Luck of the Irish

I had the luck of the Irish this past weekend, which included St. Patrick's Day on Sunday.
Saturday morning I ran the St. Patty's Day 5K in Piedmont Park. This race is the former O'Highland's Jig Jog 5K, which I did a few years ago when it was held in Atlanta's Virginia-Highland neighborhood.
This race day was fairly warm. I got to wear the old Jig Jog T-shirt.
This year's race was entirely within Piedmont Park. It wasn't too bad.
Then on Sunday I met my friend Jessica for a long run. Jessica has very nearly convinced me to sign up for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Nashville, Tenn., next month -- the old Country Music Half Marathon. That will certainly allow me to add Tennessee to my list of states I've run a race in.
We met up on the Greenways trail in Alpharetta and got seven miles in. It was a beautiful morning.

Along the Greenways trail

The trail follows along Big Creek and is very nearly flat. Jessica and I had a great run, and I even found a dime as we crossed over Kimball Bridge Road. Luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day!
But I was lucky for another reason.
This was the distance I felt would let me know if I could run a half marathon again. If I could do seven miles and my IT band not give me too much trouble, then I felt I could do the whole thing. I'm hoping to get out to do eight miles this weekend again with Jessica and then will likely sign up next week.
It will be good to do a half marathon again. I honestly believed endurance running was behind me. But maybe not. I'm ready to press my luck.

The race against hunger

For the second year, I ran the Hunger Run 5K in downtown Atlanta.
Last year I ran it by myself, but this year the race was more fun, as I ran it with friends Erin and Mary.
If you read this blog at all, you'll have read that Erin and I ran a 5K trail run last weekend in near freezing temps and snow. This past weekend could not have been more different in Atlanta. It was sunny and in the mid-60s at race time. I ran in a T-shirt and capri pants and I wished I had worn shorts! Look at the blue skies!

Me, Erin & Mary pre-race

The race starts and finishes at Turner Field in downtown Atlanta, at it really is a party atmosphere.

There were tents, food trucks, a stage with singers and performers from the Imperial OPA Circus in Atlanta, including this guy, who had a frisky flamingo.

Erin, Mary & friends

There were hula hoopers, jump ropers and sidewalk artists. We even got in on the act.

Leaving our mark

But soon the race started, with more than 10,000 participants. We headed down Hank Aaron drive, and under the Olympic Rings, part of the 1996 Summer Olympics that were held in Atlanta.

The race has started

Erin, Mary and I got separated during the race, so I ended up coming in a little ahead of them. But I found a nickel and a penny on the course. After a little bit of a dry spell, found money!

Mary and Erin finish!

It was a nearly perfect day for a race in metro Atlanta.. And it certainly beat last weekend's conditions. But more importantly, it was a great way to help a great cause. I know I'll want to do this race again next year.

Along a snowy trail

Saturday was a first for me in running, I did a trail run 5K. And I did it in some snowy weather, which I think may be another first.
Saturday's race was the Red Devil Dash 5K, which I did last year. However, last year's race was up near Druid Hills High School, the mascot of which is the Red Devils. The race last year went through Lullwater Park, which is a lovely park, but is not a trail.
This year's race was at Druid Hills Middle School, home of the Dragons, and was a three-loop course along the cross country team's trail behind the school.
The morning's temp was 34 degrees and overcast, and as I left the house, I could see flurries in the air. I met my friend Erin and soon the race was on.

Erin and me, pre-race 

Why is this course nearly all uphill?

 The course was very hilly. Usually the saying is "what goes up, must come down" but this trail didn't seem to have heard of that saying.
I won't say trail running is for me, but it was different and I'm glad I've done it at least once.

Erin said she was hating the trail

Posing along the way

You can sort of see that the trail was very well marked. The cross country coach had gone through and marked it with white arrows and marked with white paint some of the obstacles and tree roots. That helped, but both Erin and I nearly tripped at least once on the course.
So when two roads diverged on this snowy trail, we did not take the road less traveled, but we sure did run a race that was a first for us, and that made all the difference.

The Minnie Diaries

Thursday was a day every pet owner dreads. It was the day I had to make an end of life decision for my 13-year-old cat Minnie. And so, my precious girl is gone.

Minnie

 I got Minnie when she was six weeks old. Her mother was part Siamese and her daddy was a traveling salesman. I used to say Minnie was part Siamese and all Diva.
When I got her, she was so small and had only recently started eating solid food. In fact, she wouldn't eat very well, so I had to hand feed her some wet food. She took a little lick of the food and then with those sharp milk teeth bit in, puncturing my finger. It really was love at first bite.
I don't think she stopped eating after that. Initially I called her Skinny Minnie, or Minnie the Mouth (because she was so vocal), but Minnie would never pass the food bowl without putting her face in it, so I also called her Minnie the Moocher.
She got her name because at the time I adopted her, I adopted another cat, a tomcat named Max. Max and Minnie. They were a pair.
I lost Max in 2006 when he was attacked and killed by dogs. That was a horrible, horrible day, for many reasons.
Minnie always seemed to know when I was feeling down. She'd come and snuggle with me. But she could also be really annoying.
I think this is the first time I can go to the bathroom without her being in there with me. If I was headed to the powder room she would RUN to beat me there. She would wait outside of the shower and as soon as I was finished she'd poke her head in and start licking water from the shower stall. She'd stand on the kitchen vanity and drink out of the sink. She'd sit on the vanity while I tried to apply makeup, sometimes deciding THAT was when she wanted to be petted.
And then, there was this:

How a cat keeps herself occupied

I never caught Minnie in the act, but I know it was she who unwound the toilet roll. She has unwound entire new rolls. It would make me so mad!

