Final race of 2015

All good things must come to an end, and with my foot still bothering me, I've run my final 5K for 2015 with the Lakeside Viking 5K on Dec. 12. I ran it with my friends Carolyn and Susan though, so I went out exactly how I wanted: with friends.

Me, Susan and Carolyn

I am ready for a short break. But I'm also looking forward to 2016. I've got four more states lined up for sure: Louisiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Colorado, all of which will be run with friends! I'm so excited that friends want to join me on my destination running adventures.
2015 was a great year for me, I think. I got to run with family members for the first time, I ran races in the great states of Kansas, Washington, New Mexico, Maryland and Connecticut. Five states this year! And I either ran with friends or met up with friends in each state. How cool is that?
I never realized how much fun this bucket list was going to become. How much I look forward to planning trips and then planning who I might see while there.
So, thanks 2015 for a wonderful year. See you at the starting line in 2016!

Ugly Sweaters and the Constitution State

I'm home from a short, fun trip to Connecticut, where I ran the Ugly Sweater Run in Hartford with my friend Peggy.
I didn't expect to run in five states this year. I thought it would simply be four, which I think is ambitious to begin with!
But the stars aligned and I ended up flying up to Connecticut and running one more race this year.
Here we are before the race, wearing our Ugly Sweater hats. Great hats!

Sporting our race swag -- fun hats!

Ugly sweaters on display

The full effect

Wow, we look stylish! My sweater looks like it is two sizes too big! And to think I used to wear that to work!

Along the course!

Coming into the finish

You can tell the temps were up for the race by the last photo. I had to take my sweater off! I was roasting. The race wasn't my best. My foot, which I've stayed off of for three weeks, almost immediately began hurting. It's hurting right now as I type this. Grrr...

The trip also included lunch with my friend Val, who lives in Massachusetts and drove about 90 minutes to meet me for lunch!

Val and me at lunch

It was a great weekend. Over way too fast. And my goodness it was warm! Almost a little too warm for all the sweaters I brought thinking it would be really cold in Connecticut in December. After all, Peggy said it sleeted at last year's Ugly Sweater Run.

This race in Connecticut represented my 21st state. It may not have been the right weekend for sweaters, but our ugly ones sure were fun!!

An honor to run

Cooler fall temps have certainly returned to Atlanta. I was not quite prepared to pull out the long pants and long shirts for running. I was sure I'd get to wear my running capris at least once!
This morning I ran the DAV 5K with my friend Angela at Piedmont Park. It benefited disabled American vets. As you can see from the photo of us at the finish, it was a bright blue morning.

Me and Angela, post race

That was a far cry from last weekend's race. I attempted to run Strong Legs Run 10K again this year, but Mother Nature had other ideas. A thunderstorm rolled through around 4 a.m. and flooded some of the race course, so the race was canceled. Race organizers decided to continue with the 5K race, but that started two hours after my friends Erin and Carolyn and I got there. We decided to go get coffee to warm up and then nixed going back to the race. :)

Erin, Carolyn and me

So once again I had a race get canceled on me this fall. I just wish I'd gotten the email that this one canceled before I'd left the house! Oh well. The coffee and fellowship was wonderful.
I'm closing out on my races for 2015. It's been a great year, other than the tendinitis in my foot!
And in just a few weeks I should pick up another state!

Sleep deprived and wet

I ran that crazy time change 5K last night, or rather early this morning.
Last year it was so cold, tonight is was so wet!
It poured the whole three miles of the Anything is Possible 5K, where the race starts at 1:50 a.m., just before Daylight Saving Time ends. So, we "fall back" and finish the race before we start it. But here I am with Joy and Sasha, my intrepid and crazy friends who did it with me!

Joy, Sasha and me

Recognize that blue rain poncho? That poncho is about two and half years old and I have gotten more than my fair share out of it! I'd really rather not!
The bad part about the rainy race tonight was how few people showed up. Not surprising, but in nicer weather the Anything is Possible 5K is a near party atmosphere, with lots of music, lots of food.
We tried to get some food at one vendor and it ran out just as we walked up.
We didn't stick around this year. Back to our cars to dry off and warm up.
For this race, rather than a T-shirt, we get pajama bottoms. They came in handy for the rest of night. I'm still a little sleep deprived, but I'm nice and warm and dry now.
Until next year, crazy friends!

