Busy day

I already wish that I could skip over most of Wednesday. My day is filled with so many activities.

I will be going into work in the morning as usual. I will leave mid-morning and go home to my carpets and furniture being cleaned by professionals. Besides having wet carpets and no cushy furniture to sit on in the middle of all of that I will be making lunch. We are scheduled to have tacos. Yum.

At 1 p.m., I need to be sitting at my computer. I have to participate in some online training for work. Besides being online, I will have to call an 800 to listen to it as well. I don't know how long this training will last but I know that will wipe out any chance to take a nap Wednesday afternoon. GRRRRR!

Around 3:30 p.m. whether the online training is done or not, I need to log off and get ready to photograph a district semifinal soccer match. The drive time varies depending on how much traffic there is or how slow people want to drive. I think my day will end around 6:30 or 7 p.m.

I really wanted to run on Wednesday. Probably after my game I won't have the motivation to really do anything. My run will have to wait until Thursday. Boo.

Half marathon

I did it! Half marathon #2 is in the books for me. My official time for the 32nd Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Half Marathon was 2:47:39. It was 13 minutes faster then my time from 2008. In 2008, I walked during the race due to an ankle injury. This year I ran the entire way. I didn't feel any pain from my plantar fasciitis. It was only around mile 10-11 that I thought about how my good my heel felt. Some trouble spots for me were the inclines on the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel and miles 9-11. There were times I felt like walking but I knew I had to keep going if I wanted to improve my time.

Some random things from the half marathon:

All of the Porta-potties I used were clean except for the last one. I used one about an hour before starting. I never seen one so dirty. Urine was all over the seat and floor of the Porta-potty. It was the nastiest thing ever. I did try to clean it up so I could use it. All I can say is thank goodness for Purell Hand Sanitizer. I carried a bottle in my pocket and it came in handy a lot that morning.

The temperature at the start of the race was 28 degrees. I wore a short and long sleeve dri-fit shirt, shorts and ear warmers. I was thankful that I brought a sweatshirt and garbage bag to dump before starting the race. My fingers were numb for the first mile.

Before getting on the Ambassador Bridge, two people that I went to high school with found me to say hello. I thought it was neat that out of 19,000 runners, I happen to see two that I know. Last year I didn't see anyone I knew.

We were supposed to have run by the Red Dawn set. I looked for it and missed it. I did see some Soviet tanks used for the movie on the people mover back to the hotel.

Sadly three male runners died during the marathon. They died in a span of 16 minutes according the Detroit Free Press.

It was a great day to run. The early morning was a bit cold but it turned out to an awesome day for runners. Next year I will be signing up to run my third half marathon. The 2010 Detroit Free Press half marathon is October 17.

Random things

I photographed a soccer game Thursday in the rain. There was a bonus to the rain. It was also very cold and windy. I was holding an umbrella while taking photos. It was difficult to balance the umbrella. I had the umbrella resting on my right shoulder, had my right arm wrapped around the handle and holding my camera while tilting my head to the right to keep my umbrella from flying away in the wind. It worked but it is was a pain in the butt.

After the game I went to Subway to grab some dinner. Waiting in line a woman was on the phone talking to her man. She was asking he what kind of sub he wanted, veggies and dressings. She had her phone on loud speaker so everyone in the store could hear. What really bothered me was there is a sign posted on the glass where you order saying, paraphrasing: "Please reframe from using your phone while ordering." I guess she couldn't read. Couldn't she have made that phone call from the car? Before walking in, call your man and ask what he wants to eat. Sorry, I don't want to hear your phone conversation. I'm sure the employees don't want to hear it either.

Winter has hit the area. The local TV weatherman says that the temperatures outside are usually what we see in November/December. The good thing is Sunday will start a warming trend. Sunday is a good day for it to start.

