Calvary Cemetery I - Toledo, OH

World Outdoor Track and Field Championship TV schedule

Track & Field News posted the TV schedule of the upcoming World Outdoor Track and Field Championships that will be held in Moscow, Russia from August 10-18. All of the TV coverage will be on Universal Sports Network and NBC.

Broadcast schedule:

All times ET – Schedule subject to change

Sat., Aug. 10          1:30 – 5:30 a.m. LIVE - Day Session - Universal Sports 

Sat., Aug. 10          3:30 – 5:00 p.m.  - Evening Session - NBC                                                       

Sat., Aug. 10          7:00 – 8:30 p.m. - Evening Session (Re-Air) - Universal Sports                          

Sun., Aug. 11         1:00 – 5:00 a.m. LIVE - Day Session - Universal Sports                                        

Sun., Aug. 11         12:30 – 2:00 p.m. -  Evening Session - NBC

Sun., Aug. 11         7:00 – 8:30 p.m.  - Evening Session (Re-Air) - Universal Sports 

Mon., Aug. 12       1:30 – 4:30 a.m. LIVE - Day Session - Universal Sports 

Mon., Aug. 12       12:00 – 2:00 p.m. LIVE - Evening Session - Universal Sports 

Tue., Aug. 13         1:30 – 5:30 a.m. LIVE - Day Session - Universal Sports 

Tue., Aug. 13         12:00 – 2:00 p.m. LIVE - Evening Session - Universal Sports 

Wed., Aug. 14       12:30 – 4:00 a.m. LIVE - Day Session - Universal Sports 

Thur., Aug. 15       1:30 – 4:00 a.m. LIVE - Day Session - Universal Sports  

Thur., Aug. 15       11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. LIVE - Evening Session - Universal Sports

Fri., Aug. 16           1:30 – 4:00 a.m. LIVE - Day Session - Universal Sports 

Fri., Aug. 16           11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. LIVE - Evening Session - Universal Sports

Sat., Aug 17           12:00 – 12:30 p.m. LIVE - Evening Session - NBC

Sat., Aug 17           12:30 – 2:30 p.m. - Men’s Marathon - Universal Sports

Sat., Aug 17           2:30 – 4:00 p.m. - Evening Session - NBC

Sat., Aug 17           9:00 – 10:30 p.m. - Evening Session (Re-Air) - Universal Sports

Sun., Aug 18          2:30 – 4:00 p.m. - Evening Session - NBC

Sun., Aug 18          7:00 – 8:30 p.m. - Evening Session (Re-Air) - Universal Sports

Hudson Booster Cross Country 5K Open

I ran the Hudson Booster Cross Country 5K Open Saturday. This is one of my favorite races of the year. I have been running this race since 2003. It takes place on one of the county's toughest high school cross country courses.

It rained before the race and during the race. Besides the rain, we were also dealing with humidity. The humidity at race time was above 90%. When the course is dry, it is super fast. Since it had been raining, the course was slow. Most of the course is grass, except for loose dirt on most of the bigger hills. The loose dirt hadn't turned to complete mud yet, but if it rained more, it would have been.

After the horn sounded, I found myself in the middle of the pack again. A bunch of people in front of me were taking off and creating a gap. I wondered to myself if I was starting too slowly. Probably 400 meters into the race, the people that started out quickly, I found myself catching up with them. Before making a turn into the woods, I passed 4-5 other runners. When running into the woods, the grass turns to dirt. The dirt was soft. The path takes us to our first downhill and I was watching my step. I mentioned the dirt was soft, but also loose. I put both of my arms out straight for balance. Going down the first hill, the course goes around a bend and leads to an uphill. The uphill is steep and the dirt was soft and loose. I decided to run on the left side of the hill on grass. The footing was a little better.

Once I climbed the uphill, I found myself behind a pack of teen girls. I followed them on the path that soon would lead us out of the woods. When leaving the woods, the path opens up to a grassy hillside. With plenty of room, I passed the girls on the right side. When I was in front of them, I was alone for a while.

I caught up to another group around the mile marker. I ended up staying behind them. The start of mile 2 leads us into woods again and more hills. I could tell that I was slowing down because the pack in front of me was getting away. I was able to catch up to three of the runners when they stopped for water at an aid station. While passing them, I caught up to two more teen girls. I hung behind them for a couple of minutes. I ended up passing them and soon some teen boys.

