#25 & #26

#25 was The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah.  It was about two sisters surviving Nazi occupation of France during the Second World War. It was heartbreaking in its descriptions of the cruelty and what happened to the people. Each sister chose a different way to survive and each was worthy and hard.  The story lost me at the end...the ending wasn't so believable but I enjoyed the novel.

fl: If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are. ll: Wounds heal.  Love lasts. We remain. 

#26 was Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. This was a fast read...and not a well written piece of literature by any means.  The main character is a likable self-proclaimed spinster who looks for love, but not really. It flip flops around and the scenes that could be really great are one or two sentences long. There are more in this series, but I will not be reading them. 

fl: This will be a good weekend for reading. ll: I want to watch the two of them forever--a daughter learning to trust, and a father doing the thing he does best: protecting her. 

Run, Santa, Run

The last Grand Prix race of the 2015 season ~ it's been a long season, but it's certainly been a fun one. ~ Run, Santa, Run took place on a 60 degree Sunday morning.  So amazing to wear a skirt and short sleeves & be WARM at the start on the 13th of December.  Mike & I arrived at our usual early time & got a good parking spot.  Sure does take the stress out to get there just a little bit earlier than necessary.  It gives us time to use the pots, talk to peeps, get our bearings & get in a warm up.  

Summer wear in DECEMBER!

This picture cracks me up!  You can see me and Mike in the crowd looking very serious.

I had told Leslie that I was going to put myself on her hip for this race.  We both wore our skirts & pink tops (I struggled with the definition of pink) and we started side by side.  About .2 in, we were both working too hard to talk,    But I stuck by her until the end.  I enjoyed to course.  It was a loop that included a little up and down two side streets.  Once we made the turn back onto The 20, I could see Dairy Queen in the distance, and knew there was a finish line around there, but I couldn't see the big blue arch for the bend in the road.  Finally I rounded the bend & there was the arch.  Leslie has a kick that I just don't have.  She beat me by a few seconds...and puked.  Didn't PR, but it sure felt like an all out effort.  I was so focused {read, working too hard to notice anything else} I didn't notice Mike zip by us.  HE beat us while stopping to TIE HIS SHOE {you'd think he'd learn to tie 'em tight} and Run Jump for Brenda's camera!  I did not run jump...wish I would have, it may have given me just the push I needed to enjoy the race a little more.

This is also the first race in a while that I didn't place in.  Fourth for my age group while running 23:17.  huh.  Such a kick in the pants to not be a place winner.  I know that sounds so cocky and non-humble...but I'm "not gonna lie" {side note: I totally hate that phrase...I typed it tongue-in-cheek, so please read it that way}

So the lesson for me is I won't always win.  AND that's why you run jump when the opportunity presents itself.  joy & running  They should go together & they didn't really for me today.

Me & Brenda

John's snacks vs mine & Mike's face!

NERC runners

#24 ~ The Husband's Secret

I have really enjoyed Liane Moriarty's novels.  #24 is The Husband's Secret ~ and it was another well written story.  It was not my favorite of her stories ~ as it was such a SAD story.  It involves affairs & community standing & family relationships & murder.  The characters are mostly likable, but I did have trouble reconciling the ending.  While I'm all for "happily ever after", I'm not sure it works for me in this story.

Quote:
loc 3118~ ...does a tiara really count as an Easter hat?


fl: It was all because of the Berlin Wall.  ll: Some secrets are meant to stay secret forever.  Just ask Pandora.

Advent

Advent.  The season of preparing.  Waiting for the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.  The most wonderful time of the year.  Advent for me is always an anxious time of trying to get it all done; get it all done right; and remember the real reason ~ the birth of a baby boy to save the world.  I think I'm getting better at being less anxious.  The house is decorated.  The tree is up.  The presents are being bought. The music is being played.  

The Madison High School Jazz Band had their first Christmas performance at Giant Eagle on Friday night.  They sounded great & Jacob rocked his solos.  Once again, so thankful that both my boys have been blessed by the Madison Band Program.  

While we were listening to the Band ~ I catch a glimpse of the TV in the far back corner  (You can see the TV in the picture)  What is on that TV, you might be wondering?  A picture of Bruce Springsteen with the words "Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band  Live at Quicken Loans Arena"  WHAT?  A real quick search on my phone finds that Bruce announced Tour Dates!  And CLEVELAND is on the list.  February 23.  Tempted to get tickets for Pittsburgh...but I may be in Florida that date.  I guess I'll be happy with one concert.  SOOOOO excited for show #11!  Here are my hopes:  I hope he plays Sherry Darling and Roselita and Thunder Road.

