Gymnastics Olympic Trials

The women's gymnastics Olympic trials came to an end on Sunday. I didn't watch the trials live as I was already sleeping when it started. I watched the trials Monday afternoon.

Even though I know who won, it wanted to watch it. I gasped when Nastia Liukin fell from the uneven bars. I was sad for her when she finished her balance beam routine. Liukin received a standing ovation and with that her gymnastics career was over. The gymnastics career of Alicia Sacramone is most likely finished too.

Gabby Douglas had a wonderful final night to win the all-around title over World Champion Jordyn Wieber. The trials ran long and my DVR cut off. I didn't get to see the announcement of the team heading to London. The members of the Olympic team are Douglas, Wieber, Aly Raiman, Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney.

According to Bela Karolyi, "this is the deepest team in the world." Hope these young ladies can come back from London with some gold medals.


Photo Credits
Top: Gabby Douglas competes in the floor exercise during the final round of the women's Olympic gymnastics trials Sunday in San Jose, California. Douglas won the women's all-around title and qualified for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. (Associated Press/Jae C. Hong)

Bottom: Jordyn Wieber leaps from the balance beam during the final round of the women's Olympic gymnastics trials Sunday. Wieber was named to the U.S. Olympic team. (Associated Press/Gregory Bull)

The runoff

I was really looking forward to the runoff between Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix on Monday. Tarmoh and Felix crossed the line in a dead heat for third place in the 100m 11.07 back on June 23. Carmelita Jeter won the event in 10.92 and Tianna Madison was second in 10.96.

Tarmoh and Felix both decided on Sunday to have a runoff to determine who would be the third athlete on the women's 100m Olympic team. The runoff was scheduled to be run Monday in Eugene, Oregon. NBC was to going to air the runoff live during the Olympic trials swimming coverage.

Tarmoh released a statement on Monday morning saying she was withdrawing herself from consideration. Tarmoh wrote, "I Jeneba Tarmoh have decided to decline my 3rd place position in the 100m dash to Allyson Felix. I understand that with this decision, I am no longer running the 100m dash in the Olympic Games and will be an alternate for the event."

Tarmoh is an alternate for the 100m team and is eligible for a spot on the 4x100m relay team.

I'm sad for both ladies. Tarmoh thought she was on the team and then she wasn't. Felix thought her chance for a double was over. The results shouldn't have been called official when they weren't. I hope Tarmoh will get a chance to run in London on the relay team. Tarmoh will get her change again. She is still young and a strong sprinter.

Photo Credit: Allyson Felix, left, and Jeneba Tarmoh speak after the finish of the women's 200m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday in Eugene, Oregon. (Associated Press/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Olympic Track & Field Trials

Day 8

Jillian Camarena-Williams was the winner of the women's shot put. Camerena-Williams threw 62-10.5 to earn her third U.S. outdoor title. Also joining her in London will be second place finisher Michelle Carter (60-11.25) and NCAA shot put champion Tia Brooks from Oklahoma (60-2).

University of Colorado had two athletes make the Olympic team in the women's 3000m steeplechase. Emma Coburn was the winner in 9:32.78. Finishing in second was Oregon Track Club's Bridget Franek in 9:35.62. Franek held off Coburn's Colorado teammate Shalaya Kipp. Kipp was in third with a time of 9:35.73.

Day 9

The men's 20K race walk was won by Trevor Barron in a new American record time of 1:23:00.10. Tim Seaman placed second in 1:02:06.57 and third was Nick Christie in 1:27:29.48.

2011 World Champion Christian Taylor was the men's triple jump winner. Taylor won with a world-leading jump of 57-10.25. Finishing in second was Taylor's former Florida teammate, Will Claye. Claye jumped 57-7. In third place was Walter Davis was a leap of 54-9.25. Davis will not be heading to London because he doesn't have the Olympic A standard.

Chaunte Lowe won the women's high jump in a new meet record of 6-7. University of Arizona's Brigetta Barrett finished in second at 6-7 also. Barrett was second because she had a miss at 6-4.75 and Lowe didn't. Rounding out the Olympic team is Amy Acuff. Acuff cleared 6-2.25 and made her fifth Olympic team.

The men's 110mH was won by World Indoor 60m hurdles champion Aries Merritt in 12.93. World Champion Jason Richardson was second in 12.98 and Jeff Porter finished in third with a life-time best 13.08. Porter will join his wife, Tiffani, who is on Great Britian's 100mH team, in London.

