I just left SWA this afternoon on my bike commute and was waiting at a light to cross Northwest Highway. In the lane to my right is the line of cars waiting to turn right. Next to me is a big truck with a burly Mexican dude in it. I nod and say hello, as his window is open and he looked over.
It starts "How far ju goeeeng?"
"26 miles or so."
"Eeen one day?"
"Yup, one way. I rode in this morning the same mileage."
"Where do you leeeve?"
"Lewisville"
"Lewisville!! Reeeeelyeee??!!"
"Yup"
"Oh leeedy! Ju haarrre whan creeezy gringa!!!"
I guffawed and he laughed with me. I caught myself chuckling to myself a couple times on the ride home.
So now I'm the creeezy gringa!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Bike mileage this week...
Sat - Peach Pedal - 40 miles
Sun - Ride to Little Pete's 16 miles
Tues - Commute to work - 54 miles (missed a turn)
Thurs - Commute to work - 52 miles (shaved 10 mins off my ride in!)
Total (drum roll)-
162 miles for the week!!!!
Sun - Ride to Little Pete's 16 miles
Tues - Commute to work - 54 miles (missed a turn)
Thurs - Commute to work - 52 miles (shaved 10 mins off my ride in!)
Total (drum roll)-
162 miles for the week!!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A downside to bike commuting
I should've known not to trust Jennifer Lopez.
No, I'm not talking about the singer, J Lo, but our newest meteorologist for NBC5 who just moved here from Atlanta after finishing her stint on The Weather Channel. The girl hasn't quite learned about Texas weather yet. Or maybe her skills on localized meteorology just need some polishing. I'll cut her some slack though, as she's only been on air here for about 2 weeks. And I know what she's going through.
In any case, ol' Jenn told us that thunderstorms for Tuesday would be very scattered and west of Ft Worth. So I believed her; trusted her, and took off on my commute to SWA that morning thinking all would be good with the world on the way home. Cool even.
At about 4:45, I was closing up shop here at work and decided to take a peek at the radar. Sure enough, there was a huge storm which looked as if it might be just east of my route, but there was more light rain all over my route home. Surely, I didn't mind a little light rain. Still, I thought it might be time to high-tail it out of the office and try to get ahead of some of it.
The first few miles through the neighborhoods were just fine, thankfully. I was enjoying the relative cool of the afternoon and not having to try to duck under as many trees as possible to enjoy brief moments of shade. But by the time I got to 635 (about 6 miles into the ride), I knew I was toast!
It started to sprinkle, yet I still thought I might miss the bulk of the rain. I peddled furiously as the sky darkened and I heard my first rumble of thunder. Sure enough, I topped a small hill and saw that there were sheets of rain coming up and I had to find a place to get cover soon.
The rain started coming down heavier, so I pulled up to a laundromat on Josey with a good overhang to wait it out for a while. There, I chatted with an older lady who had coke-bottom glasses and a cigarette dangling precariously out of her mouth. Back in the day, her car broke down once and she was too scared to ask her co-workers for a ride, so she walked about 10-12 miles home one night. Wow. What can you say?
The rain appeared to lighten up a bit, but I could see trees still blowing hard with wind. It was getting to be about 6:05, so I decided to brave the wind and light rain and just go anyway. I was already wet, but worried about running out of daylight before I got home. As I rounded the corner of the building, once again, I could see a sheet of rain pouring just ahead of me on my current path. Sure enough, within about 100 yards, I was again in the middle of a downpour so I dove into the next shetered area, the awning of a gas station. As my neighbor Marsha would say, "It's a gully washer. It's a turd floater". Crap!
Here, I was "lucky" enough to have Pedrrrrrrro come chat with me as he exited the gas station. Pedrrrrrro had a beautiful way of rolling is r's, but his accent was thick. But that's not the most interesting thing about him. Nope, Pedrrrrro had about 1/4" of a big ol' hanger-downer from his nose and it was all I could do not to make eye contact or even stare at it as he yammered on and on. Now don't get me wrong, he was a very nice fellow, but holy cow, it was awful! It would teasingly wave at me with every exhale he did. "Hello, Kari! You can't ignore me! Look at me, while still trying to maintain a conversation!"