10 [more] miles of uphill

I successfully completed this year's Atlanta 10 Miler, and once again I felt like it was 10 miles of all uphill.
And it was on one of those uphills, or maybe a short downhill, that my right running shoe decided to disintegrate. At least the heel. Not cool, running shoe!
Needless to say, it was an early start.

The finish line in pre-race darkness

However, I would say it was a fun race. I got to run nearly all of it with my friend Julie, who is coming off foot surgery after a bad stress fracture.

Me and Julie

For this selfie, I managed to keep my finger out of the photo. Ha!
Julie and I were well suited to run together, taking walk breaks at about the same time. It wasn't until about mile 7, at the start of Cardiac Hill, that one mile of straight uphill on Peachtree Road, that she needed a walk break and I still had something in the tank and went on ahead.

Hi from the chute to the finish

Headed toward the finish

Many thanks to my friend Angela, who was volunteering at the race as a course monitor at mile 2. I saw her at mile 2 and then she waited at the finish and caught me as I was coming in.

Finishers!

Me and Angela

New medal to add to the collection

I do like this race, however. I'm glad the Atlanta Track Club offers the 10 miler. It's a good challenge, and the introduction of the Cardiac Hill mile, where the 100 fastest runners to take Cardiac Hill can win prizes, is a great addition. Turns out, that mile of Cardiac Hill was my fastest split! I guess I was motivated to "get over it."

Feeling a little BMore pride

I have a new favorite city and another state under my running feet.
I ran the Baltimore Running Festival Half Marathon on Saturday and fell in love with the city. I also rekindled a friendship with my former coworker April. It was a great weekend all around!
It started on Thursday, Oct. 15. I flew up and got to Baltimore in time for the Baltimore Business Journal's 40 Under 40 event, where I saw my friend April. We had worked together in Atlanta 10 years ago.
Here we are at the event.

April and me

After the event April and I took a little detour along the inner harbor. It's just as beautiful at night as it is in the daytime.

The USS Constellation at night

Baltimore's Little Italy at night

 My hotel wasn't far from Baltimore's Little Italy, and we did eventually avail ourselves of a couple of restaurants there.
The next morning I was on my own to pick up my race packet, but I had a couple of hours to kills, so headed toward the inner harbor. There is a 9/11 Memorial on the waterfront that honors Maryland residents that lost their lives on that day. A piece of the Twin Towers structure is there as well.

Baltimore's 9/11 memorial

I also took a tour of the USS Constellation. I thought I'd be among a lot of school children, but I almost had the whole ship to myself that morning!

On the deck of the USS Constellation

 

Manning the guns on the gun deck

I'm invited to the captain's table!

The captain's quarters

The ship is a marvel. It is still under renovation, but I could explore all four decks. What I realized is I'd never make a good sailor (too claustrophobic) and men were a lot shorter in those days! I had to watch my head on the last two decks.
The race packet pickup was at M&T Stadium, where the Baltimore Ravens play. I had to queue up to get into the stadium, but it was a lovely fall day.

Early fall colors

 At the expo, I ran into Blue, the mascot of the Baltimore Running Festival. Here we are:

Blue and me at the expo

 The Raven's football stadium is right next to Camden Yards, where the Baltimore Orioles play. It's a beautiful stadium, and look at that spectacular sky!

Walking through Camden Yards

Babe Ruth's statue

 What I didn't know until I walked through Camden Yards was that George Herman "Babe" Ruth was a native of Baltimore, and his statue is right in front of the baseball stadium.

Welcome runners!

The welcome mat was certainly out for the runners in town that weekend! Race organizers said the race fielded runners from all 50 states. I headed back to the Baltimore Business Journal after lunch and found Oktoberfest in full swing.

April enjoying Oktoberfest

 We headed out to see a little more of the town. We walked up to the original Washington Memorial, which predates the one in Washington, D.C., by several years. Our legs were tired and we waited for the free public transit bus.

Waiting on the bus

The next morning I didn't have to rise and shine so early, since the half marathon started almost two hours after the marathon started.
The Baltimore Marathon started at 8 a.m. at the football stadium, but the half marathon started at mile 13 of the course two hours later. I walked to the start with Christie, Heather and Lori, who I met at my hotel. All three were race walkers, and I'm embarrassed to say they can race walk faster than I can run!

Christie, Lori, me and Heather

Soon we were underway.