Allyson Felix had a huge victory in the women's 200m final. Felix won over a star studded field in a new meet record of 21.77. Coming in second was Carmelita Jeter with a life-time best of 22.11. In third place was Sanya Richards-Ross in 22.22.

Day 10

The women's 20K race walk was won by Maria Michta in 1:34:53.33. Finishing in a close second was Miranda Melville in 1:34:56.92. Erin Gray was third in 1:35:40.05.

Brittany Borman threw her lifetime best, 201-9, to win the women's javelin Sunday. Kara Patterson placed second with a throw of 196-2. Kim Hamilton finished third in 190-5. Hamilton didn't have the A standard, so fourth place finisher Rachel Yurkovich, who did have the standard, will be heading to London.

Women's long jump champion, Brittany Reese was told her last jump was a foul. Reese protested and her jump was ruled legal by the video system. Reese won the long jump with the distance of 23-5.5. Chelsea Hayes was second with a leap of 23-3.5 and Janey DeLoach was third with a jump of 23-0.75.

World Champion Lashinda Demus won the women's 400mH in 53.98. University of Arizona's Georganne Moline set a new PR to finish second in 54.32 and T'erea Brown was third in 54.81.

The men's 400mH was won by Michael Tinsley in 48.33. Two-time Olympian Angelo Taylor finished second after hitting the last hurdle in 48.57. Kerron Clement, a two-time World Champion nipped a falling Bershawn 'Batman' Jackson at the finish line to claim third in 48.89.

Morgan Uceny won the women's 1500m in 4:04.59. Shannon Rowbury was second in 4:05.11. 2011 World Champion Jenny Simpson finished in third with a time of 4:05.17.

Leo Manzano passed Matthew Centrowitz in the final stretch to claim the men's 1500m title in 3:35.75. Centrowitz came across the line second in 3:35.85. Third place went to Andrew Wheating in 3:36.68.

Wallace Spearmon ran away from his competitors in the men's 200m to win in 19.82. Maurice Mitchell was second in 20.14 and placing third was Isiah Young in 20.16.

Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix will have a run-off today at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. Tarmoh and Felix finished the 100m in a dead heat for third place on June 30. The winner of the run-off will be the third member of the U.S. 100m Olympic team.

Photo Credits:
First: Shalaya Kipp, left, Bridget Franek, center, and Emma Coburn celebrate advancing to the Olympics after finishing the women's 3000m steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon Friday. (Associated Press/Eric Gay)

Second: Jillian Camarena-Williams reacts after the final round of the women's shot put at the Olympic Track and Field Trials Friday in Eugene. Camarena-Williams won the event. (Associated Press/Charlie Riedel)

Third: Leo Manzano, center, leads Matthew Centrowtiz, right, to the finish line in the men's 1500m final on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. (Associated Press/Eric Gay)

Olympic Track & Field Trials

Day 7

After two rest days, the Olympic Track & Field Trials started up again Thursday. I wasn't able to watch it live. I watched it this morning while on the treadmill.

Brad Walker was the winner of the men's pole vault. Walker cleared the height of 18-7.25. This is his second Olympic team. Jeremy Scott was second (18-4.5) and Derek Miles, who finished in fourth (18-4.5), will also be on the team. Third place finisher Scott Roth will not be going to to London. He did not clear the A standard.

Lance Brooks was the winner of the men's discus with a toss of 213-9 feet. With that throw, Brooks met the Olympic A standard. Coming in second was Jarred Rome with a throw of 207-10 and Jason Young was third (203-11).

Evan Jager lowered his PR by three seconds to win the men's 3000m steeplechase 8:17.40. Donn Cabral, NCAA steeplechase champion from Princeton, was second in 8:19.81. Rounding out the team was Kyle Alcorn in third (8:22.17).

Winning the women's 5000m was Julia Culley in 15:13.77. Molly Huddle finished behind Culley in 15:14.40. Third place finisher Kim Conley out leaned fourth place Julia Lucas in 15:19.79 to earn the last spot on the team.

Galen Rupp broke the men's 5000m Olympic trials record held by Steve Prefontaine winning in 13:22.67. Rupp edged out Bernard Lagat by .15 seconds to win. Lagat's time was 13:22.82. Finishing in third was Lopez Lomong with a time of 13:24.47.

Photo Credits:
First: Galen Rupp leads Lopez Lomong, left, and Bernard Lagat during his victory in the 5000 meter at the Olympic trials on Thursday in Eugene, Oregon. (Getty Images/Christian Petersen)

Second: Competitors take the water jump in the men's 3000m steeplechase final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Thursday. (Associated Press/Charlie Riedel)

Third: Julie Culley and Molly Huddle race to the finish line during the women's 5000m final Thursday at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene. (Associated Press/Charlie Riedel)

NYPD Blue

On a whim, I added the first season of NYPD Blue to my Netflix queue.

