Went to Hell on Halloween!!

I ran a 5K this morning in the town of Hell, Michigan!!  It was a fundraiser for the Hensleys.  He ran races nearly every weekend and volunteered before and after most races.  She was always helping out too.  You saw her doing registration and packet pick up and always at the finish line tearing off tags before the majority of races were using chip timing.  She often wore a jacket made from race bibs!!  She had a stroke last year and has been in a wheelchair since then.  The fundraiser was to raise money to go toward a wheelchair van so she can go places in her wheelchair.  The timing company donated their services, the Tshirts were donated, porta potties were donated.  Over 3000 people participated and the entire registration fee went toward the fundraiser!!  For many years they organized and were race directors of the Run Thru Hell 10 mile race and since she had the stroke that race has not taken place.  The course was almost all dirt roads except the road going right through the middle of the town of Hell.  It is very hilly around Hell and the 10 mile race was one hill after another; it was a tough course.  The 5K course was hilly too. 
The running group I run with on Tuesday mornings, which is mostly women, went as a swarm of bees!!  We weren't the only group to go as a swarm of bees!  There was a costume contest too.  There were some hilarious costumes!!  It was fun!  It was a fun way to spend Halloween morning!
I will eventually get some pictures of the running group swarm of bees! 

I'm running a marathon in 11 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here I am, in my hotel room in Grand Rapids.  I went to the expo, got my packet, bought a pink 26.2 magnet, gave the race director 2 bottles of beer made in Ann Arbor, got all my stuff for the morning ready and laid out, went to dinner and now I'm just about ready to go to bed. 

This is it!!

Runner Nerd
nervous and excited

has it really been 16 weeks????

WOW!  I ran my LAST run this evening!! Training for my 5th marathon is now complete.  Hard to believe that the last 16 weeks flew by. 
I am going to take the next two days off from running.  I will head to Grand Rapids on Saturday, check into my hotel, go to the expo then dinner with 3 ladies from my Tuesday morning running group. 
I'm getting excited but I am also getting plenty nervous.  I am going out with the Oprah pace group which is 4:29:20 and hopefully I will finish at least a few minutes ahead of them.  I know better than to try to break 4 hours this time; that will have to wait.  I think I can do better than 4:20 but at the same time I just don't want the last part of this marathon to be a death march.  This is my last marathon until I finish college and I'm already kind of sad about that and I want to have good memories of this one so I will be excited about running another one in a couple of years. 
A check of the marathon website reveals 2 days, 9 hours and a check of weather.com reveals sunny and 59 degrees.  Looks like the temp forecast has fallen.  I hope it doesn't fall much more.  I am not good at freezing. 
I still have not decided what to wear! Nothing like waiting until the last minute. 
Well, it's bedtime; have to work tomorrow. 
Runner Nerd
trained for a marathon

One Week till M day!!!

Hard to believe it's so close already!!  Today was my LAST long run!  I only ran 8 miles but it was tough.  I thought it would be much easier.  I hope I do better than this next Sunday. 
It was so beautiful today.  It was sunny and over 70 degrees!!  As of right now the forecast for next Sunday in Grand Rapids, MI is sunny and low 60s.  I know that can change from one extreme to another over the next week; I don't know why I even do this to myself!  I still don't know what I am going to wear either.  I have my packets of Accel Gel.  I don't know what I am doing for dinner Saturday night as there is no pasta dinner this year.  I will have to look into it this week. 
Well, I am exhausted and have a headache so I am off to bed. 
Runner Nerd

People watching

This past weekend I saw some rather interesting sights.  Saturday I worked at an expo for senior citizens medical services.  They served refreshments--donuts, donuts, donuts!  I kept seeing morbidly obese senior citizens stuffing the donuts in their mouths.  One morbidy obese lady had 3 donuts in the basket of her walker then sat down on a bench right across from my table and proceeded to eat the 3 donuts.  One man came buzzing through in his power chair with his plate of donuts on his lap.  The power chair people were there too, touting the fact that medicare or medicaid or whatever will pay for the chairs.  If these people can get these chairs for free what incentive is there to lose weight to improve one's life????????? 
Sunday, after I ran my half marathon, I staffed our first aid station for a fall festival in one of the small communities in our service area.  I got to sit and people watch a lot.  Oh my, the things I observed!  A morbidly obese woman pushin her walker with the seat says,"I gotta stop", and proceeds to turn the walker around and sit on the seat.  Where the handles form where the seat attaches is a triangle shaped opening and the fat on her thighs was bulging through the triangle shaped opening, it was quite a sight.  She then proceeded to smoke a cigarette, then another, then another.  Hmmmmmmm.....well, it's job security for when I'm a respiratory therapist!!!!! 
OK, I'm done now!  Sorry for using the phrase morbidly obese so much; it was the word of the day for me this weekend!!!! 
I still think of the 65 yr old woman I kept seeing during the marathon in May.  I want to be like Dorothy when I grow up!!! 