On Saturday we got up early & lifted for 12 minutes so we could be running by 7:15.  Got in our 10 miles...During which we were yelled at by a police officer.  Seems it's illegal to cross train tracks when the gate is down...even when there is plenty of room to do so.   ~ story:  As we were running south on 528 we can see that the far gates are down ~ but no train.  We can also see there is a police car with its lights on.  As we get closer the near gates come down... and I see we have enough time to cross, so I say, "Go" so we all run across...However, just as I yell "Go"  the cops yells, "Get Back."  I'm kinda shocked that I've been given a directive from a police officer, but I'm not about to ignore it, so I turn around.  As we are running around the village grounds to get in our extra 1/2 mile we discuss the legalities of crossing tracks when the gate is down. Mike thought that maybe there was something going on on the other side of the tracks that would have been unsafe for us to be involved with; he just can't comprehend why we weren't allowed to cross the tracks.  But realistically, we kinda figure it must be illegal and laugh at the thought of being arrested during our Saturday morning run.  {I won't tell the story about the time we were running down Bates}  Later in the day I Google Ohio Revised Code & discover that it is a $55.00 fine to cross tracks when the gate is down.  That would have been an expensive 10 mile run.  And embarrassing.  Bad enough to get yelled at by an officer of the law.  Being thrown into the car handcuffed would have been horrible.
I'm 52 miles (or so) into my Rudolph Challenge 2015.  Doing all the events will be 66.6 miles.  I'm going to run all of them in full except the 26.2 ~ that one will be broken into pieces.  I will do that distance again, just not this month!

We had to run early because Dodd had plans that morning.  Seems little baby William Glenn Dodd was coming into the world.  What a beautiful thing ~ a newborn baby.  Such promise and love.  So sweet and precious.

So as we celebrate this season of Advent I want to remember the blessings that I have in my life.  Family, Friends, Music, Running.

Run log

November was a month of running.  Lots and lots of running...and only one race.  Coach Mike decided that we need to build our base miles while the weather is good & hopefully keep that solid base through the winter and spring, so we're ready for marathon training come June.  We've had 'run club' a few times...once just me and Dodd.  Once me & Kelly & Mike {first time at run club}  My IT band & right knee are so stressed from Saturday's run, that I don't want to run with faster people this week...so I'm not even offering up a day.  Hoping to get in 4 tomorrow between the rain drops.  NERC standings have me a solid overall third.  I will stay there unless one of two things happen.  1.  Crystal runs the Run Santa Run.  2. Leslie runs the Run Santa Run & beats me.  {I should just say, Leslie runs the Run Santa Run, because I have yet to beat her in a 5k.}  Worst case, I slip to Masters 2.  I think at that point I'd rather be #1 in my age group.

Mike & I are lifting on Saturday mornings.  I can bench half my body weight & am deep swimmer pressing 15 pounds for three reps.  I'm also taking HITT class on Wednesdays.

November Totals:

126.47 miles for the month ~ makes up for the two months I was under 100!
1292.16 miles for the year 

199.13 miles in my Gortex Ghosts ~ one wear on a wet Sunday morning!

289.79 miles in my Nike Vomero ~ My go-to shorter run shoes

264.62 miles in my light blue Brooks Glycerin 11 ~ that look much dirtier than they should for that mileage.

Training for:   a fall marathon!  Base Building

Podcasts I'm listening to: Marathon Training Academy, Lore, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Dear Sugar, Stuff You Should Know, & This American Life, Love & Radio, RadioLab & Stuff to Blow Your Mind.  New one: Neighbors

My WEIGHT: After gorging myself these last five days...I was 135 this morning.  Very thankful for that.

Some interesting facts:

Longest run this month:  13.57 ~ UP the hill to THOMPSON.  Oh my aching IT band & my AWESOMENESS all in one.

