Father's Day 10K

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll remember that I used to be a member of a local running club.  If you have been reading from the start, you'll remember that this blog actually started in 2009 as a place where I described what it was like to train for the National Half Marathon in order to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in honor of my dad.  If you're new(ish) to the blog, you probably haven't read many posts about running because I haven't done much of it since I got pregnant.  In fact, I found out I was pregnant immediately before the first club race of 2011; I hadn't been feeling well and I wanted to make sure I wasn't pregnant before I went out in the cold and tried to push myself hard for 5k... but I was pregnant!  This means that after running a race about once a month starting in February 2009, I haven't run a race since my last 15k in December 2010.  


So when I started running again about two months ago, I decided I was going to aim for completing my club's Father's Day 10K.  I love this distance, and I was really bummed to have to miss the race last year because there are a lot of reasons I associate running with my dad.  Plus, the last time I ran this race, the weather was unusually hot and humid, I pushed myself harder than I meant to, I ran out of gas, and I got sick after crossing the finish line.  So I wanted a do-over.  When I casually began running again in late May, 6.2 miles sounded like way too many, but I found that I was able to run 2 miles without stopping to walk after only 2 or 3 runs.  Then I could run 4 miles without walking, and then I ran 5 just to make sure I could do 6.  I actually couldn't believe how easy it was to get back to running.  I thought I'd have to get my lungs and legs back into shape all over again, but I guess that after 2+ years of regular running and 9 months of lighter cardio, the body can go 7 months without doing anything and still maintain a fairly good level of fitness.  The weather on Sunday was perfect for race day, and Billy was kind enough to kick off his Father's Day watching Nora so I could head to the race.  (It ended right smack in the middle of her naptime, so we decided it would be better for them to stay home, even though I was bummed that this would be the first time Billy wouldn't be waiting for me at the finish line.  Hopefully they can come next time.)


I left all of my timing equipment at home because I was afraid I'd try to run too fast; my only goal was to finish.  I decided that if I was still feeling good around 4 miles I'd push myself to finish strong, and that's what I was able to do.  My average pace was about a minute and a half slower than my usual race pace, but all things considered, that was much better than I was expecting to do when I first set this goal for myself.  I loved getting out there again.  I learned that neon colors, running skirts, and those toe shoes have really taken over since I ran my last race.  There was even one guy running in what I'd describe as flip flops, which someone told me are actually called "invisible shoes."  They may be "invisible" but they are not "silent."  Thankfully he was way faster than me because the flip flop sound would've driven me crazy.  The one nuisance of running at this slower pace was getting caught amongst people who alternated between walking and running slightly faster than me.  I hate getting passed in these races, so it irritated me to keep getting passed by people who would then stop to walk, allowing me to pass them.  I guess this is just one more reason to keep working toward getting back to my normal pace!


It felt great spend the run thinking over all the running memories I've had with my dad.  It felt great run hard to the finish line and cross it.  It felt great to see young kids milling around with their parents and know that in a few years, Nora will be able to do the same.  It felt great to drive back home and talk about the race with Billy and Hernie, a friend of ours from college who visited us over the weekend.  I'm not very fast, and I don't intimidate anyone out there on the course, and really, I'm not "racing" anyone but myself and whoever happens to be ahead of me when the finish line comes in sight.  (I have to try to pass this person, always.  Dad taught me to do it, and now I can't really help it.)  But running these races is one of my "things" and it was really great to be able to do it again, this time as a mom.

At the Bay

Yesterday I ran the Down's Park 5 Miler, which I also ran and wrote about last year.  It was actually my first race since August, and I really enjoyed it.  I haven't been feeling too great, and I certainly can't afford to get sick at this point in the semester, so I tried to put my competitive urges on the back burner and run it just for fun.  It was, indeed, quite fun.  It was chilly, but the course runs through the fall foliage at the park and along the Chesapeake Bay, so along with my own heavy breathing I got to hear the sounds of the water lapping on the rocks and the leaves crunching under peoples' feet.  I ran it three minutes slower than last year, but I think I still finished with a good enough time to secure 3rd place in my running club's year long "Championship Series" for my group, so I was pleased with that.  They still haven't posted results online, so I can't be sure, but I'll update with that info and the pictures from the photographer when they're available.  Billy, as always, came to cheer me on, to meet me halfway so I could hand off my gloves.  Somewhere in the midst of all of that he took the photos of the bay above and watched an 11 year old girl beat every other woman in the race.  (Because of the way the course loops around, I could hear the crowd cheering for the winners when I was just past halfway, which was really funny.)

It has been quite a hectic past few weeks, which helped to increase the satisfaction of spending some time outdoors breathing the fresh air and watching the sun come up.  I'm beginning to check things off the endless list of responsibilities, though.  While the end of this semester is not yet in sight, I'm managing to prioritize my work appropriately and feel pretty good about where I am right now.  In the past, the last 6 weeks or so of the semester have always seemed so terribly overwhelming, but I'm trying to adopt a different approach this semester, which is also kind of inspired by the running.  Thinking about having 2 miles left to go is much less daunting when you focus on the fact that three miles are already behind you.  So rather than focusing on all that I have left to do, I've been trying to think retrospectively, as well, at all I've managed to accomplish in the past few weeks.  This helps to give me confidence that I'll be able to tackle the goals ahead, as well.

One of the things I'm glad to have in the rear-view mirror now is my presentation at the Reading Comparatively conference, about which I last wrote.  After spending several weeks condensing, reshaping, and practicing my paper, I felt pretty good about delivering it at the conference, and I was legitimately excited to share my research findings with more people than just my professor.  We had a pretty good turnout for the talk-- I think there were over 20 people in the audience, including quite a few of my own professors.  Vickie also came to see what the conference was like and to provide moral support. It was fun for me to have her get a glimpse into what I do, even if that glimpse just revealed to her in more detail just how nerdy I am.

I was the first to present in my panel, and then there were presentations given by another grad student and two professors.  One of them is a pre-eminent scholar in the field.  One of them is currently on a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, working on her second book.  The other one is currently on his second yearlong dissertation fellowship.  So, to say the least, I was expecting to get zero questions/comments about my own paper unless someone thought my conclusions were absolutely wrong.  However, I got all the questions/comments.  I don't know whether I should consider this a sign that my paper was the least well articulated, or that the audience found it interesting, so I've decided it is probably a combination of the two factors.

