The Gear

Have you ever seen this many hair accessories in your life?





And depending on the weather, this is probably what I will be wearing for the marathon. I'm sure with the orange, no one should have a problem spotting me.

Seriously?!

From an e-mail I received today from the Boston Athletic Association:

Wednesday, April 11 - As the Boston Athletic Association continues to make preparations for Monday's Boston Marathon, we are monitoring the upcoming weather conditions forecast for this area. Based on the National Weather Service's most recent report and in cooperation with the Executive Office of Public Safety (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, together with the eight cities and towns along the 26.2-mile marathon route, we are planning for likely heavy rain and windy conditions on race day. However, all race day plans remain the same. The Boston Athletic Association advises participants in Monday's race to plan accordingly for their run, bringing with them gear and apparel to suit the conditions. The B.A.A. will continue to update its web site as necessary.

Tying up the Loose Ends

Looking at the weather forecast, Boston is going to suck. It's supposed to only be a high of 47 degrees with a 70% chance of rain. And you know it's not going to be 49 at the start, either. Rain or shine, I'm still going to run it and I'll try to enjoy it.

The worst part will be that the Red Sox tickets for Sunday, when there is also a 70% chance of rain, will be no good. :( Let's keep our fingers crossed.

So all of you homies out there who want to track my progress my bib number is 13260 and my start time will be 10:30am.

See ya in Boston!

Thursday Thoughts

I've been thinking all morning of questions to ask and I just can't think of one. So we'll switch it up today. What are the burning questions you're dying to ask me?

My answer(s) will be here:

@ Jeff:
That is a good one. I chose engineering because of the boys I had dated. How do I put this politely? They, at the time, were not the sharpest tools in the shed (although some of them have gone on to do great things and be great people--guess maturity changes things). I figured I was going to have to be the breadwinner if I was to ever marry one of them and I liked math so I chose engineering.

I initially started in mechanical engineering to either do biomedical engineering or do rocket science, but I switched to industrial engineering my 3rd year. I was an intern for a distribution company for a year and really liked it. I worked as an industrial engineer for 5 years post college--one year in the service industry (healthcare) and four years in distribution.

I enjoy the challenge of engineering particularly simulation, but I never really enjoyed the work. Now I work in IT.

Good question Jeff.

@ Dave:
For dinner tonight? Maybe pizza? It is Friday after all.

My first time I ran Boston it was for the experience and it was so hot that all you could do was "enjoy" the marathon. Last year at my second Boston, I had done so much training that I felt like I needed to "race" Boston. This year I don't know what I am looking forward to most. In my head, I don't think my training has gone very well, but on paper it doesn't look much different than last year's training. I think my favorite part about the Boston Marathon is the people who come out to watch it. They go crazy for a running race and it just makes it feel like you're part of something really special.


@Andrea:
Well, I am quite looking forward to the birthday celebration after the marathon!

@ Jessie:
Thanks for getting in touch with me. I hope your racing season is going well or will be going well. If I didn't send you an e-mail back when you e-mailed me, then I goofed. I thought I replied to everyone who sent me an e-mail. I'll look again through my inbox and make sure to send you a note. Happy Running!

One More Game!

Thursday Thoughts

Yesterday my orchid bloomed. That's a good sign that spring is here.

What's your favorite part of spring?

The Roller Coaster

It was a roller coaster of a weekend. It started on Saturday with a really good track meet. The kids had been practicing hard and I personally thought they had a lot of talent, but seeing it in a meet setting was a pleasant surprise. I think it's going to be a great season and for several seasons to come.

The good times kept rolling as my beloved Buckeyes made their way into the final four. Yay!!

But then things came crashing down. My family's dog, Oreo, who had been deteriorating for several month jumped out of her cage at the vet's office and couldn't walk anymore. The vet x-rayed her and she had a tumor in her stomach and her last two vertebrae were virtual nonexistant. My dad made the tough choice to put her down. I cried my way through dinner. We've had Oreo for 15 years. My dad buried her today.

Sunday had an upswing, though. I finally made it through a 20 mile training run. I ran 4 miles from my house to the school where I met my dad. He ran 12 miles with me and then I ran the 4 miles home. Total run time was around 2:48. I'm so glad to have the last long run (and my only long run) done.

Now it's Monday and there are only 14 working days until the marathon. I'm hoping for smooth sailing for the next several weeks.

Elite Eight, Baby

Oh. My. Gosh.

Thursday Thoughts

Here we go!

What's the next book you plan on reading?

March Madness

Countdown: 37 hours until the awesomeness!

Calling All Stayput Sisters!

If you are a member of Team Stayput for the 2007 season, send me a note (meredith-gordon@insight.rr.com) or leave me a comment. We should keep tabs on each other and offer words of encouragement and help motivation and send congratulations. If you have a blog, I'll add you to my blogroll.

Hope to hear from y'all!

Thursday Thoughts

It's finally Thursday (I know you're excited too!), which means it's time for Thursday Thoughts. I've had some new commenters this week who hopefully will be coming back, so I'll explain "the rules" again.

I'll ask a question and you answer it in the comments. Pretty easy! If you would like after you answer the question, you ask another question for the next commenter to answer. It's fun, interactive, and did I mention fun?! Let's shoot for 10 comments today!

What is the most amazing thing that has happened to you this week?

Kinda Sad

A recent graduate of the school I coach at committed suicide this past week. His funeral was last night. As I drove past the church where the funeral was held, there wasn't an empty parking spot. In fact, the cars were parked along the street, in neighboring driveways, just about anywhere. And this is a pretty big church. I did not know this person, but the scene really affected me. Here was a kid who thought he was so alone and troubled by so much that his only escape was to kill himself, and yet there were hundreds who did care.

Tell someone you care about them today. You never know how much that other person might need to hear it.

Speed Demon

Not to jinx it, but I think spring is on its way. The weather is getting warmer, the snow is almost completely melted, and the sun is out a little longer (thank you for changing that one, dudes in Congress!). And the big Boston Marathon is 5 weeks away, which means I need to put my wheels in motion and pull in some big miles and some serious speedwork.

Yesterday's scheduled workout was 8 miles with 5 X 600 at 5K pace. It turned out to be a little bit different. The girls team was running 5 miles and we decided to push them. With the warm-up and the cool-down I had done 6 miles right around an 8:00 pace. Then I started on my 600s which should have been at a 7:00/mile pace which would be 2:38. The first one was a little quick--2:16. Yikes! The remained four were 2:29, 2:28, 2:31, 2:30. I finished the day with 9.25 miles. I didn't have really high expectations for Boston, but maybe I shouldn't settle so quickly.

In other news, I googled Team StayPut this morning to see if anyone else had a blog and had written about it. And I found this one. Yikes! She's like a serious athlete. Dude, I'm seriously not worthy!

Thursday Thoughts

In case you missed it, there was a HUGE MegaMillions jackpot this week....

So, what would you have done with the $390 million payout?

Really Big News!

