Lunatic on!  I love it!

Arimathea, thanks for the encouragement. I needed to hear that and the timing was perfect.

Friday I met my friend (she and I graduated high school together) and we had a good talk. I dressed for the track ahead of time so I could “hit the track running” and save some time. I got in a good 35 minutes of running.

Saturday was SDO but I still did 45 minutes of hiking. A friend and I do 8 hikes every Fall so it was the 4^th one for us.

Sunday Buddy and I did 75 minutes out on the track. We saw our Birder friends (and elderly couple who walk and watch wildlife) and 4 runners. There had been a heavy frost so it was really cold. Next week I shall add my muffler and good mittens. I did 45 minutes of hiking again, but this time the trail was very steep. There are three more hikes to go yet. My favorite one I prefer to run. It’s only just over a mile.

Happy runs, All!  :::HUGS:::

Good morning!  Lecture prepped this morning, so I thought I'd pop over her and say hi.

Congrats to all who ran races yesterday - Karen, Tessa, Damaris... and anyone else I missed.  Gatsby, Norway??? So cool.  I was there a few years ago (had a conference in Sweden and DH arranged for me to visit Norway as I've wanted to visit since I was a kid).  Let me know if you would like any suggestions of places to visit and/or stay.

Had a really nice trail run with Lisa yesterday.  Like she said it was chilly at the start. Frost covered most of the plants so all was sparkly and beautiful.  Lots of bicyclists on the route but since we were going in the opposite direction we could at least see them coming and react.  Some shooting in the distance (yes, when Lisa warned be the night before to wear bright clothes since it was hunting season and we were running through hunting areas I have to admit..... I thought back to the "axe murderer" days of yore and wondered a bit what was I getting myself into. But all was well and no small game hunters out aiming at two brightly colored runners

And here is my photo of the sparkly biota:
http://imgur.com/w3CvcH2

Have a great day!  I need to get going into work.

No run this morning! Just a brief walk and a look at some of the gorgeous homes here.

Hartford report is done, Newport will be later:

One of the classic pairings for 50 state hopefuls able to run doubles is Connecticut and Rhode Island (others are Mississippi/Alabama and New Hampshire/Maine). This pair was particularly attractive for Karen and me, both working on 50 states, because it’s a holiday weekend so Karen, who got Columbus Day off, only had to take one day of vacation.

Karen met me at the airport Thursday night and on Friday we drove to Hartford for their Saturday morning marathon. We made it up to Hartford in good time despite nasty traffic leaving metro New York City for the holiday weekend and headed for the expo. Picked up our numbers, which weren’t assigned until we got there to get our bibs, our T shirts and goody bags, and wandered around the expo for a while. One pair of shoes, one pair of shorts, one bra, and various samples later I left the venue. We both contributed our portion to the CT sales tax! We had planned to have dinner with Ness & her DH and Kris and hers, and hoped Carole and her DH would be able to get there for dessert at least. Traffic was bad. Ness and DH showed up as our food arrived and then Kris and DH arrived a little later. Carole & DH didn’t make it at all. We had a good CAPS meetup anyway and enjoyed the conversation.

The main concern we all had was the weather forecast. The possibility of rain was close to 100%. I had come way too far to DNS unless the race was called off due to weather conditions. This did not happen. Karen and I opted to check bags and were glad we did so we had warm shirts to put on after the race. When the weather is going to be nasty you have two choices: try to cover up and stay dry or accept the fact that you’re going to get wet and run soggy. I tend to the second option since it’s very difficult to stay dry if it’s raining, especially if you are generating plenty of moisture of your own in the form of sweat.

We parked 8 blocks away in a garage that had easy highway access, walked to the start as it started to rain and checked our bags, missed the Maniacs photo, couldn’t find the portapotties, and stood in the rain with all the other Hartford half and full runners to wait for the start. The national anthem was one of the best renditions I’ve heard, a local police officer with a very nice tenor voice. It’s a pity tenors tend to be high maintenance. Horn sounded and off we went, almost exactly on time.

The full and half marathons run together for the first ¾ of a mile and then split off. We ran through downtown Hartford with a number of twists and turns, headed up a street that parallels I-91 on the west side, under 91 and then back down through a riverside park. This was not great since the path was narrow and the field had not yet had time to spread out. It was also well puddled since the rain was falling steadily. I thought the park was pretty, though. At 4.5 miles we cut under the highway again and back into downtown. Turned again at 5 miles (per the map, I never saw the mile marker) and north through downtown and headed east over Founder’s Bridge into East Hartford.

The water station at the bottom of the bridge had done well, they had a Jimmy Buffet theme and a number of the volunteers were consuming and offering Gatorade out of plastic margarita glasses. (I’d rather have the margarita, thanks.) There was some more twisting and turning on the east side of the river, through another park and on more riverfront paths. We saw two men with some of the funniest signs on the course: one had a sign that said “At Least It’s Not Raining Snowing” and the other had a picture of a Husky dog titled “So you ran a marathon. How heavy was YOUR sled?”

Under a highway, across another small river bridge and then back across the river, and we set out for the very long out and back that is miles 9.5-24.5 of Hartford. I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and glad of it, even though this is one of the world’s ugliest shirts – the Fargo 2014 quarter-zip with white body, purple sleeves, inserts under the arms with very bright patterned fabric, and a logo on the back that looks like Grecian columns after a Crayola box threw up on them. I never threw away my cheapie gloves and I was glad of them later.

I saw the motorcycles first, then the pace vehicle, then two male runners shoulder to shoulder coming towards us. They were going very fast. We slow runners clapped and cheered and later wondered which of them won. (Answer: the one who wasn’t Kenyan.) Long gap before the third place man appeared, and then the runners coming back became more and more numerous. Just before mile 10 we passed an Irish DJ playing Celtic music; I hope the neighbors in that vicinity like Irish music because he was still there three hours later when we came back. I would have liked to stay and listen but I had a race to run.