First, the professor for whom I wrote the paper (and who organized the conference) suggested he had learned a lot from my paper, which was especially exciting news considering that edited the book I wrote about and he edits the Norton Anthology of American Literature.  He also made a suggestion about connecting my argument to Uncle Tom's Cabin, after which one of my co-panelists suggested another text that I might want to look into.  Then another one of my professors asked a series of questions that basically boiled down to "Okay, interesting discoveries, but why should anyone care?"  I gave what I felt like was an honest answer to that question (which I do think I had addressed in the paper itself, if more briefly than I would have liked to have done).  Then a friend of mine who introduced the panel asked the other grad student to talk about his paper in relationship to mine, and his answer gave me some really interesting things to think about in regards to my own argument.  The professor who organized the conference also suggested that he'd like to hold a longer symposium on the topic of "law and literature," which was the theme of our panel, so I might get a chance to give an expanded version of the talk in the spring.  This would be helpful for me, as well, since he thinks I should continue working with my argument in order to get it published.

It's nice to come away from anything feeling like the work you put into it had paid off, so getting to experience that with my race this weekend and my presentation on Friday made for a good couple of days.  I feel ready to take on the rest of the term, which is exactly what I wrote about after the Down's Park 5 Miler last year.  And that semester turned out pretty well for me, didn't it?

("At the Bay" is Katherine Mansfield short story, from her The Garden Party collection.  I wish she was American so I could call her my own.)

Old Friends and New

At the end of July, my childhood friend Kelsey paid us a visit for around 10 days.  She's currently enrolled in an Occupational Therapy graduate program at the University of Washington, and she applied for a weeklong internship at Johns Hopkins so she could come pay us a visit while also completing one of her program's requirements.  Kelsey was on my new soccer team when I moved to Oregon before fifth grade, and we've been friends ever since.  She, Krista, and I grew up together and logged more hours in one another's company than many people who actually live together, I think.  For eight years we participated in the same activities and took the same classes, but for the past ten years we've lived in different states and, at times, different countries, so it was interesting for me to think about the ways we've changed.

It was great to have Kelsey here to see what my life is like now and to have a chance to share some of my favorite experiences with her.  We had been hoping to go hiking in Harpers Ferry the first weekend she was here, but with temperatures over 100 degrees, that wasn't possible.  She was working pretty long hours at the hospital, but we still managed to squeeze in several fun activities during her visit.

On her first day in town, we all headed down to Annapolis.  She needed some new running shoes, so I took her to the running shop that sponsors our Annapolis Striders races and the owner helped her find the perfect shoe.  In addition to walking around downtown in the heat and grabbing lunch, Billy took this photo of us in front of Ego Alley.

Midweek, we took a break from schizophrenia case studies and German homework to head down to Fells Point in Baltimore for their summertime outdoor movie.  Kelsey thought Fells was a cool neighborhood, and we enjoyed dinner and gelato and sat down to watch the movie.  Then we decided we were too tired to sit outside to watch a movie we could barely see or hear, so we headed home.  Just in case we needed a reminder that we're not 16 anymore.  : )  Here we are on the Fells pier in front of the Harbor.

On Kelsey's second weekend here, Billy's family got crabs, so she got to see why they're called "Blue Crabs" and why Old Bay is sold in a 2 gallon container.   I think she ate two, which is two more than I ate.  I'm glad Kelsey got to experience this quintessential Maryland tradition and spend a little bit of time with Billy's family.

Kelsey was also here for the most recent Annapolis Striders race, so she ran the 8k with me.  Or, I should say, she ran the 8k far ahead of me-- she's fast!  She has participated in several large races, including the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon and whole bunch of shorter races, but this was the first time she'd run in a race hosted by a running club.  She couldn't believe how cheap it was!  It sounds like she has caught the running bug, and she just started training for a marathon, so I was glad to help her experience what I see as the advantages of participating in smaller local races.  For the first time in a while, I really enjoyed the race.  The weather has been so hot that I have hardly run outside in the past month, so I wasn't sure how I'd do, but the temps cooled down for the race and I was able to post a time that was one minute faster than last year's time for the same race.  I felt great throughout the race and the course is sort of cross-country style through trails, so it was definitely a fun change from the past two races where I've felt pretty miserable.  I don't know why Kelsey felt compelled to capture this moment on film, but since she did, here's the photo. : )

Later that day, we took Kelsey to the opening weekend of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic (more on that in an upcoming post), and though she doesn't follow tennis, I think she enjoyed being out in the sun (while it lasted) and seeing some high quality play up close.  She didn't know who any of the players were, but she dutifully took pictures of them as if she thought they were as big a deal as I do.  : )  She also got to join me and Billy for our first ever rain delay at the tournament which was, unfortunately, not the last.  You can tell from the photo that everything is damp.

While she was here, we also went to see Inception (which I now want to see a second time), she got to experience Sunday morning breakfast at Panera with Danielle, and I think she did more shopping than she has probably done all year.  Having Kelsey and Vickie stay with us has made me realize how much shopping I do without actually buying anything, because those two go with me to be nice and then they end up buying while I walk out empty handed.  I finally made my first purchase in quite a while when I took Kelsey shopping in Georgetown, and since I did not follow the directions I'd written down on the way into or out of DC, she got to see plenty of the city!  After opting out of waiting in line for a Georgetown Cupcake, she discovered a s'mores/krispy treat hybrid at Dean & Deluca which I promptly plan to replicate.  She also spent a morning in McKeldin while I went to German class, and she marveled at our beautiful mall.  She claims that it could also be called a quad, in which she is obviously mistaken, because look how un-quadish it is! : )

In general, I think the time Kelsey and I have spent apart has made more evident the differences in our personalities that I completely overlooked when we were young.  It was interesting to talk to Kelsey about the priorities we have in our lives right now and realize how differently we think through the issues we face in our lives.  I realized that these days the people I seek out as friends share worldviews nearly identical to my own, but spending time with Kelsey reminded how helpful it can be to participate in friendships with people who look at the world differently.  I always try to look at issues from every angle I can think of, but there are always angles I can't think of, and speaking to those people who see them naturally can certainly help me to see the whole picture.

And because it would be remiss to not mention it, I MUST add that Krista had her new baby girl last week!!  Evie Kate was born healthy on August 4!  Krista said that she looks like Clara but with Jordan's coloring instead of her own, and I definitely agree.  It's funny that it worked out this way because I have been saying for months I want her to look just like Clara but with dark curly hair, and Kelsey said something similar when she visited... and now here the little one is, satisfying our expectations!  Visit the Hoffmanns' blog to read more about Evie's arrival.

(Old Friends and New is a short story collection by Sarah Orne Jewett.  I am actually surprised to realize that I've never read any of the stories collected in this volume, so I looked at Willa Cather's collection titled The Best Stories of Sarah Orne Jewett, and it appears that Willa didn't consider Old Friends and New to be Ms. OJ's finest work.  Mystery solved.)