He rambled on and on about some things, occasionally asking a question to which I'd vaguely respond. He soon realized that I wasn't reciprocating the conversation much and told me that he didn't want to wear me out and that his girlfriend Marrrrrria also chatted a lot. So much chatting that he had to limit her to his 450 minutes a month. I had to laugh at that one. After about 10 minutes, Pedrrrro went on his way. It was one of those places where you wonder if a Candid Camera person is filming this interaction somewhere.
By about 6:15, the bulk of the rain had passed enough that I was ready to just get going again. I was thankful that I'd just bought a great Brooks shirt at Run On recently for safety - it's one of those day-glo greenish-yellow numbers that you can't miss. I took off and stayed on the sidewalks until I could get to side streets off Josey. As cars passed puddles, they'd spray a wall of water on my already drenched body. Im' sure a few thought it was comical.
The side streets werent' nearly as bad and I really only had one last leg of the ride that was a bit scary which was on Sandy Lake. I made it through that fine and by the time I hit the intersection of Sandy Lake and 35E, the rain stopped. I kept watching the sky, though, wondering if I'd finally found a breaking point or if I was in for another round of misery. EIther way, the motivation to get my butt home was high and I found myself making up all kinds of time the last 1/2 of the ride.
The streetlight fairies were who tortured me with red lights while I was in the rain decided to cut me a break and I managed to hit nearly all the lights green the last hour of the ride. It was a relief. Finally, I made it home about 7:30, unscathed and starting to dry out. I'm not sure my shoes will be dry enough for another ride to work tomorrow.
We'll see what miss Lopez has to say in the morning.
No, I'm not talking about the singer, J Lo, but our newest meteorologist for NBC5 who just moved here from Atlanta after finishing her stint on The Weather Channel. The girl hasn't quite learned about Texas weather yet. Or maybe her skills on localized meteorology just need some polishing. I'll cut her some slack though, as she's only been on air here for about 2 weeks. And I know what she's going through.
In any case, ol' Jenn told us that thunderstorms for Tuesday would be very scattered and west of Ft Worth. So I believed her; trusted her, and took off on my commute to SWA that morning thinking all would be good with the world on the way home. Cool even.
At about 4:45, I was closing up shop here at work and decided to take a peek at the radar. Sure enough, there was a huge storm which looked as if it might be just east of my route, but there was more light rain all over my route home. Surely, I didn't mind a little light rain. Still, I thought it might be time to high-tail it out of the office and try to get ahead of some of it.
The first few miles through the neighborhoods were just fine, thankfully. I was enjoying the relative cool of the afternoon and not having to try to duck under as many trees as possible to enjoy brief moments of shade. But by the time I got to 635 (about 6 miles into the ride), I knew I was toast!
It started to sprinkle, yet I still thought I might miss the bulk of the rain. I peddled furiously as the sky darkened and I heard my first rumble of thunder. Sure enough, I topped a small hill and saw that there were sheets of rain coming up and I had to find a place to get cover soon.
The rain started coming down heavier, so I pulled up to a laundromat on Josey with a good overhang to wait it out for a while. There, I chatted with an older lady who had coke-bottom glasses and a cigarette dangling precariously out of her mouth. Back in the day, her car broke down once and she was too scared to ask her co-workers for a ride, so she walked about 10-12 miles home one night. Wow. What can you say?
The rain appeared to lighten up a bit, but I could see trees still blowing hard with wind. It was getting to be about 6:05, so I decided to brave the wind and light rain and just go anyway. I was already wet, but worried about running out of daylight before I got home. As I rounded the corner of the building, once again, I could see a sheet of rain pouring just ahead of me on my current path. Sure enough, within about 100 yards, I was again in the middle of a downpour so I dove into the next shetered area, the awning of a gas station. As my neighbor Marsha would say, "It's a gully washer. It's a turd floater". Crap!
Here, I was "lucky" enough to have Pedrrrrrrro come chat with me as he exited the gas station. Pedrrrrrro had a beautiful way of rolling is r's, but his accent was thick. But that's not the most interesting thing about him. Nope, Pedrrrrro had about 1/4" of a big ol' hanger-downer from his nose and it was all I could do not to make eye contact or even stare at it as he yammered on and on. Now don't get me wrong, he was a very nice fellow, but holy cow, it was awful! It would teasingly wave at me with every exhale he did. "Hello, Kari! You can't ignore me! Look at me, while still trying to maintain a conversation!"