When the series first aired in 1993, I was 12 years old. I wasn't interested in this show. I was still watching cartoons after school like Batman: The Animated Series. Besides, I never stayed up that late on a school night and no one watched it at my house.

I have always heard it was the best police drama on TV. But that had also been said about The Shield. I watched The Shield because my husband was a fan of the show. The Shield was a fantastic show. The Shield ended in 2008. To this day, I still haven't watched the final episode. I made my husband tell me about it. Even though it was a TV show, I couldn't watch Vic Mackey turn on Ronnie or watch Shane commit suicide. You watch these shows for years and get attached to the characters. I just didn't want to see it end.

I have only watched half of the first season of NYPD Blue and I already love this show. It is gritty, realistic, has great writing and fantastic acting. In Season One, David Caruso is the lead actor on the show and you can tell. He always has the major story lines and the most screen time. Caruso has been excellent in the episodes I've seen so far. But I also know, he doesn't stay with the show too much longer. When Caruso leaves, the show runners decided to turn the show into an ensemble series. Which I think will be good. There are so many characters on the show. Some of them, we don't know too well.

I have the seasons 1-4 in my Netflix queue. When I finish with season four, I'm going to be out of luck. For some reason, the DVDs of the show were only made for the first four seasons. There are a total of 12 seasons. If I want to see the rest of the series, I'm going to have to renew my Amazon Prime Membership. If I don't renew, I could pay $1.99 an episode. But that will get pricey quickly.

I would rather watch NYPD Blue on my big television screen, but if I can only watch it on my Kindle that will be fine. I would rather continue watching an excellent television series over not watching it at all.

Books read in 2012

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley
Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau
The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb
Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff
The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell
Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell
Forgotten, Cat Patrick
Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs
Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard
Flawless, Sara Shepard
Perfect, Sara Shepard
Unbelievable, Sara Shepard
Wicked, Sara Shepard
Killer, Sara Shepard
Heartless, Sara Shepard
Wanted, Sara Shepard
Twisted, Sara Shepard
Ruthless, Sara Shepard
Fairy Tale Interrupted, Rosemarie Terenzio
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Pronto, Elmore Leonard
Riding the Rap, Elmore Leonard
Raylan, Elmore Leonard
The Coffin Quilt, Ann Rinaldi
A Life Without Limits, Chrissie Wellington
Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, John Le Carre

Currently Reading: Eat and Run, Scott Jurek
Up Next: Library trip or Kindle purchase

Western States 100

Besides keeping up with the Olympic Track and Field Trials, another great running event took place over the weekend: Western States 100.

Course records were set at the Western States 100 Endurance Run. Runners were met with cooler temperatures and rain mixed with hail during the day Saturday. With the cooler temperatures, six runners finished under 16 hours for the first time.

Timothy Olson won the men's race with a new record of 14:46:44. The old record, 15:07:04, was set by Geoff Roes in 2010. Finishing behind Olson was Ryan Sands in second with a time of 15:03:56 and Nick Clark was third (15:44:09). Dave Mackey finished in fourth (15:53:36) and set a new Masters Course record.

Ellie Greenwood won the women's race in 16:47:19 and set a new course record. Greenwood broke Ann Trason's 18-year old course record by 50 minutes. Overall, Greenwood placed 14th. Rory Bosio finished second in 18:08:06. With that time, Bosio set a record in the women's 18-29 age group. Aliza Lapierre finished 10 minutes behind Bosio in third place (18:18:29).

Men's Top 10
Timothy Olson – 14:46:44 (Course Record)
Ryan Sandes – 15:03:56
Nick Clark – 15:44:09
Dave Mackey – 15:53:36 (Masters Course Record)
Ian Sharman – 15:54:38
Zeke Tiernan – 15:57:59
Dylan Bowman – 16:03:24
Jorge Maravilla – 16:05:30
Joe Uhan – 16:13:14
Neal Gorman – 16:18:40

Women's Top 10
Ellie Greenwood – 16:47:19 (Course Record)
Rory Bosio – 18:08:06
Aliza Lapierre – 18:18:29
Krissy Moehl – 18:29:15
Nikki Kimball – 18:31:39
Lizzy Hawker – 18:32:20
Tina Lewis – 19:09:49
Amy Sproston – 19:11:02
Ashley Nordell – 19:26:30
Meghan Arbogast – 19:45:24

Photo Credits:
Tim Olson (Emma Garrard)
Ellie Greenwood (runbritian.com)

Olympic Track & Field trials

Day 1
The US track and field Olympic trials started Thursday with the hammer throw in Beaverton, Oregon. The winners of the hammer throw were Amber Campbell (235-6) and Kibwe Johnson (245-11).