The Perfect Mile

I've been super busy, and I realize I've been neglecting the blog.  I mean to tell you what I've been up to, but the days have been slipping away even more quickly than usual!  This week is the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, so I'm actually sitting at my new desk on campus, waiting for my friend Anne-Marie to get here so we can head over to Rock Creek Park to catch today's action.  In the meantime, though, this year the Annapolis Striders have a photographer on the course snapping pictures, and he just recently uploaded hundreds from the most recent races (thanks, Rob Smith!).  I thought I'd post them here to share with you until I have more time to write--

June: Father's Day 10K Photos

That's me in the middle!

I snuck right into the corner of this next one, but I'm including it because you can see Patti, Chuck, and Billy cheering for me as I near the finish:

And in case you were wondering what I look like immediately before I throw up, here's this one:

July: One Mile Track Run 

I can't tell if that's a look of determination or desperation, but please note that I was properly attired in my Livestrong gear to celebrate the final weekend of the Tour de France.

August: 8K Cross Country Run

I'm wearing a white top and black shorts in these.  If that doesn't help you identify me, I'm the one in the middle who looks like she's walking in both photos.  I don't know why it looks like that-- it was only the start of the race!

And it might be even harder to find me in this one, but that's me running up the hill right past the mile marker, trying to pass the guy in all black.

I promise I'll be back to give you the recap on the cross country race and everything else I've been doing once I get a break from all the excitement of out-of-town visitors, an intensive German class, and an exciting tennis tournament!

(The Perfect Mile is a book by Neal Bascomb that documents the competition between Bannister, Santee, and Landy to be the first man to run a mile under 4 minutes in the 1950s.  I haven't read it but I'm sure I'd be fascinated by it!)

The Summons

I've survived week 1 of a my super-busy three week span!  Though most of the campus is quiet during the summer, this is actually the busiest time of year for my job.  I'm in charge of processing the paperwork and computer data for all of our adjunct lecturers and graduate assistants by July 31, which, not coincidentally, is the final day of my own appointment in the office.  We have about 80 graduate assistants and 80 adjunct lecturers in our department, so you can imagine that this process is pretty time consuming.  For the past year, I've been filling in for my old full-time officemate, who accepted a job in another department.  Several months after she left, they replaced her by promoting another one of my officemates, and then they finally hired someone to replace that officemate, so after I go they will have a full-time person to occupy this job again.  I've been trying to do a 40 hour job in 20 hours per week, and though I'm glad I've been able to help the department, I'm thankful to be moving back to teaching in August.

These three weeks are extra busy because in addition to my office job, I've taken on a 6 week Intermediate German class which meets four days a week.  I'm taking it to try to reacquire my German proficiency, and after I complete the course, I hope to be able to pass the foreign language exam that's required for my PhD degree.  Ultimately, I'd love to get a firm enough command on my German to be able to read German-American immigrant texts from before, during, and after WW1 (though the language was officially outlawed for a while, the stuff is still out there).  For now, though, I'm taking one hurdle at a time.

I am really enjoying the German class.  I was hoping to audit it, but the German department is forcing me to take it for credit and the grade will show up on my transcript, so I feel some extra pressure to do well.  I took four years of German in high school and one semester in college, and though I never reached the level of fluency that I might have attained if I'd traveled to Germany, I was a fairly capable German speaker back then.  When I arrived to class on Monday and was handed a "placement quiz," I realized just how much of the language I had lost.  I couldn't remember how to conjugate any verbs and I couldn't even think of how to write the plural form of "you."  It's really fun to see how quickly it is coming back, though.  It's fascinating to me that I can pull words I had all-but-forgotten out of the cobwebs of my brain.  Shortly after I answered a yes or no question with "si," I correctly used the word "Schauspieleren," which is German for "actress."

There is a "culture" portion of the curriculum that is essentially unrelated to my reasons for taking the course, but I find it really interesting nonetheless.  Some of the more surprising things I've learned in the first week of class include:
-My instructor, who is my age and is working on her PhD in Germanic Studies, was born in East Germany (DDR) and got choked up talking about the fall of the Berlin Wall.  She told us that before the wall came down she had never seen a grape or a banana, that her father waited 20 years to be given permission to buy a car, and that she was almost expelled from her school at age 7 for asking what all the blank spaces on the map were.  (She says only Communist countries were labelled.)
-She did say she misses the camaraderie her old neighborhood had before the fall of the DDR.  She said "we had no money and so everyone was kind."
-My instructor also claims that nobody in Germany flies the German flag or demonstrates German patriotism except during the World Cup, when German flags hang from every window and people paint their faces on match days.  She says that if you hung a German flag at any other time, people would think you were a Nazi.
-On a related note, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin was seriously damaged during WWII, but the Germans did not repair it, and it stands as a war memorial.  My instructor said they left it alone "so we can never forget what we did."
-She also told us that the US planned to drop an atomic bomb on Dresden but changed their minds.  Google hasn't helped me verify the validity of this statement, but when I asked her why we targeted Dresden and not Berlin, she said "because the Germans love Dresden most."  This rationale seems to stand up, at least-- my web surfing reveals that the fire bombing of Dresden is believed to have achieved so little military advantage that it is considered a war crime by many and an act of terrorism by others.
-If you are a young American man who would like to date my beautiful German instructor, and you take her to see "Inglorious Basterds," that will be your last date with her.
-The German word for diarrhea translates roughly as "it falls out."
-UMd undergraduates in 2010 make the same jokes about drinking alcohol in Germany that WLHS underclassmen made in 1998.  If I had a dollar for every time I'd heard someone say "Bier ist gut!" I could finance a trip to Germany.
Another thing I'm noticing about myself and the German class is how fun it is to work on something completely different than literary studies while still working on my degree.  It feels like I'm taking a "break," but at the same time, I still feel productive because I'm being proactive about my degree requirements.  I hope it continues to be interesting and fun.