Oh my gosh! I'm sponsored!

I got sponsored by Team StayPut, presented by Goody®. From my materials: "The role of the Team StayPut athete is to promote their sponsor by wearing branded apparel and Goody products during workouts and competitions. The dedicated athletes of Team StayPut not only take top honors in races across the country, but they also act as brand ambassadors for Goody in their local communities. Their success both on and off the course is due in part to Goody's revolutionary technology, which holds hair better than traditional accessories. The 2007 team train and compete while wearing Goody products; all of which allow athletes to easily move and manage their hair. Good is an industry leader in hair care technology and is the number one choice among consumers worldwide." Check out Goody's website and the team's website.

I am so excited! I applied on a whim and really didn't think I was good enough to get accepted. And I got a ton of hair so this is a perfect sponsorship for me. :)

First Day of Spring

Today is the first day of spring and it's sure going to feel like it...high temp. today, 25 degrees.

And now you say, today's not the first of spring Meredith?! Well it is for me. Today is the first day of spring track practice, and I have no idea what this is going to bring. For the first time in 6 years I have other coaches helping me. The team is very young too so there's lots of room to improve. And if I can get them to wear hats and gloves, practice should go smoothly. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Here we go: Thursday Thoughts!!!

What is the best burger joint in your town?

A Pair of Hooters

Two nights ago Dave and I crawled into bed and heard this hoot, hoot, hoot sound outside. I said, "What was that?" And Dave was like, "I think it's a car." But it continued and was very rhythmic. So we got up and looked out the blinds. Low and behold on the roofs of two houses behind ours were two owls. Big owls!

Where did they come from? Dave and I live in a big neighborhood with about 300 houses in a giant field. Surrounding that field, though, is strip mall after strip mall, after big shopping areas. There's not even any trees around. Even so, it was really cool.

It Happens Once a Year

Nope, I'm not talking about a one day sale at Macy's. I'm talking about taking a spill while running and today it happened.

Today's workout was 10 miles with 5 X 1000 at 5K pace. And that's what I did, except my track is under snow so I had to do the intervals on the road as part of my run just based on time. I warmed up with 30 minutes and then I started 5 X 4:20 with equal jog in between. Most of the path I usually run on was snowy and icy so I did most of the run on the road beside the path. The path goes around the golf course and you have to travel under the road to get from one side to the other. The last part of my first interval traveled this section and it was extremely icy. To avoid the ice, I went up on the grass which was really snowy and slippery. I tried to slow down, but slipped on the ice and fell onto my knee and hands. No biggie. Probably just a bruise. I kept running and finished the workout.

Despite the fall, it was great to finally get a good run.

Thursday Thoughts

My head is so full of snot that it's hard for me to come up with a question today.

How about....What is your favorite city in the world?

If it's not one thing....

...it's something else.

It's been the bad weather: the cold, the snow, the ice, the rain. And now the weather is warming up and the snow is melting, but of course, I've got a cold I just can't shake. I haven't run since Saturday. I haven't done a run this whole training season over 12 miles. I'm just waiting for March and I'm just gonna start over. Thank goodness Boston is a bonus.

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby

Right round, on a treadmill baby, right round, right round. I think that's the words?!

I don't know if y'all have been watching the national news, but if you have you know the midwest has just totally been socked in the gut by Mother Nature. One thing that has always been said about Ohio weather is, if you don't like it, stick around for a day it will change. And that's usually the case. But, it hasn't been the case this winter. We usually get snow in Ohio and it usually gets really cold, but usually the next day it's in the 40s and the snow has melted and everything is back to normal. It snowed on January 21st and we've had snow on the ground ever since. And it hasn't warmed up either.

Tuesday we got hit by a huge winter storm. It started snowing in the early hours of Tuesday and snowed at about an inch per hour. Around noon on Tuesday it started to rain/sleet and it continued for 12 hours. The entire city of Columbus shut down. All the malls closed. Restaurants closed. Businesses closed. It was eerily quiet outside; just like I remember it was from September 11th. Yesterday morning it started to snow again and continued through the day. And it turned bitterly cold again. Our average high temperature in the last month has probably been under 20 degrees. It's been just miserable.

Sunday I did something I wasn't very proud of. I paid to run a half marathon last Sunday and then didn't do it. I didn't even go and pick up the shirt. The temperature with the windchild was -13 degrees. This weather is wreaking havoc on my Boston training. I actually did 12 miles on the treadmill on Sunday. I did it in 3 mile increments, in between switching loads of laundry. Today I have 11 miles to run and I fear it's going to have to be on a treadmill.

All of those training in nasty weather right now, how are you getting through it?

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

I am a huge fan of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I watch it every week. And you may have seen the commercial for this week's which is about the soldier who helped rescue two people from the World Trade Center. It's a two hour special. Well, this one was filmed about eight miles from our house. And we really wanted to go and help out or at least watch, but it looked like it was a closed set. But, I have read a lot about this one from the local home builder and it's supposed to be outstanding. Plus, it was filmed during Michigan week, which is a crazy week in Columbus, OH. Tune it!

Now that I've seen the show....
Obviously I love Extreme Makeover. I watch it every week and almost every week it makes me cry, but knowing more about this one episode, I was surprised how much was not put into the episode. For example, I know for a fact that the Ohio State marching band and cheerleaders were onsite during the build because it was Michigan week and they didn't show any of that. I also know that they hurried to get the house done in time to watch the game. We just thought it was interesting that almost the entire crowd was wearing OSU apparel and yet nothing was said about it. It's such a big part of life in Columbus that it's hard not to hear about it. Secondly, we had known that Ed sanders got injured during the build, but it was crazy how the forshadowing was done. It wasn't like he knew he was going to get hurt. We also thought it was weird that one of the entry pictures (from commercial to the episode) was from Cincinnati. Sure we have a river that runs through Columbus, but it's not big enough to fit a barge down it. Cincinnati is two hours away. Lastly, I was a bit disappointed that more wasn't said of the community support. MI Homes has raised thousands of dollars in the community to help pay for this house and none of that was mentioned. I know you can't show it all, but I guess I was surprised at what they didn't show.

Did you watch the episode? If yes, what were your thoughts?

Thursday Thoughts, Upgraded

I tried. I really tried. I did not want to upgrade my blogger to the new version, but damn blogger made me. They wouldn't let me get to my page without updating. GRRR! So I had to update and I apologize if this makes it difficult for people. I know that if you have a new account and you want to comment you need to sign in first with your google account.

So if you haven't been watching the news, it's really, really, really cold in the midwest. They have closed schools for most of the week because it's just too dangerous to be out in these temperatures. And sure it's not as cold as Minnesota or Chicago or wherever, but it's cold for here.

What's the weather like where you are and how are you coping (or enjoying)?

An Alarming Awakening

Around 4:00 this morning Dave and I were awoken by our alarms going off in the house. Every single one of them. We both sat straight up out of bed. I think the first thing I said was, “this is not good.”

