Livestrong

Today was a whirlwind day.  Up at 5:00 to leave the hotel by 5:30, driving around searching for parking, and then hurrying up and waiting for the race to start. Most of the photos were taken with my cell phone, so they're not the greatest quality: 

I've never seen so many people in one place in my life.  20,000 runners plus at least one spectator for almost every runner...it got crazy.  It took 25 minutes just to get every runner across the start line.  Our capitol is beautiful, by the way.  The stone is a pinkish hue, so it looks like a rosy replica of the U.S. Capitol.

This picture is not so great.  I can tell you those are forced smiles.  Alan was tired and I was developing one of the worst migraines I can remember.  Alan finished the race in 3:40:42 chip time.  He's not thrilled with the time, but this was yet another hilly marathon.  I think he's awesome.

You probably can't see him, but Alan's on the other side of that green wall about to finish.  That's as close as I could get.  I saw some crazy stuff at this finish line today, including people collapsing and whose bodies were contorting and failing on them.  It was disturbing and scary.  A runner that we know from Midland sacrificed being able to qualify for Boston by staying back with a runner who was in serious trouble the last four miles.  No one else was helping this guy.  They ended up putting him in a wheelchair the last few yards, but still gave him a finishing medal.

We were mere blocks away from the University of Texas, so it was surprising how many comments and cheers Alan got for his TCU shirt.  Go Frogs!

The weekend wasn't all about running.  We ate well.  This french toast is as tall as it looks.

I wasn't a good photographer this weekend, especially on race day.  I should have stayed at the finish to get a picture of Lance Armstrong finishing the half.  I should have made my way to the marathon side of the finish line to get a good picture of Alan.  I could have taken photos of the craziness around me.  But that stupid headache was such that I was almost crying in the car as we left town.  Alan says I did cry, but I think my eyes were just a little moist. :-)

We didn't want to come home yet, no matter how weird Austin really is.

What's good for the goose ain't always good for the gander.

I posted on Facebook about how everyone should go to a marathon at some point in their lives and cheer someone on.  You don't have to know the participants, but it helps.  I've been to five marathons now, because Alan ran his 5th yesterday in Waco, Texas.  Alan discovered that Waco is quite hilly.  Like REALLY friggin hilly he said, but he might not have said "friggin."

Here are a couple things I like about marathons.  Every runner crossing that line has gone through strenuous, ridiculous, difficult training to get where they are.  (I think they're all crazy, but it's a kind of crazy I can respect.)  So as each person finishes, most spectators are cheering and clapping for perfect strangers.  See the guy sitting down to the left?

But I also like to watch the spectators that are there cheering for someone in particular - they're so excited and probably relieved that their loved one made it, and sometimes they're emotional.  They make signs, they take pictures, they video the event, and many times they run the last 100 yards or so with their runner.  And fellow runners are great cheerleaders for each other.  Look at these guys:

Look at those faces!  Awesome.

I'm usually by myself at these events, so I have sat and watched a lot of this.  It's cool.  But nothing as cool as when you see YOUR runner coming.  So go find you a marathon friend to experience this with!  Yell loud and take pictures and brag about them relentlessly.

See that little speck about to come under the bridge?  That's my runner.  Seems like a lonely sport, doesn't it?

And here's the finish:

 Medals are big in Texas:

Okay, so there are a couple things I don't like about running events.  Some runners are uber showy about how great they are.  I guess you have that in any sport though.  I also don't like waiting and waiting and waiting.  I know when Alan should be showing up, and when that time gets closer I tend to get antsy.  And lastly, I don't like sitting there feeling envious.  I want to be that healthy and fit and achieve an amazing goal like that, but I just can't.  My body has let me know repeatedly that I'm not cut out for being an athlete.  I ran my little 5K on Saturday with what appears to be a strained calf muscle.  If it's not that, it's tendonitis or shin splints, or whatever.

So I think this is an area where I need to remain the spectator, although I might attempt a 10K when I'm all healed up.  I'll never make it as far as Alan and some of our friends, but I can be a great cheerleader on the sidelines. :-)

My Teams

Alan got me a kindle for my birthday. Funny how I can make time to read now that I have a fun little electronic to do it with.