The other highlight of my week was my trip to traffic court.  Did I really just write that?  Yes, I thought it was BS when I got pulled over just off campus for "running a stop sign."  I believe I stopped.  Both officers who approached my car peered into my vehicle while they were speaking to me, so I assumed they were looking for someone/something else and would let me go with a warning... but a $90 ticket and 1 point on my license later, I found out they were serious.  This marks my first traffic violation since 1998.  I decided to go to court, and figured I'd plead guilty in hopes of getting the point taken off my license.  After watching a few people go ahead of me, I decided to "explain" that I thought I had stopped but I may have failed to come to a complete stop.  The judge issued me "probation before judgment," my fine was reduced to $9.50 plus $25.50 in court costs, and the point was suspended.  If you don't care what happened in traffic court, feel free to stop reading, but I find these kinds of interactions very intriguing, so I thought I'd share a few things I learned in court.
1) If you're ticketed by a UMd officer, expect him to show up in court.  They seem to have more spare time than other police officers in PG County.  Mine entered the courtroom and fist-bumped two bailiffs, the court reporter, and the Spanish translator.  At this point pleading guilty felt like an even better idea.
2) When the judge begins his directions with "Make sure your shirttails are tucked in and your pants are around your waist before you approach my bench," he means it.  The first guy walked up with an untucked polo shirt and khakis and was promptly instructed to "exit the courtroom, tuck in your shirttails, and return to your seat.  Your case will be called again after we've gone through the rest of the docket."
3) When the judge explains how the proceedings will go, listen.  He didn't say "If your officer is not present, don't plead guilty," but he said everything short of this to get the idea across.  My benchmate was called up after Mr. Shirttails was excused, told by the judge that his officer was not present, and asked how he would plead.  His answer?  "Um, guilty."  Poor kid.  The judge told him to sit back down.  I said "Did you just plead guilty when your officer is not here?" to which he responded "Oh, God."  The officer sitting in front of us turned around, gave him a "What is wrong with you?" look, and gave him some suggestions about asking to change his plea.  Everyone else who plead guilty was asked for an explanation and then issued a reduced fine, so I think the judge told him to sit down so he could call him up again at the end after giving him a chance to realize his mistake.  I felt bad for him.  It's awful going first.
4) If you get a ticket for "operating a bicycle with earphones in both ears," do not: a) claim you did not know it was against the law, b) explain that you're a musical theater student and were listening to classical music very low, c) suggest that you were listening to the music to study for a test that you were going to take when you arrived at your destination, d) claim that the University is responsible for not offering a bicycle safety course, e) answer "the volume was turned down" when the judge asks you "even if you didn't know it was illegal, does it seem safe to ride with headphones on?"  Certainly do NOT do all of these things while also adopting an "I'm better than this garbage" attitude.  If you do, the bailiff will moan, groan, roll his eyes back in his head, shift his weight, etc.  The judge will tell you that ignorance of the law is not an excuse and reduce your fine by only $10 (which will mean your fine has actually gone up due to the court costs).  Then, if you snatch the form out of the annoyed bailiff's hand, he will follow you down the aisle and whisper loudly "If you do that again, I will knock you out."  (When I went to pay the cashier, this student was registering a complaint about the bailiff.  I wish I could have stayed to see how it was resolved.)
5) Beyonce might be in her late 20s, but her "booty is popping like a teenager's" and therefore "Jay-Z knows what he's doing."  At least according to the gentlemen discussing it behind me.

I also had my one mile track race Saturday morning.  I was hoping to run it in under 7:45 so I could beat my PR as a 13 year old track star (ha!), but it didn't go according to plan.  I ran a 7:51 last weekend on the track, and two separate miles in the 7:40s on the treadmill this week, but I finished the race yesterday in 8:01.  Like last time, it was about 80 degrees with humidity above 90%, and I could feel the extra heat emanating from the fieldturf surface inside the track.  Awful.  I've decided that yes, it's hard cardiovascularly to perform well in these conditions, but they ruin my mental approach, too.  Normally, I hate getting beaten, and I love chasing people down at the finish.  This time it was like I could feel the heat sapping away my will to compete and I just didn't care.  I'm not horribly disappointed with 8:01, especially given the conditions, but obviously I feel like I could have done better.  After seeing the standings in the Championship series this morning, yesterday's race can be classified as "mission accomplished."  I only went because I didn't want to fall behind in the standings, and since most of my "competitors" didn't participate, I actually moved up from 3rd place into 2nd.  The girl in first place consistently runs much better times than me, so I don't think I can catch her, but my paces are pretty competitive with everyone else below her, so this was a good boost.

I have another 8k race in about two weeks, and I am crossing all my fingers and toes that the weather cooperates.  My good friend Kelsey from back home is visiting, though, and her visit coincides with the run, so it will be fun to have run it with me even if she beats me by several minutes.  It would be nice to have cooler weather for her visit in general.  I love the heat more than most people, but I'm getting tired of being trapped inside when it looks beautiful out but is so hot that the NWS advises you to avoid being outdoors.

(The Summons is a 2002 novel by John Grisham.  In 1994, when I was 12, I got ahold of someone's copy of The Client and then promptly moved on to A Time to Kill, The Firm, and The Pelican Brief.  Thereafter I read The Chamber, The Rainmaker, and The Runaway Jury, and The Partner before I lost interest.  I don't remember much about them, outside A Time to Kill, which was always my favorite, but this evidently amounts to over 3,600 John Grisham pages read before I was 15.  I think this classifies as one of a long line of events which indicated that my reading habits have always been fairly unusual.)

Just Me and My Dad

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

My local running club holds a father's day 10k every year.  I really like this idea, because running reminds me of my dad.  When my dad was my age, he ran, too, until his doctor told him he had to stop.  When I was 14 and trying out for the WLHS soccer team, and I was required to run 2 miles as part of the try out, he helped me run 2 miles in 16 minutes as part of my training.  (That's still the fastest 2 miles I've ever run, I believe.)  When I was 21, my dad flew to Chicago to see me run in the Chicago Marathon.  Last year, I decided that running a half marathon to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation was the best way I could honor my dad's fight with cancer, and I've been running ever since.  In last year's Father's Day 10k, I ran my best 10k time with the best race pace I've run in any race, ever.  I was extra excited for this year's race because Billy's parents, Patti and Chuck, were planning to come cheer me on.

This morning, I ran my worst race ever-- no exaggeration.  It was around 80 degrees with high humidity at race time.  I was doing well through mile 4 (of 6.2) and then I bonked.  During mile 5, I thought I was going to throw up.  During mile 6, I thought I was going to have to stop to walk.  But the signs they had placed up along the course kept reminding me it was father's day, so I thought about what my dad would have said: just keep going until you can't go anymore.  And I found that I could keep going until I crossed the finish line, even though my time was about 6 or 7 minutes slower than last year's PR, even though I lost my most recent cup of water after I stopped.  Oops.  

I know what my dad would have said then, too.  "Are you okay?" followed by "at least you finished hard."  That's what my dad has taught me my whole life, and continues to teach me in his own battle with cancer: accept the challenge, remain determined, and finish as hard as you can.  That way, even if the  results you achieve are not necessarily what you had hoped for, you know you've given it your best shot.

Thanks, Dad.

(Just Me and My Dad is a children's book from the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer.  I loved these books when I was a kid, and I couldn't choose any title from "classic literature," because for a multitude of reasons, "father" seems to be a bad word among writers.)

A Worn Path

I completed my first race of the year this morning- the Cherry Pit Ten Miler!  It felt great to be out on the pavement again, and the weather was perfect.  It was sunny, clear, and about 60 degrees.

My head cold didn't bother me, but all the hills and my iPod's refusal to power on did.  I guess those things didn't slow me down too much, though, because I finished in 1:37:14.  This is a slight improvement over my Army Ten Miler time of 1:37:54, which surprised me.  I trained for that race four days a week for eight weeks, and this time, I only ran on Saturdays for six weeks to prepare.  I think it's fair to say I overtrained last time.