Running towards mile marker two, I ended up passing a guy. The course takes us from a straightaway onto a short uphill climb into a wooded section. The guy ended up passing me on my right heading into the woods. I was hoping to stay on him, but he slowly started pulling away. Heading out of the wooded area, we had to running around the outside of the high school track. It was there that I caught and passed a teen boy and a girl. The boy looked like he had nothing left, but the young girl looked like she was still going strong.

At this point there is only a half mile until the end of the race. I could hear people running behind me, so I tried to keep a good pace to keep them behind me. The course leads us back into the woods that we ran in at the beginning of the race. So that meant I had a huge downhill first then an uphill second. On the downhill, I took my time. I remember seeing people losing their footing on this hill in previous years and I really didn't want to do a header. When I was at the bottom of the hill, I knew I needed to pick it up. The last uphill wasn't too bad. The loose dirt slowed me down a little. Heading out into the woods, I knew I needed a good last kick. I started my final sprint and was happy that no one caught me. Soon after that thought, I heard a mother yell at her daughter to catch me. With about 20 meters left, the girl caught me on the left and passed me. I wasn't too upset that she caught me. We were both sprinting and working hard. Her kick was just better then mine. I finished the race in 28:43.54 and placed first in my age group.

34

Today is my 34th birthday. Besides having cake, I'm not really celebrating. My husband will be going to work at 2 p.m., so that basically threw any plans out of the window. I might meet my Mom and a couple of sisters at the county fair. Other then that, there are no plans. Unless you count the grocery store.

I celebrated my birthday on July 24 because my husband and I both had the afternoon free. After waking up from our afternoon naps at 3 p.m., we drove down to Toledo, Ohio. My husband asked me what I wanted to do and I wanted to photograph graffiti. But since I didn't know where any graffiti was in the city of Toledo, I picked another love of mine. I wanted to photograph statues and mausoleums at a cemetery. I picked Calvary Cemetery. 

When we pulled into the cemetery, I thought it looked familiar. My husband said this was the second cemetery that we vistied last year on my birthday. We drove through it, but I didn't take a single photo. I didn't take any photos because the first cemetery we visited last year, Woodlawn Cemetery, was so awesome. So many masoleums and statues. And a very cool old bridge in the middle of the cemetery. I could have spent all day at Woodlawn.

I was disappointed because I thought I was going to see a new cemetery, but since we were there, I got out of the car to take photos. I photographed a few mausoleums, statues and two huge sculptures. Before leaving the cemetery, I took photos of the building that houses the indoor mausoleums, it was so beautiful. So the trip wasn't a total wash. After the cemetery, we met up with one of my sisters for dinner and had a good time. We laughed a lot. I'm sure the people sitting around us were happy to see us leave.

My husband and I planned to do something next week to finish celebrating my birthday. He wanted to do something else for me since he is working all day on my birthday. The plans for next week include a round of putt-putt (mini golf), a trip to Cabela's and dinner. I'm already looking forward to this fun date.

Lenawee County Fair Queen

Abby Jo Carpenter was crowned 2013 Lenawee County Fair Queen by 2012 Lenawee County Fair Queen Sarah Baker Sunday, July 21.

Haute Volée

As a member of the Oiselle team, I was excited to read about the announcement Tuesday of the Haute Volée (french for high flyer) or elite team. These 24 women will represent the Oiselle brand at races and meets around the country. The team is a mix of veteran runners and recent college graduates.

Bio's of all 24 members is up on the Oiselle blog. Go and read about these fabulous, fast women.

Haute Volée team members: 
Deanna Ardrey
Christine Babcock
Jen Bigham
Stacy Cail
Caitlin Comfort
Allison Delancey
Rebecca Donaghue
Lauren Fleshman
Betsy Flood
Kara Foster
Melissa Gacek
Marci Gage
Kate Grace
Britney Henry
Allsion Krausen
Collier Lawrence
Mel Lawrence
Allison Maxson
Amanda Mergaert
Lauren Penney
Sarah Robinson
Megan Rolland
Amanda Winslow

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
 
Currently Reading: The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

Graceland Cemetery I - Chicago, IL

Eternal Silence is the sculpture on the Dexter Graves Monument at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. The sculpture is also known as the Statue of Death. The bronze sculpture was created by Lorado Taft in 1909.