Finishing behind Campbell for second was Amanda Bingson with a throw of 235-6.Bingson reached the Olympic A standard and a new PR with that throw. Campbell beat Bingson by two centimeters. Rounding out the top three was Jessica Cosby with a mark of 232-2.

On the men's side, Chris Cralle finished in second with his throw of 243-11. Cralle went into the hammer throw with only a Olympic B standard. His second place throw did not get him to an Olympic A standard. Cralle will not be going to London on the Olympic team. A.G. Kruger did enter the trials with an A standard. Kruger finished back in third place with a distance of 242-6.

Day 2
On the second night of the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, the men's and women's 10,000m were held. The men ran first in the pouring rain. For most of the race, Galen Rupp and Dathan Ritzenhein traded the lead back and forth. Rupp and Ritzenhein are training partners. Going into the race, Ritzenhein still needed to reach the Olympic A standard. In the second half of the race, Rupp, Ritzenhein and Matt Tegankamp ran together and had a huge lead over the other runners in the field. With two laps to go, Rupp pulled away and had a big lead overRitzenhein and Tegenkamp. Rupp won and ran the fast time by an American this year with a time of 27:36.09. Tegenkamp finished second behind Rupp in 27:33:94. Ritzenhein was third in 27:36.09. With that time, Ritzenhein ran an A standard and got a spot on the Olympic team.

In the women's 10,000m, Amy Hastings ran away from Texas A&M's Natosha Rogers and Shalane Flanagan. Hastings ran the last lap in 65 seconds and won the race in 31:58:36. Rogers finished second and set a new PR in 31:59.71. Unfortunately Rogers hasn't run an Olympic A standard this year and will be unable to run in London. Flanagan was third in 31:59.69. Flanagan was the Olympic Marathon trials winner and gave up her spot on the 10,000m team to her training partner, Lisa Uhl. Uhl finished in fourth place and had already run an A standard. Janet Bawcom finished in seventh place (32:17.06) and has an A standard, she will be running for the US in London.

Day 3
On the final day of the decathlon, Ashton Eaton set a world record with 9,039 points. Eaton broke the record of 9, 026 points set by Roman Sebrle from the Czech Republic in 2001. Eaton ran the 1500m in 4:14.48, to break the record he needed to run better then 4:16.23.

In the women's 100m, Carmelita Jeter won in 10.92. Second place was Tianna Madison in 10.96. Third place was initially given to Jeneba Tarmoh, then it was called a tie between Tarmoh and training partner Allyson Felix. Felix and Tarmoh both crossed the line dead even in 11.07. USATF officials still need to determine how to break the tie between Felix and Tarmoh.

The last final of the night was the women's 100mH. Dawn Harper, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, won in 12.73. Kellie Wells came across the line in second with a time of 12.77 and finishing in third was Lolo Jones (12.86).

Day 4

The women's pole vault was won by Jenn Suhr, the 2008 silver medalist. Suhr won the pole vault with a jump of 15-1. Suhr only needed three jumps to win. Becky Holliday came in second with a height of 14-11 and Lacy Janson finished third in 14-9.

In the men's long jump, Marquise Goodwin jumped his lifetime best of 27-4. Finishing just behind Goodwin was Will Claye with a leap of 27 feet. Rounding out the Olympic long jump team was George Kitchen, Jr. with a jump of 26-11.25.

Stephanie Brown-Trafton was the winner of the women's discus. Brown-Trafton qualified for her third Olympic team with a toss of 213-10. Second place was claimed by Aretha Thurmond with a throw of 204-2. Suzy Powell-Ross came in third place at 197-6. Powell-Ross doesn't have an Olympic A standard, so her spot on the Olympic team goes to sixth place Gila Lewis-Smallwood.

Reese Hoffa claimed first place in the men's shot put. Hoffa won with a world-leading 72-2.25 feet put. Ryan Whiting came in second at 71-0.75 and Christian Cantwell was third at 69-9.75.

LaShawn Merritt was across the line first in the men's 400m. Merritt won with a time of 44.12. Following Merritt was NCAA champion Tony McQuay in 44.49 and third was Byshon Nellum in 44.80. Failing to make the team was 2004 Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner. I felt so bad for Wariner. He had a bad start and couldn't make up any ground.