But in case you don't think of Alan as the type who can be frivolous or spontaneous, get a load of what he was trying to arrange for my birthday. The Braves have made it to the playoffs, and their first series started in San Francisco. Since SF is one of my favorite places, he was trying to plan a weekend out west to watch the Braves play the Giants. How cool would that have been? But they weren't playing on Saturday and having to take off on Friday would have been bad timing for me with that whole teaching thing.

Still, what a cool thought. At least we can say we've gone to a Braves game in Atlanta before Bobby Cox retired. So that makes two sports-related items I can scratch off my to-do list: saw the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan was still playing, and saw the Braves a couple years ago. Now it's time to see a Cowboys game. Hard to believe I've lived this close all these years and have never gone. Okay, so I've talked myself into it - I'm adding that to my list.

Letting go

There are a few ways in which Alan and I differ. Being able to throw things away is one of those areas. Alan has a stuffed leather wallet whose seams are worn, ripped, and whose capacity to stretch and bulge has been exceeded. It's not that he doesn't want to buy a replacement, au contraire. He has a brand new, soft leather wallet sitting in its original box in his closet as we speak. It's been there for two years maybe? He won't throw the old wallet out until it can no longer serve its purpose.

This holds true for other things: 1) Jeans. Holes in the butt are perfectly acceptable. In public even. 2) T-shirts. Same as jeans, except t-shirts can become so ragged that the collar and armpits are disappearing. 3) Yogurt. Everyone knows the expiration date is only a suggestion, right? 4) The Paper Trail. Nevermind that we're technology advanced enough that we should be mostly paperless. Surely those bank statements and Jack-in-the-Box employment stubs from 1990 will come in handy during an IRS audit someday.

I can almost understand some of that. But carrying this around for nearly a year is beyond my comprehension:

It began with the card having a couple knicks and cracks in it. Eventually it finally split down the middle; hence, the scotch tape that's been there for several months. My theory is that Alan likes the attention it brings when EVERY SINGLE CASHIER makes a comment about it. He claims that isn't true. But those of you who know Alan, know that he can have a conversation with everyone he encounters and actually enjoy it.

The inevitable is about to happen, however. The card expires in 10 days. :-)

Ninja

I'd easily have won $10,000 from that "funniest home movies" show, had I been able to get my camera to work. This would be my broken camera, which I figured out still (sort of) works as long as you use the viewfinder only. This would also be the only camera I own now that has video capability. And the camera that no longer holds the memory card I needed for a video.

The video would have been of this high-on-crack squirrel who was putting on quite the show in our backyard. Alan called me over to the window, telling me I had to see the squirrel "working on his ninja skills." I can't accurately describe the things it was doing. This squirrel kept bouncing off the tree onto the ground and back to the tree again, doing 360s and backflips and leg kicks - I kid you not. I was laughing so much that my cheeks were hurting and my eyes were watering. But it wasn't just the squirrel that would have made the video highlights. It was the ongoing commentary and sound effects from Alan, complete with Chinese accent.

I love that Alan can still make me laugh until I cry. And I don't think he and I will ever look at squirrels the same way again. :-)

Epic Relay

I just dropped Alan off at the airport. He's headed to Utah for a relay race that starts in Logan, Utah, goes through Idaho, and ends in Wyoming. You know, that really ugly part of the country with mountains and rivers and trees and other ugly stuff.

It's called an "epic relay" and involves 12-member co-ed teams (one member being his best bud from college) with each participant running 3 legs, for a total of 191 miles. Pure craziness. I'm not sure how they work out all of the logistics, but he had to take a sleeping bag for possible sleeping in the middle of nowhere and a headlamp for running at night. Alan can handle the distances (he ran 19 miles on Sunday), but the altitude makes a huge difference when you're not used to it.

The race starts at midnight tonight and ends sometime on Saturday. Hopefully family in the area will understand that he has no time to stop and visit. But it sounds like quite the adventure, and I'm sure Alan will have lots of stories when he gets back home on Sunday.

If you're interested: http://www.epicrelays.com/running-relay-utah-wyoming.html.