When I was a kid we had a wood-burning stove and every once in a while it would catch the chimney on fire, so I knew the drill. I got up out of bed and put on socks and a warm sweater and even thought about grabbing my purse. I just knew we would be outside and our house could possibly burn to the ground. Dave thought it was an intruder, which is weird that he thought that because we do not set our alarm and we do not get it monitored, but he left the room immediately to check it out.

We’re such dummies, however. Did we feel the door with the back of our hand? Nope. Did we drop to the ground and crawl around in case it was a fire? Nope. Did we immediately call 911? Nope. Instead we searched the entire house for a fire. We turned up our sense of smell and hunted for smoke. We tried our carbon monoxide detector to make sure it was working. We tried to disarm the alarm, but that wouldn’t work. Finally we had to start calling people. Dave called the alarm people who said our alarm wasn’t going off, but told us we would have to disarm every smoke detector individually. I called my parents to see what we should do. I don’t think they were very happy that I woke them up.

We were not very happy that we would have to turn every smoke detector off individually. The back of our house is like a Cape Cod and our ceilings are 12 feet tall. We started with the ones we could reach. We turned off one and then went upstairs to start with the others. Dave pushed in the button and nothing happened. He tried another one and nothing happened. It was so loud and it had been going off for a ½ hour and we were so tired. All of a sudden, they just stopped.

We called the local fire department and funny enough it was my brother-in-law who was dispatching and picked up the phone. He asked us to check this and this and that and that—all of which we had done. He said sometimes it just goes off. We finally crawled in bed right before our alarms were to go off to get ready for work. We turned them off and slept in.

We’re still really paranoid about what could be wrong with our house. Any thoughts? I think we’re going to call my brother-in-law today on his day off and see if he’ll inspect the house. He might have some thoughts that we didn’t think of. It was a really scary evening and really exhausting. The good news is that we’re both still alive and our house is still standing.

I'm Published!

Check it out!

You can get your story published too.

A Dream (Nightmare) Realized

Well I have a few hobbies outside of running and triathlon too. I like papercrafts, sewing (quilting), and photography. And I had one of my photography dreams/nightmares realized yesterday. My sister called me and asked me to shoot her friend's wedding in two weeks. Yikes! It could turn out bad and it could turn out good and I'm sooo nervous.

Thursday Thoughts

Answer a question, ask a question. Not that difficult.

What other hobbies have you interest in besides running/triathlon?

Introducing the New Castmate to Heroes

Me!!!

I don't watch Heroes but I hear the new character's name is Meredith Gordon. I've heard stories that Hollywood people go through blogs and find names or whatnot. Do you think?

Sign, Sealed, Delivered

Hotel reservations?
Check!

Plane tickets?
Check!

Training started?
Check!

Application sent?
Check!

Finishing the Boston Marathon?
Only 11 weeks away!

Thursday Thoughts

Are you sick of the Thursday Thoughts? Do you enjoy the Thursday Thoughts? Do you have any suggestions for the Thursday Thoughts? Any feedback is appreciated.

On with today's question (I ask; you answer; you ask a question of your own):

If you could afford it, what career would you pursue?

10 Things: Running Edition

I found this Flickr account and subsequent blog that did pictures and lists of their "favorite things." I thought it sounded neat and I thought I would make my own. So this is my 10 things list: running edition.

In no particular order:

1. A great pair of running shoes
2. Hot chocolate after a long winter's run
3. Qualifying for Boston
4. Crossing the finish line in Boston
5. Running friends
6. Only hearing your breath and your footsteps
7. Suntan lines from your watch and sports bra
8. Running with my dad
9. Two hour naps after a long run
10. Achieving a new PR

What's on your list?

Thursday Thoughts

Tidbits, tidbits...

Am I the only one who thinks that Isaiah Washington (Dr. Burke on Grey's Anatomy) needs to be fired? Seriously, how can you continue to say such horrible things and not get reprimanded?

Secondly, I paid $1.98/gallon for gas this morning. And I found it even cheaper down the street. (I'll post a picture later this evening--I forgot my connector cord.)

And finally, on with the Thoughts. I'm going to start with the question Val ended with last Thursday. What is your favorite kind of ice cream?

Baby It's Cold Outside

We have had a really mild winter, thusfar. Lots of rain (LOTS OF RAIN), but no snow and no cold. This past week the highs have been in the 50s, which would be great for running except that it rained and rained and rained from Thursday through Monday so there was lots of running on the treadmill. Yesterday it stopped raining, but it got COLD! Andrea and I went running after work and I never warmed up. I never warmed up the whole evening. I took the hottest shower for about a half hour and still felt cold when I stepped out. I shivered through dinner. I sat on the furnace registers in my house. I went to bed in sweats and socks. It wasn't until I woke up this morning that I was warm again (and noticed that my sweatshirt was on the floor and my socks were under my pillow). It could be a chilly training season if this weather keeps up.

Thursday Thoughts

Do I really need to explain this yet another Thursday? Answer a question, ask a question. Simple as that. Fun, fun, fun!

And because my new Wii is soooo much fun, my question will be....

What is your favorite videogame?

Extraordinar-Wii Fun

For Christmas Dave got me a Wii game, but no Wii console. For weeks he's been searching for one and yesterday we actually found one. It's quite a story, but I'm going to make Dave tell it on his blog.

The Wii uses wireless controllers and the action you make with your controller is the action that takes place on the screen. In addition, you get to create your own characters, called Miis, which you can personalize to become anyone you want. I called mine Little Mer. The controllers have two parts, one part is the "main controller" and the other is called the nunchuck, which contains a joystick.

The system came with one controller and nunchuck and we had already purchased another control and nunchuck, so we were ready to go. The game that comes with the system has sports games on it like tennis, golf, baseball, bowling, and boxing. In addition I have a doctor game where you get to operate.

Dave and I started with tennis, which is the only game I won the whole night. One person serves while the other person returns. You can lob and hit volleys. We didn't try overheads, but I'm sure you can hit those too. The next game we played was bowling which was totally awesome. Dave won, but it was probably my favorite game we played. We also played golf, where you hit like you normally would. Dave was even for the 3-hole course and I was about +12. I suck! That was the most difficult skill level game. Finally we played boxing where you use both parts of the controller. You can block your body and your head. You can duck and weave. You can throw body punches and head punches. And it was totally awesome! I was sweating like I was running a marathon. And today my arms are really sore. I can't wait to play more.

Now I'm not a gamer and won't become a gamer, but the Wii is the best thing out right now. Fun for the whole family. I hope to take some pictures and post them tomorrow of us playing. It's a trip.

What's up Bloggers?

Where you at? Every day I check your blogs and nothing. Nothing new. Nothing new in a long time. Please...help me be unproductive. Please update your blogs. I miss you Internet friends!

Thursday Thoughts

Thursday Thoughts. You know the drill. I'll ask a question. You answer it and then ask a question of your own. The next person answers your question (or whatever question he/she wants) and then asks a question of his/her own. And so forth. The participation has been a little sparse lately. I know you're out there. Join in and have fun.

