Passed With Flying Colors

On Sunday, instead of doing a training run by myself, I opted to meet up with a friend of mine in Massachusetts and run the Newburyport Green Stride Half Marathon! Newburyport is a cute little town in the very northeast corner of the state, just before you get to New Hampshire. It's about an hour north of Boston, so we stayed the night in Boston, where we did our carb loading at Nebo, in the North End. My friend is gluten intolerant and they have a full gluten free menu!

All I wanted to do was to beat my last time (1:53). I wanted a new PR.  

Before the Race

I woke up on Sunday morning with a sore throat. I had been feeling a little under the weather but was hoping it would hold off until Monday, but it didn’t. The drive from Boston to Newburyport was not too long and the fall colors got better and better as we headed north.

The weather was about 45 degrees at the start of the race and warmed up into the low 50s as we ran. This time I got towards the front of the line before starting, since last time I was farther back and it took a while to cross the start line. I think it took me only about 5 seconds to get over the line this time! The race started downtown, which was filled with spectators, and headed north at first. The first hill came around mile 1 and that is where my running buddy and I split up. 

The course wound around town and had a few ups and downs along the way. The best part was around mile 4 or 5 and then again around mile 8 when we ran past lakes surrounded by orange trees. The water and the reflection of the trees in the water made me want to shout out, “This is beautiful!” But I didn’t. 

I ended up using the Pink Lemonade Honey Stinger Chews as my fuel (Thanks to Jill for the suggestion!) They are great. I would recommend them to anyone who can’t stomach the Gu or the gels! I took one at mile 6 and one at mile 10. This was enough to keep me going but not too much to make me feel sick. The package comes with ten chews. I will probably need to split it up pre-race so I am not carrying around excessive fuel. 

This was the inaugural race for the Green Stride Half Marathon. It was pretty good overall, but there were a few kinks they will need to iron out for the next one. 

THE PROS: Water every two miles. There were plenty of volunteers to tell you where to go during the race. Gu at mile 6. Lots of spectators! Beautiful course that was mostly flat with several small hills. Great fall colors! Good sponsors – 2 free beers, pizza and plenty of snacks at the end, as well as a local band. Chip timer was on race bib rather than shoe. There were plenty of port-a-potties at the start line. T-shirts were sponsored by Life Is Good. 

THE CONS: Mile 10-12 was run right in the middle of a traffic-filled street that we had to cross! Also mile 12-13.1 was run on a single track wood/asphalt path along the harbor. It was like one of those cattle chutes, and I had a hard time getting around people at the end, when I usually try to sprint. The start and finish was in a fenced off area, which only had one door for entrance and exit, which was not good. The start and finish was also surrounded by a parking lot and people (runners) were trying to get out of the parking lot while others were still finishing the race! Also the room for spectators at the end was quite sparse and unorganized. At the beginning of the race, the first 500 people who signed up got a long sleeved t, but they did not have a good system of telling people who got one and who did not. No port-a-potties on the race course. Only the first 500 registrants get a wicking shirt. 

Right before the finish -- see the parked cars!?

THE VERDICT: I would run this race again. I really hope that they figure out better logistics for the finish line, so that the runners can run without being worried about getting run over by cars as well as having space to run and to pass other runners at the end. I also think they need at least 3 port-a-potties along the route. 

I ended up coming in at 1:49:21, which is an 8:21 mile. So I got my PR! I placed 13/119 in my division and 345/1103 overall. The fastest woman was around 1:10!! I “only” have to shave 39 minutes (roughly 3 mins/mile) off my time to beat her next time!  **(I was looking at the placing and IF I was in the 60-69 age group, I would have gotten 3^rd. Otherwise I wasn’t very close to the top 3 in any other category!)**

Did you race last weekend? Or, if you are not a runner, are the fall colors showing themselves in your neighborhood? 

Don't forget to go to Jill's for more Fitness Friday blogs! 

8:12 On The Go

This week's assignment was about taking photos of things that are in motion (<--- pdf for lesson here), which can be very difficult. I am sure we have all gotten photos like this of babies, dogs, athletes or even your family eating Thanksgiving dinner:

Note that my friend who is holding the baby is not blurry. The baby, on the other hand, is moving just enough to be a little blurred, which ruined an otherwise good photo.