Role Model

I have to brag on Alan. Yesterday Bailey was in a minor car accident in which she was at fault (hit another car from behind). Alan and I happened to be home and only a few blocks away, so we both drove over to the scene. Alan was so nice. Hugged Bailey repeatedly, told her it was okay, made sure she was okay, acted very calm, etc. Regardless of past history, he never made comments about how much it was going to cost, how much the insurance rates were surely to go up - you get the idea. I was reminded of how well my mother and stepdad handled similar situations with me. They never made me feel stupid, which you're already feeling as it is. I just think it's so great when parents follow the Golden Rule, which is something I'm trying to get better at as the years fly by. Alan's a good dad.

Boys and Toys

Alan's purchase at an auction last Saturday:

For Alan this was spur-of-the-moment, because he only had 24 hours to research and consult with those in the know. Alan doesn't do spontaneous very often, but this is telling of how much he's been wanting to have a bike again. I have to admit, it's pretty.

Marathon #2

Alan ran in his second marathon yesterday, the West Texas Crossroads Marathon in Odessa. He beat his 4 hour goal with a time of 3:39:07. But you know with Alan there's always a story...something always happens.

A little background...we're sitting on the sidelines yesterday (me, Naomi, Addison and Austen) waiting for Alan's finish, when we see this runner coming with a police SUV tailing right behind him. As he gets closer to the finish line, he sort of stops and grabs at his leg, so we think he's really having trouble with cramps. But he keeps on and actually speeds up and hauls butt across the finish. As he passes us, we notice his shoulder blade on one side is red and really scraped up. It looked like he may have been bleeding. He crosses the line and practically collapses into the arms of a couple people.

So just a couple minutes later here comes Alan, and as soon as he finishes and sits down he says, "have I got a story for you." Turns out, when Alan was at about mile 22, he's trucking along and hears this loud "whomp!" behind him. He turns around to see a guy rolling on top of the hood of a car, falling off, and rolling on the ground. This guy gets up and keeps on going. The funny part of the story is how Alan, although truly sorry for the poor guy who got hit by a car, is PISSED that he then got passed by this guy!

But all in all it was a good morning and fun to be there. Thanks to Addison (it was her birthday yesterday!) and Austen who came out to cheer Alan on:



Wow, check out that gorgeous West Texas scenery!

Pre-School (Get it?)

I blog. I blog too much. I don't blog at all. I'd say I'm in the latter stage right now. I've been busy at school the last couple of weeks and will be doing much of the same for the next three weeks. I guess you could call it "teacher nesting," where we prepare, prepare, prepare for the arrival of a new batch of kids. It's kind of exciting actually to anticipate what they'll each be like, what they'll be capable of, or what challenges they'll have. You can't imagine how much we enjoy talking about the kids behind their backs. It's like we get to gossip all day. It's also a good way to vent about the ones you just can't stand. Good times!

So this Saturday is Alan's triathlon. I have no doubt he'll do well, as long as his bike holds up. And then about two months from now he'll run in his second marathon in Odessa. I'm hoping to round up a local group to go cheer him on. In Albuquerque for his first marathon, it was just Alan, myself, and his dad, so I'm hoping for a cheering section this time.

Maybe I'll post some pictures of my classroom. I'm still a new enough teacher that I get excited (i.e., corny) about my room.

My Chandler

If you've seen every episode of Friends like I have (and several more than once), then surely you know the one where Chandler and Monica try to have engagement pictures taken, but Chandler can't for the life of him take a decent picture. His smile was always contorted, or he smiled at the completely wrong time, or he just couldn't smile period. Well it seems Alan has developed what we call "The Chandler Syndrome." Used to, Alan smiled so much in every picture that it looked more like he was laughing. So we were kind enough to make him feel really self-conscious about it, and now he's thinking way too hard about what to do!









You should see the ones I deleted on the spot.

It's like a cloud that follows him.

Alan is cursed - there's no way around it. Things are never easy with him. He accepts this as fact and can luckily laugh about it. So....

