Last race at 50

What a wonderful running year this has been.
Yes, I know it's not quite New Year's Eve, when I will count up all my found money from my little running piggy. Remember him?

Found money piggy

He's been fed sporadically this year. I figure after I found that 5 dollar bill, he'd keep for a little longer. I didn't find any cash in Meridian, Miss., and I didn't find any cash during today's 5K, so maybe he's getting a little thin.
Today was the Lakeside Viking 5K and represents the last race before my birthday. It was a cool, crisp morning and I met my friends Carolyn and Susan for the race. They live near Lakeside High School, which sponsors the race.

Carolyn, me and Susan

Last year I forgot my iPod and it was drizzling. This year I remembered my tunes and it was clear. And what do you know? I was 2 one hundredths of a second FASTER! How about that? Clearly it was the rain and no musical motivation that slowed me down. Ha!
It really as been a great year of running. I've got just a couple more 5Ks before year's end.
I'll look back and know my 50th year was a great running year.

Learning to add

Perhaps I need to start watching "Sesame Street" again, or maybe I didn't watch enough of it.
As I was creating a "state's I've run in" map for Facebook, I counted the states, and I've run in 16 not 15!
I'm not sure which state was overlooked. I certainly didn't mean to overlook any of them. They have all been unique races, either because of the location, or the folks I was with, or the craziness of arrival (I'm looking at YOU, Alabama!)
Well, I'll do better next year. I'm planning on four more states, and 16 + 4 = 20. At least the last time I watched "Sesame Street" it did.

A run to remember

I've completed a race in my 15th state with the LEO Run to Remember Half Marathon in Meridian, Miss.
And it was a run to remember, but it certainly was a forgettable course.
I drove to Meridian, Miss., from Atlanta the day before the race, and met a couple of runners at the hotel where I stayed.
The race is only in its third year, and had a very small field, but it was very friendly.

New running friends Meiyhan and Bob

A little pre-race fun

Both Bob and MiHyang were staying in my hotel. I met Bob that morning in the breakfast area. He's from Pennsylvania and is running a marathon in all 50 states. He's 55, has a pacemaker and one lung. And he SMOKED me on the course! He ran his marathon in a little over 4 hours and it took me just under 3 hours to do that half!
MiHyang was also about 55 and says she started running when she was 48. It was great to meet them.
We hit the road and the first five miles was along a very long highway, which had absolutely nothing interesting to look at.

Along Highway 59

The one interesting part of the course was through the Poplar Springs Historic District, where older homes lined the winding road. Also along the course was one of the carousel horses that dot areas around Meridian.

One of Meridian's carousel horses

Meridian is home to a Dentzel Carousel and the community put replica horses all around. I think there are 36 of them. I meant to stop to see the carousel itself before I left for home, but I got all caught up in loading the car and checking out of the hotel and I didn't. Next time!
After the carousel horse, it was more winding roads and then through another subdivision before we were back toward the soccer complex where the race started and ended.

Along the route

Nearly finished!

At long last, I got to the finish line, at around 2:55, which is just three minutes off my Philadelphia half.

Finisher!

Finisher's medal

 When I got home, I had a wonderful surprise waiting for me. My brother sent a hand-made medals holder. I absolutely love it, and have needed one for a while!

Hand-made finisher's medal rack

I am happy I did the LEO Run to Remember. I will remember it more for the folks I met there, and for the fact is was state No. 15!

Let's go Uptown

This morning's 5K was the Uptown Rhodes Race, starting and ending at Rhodes Hall in Atlanta.
I've run this race before, and I knew it would be pretty hilly, but today's race had near perfect running weather. Cool, but not cold. No wind, and, best of all, my running buddy Erin at my side.
Erin and her husband have been world travelers this year, so I haven't seen her as much this year. Last year we ran many, many races together. So it was great that she was in town and could run this one with me.

Erin and Lisa before the race, in front of Rhodes Hall

At the ornate staircase

Lion's head staircase

Rhodes Hall is really a beautiful building, the former home of Amos G. Rhodes, of Rhodes Furniture fame. The furniture in the house, and even the wood details in the house, are beautiful. I learned today the home was one of the first that was built completely electrified in Atlanta.
Rhodes Hall is now home to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
The course winds through Ansley Park in Atlanta and some of the trees in the neighborhoods were shouting out their fall colors.
Really a lovely day to go Uptown.

Let's do the time warp, again!

Like last year, I ran two different races this past weekend.
I ran the Strong Legs Run 10K on Saturday morning, then got up around midnight to run the Anything is Possible 5K.
After I did it last year, I swore I wouldn't do that again, yet there I was Nov. 1, lined up in the cold and stiff wind to run the Strong Legs Run 10K, knowing I'd be back out in the cold and wind about 16 hours later!
This year's Strong Legs Run really was pretty brutal. I called it the running hell trifecta -- hills, cold and wind. I think the wind gusts were up to 40 mph, and just for fun there was a little freezing rain that kept hitting me in the face.
I was very glad those six miles were over! I was about 2 minutes slower than last year, which was a bit disappointing. Oh well! It's done.
Then, just before the time changed to Standard Time here in the United States, I was up in the dark to meet my friends Sasha, Joy, and Kellie, and new friend Amanda, to run that crazy Anything is Possible 5K again.
The race starts at 1:50 a.m., just 10 minutes before the time "falls back" to Standard Time, meaning it suddenly becomes 1 a.m. and you end up finishing the race before you start.
It was still very cold and a bit breezy on this one, too. You can see how bundled up we are!

My crazy friends!

All of us trying to stay warm

We didn't stay too long after the race. We headed back to our homes and our warm beds!
The fun thing about this race, other than I have nutty friends willing to do this one with me, is instead of a T-shirt, we get flannel pajama bottoms instead. Those came in very handy this cold, cold weekend.

Ten miles of uphill

Oh, Atlanta. The city where once you finish running uphill and turn to go the other way, you are still going uphill.
That's pretty much how I felt for the Atlanta Track Club's 10 Miler on Oct. 26.
I ran the 10 Miler last year, but last year it was part of ATC's fall marathon, which the club discontinued this year. So instead of starting at mile 16 and finishing the course along the marathon route, this year was changed, to start and finish at Atlantic Station.
And I think the course director managed to put every hill in Atlanta long this route! I have called this the seemingly unending uphill race.
I ran this one with my friend Kellie. Here we are pre-race.

Up before daylight

The race route this year was also along part of the Peachtree Road Race 10K's route, and included the worst part of PRR -- Cardiac Hill. Thankfully, we had some great support along that hill.

Bagpipers!

I was very glad to be finished with the course, and pleasantly surprised to find I finished it two minutes faster. And this was a much more challenging course!

Finishers!

A little dark, but still a finisher

This year's finishers medal was really cool. I thought the Philadelphia half marathon's finisher's medal was going to be my favorite, but this one looks like a sun catcher and looks really cool.

Finisher's medal

Finisher's badge

I felt like this was a hard fought 10 miles, a lot of it uphill.