Highest  weekly mileage this month: 43.61 miles ~ Nov 8 to Nov 15

Favorite place to run this month: 528 to Thompson {can't say it was my fav ~ but it's the one I'm most proud of}

# of bags of Candy Cane Kisses left in my cabinet:  Haven't bought one...but sure would like someone to give me a bag.
# of books I read this month: three
Monthly mileage record: 156.69 ~ March 2015 {purposely ran 8 (on a treadmill) on March 30 to beat the August 2013 record}
Highest mileage ever-at-one-time:  26.36 ~ May 17, 2015 The Cleveland Marathon

PR's:
5K: 22:30 (Run For the Grapes 9/28/14}
10K: 50:13 {Run for the Hills 6/22/14 & TIED the time Run for the Hills 6/21/15)
10-miler: 1:21:29 (Hermes Cleveland 10-miler 4/28/12)
half-marathon: 1:44:42 (Northern Ohio Half Marathon 10/4/15)
marathon: 3:57:31 (The Cleveland Marathon 5/17/15)

#23 The Siren

#23 is The Siren by Tiffany Reisz.  This was the Harlequin book I read this year ~ and for a Harlequin book it was very well written.  Interesting that the main character is a Dominatrix/writer who is working with a new editor.  The book starts with the new editor & ends when she finishes the book...and all the dirty details happen in between.  This is the first in a very long series...but I don't really like the main character...nor to I really relate to her...so I probably won't read any more in the series.  But it was a quick read and a good break from the serious books I usually read {and if you look at the list of what I read...you'll realize the sarcasm in that statement}

fl:There was no such think as London fog --never had been. ll: The most familiar darkness...her darkness..she was home.

Turkey Day

For the fifth year, the Barton clan has run the Turkey Day 5k.  A great event...in the snow & in the ice  {previous years} & today...45 degrees & windy.  I'll take today over all those other years.  Love how this event has grown & become part of our tradition.

Patrick came home LATE last night...and I was sound asleep.  So he was still in bed {and I think Jacob wished he were too}  Marge RAN her first 5k & had a great race.  

Pre-race Selfie  ~ Jacob, Becky & Mike

The race started at 8:30...and I managed to NOT have to wait in line EVER for a bathroom.  Seems everyone waited inside...so I used the port-o-pots outside, since it was rather warm...and NO LINE.  {1,300 people & NO LINE?  That is something to be thankful for!}  So the start did not, as Mike pointed out, have AC/DC playing.  Nor did it have fireworks.  Nor did it have stands of fans the first quarter mile.  It did have LOTS of little kids.  Three of which sprinted out & about a tenth of a mile in I hear, "Ok guys, it's time to walk."  So they just stop...as 1,250 people are still running at a pretty fast clip right behind them.  Mike had a rough time with on particular little dude who made it his mission to cut right in front of him for the first mile and a half...until Mike finally passed him (and me).  I liked how I got to Lake Erie College before the leaders made the turn and ran back toward me.  I like how that makes me feel like one of the 'leaders'.  

Overall, I'm happy with my time.  Didn't turn on my watch (battery was low & I wanted to get in two more miles after the race & needed to use the GPS on the watch for that) so I wasn't sure of my pace...just ran by feel & while I was pushing, I wasn't hurting ~ so 23:09 is a great time for me.  But not good enough for first place {and a pie}.  

HOLY COW ~ a 49 year old woman ran 20:14?!?!  Enjoy your pie fast old lady!  That's something!  I'm amazed and impressed.  And I still won gloves.  What a great prize!

Once again I was last for the family & the only one to place.  Jacob finished just behind Kelly {22:36} and Mike was 22:54.  VERY close to his PR.  {22:51}

And had to include selfies with two of my favorite running friends!  Can't wait for Brenda's knee to heal so we can run her Birthday Ice Cream Run!  & Kelly has talked me into co-race directing the Red Bird Run with her.  Thankful for the people & opportunities running has brought me.  This year's race shirt says it all:

And cleaning out my Fall Decor...Time to get rid of this AMAZING coaching gift.  How adorable is this pumpkin?  Wish I could save it forever, but that little spot on the bottom is telling me I better not.

#22 look me in the eye

This is something I've never really done before.  I read the beginning of this book & then the end.  But I'm counting it as #22 ~ look me in the eye, my life with asperger's by John Elder Robison.  Very interesting story of a life with Asperger's.  John Elder is a fifty year old man recalling his life as a child and young man with undiagnosed Asperger's.  He had a honorific childhood with an abusive alcoholic father and a mentally unstable mother.  I quit reading when, as a teenager, he set up a cult-like scene of a hanging (mannequin) and hid in the woods to watch the response.  I skipped through the book to see his rise of a career and marriage and birth of a son.  Then I read the epilogue where he recorded the death of his dad and the way they were able to fashion a good relationship out of the mess of their past.

