had to stop and grab it from his hand. Just because I take water, I also want Vitalyte too. I started running again after snatching the cup from his hand. But my pace wasn't the same. 

Before reaching Mile 10, I was disappointed to see a woman pass me. She didn't only pass me, she was running away. Unknown to me, that woman was a relay member. She was so much faster because she just started running about 4 miles ago. Around this same time, I was able to chase down another woman. As I passed her she said "Good job" to me. I didn't have the energy to say anything, so I gave her a thumbs up.

Even though my hamstring wasn't feeling the best, I was surprised how easy the hills felt. Since my treadmill has been out of commission for nearly six weeks, I have been running hills practically everyday. The routes I ran had so many hills. Going up the hills didn't take much out of me at all. That was a pleasant surprise. 

After crossing mile 11, I saw a woman in front of me starting to walk. That pepped me right up. I was hoping she would continue walking so I could pull her in. She did start running again, but started walking again with about 1.5 miles to go. The course turned us on a dirt road that lead us uphill. She was walking on the hill. About halfway up the hill, she started running again. I was able to cut down the distance to half, but I couldn't get any closer.  I picked up the pace a little coming towards the finish line. I finished the race in an unofficial time of 2:02:03. I was happy to finish the race without aggravating my hamstring.

Favorite photos from September 9-13, 2013

Twelve years

My husband and I will be celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary Sunday.

These past 12 years together have flown by. Everyday he makes my life better and for that I'm thankful. I can't image my life without him.

Happy anniversary to my wonderful husband. I hope we have many more ahead of us.

Treadmill

nordictrack.com

The long wait is over.

It has been about five weeks since I last ran on a treadmill. A part on my old treadmill broke and couldn't be replaced. I have been waiting patiently for the replacement treadmill. And it finally arrived yesterday.

With my old treadmill have been out of commission, I have been running outside. Running outside hasn't been too bad. I ran in the rain, horrible humidity, had dogs chase me and almost got hit by three vehicles. I watched the drivers eyes the entire time, they never looked both ways and almost nailed in the crosswalk.

So for now, I will say goodbye to the city streets (unless I'm running a race) and hello to my new treadmill. We will be spending a lot of time together. And I can't wait.

Books read in 2013

Between Here and April, Deborah Copaken Kogan
Bleed for Me, Michael Robotham
The Making of a Royal Romance, Katie Nicholl 
Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II, Philip Eade
The Black Box, Michael Connelly
The Painted Girls, Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Drowning House, Elizabeth Black
Killing Kennedy, Bill O'Reilly
Argo, Antonio Mendez & Matt Baglio
Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the '60s and Beyond, Jane Maas
Marilyn Monroe: A Case for Murder, Jay Margolis 
Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, Mike Campbell
Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, Stephen Rebello
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, Susannah Cahalan
Detroit: An American Autopsy, Charlie LeDuff
Top of the Morning, Brian Stelter
A Private Disgrace: Lizze Borden by Daylight, Victoria Lincoln
Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen and the Greatest Race Ever Run, Matt Fitzgerald
Waiting to be Heard, Amanda Knox
Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, Scott Thorson & Alex Thorleifson
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness and Murder, Charles Graeber
The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story, Lily Koppel
The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America, Christian Wolmar
Banksy: The Man Behind the Wall, Will Ellsworth-Jones
Detroit City Is the Place to Be, Mark Binelli 
Wreck of the Wabash, Laurie C. Dickens  
Hidden History of Detroit, Amy Elliott Bragg
The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
Kate: The Biography, Marcia Moody
Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, Piper Kerman
Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City, Gordon Young
This Town, Mark Leibovich
City of Scoundrels, Gary Krist
Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America, Sam Roberts