In the women's 400m, Sanya Richards-Ross made her third Olympic team with a world-leading time of 49.28. DeeDee Trotter was second behind Richards-Ross with a time of 50.02 and early race leader Francena McCorory was third in 50.43.

Justin Gatlin, 2004 Olympic gold medalist, won the men's 100m in 9.80 over a loaded field. Tyson Gay ran 9.86 to claim second place in only his second race of the year. Rounding out the team was Ryan Bailey in 9.93.

Photo Credits:
First: Portland's Galen Rupp, left, Dathan Ritzenhein and Matt Tegenkamp swept an appropriately rainy men's 10,000 meters final on June 22 in Eugene, Oregon to book spots in the Olympics. (Associated Press)

Second: Amy Hastings and Shalane Flanagan compete in the women's 10,000m finals at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trails June 22 in Eugene, Oregon. (Associated Press/Eric Gay)

Third: Ashton Eaton reacts with Curtis Beach and Joe Detmer after the 1500m during the decathlon competetion at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trails June 23 in Eugene, Oregon. Eaton finished the decathlon with a new world record. (Associated Press/Charlie Riedel)

Fourth: The dead heat in the women's 100m final of Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix. Both women finished in third with a time of 11.068 seconds on June 23. (usatf.org)

Fifth: Lolo Jones, right, clinches a spot in the Olympics with a third-place finish in the women's 100mH on June 23 in Eugene, Oregon. (Getty Images/Christian Petersen)

Olympic Track & Field Trials

It is finally here! Today is the start of the Olympic Track & Field Trials at Tracktown USA in Eugene, Oregon. The trials run from today to July 1. There will be coverage everyday on TV. NBC and NBC Sports Network will share broadcasting duties. Most of the coverage will be later at night. On those evenings with late coverage, my DVR will record it and I will watch it the next day.

I love the track and field trials. It is eight glorious days of watching the best athletes in the US battle for a spot on the Olympic team. So many of them have been dreaming about the Olympics their entire lives. It is wonderful to see the athletes achieve their longtime goal of running at the Olympics.

There are so many track athletes that I admire and love to watch compete. I love to cheer on everyone. It is so sad when so many awesome runners don't finish in the top three. The US is loaded in so many events, so many great athletes will be at home watching the London Olympics. I know whoever makes the team, they will represent the US very well in London.

The team I run for Oiselle, will have three members running at the trials. The three ladies are Jamie Cheever, Kate Grace and Collier Lawrence. Cheever and Lawrence will both be running in the in the 3000m steeplechase qualifying round on Monday, June 25. Grace will be running in two events, the 800m first round, which will be run today and the 1500m on Thursday, June 28.

Schedule from Competitor.com
Friday, June 22 — TV COVERAGE: 9-11 PM EST on NBCSN
3:10 PM Men’s 400m First Round
3:35 PM Women’s 400m First Round
5:00 PM Women’s 800m First Round
5:20 PM Men’s 800m First Round
5:40 PM Women’s 100m Hurdles First Round
6:00 PM Women’s 100m Qualifying
6:45 PM Men’s 10,000m Final
7:20 PM Women’s 10,000m Final

Saturday, June 23 –TV COVERAGE: 8-9 PM EST/PST on NBC
3:15 PM Women’s 110m Hurdles Semifinals
3:40 PM Women’s 100m Semifinals
4:00 PM Men’s 100m Qualifying
4:30 PM Women’s 800m Semifinals
4:45 PM Men’s 800m Semifinals
5:00 PM Men’s 400m Semifinals
5:15 PM Women’s 400m Semifinals
5:45 PM Women’s 100m Hurdles Finals
5:52 PM Women’s 100m Finals

Sunday, June 24 – TV COVERAGE: 7-8 PM EST/PST on NBC
2:30 PM Men’s 100m Semifinals
4:20 PM Men’s 400m Finals
4:35 PM Women’s 400m Finals
4:48 PM Men’s 100m Finals

Monday, June 25 — TV COVERAGE: 9-11 PM EST on NBCSN
4:50 PM Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Qualifying
5:25 PM Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Qualifying
6:05 PM Women’s 5000m Qualifying
6:50 PM Women’s 800m Finals
7:00 PM Men’s 5000m Qualifying
7:47 PM Men’s 800m Finals