Billy came to cheer me along as he always does.  He snapped this photo as I approached the finish.  I caught this woman right before the finish line, but she sped up for a few steps, and I think she finished about one step ahead of me.

Today is also Nate's 31st Birthday!  In honor of his birth, I've put together a collage of the photos I took last time I saw him, for Vickie's 21st Birthday:

That feels like it was a long time ago.  I am glad we will get to see him again in just about a month for Vickie's graduation.

Hope you are all enjoying your Sunday!

(A Worn Path is probably Eudora Welty's most famous and widely anthologized short story.  It's not about running, but it is about the lengths we go to for the ones we love.)

A Separate Peace

Vickie has returned to Valpo, but her week here was a nice respite from the stress of the semester. I had to go to campus a couple days and couldn't fall too far behind on my work, but I had gotten far enough ahead to be able to enjoy her visit without stressing too much about taking some time off.

She arrived with a birthday gift for Oscar: the Snuggie for dogs. His expression aptly represents his feelings about it. He might be able to answer the phone while wearing this Snuggie, but it kept his legs from bending in the fashion necessary for jumping up on the couch, so he was not a fan. He'd much rather lay on your legs underneath a conventional blanket. He didn't seem to hold it against Vickie, however, and he joined her in bed every morning after Billy and I got up.

We got to do some fun things while she was here. She and Billy came to watch my Thanksgiving 10k on Sunday, and I surprised myself by finishing only 10 seconds slower than my best 10k time, so that was exciting. I think Billy must have enjoyed having her along so he could discuss the different runners' fashions while waiting for me to show up at the finish line. We got dinner and drinks with friends in Federal Hill and celebrated a friend's birthday in Canton. What says "Baltimore" better than the Domino Sugars sign?

We went up to PA with Billy's family for Thanksgiving, and everyone got plenty of delicious food to eat. Vickie and I ate more than our fair share of the Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cookies we had prepared to take. We managed to get in a little bit of shopping, and we went to see "The Blind Side" yesterday before she left. Oscar enjoyed plenty of extra attention while she was here, which made me feel a little bit less guilty about the fact that he has spent much of the past 4 months sitting on my lap while I read. Although he did a fair amount of that with Vickie, as well.

Mostly, though, Vickie, Billy, and I sat around and joked with each other and laughed. Once in a while I need a reminder that if everything else fell away, I would still be fortunate for the people I have in my life and what a good time I have when we're together. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful most of all that Vickie came to visit to remind me that this is a good life I have. I hope that she will be as fortunate as I have been in my post-graduation years. And I'm looking forward to the week at the end of December during which I'll get to see most of my family members without having to open a book once. (We all know I'll open at least one book. But I won't have to.)

But for now, it's back to Ranciere and the Politics of Aesthetics. After all, time and tide wait for no [wo]man, and there is a lot to do before Dec 17. At least now, the end is finally in sight!

(A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a classic coming-of-age tale about the relationship between two adolescent boys. It's kind of heartbreaking, actually, but I can't help reading it every couple of years.)

Had a Good Time

Once in a while, I need to remind myself to stop and take. a. deep. breath. Today, I did.

Billy and I woke up early this morning so I could run the Down's Park 5 miler. I thought this could be interesting, considering I have run a total of 5 miles since the Army 10 miler. (I've been going to the gym with Billy instead.) It was below freezing when I woke up. But the run was fantastic. I felt good, I finished well, and the course was beautiful. Most of it took me through trails and trees with changing leaves, but around mid-way, the course ran right along the Chesepeake Bay. And my husband was waiting for me at the finish line. Here's a photo I found online of the sun coming up over the pier, as it was today:

After the run, Danielle picked me up and we drove up to Harrisburg, PA, and met up with Erin, who had driven down from Syracuse. It was the first time we've gotten to see her since her wedding in July. After catching up over Panera, we took a trip through the mall, and made it to the sports bar in time to see NAVY BEAT NOTRE DAME!!

It was great to see the girls. I have missed them. And it was great to see for myself that after an indeterminate first few months, things have fallen into place and Erin is really happy in her new life up in NY.

I also returned to discover that my friend from grad school, Anne-Marie, has started a new blog about life in Baltimore. It guarantees to provide a fresh perspective on the city. (Vickie might be interested to know that her co-contributor is a nurse living and working in the city. Nudge.)

I feel rested. I feel ready to conquer the rest of the semester. I feel lucky to have such a loving husband and great friends, even though we're spread far and wide across the country.

And how about those mids, anyway?!

(Had a Good Time: Stories from American Postcards is a brilliantly conceived collection of short stories by Robert Olen Butler. He collects vintage postcards, and in this book, he writes stories inspired by the contents of some of his favorite ones.)

One of Ours

Billy's grandfather, who we all call Pop, passed away on Saturday. He has been battling serious health problems for about two years now, and although the family members were all aware that this day was not far off, I don't think you can really prepare for losing a loved one.I feel terrible for Billy, who was really close to his grandfather. I've always loved hearing stories about the goofy things Pop did when Billy was growing up. It's awful to know that your husband is hurting, but there isn't anything you can do to help.

I can't imagine how hard this is for Patti, who has done everything she can for her dad her whole life, but especially these past two years. I know Pop was very appreciative of all the ways she and Chuck took care of him on a daily basis since he has needed medical attention. I hope that once her heartache is not so raw, Patti will be able to recognize that she helped keep her dad alive these past two years, which gave him the chance to see his great-grandson and enjoy several "extra" family gatherings.

My heart breaks for MomMom. She and Pop had been married 54 years. She has a large, supportive family, and I hope that in time she will find strength in them. But it must have been almost impossible to wake up this morning and know she had to face the first day without her partner.

As for me, I'll miss my friend. A few weeks after I moved out here, the family went to the Maryland State Fair. Everyone was walking quickly from place to place, and I felt bad leaving Pop behind, so I was walking in the back with him. From that point on, he was my buddy. At the large family gatherings that overwhelmed me for years, I always felt better if I could find a seat near Pop, because he would make jokes to me that nobody else could hear. He made me feel like part of the family right from the beginning. When I showed him the engagement ring Billy gave me, he said "I taught him right." One time we were talking about weddings, and Pop said he said he always knew Billy was going to marry me, and when I jokingly asked him if that was good news or bad news, he said he knew I was the right girl as soon as he met me. When he came to visit our house the first time, he asked me if he could move in. When Oscar was a puppy, and demonstrated his worst behavior whenever we had visitors, Pop always said "He's a good dog, Will." As it turns out, he was right. One time I was driving Pop to the store, and he decided that we should take a trip to Florida instead of driving back to the house. I said MomMom and Billy would probably miss us, and he said "They'd live." He always knew just what to say to get me to crack up laughing. Even when he was in the hospital he was always joking and laughing with the nurses and telling me if they'd given him pretty ones or not.