So how do we get it so the subject is not blurry and the action is frozen? There are a few things you can do. You can adjust your shutter speed so that it is faster (If you have a point and shoot, use the "sport" setting, which is the icon of the running man). This, as we learned in lesson two (the one with the water on the glass) can decrease our lighting. So, we may need to bump up the ISO or lower the f/stop. Remember the Exposure Triangle?

Our Assignment this week was to do one or more of the following:

1. Use a fast shutter speed outdoors to photograph your moving subject
2. Experiment with panning
3. Embrace a little blur indoors
3. Take action - practice your skills at a sporting event
4. Take a portrait of your pet-in-motion

Here are a couple examples. I chose number 1 and kind of, but not really number 4. I just noticed there are two number 3s, which doesn't matter since I did not really practice either of them.

The first photo of Lucy was taken with a shutter speed of 1/250, an aperture of f/5.3 and an ISO of about 3200.

The second photo was taken with a shutter speed of 1/800. The suggested setting is at least 1/640 outdoors and at least 1/250 indoors. As you can see, it freezes the action enough to catch me in midair and catch that little bit of sand being kicked up. Isn't that fun? The ISO in this photo is 640 and the aperture is f/8.0. The only thing that needs work now is that the photo is exposed on the background instead of the subject, which makes the subject's face dark. That is one thing the lesson suggests, is using Manual Mode, so you can expose the light to the subject's face rather than the background. 

What have I learned? I have an easier time "stopping the action" when I am outside, since there is more light and it is easier to up the shutter speed without compromising your light. When indoors, it is hard to get a good balance. I am definitely getting more comfortable with upping my ISO, which I was not really using when I started taking photos with my new camera. I thought I had to slow DOWN the shutter to get enough light, when instead I should speed it up and raise the ISO.

Join us next week when we talk about Portraits. Don't forget to link up with Kate! 


Have you ever tried taking action photos?

Have You Seen This Food?

There are some really strange foods out there, that you may or may not have seen before. Here are some of the ones that I enjoyed trying, looking at, laughing at, and of course, most importantly, taking photos of while traveling around the world.

Egypt: Chicken Livers

Cambodia: Squid on a Stick

China: Jews Ears (a type of mushroom)

Montenegro: Chicken Pate

Nepal: You thought it was a hamburger, but it's a Yak-burger.

New Zealand: Fejoas (a fruit, not a bean)

Portugal: Caracois (Snails)

Italy: Tiny Octopus Babies, with olive oil, naturally

You can find more weird foods over on WRTR, where I talk about Snake fruit and Dragon fruit!

Have you tried any of these? What other weird foods have you seen or tried?

Is Your Comforter Your Worst Enemy?

I admit to being a neat freak. Sometimes. It's strange. I like to have certain things in certain places. However, other things I am not as worried about. For instance, I am not really germophobic. Don't get me wrong, I wash my hands after I use the bathroom and I don't *usually* touch the doorknob afterwards, but otherwise, I am lax. I sometimes use the 3 second rule.

I recently talked about how I pretty much live in a hotel most of the time. This girl, with her comment about comforters on my post, reminded me about an article I read in Conde Nast a few years ago about the dirtiest places in a hotel. You may think it's the toilet, but you would be wrong.

They tested one 5 star hotel, one mid line hotel and one low end hotel. You would be surprised; the 5 star hotel was not necessarily cleaner than the low end hotel. Here are some of the worst offenders (germ wise).

The ice bucket.
The remote control.
The phone.
The door knob.
The alarm clock. 
The desk chair.
The comforter.

These items were covered in E. Coli (fecal borne) and other bacteria which causes yeast infections. While I can see why the desk chair may have fecal material on it (even though I don't like to picture it), I never really considered the comforter before reading this article. It makes sense though. How many hands, faces and butts have touched that comforter in between washes?

I suggest wet wiping the obvious ones - phone, remote, clock and door handle and taking the comforter off the bed all together or at least folding it down so it doesn't touch your face while you sleep.  If the chair is fabric, put a towel down. I wouldn't even use the ice bucket. And above all, wash your hands.

Okay, now that I have grossed you out, let me add this. They say that even after these findings, the average hotel room is CLEANER than most people's houses and definitely more sanitary than flying, since you are confined in a limited amount of air space with so many people.

Just some food for thought.


Are you a neat freak? Are you a germaphobe? How often do you clean your bathroom? Do you ever stay in hotels? Do you wipe anything down or do you just use it?