First, a little story.

You know when you watch those talk shows that show people with deep, dark fears which show the people freaking out about their fear with tears and screams and whatnot. Believe me folks, this is not fake. I have one of these fears. I have a fear of bridges. Bridge-a-phobia, maybe? Laugh if you want to, but it is not funny. The bridge in Tampa and the bridge over the Chesapeake Bay have driven me to tears and have caused me to sit in the middle of the car with my eyes clothes so I couldn't see them. I have always wanted to run the NYC marathon, but I'm not sure I can do it because I'm not sure I could cross the bridges. Two summers ago I went to NYC on vacation and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was by far the most frightening thing I have ever done. But, I thought by doing this I had finally kicked my fear.

Until yesterday.

I took this picture at a reservoir close to home for my 365 Days project. I took several pictures while I was at the reservoir. As you can see from the picture, there is a pathway above the falls. I went to cross the reservoir to take a picture from the other side and I was crippled with fear. I literally could not step one inch beyond the beginning of the walkway over the falls. It's so funny and yet so sad.

So on with the question....what is your biggest fear?

Gidget and Gazmos

Um, what? Nope, that's GYGO and it's the "triathlon" I did on New Year's day. Actually what I did was an aquathlon (kind of) and that's what I'm hoping to do more of this summer. Who needs that stupid bike anyway!

Dave and I kicked the new year off right by getting up and going to the gym for a hearty workout. Problem was, the gym wasn't open. Yet. We got there at 9:00 and it didn't open until 10:00. So we went home and waited for an hour. I went straight downstairs and got on our treadmill and did my 4 mile run at home. At 10:00 we headed back to the gym where I completed my aquathlon with a 1600 yd/meter swim. The swim went pretty well. I started sharing a lane with Dave, but the lane besides us opened up so I hopped over there. And once I moved to my own lane I started doing flip turns and did them the remainder of my workout. Except for a few spills (water up my nose, turning right into the lane line) I think they went pretty well. My run time was 42:10 and my swim time was 34:01.

I wasn't trying to break any records...I did this aquathlon for training. So the numbers don't count, but it was nice to start the new year off right.

Thursday Thoughts

Yeah, I know. I'm a little late on this post today. But I've been really busy. I swear! Details in a later post.

Here's the rules in case you forgot. I'll ask a question and then you answer and ask a question of your own. Then the next person will answer that question. Easy enough? Let's get started.

What did you get for Christmas (or other holidays you may have celebrated)?

The Year in Review 2006

What’s the last week of December about if we can’t reflect on the past year? Yep, well, this entry is all about the highlights of 2006.

New Job: I started a new job the first of the year after having been laid off from my previous position I held for four years. I was a bit worried starting this new job as this was a career shift for me, but truth be told, this is the first job I have really enjoyed. I don’t grumble so much when I get out of bed in the morning. (Right, Dave?)


Boston Marathon: I came into this year’s Boston Marathon very well trained. I decided to follow the Pfitzinger 55/12 plan which meant a lot more miles than I was previously used to. But, to my surprise, I was able to follow the plan pretty closely. And it paid off. Not only did I accomplish running a full marathon without stopping for a walking break or even to walk through a water stop, I was able to re-qualify for Boston in Boston.

Coaches Dream: I have been coaching track for five years now and 2006 was the most successful year ever. Not only did we win our fourth out of five league championship, I had two runners make it all the way to States. They are now running in college.

Summer Vacation: This past summer Dave and I traveled to Dana Point, California for a little exploring and R&R. The trip started rocky as our flight was delayed several hours, spilling water all over my crotch (Nice!), and not bringing the address for our condo and having to wake my aunt and uncle up in the middle of the night. But, after those ordeals we found the trip to be fantastic. We spent a day at Joshua Tree National Park where we did quite a bit of hiking (in 100+ degree temperatures) and attended a star gazing. We also spent a day hiking up San Jacinto where we summited at 10,800 feet. Besides those two adventures and catching an Angels-Rex Sox games, we hung out with family and friends. What a great vacation this was.








Reach the Beach Relay: This was my third consecutive year that I have run as part of the Profile Deluxe team for the Reach the Beach Relay. This is also the fastest team that I’ve ever run on too. We finished 17th out of 300. Of all the years I’ve done this race, this year I had the most fun.




Chicago Marathon: Being that my last three out of four marathons were 3:39, 3:39 and 3:40, the goal for this marathon was simple: break 3:39. Again I followed the Pfitzinger plan, although I had a little more trouble getting all the miles in than I did for Boston. At the starting line I did not feel prepared, but I set out conservatively and just kept rolling. In the end, I did PR with a 3:35:05 and finished another marathon without walking. And the real joy of this marathon—seeing Bono from U2 at the airport.



What will 2007 bring? That’s a very good question.

On the running front…there’s the Boston Marathon again in April. And in 2007 it’s on my birthday. Who’s gonna buy me a drink after the race? I’m sure there will be another fall marathon, but at this point it hasn’t been decided which one. I would really like to try to qualify for NYC Marathon, but I am not sure I’m willing to dedicate that much time to training only to fall short. I could just enter the lottery! As of right now, I am planning to run with the team again for the Reach the Beach Relay if my team is planning on racing again.

Also in the works for 2007….I am going to become an aunt again. My sister is expecting a baby boy in early May. Dave and I will be celebrating our fifth anniversary in September and hopefully it will include a trip to Italy (if our lazy bums ever get around to planning it). Although I said 2006 was the last year, I have signed on again to coach high school track. I just love those kids too much to walk away. Nothing out of the ordinary to come in 2007, but I think it’s going to be a great year.

Thursday Thoughts

Here we go. I ask a question; the next person answers it and then asks a question. The second commenter answers the first commenter's question and then asks their own. And so on....

What present do you really want to get this holiday season?

I Heart May

Wait a second! It's December 18th! And yet, still warm enough to wear shorts during a run.

Policy Change

Maybe you've noticed, maybe not, but I am going to start moderating comments. This is how it will work...

You make a comment and then a notification is sent to me saying a comment has been made and then I have the choice to post that comment or not.

Please do not let this deter you from making comments. I love the comments and most likely I will still be posting all of them. It's just that this blog is my opportunity to be creative and talk about the events of my life and sometimes I feel that the comments are not necessarily about my posts or my adventures but someone else's opportunity to speak their own mine about their own "stuff." Yeah, I know that sentence didn't make a whole lot of sense. Here's what it boils down to...I want to be in control of my blog and moderating comments is the way I'm going to do it.

I hope you will continue to visit and keep the comments coming!

Thursday Thoughts--The New Edition

The remix version of Thursday Thoughts went so well last week, I think I might make it a permanent fixture. So again today, I'll ask one question and then the next person to comment answers it and then asks their own question. The second person to comment will answer the first commenter's question and then ask a question of his/her own. Pretty simple.