Around 6 a.m. Sunday morning, I will be standing on the streets of Detroit with many other runners. We will be getting ready to run the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon and Half Marathon. I'm so worried that it will be really cold that early in the morning. I'm also wondering what I should wear. I don't want to wear too much or I'll get hot. I also don't want to wear too little because I will be freezing and don't want to get sick. Last year I saw many people wearing garbage bags to keep warm. I will be one of those people this year. Instead of wearing bulking items, I hope my garbage bags keep me warm until the start. I'm sure when I pack, I will be taking all of the running clothes that I own. Just to be safe.

Old North Church - Boston, MA

The Human Race

On Saturday, October 24, I will be running a race. A virtual race. I will be participating in the Nike+ Human Race 10K along with many others around the world.

The great thing about this race is I can run the 10K anywhere and at any time I want. The bad part about the race is I don't own a Nike+ product. I won't be able to sync my 10K or time to the Nike member page. That one little thing will not stop me from participating. I will load my time to dailymile where no syncing of any kind is needed.

Join me and others on October 24 and run The Nike+ Human Race 10K.

Photo Credit: Nike

Marching - Boston, MA

Colonel Shaw & 54th Massachusetts Colored Reginemnt Memorial across the street from the Massachusetts State House.

Morning shadows - Boston, MA

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
Who Killed Bobby? The Unsolved Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Shane O'Sullivan
Last Flight, Amelia Earhart
The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell
Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret
Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
Lindbergh, A. Scott Berg
The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963, Laurence Leamer
The Royals, Kitty Kelley
The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
Marilyn Revealed: The Ambitious Life of an American Icon, Ted Schwarz
The Kennedy Women, Laurence Leamer
The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat, Bob Woodward
Case Closed, Gerald Posner
All the President's Men, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein (again)
The Final Days, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer

Currently Reading: Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
Up Next: Library trip

Miles run in 2009

I will be doing my last long run before my half marathon this afternoon. My half marathon training program calls for 10 miles. And that is what I will be doing today. This week also begins my tapering. I'm not too thrilled about that. This week in accordance with my training program, I will run six days as I am now. Next week will be different. I'm scheduled to have three days off. I don't remember the last time I took three days off. (Just looked it up, I took four days off the week of October 13-19, 2008. That was the week of my first half marathon.) Even though I will feel lost without running, I know it will do me some good to have those off days. I'm really looking forward to next weekend. My training has been going well and I'm ready to run the half.

2004: 228.0
2005: 270.2
2006: 372.6
2007: 394.0
2008: 767.5
2009: 877.8

Flowers - Boston, MA

Reflection on a kick plate - Boston, MA

Noisy people

Across the street from my house are two houses that have been broken up into apartments. The apartments are a constant revolving door. Every six months to a year new people are moving in and out.

All summer long I listened to the kids who live in the house on the right running, screaming, yelling and slamming their door past 9:30 a.m. To easily drown out the noise, I would turn on the air conditioning. Problem solved. In the last month, I been sleeping with the windows open to draw in the fresh air. The kids and adults that live in the apartment have kept down the noise after 9 p.m. The kids have to go to bed to get ready for school the next morning.

The apartment house on the left is a something new. The people who live there moved in probably a month or two ago. The last people to live there were really quiet and stayed inside. The new tenants like to sit on their front porch and talk.

Before I get back to the main story: It is no secret that I take sleep aides every Sunday through Thursday night to help me get to sleep faster. I wake up every weekday at 4 a.m. to be at work at 4:30 a.m. Those sleep aides are better then the NyQuil that I was taking to help knock me out.

Sometime last week I took my sleep aide and went to bed. I had fallen asleep when I was awaken by the neighbors. A man and woman were sitting on the front porch talking. Their voices carried into my bedroom and woke me up. It sounded like they were sitting right next to me. I heard every word. That forced me to get out of bed and slam my windows shut. I was not happy.