Sam I Am

This week's beer is... Sam Adams. I have to admit, I am not a fan of their Summer Ale. However, I may have to try one of their fall or winter brews this weekend, while I am at...guess, guess....

You guessed it, I am in Massachusetts this weekend, racing in the Newburyport Green Stride Half Marathon. I am probably running right now, as you are drinking your coffee and reading this post. So, you know the drill, put down the coffee, grab a beer, and look what happened to me this week! (Inspired by Kim) (photo credit)

It was another busy week, but in a different sort of way this time. On Monday I finished up with my last client in Cape Girardeau and headed to Columbia to check out of the office. Now I am once again jobless! Back to the old drawing board. But first, let's start at the beginning...

Last weekend one of my very dearest friends came to visit me! She and I have been friends since...well probably about 20 years. We played little league together. Her nickname is Red.

We decided to do some hiking at the Trail of Tears State Park. Along the way, we found....More Ponies! These ones let us touch them! 

Then we went hiking! It was great! Except I told Red that the trail had "a few hills". I didn't remember that it was quite strenuous! We took her dog Lucy and poor Lucy was tuckered out afterwards (and so were we!)

Even though she was tuckered out, she was happy to dress in this banana split costume and pose for the camera. Can't you tell how happy she was? 

The foliage, or as my family likes to jokingly call it, FOILAGE, is beautiful right now!

After Red left, I took at 16 mile run, my last run in Cape. It was 90 degrees. It was brutal. This is the Cape LaCroix Creek trail, where I have been running for the last 4 months. 

And then it was time for me to leave Cape. A departing shot of my "home", the Candlewood Suites.The drive to Columbia is about 4 hours. It rained the entire time.

I had to check out all my equipment and I said goodbye to my friends in the office in Columbia. More importantly though, I checked the color of my urine against this chart in the bathroom. My favorite? The second one from the top...in case you can't read it, it says, "You're just fine. You could stand to drink a little water now, maybe a small glass of water." Who writes these? And who has pee the color of the bottom one? If you do, you better get to the doc ASAP! (or maybe you ate beets?)

And then? One last run in Missouri. This time the weather was in the 40s. 

Total miles this week: 30.

And now? 

Wish me luck. Hopefully I get a beer when I am done!

What did you do this week? Do you live close to your best friends? What friend have you had the longest? Have you ever dressed up your dog in a costume?

Lose Yourself in The Music

'Cause sometimes you just feel tired,
Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up.
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength
And just pull that S*#^ out of you and get that motivation to not give up
And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.'

-Eminem (Til I Collapse)

This song came on Sunday as I was beginning mile 15, my last mile before the end of my run. It was hot, hotter than it had been all week. Someone was messing with me, making it hotter on the one day that I had planned on running in the middle of the day. For the last five miles I had been fighting against throwing up. The heat, the Gu I took around mile 10, too much or not enough water...it was all collaborating against me,  trying to make me "fall flat on my face and collapse". And believe me, I wanted to. I wanted to just give in and let it all win.

And then the song above came on. I take a lot of motivation from my playlist. Whether it's the beat, the words or a memory that I associate with the particular song (Pearl Jam, anyone?), they all inspire me to keep running, to keep going after my energy leaves me. Today this song came on right at the perfect moment. I did not plan it that way. I put my playlist on random most days. But Mr. iPod knew exactly what I needed. And a white rapper who's opinions I usually don't agree with helped me finish my run.

It's funny how that works. Who would have ever thought that Eminem would be inspiring? He talks down about everyone. He does drugs and is proud of it. He swears way too much. He's angry at the entire world. Yet, somehow he IS inspiring. And the beat of his music is almost exactly the same timing to my footfalls. Or what they should be!

In "Lose Yourself" he says:

"Success is my only $%^& option, failure's not
So here I go it's my shot.
Feet fail me not, this may be the only opportunity that I got

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go"

I do lose myself in the music. And I am learning to own the moment. Thanks, M.

Don't forget to join up with Jill for Fitness Friday for more inspiration! 

Who inspires you when you exercise? Which artist inspires you when you are not exercising?  Do you find yourself listening to different music when you exercise vs other times? 

7:12 Shooting Outdoors and Macro

Ah...Week 7...shooting outdoors, (<----pdf here) where once again you need to have a "subject". So...I have to admit, I went fishing through the archives and used my little niece as my guinea pig this week. This week we learned about shooting outdoors and what things you may compete with out in the big wide open.