Let's get started.

What is your favorite quote from a movie?

To Flip or Not To Flip

I started taking swim lessons when I was six months old and took them every year until I was 12. Needless to say, I can swim pretty well. And I love to swim. But, I have never mastered the art of the flipturn. Funny enough, I can do a flipturn when I'm backstroking, but I just can't figure it out with the front crawl.

Yesterday I tried a flipturn on my first pass. Not only did I get water up my nose, which usually doesn't happen, I completely missed the wall.

How many of you flipturn when you are swimming laps? If you do flipturn, what are some suggestions that you might be able to give for those of us who struggle with the flipturn?

Isn't this just awesome?!

Rosy Cheeks

I'll admit it; I'm kinda a girly-girl. My favorite color is pink, I love pretty dresses and shoes, I spend a lot of time and money on my hair, and I never leave the house without putting on makeup. And I would consider myself a pretty good girly-girl not just a wannabe. But I must be doing something wrong. On Saturday I was at a holiday party and a guy friend asked me if I was wind burnt. Um, no. That's blush, you idiot! Thanks for pointing that out.

Thursday Thoughts--The Remix

I've been having a hard time coming up with 5 thoughtful questions every week. Last week I thought I did a good job, but they must have been "too hard" because hardly anyone answered them. This is the plan for this week. I'm going to ask one question. Then the first person who comments will answer that one question then ask one question of their own. The next person who answer the commenters question and then ask a question of their own. Get it? You answer a question; you ask a question. Pretty simple.

Here we go....

Where is one place you'd rather be right now?

Send a Message!

Hey Internet! Send a message today to the boy, Dave. He turns 30 today!

Thursday Thoughts

It's Thursday and time for my weekly question and answer session. Please respond in the comments. If you're visiting the site for the first time, feel free to comment--anyone can. It's free! It's fun! It's addicting!

1. Under what circumstances have you ever or would you ever pose nude?

2. What is the best bargain you ever found?

3. What would be the title of your autobiography?

4. Who was the best teacher you've ever had and why?

5. What was your most vivid dream?

Why do I waste my time? (And other stuff)

One of my guilty pleasures is reality TV. I try to stop, but it's so darn addicting. But, at the conclusion of each of these reality shows, I seem to never be satisfied with the outcome. Why do I waste my time?

I have to admit, I watched this last Bachelor. Not because I wanted to; but more because it was hilarious and I really thought this one was real (I am so stupid). And after watching the two hour season finale last night, I was severely disappointed. He didn't choose my girl. She lost and I lost.

I HAVE GOT TO STOP WATCHING REALITY TV!!!

In other news...I might actually start running soon. I've run a whopping 35 miles since the marathon. I just haven't been in the mood. But now that I've gained a solid 5 pounds and the pants are starting to not fit again, I think it's time to get my lazy, large ass out on the pavement and burn some calories.

And finally, a certain significant other of mine is having a very large birthday in a week (THIRTY!!!!) and I am a little short of gift ideas. Anybody got any brilliant ideas? Anything you got for birthdays that you just loved? Any help is appreciated. :)

Thursday Thoughts

It's time for Thursday Thoughts. You know the drill...I'll ask 5 questions and you answer them. Simple as that.

1. Which would you rather watch on Saturday--the OSU/Michigan Game or Tom and Katie's wedding?

2. What's your favorite tailgate food?

3. If you could pick any other name for yourself, what would it be and why?

4. What are your Thanksgiving plans next week?

5. What are you thankful for?

This is Buckeye Country

In case you've been living under a rock, there's a big football game this weekend. Of course, this weekend every year is a big game when you're a Buckeye fan. And when you live in central Ohio, the world revolves around Ohio State.

There is a hotly contested senate or congressional seat that is still being decided and it was announced this morning that the ballots will not be counted until after the game on Saturday. I also heard that the governor-elect who is to be sworn in on January 8th will not celebrate his inauguration until another date because we're all hoping OSU makes the national title game that day.

And as an Ohio State fan, I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Harriers: The Making of a Championship Cross Country Team

A few months ago I was contacted by a publishing company to read and review a book. I was a bit nervous about doing this because I did not know if this offer and/or person was legit and I am not sure my writing skills are really good enough to merit a book review. But, I figured the review was only going to be on my blog and being that it is my blog, I can pretty much review the book any way I want.

The book is called Harriers: The Making of a Championship Cross Country Team and was written by Joseph P. Shivers and Paul Shivers. Cousins, not brothers. The journey follows Salem High School’s boys cross country team from a respectable team to a state championship team. Each team member is profiled along with the coaches and displays the emotions of being part of a highly competitive team.

There were a few things I did not like about this book. First of all, I thought it was way over detailed. While communicating with the publisher, I was informed that this book was most appealing to high school runners and former high school runners. There were two different places in the book that describe how to score a race, but it was very detailed and was more information that I thought the audience needed. If this book truly is geared toward people who run or have run cross country, I do not think this level of detail is needed. That category of people should already know how to score a race. Only a high-level breakdown would have sufficed.

Another thing I thought was a bit weird in this book was that the two writers of the book, who were members of this team, referred to themselves in third person. I think I would have preferred if they had told the story from their point of view. I would classify this book as non-fiction and I think it would have been better as a memoir. It needed to be more personal.

But the book was personal, which makes for the third thing I did not like about this book. For a book about winning a state championship (twice!), I thought the overall tone of the book was pretty negative. Even when the team won the championship, it still seemed that the teammates had negative things to say about their individual performances. Winning a state championship is a huge deal. Can they not be happy with that?

There were some interesting coincidences, though. Salem High School is in Ohio and is in the same division as the high school where I coach. The state championship where Salem wins their first championship was in 2003, and I was at the state meet that year. I remember the scoring glitches that were talked about in the book. Another six degrees twist to this book was that Salem’s biggest competition is/was Walsh Jesuit High School. A close friend of mine, his brother and sister are the coaches at Walsh. Weird!

The book was not bad, especially considering it was written by two high school students. I just thought it could have been better. I appreciate the opportunity to read it and write about it. And maybe, you will check it out for yourself.

Thursday Thoughts

Yep, it's Thursday and it's time for the weekly question and answer session I like to call Thursday Thoughts. I'll ask the questions; you supply the answers. Fun and interactive...exactly what this blog is all about. :)

1. Did you vote on Tuesday? How long did you wait in line? Or if you're not from the USA, when is your next election?

2. How do you know me (i.e.--thru the internet, personal friend, married to me, etc)?

3. Are you crafty? If yes, what kind of crafts/hobbies are you into?

4. What's your favorite food to eat at Thanksgiving?

5. What would be one way you would not want to die? (I know, kind of morbid, but an interesting question nonetheless).

A Million Thank Yous

A great thanks to everyone out there who voted yesterday. I would like to say a million thank yous to the Ohioans who voted for our state-wide smoking ban. I couldn't be more excited.