He rambled on and on about some things, occasionally asking a question to which I'd vaguely respond. He soon realized that I wasn't reciprocating the conversation much and told me that he didn't want to wear me out and that his girlfriend Marrrrrria also chatted a lot. So much chatting that he had to limit her to his 450 minutes a month. I had to laugh at that one. After about 10 minutes, Pedrrrro went on his way. It was one of those places where you wonder if a Candid Camera person is filming this interaction somewhere.
By about 6:15, the bulk of the rain had passed enough that I was ready to just get going again. I was thankful that I'd just bought a great Brooks shirt at Run On recently for safety - it's one of those day-glo greenish-yellow numbers that you can't miss. I took off and stayed on the sidewalks until I could get to side streets off Josey. As cars passed puddles, they'd spray a wall of water on my already drenched body. Im' sure a few thought it was comical.
The side streets werent' nearly as bad and I really only had one last leg of the ride that was a bit scary which was on Sandy Lake. I made it through that fine and by the time I hit the intersection of Sandy Lake and 35E, the rain stopped. I kept watching the sky, though, wondering if I'd finally found a breaking point or if I was in for another round of misery. EIther way, the motivation to get my butt home was high and I found myself making up all kinds of time the last 1/2 of the ride.
The streetlight fairies were who tortured me with red lights while I was in the rain decided to cut me a break and I managed to hit nearly all the lights green the last hour of the ride. It was a relief. Finally, I made it home about 7:30, unscathed and starting to dry out. I'm not sure my shoes will be dry enough for another ride to work tomorrow.
We'll see what miss Lopez has to say in the morning.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Peach Pedal - Weatherford, TX
How often can one ride go straight into the wind?
Now I was a meteorologist at one time, but still can figure out which way the dang wind is blowing. All the flags in TX indicated a steady south wind Saturday morning.
We started out the ride heading south for quite a few miles. I thought that would be perfect, because that meant, at some point during the ride, and hopefully towards the end of it, we'd have a super tailwind to help blow us back home. Well it did seem as if we hardly had a tailwind at all. Oh well.
The ride started out at the Weatherford High School along I-20. We (friends, Donna, Mike and I) thought we would arrive in plenty of time to finish registering and getting our bikes in order to leave at 7:30, starting with the 100k folks, as Mike needed to be finished earlier for other stuff in the afternoon. There were 3lengths for this ride, 26m, 40m and 100k. We chose to do the 40m
The traffic flow to the school wasn't great at all and we weren't the only ones late. IN the end, we were parked, registered and headed out just before the 20m people left at 8am. It was a late start, but we made up some time.
We nearly missed the first turn west, as did many other folks. There was only a small marking in the road with colored arrows pointing the way to go. Of course, we had no idea what course color we were on, so we went with the correct choice of going with 3 out of the 4 arrows.
The course itself has plenty of rolling hills. There aren't any that are particularly steep, but there are a few that get you into the granny gear temporarily. Mike, Donna and I paced together well up until the 2nd aid station, where we did our first stop.
Donna was thrown from a horse about a month ago and thought she was doing fine enough to get back on the bike again. She's a good rider, but the angle at which she was sitting on the bike must've triggered some muscle cramps in her back as she struggled to catch her breath and be comfortable. Mike helped her stretch a little before heading back out.
The aid stations are full of enthusiastic volunteers who were quick to fill bottles with water or gatorade. They were cheerful and encouraging. The best treat was that there were massive bowls of cool, fresh peach chunks. I'm sure this is part of the grand plan to get us over to the Peach Festival!
All in all, it's a easy-moderate ride, despite the wind. Next time we'll either plan to be earlier or just camp out somewhere close. We didn't get to the Peach Festival in Weatherford after all, but did find a stand along the road and scored some fresh peaches. Mmm....!!
Now I was a meteorologist at one time, but still can figure out which way the dang wind is blowing. All the flags in TX indicated a steady south wind Saturday morning.
We started out the ride heading south for quite a few miles. I thought that would be perfect, because that meant, at some point during the ride, and hopefully towards the end of it, we'd have a super tailwind to help blow us back home. Well it did seem as if we hardly had a tailwind at all. Oh well.
The ride started out at the Weatherford High School along I-20. We (friends, Donna, Mike and I) thought we would arrive in plenty of time to finish registering and getting our bikes in order to leave at 7:30, starting with the 100k folks, as Mike needed to be finished earlier for other stuff in the afternoon. There were 3lengths for this ride, 26m, 40m and 100k. We chose to do the 40m
The traffic flow to the school wasn't great at all and we weren't the only ones late. IN the end, we were parked, registered and headed out just before the 20m people left at 8am. It was a late start, but we made up some time.
