Run Log

Another month in the books ~ and it was a good one.  Mileage was down, but I had to taper & reverse taper for the Lake Health Hill, Yeah! Half Marathon...and then stick another Sunday race in...forgoing my Saturday long.  Had my first 'long' run this Saturday ~ 8 miles!  

This month also saw the first MMS XC Tuesday runs.  With around 10 kids average for the first three weeks!  Pretty exciting as 21 kids have come to run at least once.  Might be a great turn out for our team.

So recap... Hill, Yeah...second place.  Run for the Hills {PR}...third place.  NERC Monday group run.  XC Tuesday Group Runs.  New Shoes!  Hot & sticky weather {reminding myself of the COLD we had this winter & trying to decide if I'd rather run in the cold or the heat...I'm thinking 62° with a calm breeze is perfect}

And the NERC Grand Prix Standing...

Pretty darn exciting.  I will miss the next three races as I'll be out of town for them all {two are on the same day}So I'm sure that will effect my standings.  However, I will run all those races in August & September & I've 99% committed to the 1/2 in October. {Still that little interest in the full...but I'm not training for it, so I think I just need to admit that I'm not going to run that thing this year.}

Jun e Totals:

90.84 miles for the month 
513.59 miles for the year 

559.17 miles for my bright blue Brooks ~ The most miles I've ever put on a pair of shoes & they still have a few more...The outsides by my little toes are wearing out, but the tread is good & they still feel good.  WoW!  These shoes have lasted me 8 months.  The exact reason I stuck with the Glycerins...just went from 11 to 12!  

33.71 miles for my new Brooks Glycerin 12 

1 mile swimming

60 miles biking

Still not cross-training & I've done some Yoga by using YouTube on my Kindle Fire TV.  Pretty good.  My IT band has been bugging me today...rolling!

Training for:  Maybe the Mantua 9 mile potato stomp {that just sounds funny}  5k's coming in September. & The Northern Ohio 1/2 marathon on October 12.

My WEIGHT:  yeah, I'm not watching what I eat & I'm running & I bought shorts to fit my body.  137.8 this morning.  I'm not happy with the number, but I'm happy with the muscle tone in my legs & how I fit in my clothes & I should just learn not to care about the number.  The only problem with that is that the number DOES mean something & soon my pants won't fit.  That's the problem.

Some interesting facts:

Longest run this month: 13.1 ~ Hill, Yeah ~ Lake Health Half marathon
Favorite place to run this month: Bike Path 8 mile out-&-back.  I just love to run along that lake
# of books I read this month: four {and working my way through the 1000+ pages of Stephan King's Under the Dome between getting books on my Kindle.
Monthly mileage record: 155.46 ~ August 2013!  WOW
Highest mileage ever-at-one-time:  26.2 ~ October 13, 2013 ~ Northern Ohio Marathon

PR's:
5K: 22:41 (West End Y 5k 5/4/14 ~ I think it was short}
10K: 50:13 {Run for the Hills 6/22/14}
10-miler: 1:21:29 (Hermes Cleveland 10-miler 4/28/12)
half-marathon: 1:47:35 (Cleveland Half 5/19/2013)
marathon: 4:01:04 (Northern Ohio Marathon 10/13/2013)

Lake View Cemetery Adventure

Summer adventure trip to Lake View Cemetery ~  We followed the directions through the East Side of Cleveland...to arrive at this beautiful piece of property.  Calm & peaceful & beautiful.  Our first stop {after a trip to the office for a map...which came with detailed descriptions of what we should see} we went to the Garfield Monument.  It'a an amazing structure & neither Amy or myself could believe we never knew about it.   The rotunda is ornate & filled with mosaics & stained glass & a statue of President Garfield.  So we took a selfie with the guy.

At the top there is an outer porch space with a great view of Case, the Cleveland Skyline & Lake Erie.  I'm sure that on days that are clear the view is beautiful.

After wandering around we found this angel, which we were told was rather spooky.  The description didn't really convey how spooky it really is.  The patina makes her look like she's crying...or melting...or worse.