The surroundings up until now had been either commercial or park or modest homes. We went under a railroad bridge and the homes started getting fancier and the lots larger. The course split for a short time and we didn’t see the returning runners, during this time we saw the halfway mark, then we rejoined them and the road was fully occupied with runners going out and coming back. The second relay exchange showed up and the street was packed, with very loud music and a lot of spectators and people driving relayers. Once we passed that point we saw the 20 mile mark on the other side, we passed the 14 marker very shortly thereafter so I figured that the turnaround would be just after mile 17 (and I was right).

This was in my opinion the nicest part of the course except for the finish line which is usually the nicest of all! Big houses, big lots, green and tree-lined and with occasional historical markers to read. Most of this is actually in South Windsor rather than in Hartford or East Hartford. I liked it. It was wet but that was true of the whole course, it never stopped raining. I kept up a reasonable pace on this, waved to Karen who was about 3 miles ahead of me, and passed a number of runners who had gone out too fast. I saw so many coming back ahead of me that I was wondering how many were behind me, but when I reached the turn and started back I realized there were plenty behind me. Went over a new bridge crossing “Stoughton’s Brook” which looked more like Stoughton’s Trickle to me, and passed old churches and some old barns and farms and horse properties. One was either a commercial pumpkin patch or the home of the county’s most enthusiastic jack-o-lantern carvers, there were at least 200 pumpkins in the yard.

There is an election coming up next month, as there is in just about every precinct in the country since the representatives in the House are all up for re-election, and there were many political signs in peoples’ yards. Although the weather was not nice there were plenty of spectators and it was great to see them. Coming back I ran into Carole and her DH who were about 1.5 miles behind me; she recognized me and we hugged and talked for a brief while. We were going in opposite directions, though, so didn’t tarry.

We crossed back into East Hartford from South Windsor and at this point I caught up with Kris, who was looking strong and doing a run/walk combo as she had planned. Passed a candy station. She decided not to take any, I wasn’t going to but then saw Whoppers and had to take a small bag (3 malted milk balls aren’t likely to do much to my stomach, especially at that stage in the race).

Back past the East Hartford homes and the Irish DJ and the Jimmy Buffet aid station. Almost there! Up and over the bridge and back into downtown Hartford, and past the big lighted sign that Kris called on its grammar error. It was the type that normally says “road work ahead” or something similar and it had been programmed to flash “Your doing great!” I’m doing better in grammar than the sign programmer, that’s for sure.

I had passed the 25 mile marker and was pushing it hard to get in under 5 hours. You know I’m booking it when I see a quarter on the ground and don’t stop to pick it up! I was coming up the hill towards the Capitol when a woman started running down the street ahead of me, wearing jeans, with a big bag of donuts in one hand and a go-box of coffee in the other. I’m sure many people would have run faster to try and catch her and her coffee and donuts – not me but it was funny anyway. Into the park, down the path, and finally across the finish line. So glad it was done! I got a mylar blanket, a medal – very nice, large and with the Capitol and what looks like Cinderella’s Castle from the Magic Kingdom on it – and wound up meeting Karen at gear check so I didn’t get any food, not that they usually have any left by the time I finish.

We got lost trying to find the car and walked longer than we needed to, nobody we asked could tell us where the Morgan Street Garage was. Not even someone wearing media credentials who was a reporter for the Hartford Courant. What is journalism coming to? Finally after a stop in Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee (Karen) and diet Coke (me) we located the garage on the map and hiked back to it. So. Very. Cold. I drove from Hartford to Newport and didn’t turn off the seat heater the whole time. We got there with no delays and found the rental apartment (thank you airbnb.com) easily. A little sore but not too bad, and after we picked up our bibs for Sunday and had dinner we were good.

Damaris, congratulations on  Chicago!  Ugh on the asthma attack, sorry.

Well, I told Karen I wanted ice cream and I got it, but not in the way I wanted.  We are sitting in a Baskin Robbins parking lot waiting for Triple A. Hit a pothole on the Cross Bronx expressway , not Karen's fault, it was unavoidable. No injuries and no other car involved but the tire is flat. Good thing we allowed plenty of time to get me to the airport.

Rest day. I'm at the hotel now as this is a week of travel

so dad is now not coming. DH is happy. When they come it is stressful. Dad called me today and said well, we won't leave here until Sunday so we will come by next week. For the millionth time I told him I'm gone next week too. I'm in KS next week.  Initially they were supposed to be here the last week in October. Then it got moved to this weekend now next week. Oy. And, it isn't like DH or I could magically get days off NEXT week. He then said, well I really just want to go straight to Florida.

It is out of the way to come here, so I'm okay with this

so happy for Karen and Tessa races!

Ginny have you tried a calf compression sleeve while running?

Tessa, I always enjoy your race reports so much.   Will look forward to RR #2.

Damaris, scary about the asthma attack but well done on the race!

Judy, sounds like it's time to bundle up for your outdoor adventures.

Lisa, re Maniacal Monday: takes one to know one! 

Carol, probably a good idea to take it easy for a little while.

RunnersMom, thanks for the offer of advice on Norway.  I understand we're getting travel vouchers but don't know anything else yet.  Should hear more this week.  Assuming the vouchers only cover the flight, I think we'll probably keep the trip on the shorter side since Norway is not cheap.

Camille, I hated arguing all day too in my last job.  Wondered many times why I ever became a lawyer!

Marjorie, sounds like a good thing that the Dad visit is not happening.  Sounded like it was generating more stress than it was worth.

Have a great evening.