Tuesday, June 26
REST DAY

Wednesday, June 27
REST DAY

Thursday, June 28 — TV COVERAGE: 9-11 PM EST on NBCSN
4:20 PM Women’s 1500m Qualifying
4:50 PM Men’s 1500m Qualifying
5:30 PM Women’s 400m Hurdles Qualifying
6:00 PM Men’s 400m Hurdles Qualifying
6:30 p.m. Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Finals
6:45 PM Women’s 200m Qualifying
7:15 PM Women’s 5000m Finals
7:38 PM Men’s 5000m Finals

Friday, June 29 — TV COVERAGE: 6-8 PM EST on NBCSN
1:45 PM Men’s 200m Qualifying
3:00 PM Women’s 200m Semifinals
3:20 PM Women’s 400m Hurdles Semifinals
3:35 PM Men’s 400m Hurdles Semifinals
3:45 PM Women’s 1500m Semifinals
4:05 PM Men’s 110m Hurdles Qualifying
4:25 PM Men’s 1500m Semifinals
4:45 PM Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Finals

Saturday, June 30 — TV COVERAGE: 9-10 PM EST/PST on NBC
4:20 PM Men’s 110m Hurdles Semi-Finals
6:00 PM Men’s 200m Semi-Finals
6:40 PM Men’s 110m Hurdles Finals
6:50 PM Women’s 200m Finals

Sunday, July 1 — TV COVERAGE: 7-8 PM EST-PST on NBC
4:02 PM Women’s 400m Hurdles Finals
4:12 PM Men’s 400m Hurdles Finals
4:23 PM Women’s 1500m Finals
4:37 PM Men’s 1500m Finals
4:50 PM Men’s 200m Finals

Photo credit: www.usatf.org

ITU Banyoles

A pair of Americans scored victories at the Banyoles ITU World Cup Triathlon over the weekend. Gwen Jorgensen and Lukas Verzbicas both came away from the race with gold medals.

Jorgensen overtook Erin Densham from Australia to win the women's race. Densham had a nine-second lead over Jorgensen. But on the final lap, Jorgensen passed a tired Densham early. Once Jorgensen was by Densham, she pulled away and won her second world cup by 16 seconds. Densham finished in second.

Verzbicas won his first ever ITU World Cup race in his debut. During the run portion of the triathlon, Verzbicas was running side-by-side with France's Laurent Vidal and Russia's Dmitry Polyanskiy. All three ran together until the final lap when Vidal and Verzbicas surged ahead of Polyanskiy and dropped him. Vidal had a small lead until Verzbicas sped up with a half of lap to go, leaving behind Vidal. Verbicas won his first World Cup title by 17 seconds over Vidal.

Photo Credits:

Top: The elite women's winners: gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen of the U.S., center, Australian silver medalist Erin Densham, left, and bronze medalist Ashleigh Gentle stand on the podium at the 2012 Banyoles ITU World Cup Triathlon in Banyoles, Spain on June 17, 2012. (AP Photo/ITU, Janos Schmidt)

Bottom: The United States' Lukas Verzbicas celebrates his first career ITU World Cup title at the 2012 Banyoles ITU World Cup Triathlon in Banyoles, Spain on June 17. (AP Photo/ITU, Janos Schmidt)

'Far too disruptive'

I ran the Ann Arbor Marathon on Sunday. There were long stretches of streets that I was by myself. I could hear drivers talking to police officers who were blocking traffic. One driver was yelling at the police officer because he couldn't get to the street that he wanted. He wanted to know why the streets were closed. The police officer told the driver that he was just doing his job.

The marathon route was all over the city. Most of the streets that was used as the course are very busy streets. The streets in the downtown area were completely shut down. So many businesses in downtown were open, but it didn't look like too many customers were inside. The customers had no way of getting to them.

I saw this article online yesterday about the marathon. John Hieftje, the mayor of Ann Arbor, said the marathon was a disruption to local traffic. "I thought it was far too disruptive and it need to be better, and I'm speaking solely to traffic and how people getting in and out of neighborhoods were affected, " Hieftje said. If Ann Arbor wants to hold a second marathon changes will need to be made for the event to continue in the future.

I don't know what the race director and organizers have planned for next year. It sounds like if no changes are made, the inaugural Ann Arbor Marathon may be its last.

