Mississippi Blues Marathon

I'm going to try to avoid procrastinating on my write-up about this one while it is still somewhat fresh in my mind. Ah, but now it is days later and I am still trying to finish it!

The Mississippi Blues Marathon is in Jackson, Mississippi. I've had this one on list of potential races for my 50 states for awhile. The other marathon in Mississippi, Tupelo, takes place in August, which seems like it could be truly ghastly. January seems like a much more sensible time to run in the deep south.

After getting through my Indianapolis debacle, I started looking at potential states with races coming up, and I figured out that I had enough miles for a free ticket on United to get to Jackson. I did try at first to get Tommy to drive there with me, but he was afraid there might be snow in along the way. So I flew there by myself.

I didn't do any special training for this race. The farthest I ran since Indianapolis was eight miles and I only did that a couple of times. I didn't do any speed work except for the two 5k races and the Thanksgiving five-mile race, which did all go pretty well. Although I didn't do any long runs, I have been training pretty consistently---I've had a streak going since early December (would be early November except for the one time on December 1 when I just forgot!).

I wasn't worried about finishing, of course. I hoped to just settle in to a nice, easy jog and get through it in good enough shape so I could do a bit of touristing after the race, and be able to jump right back in to more serious training this week. And basically, that's what happened.

Finding My Way Around Jackson (or Searching for a Neighborhood that Feels Like Home)

I'll admit that Jackson is not a city that I knew much about prior to my visit. It is the capital of Mississippi, and the largest city based on population. Two of its most notable citizens were the writer, Eudora Welty, and the slain civil rights leader, Medgar Evers. The library system is named after Welty, and the airport is named after Evers. Point of interest, they are connected to each other by a story Welty wrote the night she heard Evers was killed, in which she imagines what was going through the mind of his murderer.

I'm no literature scholar, and I really didn't know much about Eudora Welty except I had heard her name. Maybe I read a story by her in a high school American Lit class, or maybe not. Anyway, I decided to download a collection of her short stories to my Kindle to read on the trip. I'm enjoying them. Going to read some more. Someday maybe I will become educated. There's hope.

I love touring old houses, and I had hoped to be able to have time for a tour of Welty's home. Unfortunately, it is only open Tuesday through Friday, and I arrived in Jackson too late to make the last tour. I picked up my rental can and headed for the Marriott. I needed the rental car if I wanted to venture out anywhere because there really isn't that much within walking distance of the Marriott.

After parking the car and checking into the hotel, I walked the short distance (about .4 miles) to the race expo at the convention center.

Packet pickup went pretty quick. The timing chip was attached to the back of the race bib. We got a drawstring gear bag, a short-sleeved technical top, and a harmonica. The gear bag and shirt are useful and well-designed but ugly. And I was expecting a long-sleeved shirt, or at least a short sleeve shirt in a woman's cut. The harmonica is a cute touch, but since it is made in China I could do without it. But I am having fun playing it now and making Eddy & Zen howl.

They also gave us a copy of a CD of blues music that is pretty good. Oh, and a wrist band that would get you on a bus Saturday night that was going to basically go barhopping around blues joints, supposedly a $10 value. So you get a lot for your money at this race.

Overall, I was disappointed in the expo. It was quite small. I guess this race isn't as big as I thought it was. There were just a couple of vendors and no speakers. I bought a tube of something called Skin Sake Athletic Ointment, and yet another fanny pack from iFitness. The ointment did its job, but it does make a mess of your clothes, especially if you are wearing black!

iFitness is a sponsor of The Marathon Show podcast. I bought the fanny pack because I wanted something that would hold all my gels plus have an attachment for my race bib. The little belt I have been using for my race bib doesn't have a very big pocket for gels. Unfortunately, I realized when I finally tried it on that this iFitness belt has the pouch in the front, and I am not used to that and didn't want to try it out for the first time in a marathon. So I ended up wearing TWO fanny packs---my little one that holds my race number, and my bigger one for my gels, credit card, room key, ID, etc.

Here's a picture of the gear bag. I think it's ugly but that's just my opinion. It has a little zipper pocket on the side and is a useful item, nonetheless. I ended up using it as my carry on for the flights home so I could check my roller bag. I know I looked kind of baglady-esque but I did it anyway.

I left the expo and walked back to the hotel. The hotel restaurant was supposedly offering a "runner's menu" that evening. The race had not organized a pasta dinner of its own. I think that is something they should consider, since there is really a dearth of restaurants in downtown Jackson that are open in the evenings. Seems like they pretty much just roll up the sidewalks at the end of the work day. A number of places are open for lunch but very few for dinner.

The "runner's menu" did not look promising. Definitely not the traditional pasta. Instead, something like risotto with asparagus and mushrooms. Also a couple of seafood entrees. Yeah, not really what I had in mind. I just wanted basic Italian spaghetti and meatballs.

I decided to venture out in my car. First I thought I would try to find a shopping center where I might be able to buy a cheap rain poncho that I could wear to the start in the morning if it was raining. I tried to use my GPS and found a place called "Metrocenter Mall" about three miles away.

Trying to follow the directions on the GPS, I found myself leaving the core downtown area within a couple of blocks and getting into what appeared to be a not-so-great neighborhood. It was still a couple of miles to the mall. Then we drove across an area of some empty fields and industry, and I wondered if maybe when I came out on the other side I might find myself in one of those new areas of McMansions and a really nice upscale mall, as sometimes happens.

Wrong.

I did come to the mall, or what used to be the mall. Looked like maybe it used to be a nice mall. Up on a hill with big anchor stores and an expansive parking lot all around. But all the signs had been stripped off the stores, and there were just a few cars in the parking lot. A ghost mall. I guess there are still some small stores in there but no anchors. Looked kind of creepy.

At this point I was getting hungry so I decided to let the GPS guide me to one of the restaurants listed in the race information, a branch of the Bravo chain. It was killing me to have to go to a chain restaurant for dinner but at least these are usually in somewhat upscale areas so I figured it would be okay.

Unfortunately, since the Bravo turned out to be on the second floor of a shopping center on the other side of town (the good side, as it turned out) it was a little hard to find at first. But on the way, I did come upon a supermarket, where I bought the following items:

• A bunch of bananas
• A six-pack of beer (there was a fridge in my hotel room)
• A bag of pretzel rods

I don't know when I thought I was going to eat all these bananas or drink all the beer. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

There was a shopping center across the street from the market that looked like it had some restaurants in it. That was where the GPS said Bravo was supposed to be. I drove over and knew that I must be headed in the right direction, and also had an indication that this was probably the part of town where "people like me" are supposed to hang out: there was a Whole Foods under construction. Go ahead, laugh at me.

This little shopping center, Highland Village, felt just like home. There was a fancy outdoor store. There was a Talbots. There was a cookware store. There was a serious shoe store. I am a little embarrassed that I needed to find a place like this rather than seeking out a more authentic experience. Instead I always seem to seek out the place where I could live if I had to.

So, anyway, after a bit of walking around (there wasn't much signage and it was hard to see the store directory in the dark) I was able to locate the restaurant. Also, by smell! I saw a few other runners (we are that obvious) also on their way to Bravo. There really just weren't many other options for a pre-race pasta meal in Jackson, unfortunately.

If I had taken a closer look in my race packet, or I would have realized that Bravo was giving a 15% discount to runners.

Bravo was hopping, even though it was still pretty early in the evening, but they found me a spot at the food bar.

Maybe I should have had a pizza, but I really just wanted plain old spaghetti and meatballs. Well, maybe not so plain. It's me we're talking about, after all. I wasn't going to drink, since I was my own designated driver, but I decided one glass of Chianti wouldn't hurt. I ordered a salad of field greens with some goat cheese to start, and the spaghetti & meatballs.

While I waited for my salad, I had some bread. Here was a problem. I wanted some olive oil for my bread. The olive oil was in a carafe in front of the woman sitting on my left. This woman, a fellow runner, was deep in conversation with the woman on HER left, another runner. She was turned away from me and I would need to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention.

So I nibbled on my bread, and waited for her to maybe turn a little in my direction so I could just ask her to pass me the olive oil.

And I felt lonely and sad there, suddenly, in the restaurant by myself, and missed the old days when I used to travel to these races with other people. Note to self, really need to rejoin local running club and make some running friends to travel with. Tired of these solitary race weekends.