Make Your Voice Be Heard

Hey get out and vote today! There are important candidates and issues out there, so let your voice be heard and take a stand.

I went at 6:30 this morning and voted. The person in front of me need to vote by provisional ballot and there was some confusion surrounding that, but I think he finally got to vote. And then my precint split the alphabet in half, so this woman in line went to the line with the back of the alphabet and then got in line to vote. This other woman yelled at her to get in line. The clerk had to step in a let the woman know she had told the other woman to be there. People, this was at 6:30 this morning!

Damn Ohioans screwing everything up! Just kidding. I think that was blown way out of proportion with the last election.

And now for my soapbox. Ohioans--Vote no on Issue 4 and yes on Issue 5. Let's get the correct state-wide smoking ban in place!

Soapbox has been put away. Happy election day!

What about Boston?

So now that Lance has run his sub-3:00 marathon (without training, mind you), do you think he'll run Boston? From the looks of it, he didn't have very much fun in his first marathon. Imagine what he could have done had he actually trained.

For anyone else out there running Boston, have you made reservations yet? I'm finding that ALL the hotels are booked or if they're not booked they're crazy expensive. I found one today with availability but the price was over $1000 per night. I would pay that much for Michigan-OSU tickets, but not for a hotel. :)

Thursday Thoughts

Good Thursday to y'all! You all provide great responses last week. Hopefully participation will again be high this week. First I'll throw out this general question. Does anyone know when NBC is doing their coverage of the 2006 Ironman World Championships? I want to make sure I don't miss it. Now, on with the questions....

1. Are you allergic to anything? If yes, what?

2. What is one fear you might be able to conquer? How would you conquer it?

3. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If not, when do you think you'll start?

4. Have you started your Christmas wish list yet? If yes, what are some of the things on it?

5. If you could only get one gift over the remainder of your life, what would you want?

October Totals

For the month of October:

Running: 104.45 Miles
Swimming: 2000 yards

Now that the marathon is over, I'd like to increase my swimming yardage and I'd also like to get back to doing some spinning (maybe) and yoga (maybe). My schedule is pretty busy and now that I'm tackling the 365 Days art project it's hard to find any more time to add activities. That being said, my gym I currently go to is adding a second location in Columbus and it's going to be really close to work. I should be able to swim or do yoga on my lunch hour or before work. I think the second location is set to open in early 2007.

Have a good first day of November!

Happy Halloween

Last week I got huge response on this blog. And I LOVED IT! But, now I don't have anything creative to say. :( Aren't you supposed to keep people coming back to your site with frequent posts and creativity?



Yesterday I went running for the first time since the marathon a little over a week ago. I felt the most awkward, like a tubby hippo trying to run. It wasn't working left foot/right arm. It was like left foot....right arm....right foot...left arm. It just wouldn't all work together! I even had to walk a little and it was only a 3-1/2 mile run.

Anyway, Happy Halloween y'all. Here's some of us from work...


I went as a cynical Carrie Fisher. He he!

Dave went as Han Solo. Shelby and Jared went as Buzz Lightyear and Minnie Mouse.

Ew, gross!

I told y'all that my dad got a nasty blister in the marathon. Well, I've got the photo to prove it. WARNING! It is disgusting.

Thursday Thoughts

Here's the rules....

I ask questions, you supply the answers. First time visitors and fellow lurkers, feel free to play along. You can answer anonymously or use any identification. You don't have to have a Blogger account to post. I have only gone over 10 comments once in almost two years of this blog's existence. Let's do it again today!

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?

2. Now that you are grown up, what do you want to be?

3. What have you learned about yourself in the past year?

4. What kind of candy will you be handing out for Halloween?

5. If you had tickets to any Olympic venue (summer or winter), what would you choose to go watch?

Shout Out!

I know there's a lot of you out there who read this blog and some of you will leave an occassional comment. People, I love the comments! It's one of the highlights of my day to get a comment on my posts.

So, today I'm declaring this Meredith Shout Out day!

What does that mean? That means, leave me a comment today. Just say hi or tell me what you like about my blog or what you don't like or what you'd like to see more or less of.

I'm waiting to hear from you.....

Chicago Marathon 2006

What I should title this post is....How the most totally awesome thing happened to me not at the marathon, but at the airport! Read on....

This is my second marathon in which I have followed the Pfitzinger Advanced Marathoning plan. I ran Boston this year and had a great race, but that is a hard course to determine if you could have PRed. Again this summer I followed the plan, although not to a T, and set my goals to run between a 3:30 and 3:35, realistically knowing that 3:35 was obtainable. Despite all the training I did, I really was not looking forward to this marathon and spent most of the weekend in a terribly bad mood as the start time came closer.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) the start time did come and with it wind and rain and cold weather. Dave, Dad, and I walked to the corrals together. Dave was in the open corral, and Dad and I were in the Preferred II corral. We said our goodbyes and then headed to our areas. The gun went off and I was able to cross the start line in about 3-1/2 minutes. That was great compared to the last time I ran Chicago when it took me 20 minutes to get to the start line. And because of the preferred start, I was able to get up to speed pretty quickly. My first mile was 8:47, which is a pretty quick start for me. Although unspoken, I think Dad and I were planning on running together, but within the first mile he stopped to relieve himself and I was alone. But, he caught back up to me and we ran the first 13 miles together.

Not to brag, but I run water stops really well. I'm quick to grab my cup and cut back to the middle and never lose pace. Everytime I went through a water stop, I would lose Dad and then magically he would reappear. We ran together for about 13 miles and then we went through a water stop and I didn't see him again. He said to me that he had a blister that had formed in mile 5. I didn't see Dad again until after we were both up in the hotel room. He had a blood blister the size of a silver dollar right on the back of his heel. I'm surprised he finished the marathon at all. It is nasty!

Most of the marathon I was ticking off times that I figured were too fast. I wanted to be running around an 8:15 pace, but spent most of the run around 8:05 pace. After the midway point, I picked it up and dropped it down to around an 8:00 pace until late in the race. I got really tired in the last 3 miles, but just tried to hold on. I ran the race without taking any walking breaks.

I PRed BIG! My time was 3:35:05. I'm pretty excited about it. Here were my splits:

Mile 1: 8:47
Mile 2: 8:31
Mile 3: 8:29
Mile 4: 7:57
Mile 5: 8:08
Mile 6: 8:22
Mile 7: 8:07
Mile 8: 7:58
Mile 9: 8:06
Mile 10: 8:05
Mile 11: 7:59
Mile 12: 8:14
Mile 13: 8:08
Mile 14: 8:10
Mile 15: 7:59
Mile 16: 8:01
Mile 17: 7:59
Mile 18: 7:53
Mile 19: 8:01
Mile 20: 8:07
Mile 21: 8:10
Mile 22: 8:09
Mile 23: 8:11
Mile 24: 8:24
Mile 25: 8:34
Mile 26.2: 10:27 (8:37 pace)

So here is the coolest thing that happened to me all weekend. Yesterday as we were in the Midway airport in line at security, one person behind Dave was a man who looked just like Bono from U2. I turned to Dave and was like "oh my gosh! That's Bono." And Dave was like, "No, he'd be taller than that." Then they opened a new security line and this Bono-looking gentleman went to that line and I grabbed Dave and we filed in with two people in front of us and then Bono. So, the girl in front of us turned around and mouthed, "Yes, that's Bono." Her brother asked him and he smiled and patted him on the shoulder and then said "Yes, I am, but let's not make a big deal out of it." OMG!!!!! The amazing part was he didn't have any security; he waited in line like the rest of us; he took off his shoes like we're all supposed to do; and he was flying out of the Southwest terminal. He seemed so normal. I wanted to ask to get a picture, but I was afraid he'd say no and then it would cloud my outlook of how admirable he is. But you better believe I called everyone I knew as soon as he was out of sight.