We nearly missed the first turn west, as did many other folks. There was only a small marking in the road with colored arrows pointing the way to go. Of course, we had no idea what course color we were on, so we went with the correct choice of going with 3 out of the 4 arrows.
The course itself has plenty of rolling hills. There aren't any that are particularly steep, but there are a few that get you into the granny gear temporarily. Mike, Donna and I paced together well up until the 2nd aid station, where we did our first stop.
Donna was thrown from a horse about a month ago and thought she was doing fine enough to get back on the bike again. She's a good rider, but the angle at which she was sitting on the bike must've triggered some muscle cramps in her back as she struggled to catch her breath and be comfortable. Mike helped her stretch a little before heading back out.
The aid stations are full of enthusiastic volunteers who were quick to fill bottles with water or gatorade. They were cheerful and encouraging. The best treat was that there were massive bowls of cool, fresh peach chunks. I'm sure this is part of the grand plan to get us over to the Peach Festival!
All in all, it's a easy-moderate ride, despite the wind. Next time we'll either plan to be earlier or just camp out somewhere close. We didn't get to the Peach Festival in Weatherford after all, but did find a stand along the road and scored some fresh peaches. Mmm....!!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
What I love about Minnesota
These aren't necessarily in order, but they're all true. A recent visit to Deeann and Greg's house just punctuated this!
- Deeann, Greg and the rest of their family
- Beautiful countryside
- Nice airport (MSP)
- Twin cities; double the fun and the character
- Super-duper BINGO!
- Fried cheese curds
- Gosh, darn nice people
- Four full seasons and summers cooler than TX
- The fun accent
- Did I mention fried cheese curds
- Cribbage tournaments with The Marges
- Deeann, Greg and the rest of their family
- Beautiful countryside
- Nice airport (MSP)
- Twin cities; double the fun and the character
- Super-duper BINGO!
- Fried cheese curds
- Gosh, darn nice people
- Four full seasons and summers cooler than TX
- The fun accent
- Did I mention fried cheese curds
- Cribbage tournaments with The Marges
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Afton, MN 25k
Dear Friends,
I've decided to run off with a lumberjack (or NWA pilot, or cheese farmer) and stay in MN. Please help me by sending a parka and some snowshoes. :)
If you're looking for a beautiful, yet challenging, summer race I have one for you. Afton State Park is about 1/2 hour west of the twin cities, Minneapolis-St Paul and right on the St Croix river which separates MN and WI. There is a ton to do while in the MSP area afterwards and the people are just so darn nice! I'm coming back next year and would love to bring a contingent from TX.
http://www.aftontrailrun.com/index2.htm
The race reminds me of Bandera, challenge-wise, but that's where the comparisons end visually. There are a bunch of relatively steep climbs, blissful downhills, flat straightaways along the river and nearly the entire race is covered by a ceiling of giant trees to keep you cool in the 75-80 degree weather. Aid stations are plentiful and situated about every 2.5-3.5 miles. The shirt was a really nice Marmot short sleeve, tech shirt. It's also a decent race for family to come to as there are easy spots to catch up with your racer at aid stations.
And to top it off, everyone here has the delightful Minnesota lilt which you can't help but smile when you hear them talk. If I could find a job up here, I'd stay and brave the winters.
I originally signed up for the 50k in February, but life got in the way of training so I wrote the RD to bump me down to the 25k. As it was, most of my training ended up being regular, long bike rides to work a few times a week. I was pleasantly surprised at how that was enough to not make this race too miserable. I posted a time similar to that of my average Bandera years and was content with the results. I'll train harder next time.
The 50k folks got an early start at 6:30. The average to slower folks would need that time later as the heat and humidity kicked in later in the day. There were two folks from San Antonio here for that race. The 25k started an hour later and only did one lap compared to the two the 50k people would run. The temperature was deliciously cool, around 68 degrees.
The RD, who looks more like a skateboarder than ultrarunner, gave us the quick rundown before sending us out for the day. At the "go" I somehow got wrangled near the front of the 250 person pack, but fortunately, the trail was wide and I was easily passed by the jackrabbits.
We dove into the trees and down a hill for nearly a mile immediately. I kept thinking that the only bad thing about downs are that htey are nearly always followed by ups. Sure enough, we hit a section aptly named, Steep Climb, that had steps carved into the side of the hill. Oh and I passed a ski lift along the way.