I would not have minded talking to a stranger, even. And as I listened to these women's conversation, I kinda wondered why they didn't include me. It didn't sound like they really knew each other from before. They were not the same age, and did not appear to be related. They seemed to be two people who had just met that day.

Maybe it's because I don't look like a runner! Maybe that's why they didn't include me! I just look like some weird old woman who is out eating spaghetti by herself the night before the marathon.

Anyway, she did turn eventually and I got my chance to request the olive oil. Which she did but she seemed a little put out about it. Huh. And the worst part? The olive oil was rancid! I was so hungry it took me a few minutes to figure this out. Bummer. I debated saying something to my server, but he wasn't real communicative so I didn't bother. Instead, I posted it on Facebook. The passive aggressive response to disappointing service in the social media era!

The food arrived and it turned out that my glass of wine was probably the best part of the meal. The lettuce was a little wilted on the salad (the goat cheese was good, though). The spaghetti was actually linguine, which bothered me. It just wasn't right. The sauce was bland. The meatballs were okay but also kind of bland. Not great.

I did not order dessert at Bravo. By that point I had a close enough view of all their food preparations, including dessert, to know that it was not going to be worth it. Hoped that the little bakery/coffeeshop I had spied on the first floor was still open.

Fortunately, it was. Beagle Bakery Cafe had a nice selection of fresh, store-made cakes. I ordered a big slice of a chocolate and cream cheese concoction  (kind of like an opera cream cake) to take back to my room. (I would have taken a picture but I ate it too fast.) This cafe, by the way, is a very good place and I wish I had remembered to head back there on Saturday or Sunday.

Back at the hotel, I realized that I didn't get any kind of utensil to eat my cake with. I managed to eat half of it by scooping it up with a lid from a water bottle, and saved the second half for breakfast or maybe after the race.

Race Morning

My usual routine is to get up 2 1/2 hours before the race, which gives me a half hour to drink coffee and finish up two hours before the race in order to avoid needing to stop during the race to use the portapotties. But this time, I really did not want to get up at 4:30 am, even if I had picked up an hour traveling to Central time. I decided that I didn't care if I did need to stop during the race, since my time didn't matter to me anyway. So I got up at 5 am.

I had one cup of coffee, and the plan was to have a banana and maybe a Picky Bar. Or my leftover cake. But I was still really stuffed from dinner! Yes, I have been complaining about the food but I still cleaned my plate! So I skipped breakfast.

I watched the news (rain looked likely late morning), lubed up, settled on my race attire and attached my bib to the fuel belt. I wore black tights, black longsleeved top, black hat from Delaware Marathon (because it is fairly water-repellant) and thin red jacket. Oh, and thin black gloves. So I was mostly in black, which I think will be okay because it isn't supposed to be sunny, and will hopefully make me look less fat in any finish line photos.

The temperature outside was in the low 30s and it was supposed to get up in the 40s but that wouldn't be until afternoon when I was done running. It will rain later in the race (when you tell me 30-40% chance of rain I know that means it is going to rain!) but at least it's not raining at the start, and not very windy, so at least it was not as miserable out as it was for Indy.

I wanted to stay in the room until 6:30 but I got bored before that and headed down to the lobby. Lots of runners down there. The hotel put out some water, and what looked like fruit punch in a bowl, but I guess was Gatorade. But who knows, since they thought we would all want risotto and mushrooms the night before.

I followed along with the crowd as people began walking to the start, which was about .3 miles away. Up at the start, the portapotty lines were long, and I'm glad I didn't need to go. Did not need to stop at all during the race, either, so that part worked out.

I found a pace team guy holding a 5:00 sign, so I decided to hang out with him and whomever else is in that group. My goal was just to finish comfortably, but it would be nice to be under 5:00. If I start out slow enough that's probably about right, but you never know.

This pace guy is not like the ones I've encountered in other races. He's not talking. He's not gathering the troops together and giving us words of encouragement. Great, the one time I actually think I would like one of those overly cheery pace team leaders, I get stuck with this guy.

I chatted a bit with a couple of women. One is from Tupelo, and she tells me that their race isn't THAT hot. Right. The other lives in Jackson and works for Blue Cross so she gets reimbursed if she finishes. Neither one of them is planning on finishing under five hours. But 5:00 is the slowest pace team at this race. Looking around, I realize that it is a lot smaller race than I imagined, which doesn't matter one way or the other but is interesting. It is a small town, small race with big race amenities.

There are a lot of Maniacs at this one, though. Looking around, it seems like a majority of the runners are Marathon Maniacs, and I kind of wish that I was wearing my Maniac gear. Why don't I do that? Why do I always want to be anonymous? I guess because I don't feel like I really belong with the Maniacs, since I am just a Maniac at the lowest level. Note to self: get more involved with the 50 States people and the Maniacs. To start with, maybe try paying my dues this year.

The Race

As we begin running, I settle right into a pace just under 11 minutes per mile. That does feel like a comfortable jog. I pull ahead of the 5:00 pace team leader, and hope that I won't have to feel the shame of being passed by him later in the race. He still wasn't talking, and he was kind of holding his pace sign over his shoulder rather than up in the air, and I was worried when I got close to him that he would poke me in the eye with it.

The first two miles take us away from downtown. The hills are rolling but not bad at all from my perspective. Overall, it was not as challenging a course as I had expected. While it is hilly throughout, none of the hills were very steep or very long. Basically, the course is a couple of miles around the city, then 20 miles or so through the suburban neighborhoods, and then back through the city.

We passed through the neighborhood of Fondren, supposedly an arty area (although it just seemed seedy to me when I drove through it later) which is also where the hospitals are located. Around mile three, we turned off into a pleasant residential area. I enjoyed looking at the pretty houses and tall trees. There were a lot of people out in their yards cheering for us.

The first hour went by almost before I knew it, but it was a little disheartening to think that I had four more hours to go.

Around mile six, we were alongside Hwy 55 and I realized we were right by Highland Plaza, where I'd eaten the night before. Miles 3-17 were mostly residential, with some small, cute bungalows, modest older homes (a few being replaced by McMansions), and one area of actual mansions. It was a very nice course to run.

My pace had crept up over 11 but I wasn't struggling. I caught up with the 4:55 pace team leader, whom I had not noticed at the start. He was running by himself. He told me that he was a few minutes ahead of schedule, and he was wondering if that was why he had lost the rest of his team. Duh. Where did they find these people? Really not like any pace teams I have seen in other races. I ran a little off and on with this guy. Actually the only two people I spoke to during the race were this guy and the 5:00 guy (who did catch up to me and pass me at one point, before I woke myself up and left him behind).

I went through the first half around 2:25 or so. I was still feeling pretty good.

I had a GU pack every 3-4 miles or so. The aid stations came up regularly just about every two miles as promised. They were all well-staffed with volunteers.

There was a period when I was about halfway done that the sun came out, and I actually removed my jacket and wondered if I was going to overheat in my black clothes. But that didn't last for very long!

There was a group of three women I encountered repeatedly in the middle miles of the race. They were pretty, skinny Southern belle types dressed in cute little running outfits, chatting among themselves. I hated them. I was happy when I finally left them behind.

There was another group of Maniac women running together and I was a little envious not to be recognized as a member of their club, and jealous that they probably get to do this type of thing every weekend, being Maniacs and all. I overheard one say that she didn't even start to feel warmed up anymore until mile 20. I passed them eventually, too.

In miles 21-22 we retraced our steps on State Street towards downtown, then we made a loop of the city. This was probably the least attractive part of the race, and I wondered why they didn't do this part first to get it over with. It also started raining around this point, but it was a very light shower and not continuous. Nothing like the horrible freezing rain in Indy. I slowed to a 12:18 in mile 19, but after that I got back down
into the 11s.

We passed the Marriott, and I thought about how much better I was feeling at this race than I had when I passed my hotel in Indianapolis. I felt great, and I pushed harder the last mile to drop down to a 9:28 pace, crossing the finish line in 4:51:58 chip time. For the record, 6 of 26 in the age group (it is apparently a slow person's race), 156 of 289 women, 474 of 740 runners overall.

I got my space blanket and my medal and was going to just hurry back to the hotel to warm up (it was getting cold) but I decided to check out the food tent. I'm glad I did because they had most excellent post-race food, enough that I didn't have to pick up lunch on the way back to the hotel. They had pizza, deli sandwiches (my turkey sandwich!), hot soup (tomato basil) and red beans & rice. So I had a little bit of everything. There were tables set out on the lawn and a blues band playing but it wasn't the kind of weather to sit and hang out. So I ate my food standing up and headed back to the hotel.