Life simply won't be the same without him around. Last night, Patti said something that I think sums it up best, when she said "Part of him is in each of you."

Although I wasn't in much of a competitive mood, I still decided to run the Army Ten Miler this morning. Billy was kind enough to come along and cheer me on. I crossed the finish line 11669th out of 21289 finishers, which was good enough to place 3801st out of 9566 women. I didn't set a personal record, and was about 3 minutes slower than my goal time, but I still enjoyed being out there with 30,000 people to support military families. I was thinking about my own favorite military family, the Hoffmanns (recently photographed here). It was cool to see people in shirts with pictures and names of the deployed friends and family members they were running for. A few groups of women were in matching outfits, with what must have been their husbands' names on the back. Several soldiers that had been wounded in action participated in the race, too. My husband managed to get a picture of me as I ran by him, smiling because I was halfway done and excited that I had found him in the crowd.


Whether it's the death of a loved one, or budget cuts, or unexpected hills at mile 9, I'm always thankful that I've found a man who makes the tough moments in life more managable. Popular music would have you believe that love is a battlefield, but with Billy, love means having a soft place to land. He's named after Pop, and I know that in many ways, he is his grandfather's grandson. I hope I get to keep my partner for 50+ years.

(The book referenced in the title is One of Ours by Willa Cather, a novel about life in the midwest, military service, and the loss of a family member.)

Legg Mason Opening Weekend

Another uninteresting week has passed at work. We said goodbye to Julia, which means that starting Monday, I will officially take over her responsibilities. I'm hoping that between my boss and myself, we will actually remember what all of those responsibilities are.

This morning I ran the Dog Days of Summer 8k, which is organized by our local running club. In June, I ran their Father's Day 10k and was excited to finish with a 9:10 mile pace. I have been working on getting down to 9:00 miles, but it's hard to train for speed in the Maryland heat. Today was a dog day of summer, indeed. It was only in the mid 70s for the race, but it was above 90% humidity. I finished with a pace of 9:44 miles, and overall I was just glad that I finished below a 10 minute pace. The course was really difficult-- lots of trail running with several steep inclines and declines. Billy said that several of the guys at the front of the pack said it was a difficult course, so that made me feel better. The women's division was won by a 10 year old girl who ran 7 minute miles-- that did not make me feel better. Now it's time for me to start training for the Army 10 Miler on October 4 in DC. My Nike+ sensor has been giving me problems, so I'm hoping I can get that fixed soon.

The most exciting news of the week, however, is the beginning of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in DC!! Last summer, Billy bought me tickets to both semifinal matches for my birthday. This year, they more than doubled the prize money and were designated an ATP 500 level tournament, so there are a lot more top players in the field. We wanted to go to the quarterfinal and semifinal matches, but for only a little bit more, we could buy tickets to the whole tournament. Happy Birthday, Liz! Billy is an ideal husband. Before we were married, he had no interest in the sport whatsoever. Now he not only tolerates my obsession but takes an active interest in the tournaments.

The tournament began on Saturday with the qualifying round. We saw some good tennis, and I was excited to see Josselin Ouanna (110) play up close. He beat Marat Safin in the second round of the French this year, and won his match yesterday against some bizarre Russian with a topknot and mismatched socks. When you're only sitting a few feet off the court, you really realize how hard they hit the ball and how fast it travels.

Today there were some more qualifying matches, and we saw the first two matches of the main draw. Both were fairly competitive and fun to watch. The best part of our trip out there today, though, was seeing the top players who were hitting on the practice courts. When we got there, Lleyton Hewitt (40) was hitting with Juan Martin del Potro (6). Hewitt looked good, and said "sorry, mate" every time he hit a bad shot. But even though it feels weird to be calling someone who is only a year older than me "old," he's starting to look old.
Del Potro looks like he has put on a lot of muscle since we saw him in the semis last year. He also looked out of shape when he was bending over this evian bin like he was about to heave. This leaves me doubtful about whether he will be able to defend his title, but we will see.

We also saw Marin Cilic (15) working on his serve. I am a little bitter that he recently knocked the US out of Davis Cup contention, but it was still cool to see him practice.

Ivo Karlovic (25) looks even taller in real life. In this crouch, I think he was still standing higher than me. I didn't get to see him serve, so I'm hoping to catch his match tomorrow.
Fernando Gonzalez (11) was also on the practice courts. If Hewitt looked old, Gonzalez looked ancient. His forehand is pretty unbelievable up close, though.
But the highlight was, of course, Mr. Andy Roddick (5). Shirtless, even. He is in unbelievable shape. As Billy noted, "he has a six pack on his back." I couldn't identify any lingering signs of the hip strain. I managed to avoid shrieking like a 12 year old girl. I also determined that if I was standing on the opposite baseline trying to return his serve, I would be unable to get my racket on it. I would probably try to swing about the time the ball hit the fence. Unbelievable.

Tomorrow Danielle and I will get to see more opening round matches. Wednesday I'll get to see the top seeds with Anne-Marie. Friday and Saturday Billy and I will attend the quarters and semis, at which point I hope Andy will still be in contention. Sunday we'll head over for the final, assuming we're interested in the matchup and can still stand sitting on the bleachers. What an exciting week!!

Happy Father's Day!

I hope everyone was able to enjoy some fun time with their families this weekend! Yesterday we went up to Pop's to spend some time with Patti's side of the family. This was our first time seeing Cash since his six month birthday, and he is crawling now, so he is full of energy! He also likes to be held up so he can hop around. He is looking less and less like a baby and more and more like a toddler! Pop's recent round of treatments seem to be improving his health a bit, so hopefully the summer months will continue to bring an improvement in his condition. Today we had Brian, Patti, and Chuck over to the house for dinner, after which we were joined by NaNa, Mr. Dick, Nancy, and Tony. It is always fun to have the family over to our house, and it reminds me how fortunate Billy and I are to have such a nice home that can accommodate so many guests. I wish that we could have spent some time with the fathers on my side of the family, but I trust that you all enjoyed your days out west! I am looking forward to seeing my own Dad in a few weeks and taking in Cooperstown with both him and Billy. I always wanted to go there with my dad when I was a kid-- I think ever since I saw it on "A League of Their Own" and Ken Burns' baseball miniseries. To be able to enjoy it with my dad and my husband will be a special bonus.