Not too long afterwards though, we popped out of the cool woods and into a beautiful, green, grassy field where we stayed for a few more miles. We'd see other portions of this field later in the race again. This was about the only place that sunglasses would have been nice to have. I wore some, but honestly, I wouldn't wear them again to this race unless I was doing the 50k and running into the mid-late morning. You really don't need them with all the shade.
A wide swath had been cut through the grasslands and tiny purple flowers created a patchwork of bright color woven into the green. The trail continued on after the grassy knoll, diving back into the woods. It mostly was a wide jeep or horse trail covered in soft dirt and leaves while in the dense coverage. At one point, a giant, white-tailed deer bounded across the trail less than 30 feet away.
I love the solitude of trail running. I occasionally chat with someone for a few minutes, but mostly I enjoy the quiet time away from the real world and really take in the sights and smells of a different place. This was the perfect escape.
The trail continued through it's ups and downs until about the 7.5 mile mark where it dumped to a flat spot along the St Croix river for less than a mile. It was welcome relief for the legs for a few minutes. I took the headphone out of my ear and just listened to the river lap up against the steep bluffs. This section was short lived, though and it was back into the trees for another climb.
Then at mile 9.5, we popped back out to an aid station where my friend, Deeann was there waiting to say hello and take a few pictures. She'd never been to a trail run before and was just in awe of the carb buffet and how much fun people were having - runners and volunteers alike. Maybe I can convert her someday. :)
From there, it was another blissful, flat mile along the river again. I'd stayed behind a tall man sporting a shirt that said, "There's a nap in my future" for most of the race. He managed to catch a good break here and slowly left me behind.
The next 3.5 miles were more grasslands and trees, though the hills weren't bad. THe first 50k runners were starting to lap me at this point. The male and overall winner was blazing fast. He won with just over a 6.5 minute average. Wow! The woman who won could be Letha's twin sister. She was fast and looked great! Both offered up a "good job" as they swept by.
The final aid station came at 12.5 miles and I knew there was really only one big hill left to the finish. What I didn't remember is that most of this last few miles was basically a gently downhill. What a way to go! This is where the trail turned into a singletrack snowshoe trail. It was narrow and more like what we're used to in TX. It was quiet but for the sound of footbeats, breathing and myriad of birds cheering me on to the finish. The one steep climb on this portion was enough that it helped to grab onto trees to help pull you up. The 6th place 50k runner passed me in this area also grabbing trees to get himself up. He looked tired, but still had enough to finish up.
FInally, at the top of the last small hill, I saw the cars parked on the side of the road and knew the end was near. I could hear the crowds cheering for their runners. I came across the finish line to find Deeann grinning and happy to see me still upright. The finish line had hot burgers waiting for us at at 11:15 in the morning, it was still only 80 degerees!
I chatted with RD for a few minutes and he actually remembered me registering early and thanked me for coming all the way up. I got a personal e-mail from him later that evening again. Nice touch.
Overall, it's just a really good race and because of the beauty for the entire time, just nudged the Shadow of the Giants out of the top spot for my favorite race. I will definitely come back for this one and suggest you take a look at it.
Off for a nap, a Twins game, fried cheese curds and beer! I'll throw in some pictures when I get back...IF I come back. :)
I've decided to run off with a lumberjack (or NWA pilot, or cheese farmer) and stay in MN. Please help me by sending a parka and some snowshoes. :)
If you're looking for a beautiful, yet challenging, summer race I have one for you. Afton State Park is about 1/2 hour west of the twin cities, Minneapolis-St Paul and right on the St Croix river which separates MN and WI. There is a ton to do while in the MSP area afterwards and the people are just so darn nice! I'm coming back next year and would love to bring a contingent from TX.
http://www.aftontrailrun.com/index2.htm
The race reminds me of Bandera, challenge-wise, but that's where the comparisons end visually. There are a bunch of relatively steep climbs, blissful downhills, flat straightaways along the river and nearly the entire race is covered by a ceiling of giant trees to keep you cool in the 75-80 degree weather. Aid stations are plentiful and situated about every 2.5-3.5 miles. The shirt was a really nice Marmot short sleeve, tech shirt. It's also a decent race for family to come to as there are easy spots to catch up with your racer at aid stations.
And to top it off, everyone here has the delightful Minnesota lilt which you can't help but smile when you hear them talk. If I could find a job up here, I'd stay and brave the winters.