Word (from the Author's Notes) ~  neurotypical {the opposite of Aspergian}

fl: "Look me in the eye, young man.!" ll: It will take a few more years (I hope!), but I'm looking forward to the day when I can watch Cubby take his own son to the train yard to watch the locomotives.

#21 ~ X

I finally finished #21 ~ X (Kinsey Millhone Book 24) by Sue Grafton.  I read about 75% of it a month ago...but not in time to actually finish it ~ and it disappeared off my Kindle.  I had fallen asleep so many times while reading it, I wasn't too sure of the people & events when I finally got it back...so I read the whole thing again.  Glad I did, because I missed so many of the details the first time through.  Another great Kinsey Mystery.  {Can't believe there are only two more to come}  In this story Kinsey is once again accidentally figuring out the mystery.  She doesn't really know who she's investigating until a little on in the story.  Another detective has died & Kinsey finds herself following his vague case notes to figure out what he was trying to solve.  It's always an adventure to follow her twists and turns & to see her thought process.  Great character.  I am envious of those who can start at A now and follow her through without the YEARS in between books.

Quote:

p320 ~ Her lipstick was bright red and looked like it wouldn't come off on the lip of her coffee cup the first time she took as ip.  I report this in detail because she's the sort of woman I want to be when I grow up.  No chance of it at this late date, but all the same...

fl: Teddy Xanakis would have to steal the painting.  ll: As for Pete Wolinsky, I acknowledge that I misjudged him and I hope he may rest in peace, wherever he may be.

Run log

October running was a lot... 2 half marathons and a BIG WIN at a 5k.  Cross country came to an end & now I have two more hours in my day...which I have managed to fill quite nicely! (and not all with running ~ as I didn't even manage a 100 mile month)  Skipping the Bridge to Bridge half the week after Columbus & choosing the Rabbit Run over the NERC Make a Difference 5k cost me a little in the NERC standings, but not as much as I feared.  Leslie and I are TIED & I win the tie breaker as I've beat her more head-to-head (only because we've met in the longer distances this year & not the 5k's ~ where she kicks my butt)  We are not running the Autumn Leaves tomorrow ~ but we are signed up for the last two Grand Prix events...so we'll see where it plays out in the end.

Here's one more picture from Columbus ~ really like this pick of Team Beef.  And the memory of that great race.

so October brought cooler temps & darker runs & a half marathon PR & a WIN at a 5k.  May be my best running month ever.

Also started bench pressing (today was day 2)  I did 65 pounds for 5 reps.  Tried 70 pounds...and couldn't do it.  Also started going to Dodd's core class on Tuesdays before school...WOW.  My abs hurt for DAYS after the first class.  The next ones haven't hurt as badly...so I must be getting buff.  I also went to HITT class this week & hope to get there more often.  My legs sure were sore afterward, as we did LOTS of lateral movement...and I'm hoping that's a good thing for my overall fitness & running.  Mike, Trisha & I are planning on doing a team tri in August...haven't signed up yet, but we're doing a lot of talking about it.

On another note...Mike has been talking about running an ultra.

October Totals:

94.89 miles for the month ~ two months in a row under 100 miles.  UGH
1165.69 miles for the year 

196.08 miles in my Gortex Ghosts ~ didn't wear them this month

610.38 miles in my pink Brooks Glycerin 12. Camp Stig shoes got one last run at Camp Stig this month

241.85 miles in my Nike Vomero ~ The tread is starting to wear

189.14 miles in my light blue Brooks Glycerin 11 ~ that are now covered in mud as I ran at HogBack North Thursday...to avoid the wind...and totally ran through giant mud puddles hidden by fallen leaves.

Training for:   ?   Starting to up the miles as most people are slowing down for the winter.  This is the base building for our fall 2016 marathon

Podcasts I'm listening to: Marathon Training Academy, Lore, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Dear Sugar, Stuff You Should Know, & This American Life, Love & Radio, RadioLab & Stuff to Blow Your Mind.  New ones:99% invisible

My WEIGHT:  a week or so ago I weighed 133.  Thursday I was 136.  Totally forgot to step on the scale after my run today.

Some interesting facts:

Longest run this month:  13.1 ~ twice ~ qualified for half fanatics

Highest  weekly mileage this month: 34.28 ~ October 18 to October 25

Favorite place to run this month: Columbus half marathon!  