I kicked off the morning with a 10k race here in town. My friend Danielle had been training to run it with me, but unfortunately she has been feeling unwell and didn't think she could complete the race. I was disappointed that she couldn't join me, but she still came along to cheer me along, and Billy was there as always. Erin came out to see me finish, so my fan club was complete! I was hoping to run it in under 60:00, and I finished in 57:01, which is a pace of about 9:10 per mile, so I was really pleased with my performance. I really enjoy running on my own, because it helps me clear my head and relieve stress, but it is also a lot of fun to be racing against other people. When there are people to keep pace with and chase down, I don't notice my own fatigue as much, and I am able to run much faster times. I have an 8k coming up in August, and the Army 10 miler in DC in October, so I am hoping to continue improving my race pace while cutting back on miles a bit now that the weather is heating up. It is harder to get runs in, especially long ones, when the only comfortable times to hit the road are the few hours after sunrise and before sunset.

It has been another busy week. Billy and I got rear ended when he was driving my car home from dropping his car off for service, so now I have to get my bumper replaced. It seems like there is no end to these fender bender incidents when one's life necessitates commuting in the DC metro area. We continued to settle into the new building at work, and are finally working out the "kinks" of the new arrangements, so I am hoping that it will start feeling familiar soon. I finished watching the film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings and feel that I can now hold my own in a conversation with anyone about the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tonight while playing a game, I found myself irritated that the scrabble dictionary does not recognize "palantir" as a word, at which point I realized that it is probably best for me to take a break from nerd-land before I find myself playing World of Warcraft and visiting Renaissance Festivals (if any of my Tolkien friends are reading this, I adore you guys and acknowledge my own commensurate nerdiness, but you know this is true!!). This week I also watched Smart People (surely most English professors are NOT like this, right?), Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist ("We didn't miss it- this IS it"... loved it), and Gran Torino (who knew there were so many racial slurs with which I was not familiar? or that Clint Eastwood sings?). I'm also reading my way through "The Great War and Modern Memory." I've read parts of it before, but it's kind of required reading for someone who wants to specialize in Great War literature, so I'm revisiting it. I also had to write my C.V.-- ugh. The professors submit CVs that are upwards of 30 pages long and mine fits on one half page.

On a more somber note, a co-worker of Billy's who was one of the leaders of the James Webb Space Telescope project passed away this week. After discovering that he had a brain tumor, he underwent a high-risk surgical procedure in an attempt to remove it. After the surgery, he spent several days in ICU, but was ultimately unable to overcome the complications of the surgery. It has been humbling for me to think about it. I've often considered how terrible it must feel when an athlete suffers an injury and loses use of the body that has brought him success. It has always struck me how devastating it would be to know that at any moment, you could suffer an injury that would take away your livelihood as well as your ability to play the game you loved. I had never considered, however, that those of us who work with our minds could likewise lose our capacity to think properly in an instant. To realize that this man, who was determining the proper configuration for the set of mirrors that the telescope will use to look back in time, could suddenly find himself struggling to regain consciousness or hoping to regain the ability to speak is heartbreaking. I've always thought pursuing a career in academia was "safe" because no one could ever take my mind away from me, but I now realize how naive this thought was. I hope Billy's co-worker's friends and family members will find comfort in knowing that although his life was brief, he has contributed to projects that have and will continue to radically transform our understanding of the universe, while evidently also proving himself to be a good man and a sincere friend.

It leaves me wondering; what have I done so far with my own mental gifts? What is the extent of my responsibility to the world to devote my mind to serious pursuits rather than to reading People magazine? If I were to lose it all today, what would be my legacy? Have I loved people enough? Have I served humankind enough? How much do my academic pursuits really matter? I hope I will get the opportunity to see my plans through until the end, when I can instruct students at the college level, nurture their interest in literature, and encourage them to become the kinds of thinkers and high school teachers that this world desperately needs. I hope I will have the opportunity to be the kind of wife and mother who supports and encourages her husband and children in their own pursuits and contributions. But this man's death has reminded me that none of that is promised; I can't be so focused on what I hope to contribute in the future that I fail to contribute anything right now.

So I choose to continue to read. And to think. And to love. And to reflect. I feel fortunate to have found, so early in my life, so many of you who are committed to doing the same.

Blog Makeover

Hello again! Now that I'm on summer hiatus from my graduate classes, I am going to try to post a weekly update to my blog for those of you who followed my progress so closely as I was training for my race. Here's a brief recap of what I've been up to for the past few weeks!

I turned in my final seminar paper on Tuesday, May 19. The weeks leading up to it are a blur in my memory. As best I can remember, I spent nearly every waking moment working on three papers: one about the theoretical constructions of narration and description, one about Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings and her similarities to the British Women of WW1, and one about Willa Cather's composition of The Professor's House and the construction of its second section. I was very pleased with how all three of them turned out, and this semester really helped me to isolate my research interest: Women's writing about and after WW1. I find this subject area more and more interesting with every new text I read, which is nice affirmation that I'm on the right "life path." I'd be lying, though, if I didn't admit that I was also pleased to be finished with my semester of three seminars, one theory colloquium, and very little free time!

In the midst of my paper writing, I did manage to compete in a team marathon in Frederick, Maryland, with Billy's cousin Heather and two of her friends. (Those of you who attended the Oregon reception remember meeting Heather, who made the trip west.) I recorded a significant personal best for my 5 mile leg (46:26), and although the weather was bad, it was a great chance to stop thinking about J.R.R. Tolkien for a few hours. Here's a picture of me running toward the finish (even though it's just a proof).

I also got to take a break from writing for a day to attend the Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party for my good friend, Erin. I am in her wedding on July 4, and she is moving back to New York after school gets out in June, so it was a great chance to spend some time with her before she leaves and to meet the rest of her friends and family. For the bachelorette party, we went to an outdoor wine festival, which was a lot of fun (and GREAT people watching!).

After I had a few days to decompress from my busy semester, Mom came to visit for Memorial Day weekend! This was her first trip back to Maryland since the wedding, so it was exciting to show her what we've done with the house. While she was here, we attended a Orioles/Nats game at the new Nationals Park, walked around campus in College Park, tried out Duckpin bowling, attended a Memorial Day BBQ with Billy's family, exercised on the trail where I do much of my distance training, and visited the Holocaust Museum in DC. It was great to have her here, and her visit really helped me transition from full-time brain activity to a more relaxed state of mind for the summer. While Billy and I both enjoyed her visit, I think it is fair to say that Oscar was especially upset to see her leave. In fact, he peed on the floor right next to her suitcase to show her his displeasure. (This is a dog that never has "accidents"; he only has what I call "intentionals." If he is unhappy, he will let you know-- not unlike his mother.)

Billy has been enjoying his summer break from classes since about two weeks before I finished up. He concluded another successful semester and only has one more class to take this fall before he earns his MS in Information Technology. May was an exciting month for him and the other workers at the Space Telescope Science Institute because the astronauts went into space to complete the final repairs on Hubble. He hasn't done any work on Hubble, but seeing them improve Hubble made me realize how exciting it will be when the telescope he is working on launches in 2014. Below is a picture from the live internet feed that NASA ran during the repair mission; at this moment, the astronauts were bringing Hubble into the cargo bay for the repair work. You can also learn more about Billy's telescope, JWST, by reading this article.