Two things from the walk back:
1) There was a pretty park about a block from the hotel that looked rather deserted, and without going into too much detail, let me just say that I surmise that this is where Jacksonians go to buy and sell their drugs.

2) I passed another marathoner, a young woman also wrapped in her space blanket. She turned to me and said "Do you know you are awesome?" I wanted to say, "you are an idiot, we just finished a marathon, big whoopdeedoo, anybody can do it, there is nothing awesome about it." But I told her she was awesome too.

A couple of hours later, when I was ready to venture out for touristing, I could look out my hotel window and she the last of the marathoners finishing and the sag wagon picking up the traffic cones. I would not have liked being out there another two hours in the rain!

Tourist Time

By the time I decided to head out for some tourist activities, there wasn't very much open. I thought I could go see the Medgar Evers home, but I pushed the wrong button on the GPS and it took me to a senior citizen center instead. Then I realized that the home wasn't open to the public anyway.

Next, I had the GPS direct me to the Eudora Welty house. I thought maybe it would be open even though all the info I had said no. I found it in the Belhaven neighborhood, parts of which we had run through during the race. But the house wasn't open. I drove around Belhaven a little more, and then I took another look in the guide book to find something nearby that might be open.

I ended up at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, which is located in a state park not far from downtown. I spent about 90 minutes walking around the museum. On this rainy afternoon, the museum was full of families with young children. They were featuring a dinosaur exhibit, I guess because that is what brings families into science museums, but I was more interested in the displays about the flora and fauna of Jackson.

After a pretty thorough walk around the museum, I headed back to the hotel. I was getting hungry for dinner, but not sure if I would go to the restaurant where I had a reservation, just stay in the hotel for dinner, or go out on the Blues Tour bus to a burger place. The blues tour sounded like fun but maybe not so much for an old woman traveling alone. If I were still in my 20s, heck even in my 30s. And single. Or if I were traveling with a bunch of friends...but by myself, it didn't seem like quite the right thing.

I drove through Fondren on my way back, hoping maybe I'd see some place there that looked promising, but it all just looked too seedy and sketchy. Maybe it's really not, but I'm just saying that as a woman traveling alone that is how it looked to ME.

I mulled my options over while sipping one of the beers (Lazy Magnolia Deep South Pale Ale) I'd bought the night before and munching on the pretzel rods.

Dinner at Parlor Market by myself seemed appropriate, but I was a little worried about the walk there alone in the dark. It was only .3 miles from my hotel, so it seemed silly to drive or take a cab (although I noticed that the was plenty of street parking available when I drove by the restaurant, so I could have parked practically right in front of it). Downtown Jackson is not necessarily unsafe, but very empty and isolated, and there wasn't much activity going on in between the restaurant and my hotel. But I really didn't want to eat in the hotel.

So I decided to be brave and get myself to the restaurant. It was raining, so I bundled up my parka and put up my hood, and I actually sort of jogged there. One block down and two blocks over. I did pass one other restaurant along the way that seemed to have some business, and there were a couple of women on a street corner a block from the restaurant (might have been "professionals") but otherwise I didn't see a soul at 6:45 pm on a Saturday night.

In the end, it was a good decision. The maitre d' welcomed me warmly, and escorted me to a seat at the raw bar. It was cleaner and less hectic than the food bar at Bravo.

My waiter came to take my drink order, and I was thinking beer since I'd already had one and I didn't want a hangover, but they had this enormous cocktail menu---apparently it is a serious cocktail place---and, as the waiter pointed out, I was wearing martini glass earrings, so....I asked him to suggest something. Since I like gin, he selected The Aviator. This is a combo of Plymouth Gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and creme de violette (whatever that is).

It's not quite frozen, like a margarita, but it's a little slushy. Kind of like a gin slushie. I loved it. It was my favorite part of the meal.

The other things I ordered were well-prepared and tasty, but I found myself wishing I had made other selections. As an appetizer, I had the duck sausage.

This was two sausage links on a bed of grits with a garnish of duck cracklings and some sort of sauce underneath. The sausage was just a little too rich for one person. The grits and the cracklings and the sauce were wonderful, and a good balance for the sausage. Anyway, I ate one of the links and took the other one back to the hotel to enjoy later with my pretzel rods (ended up eating this for breakfast, actually, and it was pretty good that way).

For my entree, I ordered the red snapper, served with mashed potatoes and a sort of corn relish.

A green vegetable as something other than garnish might have been nice in there somewhere. My meal was a little heavy on the corn. If I had known better, I would have gone for a couple of the specials the waiter told me about: the foie gras appetizer, and the hanger steak entree. Umm, I guess that would have been a bit on the rich side, too.

A few other runners came in and sat beside me at the food bar but we did not speak. The woman on my right ordered a cup of tomato soup appetizer and what appeared to be a crock of cheese as her entree. I think I at least made better choices than that!

I did not skip dessert. The night after a marathon is no time to start a diet! I had Parlor Market's take on a s'more, which my waiter told me was his personal invention in college:

 This was sort of a deconstructed s'more. Basically, chocolate mousse in a little glass jar (was kind of hard to get it all out of the jar!) topped with toasted marshmallow fluff, and with the graham crackers on the side. I ate almost all of it.

And at that point, I was totally stuffed. I waddled back home, a bit less nervous than I had been on the way there. The rain had stopped. I did see a bunch of young women on their way in to the restaurant, and a couple of women across the street from my hotel (those two were pros, I'm pretty sure) but otherwise, nobody.

Another Half-Day of Touristing

First thing I did Sunday morning was head out for my little one mile run to continue my "streak." Oh yeah, I'm streaking again. Over a month now. If it had been raining I would have gone to the hotel gym and hit the treadmill, but it was a nice morning so I just hit the street. I thought I might just do a few laps around the block to be on the safe side, but found myself heading up towards the convention center, then down another block and back by the park.

Noticed at least two other people out running. Also saw that they had some sort of prayer service or outreach gathering in the park, where it looked like they were serving hot beverages to, possibly, homeless people. Otherwise, there was nobody out yet. Even the churches were quiet.

When I'm just doing the mile on the treadmill, I have no problem stopping, but it felt really strange to head back into the hotel after just one mile. I was just getting warmed up! But there was nothing to be gained by running any further, so I stopped.

I had considered eating a big breakfast in the hotel, but I was still full from the night before. So I just nibbled on my leftover duck sausage with a few of the pretzel rods before I checked out.

After looking through my assortment of informational brochures, the one thing that looked like it was open to the public on a Sunday morning (besides going to church) was the zoo, which was just a couple of miles away. So that's where I went.

Jackson Zoological Park is a nice little zoo. I was one of their first customers that morning, and for a bit of time had the place all to myself, except for the workers (who kept waving and smiling at me). After a bit, I was joined by a couple of families.

I spent about two hours at the zoo. It was a sunny morning and warmer than the day before, which made for a pleasant walk. I spent a lot of time looking at the big cats (among them, Sumatran Tigers and Florida Panthers) and the giraffes and the birds. The zoo has a nice collection of animals, and although the enclosures were not all exactly state-of-the-art, the animals all looked healthy. It was just around feeding time for most of them and they were pretty active.

Here's a picture of some kind of crazy bird that makes a lot of noise when he flaps his wings:

Here's a picture of the Australian Kookaburra, which makes a lot of noise in general.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Merry, merry king of the bush is he

Laugh kookaburra, laugh kookaburra

Gay your life must be!

Walking around I realized that it has been a long time since I've been to a zoo of any kind, and that I had forgotten how much I enjoy the zoo. Note to self, rejoin Cincinnati Zoo. Try to go there more often than once in a blue moon.

So, after I had made a rather thorough tour of the zoo, I still had a little time to kill before heading for the airport. I drove back downtown to the art museum, which would now be open.

I found a parking spot on the street right in front of the Mississippi Museum of Art, which is right downtown next to the convention center. This museum is in an attractive modern building and is free to the public. It took me about an hour to go through their permanent collection of works by Mississippi artists and artists who had spent time in Mississippi. I wish I had stopped in there sooner because it was really worth a little more time. I could have even walked there Saturday afternoon if I had thought about it.

And then it was time to head for the airport. Another state conquered at a slow and steady pace, and a little bit of tourist activity on the side, although not quite enough for me to feel, unfortunately, like I really got a sense of the place. So, I'm going to read some more Eudora Welty in compensation.