Ready to start

Of all the crazy things I've ever had to do during a race, about half way through I to check into my return flight to Atlanta via Southwest! I thought I would have been finished with the race by 11:30 a.m., but since the race started so much later, I wasn't finished. Thank goodness for mobile apps!
There were times when I was so ready for the race to be over. Parts of the race were hilly. Parts were kind of boring. Lake Montecello was nice, but I was busy checking in on Southwest! Prospect Park and Clinton Park were both lovely.
Before I knew it, I was headed back toward Camden Yards and then at the finish!

Across the finish line

April was there at the finish to catch me shortly after I crossed the line.

Finisher!

Finisher's medal

 The day turned rather breezy and overcast. April and I headed back to Little Italy and had a late lunch at Amiccis. Of course, I had to have a glass or two of chianti.

How every half marathon should end

We also attempted to head over to Fort McHenry, but with the road closures as a result of the marathon, the free transit bus wasn't running a regular schedule, so we got to the fort a half hour before it closed! All we could do was see a bit of the fort from the outside.

Fort McHenry from a distance

I had a great time in Baltimore and there was so much more I wanted to see: Edgar Allan Poe's home, Babe Ruth's home, Fort McHenry (for real!), and other places. Like many of the cities I've visited in my chase to run a race in all 50 states, Baltimore is one I'd love to return to. There's so much more to see!
Turns out I acquired a little BMore pride while I was there!

Rain out and art run

I'd like to say it's been a busy running season for me, but I'm a little sidelined at the moment.
The pain in my right arch has been getting worse, and my chiropractor thinks I've got tendonitis in my foot. The result? I'm supposed to lay off the long-distance running for a while and let it heal.
That's all fine and good, but I leave shortly for the Baltimore Running Festival half marathon!
When I get that one done, and the 10-miler the week after that, I will take a little break.
But weather and circumstance has also helped me cut down mileage.
I was supposed to run the Winship Win the Fight 5K on Oct. 3, but an early morning thunderstorm canceled the race. I just wish I would have known that BEFORE I had my first cup of coffee that morning. No going back to bed after that!
A week later, I ran the Oakhurst Arts Run 5K with my friend Carolyn. We remembered to take a photo after we were done and as we walked to a nearby coffee shop to catch up.

Post-run selfie

Too bad I couldn't keep my finger out of the selfie! Oh well.
The bad part about cutting down on my mileage is I don't feel all that well-trained for Baltimore. The longest run I've done is 6.2 miles. Usually I get at least a 9- to 10-mile run in before the taper. I didn't even taper! No need to when you've never built up big miles!
So I'm not sure how I'll do on this half marathon. I will finish. I just don't know how much pain I'll feel in my foot and if I'll get finished in under three hours.
It can't be helped. I'm injured. Time to cut back and heal, and be ready for 2016's races.

A new personal best, sort of

I'm beginning to think my friend Angela is my rain maker running buddy.
After all, we got water logged together at this year's Peachtree Road Race.
Well, at this morning's Wingfoot XC Classic 5K, we got a little damp, too.
This was the inaugural cross country 5K put on by the Atlanta Track Club. Last year, about this time, the track club had a 10K in Cartersville, which I really enjoyed and did well in.
This year they changed it up, so it was a cross country 5K.
Angela and I both joked that we "PR"d in our inaugural cross country race.

Angela tackles the sloppy course

Finished!

I've never run a full cross country race. I've run races that had a portion of cross country, but never one that was full on for the whole race. I can't say I'll be a fan.
But it's hard to know if I didn't like this one because of the sloppy, wet, muddy course, or if it was the uneven terrain that made it much harder for me.
At any rate, I'm glad I ran it. Not sure I'll do it again next year.
Then again, I may want to try to beat my "PR." :D

Walk of HEROes 5K

I ran the Walk of HEROes 5K in Decatur Saturday morning and got a nice little surprise. I came in first in my age group!
There were a couple of reasons why. First, it was a small community race and there were under 200 people participating and most of them were walkers.
Second, I got some very distressing news about a friend's cancer having returned and I was just angry for her, that she has to go through chemo, etc. again. Anger can be a great motivator!
So I ended up waiting for the awards ceremony and got a nice medal.

It wasn't a bad little race. I'm not sure I'll do it again. There were a few hiccups, such as the race starting a half hour late because the police escort didn't show up on time. Probably just a miscommunication, but everyone stood around wondering and the natives got restless. ha!
Mostly we groused about how we'd have slept in another half hour!
Still, it's these kinds of races that are much more intimate, and ones I stand a chance to win in my age group!

Hey, Nineteen!