Totally awesome day or maybe I should say, "It's a beautiful day."

Thursday Thoughts and The Upcoming Marathon

Yeah, my marathon is a mere 3 days away, and yeah, I guess I'm ready. My short and slow runs this week have felt completely effortless and I'm thankful to be carb-loading (I do love me some carbs). So, bring on Chicago! My last name is Gordon if you want to track me or look up my results online before my official Chicago Marathon post. My goal time is between 3:30 and 3:35 chip time, of course.

Now on with the Thursday Thoughts!

It's been a few weeks since I've done Thursday Thoughts. Mostly because I'm running out of questions. I might have to buy a book to help me out, but I thought I would ask the Internet first. So, today when you answer the following questions, please, if you can, start your response with at least one question you'd like to see asked on Thursday Thoughts. And it is my recommendation that you ask an open-ended question so we don't get just yes or no answers.

1. Have you ever been arrested for anything? If yes, what? (You don't have to reveal it if you don't want to).

2. Do you plan on dressing up for Halloween this year? And if yes, what?

3. If you could be any animal what would you be and why?

4. What would you be willing to do for a million dollars?

5. If you could ask one question to a current person in politics, who would it be and what would you ask?

My Confession

I have a confession to make. I don't like myself very much. I never really have. I am my own worst critic. Anytime someone compliments me, I think they are lying to not hurt my feelings. I use competition as a way to be better and self-validate, but it usually leaves me feeling empty.

Recently I stumbled across a blog that I found intriguing because it contained a link to this. This woman is participating in an art project of 365 self-portraits. I thought this art project might be a good thing for me to do to maybe explore myself. Find out what I like and don't like about myself.

So, check it out. You can find the pictures here, and I'll also post it in my blogroll on the right side.

My Big Political Message

As I am sure you are all well aware there is an election coming up in a few weeks. And here in Ohio, the candidates are just running horrible smear campaigns with awful television commercials and I know personally, I'm just about sick of it.

But there are two issues statewide on the ballot in Ohio that I would like to point out. I have a lot of readers who live in Ohio and I wanted to get the message out to them. So, if you're not from Ohio, you don't have to read this, but maybe you'd also like to chime in and give your opinion or personal experience.

Issues 4 and 5 both present themselves as smoking bans, but don't let the advertising deceive you. Issue 5 is the real smoking ban. It will ban smoking in almost all public places and places of employment. Issue 4, on the other hand, is disguised as a smoking ban, and it does ban smoking in some places. But what Issue 5 isn't saying upfront is that it will bring back smoking to restaurants, bars, and bowling alleys, something Columbus voters have voted on three times and each time it has been decided that we don't want smoking in those establishments. Issue 4 is backed by RJ Reynolds and other big tabacco companies, so there you see what kind of "ban" it is! Issue 4 also prohibits any other smoking bans from ever being put on a ballot again as it changes the state constitution. Most importantly, Issue 4 trumps Issue 5, which means if they both pass, Issue 4 will be the new law and truly there will be no smoking ban.

So, if you want the smoking ban, vote YES on Issue 5 but more importantly you MUST vote NO on Issue 4.

Want more proof of the deception Issue 4 is trying to pull? Check out these articles from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Columbus Dispatch, and the Dayton Daily News.

Shout Out!

A childhood friend of mine is in the band Shirock. Their song, "I'll Take Rain" is going to be featured on this Monday's "What about Brian" on ABC.

Shout out!

Everyone Knows it's Windy

Last Wednesday I mentioned we had very strong storms with damaging hail. Tuesday when I ran it was 74 degrees. It's 34 degrees this morning. But yesterday, we had huge storms again.

Around 6:00pm Dave and I went to the grocery store with the anticipation that the storms were going to hit around 7:00. At 6:45 when we left the grocery, it was starting to rain and the tornado warning sirens were going off. We decided to head home really quickly (we only live a mile from the grocery store). As we were putting away the groceries, the news said that the tornado was spotted on the south end of the county and we live on the north end, but they said the area where we live was going to take a direct hit. So we headed down to the basement until the tornado warning expired. Around 7:05 we headed back upstairs and turned on the news. The local news that an area about two miles from where we live and exactly halfway between where my parents live and where we live had huge damage and a possible tornado.

Photo courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch.

I called my parents to make sure they were okay and they didn't have any damage and were okay. As the news reports have continued, the national weather service has yet to determine if it was a tornado, but there has been severe damage with several houses leveled. How scary that this was so close to home, literally.

Isn't this supposed to be a taper?

Because, man, I feel like crap! My legs feel heavy; my breathing feels labored; and I don't feel like in a week and a half I'm going to be able to run between 3:30 and 3:35.

Yesterday I did one of the hardest workouts I have ever done. It was 8 miles with 3 X 1600m at 5K pace, which is a 7:00 minute mile. There was a soccer game yesterday so I wasn't able to do my intervals on the track. So, I did the intervals on the Olentangy Trail, which is marked every half mile. I did two miles of warm up, then started the 1600s with 800 rest in between. The times came out like this: 6:58, 6:55, 6:57. The last one was really hard as it was uphill for the last half mile.

This is my last "sprint" workout before the marathon. I don't feel ready yet, but there's no time to change anything. I'm looking forward to Chicago.

More Awesomeness!

Dear person who left a comment on an old post regarding the HRM not working....I sent mine back to the manufacturer after they said the chest transmitter was not working propertly. They gave me a new one and now it works great. You should call the company.

Now, on with the awesomeness!

As my long-time readers might now, a little over a year and a half ago I had lasik eye surgery. With this surgery you have follow-up appointments with the surgeon, but yesterday was my first appointment with the optometrist. It was total awesomeness to find out my vision is now 20/10. I have bionic eyes!

This is the awesome-ist part of the eye exam. WARNING! This is extremely gross! The eye doctor put in those yellow drops to look into the back of my eyeball. After my exam I went running at the park across the street. Now I have to admit, I spit when I run. I have issues with my sinuses so it's kinda a necessary evil. Anyway, while I was running I snorted my snot and then spit and because the eye drops were coating the lining of my throat or sinuses or whatever, my spit was florescent yellow. Totally awesome! And sorry that was so gross.