My Running Year in Review

I don't usually look at the year this way, because my running log starts anew over the summer and not on January 1. But I decided to take a look at it.

I ran 1336.56 miles in 2012, which is farther than in recent years but not quite up to the 1400 or more I probably ran before my knee surgery (and dog agility addiction!). I completed 18 races, which is also better than in recent years but not what I did "back in the day" (like the time I ran four races in one weekend).

I had what I will call a "post-knee surgery" PR in the half-marathon. Otherwise my race times were about the same as the last few years. At least I am not really getting any slower yet at the shorter distances.

I didn't have a lot of goals for this year. I achieved some of them:

• Got ranked again in the Running Spot newsletter.
• Finished in the top 12 of the Dirtiest Dozen trail series (although I dropped a spot from 7 to 8)

I think that's it if we're just looking at the calendar year.

I also failed on a couple:

• Did not qualify for Boston
• Did not lose another ten pounds. Hahaha. I should give up on that one. I think I actually not only failed to lose another ten pounds, but I gained back the ten I had lost.

So, it was an okay year, not great, not a disaster.

Two Holiday 5ks

Ran a holiday 5k race two weekends in a row. Last Saturday it was the Jingle Bell run (for arthritis) and yesterday, the Egg Nog Jog

Jingle Bell Gets Me Jangled Until the Gun Goes Off

Just like last year, I had to choose between the Reindeer Romp and Jingle Bell last weekend. I would have preferred to run the more scenic, low-key, Reindeer Romp, which is also cheaper, offers a 10k as well as a 5k, and includes a pancake breakfast and a long-sleeved, technical top. But with Tommy out of town last weekend, Jingle Bell worked out better for me time-wise. It starts later in the morning (10 am) and is closer to home, so overall I wouldn't be away as long, which is better for the dogs. 

Or maybe it was just better for me. Yeah, they could have handled it if I ran the 10k Reindeer Romp, but I would have had to get up way early to get them fed before heading off to that race. For Jingle Bell, I could almost sleep in, and the dogs had plenty of time to eat and take care of business before I left for the race.

The Jingle Bell race starts and finishes at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington. It's not the most interesting course in the world, but it is fast. I set my 5k PR on this course at a summertime race years ago. You run down the road from the Convention Center, turn right on Fourth St., then turn right and cross over the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge to Cincinnati. Then you make a little loop of Second and Third Streets before heading back across the bridge. So it's not real hilly----there's just the gentle incline of the bridge and a couple of short hills going between Second and Third.

It was pouring down rain when I got up, and I had to push myself to get out the door. I kept telling myself that it was just a 5k, and surely since I had just recently run a marathon in freezing rain I should be able to easily handle a 5k in relatively warm rain. And maybe there wouldn't be as much competition and I would get an age group placement.

I left the house a little after 9 am, and made one stop by the post office before getting on the highway. So it was probably at least 9:10 before I even got out of Hyde Park.

The highway was fine---the rain had let up. I still have nightmares about the year I tried to drive to this race in a blizzard and ended up just circling back home because the highway was so slippery.

But when I got off in Covington, the traffic was at a near standstill. It's just a few blocks from the off ramp to the street the Convention Center is on, but it was hardly moving at all. So although I was in good shape when I exited the highway, I was not in good shape by the time I arrived at the parking garage across from the Convention Center where I always park. Which was full, as was the lot next door. Great.

I turned around the block, and fortunately there was plenty of parking in the garage under the Embassy Suites hotel diagonally across from the Convention Center. Go figure. I thought it would be more expensive than the other lot but it wasn't. Hmmm, make a mental note to come in from the other side and go right to that lot if I do this race next year.

But, I didn't have much time until the race was to start. I rushed over to the Convention Center, picked up my shirt and bib, and rushed back to the car. No time for a proper warmup, so my warmup was going to just consist of running in and out of the parking garage.

Now it was time to head to the start. It was overcast but at least the rain had stopped. Mostly. Maybe a slight drizzle. While I waited for the race to start, I tried jogging in place and doing some high knee lifts so I would at least have my heart rate up a little and my muscles a little bit warm before the start.

I had a pretty modest time goal, based on my time at the recent Ashenfelter 8k. My time at that race predicted a 26:30 for 5k. I knew that I had not run hard at the 8k, but I decided that a 26:30 would be my goal. I'm reluctant to have an ambitious goal after that last marathon.

It took me about 18 seconds to cross the start line once the gun went off. It seemed like I had lined myself up in the right place, because except for having to elbow aside a couple of people in the very beginning (why do those walkers always get in the wrong place?!!!!!) I was not having to break stride much to get into my pace.

I felt good, and even passed a few people running over the bridge, which often happens when I am on the downhill side but seldom on the uphill. Hit the first mile in 8:16 on my watch.

Still felt good in the second mile. Kept reminding myself to focus. Time for the second mile was 8:08. It appeared that I was going to easily surpass my goal.

Focus, focus, focus. Glide, glide, glide. On the last downhill, I found myself spitting. Spitting while running is a very new thing for me. I just started doing it after those two women spit on me at the Dayton Half. It's a revelation. You really do feel a little better after you toss out a spit wad. Who knew?

Came around the bend with an 8:10 for the third mile. Did not kick too hard because I decided I did not want to puke for what I consider a less than stellar time---although it was quite good for me at this stage. Ran the last .1 in about 43 seconds, which is not bad.

After the race, I wandered into the Convention Center to see what they had to eat. It was a rather paltry offering---just some cut up Panera bagels and cups of water. I was not in the mood for a bagel so I just grabbed a water and headed to the car. Decided I would go back over, change into dry clothes, and hang out awhile to see if maybe I had managed to place. They were going three deep in the age groups, and my time was faster than the third place woman from last year.

In the back of the room, they now had a computer set up displaying the times and placements, just for the awards. After a couple of minutes, I could see that I did not make the top three, so I left.

Back home, I learned that I had finished 4th of 47 woman in my age group, which is not that bad. My official time was 25:17. Third place beat me by about 20 seconds. I recognized the name of the woman who beat me, but I do not know what she looks like. I'm wondering if I could figure out who she is if I could find a way to beat her, the way I have managed to outrun other ladies over the years. I would start just behind her, try to maintain that position, then kick past her at the end. Maybe I will try that if I can ever figure out who she is. I did learn, from the results, that Cyndi K. was there (thought I had seen her from behind when I was exiting the Convention Center to go home) and I beat her by about a minute.

Overall, I was glad I ran. 4 of 47 is not too shabby.

Egg Nog Jog is Not a Jog for Me

This is the one that takes place in Mt. Adams. This was the third time that I had run it. The worst part about this race is trying to find a parking space in Mt. Adams. I was stressing about it but in the end it was pretty easy. There were plenty of spaces left on Monastery Street right around the corner from the finish line when I  arrived about 9:20.

I last ran this one in 2009, which was a year with snow and ice. The weather yesterday was great. At race time, it was in the mid to upper 40s, overcast but dry and not much wind. Can't really expect much better in mid-December.

I had picked up my packet at The Running Spot on Friday so I didn't need to worry about that. It was a little early, but I headed out for my one mile warmup jog anyway. It's important to get those quads and hammies really warm before you tackle the hills of Mt. Adams.

This race has a very hilly course. But based on the results from last weekend, I was expecting something faster than that 26:30 goal I had set for myself last week. I knew I probably would not be as fast as last weekend, but could manage something in between, maybe.

I finished my jog and went inside Longworth's, the pub where they were hosting the pre-and post-race gathering. I thought it would be nice to visit the bathroom, but Longworth's was jam packed and I gave up on that.

I went outside to wait for the race to start. I pettted a little dog that was a rescue from Puerto Rico. The owner told me this was the dog's first race. I kind of wished I had brought Ed along, but he hasn't been running with me this year and it didn't seem right to just push him to do a fast 5k without a proper buildup.

At the start line, I chatted with a woman who noticed my Chickamauga race shirt. She had run it in 2007. I saw Cyndi K. a few rows in front of me. She turned around and looked in my direction but I wasn't sure if she saw me. I thought about saying hello but she had already turned the other way. I hadn't been thinking about "racing" but now I knew I was going to have to beat Cyndi K.

And then we were off, and just like last weekend, I was feeling pretty good. The first mile has some downhill and some flat, not too much uphill. I caught up to Cyndi K. and flew right past her before the first quarter mile. Hopefully she would stay passed. I hit the first mile marker in 8:01. Good.