There are many famous people buried here...JD Rockefeller, Eliot Ness, President Garfield {and his wife & daughter & son-in-law...just laying there in the open}, Henry Sherwin {of Sherwin - Willimas},  and many not so famous people too.

A very interesting trip.

Then we went to lunch at Town Hall and shopped a bit at the West Side Market.  I even successfully parallel parked.  {sweating & shaking...but I did it}

#15 ~ V is for Vengeance

Imagine my surprise when I check to see if Sue Grafton has a new Kinsey Millhone novel, that I've missed one.  So before I can read W, I have to read V! {rather exciting to get to read two in close succession...haven't done that since I caught up to her around n or so.  #15 is V for Vengeance by Sue Grafton.
Kinsey doesn't disappoint & I really liked the story line in this one.  Nora & Dante were likable ~ even with their faults.  Rather Breaking Bad-ish...but likable {I really don't like any of the characters in Breaking Bad...just can't stop watching it}
Kinsey stumbles upon a shoplifting ring...and ends up with a broken nose ~ which the novel starts & ends with.  Enjoyable story.

fl:Phillip Lanahan drove to Vegas in his 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, a snappy little red car his parents had given him two months before, when he graduated from Princeton. ll: It's the other way around.  Buy me a decent glass of Chardonnay and I'll do something for you.

Good Word:
p220 ~ brouhaha

That's a fun one to say.

Run For the Hill 10K.

More accurately, it should be named Run For the Hill ~ because there really is only one big hill.  After that it's pretty much down...However, that makes it sound easier than it was for me.  Of course I started out fast.  I'm done saying too fast, because I really don't know if that's the reason I slow down, or I just slow down because it's later in the race.  Dodd and I decided we're going to make positive splits the way to race.  Above are our before & after selfies...as we were on our own for this one.  I would like to note that I was a BEAST on the hill.  Passed people & everything.  Then I had a hard time recovering.  Don't know how much was mental {my guess} and how much was physical.  With three miles left in the race, negative thoughts creep in.  But I finished & I PR'd  {50:13} & I placed third in my age group.  

I went home & CRASHED.  I was really tired after this one.  Here's my 'bling' picture.  My 444 palindrome bib number ~ the third place plaque & the race shirt that really isn't a race shirt.  I guess it does say Hills.

Summertime

So we are two weeks into summer vacation and it's been busy.  My first order of business was to organize my Tupperware drawer:

And I did an amazing job.  Since then I added a large rectangular container ~ successfully.  I know, you're jealous.  And you should be.  This is an amazing drawer.

Then Jacob's friend, Michael came from Florida & we made our trip to Cedar Point "ride on".  Here we are on our way to the park.  There's some excitement there {and some not, but let it be known...everyone in this car was here by choice.  No one was forced to go & the guy who looks the least enthused, wasn't even asked if he wanted to go.  He VOLUNTARILY said, "I'll take Tuesday off & go with you."  True story:

The day was HOT & HUMID and, luckily, very windy.  We got to ride every ride except the Dragster, which was closed due to the high winds.  The Gatekeeper is all that it claims to be, but the Millennium Force is still my favorite coaster. {and let it be known, those winds going UP the hill were fierce & kinda frightening}

I think we had $350 worth of fun.  Here's the car on the way home:

And on Monday, June 16th, I bought new kicks.  They are, for the second time in a row {which is a rarity for me}Brooks Glycerin.  They are the most comfy shoe I have run in & I got well over 500 miles in my first pair.  Used my NERC discount & my $20 Lake Health Half Marathon winnings & got them for a 'reasonable' price.  {I love how I wouldn't think of spending over $35 for a pair of regular shoes...but for running shoes...here's my credit card}

And the exciting part:  The current NERC standings:

When you look at the age groupings, it's very interesting.  The majority of the female peeps are in the 40-49 age group {mine} and the top three are also there.  Popular age to run.  It's pretty fun to compete this way...and the reason I'm racing a 10k this Sunday!