A half marathon was my long run!

I decided to run this half marathon as my long run this week.  I couldn't face the thought of running 14 miles alone again.  I had to work yesterday so was not able to go to the group run that I have been going to the last few weeks for 16, 20, 12 and 20. 
I had to get up at 4am, leave at 4:45am and drive an hour and 40 minutes to get there. 
I heard from friends who have run it before that the second half has some hills; they were absolutely right!  I was running under 9:30 miles the first 6 miles and was worried that I was running too fast and would have a really hard time the last few miles.  Immediately after crossing the halfway timing mat we made a left turn and there was the first mountain!!  From there on I did not run under 10 minutes until the last mile.  I'm not sure what came over me but I had 8:49 for the 13th mile!  I think I just wanted to be done!  I could hear people around me say that the hills stop after the 10th mile.  I can't really remember but I think there was some uphill after 10 but not as bad.  the last mile seemed to be fairly flat, the finish was downhill. 
I was surprised that they were handing out those shiny blankets at the finish!!  I was freezing and was glad to have it.  I couldn't find my car.  I kept walking and following where I would see a large group of people walking but nothing looked familiar.  It was on a college campus.  I was getting very frustrated since I was freezing and I had to go to work.  I saw a group of people in black and yellow suits which said "staff" on them so I asked and a man took me on a golf cart.  He dropped me off at the edge of the field where the cars were parked and I still had a hard time finding the car.  It looked much different than when I got there with all the cars.  FINALLY, I found the car and headed to work.  I showered and changed into my uniform at one of the stations and manned a medical tent at a fall festival in a small community in our service area.  (A shift that absolutely nobody else in the entire company could cover so I agreed to do after running a half marathon)  A very interesting afternoon but that is for another post!! (tomorrow maybe)

There was a man running the half that I've heard about; he dribbles 3 basketballs!  I saw him by the start line; I believe he starts near the back.  I heard a lady say that he passes her every time and she can't believe that a man dribbling 3 basketballs goes faster than she does!!  I thought to myself, ok, that can be my goal to not let the basketball dude pass me!  I don't remember at what point it was but all of a sudden I could hear the basketballs behind me and then the sound got closer.  This course has 2 portions on gravel trails and I think that slowed him down because I realized that I didn't hear him anymore once I was on roads again after the first trail section.  But...later on, maybe around mile 10 or 11, maybe later, Ican't remember, but I began to hear it again and it was getting closer again.  Well, he never did pass me so that makes me feel better!!  Maybe it was nearing the 12 mile point that I heard the basketballs because I did run the last mile faster than any other mile.  I wasn't aware of him finishing; I'm sure I would have heard the basketballs.  They moved the finishers right on through the area and toward the post-race area.

Sooooo, anyway,  
2 weeks till "M" day!!!!  Grand Rapids, Here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exhausted Runner Nerd

I have a new running partner!

My new Garmin did indeed arrive today!!  It was waiting for me in the garage when I got home!!
She is charging right now.  I may wear it in the half marathon I am running tomorrow.  I don't know yet. 
The weather forecast for race time is 43-47 and raining, not my idea of fun.  Now I am wondering why I ever signed up for this.  It's a big race so I definitely won't be out there alone!
Well, time for bed since I have to get up ridiculously early.  After the race I have to go to work.

is it really possible????

I just checked the tracking for my Garmin and now it says the estimated delivery date is Oct. 2!!  That's tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!  But...does Fed Ex really deliver on Saturdays???  I didn't think did.  I guess I will find out!!  I have to work and won't be home until mid afternoon.