The second mile has more downhill. I still felt good. There's a weird little piece where you run out along a brick path and then back across the grass. It's probably a total of a tenth of a mile or less. It does enable you to see who is just ahead of you and who is just behind. Cyndi K. was behind but not as far as I would have liked. I ran a 7:49 for the second mile, which my GPS said was a little short.

And then there was the last mile. This one naturally featured more uphill because we had to get back where we started from somehow. There are a couple of spots where you run up short, steep concrete ramps from parking areas near the art museum. I remembered these being iced over back in 2009. At least we didn't have to deal with that this year. The second ramp was so steep that I almost had to stop and walk near the top of it, though.

Mile 3 was an 8:51, but maybe that one was a little long since the one before was short. Or maybe it was just the hilliness of it. The last few tenths of a mile were on flatter road. I saw one woman who was fading, and I buckled down and kicked past her, with 43 seconds for the last .1. Just like last week, I did not go fast enough to make myself sick. That's always nice!

I waited for a volunteer to cut my chip off my shoe, then grabbed a cup of water. There was no food set out---presumably it was all back at Longworth's, which was a little bit of a walk from the finish. My car was closer. I headed there and debated going back to the bar for refreshments and the awards. There were supposedly door prizes, but they were only going 1 deep in the age groups. I figured I was likely in the top three but doubted I had won. Did I really want to go hang out with a bunch of strangers in my wet clothes for an hour to find out? Or did I want to do it even if I bothered to change clothes?

It seemed easier to just eat the Picky Bar I had brought along and drive home.

Later in the afternoon, however, I learned that I had in fact won the age group. There was one woman faster than me, but she got the first Grand Master, which left me in first place. Bummer. Or, actually, I am glad I won, but it would be a bummer to find out that the award was something nice like a coffee mug or a plaque. Most likely it was just some cheesy medal that I don't really need another one of anyway. And it's better to go home and find out you won than to hang around and find out you didn't!

The first Grand Master beat me by about 30 seconds. I did beat Cyndi K. again by about 40 seconds, and there were even a few women in between us. And, more significantly, I beat another woman whose name I recognize but whom I have never beaten before---she's another one who I don't recognize except for her name. So that was cool.

Was 2 of 21 (or 1 of 20 for the awards), 22 of 246 women, and 114 of 468 runners. Final time was 25:24, or 7 seconds slower than last week, which is not bad on this hilly course---although, according to my GPS it may have been about .06 short, which could be as much as 30 seconds different, I guess. Anyway, pretty good result for me and again, glad I ran it.

Now I am about to go into race withdrawal because I don't know when I'll have a chance to run a fast local race again. It could be months. Yes, I have that marathon coming up in Mississippi but it's not the same thing as running a hard 5k.

Ashenfelter 8k, a new tradition for my family

For the past, what, 15 years? or more, we have been going down to Freehold for the Born to Run 5 Mile race. But this year the race was cancelled because of the damage left behind by Hurricane Sandy. So instead we drove over the Glen Ridge, just a couple of miles from my sister's house, for the Ashenfelter 8k.

The race is named after Horace Ashenfelter, a lifelong resident of Glen Ridge who won the gold medal in the steeplechase in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. His family started this race 13 years ago. It's gotten to be a pretty big deal, and I can't believe it took us this long to start doing it. Now I think we are going to have to do it every year, even if we also still go down to Freehold the next day.

You can read about Horace Ashenfelter here and here. Sounds like a pretty cool guy.

We drove over to the high school on Wednesday night to pick up our packets. Considering this is a 2500 person race, I was surprised they didn't have a little more going on at the packet pickup. I think the local running shoe store could have maybe sold some stuff in there. Anyway, we got our bibs and D-tags and shirts (long sleeve, technical).

It's a pretty competitive race. It's the NJ 8k championship, and they also have a team competition. There are a lot of fast runners in NJ. I always thought the Born to Run race drew a fast crowd but this one is even more serious. I wasn't going to try to run especially fast and harbored no expectations of an age-group prize. I just wanted to get a good workout in.

Thursday morning we drove over there and parked a few blocks away from the high school. The race makes a loop of residential Glen Ridge (maybe it is all residential in Glen Ridge, not sure) that starts and finishes at the high school. While Tommy, Cathy, Michael, Thomas and Tori walked to the start, I headed out for a little warmup jog and also to visit the portapotties. I got there just in time to get in and out without stressing about missing the start, then headed out to the back of the pack to find the family.

It was a nice day for a run. Not too cold, and plenty of sun. Although this part of New Jersey is quite hilly, the race route is flat. You basically go about two miles out, then turn down a one block hill, then come back for a little over two miles, turn right again and run up a one block hill and head back to the finish. Oh, there's somehow a little stretch in there where you go by the finish when you still have a mile or so to go.

We had somehow talked Tommy into doing the race, and we considered running together, but I wanted to go a little faster than he said he did. And I generally have a hard time running with him. Even though he said he wanted to run 9:30s and I wanted to run 9s, I wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't go out at 8:00 pace. I don't think he has a good handle on what his pace actually is, in other words. So I decided to just run my own race.

I passed Michael before we had gone a half-mile. He is a baseball player and pretty serious about it, but he doesn't do much running regularly. I wondered if he was going to finish the race. And I wondered what it says about his conditioning if he 53-year old aunt is passing him before we've even gone a half-mile. Maybe he was just jogging but I wasn't running all out either.

I achieved my goal of 9:00 pace, without pushing too hard. Splits were 9:08, 8:49, 8:52, 8:49 and 7:36 for that last piece that is short of a mile, for a finish time of 43:15. I was 37 of 102 in the age group, 431 of 1244 women, and 1258 of 2551 runners overall. Now I will confess that when it came down to the very end I did kick so I could break 45 minutes on the clock, and I did puke. Well, at least nobody who knew me saw it happen.

Michael finished just a little bit behind me, and Tommy was a bit behind him., while the others just looked on from the sidelines.

Definitely want to go back and run it again next year. It's a really nice event and close by so no reason not to.

Indianapolis Monumental race report

I've had a few days to process it and I have a little time right now so I guess I'll write about it.

Before getting into the details, I just want to say that it is a really nice race. I enjoyed it last time I ran it (the inaugural event) and it has definitely improved over the years (under different management, I believe, since the second year). As far as organization, the course, every little thing that goes into putting on a successful event, overall they do a nice job.

But not much they can do about the weather! Which basically sucked.

And not much they can do about my lack of training or my psychological state!

But I went there and I tried to relax and enjoy myself a bit, and I did manage to finish (even though, at times, I thought it was really stupid to be out there continuing).

The Day Before

We decided it made more sense for Tommy to stay home with the dogs and for me to travel by myself. For one thing, I would avoid four hours of extra driving taking the dogs to and from the kennel. For another, Tommy could get some more work done on his porch project. The down side was that I had to drive myself there and back, endure loneliness, and have to check myself out of the hotel in the morning before the race.

I wanted to leave around 10 am so I could get there around noon and make it to the expo in time to hear Wesley Korir speak at 1 pm. But I didn't manage to make it out the door until 11. Oh well. The drive was relatively uneventful. I stopped for lunch at a Subway, and in honor of Korir, I purchased a tuna sub. Although unlike Korir, I did not purchase a second sub to give to a homeless person. I'm just not as good as he is.

Once I got to Indy, I wished that I had spent a little more time figuring out on a map where the expo and pasta dinner took place, so I could figure out a sensible route, rather than relying on the GPS to guide me. But I didn't have to drive around the block too many times before finding a parking garage near the convention center. Unfortunately, I think I picked the more expensive of the available options. But at least it was a short walk.

Hanging at the Expo

I found the expo pretty quickly, and made my way back to the registration table to pick up my bib and shirt. There was also a poster (which I have thrown away), but otherwise not much else in the goody bag, which was a brown paper supermarket bag with handles. The race chip was embedded in the bib, just like the way they did it in the first year.

I took a walk around the expo. It was about standard for a mid-sized race. I saw a lot of nice stuff but told myself that I didn't really need anything. Nick Willis was not going to speak until 3 pm, and then the pasta dinner was not until 6. I didn't want to move my car out of the garage to drive to my hotel and then have to come back here later for the pasta dinner. It was going to be a long afternoon.