The other night I was already in bed sleeping when I heard the sound of a guitar. The man was playing a guitar and singing on his front porch. That really made me mad. It was past 10:30 p.m. and this guy was having a private concert on his porch. I got out of bed and yelled "Take your ******* guitar inside!" and slammed my windows shut. I don't know if they heard me or not. But I didn't care. I wanted to sleep.

I don't know if these people have jobs or not. They never sit on the porch during the day. They always come out to the porch at night. I swear they are doing it on purpose. When I pass their apartment in the morning I really want to honk my horn repeatedly to get back at them. I don't because I don't want to wake up my other neighbors. I guess I will have to put up with it until it gets too cold for them to sit outside. GRRRR!

General Hooker - Boston, MA

Books read in 2009

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Door 36 - Boston, MA

Miles run in 2009

Only more 24 days until my half marathon in Detroit. My goal is to finish in less then three hours. At this time last year I twisted my left ankle really bad. I took a day or two off and went back to training. That decision wasn't the smartest one I have made. But I had to do it. This year I have avoided an ankle injury (knock on wood) but not so lucky dealing with plantar fasciitis. The plantar fasciitis is hurting less and less each day. For that I'm thankful. I want to run this half marathon and see what I can actually do without major injuries.

2004: 216.5
2005: 245.3
2006: 354
2007: 410.1
2008: 727.5
2009: 817.7

Books read in 2009

I finished reading The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli about 10 minutes before leaving for the airport Monday morning. I started reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Tuesday after running in morning. I would read for 45 minutes to an hour. I finished the book on the airplane on the return flight home. I started reading New Moon Sunday. I'm already read 150 pages. I hope to be done with it by the end of this week. I never thought this before buying the books, but I am really enjoying the story.

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
Who Killed Bobby? The Unsolved Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Shane O'Sullivan
Last Flight, Amelia Earhart
The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell
Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret
Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
Lindbergh, A. Scott Berg
The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963, Laurence Leamer
The Royals, Kitty Kelley
The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
Marilyn Revealed: The Ambitious Life of an American Icon, Ted Schwarz
The Kennedy Women, Laurence Leamer
The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat, Bob Woodward
Case Closed, Gerald Posner
All the President's Men, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein (again)
The Final Days, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer

Currently Reading: New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
Up Next: Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer

Last week in Boston

I had a wonderful time in Boston with my husband. We walked, rode the subway, buses & trolley and climbed a bunch of stairs. We saw much of what Boston has to offer.

Every morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m. (except for Monday, 4 a.m.) to get ready to run on the hotel's treadmill. I didn't want to run outside because I didn't know the area too well and it was pitch back out. I was always the first person in the fitness center. The treadmill's were nice. They each had their own TVs and the fitness center had a huge big screen. It kept me company when I was all alone in the fitness center.

My husband and I ate at places everyday that were not in our hometown. That was easy because there isn't much choice of restaurants around here. We had steak, pasta, pizza, sandwiches, burgers and my husband had seafood. All of the meals were good except for one lunch. We weren't too thrilled with the service and our fries were lukewarm.

The weather was nice except for two days. I believe it was Wednesday and Thursday when the temperatures barely made it out of the high 50s. I couldn't believe how many Bostonians were walking around in T-shirts and shorts. I was freezing. I had to buy a knit hat because my ears were so cold. The knit hat has a Boston Red Sox logo on it. I'm not really a fan of baseball, but I enjoy watching the Detroit Tigers every now and again. When I bought the hat, the vendor asked if I was a fan of the Red Sox. I said no. What I was thinking was I was a fan of knit hats.

My favorite part of Boston is Beacon Hill. So much history and beautiful buildings in that neighborhood. On our photo walk tour, our guide Saba took us to John Kerry's house. It was big. But for him, I expected bigger. If you go to Boston I recommend the Photo Walk tours. Very informative.

I can't post an overview of Boston without a photo. Here is one from Beacon Hill.

Underneath - New York, NY

View from Manhattan Bridge - New York, NY