Our summer travel plans include attending the weddings of several friends and spending a week in upstate New York with Dad. (My dad is doing great and enjoying his treatment-free summer!) I'll continue working about 20 hours a week at my job on campus, and it's an exciting time for us there as we prepare to move into our new home in a much nicer building. The work I'm doing feels a bit menial, but I really like the people in our office, and I'm happy to do whatever they ask of me to long as they're paying my tuition. I'll also be working on preparing for my PhD application, which I'll submit to Maryland in the fall. I have some research to do before I can develop one of my seminar papers into a writing sample, and I may audit a German course during the second summer session to prepare myself for the foreign language requirement. I've done a pretty good job of keeping up with my running, and I have several races planned for the summer months. The next one is a Father's Day 10k that I'm running with my friend Danielle.

We're also hoping for an exciting summer of Orioles baseball (while the A's continue to disappoint). The future of the organization is arriving in Baltimore one player at a time, and while they still have a losing record, the young players seem to be establishing themselves well. Last night we made our first trip of the season to Camden Yards to see the MLB debut of Matt Wieters, our new catcher, who is one of the top minor league prospects. He went 0-4, but played well in the field and called a good game behind the plate. Tonight, he got his first two hits with a triple and a ground rule double. Along with Roberts, Markakis, Jones, Scott, and some other pitchers (who are so new I don't even know their names- Billy will scold me for this), the team is looking like they might have a winning season, if not this year, then next. It was fun to be part of a big crowd last night who were excited about the direction the team is heading... and it was fun to see a decisive victory!

This morning, I slept in until 11am, and awoke to find that Andy Roddick has made it to the second week in Roland Garros for the first time. Monday he will play Monfils, who I love to watch, so I will spend the day trying to avoid hearing the results in order to watch it on my DVR. Summer has officially begun!

Half Marathon Rundown!!

I completed the National Half Marathon! Rather than trying to give a blow-by-blow description of the race, I’ll describe a few of the more memorable details.


I finished the race in 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 29 seconds (which put me in 3,453rd place). I had been hoping to finish under 2:15 and was determined to finish under 2:30, and I was able to run the whole way without stopping to walk, so I am pretty happy with my time. I thought I was completely exhausted in the final mile, but when I saw that finish line, I was able to sprint the rest of the way in. I guess we always have a little bit more inside us than we realize.


I crossed the finish line right next to a very athletic looking man running at my sprint pace… but he was finishing the complete marathon in that time. It’s not even human how fast these people can run.

We were 15 minutes away from home when I realized we had to turn back because I didn’t have my bib or my timing chip. This meant I was standing in line for the port-a-potty when the starting gun went off. Luckily, I was able to use the facilities and join the large crowd of runners who were still making their way to the starting line without any real delay.

Billy and I had mapped out a “spectators course” for him to get from place to place on the metro, so he was able to see me off at the start, cheer me on at mile 3.5 and mile 7, and watch me cross the finish line. My friends Erin and Danielle also came out to cheer me on, and although a slow train kept them from seeing me until the finish line, I was so excited to see all three of my fans after I finished!


It was pretty cold, but not too bad once I got running. I wish I’d brought my gloves, but otherwise, it was good weather- and sunny!

For motivation, I wrote the names of each person who made a donation on livestrong bracelets- it took 5 to fit all your names! I frequently looked down and spun the bands around to remind myself how many people had made sacrifices to support me. Around mile 10, when my legs got heavy, I started naming in my head one person who had encouraged me during each stride. I made a lot of strides before I ran out of supporters, and I think it helped me speed up! Thanks to all of you for being there with me every step of the way!


There were a lot of fun spectators along the way, some of them with really funny signs. They said things like, “Toenails are for wimps,” “Your feet only hurt from kicking so much ass,” “You run like a girl… and we like it!” and “Go mom! You’re awesome!” (colored and held by a little girl about 7 years old). Two guys were standing next to each other with signs that said something like “I might take up running” and “if it means I can stare at your ass.” There was a group of young city-dwellers with a table set up on the street and cups of “FREE BEER!” that they were passing out to the runners. A group of high-school age kids were blaring rap on a car stereo, dancing around, giving high fives to the runners, and yelling things like “You go girl! Get it!”

I saw one girl fall down (out of the race at mile one- ouch!), one man throw up (about a half mile after the free beer- coincidence?), and one woman fall off a bicycle while watching the runners. Not too bad, all things considered.

The race had about 7,000 participants total, which they said was twice as many as last year. This means they underestimated the number of cups they would need, so by the third water station, the only option I had was to drink water straight out of the jug. After passing on this the first time, I chose hydration over sanitation.


My body held up fairly well. I taped my feet and ankles, so they didn’t give me any trouble. My knees were starting to get sore by the end, but not sore enough to slow me down. Apparently Billy told the girls, “she will finish even if she’s running on bloody nubs.” Thankfully, it did not come to that! I’m a little worried about the soreness I’ll encounter tomorrow, though, because it’s already obvious that my ‘running muscles’ are extra tight as a result of not having run for a week and a half.

Ladies of DC, if you are single and looking for a man, I would advise getting involved in the running scene. There were a lot of fit, eligible looking men participating in the race, but the place to meet them is at the Fitness Expo the day before.

The route afforded the best view of the Capitol building. We ran right by it at the start, and then toward the end we ran straight toward it for over a mile. I also ran right by the Washington Monument, which Billy was able to capture in a picture. I forgot to look to my right to see the White House, but we continued all the way down to the Lincoln Memorial before the route turned north.


During the mile that I was running straight toward the Capitol, I was really tired, but right then the Livestrong song, “Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow,” came on my iPod. It reminded me why I was there, and for the duration of the song, I felt like I was caught inside some kind of inspirational music video. I started to get a little bit choked up, but luckily that feeling passed, because it’s hard to breath when you’re crying. : )

Right now, my donation total is $2175, or $166.03 per mile I ran today!! I can still accept donations up until a month after my event, so if you had hoped to donate but haven’t gotten the chance yet, please visit my fundraising page!

Thank you all for coming along on the journey with me. It has meant a lot to me, and my dad, and the rest of our family, that so many people have been so supportive. I said at the start of this that I wanted to find a way to channel my frustration about Dad’s diagnosis into a positive outlet, and thanks to everyone’s donations, the support you’ve given me will go directly toward supporting others whose lives have been impacted by cancer.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to go up and down the stairs tomorrow, and I’m sure that the maneuver of sitting down will be nearly impossible. But as “Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow,” says, I’m staring down the unknown, but one thing is certain; you could break my body, but you will never break my soul.