I remembered that I wanted to buy a new fanny pack for my gels, because the one I planned to use was starting to fall apart. I found an identical one and bought it. This purchase activity loosened the purse strings and soon I was perusing the sale races. I bought a couple pairs of warmup pants (which I like to use for dogwalking and agility) at 50 percent off.

I sat down in one of the chairs in front of the stage where they had the speakers and waited for Nick Willis. Some others joined me.

And soon he appeared, in a Reebok (his sponsor) shirt and jeans, looking a lot cuter in person than he does in all the Flotrack videos I have seen of him over the last five years. Taller and cuter. Not too scrawny considering he is a miler. I remind myself that he is my daughter's age.

Anyway, he gives a nice little talk about, if I had to sum it up, recognizing the importance of your support systems and just being happy to enjoy running. He spoke a little about how fortunate he felt to have had the opportunity to come to the USA to train with Ron Warhurst at the U. of Michigan, and what it means to him to continue the great tradition of New Zealand track athletes. He took us through his experiences at the Olympics in 2004 (when he made the 1500 meter final), 2008 (when he won the bronze in the 1500 meters, which was later upgraded to silver when the winner subsequently tested positive), and this past summer when he had been running great leading up to the Games but totally bombed in the final.

His theme, as I said, seemed to be about how recognizing the importance of having a team behind him helped him win that medal in 2008. After 2004, he added his brother, his sister-in-law, and his wife to his support team, in addition to Warhurst, and it paid off. I thought about how my support team was just Tommy, and he wasn't here. Oh well.

He also spoke a little about recovering from the disappointment of the 2012 Olympics, and how as he got back into training, he wanted to always remember the joy that there is to be found in simply going for a run. This was how he attempted to connect to a topic that might be of interest to Joe Marathoner. I didn't really care about that---I have followed this guy's career for the last few years and I was happy to just hear him talk about himself, I didn't need him to connect it to me. It didn't need to have anything to do with marathoning.

Anyway, he took some questions. I don't remember what the other people asked, but I asked him if he was planning to move up in distance. He said that since he was still improving in the 1500, he wasn't really thinking about that. Makes sense, I guess. I just asked because it seems like that is the progression that so many of the professionals follow. But he's right, he is an Olympic medalist and he is still improving, so why move up? Leave that to the guys who can't compete at the 1500. Which, I have to agree, let't face it, is real running. Yeah, I'm a miler at heart, too.

When he was finished, I went up and boldly asked somebody to take my picture with him. Like he was some kind of zoo animal. I didn't even ask for his autograph! I just wanted the picture. I'm sure he thought I was some kind of crazy stalker. But afterwards, I wondered if maybe he had to be careful that I wasn't wearing any clothing from Nike or Adidas or Asics or whomever. Especially Nike. Maybe his contract with Adidas says he can't have a picture taking with somebody wearing the Swoosh. Wouldn't surprise me at all.

Nick's talk was finished around 3:30 pm. Still so much time to kill. Emboldened, I went over to the Kenyan Kids Foundation booth. That's Wesley Korir's charity. He was standing behind the table. I told him that I was sorry that I didn't get to hear his talk, but I really supported what he was doing. He told me that he was collecting donations via PayPal and that for $30 you could get a shirt. He turned me over to another couple of volunteers who took my information on their iPad.

Later, I found myself wondering if it was really Wesley Korir whom I spoke with or if it was another Kenyan guy who was with him. Later when Korir spoke at the pasta dinner he seemed a lot more self-confident than the guy at the booth. If this guy was embarrassed because I had confused him with Wesley Korir, that would explain things. Stupid old white woman.

Still had time to kill before the pasta dinner. Sat through another speaker, the guy who was the head of the company in charge of the pace teams. Pace teams have come a long way from their terrible debut at the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego. The whole thing has become quite professional. Anyway, this guy spoke on six secrets to running a good marathon, or something like that. Let's see how many I can remember:

1) Pick the right pace team. (This one I failed, BTW!) This means, be realistic about what you will be able to run. Don't pick a number out of thin air or because it sounds good. Base it on the reality of your training and the conditions.

2) Oh, I am realizing that I am not sure I remember the rest. Okay, another one was "Wear the right clothes" or don't wear new untested clothes, or something like that. But I don't think it was number two.

3) Was there something about not eating weird food? I don't remember! Gosh, I really can't remember the rest of the things he said at all, but I enjoyed his talk. He seemed like a good guy.

After that last presentation, I headed over to the pace team booth and chatted briefly with a Chinese woman named Hong who was the 4:10 team leader. She seemed really nice and I thought that maybe I would start the race with her group and see how it went. (Wrong pace for me, unfortunately. See #1, above.)

I still had over an hour until the pasta dinner. I decided to go sit in the lobby of the Westin. Found a comfy chair and settled in. Facebooked a little and read a book on the Kindle app on my phone. Overheard people talking about the NYC marathon being cancelled, which had just been announced.

Around 6 pm, I headed upstairs to the ballroom where they were having the dinner. It was not very well-policed, and I think I could have gone in to sit down and eat without actually having paid for the dinner. Nobody was collecting the "tickets."

There were plenty of seats available. I looked around for a promising table of friendly folks to dine with. I settled on a table in the middle of the room with four woman sitting at it. They turned out to be nice enough, but they were all half-marathoners. You would be surprised how much of a difference this made. I really wasn't in the mood to have to answer a lot of questions about marathoning. I wanted to sit with a group of people with whom I could actually share experiences. At least two of the women were first time half-marathoners and it sounded like they were walkers. So I didn't have a whole lot in common with them on that score.

Wesley Korir and Nick Willis spoke during the dinner. Wesley didn't talk for very long, but as I said, I was left wondering if he was the guy I had met at the expo or not. Nick gave a slightly different version of the talk he had given at the expo. It started out quite differently, and at first I wondered if it was actually going to be a different presentation, which would have really impressed me.

The dinner itself was kind of odd. They brought the food out to us instead of having a buffet. There was a tossed salad, which was okay except that the only dressing was a very thick caesar/ranch concoction that had been sitting on the table for awhile and congealing. There were rolls and butter, also okay. And then they brought out the pasta, which was a smallish serving of ziti covered with a tomato sauce. But the strangest thing was the chicken breast that sat atop each serving of pasta. It tasted good but I think most of us would have preferred more pasta. And I was left wondering what the vegetarians were supposed to do. The wait staff was not very communicative (mostly Mexican) and the basically just brought the food out and didn't offer any other options.

As Nick's presentation winded down, I realized that we were not getting any dessert. That was also odd. Usually at these things there is some kind of cake or brownie. What kind of catered meal is it when you don't get a dessert? Overall, it was a very disappointing pasta dinner.

After dinner, I headed to the hotel. It was just a couple blocks away but after driving there I really had not idea where we were in relation to the start. I stayed at the Marriott Courtyard, which had a convenient outdoor parking lot where I could leave my car during the race after checking out of the hotel---they were not giving late checkout because they were booked for the next night. My room was spacious and comfortable, and there was a delicious sugar cookie waiting for me which made up for not getting dessert at the dinner. I watched some TV and Facebooked until I got tired enough to go to bed. I was comfortable in the room and I think I recall sleeping reasonably well. Didn't I? Or did I have nightmares? I don't remember!

Race Morning

Note: I'm returning to this report after a ridiculous amount of time has gone by. But I would like to get it done! Okay, what do I remember? I followed the standard ritual of getting up early enough so that I could finish drinking two hours before the start. I had the motel room coffee and a Picky Bar. It was too early to take advantage of the bagels and coffee they had promised down in the lounge. Nice of them to offer, though.

I wore...gosh, I don't even remember what I wore now! Did I wear the CW-X capris? I know that I had my old torn up blue nylon anorak and I ended up leaving it in the car, so it survived another race. Yeah, I don't really remember what I wore. I think I had a long sleeved shirt and a thin jacket and my thin black gloves.

I was a little confused about the direction to the start from the hotel. I found a guy and (I'm guessing) his daughter (but could have been his wife, it was dark out. He was older, she seemed younger. But she was kind of heavy, not trophy-wife type). Anyway, I walked with them. I think he said it was his second marathon? And he had been targeting 4:00 but he'd been injured or sick or something so he was just going to go out with the 4:20 pace team. Like I should have done, as it turned out.

