Preakness Stakes

Getty Images/Jim Dietz

California Chrome won the 139th Preakness Stakes Saturday in Baltimore, Maryland. California Chrome and jockey Victor Espinoza were able to hold off a hard charging Ride On Curlin down the stretch to win the second leg of the Triple Crown in 1:54.84 (1-3/16 mile). Coming in third was Social Inclusion. Only 10 horses were in the field.

Baltimore Sun/Lloyd Fox

If California Chrome, also the Kentucky Derby winner, can win in New York in June, he will become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. The last horse to accomplish that feat was Affirmed.

The final leg of the Triple Crown ends at the 1-1/2 mile track at Belmont Stakes in New York on June 7.

Spring Into Fitness 5K

I ran the Spring Into Fitness 5K on Saturday in Adrian, Michigan.

It was a cool morning. Only in the low 40s and with a slight breeze. We were told to get ready. When the started said, "Go!", I found myself as the lead woman. I knew that I wasn't alone because I could hear someone breathing behind me. Just by the way that they were breathing, I knew it was a female.

The course was made up of two loops. The first loop, I was passed by a younger boy and three guys were way ahead of me. The boy that passed me, started running away from me. Turning back unto the street that we started the race on, a guy passed me. Then shortly after, the female that was behind me for the entire first loop, was running side-by-side with me. We stayed that way for a while, then she started to pulling away. I told myself not to let her get away.

I was able to keep her close. She was probably about 10 feet in front of me. Then I started getting closer to her. When getting closer to her, I knew that I would be able to pass her. I told myself to wait closer to the end. I didn't want to pass her, then have her pass me at the end. I ended up making my move with less then a half mile to go. I ran up on her and was running just off her right shoulder. At this point, we were running on the sidewalk. Then she dashed off the sidewalk and started running on the street. I stayed on the sidewalk.

Making a right handed turn onto a street that lead us to the finish line, she asked me where the finish line was. I told her it was just ahead. Behind the line of the trees on the right. When I was talking to her, I thought, "Did I just shoot myself in the foot?" I thought that because I never talk while running because it slows me down. She said that she would just follow me. She then got right behind me and was running just off my right shoulder. The sidewalk dipped and I didn't expect it. That threw a couple of my steps off and jerked my rhythm. When that happened, I could feel her pulling up to my side.

We made the final right turn towards the finish line, she was right beside me. I was worried about my ankles because the last stretch was on grass. The grass was tall and I couldn't see where I was stepping. I was running as fast as I could. I was able to pull slightly ahead and beat her leaning into the line.

I had never won a race like that. It was so close. My time was 26:23 and I finished sixth overall. I was hoping to get my time down to the 25s. I actually thought I was running faster then what I did. But since there were no mile markers again, I really didn't know how fast I was going. To me the time really doesn't matter. I'm thrilled that I didn't give up. After she passed me, I could have settled for second place. But I didn't. I actually chased someone down, passed them and won. It doesn't get much better then that.

Robin - Adrian, MI

Around town

Imaginationstationtoledo.org

My husband and I attended two exhibitions over the weekend in Toledo, Ohio. We saw Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Imagination Station and In Fine Feather: Birds, Art & Science at the Toledo Museum of Art.

RMS Titanic, Inc.

This was our second time seeing the Titanic exhibit. We first saw it at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan in 2012. The exhibit at the Imagination Station was smaller then the one in Dearborn.

It did have over 150 artifacts and room re-creations. The thing I wanted to see again was the Grand Staircase. Even though it was a replica, it was neat to see. Sadly, the Grand Staircase wasn't included in the Toledo exhibit. The room replicas that were on display were of a first class and third class cabin.

What I loved most about the exhibit was the china of the White Star Line and the photos. I was drooling over the replica china in the gift shop. I wanted to buy all of it. There was one photo that I wanted to take off the wall. That photo was of the bow of Titanic. So stunning. I was hoping the gift shop would have had one for sale. They didn't. Boo.

 Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be on display through June 15. The Imagination Station is located at 1 Discovery Way, Toledo, Ohio 43604.

The second stop of the day was to the Toledo Museum of Art. In Fine Feather had illustrations and books that described and identified the many species of birds. The illustrations that I loved were created by John James Audubon. Audubon is know for his bird illustrations. His book, The Birds of America, is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon also identified 25 new bird species.

art.com

I wanted to see the exhibition because I like birds. I enjoy watching birds eat seed from my backyard feeders. I know that I won't see anything too exotic, but I just look looking out the window and seeing so many birds. I have seen White-crowned Sparrows, House Sparrows, House Finches, Cardinals, American Goldfinches, Blue Jays, Robins, and Mourning Doves. I hope the feeders will bring new friends to my backyard.

In Fine Feather:Birds, Art & Science will be on display until July 6 at the Toledo Museum of Art. Located at 2445 Monroe Street, Toledo, Ohio 43604.

Television

A few television shows that I watched learned their fate over the weekend.

I was pleased to hear that NBC renewed Hannibal for a third season. Hannibal is based on the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon. When the show started last year, I wasn't sure that I would like it. I loved Silence of the Lambs. I liked Hannibal (film). I would have liked Hannibal, the film, better if Jodie Foster played Clarice Starling and if the original book ending was used. Anthony Hopkins made a fantastic Dr. Hannibal Lector. I never thought that the Dr. Hannibal Lector played by Mads Mikkelsen would win me over.

Mikkelsen won me over the first episode. The show was so dark and different from the movies. The cinematography is stunning and the actors are just amazing. Hannibal, TV series, is about the relationship between Dr. Lector and FBI special investigator Will Graham. Graham is a criminal profiler that can visualize himself committing murders he investigates to understand the killers' behavior.