First, you need to try not to have your subject in harsh sunlight. At first you may think that it's great to be outside becuase there is plenty of LIGHT! But, alas, another problem with photography is that you can have too much! So, you may get subjects that look like THIS. Too much sun makes squinty eyes and harsh light/shadow combinations. 

(Actually she looks pretty good. I look like a classic "DON'T")

It is better to put your subject under a tree, an umbrella or a porch to get a result more like this.

The other thing this lesson talks about is using an overcast sky to your advantage. Now you CAN stand outside without an umbrella and you don't have harsh light. The clouds act as a natural filter.

I am not exactly sure why the authors of this lesson did this combo, but this lesson also covers Macro, or close up, small photography (maybe they didn't want 13 weeks of better photos?) You can use the "flower" setting on your point and shoot to get really close to your subject and get the fine details. I actually used my point and shoot for these. With a DSLR, you can use the flower setting, but it works better to have a macro lens, which I have not yet splurged for. They do have an adapter you can use that is a little cheaper. Or you can turn your lens backwards with THIS and you get a fun effect!

Don't forget to link up with Kate! And join us for week 8: On The Go!

Have you ever taken one of those bad squinty sun photos? What's your favorite thing to photograph close up?

Going Round in Circles

You may remember the post that I wrote when I first got to Missouri. I was just getting back into running. I had just arrived in Columbia and had found a great running trail: the MKT. The day I wrote that post, I ran 2.5 miles at a 9:33 pace. It was not easy. At the same time, I set a few goals for myself. They were:

1. Find a training program
2. Get in Shape.
3. Speed up pace.
4. Sign up for a Fall race. 

After the day of that run, I was sent to Cape Girardeau, which is about 4 hours south of Columbia (and also the home of Rush Limbaugh). I didn't get to run on that trail but that once.

Tomorrow, I am leaving Missouri. Remember the change I was talking about? It's changed again. Instead of moving to a different place in Missouri, I will be heading home for a while to see some friends and family and regroup and wait for the next job to come along.

The job here has been good. I have met and worked with some interesting people and been involved in some interesting situations. I have to say I am not totally sad that I am leaving at the onset of winter. I spent a winter in Iowa and as much as I love snow, I do not love -47 degree windchill. But I was not quite ready to go home. Oh well. I am now.

Before we leave, we have to check out through our office in Columbia. So I drove to Columbia to get all the logistics taken care of. After taking care of that, I took my last run (ever? for a while?) in Missouri. It was a lot different from the one I took 4 months ago. The weather was about 30 degrees cooler and the fall colors are out. I have satisfied all my goals from above.

1. Find a training program Hal Higdon
2. Get in Shape. lost 10 lbs
3. Speed up pace. current average: 8:45
4. Sign up for a Fall race. (x3)

What wasn't different was the trail. I went back to the location of my first ever run in Missouri and did my last run in the same place. It was very therapeutic. It felt like a place I already knew.

I have come full circle. 

Goodbye Mizzou-rah.

Have you ever been to a place that you just can't wait to go back to? That has a special place in your heart? Where is it and why did you love it?

A Touch of America

A Touch of America: Memoirs of an Austrian Fulbright Scholarby Wilma Shine

Set in America after World War II, this book details an Austrian woman’s adventures when she journeys to the United States as a Fulbright scholar. She starts in Arizona, where she meets up with her beau and has adventures in Mexico, Tombstone and the Grand Canyon. She then travels around several States, including New York, Pennsylvania and California. 

I was interested in reading this book because I was excited to see what America looks like from a foreigner’s eyes. However, it is more of a journal style play by play of where she went and what she did. It is not really spiced up as much as it could be. I feel like she went to many interesting places that could have been described in a bit more detail and with more pizazz. I don’t mean to say that she needed to needlessly embellish something that was nothing special, but I do think that more description was needed.  I would have liked to hear more about her impressions of where she went, and what it looked like for the first time. 

I also felt like the man that she came to visit in the beginning kind of disappeared all of a sudden. At first, I thought the book would have more of a tale of what happened to them, but she kind of stops talking about him and never really picks it back up. Also, the book was kind of hastily wrapped up, without a lead in to the conclusion. 

I was very interested in her tales of what it was like to be a Fulbright scholar, as far as what she had to do. She had to do a lot of public speaking, where she explained what life was like in Austria, to both children and adults. She also talked a lot about the relationships she formed, especially with the Native Americans, while she was traveling. I would have liked to hear more about her adventures as a representative of her country. 