I originally signed up for the 50k in February, but life got in the way of training so I wrote the RD to bump me down to the 25k. As it was, most of my training ended up being regular, long bike rides to work a few times a week. I was pleasantly surprised at how that was enough to not make this race too miserable. I posted a time similar to that of my average Bandera years and was content with the results. I'll train harder next time.
The 50k folks got an early start at 6:30. The average to slower folks would need that time later as the heat and humidity kicked in later in the day. There were two folks from San Antonio here for that race. The 25k started an hour later and only did one lap compared to the two the 50k people would run. The temperature was deliciously cool, around 68 degrees.
The RD, who looks more like a skateboarder than ultrarunner, gave us the quick rundown before sending us out for the day. At the "go" I somehow got wrangled near the front of the 250 person pack, but fortunately, the trail was wide and I was easily passed by the jackrabbits.
We dove into the trees and down a hill for nearly a mile immediately. I kept thinking that the only bad thing about downs are that htey are nearly always followed by ups. Sure enough, we hit a section aptly named, Steep Climb, that had steps carved into the side of the hill. Oh and I passed a ski lift along the way.
Not too long afterwards though, we popped out of the cool woods and into a beautiful, green, grassy field where we stayed for a few more miles. We'd see other portions of this field later in the race again. This was about the only place that sunglasses would have been nice to have. I wore some, but honestly, I wouldn't wear them again to this race unless I was doing the 50k and running into the mid-late morning. You really don't need them with all the shade.
A wide swath had been cut through the grasslands and tiny purple flowers created a patchwork of bright color woven into the green. The trail continued on after the grassy knoll, diving back into the woods. It mostly was a wide jeep or horse trail covered in soft dirt and leaves while in the dense coverage. At one point, a giant, white-tailed deer bounded across the trail less than 30 feet away.
I love the solitude of trail running. I occasionally chat with someone for a few minutes, but mostly I enjoy the quiet time away from the real world and really take in the sights and smells of a different place. This was the perfect escape.
The trail continued through it's ups and downs until about the 7.5 mile mark where it dumped to a flat spot along the St Croix river for less than a mile. It was welcome relief for the legs for a few minutes. I took the headphone out of my ear and just listened to the river lap up against the steep bluffs. This section was short lived, though and it was back into the trees for another climb.
Then at mile 9.5, we popped back out to an aid station where my friend, Deeann was there waiting to say hello and take a few pictures. She'd never been to a trail run before and was just in awe of the carb buffet and how much fun people were having - runners and volunteers alike. Maybe I can convert her someday. :)
From there, it was another blissful, flat mile along the river again. I'd stayed behind a tall man sporting a shirt that said, "There's a nap in my future" for most of the race. He managed to catch a good break here and slowly left me behind.
The next 3.5 miles were more grasslands and trees, though the hills weren't bad. THe first 50k runners were starting to lap me at this point. The male and overall winner was blazing fast. He won with just over a 6.5 minute average. Wow! The woman who won could be Letha's twin sister. She was fast and looked great! Both offered up a "good job" as they swept by.
The final aid station came at 12.5 miles and I knew there was really only one big hill left to the finish. What I didn't remember is that most of this last few miles was basically a gently downhill. What a way to go! This is where the trail turned into a singletrack snowshoe trail. It was narrow and more like what we're used to in TX. It was quiet but for the sound of footbeats, breathing and myriad of birds cheering me on to the finish. The one steep climb on this portion was enough that it helped to grab onto trees to help pull you up. The 6th place 50k runner passed me in this area also grabbing trees to get himself up. He looked tired, but still had enough to finish up.
FInally, at the top of the last small hill, I saw the cars parked on the side of the road and knew the end was near. I could hear the crowds cheering for their runners. I came across the finish line to find Deeann grinning and happy to see me still upright. The finish line had hot burgers waiting for us at at 11:15 in the morning, it was still only 80 degerees!
I chatted with RD for a few minutes and he actually remembered me registering early and thanked me for coming all the way up. I got a personal e-mail from him later that evening again. Nice touch.
Overall, it's just a really good race and because of the beauty for the entire time, just nudged the Shadow of the Giants out of the top spot for my favorite race. I will definitely come back for this one and suggest you take a look at it.
Off for a nap, a Twins game, fried cheese curds and beer! I'll throw in some pictures when I get back...IF I come back. :)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Afton MN 25k - Elevation profile or EKG?