Books read in 2012

I was getting ready to start reading Scott Jurek's book last week, when the library called me to say Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy was ready for pickup. It is due in two weeks, so Scott's book is up next.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley
Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau
The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb
Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff
The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell
Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell
Forgotten, Cat Patrick
Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs
Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard
Flawless, Sara Shepard
Perfect, Sara Shepard
Unbelievable, Sara Shepard
Wicked, Sara Shepard
Killer, Sara Shepard
Heartless, Sara Shepard
Wanted, Sara Shepard
Twisted, Sara Shepard
Ruthless, Sara Shepard
Fairy Tale Interrupted, Rosemarie Terenzio
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Pronto, Elmore Leonard
Riding the Rap, Elmore Leonard
Raylan, Elmore Leonard
The Coffin Quilt, Ann Rinaldi
A Life Without Limits, Chrissie Wellington

Currently Reading: Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, John Le Carre
Up Next: Eat and Run, Scott Jurek

Ann Arbor Marathon

The Ann Arbor Marathon started out good. I was hanging with a pace group and was feeling good. The pace leader, Heather, told me that the first 14 miles were really hilly. Besides the course being really hilly, it was very humid. The humidity was about 70% or a little higher.

I ran with a handheld bottle for the first time. It was nice having water with me. But I really wanted to conserve my water. For the first couple of aid stations, I drank from my bottle. I drank from the aid stations for the rest of the race. Besides water, I did drink Powerade and I had Honey Stinger chews with me.

Heather was correct. This course was so hilly. The entire course felt like one giant hill. As soon as we ran a downhill another hill was right ahead of us. I was thrilled that I was running the hills well and staying in step with Heather. I kept thinking to stay with her and I could run a great time. I was doing that until mile 10. When coming to an aid station, we would all slow down and get fluids. After drinking the fluids, we would all group back up and run together. I was right behind Heather. I first grabbed a cup of water and drank that. I then grabbed a Powerade. I started to drink it and started choking. I got the fluid down finally, but Heather already sped up and left the aid station. I managed to get a step or two behind her and she ended up pulling away. When I lost the group, I was a little sad. My goal coming into the marathon was to stay with a pace group the entire way. I just failed my goal. The group was getting farther and farther away and there was nothing that I could do to catch up.

Once I was out of the group, I found myself alone. Other people were around, but I wasn't running with anyone. I ran by myself for 16 miles. Along those 16 miles, I did manage to pass some people. These were the people who ran by me earlier. Even though I wasn't with the group, it felt good to still pass a few people. It did lift my spirits.

During one of the long hill climbs, a paramedic crew riding bikes passed me. I really thought of stopping and asking them for a ride back to my car. I was tired and the long hill climbs were not fun. I ran up all of the hills. I figured I would finish the race faster by running instead of walking the hills. When running up the hills, I looked about 5-10 feet in front of me. Always staring at the street. I only glanced up once or twice to see how long before I crested the top of the hill.

The last six miles felt the longest. Knowing you just had a 10K left felt really good, but 6.2 miles is still a distance away. The miles clicked off slowly and we ran up many more hills. Around mile 24, I ran by my car. It was parked across the street from Michigan Stadium in a high school parking lot. I thought of just skipping the last two miles and heading straight for my car. I desperately wanted to stop running and just sit down. But I didn't. I didn't because I don't quit anything. I was two miles away from the end. I was going to finish and get my medal.

I was running with a couple of guys during the last mile. We all were side by side. It was nice to run with someone again. When we hit the last turnaround, I passed many more people. Most of them were walking. I wanted to join them in walking, but the finish line was less then a half mile away. I just kept plugging away. There was no sprinting into the finish line. I was just running the same speed I ran for the second half of the race. I was so happy to see the finish line. I was even more happy to run over the timing mats. I was done. I finished the race in 4:50:07. This time was 10 minutes slower then my last marathon. But with all of the hills, it is understandable.

I drank some water, grabbed a banana and half of banana nut muffin and started walking the 1.1 miles back to my car. A guy came and walked beside me. He said "great job" to me. I said thanks. He said I pulled away from him at near the end of the race and he couldn't keep up. I didn't even realize that he was that close to me. It made me feel a little better to know I ran away from someone at the end of a grueling race.

Finishing time: 4:50:07
Overall place: 407/580
Age Group: 22/36

Yellow lock - Adrian, MI

Ann Arbor Marathon

I will be running my second marathon on Sunday in Ann Arbor.

It is going to be sunny and with a high of 88°. With that kind of temperature, my time won't be fast. Another reason it won't be fast is Ann Arbor is hilly city. It is mentioned on the website and I've seen photos of the course. So I have that to look forward to. I have run hilly ultras before. So it is nothing new. I just need to put my head down and keep my legs moving.

My plan going into the marathon is to start with a pacing group. I have only ran with a pacing group once before. Halfway through the race, I lost the group at a very congested aid station. So many people were running the race, there was no way to catch back up with them. I plan on running with a hand held bottle since it will be so hot. At least in the beginning miles of the marathon, I won't have to leave the group to grab fluids.