I don’t want you to get the idea that I think this book was bad. I just feel that it could have been more descriptive. I give it a 3 out of 4. 

I received a complimentary copy of A Touch of America: Memoirs of an Austrian Fulbright Scholar as a member of the  Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team.Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

Can You Spare Some Change?

Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.
Hugh Prather

I bet you thought I was going to talk about money. Well, I'm not. I AM going to talk about change, but not the dollar and cents kind. 

I have been working in the same location for about 3 months. I have a manager who I finally figured out what he wants. I have coworkers who I know and trust and can call up if I need advice or help or a coffee break. I have clients that I have developed a relationship with. They know me (and maybe even like me). I have a running trail and I know exactly how long it takes to get there and back and where each mile point is. I have a grocery store close by. I know exactly how long it takes to get to the airport from here. I have a kitchen in my hotel room and I can make a big meal and stockpile it for the week.

Well, just like Mr. Prather (above) says, just when you get comfortable, boom! That is when things change. We have finished our work here and are moving on today, to a new city, with new clients, a new manager, and new coworkers. I will be in a new hotel and have to figure out where the best place to run is. I don't WANT to have to figure it out. I want to be where I know what I am doing. I hate the feeling of not knowing. I don't have time to check it out. I want to know NOW. (Violet Beauregard anyone!?)   

The only hotel is a Holiday Inn. No kitchen. I will be lucky if I have a fridge and a coffee pot. Not that I am snobby about the hotel, but I do like to have certain amenities to help me eat cheaper and healthier. I have not yet found any running trails. I have to run 17 miles the weekend after next. I really don't want to have to run on the streets the whole time. 

Some people like change. A new hairdo, new house, new dinner menu or new friends. I am not adverse to any of those...sometimes... but usually I stick with what I know, the same long hair, a big pot of chili and that great girlfriend who you can tell anything to. Those are comfortable. They take less time and effort. So maybe that is what is scary about change, you have to take more time and work harder in order to make it work.  Or maybe you just anticipate having to work harder, whether that is the reality or not.

I am sure I will go to the new place and then new manager will be a great guy and all my new coworkers will be very helpful and the running trail will eventually be found and my new hotel will have free healthy dinners ever day (okay I just made that one up). It's hard, starting at the beginning again. But I've done it over and over, as much as I don't like it (and let me tell you, that's a lot). And I can do it again. Everything will work out in the end. I know everything will be fine. But right now I am not looking forward to it.  

Do you like change? What is a big change that has happened in your life recently? How did you deal with it? 

***Also, we have a winner for the My Memories Giveaway... picked by Random.org***

** Lisa of Lisa's Yarns ** 

I will contact you via email to confirm details!  

Autumn Brown

Time to grab a beer!! This one is a new one for me. I live close to Chico, where the Sierra Nevada Brewery is, but have never tried this Autumn Brown Ale (photo credit). I think I would like it, as it looks dark enough for my tastes. Hmmm..

You know the drill. This is the point where we grab a beverage, make yourself comfortable and enjoy a recap of the week (a la Kim's Look What I Did Last Week).

This week was a busy one. I had the day off on Monday, so the (short) work week was more hectic than normal. Plus we are trying to finish up work in the area we are in and will be moving to a new area on Monday. So of course this week has consisted of tying up a bunch of loose ends and finding out at the last minute what the issues with certain projects are. Monday will be the last meeting and then we are out of here!

On top of that, I have been training for the marathon and so have spent most of my evenings running, running, showering, driving to running and....washing running clothes. But...in between all that, here is what else I did this week.

I got more books from the library. My stack is growing.

Beware of the Evil Gost.

The running shorts get funkier and funkier! 

I went to New York. I love New York. Really, not just the I heart kind but REALLY. 

We went to Le Parisien for dinner. Yum.

I couldn't resist. Pluck U too buddy. 

We met a friend at Zabars for some cheese shopping. I love cheese. 

Almost as much as I love New York. 

We went to see the Freedom Tower. Expected to be done in...2021.

And of course, no trip to NYC is complete without a trip to Central Park. 

Goodbye New York. I will miss you.

Or should I say...Until Next Time. 

You can read about some of my other trips to NYC HERE. 

What is your favorite place to visit in the Fall? Do you have a place you keep going back to over and over? Do YOU heart NY? What did you do this week?