I had timed it pretty well so I didn't have to wait too long at the start. It wasn't raining, yet. I found the 4:10 pace group and chatted with them. Figured I would start with them and adjust as needed.
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The Race

I must have been delusional. The gun went off, we shuffled to the start---didn't take too long---and the pace team leader took off. And the rest of the group went with her. I couldn't even run a block with them. So much for the going out slow.

My pace, for the first mile, actually was a little bit faster than I would have liked if I was going to do the classic 10, 9:50, 9:40, 9:30 cut down. First mile was 9:44. That was dumb.

My condition (or decay, as it were) can be evaluated by breaking the race up into three segments.

The First Eight Miles

I'm looking back over the course description as I go through this part. I do really like the course. It's flat but there's plenty to see. Not boring. Lots of turns but can still be fast on a good weather day if you're trained properly. Anyway, the first couple miles go through the core downtown area, and then you head north.

First, you run around Lucas Oil Stadium, otherwise known as the House that Peyton Built. In mile 2 & 3, you run though Monument Circle, by the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Near mile 3, you pass the Federal Building and the Courthouse. Mile 3 to 4 is run along Massachusetts Ave., an area of restaurants, galleries, theaters, and boutique shops.

I don't remember much about miles 4 to 8. I think it is mostly residential. Anyway, I was pretty much holding a pace in the 9:40s for these first eight miles. I knew that wasn't going to continue.

The half-marathoners split off from us just past mile 7, and I was happy to see them go. Pretenders. Actually, I was jealous and wishing I was only doing a half. But as I heard someone say, we didn't travel all this way just to run a half-marathon.

The Second Eight Miles

Between miles 8 and 9 we pass my favorite part of the course, which is the Indiana State Fairgrounds. It's my favorite part because of all my happy memories of showing dogs in conformation at the big Indy Cluster in February the past 6 years or so, and before that the time I took Libby there for dockdiving.

The fairgrounds, of course, like fairgrounds seemingly everywhere, is not in a good neighborhood. But just past the fairgrounds we make a right turn and head into a very lovely neighborhood of large, older homes. I'm not sure what this area is called but it's probably the nicest residential area of the course.

In miles 13 to 14, we run through the village of Broad Ripple, which is an area of interesting restaurants and shops. If I lived in Indy, I'd probably want to live in Broad Ripple.

In the second eight miles, my pace climbed into the 10:00 range. I was keeping it under 11, though. Still not too horrible. The 4:20 pace team caught me around the halfway point, and I wondered what it would have been like if I had started with them. I tried to stay with them, but by mile 16 I couldn't keep up.

The Last Ten Miles

And here is where the wheels came off. But to continue with our travelogue, you pass by the Governor's Mansion between miles 16 and 17. I was already feeling so bad that I don't even remember much about it.

In mile 17, the course runs through the Butler University campus. I enjoy this part of the race, but this year the bad news was that the rain (which had begun falling awhile ago) was turning into sleet. So basically, it all started getting really miserable. I was thinking that if there was anyway that the course would pass by my hotel early, I would just drop out.

In mile 19, you run through the grounds of the Indy Art Museum. This is another pretty part of the course.

I don't remember much about the last six miles of the race, as far as the scenery. There isn't really much written in the info guide, either, except for a bunch of monuments near the end. I think I remember running through some sort of park somewhere in there, but that's about it.

Anyway, pace-wise, I was in the 11s for miles 17-20, and then I climbed up to 12s for 21-25. I was not enjoying myself. Freezing rain is absolutely my least favorite conditions to run a race in. Well, isn't that true for everybody? I was in a pretty bad mood about being there, feeling kind of stupid about the whole thing, and remembering that after I finished I was going to have to climb in the car and drive myself home, which really was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

I managed to pick it up a bit to an 11:32 for mile 26. I just wanted to get it over with. I finally did pass by my hotel but it was just a half-mile from the finish, so that didn't do my any good!

Post-Race

Finally got there, and I guess I was glad to have finished it. I got a handshake from a guy who might have been the race director. The finisher's medal is really quite nice. They also gave out knit running caps that had a race logo patch sewn on and the word "finisher." It was an ugly cap but still kind of a neat idea. Unfortunately, I dropped mine somewhere on my way back to the hotel.

Food-wise, there was a tent where they were supposedly serving chili, but they were out of it when I got there. They said they were bringing more but I didn't want to wait around. So, after asking a couple of people I got pointed in the right direction and started the painful walk back to my hotel, which was not too far away but it was still kind of rough in the nasty weather.

Back at the hotel, I got my bag out of the car and headed inside. I went into the bathroom on the first floor and just spread out inside the handicapped stall. After I got into dry clothes, I did feel a whole lot better.

Still, the drive home was no picnic. For starters, it took me awhile to get out of the city, since the route that my GPS wanted me to take involved crossing the race course. As I drove block after block trying to find a way to get to the highway, I saw the still struggling plodders shuffling along. Some of those people still had two miles to go, and I had been done for an hour already. Put things in perspective for me. It could have been worse!

I think I stopped for Starbucks once I got out of town. I don't remember! Oh yeah, I had Starbucks and one of their breakfast sandwiches, which is similar to an Egg McMuffin but more expensive, of course.

So, in the end, although I was miserable during the race and really questioning my own sanity, I am glad that I went there and did it, even though I knew I wasn't going to be able to run well. On a good weather day, and appropriately trained, it could have been better. But it's still a great race, really well organized. Nothing they can do about the weather! Or my lack of training!

In the end, I was 46 of 84 in my age group, and 722 of 1135 women, and 2099 of 2865 overall.

I swear I'm going to get this writing done tonight

Let's see. Sunday I just did my treadmill mile after we got back from the agility trial. Oh wait, that was just yesterday. I don't know why I keep thinking it is Tuesday already. Nah, it's just Monday.

Today I did 4 outside. The Mooney route. In wind (in my face on the way out) and light rain and 43 degrees and falling. It's a very gray and miserable day. But, once I got going I realized that it was for sure better than the treadmill. Now, if it had been raining before I started I would have been on the treadmill. But it didn't start until I'd gotten down by the Ravenswood apartments (about a half mile or so).

Tomorrow going to try to do 6. Still looking for new shoes. Today I wore the old Pegasus 28s that have almost 600 miles on them. They felt great. I wish they were not so disgusting looking and smelling, though!

Woohoo, I just got it done, that Indy report. It's not great but it's done. Now onto Ashenfelter and then Jingle Bell.

It's hard to write with a Zen in my lap

Just some quick little notes while I veg in front of the TV with Zen.

Did 5 yesterday, later in the afternoon, definitely my least favorite time to run in the winter. Had a hard time getting out there but after a mile or so I was glad I did.

The experiment with the children's shoes is over. I found out that there really is a difference between $50 kid shoes and $100 adult shoes. It wasn't just the differences in the overlays and the outer fabric. Inside the shoe, where the seams in the adult shoes are taped down flat and nicely finished, in the kids shoes, they are unfinished and rough. Didn't bother my left foot but really bothered my right. So I ended up not even wearing them out of the house. Neither pair. Have to send them both back and figure out what to do.

Had too much wine last night and felt all pooped out today, so just did the one mile on the treadmill. Tomorrow morning it's the Jingle Bell race. Should be in the low 50s but rainy, hopefully not too much.

Tonight I Write

In whatever spare moments I can find tonight, I'm going to finally finish up my Indy race report, and jot down a few notes here about how my running has been going lately and my plans for this winter & spring.

Mississippi, She's Calling My Name

So here we go, first big thing, I'm entered in the Mississippi Blues marathon on January 4th in Jackson, Mississippi. I am going to take it nice and easy and just enjoy the day. Hopefully we have decent weather. I don't have a time goal, I just want to get the state done and have a good time doing it. I have a reservation for 2 nights at the Marriott and used credit card miles to pay for my plane ticket. Still trying to decide if I need to rent a car. I don't think I really need one unless I want to do some sightseeing on Saturday after the race.

It sounds like a nice race. I am expecting it to be similar to Little Rock and the Flying Pig. Hilly course, mid-sized race, good support and organization.

Boston or Bust

More long term, I'm training again for the ORRRC marathon in Xenia. I'm going to try, once again, to get a Boston qualifier. I know that I did not have an especially good race there last year but now I know better what to expect and also I have a less ambitious time goal than I did last year. I went out too fast then, plus I had been sick the week before. Assuming I don't get sick and I start at a more reasonable pace, I think it is possible. I only have to get a 4:10 now. All my shorter race times indicate that I am more than capable of this.