And finally, I must confess I watched The Bachelor last night. I'm telling you, if you haven't been watching this you are missing out. These chicks are absolutely ridiculous, but cracking me up. Last night when Kim got drunk and passed out on the beach and then woke up talking in tongues and cussing. Dave and I rewound it and watched it again and again. I laughed so hard, I cried. If I find the video, I'll post it.

Have an awesome day!

Hail of a Storm

We had a HUGE storm on Wednesday night that included lots of thunder, lightning, and rain along with tornado warnings and hail. There were reports of up to golf ball-sized hail in places. And there was lots and lots of damage. My grandmother and friends here at work have holes in their roofs and siding of their houses.

Here is a picture that a friend at work took of the hail in his yard. Looks like snow.

Reach the Beach 2006--Story and Photo Essay

Sorry, this entry is a little belated. I've been working on it for weeks, but it's taken me a long time to do the pictures.

The weekend of September 14th through 17th was my annual pilgrimmage to New Hampshire for the Reach the Beach Relay. This was my third time doing this race and I was hoping for this to be the first year without rain.

The first time I did this race, we ran 24 of the 25 hours in the rain during a hurricane. The second year it rained during my first leg, but was pretty clear the rest of the time. This year when we landed in New Hampshire it was pouring down rain. Great! This race was going to suck. Except, we woke up Friday morning and it was clear. And, amazingly, it did not rain once the entire race.

Reach the Beach 2006 had approximately 300 teams, which teams starting in waves. The waves started at 7:00am and went every half hour until, I think, 3:30pm. The idea is to start the slower teams first, fastest teams last and then teams should all end up at the finish line at approximately the same time. Our start time was 2:00pm, and there were only a few teams starting after us. We raced as a men's open team even though we had four women on the team. You need to have at least six women on the team to be considered a co-ed team. The course is 210+ miles, which is broken down into 36 segments. The shortest leg is 3.1 miles and the longest leg is about 8.8 miles. We start at Brenton Woods ski resort and end at Hampton Beach.

Bridget started for our team and was the only girl in the wave. We were against some fast competitors including some teams we've been paired against for the last several years. The first leg is straight up one of the ski slopes, across the top of the mountain, and then straight down another sky slope. Bridget held tough with the guys, though, finishing 5th out of 7th on the first leg. And, we were off.

The first van was comprised of Bridget, Brian G., Andy, Nathan, Bob, and Jim. The second van was me, Dad, Brian Y., Mandy, Steve, and Nancy. Van 1 ran the first six legs and Van 2 ran legs 7-12, and then Van 1 started again and the rotation continued. I have always been in Van 2 and therefore have always experienced running in the dark twice. This year was especially hard to run in the dark as it was foggy. For my second leg in the dark (around 4:30am), I wore my headlamp over my ballcap, which created tunnel vision with the fog. Even with the headlamp is was hard to see. Again during the second leg in the dark, I thought I was stepping on the white line on the road only to find out it was the edge of a sidewalk. Yeah, I fell. And a guy just zoomed passed me and asked me if I was alright while he kept running. Thanks for the help, buddy!

I really don't have much to say about the race. We finished 17th out of 296, in 25:27:43. Our average pace was 7:16. It's a good thing we have much faster people on the team than me. I'll let my pictures tell the story about the race.

My dad goofing around at the Profile Deluxe Motel.

Bridget preparing for her first run.

Bob is also warming up.

I like my warmups in the dancing variety.

OMG! Too funny!

Van 1 minus Nathan.

Van 2 minus Brian Y.

Our fearless leader Andy. Nice porn 'stache

Brian and Andy drinking a little Red Bull.

No botox here.

Nice shiner, Nathan.

Dad and I.

How to sleep in a minivan.

We don't look like we're having fun.

Yeah, we had fun.

Double Awesomeness!

Is awesomeness even a word?

Dave and I upgraded to a 40 inch, widescreen, flat panel, LCD, HD total awesomeness TV this passed weekend.


Then we got to watch Ohio State crush Iowa in high definition.



Double awesomeness!

September Statistics

I had hoped to run a little more in September, but life gets in the way.

Running: 147.7 Miles

Swimming: 3000 yards

Biking: ZIPPO!

Bring on October!

Thursday Thoughts

Don't be shy people! Comment!

1. How long have you lived in your current dwelling?

2. What color are your bedroom walls?

3. What is your favorite decoration in your house?

4. What life goal have you accomplished in the past year?

5. What life goal do you plan on tackling next?

Vacation Continued: San Jacinto State Park

I have more pictures to post, but they are on another computer.

Yeah, it's been about 3 weeks since we went on vacation and I didn't really say much about vacation, but there is one more adventure we had that I'd like to share.

If you remember, Dave and I had intended to go hiking up San Jacinto on our way out to Joshua Tree, but the tram was closed, so we didn't get to go. Later in the week we decided to try our luck again (this time calling before) and headed out to San Jacinto. This time the tram was open and with our coupon in hand, we embarked on our adventure.

Have I ever mentioned I have a fear of heights? Well, I do. And this was scary shizz! This 360 degree rotating tram starts at about 2500 feet and literally goes straight up the mountain to about 8000 feet in roughly ten minutes. After we got passed the first pole, I closed my eyes and waited until we got to the top. The pictures are curteous of Dave.







At the top tram station, Dave and I checked in with the park ranger and let them know that we were planning on hiking to the summit--6 miles to the top and 6 miles down. It was 1:00 in the afternoon. The ranger looked at us like we were crazy. We were wearing regular "street clothes" including tennis shoes and we were quickly informed that we probably didn't have time to hike to the top. Sure we don't look like hikers, but obviously this guy had no idea he was talking to real athletes.

Since I was a little worried about hiking to the top, we set out to make it about 4 miles to the lookout. Truthfully, I haven't really hiked before and this was proving to be tough. I was walking as fast as my little legs would take me, but the brisk walking, elevation, and the climb were causing me to have to stop often and catch my breath.





Roughly about 2 hours into the hike, we made it to the lookout. We were around 9700 feet.







Against my suggestions, we decided to keep going to the summit. Dave said he would give it one more hour and if we couldn't make it then we would turn around and start back towards the ranger station. We got up to the next station at the summit and lost the trail. We really wanted to make it to the summit as I guess there is a post there and we wanted to get our picture there, but we weren't sure how to do it. By making it to the ranger station at the top, we're claiming victory of obtaining the summit at 10,800 feet. We started our descent and I started to get cold. Really cold! My hands went numb and I was really lightheaded. I guess it was the elevation. The sun was starting to set, though, so we had to get moving.

We high-tailed it back down the mountain, walking so briskly it was almost a jog. By the time we reached the ranger station, it was early evening. We made the full hike in just under 5 hours. We rode the crowded tram back down the mountain and then drove the two hours back to the beach. Now, I'm not really into hiking, but that was a really cool experience.