I never should have looked!
The other day I was downloading a bunch of information for my upcoming trip to Minnesota and found an elevation profile for the 25k I'm doing on Saturday. Holy carp! Is this an elevation profile or the last EKG?!
When I originally signed up for this race, I was planning to do the 50k and was training for it well. An injury and then a virus knocked me off my training plan so I relented and had the RD lower me down to the 25k.
I still haven't been training much with all the work lately and with biking. I'm hoping that with all my distance biking the past 6 weeks or so, I have the endurance to make it through this race. I know I'll finish, but this certainly won't be my best race...especially if you look at these hills!
I'll post more after the race. Enjoy your 4th of July weekend!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Survivor 18 open casting
Survivor is one of the most intriguing shows around these days. People sneer that it's not really about survival, and surely it was never really set up to be that way. It's all about the social game - testing limits and testing trust. By far, it's my favorite show around and I haven't missed a single episode! Friends know this and have been trained not to call me between 7-8pm on Thursdays. I just don't answer the phone.
One thing I love about Survivor is that anyone can apply to see if they can be selected to be on the next cast. In some seasons, few if any applicants were actually cast; while many were just found on the street by casting agents mainly out in CA. That, however, hasn't stopped thousands of people from still trying to get on the show.
I love going to these things as you see people of all shapes and sizes trying to get on as well. One that caught my eye while I was waiting to go was a HUGE man, probably a biker, who sported a big mustache and was wearing a bandana. He had a huge, boisterous laugh that caught my attention. Knowing the physical limitations of the show, he wouldn't last long, but he would be fun to watch, possibly.
Last season was a good one with true fans getting an opportunity to play against some recent favorites. It was a great idea and great for getting real fans back on the show. I'd have killed to be on that season.
In years past, I thought about applying and had many friends say that I should, but commitments to the Reserves and my "real" job made it difficult to get away. Now that I've retired from the Air Force, an 8 week trip away to an undisclosed location doesn't seem nearly as much of a hurdle as it had in the past.
Last Friday there was an open audition again out at a local Honda dealership, so I figured it was time to give it a shot again. I'd done one last year and knew I'd blown it as soon as I walked out the door. This year, I had a better plan and idea of where I wanted to go with the plea for a callback. Did it work? It remains to be seen, but it felt much better this year.
I think I spoke way to quickly in order to get everything into the 2 minute requirement. I tried to make a point that the usual 35-45 year old woman they cast is either a wallflower, UTR player or one that is too old to help out much. I want to actually play the game agressively, rather than let it play me, y'know? I have a plan and want to win this sucker, not just show up and be one of the cast, only to go home.
Lynne Spillman and the rest of the casting team, please call me! :)
One thing I love about Survivor is that anyone can apply to see if they can be selected to be on the next cast. In some seasons, few if any applicants were actually cast; while many were just found on the street by casting agents mainly out in CA. That, however, hasn't stopped thousands of people from still trying to get on the show.
I love going to these things as you see people of all shapes and sizes trying to get on as well. One that caught my eye while I was waiting to go was a HUGE man, probably a biker, who sported a big mustache and was wearing a bandana. He had a huge, boisterous laugh that caught my attention. Knowing the physical limitations of the show, he wouldn't last long, but he would be fun to watch, possibly.
Last season was a good one with true fans getting an opportunity to play against some recent favorites. It was a great idea and great for getting real fans back on the show. I'd have killed to be on that season.
In years past, I thought about applying and had many friends say that I should, but commitments to the Reserves and my "real" job made it difficult to get away. Now that I've retired from the Air Force, an 8 week trip away to an undisclosed location doesn't seem nearly as much of a hurdle as it had in the past.
Last Friday there was an open audition again out at a local Honda dealership, so I figured it was time to give it a shot again. I'd done one last year and knew I'd blown it as soon as I walked out the door. This year, I had a better plan and idea of where I wanted to go with the plea for a callback. Did it work? It remains to be seen, but it felt much better this year.
I think I spoke way to quickly in order to get everything into the 2 minute requirement. I tried to make a point that the usual 35-45 year old woman they cast is either a wallflower, UTR player or one that is too old to help out much. I want to actually play the game agressively, rather than let it play me, y'know? I have a plan and want to win this sucker, not just show up and be one of the cast, only to go home.
Lynne Spillman and the rest of the casting team, please call me! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