The following TV shows that I watched that weren't renewed: Dracula and The Carrie Diaries.

NBC canceled Dracula starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I thought the cinematography was stunning like Hannibal's. The acting was fantastic and the show had a big name, Rhys Meyers. Rhys Meyers is what drew me to the program. He was great in The Tudors and I thought he would have another hit show on his hands.

NBC stuck Dracula on Friday nights during the fall. I think putting shows on Friday is dumb, especially when it competes with football. The show averaged 5 million viewers. I guess that isn't good enough.

The Carrie Diaries was a fun show. AnnaSophia Robb was a wonderful young Carrie Bradshaw.

I did watch Sex and the City and remember things Carrie said about growing up. In the Carrie Diaries, her Dad took care of her and her sister. Her mother also died from cancer. In SATC, he left Carrie and her Mom. Carrie also said how she lost her virginity. I didn't care that SATC and TCD didn't match up. It was fun to see Carrie in high school and interning at a magazine in New York City.

The second season of TCD introduced us to a young Samantha. I read a story saying that if there was a season three of TCD, we would have met a young Miranda. Now how fun would that have been?

Goodbye Dracula and The Carrie Diaries. I will miss you.

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
 
Currently Reading: NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt

Acres of Fun 5K

I ran the Acres of Fun 5K Saturday in Tecumseh, Michigan.

The weather was in the 50s and little to no breeze at all. I started the race right in the front. After the starting horn, I was quickly surrounded by so many school children. They started running fast and then soon slowed down to a jog or walk. All of the older runners were swerving around them for the first half mile, including myself.

Once around the school kids, I ended up tailing a woman. I was thrilled to actually be running right behind someone because that is rare for me. Soon I found myself side-by-side with her. Eventually she ended up pulling away from me. But I was able to find another woman to run with. This was the second race in a row where there were no mile markers. I didn't bother even looking at my watch because I didn't know how far I was along.

I was very happy to actually run with people. I soon found myself catching up to a teenage girl. I was able to get right beside her. When I did that, she started pulling ahead. That didn't last long. I ran her down and found myself running side-by-side again. The teen pulled ahead and I caught up to her again. She did that one more time. I was able to catch up to her again and pass her for good. That felt great.

When I realized that the race was almost over, I focused on catching the woman ahead of me. I started gaining with every step. I was thrilled when I got within a few feet of her. I thought I had the momentum to catch and pass her before the home stretch. When the finish line was in sight, the woman in front of me turned her head to see where I was. Then she picked up her pace and ran away from me. I tried to follow suit, but I couldn't catch her. I finished the race in 26:13. Not a PR, but it was my best 5K of the year.

I was fourth out of 15 in my age group. The women's overall winner came from my age group. I was 34th overall and the 14th overall woman. I'm very happy that I was able to run with a few women. They helped me go faster today. It seemed like today everything was falling into place. I have another 5K next week, I want to run it in 25 minutes.

Backyard friends III - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson

Currently Reading: You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen

Kentucky Derby

Getty Images/Andy Lyons

The 140th Kentucky Derby took place Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

California Chrome was the winner of the biggest horse race of the year. California Chrome and his jockey, Victor Espinoza, beat the field by 1 3/4 lengths. Saturday was this horse's fifth consecutive win.

Getty Images/Andy Lyons

The horse Commanding Curve was second and Danza, which was named after Tony Danza, the actor, was third.

The next race of the Triple Crown is The Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Couse in Baltimore, Maryland on May 17.

Dylan Buell

I usually try to watch the Kentucky Derby and the rest of the Triple Crown races. I do know that the fastest horse wins, just like in running. But I don't know too much about horse racing betting. My husband has explained odds to me so many times. I can never seem to remember how it works. But, I'm more of a showjumping fan. That is very easy to follow.

I did watch the first season of     Horseplayers on the Esquire Channel this year. Horseplayers is about professional horse race handicapping. As soon as they put down their bets and wagers, they lose me. I don't know the lingo. I really hope all of the guys were at the Derby and it was recorded for a future show. They are a fun group and I enjoy watching them spend money and lose it too.

Addison Athletic Boosters 5K

I ran the Addison Athletic Boosters 5K in Addison, Michigan on Saturday.

The course is a big country block that starts and ends at Addison Middle School. The country block features a few hills. The start of the race was in the high 40s and windy. The winds were at 16 m.p.h. with gusts up to 25 m.p.h.

When the horn went off, I found myself in a clump of guys. We went down a huge hill and up another another hill together. Slowly, one of the guys started to break away. I was able to hang on to the other guy through 1.5 to 2 miles. I'm not really sure of the distance because no mile markers were indicted on the roads.

I thought I did well on the hills. It felt like I was charging up them. Not sure if I actually was. The wind was blowing into our faces on the second half of the course.

Also on the second half of the course, I passed a boy and girl that started out too quickly that were walking. I passed them, but I heard them talking behind me. A couple of moments later, they pass me running pretty fast. They started to build a nice lead on me, but then they would tire out start walking again. I ended up catching and passing them again. This happened one more time. I thought that the kids would have another run in them over the final stretch. I passed them once and for all heading up a long incline of a hill. I put my head down and tried working on turnover. I just wanted to climb the hill as fast as I could and make the turn to head to the finish line. Once I was up the hill, I went as fast as I could to the finish line.

I finished the race in 27:43. I was the 7th overall female and 1st in my age group. This is the second year in a row that I won my age group at this race. My finishing time is about a minute slower then last year's race, but I have improved my 5K times since the beginning of the year. My first 5K of the year was 31 minutes, my second was 29 minutes and Saturday's was 27 minutes. I'm running another 5K this weekend, I hope my time drops again.

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl

Currently Reading: Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson

Backyard friends II - Adrian, MI