This marathon will be challenging. Not only have to battle many hills, we also have to battle the warm weather.

Books read in 2012

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Winter Season: A Dancer's Journal, Toni Bentley
Chasing the Runner's High, Ray Charbonneau
The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb
Cleopatra, Stacy Schiff
The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell
Summer in the City, Candace Bushnell
Forgotten, Cat Patrick
Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs
Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard
Flawless, Sara Shepard
Perfect, Sara Shepard
Unbelievable, Sara Shepard
Wicked, Sara Shepard
Killer, Sara Shepard
Heartless, Sara Shepard
Wanted, Sara Shepard
Twisted, Sara Shepard
Ruthless, Sara Shepard
Fairy Tale Interrupted, Rosemarie Terenzio
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Pronto, Elmore Leonard
Riding the Rap, Elmore Leonard
Raylan, Elmore Leonard
The Coffin Quilt, Ann Rinaldi
A Life Without Limits, Chrissie Wellington

Currently Reading: Eat and Run, Scott Jurek
Up Next: Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, John Le Carre

Coming to a close

The spring sports season will come to an end this week.

The county has one team left in the state softball tournament. I am photographing their quarterfinal game later this afternoon. If they win, the next game will be the state semifinal on Friday morning. If they win the semifinal, the state final will take place Saturday morning. Then the spring season is officially over.

I have been photographing high school and college sports since mid-August. The end of the spring sports season will be a welcomed break. I will be photographing some baseball games this summer, but it will be spread out. Maybe once a week or even once every other week. It won't be three to four nights a week like during the school sports season. The summer break gives me a chance to relax and by the time the fall season starts again, I will be ready to go.

Results

I received a mass email yesterday from the USATF 24 Hour National Championship race director. It said final results were posted on the website and that there were a few unclaimed awards. If you won an award send an email and it would be mailed to you.

I followed the link and looked at the results. I knew I didn't place in my age group, I finished six overall. I scrolled down to the Top 10 listings for men and women. I was very surprised and thrilled to see my name in tenth. I had no idea I placed in the Top 10.

I emailed the race director and she said my medal would be shipped out and I would receive it in a couple of days. I was so happy. I told my husband the good news and my Oiselle teammates on Twitter. I started receiving well wishes from my teammates and I replied back thanking them.

I checked my email about two hours later. I had another email from the race director. She said she was sorry. The results weren't updated before. Another woman finished ahead of me, putting her in 10th place. The USATF didn't mark her down as a member and skipped her in the final results. That lady completed two more laps then I did. With her moving up to 10th place, I was bumped down to 11th place.

I was bummed when I read that email. I announced just a few hours earlier that I finished in the Top 10 of a USATF National Championship. Now I had to write a follow-up tweet to make a correction. While writing the tweet, I realized that I moved down one spot. I finished 11th overall in the women's race at a national championship. Eleventh place is still a great accomplishment.

I plan on running the 24 Hour National Championship again in 2013. My goal is to run over 100 miles. I will not take a break or a rest until I reach 100 miles. After I reach my goal, then I can stop moving or take a nap. I will break into the Top 10. I will battle for an age group spot. Can't wait until then.

Planning

I think I have figured out my race schedule. It is not complete by any means. I just mapped out my summer and early fall races. Most of the races are local, which is always nice. It saves on gas and drive time.

I have a range of distances on the schedule so far: 5Ks, 10K, half marathon and an ultra. My big race for the fall is a 50 mile race in October. To help prepare myself for it, I thinking I may add a 50K in September as a training run.

I don't know how set in stone each of these races are. If something else pops up, I could end up skipping a race or two. Most of the races I picked are on back-to-back weekends. Maybe I won't feel like racing one week or I need a break. No race is really on my schedule until I send in the registration fee.

Lance

Lance Armstrong won his second Ironman 70.3 race in two weeks on June 1 at the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii triathlon. His first win was at Ironman 70.3 Florida. Armstrong won in 3:50:55 and set a new course record, previously held by Chris McCormack who set the record of 3:57:18 in 2007.

Armstrong's performance was fantastic on a very windy day in Hawaii. He was third out of the water (23:22), first off the bike (2:01:46) and finished the day running a 1:22:29 half marathon. Along with his fantastic performance, Elizabeth Kreutz took some beautiful photos during the race. Triathlete posted a photo slide show of Kreutz's photos. The photos capture some wonderful moments of the day.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Kreutz