I'm all registered for it already and everything. At $25, it is a ridiculous value. And let's face it, a really nice race.

For my training program, this time I'm using the Hanson's method. The Hanson's method differs from other schedules in that the longest run is a 16-miler, but you do things like 8-16-8, and overall the mileage gets higher than what I am used to on a weekly basis. I'm actually going to follow their "beginner" program because my mileage has been so low traditionally. The "advanced" program is too advanced for me. This should end up being more miles per week than I have run in 10-15 years.

The first few weeks of the program, however, are actually too easy for me. So I'm going to just run the schedule for week 5 of their program over and over again until the week after Mississippi, which will be week 6.

Streak? What Streak?

I was trying to streak, and doing well but once again I simply forgot to hop on the treadmill one night to get the mile in to keep it going. I started on Nov. 9, and then it ended on Dec. 1 when I forgot. Had been at a CPE trial with the dogs that day, then was harrassed by Tom when I got home and so I forgot. Started up again on Sunday, Dec. 2. Maybe I'll just keep starting over again and again. It's not a bad thing to try to get a mile in every day even if you don't have a long streak going.

Running in General and Shoes in Particular

Has been going pretty well. Haven't gone very far. Well, an 8 miler on Nov. 16, and a couple of 6 milers since. Now I don't think I'll go over 6 until after Mississippi. Stopped wearing the Pegasus 29s and actually returned them to RRS. I think they were causing pain on the top of my right foot. The 29s have a smooth upper without a lot of leather overlay, and I think maybe I need a little bit of that overlay for structure. Anyway, I went back to rotating my two old pairs of 28s and the foot pain went away.

But you can't find those 28s anywhere now, and the two pair I own are getting very stinky. I could actually keep wearing them longer but they smell so bad I can't stand it. Never had shoes before that got so smelly. I don't know what it is about the Pegasus but they do acquire a stink.

Well, anyway, after searching in vain for old versions of the Pegasus, I hit upon a new idea. It seems it is still possible to find the "kids" version of the Pegasus 28 and even the 27s. Through a bit of trial and error, I have discovered that a "youth" size 5 1/2 is the same as a woman's size 7. So today I received in the mail a pair of 27s (for $31!!!! such a deal!) and 28s. The biggest difference between these shoes and the adult version seems to be the insoles. The adult shoes have a more high-tech, molded insole, whereas the kids' shoe just has a cheap slab of foam. But hey, I can just replace that with my old insoles from my old shoes!

The 27s do look like something a six year old would wear, though:

The materials used in the upper are also slightly different. The adult shoe has a more open mesh. The kids shoe reminds me of old-school Saucony 6000s. That might not be so bad. The kids' shoe also seems to have a bit more plastic overlay on the upper, which might or might not be a problem. I did, after all, go back to these versions because I knew they would have some overlay. The question is whether or not it will be too much.

The 28s are a little closer to the adult shoe in appearance. Mostly because the 28 adult version looked like a kids shoe! I would take a picture of my old shoes to compare but they are just too disgusting. You might get sick.

Tomorrow I will take the 27s for a spin.

Here is a comparison of the insoles. Old 27 insole is on the right. Note the heel cup. It is also more contoured in the arch and the fabric is more high-tech, wicking. I guess you should expect a difference between shoes that retail for $100 vs. $55.

So, I didn't get to the Indy report last night. I didn't even finish this up. Maybe later today.

Ashenfelter 8k

This was the race we ran on Thanksgiving in Glen Ridge, NJ. I guess I can write a race report about it after I finish up Indy.

Jingle Bell 5k

I'm doing this one on Saturday. I would have preferred to do the Reindeer Romp again but that is on the other side of town, so a little further away. Tommy will be in Sweden, and I don't want to leave the dogs alone in the morning that long. Also, I'm for sure not in the shape I was in last year, and I think I might find a direct comparison of my times too depressing. So I'm doing the Jingle Bell race instead, but will try to use the time as a baseline for determining my training paces for the ORRC marathon.

This is Why I Buy My Running Gear Online

Popped in at my local Fleet Feet store yesterday afternoon, because I was out and about in the neighborhood and I heard they were having a sale. I don't go to this store very often. Mostly I find myself there if they are hosting packet pickup for a local race. But the store changed ownership earlier in the year and didn't sponsor the races I was doing so I didn't have a reason to go there.

I entered the store and was immediately greeted/accosted (depends on your perspective) by an older, not especially fit looking woman (I know, I shouldn't be judging! Well, I mean she looked older and less fit than me. She looked like somebody you'd see walking a 5k.)

I try to explain that I just want to look around, not looking for anything in particular, heard they were having a sale, blah, blah, blah.

Oh year, turns out the sale is 11% off, in honor of the store's 11th anniversary. Not much of a sale, since there isn't anything I really need. But there are also a couple of bins with $5 socks and some half-price gear.

I pick through the socks, while the woman hovers. I feel like she is worried that I am going to shoplift some socks. It makes me uncomfortable. I don't find any socks in my size. I give up on this.

The woman goes away and comes back a couple of times, each time telling me that she will be right back with me. But, I do not need her help. I have tried to make this clear. She steers me over to the running bra section. I am a woman, I must need running bras, right? Ok, I will look, just in case there is something that is really a great deal at 11% off.

When it comes to my running clothes, I tend towards the old school side, a little bit. Not cotton, Not that old school. But I like my clothes, like my shoes, to be fairly simple. I like those basic sportsbras in a wicking fabric that come in S, M, L. I don't like having to figure out  my exact measurements and cup size. Unfortunately, that is all they have in this store. It's just too complicated for me to deal with, and plus 11% is not enough of a deal on an item for which I do not have an urgent need.

Ok, that's it for the bras. I wander over to the $30 shoe table. There is a pair in my size but they are not my usual style. I resist the urge to try them on.

I take a quick look at the gear rack but nothing catches my eye. I am on my way out the door when I see they have a few more bins with gear at 50% off. That's more like it.

I pick through a bin and find one of those fuel belts that also holds your race number. Been thinking about trying one of these, and at $8 I cannot resist.

A young man comes over and proceeds to do the same hovering thing that the woman did earlier. I definitely have the impression that they are worried that I am going to shoplift something. Is it really so much of a problem for them? Do I really look like a shoplifter to them?

There's a fair amount of activity in the store and I wonder about the other shoppers. I figure they must be new runners who need to stock up on attire at almost list price, or they don't know yet what kind of shoes suit them so they need guidance from "experts." I've consistently had bad luck with the shoes recommended for me by these "experts" and anyway, I'm wearing cheap shoes in last year's model and I know the store doesn't carry them and even if they could order them for me, I can order them myself probably cheaper and have them delivered directly to my home. I guess I am not the target market for a running shoe store, even though I am an avid runner. It is somewhat ironic.

So anyway, the guy continues to hover as I start to pick through the bins of old leftover technical race tees, and then stop myself because I don't need any more of these even if they are giving them away.

And then comes one helpful thing: they guy points out to me the clearance rack, over on the other side of the store in the men's department, which I had missed earlier. Not too much there, and it's obvious why most of it is on clearance (nobody, even a beginner, is going to be dumb enough to buy white running shorts, and the real mystery is how this stuff ended up in the store in the first place). However, as the guy continues to hover, I do find a couple of worthy items. There's a blue and white shimmel top and a nice pair of black shorts, both in my size. I snap them up at 50% off. That's a real sale price, and the only way you'll get me to buy this stuff that I can live without at full price.

So, for less than $60, I leave with the fuel belt, a new top and new shorts. Not bad. Sixty-five degrees out today so I even wore my new duds for my run. The shimmel is a little big but the shorts are okay.

Back to the story of the store. As he rings me up, the guy asks me if I am training for anything. I don't want to get into it too much but I just say I am always training for something. He asks me if I have ever run a marathon and I say, yeah, just last week, and I'm training for another in January. He starts talking about their training programs and I ask if they have anything on Wednesdays, because I am starting to think it might be nice to have a group to run with or at least a couple of friends, because I am getting kind of lonely out there.

Oh yes, he says, Wednesday if their "No Boundaries" program. I have a feeling I know what this is but I let him keep talking anyway. Yes, it is their couch to 5k program. He continues describing it, and after a bit I have to interrupt to tell him that I do not think it is for me. What part of  "I ran a marathon last weekend" did he not understand?

And so, I am reminded again of why I do not shop in these stores unless there is some incredible sale going on.