#14 ~ The Mapping of Love and Death

Ah, summer...when I have time to read more than 2 pages in a book before I drool on my kindle.  #14 is the next Maisie Dobbs book, The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear.  Again, Maisie is a good read.  An intriguing who-done-it ~ that kept me guessing, a romance building, and a family in crisis ~ all in one story.  Lovable characters & good writing.  I'm glad I'm not done with the series and there are a few more to look forward to.

I had to download a OverDrive Media Console to read this one.  It wasn't available as a kindle book from the library.  The app was easy to use, but didn't have the ability to highlight; therefore I have only a few quotes that I used the bookmark feature to mark.  Better than nothing {and much like when I'd stick pieces of paper in a 'real' book}

Quotes:

chapter 1 p 6 of 11 {no page numbers either} ~ ...though Maisie could detect a connection between them that she found rare in a man and wife of their generation.  They leaned towards each other in the way that a pair of ancient oaks might seem as one, their branches laced together as the years passed.

chapter 3 p 3 of 10 ~ He's what my old mum would call a bombastic little nit of a man.

chapter 6 p 10 of 12 ~ They say the face tells all there is to know about a life, but I personally believe much can be deduced from the hands.  There are lines and scars, bumps and calluses; indeed, the hands are both the sketch and the final work of art.

fl: Michael Clifton stood on a hill burnished gold in the summer sun and, hands on hips, closed his eyes.  ll: He saw Maisie watching him and raised his hand.  She waved in return.  Love, when, so, you're loved again.

Lake County Half

Here's the cool t-shirt for the Lake County Half.  It looks really small ~ even tho' it's a medium.  I didn't try it on, but I wonder how it will fit {looks like it may be a 1/2 shirt...and I don't need my belly showing}  However, I saw some women wearing them today, and they fit them just fine.  I guess I could try it on & see, but that seems like a lot of work at this point.  I went into this half {only my third & the only one I've run that wasn't Cleveland}, feeling quite anxious.  No one said, "Easy course, you'll be fine."   Lots of people talked about the hills...and the hills and the hill to the finish line.  So I trained hills & felt like a BEAST doing so.  I channeled my inner beast today... and needed all of her.  Of course, I started off faster than planned.  How is it that 8:20/mile pace seems SOOOO fast in training, but so slow race day?  I haven't plugged in my watch yet, but those first two miles were around 8:00 flat.  So I didn't go too fast, and I'm glad I banked those seconds as the hills took their toll on my pace.  

Sight: a man in a very cool Incredible Hulk shirt taking selfies during the race.  Would have been fun to photo bomb him, had a been a few steps closer.  {I'm not opposed to selfies ~ just look at most of my posts ~ but during a race...was odd}

Sight: a man running in what were basically flip-flops.  Seriously.  Flip-flops with a heel strap.  He was ahead of me, so I can't judge.

Sound: "Why do they put a pocket on the back of these pants?  Seriously.  My ass is large enough without a pocket."  {I know the person who said this in passing ~ and she didn't see me ~ which makes this even funnier.}

But back to the race:  Miles three, four, and five were all uphill {I swear...it seemed like there was no down} in Chapin Forest.  It was a trail in the woods so it was shady, but boy that was a long haul.  As I 'recovered' during mile 6 {In the sun on the pavement} I felt tired legs, but a strong spirit.  I had TRAINED for these hills.  I am a BEAST.  Then came mile 8.  All I could think was, "get me to the 9 flag."  I seriously wondered if I had enough in the tank.  {I did take a tiny little bit of my Honey Stinger...and then it fell out of my pocket, so I couldn't have anymore.}  But the next thing I knew ~ I was at mile 10....headed to the Farmpark...passed the mile 11 flag just as I turned into the park.  Still 2 miles to do at the Farmpark...ran back under the start arch...all the way to the back {which is the bottom} of the park.  Then a mile and a half UPHILL to the finish.  Official time: 1:55:18.  Met my goal of being under 2.  

Hill, yeah.

Beast.

