Moving VA Half

Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room. ~Christine Todd Whitman

Virginia will have to wait. I have lots of excuses--none of them good. This time of year, the shortened days, the time change, post-season volleyball, school and work commitments. You name it, I could use it as an excuse. The real reason: procrastination. As much as I wish I had embarked on planning the trip and registering for the race a month ago, I didn't. So now, I have to move it.

Good news is there's a trail race in Virginia in February that I can put on the calendar in 2017. Two things to do today: update race calendar and register and plan December's Louisiana trip.

HM Recap: Bellin Women's Half, Green Bay, WI, September 26, 2015 (WI#2)

It isn’t what you did in the past that will affect the present. It’s what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future. ~Paulo Coelho, Aleph

This was my first race where runners were transported to the race start, not an out-and-back or a loop. The bus ride from the downtown hotel was convenient, though the driver needed a little help with directions. There were plenty of porta-potties at race start. The sunrise was beautiful, and though a little cool at the start, the weather was great for running, 60s with a breeze.

I had a great pace going until about mile 10. That's when I suffered my first side stitch during a race. It took the better part of two miles to work it out. Nothing helped--not walking, not stretching, not drinking water. I finished with an official time of 2:31:39. It could have been a PR had there been no side stitch.

Race positives:

• Was able to run half marathons back-to-back weekends and survive
• My dad was there for the finish
• Discovered a nice dining spot in downtown Green Bay, Angelina Italian Restaurant

Navy-Air Force Half Pics

HM Recap: Navy-Air Force Half, Washington, DC, September 20, 2015

Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body. ~Joseph Addison

Wow! Whether for a half marathon or for a work conference (as I was just a few months ago), DC is a remarkably tourist friendly destination. Saturday's only obligation was to pick up my race packet. The rest of the day was spent site-seeing--visits to Arlington National Cemetery and the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The blessing of good race day weather continued. At race start, the temp was around 70 with a slight breeze and overcast. The course, which went from Washington Monument to East Potomac Park to Smithsonian National Zoological Park (nearly) and back to Washington Monument, was slightly hilly, with more gradual downhills than anything else. There were 7,088 runners, many either in the military or with a military affiliation. The national anthem and opening comments were special in comparison to other races; there was courtesy and respect among the runners like I hadn't previously experienced. Also, during the race, and with the large quantity of runners, there was a refreshing observance of runner's etiquette.

Official time: 2:32:39. Overall: 4419/7088, Gender: 2210/3017, Division: 143/217
RunKeeper time: 2:29:04. RunKeeper distance: 13.51.
(At the start, the porta-potty-to-runner ratio wasn't good. A stop at about the 5-mile mark cost me on my official time. Why did I have that extra half cup of coffee at IHOP before the race?)

Highlights of Washington, DC:

• Traveling by Metro - daily passes were well worth the cost, saved a lot of time and money for getting around town
• Staying at Westin Arlington Gateway - conveniently located near Metro station and lots of restaurants
• Big Buns - interesting burger joint, great truffle fries, though not such great buns
• Seeing the changing of the guard and wreath ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknowns - silent, reverent honor for servicemen and women
• Touring the exhibits at the Holocaust Memorial Museum - the horror of this reality is beyond words, left me in tears

Check out the cool finisher medals (plane spins on vertical axis):

Registered for Sept 20th NAF DC Half

Life is but a fleeting moment so do not waste a second on something that doesn't make you smile ~Jamie Hall

Today I made travel arrangements and registered for the September 20th DC event. The race starts and ends at the Washington Monument. It's a military race that's open to civilians. The medal cost extra, but it looks more beautiful than any of the others I have so far (and my collection wouldn't be complete without it).

HM Recap: State Fair Half, Grand Island, NE, August 29, 2015

What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon. ~G.K. Chesterton

As promised, the Grand Island course was flat, the flattest course I may ever run. And even though I felt ill prepared, I was able to run the whole distance without a walk break, barring water stops. (It's hard to drink and run at the same time.) The early morning start proved very favorable, 60 degree temps and a misty fog that hung in the air throughout most of the race.

There was a marathon being run at the same time as the half, a Boston qualifier. I met a couple of women prior to the race who were running their first full marathon--even took a photo for them. And, as is usual for me, I spent a good portion of the race talking to someone I met on the course. (Believe it or not, it was the other runner who initiated the conversation.) He was from Grand Island, lived in Lincoln for a dozen years before moving back to Grand Island, a rep for AstraZenca, has two young kids, has a cousin who lives in Green Bay that works for Humana and, believe it or not, is a Packer fan. He told me this run has a long history, around 35 years. He kept my pace until there was about 5 miles left, then turned it up a notch. It was nice having the company for a while.

Highlights of NE:

• Bringing the family and visiting with friend-of-the-family Melette
• Finishing before the first full marathon finisher (seconds before, but before)
• Finishing 12 of 24 in my age division (top half)
• Helpful, friendly volunteers (most I've ever seen for a race)
• Tommy's 24-hour Restaurant - ate breakfast there on race day after picking up packet. Super friendly staff, nice small town atmosphere.

Registered for Nebraska

I'm not an optimist; there's too much evil in the world and in me. Nor am I a pessimist; there is too much good in the world and in God. So I am just a meliorist, believing that He wills to make the world better, and trying to do my bit to help and wishing that it were more. ~Henry van Dyke

Registered for Nebraska today. Yes, the race is in 11 days. Yes, I'm behind on my training. If I can just get two long runs in before the race I'll be fine. As an added extra, I'm only 10 miles from 1,000 miles tracked in RunKeeper since I started training in March 2014. That will be a cool milestone.

Flat, hot, and windy Nebraska, here I come!