Grand Trunk Western - Adrian, MI

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

 

Currently Reading: Hidden History of Detroit, Amy Elliott Bragg

Miss River Raisin Festval

Nicole Miller was crowned Miss River Raisin Festival 2013 by Miss River Raisin Festival 2012 Charlotte Squires and Miss Michigan 2013 Haley Williams in Blissfield, Michigan on Friday, July 12. Miller also received the Entrepreneur Award before the crowning.

Miller's platform is Building Blocks: Incentives for Preschool and her talent is musical theater dance. Miller will compete at Miss Michigan in June 2014.

Track news

So many things happened over the weekend in the track world. Some very good and very bad. I'll start with the good.

PhotoRun

University of Florida's Cory McGee will be joining Treniere Moser and Mary Cain at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow for the women's 1500m. McGee achieved the B standard by running 4:06.67 Saturday in a race at Heusden, Belgium. The B standard is 4:09.00. McGee lowered her personal best Saturday. Her personal best was 4:10.55 which was run at the Payton Jordan Invitational this current spring.

Ryan Hill achieved the A standard for the 5000m Saturday at Heusden, Belgium also. Hill ran 13:14.22 to punch his ticket to Moscow. Hill will join Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp at the World Championships.

Pace Sports Management

Jordan Hasay will join Shalane Flanagan in Moscow for the women's 10,000m. Hasay achieved the B standard Sunday evening in Portland, Oregon by running 31:46.42. Hasay just barley missed the A standard, which is 31:45. Hasay was paced in the race Sunday by three males. Tara Erdmann, who finished third at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, has until July 20 to run the A standard to make the trip to Moscow. If Erdmann fails to run the standard, Amy Hastings who finished fourth at the USA Outdoor Championships in June will go to Moscow. As Hastings has already has the A standard.

Now the bad, USA Outdoor Track 100m and 200m champion Tyson Gay tested positive for a banned substance. Gay said he will pull out of the World Championships in Moscow. Gay was notified by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last week that a sample from May 16 came back positive. His B sample will be tested possibly this week. Besides Gay, two Jamaican athletes had also failed drug tests: Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson.

Kelly Carter Scholarship 10K

I ran the Kelly Carter Scholarship 10K run Saturday. It was in the 70s, sunny and with a slight breeze. A 5 and 10K are run together on the same morning. Usually both races have a bunch of runners, but the turnout was low this year.

The 10K race started five minutes after the 5K. When the race started I ended up running behind two guys who were running side-by-side. I passed those two guys within the first half mile. They ended up pulling up beside me at the first mile. Once the got beside me, the eventually merged in front of me and started to create a gap. I didn't want them to get away and ran back up to them. 

After crossing the second mile, the two guys started pulling away again. This time the gap was getting larger then before. When the guys were running away, I heard someone's GPS watch making noise behind me. I didn't know if the watch belonged to a male or female. But I didn't want to find out. I didn't want that person to catch and pass me. I picked up my pace and started closing the gap on the two guys. I closed the gap while running up a hill. I ended up finally catching the two guys around the third mile. Since they have dropped me twice before, I stayed behind them for a bit. I thought they were going a little slow, so I passed them. They were hanging with me. I couldn't tell if they were staying close to me or not. I just kept my pace and never looked back.

Around 4.5 miles, I could hear them talking behind me. That meant they were closing the gap. I really didn't think they were that close to me because it was quiet behind me. I pushed hard to try to get away.  I didn't know how close they were after passing the five mile mark. I knew I needed to keep going and finish strong.

I reached the finish line in 53:40. I finished 7th overall, was the second overall woman and second in my age group. The two guys that I battled with for the entire 10K finished over a minute me. I didn't PR at this race, but it was great to finish in front of those two guys.

Miss River Raisin Festival

The Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Pageant will be held in Blissfield, Michigan tonight. I have photographed this pageant for the last five years. This pageant is one of my favorite events during the summer.

Charlotte Squires, Miss River Raisin Festival 2012, will be crowning a new winner. The winner of the pageant will compete in the Miss Michigan competition for the Miss America pageant in June 2014 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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

Currently Reading: Detroit City Is the Place to Be, Mark Binelli