The before and after picture.  Glad to see that is a real smile for the after.  This race was REALLY REALLY challenging.  Dodd placed first in his age group {a bag & socks}  I placed second in mine {would have had to PR to beat the first place girl ~ OMG}  

My amazing husband who gave up his Father's Day morning, just because I wanted him to.  He's a good support crew :)

And my bling.  a bag, a very cool finisher's medal & $20 to Second Sole.  Which is amazing, because those blue Brooks have over 500 miles on them.  This was their retirement run.  They have been the best shoes.

drained

The Fault in our Stars is an excellent movie.  Went to see it with two teacher friends...and there were moments that I thought I was going to SOB...tears just were flowing down my face.  As much as I hate to cry...it was such a great story.
It was made even worse by the fact that I knew what was coming, but of course, you have to read the book first.
The scene that really go me was when things turn a turn for Hazel.  The music took over the scene, but you can see her mouth "mom" and you see mom come slow motion, full of panic, fear and love up the stairs.  It just got me.  Great acting of a great story.

#13 ~ The Fault in our Stars

All winter & spring I've seen this book in the hands or on the desk of many middle school girls.  "Oh, Mrs. Barton, it's so good."  "you'll cry so hard"  And it was that last sentiment, meant as a positive...which kept me from reading it.  But Helen, the librarian talked me into it & handed me the book.  #13, which I'm glad I read, is The Fault in our Stars by John Green.  The funny and smart story of a Hazel Grace, a teenage cancer victim.  What really strikes me is how well written this book it.  The Hunger Games were great stories, but so poorly written.  This is a great story with rich vocabulary and witty humor.  I'm glad my Kindle version came in when I was still reading the book, because there were many words I was glad to have the dictionary feature for.  Hazel Grace is depressed & her mother wants her to be social & meet people and have a life while she's alive.  This story is about that life ~ a life that has to deal with death, because, in the end, that what we all have to deal with.  

I can't decide if I can take the movie.  I've heard good reports...but I don't like to cry.  

Words & a quote

p 145 ~   ghettoized

      put in or restrict to an isolated or segregated place, group, or situation  {the sentence is: I'm just saying:  Maybe scrambled eggs are ghettoized, but they're also special.  They have a place and a time, like church does.}

p 215 ~  hamartia

     a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine

p260 ~ Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.  {I've come back to this thought many times in the past few days.  I've been lucky to have long infinities, even when they are finite.}

fl: Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.  ll: You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you.  I like my choices.  I hope she likes hers.  I do, Augustus.  I do.

things that make me smile

Stressful day at work...and I'm starting to get a cold...and it was hot and windy...and I stress ate yesterday.  So I went for a run.  And a simple act of human kindness made me smile.  I was running down Bates & a blue Chevy pick up truck, coming at me, slowed way down, stopped & rolled down the passenger side window.  I was a little skeptical, but I took out my ear bud & looked in.  I hear something...about a coyote...by the time it registers I'm past him, so I stop & go back to the window & he says, "I just passed two coyotes back there." & I look up and see one cross the road.  I kinda thought I'd be ok, but I figured he was thoughtful enough to worry about me, I needed to heed the warning.  So I turned around & took another route.  Smiling.
And my garden is blooming.  Not just one poppy today.  A whole bunch.  And peonies too.

happy poppy day

Happy Poppy Day ~ late this year.  I was just looking at the past few years & they are all May dates.  But here we are, June 2 & I come home after a VERY VERY VERY {I could go on} long day at school...
To see this:

Oh the most glorious of the flowers.  They are so big & beautiful.  So red.  So delicate...yet, so strong.

Happy Poppy Day

#12 ~ The Bird's Nest

The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson is book #12.  It's a strange tale of a girl who has splintered into 4 different personalities.  It's  interesting and weird and hard to follow at times.  I'm sure it was very forward thinking in 1954 when so little was known about mental illness.  {It's strange to type that, because do we really know so very much more now?}
It would be an interesting book club read...there are many discussion points...like, what really happened to mother?  Was Auntie just as crazy at Elizabeth?  What happened with the father?


Words:
p10 ~  vacuity

having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless
p51 ~ singular

exceptionally good or great; remarkable

fl: Although the museum was well known to be a seat of enormous learning, its foundations had begun to sag. ll:"I know who I am," she said, and walked on with them, arm in arm, and laughing.