She would also race for the bed when she heard the dryer finish. She knew there would be some warm, clean laundry to snooze on.

 

Warm and cozy

 Other cats have come to live in the house, and Minnie hated all of them. In her mind, I'm sure, they were the interlopers. She'd hiss and growl at them and there was only ever a tentative detente in the house.

In a perfect world, Minnie would have wanted to be the only cat. She was the diva, after all. She demanded attention. She would meow and put her paw on you arm to let you know she wanted to be petted. She would jump up and sit in the kitchen chair just before you'd get there. In fact, it feels strange not to have her sharing my seat this morning as I write this. She would have been right there.

I would often tell her she was a pill, but I would also tell her how much I loved her, despite being a pill.

Minnie was really very healthy, which is why her becoming very ill so quickly was such a shock to me.

She got an abscessed tooth right before Christmas and her kidneys shut down, but she recovered. The vet, and I, thought perhaps the infection from the tooth got into her kidneys, rather than her having kidney disease. But a return to what I thought was the bad tooth again turned out to be her kidneys shutting down again.

The vet waited for me to get there before he put her down. I told her over and over again how much I loved her as she left this world.

My beloved Minnie will have a special place in my heart.



A personal best, sort of

Now here's a mistake I can live with.
I ran the Hearts & Soles 5K this morning. This is the third year I've run this race, sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club. But what a memorable race this one will be.
I "ran" the race in 24:34, a new personal best.
Well, actually, the woman who accidentally picked up my race number this morning ran the 24:34, but it is funny to see my name on the race results web site with that race time. Whoo hoo! Can she pick up my number at every race? ha!
The "real" me ran the race in 37 minutes. Not my best time, but not horrible.
I ran it with my friends Erin and Angela.

Me, Erin and Angela

While waiting at the finish for Angela, my friend Julie came through the line. I love it when I run into friends at races!
I also found a dime on the race course when Erin and I took a short walk break.
So, today saw a personal best and personal gain. Can't beat that!

Bracing for change

Oh Lord.
I seem to be reliving my high school years.
And not on purpose.
I had braces put on my teeth for the SECOND time in my life this week.
See, I had them as a teen-ager in high school, when you are supposed to have braces.
It was awful then, but at least there were several of my peers who were wearing them too, so misery loves company.
Fast forward 30 years later, and here I am again. And there are no peers. Misery has no company.
I had honestly forgotten how awful braces are.
First, I'm on a forced liquid/soft diet. At least this go 'round, wine is a liquid I can have. I really might have tolerated braces in high school if I could have had wine. :)
On the plus side, I've lost two pounds this week.
On the down side, I'm really beginning to hate soup, and I love soup.
Second, I forgot that the braces will make the inside of my mouth feel like raw meat.
This is particularly uncomfortable and hateful.
Third, I really, really forgot about the drool.
Drool, you ask?
Yes. Because there are brackets on my teeth, my body thinks "there is something in the mouth, so start the saliva!" It's pretty much non-stop salivating. And not in a good way.
The first night with braces I laid down to sleep and could feel the drool pooling in my mouth. Then I remembered. That pool will leak out. So, now I sleep on a hand towel.
Finally, I'm realizing this is going to be a long18 to 24 months. I'm trying to keep the long-term benefits in mind.
I wish I could go back to my 20-year-old self and say "wear your retainer!" and when that retainer broke, I wish I had gone to a new orthodontist and had it replaced. Maybe then I would not have a horrible overbite and bottom teeth that are crookedly chatting with their neighbors one over.
And so, I am bracing for change. It's not easy.

Cause running

I once had a friend ask me why I ran so many 5K races.

First, I like them. I like getting out and seeing new parts of Atlanta and its suburbs. There is really nothing like seeing the city by foot.

Second, most 5K races have a charitable component, so it affords me the opportunity to donate or raise money for charities or causes I believe in. I've run many a race that benefits breast cancer research/survivors, but I've also run races to benefit schools, leukemia research, epilepsy research, developmental disabilities research and a host of others. This morning, I raced to end homelessness.
I ran the Atlanta Mission 5K with my friend Michelle.

Michelle and me before the race

Aside from feeling good about myself for running the race and raising a little money for the cause, I also was very humbled this morning.
After so many weeks of a mild winter, much cooler temps have arrived in Atlanta. This morning's 39 degree start meant I was wearing long running tights. two long-sleeved shirts and a sweatshirt, a hat and gloves. Just pulling off my gloves to start my smartphone/running app made me groan.
So imagine my chagrin when the race director lead us all in prayer this morning before the race, and reminded all of us that while we are out in the cold for just a few minutes, there are those among us that don't get to go back to warm cars and warm houses. That 39 degrees, or so, is a constant today.
Suddenly, I realized how very blessed I am to have a roof over my head and heat coming out of the furnace.
I ran another inspiring race this past Monday, the MLK Day 5K.
I ran this race last year, but by myself.
This year, my friends Erin and Mary ran it, too.

Mary, Erin and me

Last year the race was in Buckhead, and ran throughout one of Atlanta's major business districts. Since not everyone had the day off, the course caused some traffic inconvenience to those driving that morning. This year, the race was entirely within Piedmont Park. No drivers were inconvenienced for the race.

However, all last week Atlanta saw copious amounts of rain.
I had joked that since the Atlanta Falcons had beaten the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of playoffs, we'd gotten Seattle weather all week.
That meant the MLK Day 5K ended up being part mud run, part trail run and part road race.
One really fun thing about the MLK Day 5K are the high school and middle school student drum lines that keep the rhythm (and runners) going.

A very young drum line

I enjoyed doing the MLK Day 5K and hope to make it a part of my annual races. And I think the Atlanta Mission 5K is one I will continue to run, year after year, if only to remind me of how blessed I really am.