# of bags of Candy Cane Kisses left in my cabinet:  NADA
# of books I read this month: two
Monthly mileage record: 156.69 ~ March 2015 {purposely ran 8 (on a treadmill) on March 30 to beat the August 2013 record}
Highest mileage ever-at-one-time:  26.36 ~ May 17, 2015 The Cleveland Marathon

PR's:
5K: 22:30 (Run For the Grapes 9/28/14}
10K: 50:13 {Run for the Hills 6/22/14 & TIED the time Run for the Hills 6/21/15)
10-miler: 1:21:29 (Hermes Cleveland 10-miler 4/28/12)
half-marathon: 1:44:42 (Northern Ohio Half Marathon 10/4/15)
marathon: 3:57:31 (The Cleveland Marathon 5/17/15)

#20 Landline

#20 for the year is Landline by Rainbow Rowell.  This was a pick from Goodreads top books of 2014.  I needed a quick fun read ~ so I got it.  Then I realized Rainbow Rowell also wrote Eleanor & Park ~ a book I wasn't totally fond of.  But it was a top pick, so I read it.  And I liked this a lot better ~ probably because it's an adult book, not a YA book...maybe.  It's an interesting read of 'What if" in a relationship.  Georgie's husband leaves her to take the children to his parents at Christmas time, because Georgie's demanding job won't let her leave also."  She spends the time wondering if their marriage was doomed from the start and how she could go on without him.  When is love not enough?  What do our choices mean for our future?  If we could change time, would we?  should we?
Good questions & interesting story.

fl: Georgie pulled into the driveway, swerving to miss a bike.  ll: He whispered: "Enough, Georgie, You're here now.  Be here now."

Rabbit Run

Jacob woke up this morning with a lot of congestion in his chest & decided he wasn't running the family tradition, Rabbit Run.  The race (along with the Turkey Day 5k) we've run since it started. Mike & I get in the car and he asks were Dodd is ~ saying, "It sure is quiet.  It doesn't feel right."  So I text Dodd & tell him we have an extra bib.  He met us at the race.

Here we are representing Team Beef!

Our friend, Jim, fresh off hip surgery was there ~ "walking" the race.  It was good to see him out and about! & part of the traditional pre-race selfie.

I love this race because I usually have a good turn out of middle school XC runners...and this year I had quite a few high school kids return.  Lucky for me the XC girls weren't allowed to run/race as they just qualified for regionals yesterday & the JV kids have a race tomorrow.  AND there was a Grand Prix race in Mentor, so Kelly & all the NERC runners didn't come to this race. {just a foreshadowing of the results}  

The race started & off went the top runners.  I stuck with two of my 7th grade boys & Mike was right on my heels. I knew he'd stay there until the end, when he'd zoom past me.  Around mile one I realize that there are no women in front of me.  And as I'm going along, I realize that I really could win the thing; I just couldn't let any female past me.  So I stick with Brian and Ben {who are TALKING to each other as I'm huffing and puffing}  Just after 1.5, I hear Mike say, "my shoe's untied."  I couldn't even think what I would do in that situation...so I had no advice for him.  I realized that he stopped to tie it around mile 2, because I couldn't hear him behind me anymore.  So the boys and I run on...we can't see anyone ahead of us, that's how far ahead the leaders were... As I'm about to reach the end of Heritage, getting ready to make the turn to the Haines Hill... Brian Butler come running back, tells me I'm the first female, but there's one coming behind me.  UGH.  I have to push.  Up the hill on Haines (which is always bigger in my head than in real life).  By now, Brian is too far ahead to catch (and I'm hoping I'm too far ahead for #2 girl to catch) and Ben and I are racing.  I see Dodd coming back out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't have the extra energy to even look in his direction.  I 'sprint' to the finish & WIN!  

I've placed second in this race (minutes behind Kelly) but I've never been #1 before!  I have to say, I'm pretty pumped about it.  All the stars aligned & it was worth losing grand prix points!

Here's Mike, who probably would have PR'ed if it weren't for the shoe tying incident.

Team Beef represented well.  Mike was first in his age group & I was FIRST OVERALL FEMALE!

Not a PR, but WOW!  #1.

A BREEZY 52 degrees at the start.  Was going to wear just the sleeveless Team Beef shirt...but was glad I brought the light undershirt.  Same outfit I wore in Columbus ~ when it was 20 degrees cooler.  I was thankful for the sleeves when we ran into the wind.  Would have been too warm for anything over a 5k, but for today, it was the right call.