I visited the desert Southwest last weekend, ran a race and really enjoyed my trip!
I visited Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a day trip to Santa Fe. I really enjoyed learning more about the area, the native people, and eating lots and lots of Hatch green chilies! I swear they put that stuff on nearly everything.
This was also a girls weekend with my college friend Susan, whom I went to Las Vegas with last year.
And in keeping up with what is becoming our routine, there was adventure.
Our first full day we drove up to Santa Fe, visiting museums and the historic downtown area.
We stopped at San Miguel Chapel first, the oldest church in the United States.

San Miguel Chapel

Right next door was the oldest house in the United States. The rooms were so small!

Oldest house in the U.S.

 We wandered further into the historic center of town and nearby was Loretto Chapel, with a staircase apparently built without supports and with just wooden pegs. The railings were added later. We weren't allowed up, but it was really beautiful and cool.

The "mysterious" staircase at Loretto Chapel

Rose window of Loretto Chapel

We had a late lunch at San Francisco Street Bar & Grill. I didn't realize that St. Francis must be the patron saint of Santa Fe. Or at least the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is nearby, perhaps giving the street and restaurant it's name.

Breakfast burrito with, what else?, Hatch green chilies!

Saturday morning, after breakfast at Lindy's Diner along Historic Route 66, we headed out to the Petroglyph National Monument to see the rock carvings made by indigenous people. We stopped at the visitor's center first and an older park ranger asked if we wanted to see them via a sidewalk or desert trails. Sidewalks with bathrooms, or desert trails with pit bathrooms. We chose sidewalks.
Here's were it gets interesting. Apparently the park ranger's idea of sidewalks and my idea of sidewalks vary differently. I got a barely graveled trail straight up the side of a mesa.

This was the only sidewalk we stood on

Some petroglyphs as we ascended the mesa

I'm on top of the world!

 The trip up to the top of Boca Negra Canyon was rather arduous. Several times we had to sort of hand over hand grab onto the basalt around us, hoping not to roll down the mesa face. The black basalt, which you can see behind me, comes from an exploded volcano, which is now the canyon. Behind me in the distance are three extinct volcanoes.

Susan, with the Sandia mountains behind her

Me at the top

A Macaw petroglyph

A snake petroglyph

We picked up our race packets after our visit to the park and then decided to visit Old Town Albuquerque, where we shopped, shopped, shopped. We decided against lunch because we'd made reservations for dinner at High Finance Restaurant atop the Sandia Peak. The only way to get up there is to take the tram and my brother, who used to live in Albuquerque, told us to go up and see sunset from the peak, which is 10,000 feet up.

Sunset from the peak

 We ordered our meals and enjoyed a glass of wine while we waited for sunset. Our waiter came around with our soup, then came back to say there had been a kitchen fire and our dinner orders would be delayed by about 20 minutes. We were waiting on sunset anyway, so we really weren't fazed by it.
We ordered another glass of wine and enjoyed the view!
But the manager came around a bit later to say there would be no food. He'd been forced to shut down the kitchen all together. He offered us a discount at the restaurant at the base of the tram and gave us our drinks and soup gratis.

the city lights of Albuquerque

We got a chuckle out of our fire adventure. Remember last year's trip we were evacuated from the hotel at 3 a.m. when some yutz pulled the fire alarm. Fire seems to be a theme with us!
Sunday morning was beautiful. Cool, but not cold.
We got out to Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, or SIPI, where the New Mexico Chips & Salsa Half Marathon, 10K & 5K was held.

Ready for the 5K!

Balloons aloft!

 There were about a dozen hot air balloons that drifted across the horizon. That was really neat to see.

Post-race chips & salsa

There were no snacks along the race route, but I did get chips and salsa at the finish, and I was given a choice of red or green salsa!
Our final nice meal of the trip was at the St. Clair Winery & Bistro in Albuquerque. I tried the crisp white flight, all wines made right outside of Albuquerque. We passed the vineyards on our way to Santa Fe. The meal was yummy, too.

"Life is Good. Wine Makes It Better."

 Our new motto was hanging on the wall: Life is Good. Wine Makes it Better.

Crisp white flights

 The photo makes the glasses look really big, but they were small glasses. I liked all of them. I tried a pinot grigio, a chardonnay and a brut. I usually don't like a lot of chardonnays because they are so oaky, but this one was very buttery and smooth,

Getting our kicks, one last time

On the way back to the hotel that afternoon, we stopped one last time in Old Town and got a picture of the Historic Route 66 sign, which runs along Central Avenue.
I had such a great trip. State No. 19 will be among my most memorable.