Currently Reading: The Princess Diana Conspiracy, Alan Power

Calvary Cemetery VI - Toledo, OH

Favorite photos from September 2-5, 2013

Books read in 2013

Between Here and April, Deborah Copaken Kogan
Bleed for Me, Michael Robotham
The Making of a Royal Romance, Katie Nicholl 
Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II, Philip Eade
The Black Box, Michael Connelly
The Painted Girls, Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Drowning House, Elizabeth Black
Killing Kennedy, Bill O'Reilly
Argo, Antonio Mendez & Matt Baglio
Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the '60s and Beyond, Jane Maas
Marilyn Monroe: A Case for Murder, Jay Margolis 
Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last, Mike Campbell
Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, Stephen Rebello
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, Susannah Cahalan
Detroit: An American Autopsy, Charlie LeDuff
Top of the Morning, Brian Stelter
A Private Disgrace: Lizze Borden by Daylight, Victoria Lincoln
Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen and the Greatest Race Ever Run, Matt Fitzgerald
Waiting to be Heard, Amanda Knox
Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, Scott Thorson & Alex Thorleifson
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness and Murder, Charles Graeber
The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story, Lily Koppel
The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America, Christian Wolmar
Banksy: The Man Behind the Wall, Will Ellsworth-Jones
Detroit City Is the Place to Be, Mark Binelli 
Wreck of the Wabash, Laurie C. Dickens  
Hidden History of Detroit, Amy Elliott Bragg
The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
Kate: The Biography, Marcia Moody
Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, Piper Kerman
Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City, Gordon Young
This Town, Mark Leibovich
City of Scoundrels, Gary Krist


Currently Reading: Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America, Sam Roberts

Michigan Interscholastic Horsemanship Association District 10

For the next three weekends, the Michigan Interscholastic Horsemanship Association District 10 (MIHA) will host competitions at the county fairgrounds.

Area high school students take part in classes such as Saddle Seat Bareback, Saddle Seat Equitation, Saddle Seat Pattern, Hunt Seat Equitation, Saddle Seat Fitting & Showing, Western Fitting & Showing, Western Equitation, Western Bareback, Barrels, Stake Race and Reining. These classes are run simultaneously in two arenas next to each other.

As a novice, I don't know the difference between each class, like seat pattern or seat equitation. I don't know what the judges are looking for or what is good or bad. I just like to watch the horses and take photos. After I finish my morning run Sunday morning, I will be heading to the fairgrounds with my camera. Can't wait to see so many horses.

Calvary Cemetery V - Toledo, OH

Michigan State Fair

What a difference a year makes.

My husband and I attended the Great Lakes State Fair last year in Novi. The Great Lakes State Fair was the first year for a state fair after the former governor cut all funding to the Michigan State Fair. A state fair wasn't held in the state of Michigan in 2010 and 2011.

When we attended the GLSF in 2012, it was small and not much going on. Hardly any animals, exhibits, people, vendors and food items. I thought it was a shame. I remember the days of the Michigan State Fair at the state fairgrounds in Detroit. My brother took hogs to the fair one year. The fairgrounds were so huge and there was so much to see and do.

This year at the Michigan State Fair in Novi, there was a lineup in the parking lot. We had to wait in line just to park. There was also a line outside waiting to buy tickets. I purchased tickets online, so we skipped the long line. When we walked into the convention center, I was surprised to see so many people. Not only were there so many people, there were so many more animals, exhibits, vendors and merchants.

The main reason I wanted to go to the fair was to see the animals. We walked around for about an hour and I pet every animal I could. I was disappointed that when we saw the hogs, they were all sleeping. I did stick my hands in the pens to play with the hogs ears and snouts. Another thing that disappointed me was there were only a couple of horses. At my county fair, the pens are open and the horses can stick their heads over the gates. The pens for the horses were enclosed. The doors to the pens had wire doors that you couldn't stick your arm through to pet them. Other then the hogs and horses, there were plenty of other animals to see and pet. The fair also had dairy cows, steers, sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens. Most of these other animals were awake and happy to receive attention.

I hope to return to the Michigan State Fair again next year. I would love to see the fair get bigger and move to a different location. The fair has been held in a convention center for the last two years. The animals, exhibits and merchants are inside. The rides, vendors and circus are held outside of the convention center. It would be great to see the fair moved to an outdoor location that has plenty of space to make it feel like the state fairs of old.

Favorite photos from August 26-30, 2013