Columbus half

On our way to Columbus for our first 'travel' race.  

It was SNOWING as we left Northeast Ohio ~ and sat for 20+ minutes on The 90 in a traffic jam...at 1:00 on a Saturday afternoon.

Jackson made me my very own sign & I think it's the best sign ever made for me.

We ate our spaghetti and meatball pre-race meal ~ I love the excuse to eat pasta ~ and planned our morning...a 4:15 wake-up so we could drink our coffee & eat our food & be out the door between 5 & 5:15.  Love the fact that Dodd's just as anxious about the 'getting there' logistics as I am.  Because if you're not anxious about that...you just don't understand the anxiety & then I feel like a big dork.  It's more relaxing for me to get there and wait than it is to get an extra 30 minutes of sleep (that I'm not getting anyway)   

We get out to the car...and we have to sit and wait for the frost to melt off the windshield... it was {as promised} a delightful 32 degrees {or colder}.  But as we were sitting there...I remembered no one had any money to pay for parking.  That would have been disastrous!  Ran back in to get the $$ and we were off.  And we were early.  And we got great parking two blocks from the start.  And we looked like homeless people in our throwaway jammie pants and sweatshirts & the blanket Dodd had wrapped around him.  We took a walk to the start line & I think I was the first person in the potty trailer.  Then we waited in the car.  

The start was so well organized.  You had to flash your bib to get into the start area & then you had to flash your bib to get into the correct corral.  We were in A...and thought we were all that with the elite peeps.  There were a ton of port-a-pots in the corral & each corral was fenced from the other ~ which was rather funny, but very organized to avoid the crazy crunch of people.  The countdown clock was running & I knew the start would be on time.  Four minutes to go they sang the national anthem & played  the Chicago Bulls theme music...I forget what it's called...and sent off the wheelchair racers.  Then they blasted AC/DC Thunderstruck & at the end set off fireworks from the top of the start line & off to the side...The adrenaline was PUMPING!  What a start!  Then we were off to Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run. Icing on the cake.  I'm jumping up & down & singing & smiling...and it was hard not to GO...except there were 19,000 people crammed around me.  Let me mention the crowd.  BLEACHERS lined the road for the first quarter mile with cheering and shouting and rock starring.  We turned the corner & couldn't hear Bruce anymore...but we could hear the next band & as soon as we couldn't hear them...there was another band.  There were people THE ENTIRE COURSE cheering and playing music and dancing and waving signs.  It was AWESOME.  And then each mile was 'sponsored'  by a child being treated at Nationwide Children's Hospital.  Some of the kids were there high-fiving runners, but all had a tent and family & friends cheering and holding signs. & then there were signs telling you a little bit about each kid.  It was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time.  What these kids and their families live with daily...and here I am doing something I love to do.  My life is not hard.

Mike and I sort of ran together.  And I really enjoyed not pushing it.  We did finish together, hand in hand.  Here's the link to that video

And here are our stats...Mike and I had the exact same finish time:

Here we are...freezing after the finish ~ Dodd with is AMAZING PR of 1:39:46. {exactly 10 minutes ahead of us...WOW}  He got his medal engraved with his name and time {first time I've seen that option at the end of a race} AND he got to bang the PR gong.  

Great to run Craig's favorite race.  Honestly I can see why.  Columbus is done right ~ and there was a part of me that wished I wasn't making the turn off at 13.  I bet the full is just a cool as the half...especially since the full goes through OSU & the stadium.  If I don't get to do Marine Corp, I'm running Columbus full next fall.  It's a delightful 32 degrees at the start.

Team Beef represented ~ We got a LOT of shouts out for our Team Beef attire. And this was the first time I've run a half (anything over a 5k actually) without my iPod.  And I'm so glad I didn't have it.  The crowd was such a part of the experience.  I my be spoiled for any other race.

What I Wore:

32 degrees (or slightly colder) at the start with very little to no wind ~ sun came out & it warmed to the low 40's by the end of the race.  I was VERY comfortable in my underarmor capris, a light long sleeve black undershirt & my Team Beef sleeveless top.  I wore gloves until mile 6 or 7 & tucked them into my pants...wasn't sure I wouldn't want them again.  Pulled my sleeves over my hands a few times, but didn't get the gloves out again.  Forgot they were in my waistband until they fell out IN THE PORT-A-POT at the end of the race.  After that trip, I only had one glove, which I wore because it was cold.  All the spectators had on winter coats!