We're in Dallas over the weekend for the "Big D Marathon," a big marathon but not the biggest in the Metroplex. Anyway, Alan was registered for the half-marathon which is about 13 miles. (I'm giving the distance, because I've discovered how many people don't know how long a marathon is.) The race starts at 7:30 a.m., so we plan to be there by 7:00. BIG mistake. Turns out that Sunday morning traffic on marathon day is pretty ridiculous. We were parking the car at 7:30, and the distance from our parking spot to the starting line was way the heck out there.

So he gets to the race and they've already pulled up the starting mats for the half-marathon; therefore Alan can't find where his race starts. Long story short: they direct Alan to the wrong starting line, which was the starting line for the 5K, he runs part of the 5K and back, runs across I-30 and into part of the Dallas ghetto, whereupon multiple dogs begin chasing him, finally makes it to the half-marathon start after he's already been running for about 50 minutes. Rather than run 13 miles, he ran about 17 minimum.

I was at the finish line getting PISSED that he was so late, with thoughts such as "where the hell are you?", "why are you so slow?", "old women are beating you!", etc. I was having a hard time being patient and loving, because what I was really thinking was that something bad happened....he broke something, was on the way to the ER, etc. I knew there was no way he should be taking that long.



Finally he crosses the finish line about 45 minutes late and says, "Have I got a story for you." Of course you do. I'd expect nothing less.

Ready for the New Year

Yesterday I spent the day shadowing the teacher I'm taking over for after Christmas break. She's really a great teacher, and I picked up some classroom management skills from her in just one day. I already know the students since I've been subbing for her all semester, and they're a super group of kids. There are always, ALWAYS kids that are quirky, strange, and downright annoying in any classroom. This one's no exception, but it just makes it more interesting. And because this is a magnet school with an emphasis on technology, you would not believe the high-tech gadgets I'll get to teach with. Awesome!

The best news, however, is that Alan is not going to Houston. I won't say much since the ink hasn't dried on the paperwork, but he'll be changing companies and staying in Midland. And you know, I can't thank his current-but-soon-to-be-former employer enough for forcing his hand. Kinda wish they would have done this sooner. (Insert smiley face here and visual of me doing the butter churn dance.) Oh yeah.

Marathon update

It appears Alan's past three months of training for another marathon will be to no avail. Looks like he has developed bronchitis once again, so our trip to Dallas is probably canceled. He's going to give it a couple more days before deciding though. It's a shame, too, because his times have been really awesome lately. But it's only Wednesday, so we'll see!

Running and Hashing

Friday we leave for Dallas for Alan's second (and maybe last) marathon. It didn't help matters though, that he woke up this morning feeling sick and getting worse as the day goes on. The weather is expected to be PERFECT, so keep your fingers crossed that Alan has recovered!

Speaking of running, we had a fun time at the Hash we hosted Saturday afternoon and evening. The trail Alan and Keith designed made for a fun run, and the beer stop half-way through was a BONUS. The trail ended in the alley at our back gate, and we spent the rest of the evening eating from the grill, drinking, and telling dirty jokes around the fire pit. Very classy. Next month's run is scheduled, so that'll make three hashes for me and Alan. Two more after that and we get our nicknames. Classy, and so grown-up. We have definitely found our group.

Alan vs. The New Mexico Marathon

It's difficult to describe how amazing this feat is, especially if you weren't the one training and then actually running it. So all I can say is, WOW to all of you out there who have run a marathon. And way to go, Alan! An elevation of 6,000 feet and 8 miles of incline at the beginning didn't make things any easier, particularly since Alan has only trained in the flat lands of West Texas. It's just impressive.

We're back home in Midland, and although Alan is walking around like Fred Sanford this morning, he is pleased to be able to check this off his list. For a while. :-)

Alan has various stories about the run, and I think he should post his account of the whole ordeal (hint, hint).

In Albuquerque

It was an easy drive to Albuquerque yesterday, about 6.5 hours. We were expecting a little over 7 hours, so it was a pleasant surprise. However....we're changing hotels today. We have a smoking room, which was already giving Alan a headache last night, and our a/c stopped working around 3:00 a.m.! It was working again a couple hours later, but that's not going to cut it. I went down and had my little discussion with the front desk this morning who assured us things would get taken care of, but we decided not to chance it. By the way, it's really hard to play the firm and demanding customer role when the front desk person is whispering the whole time. Anyway, it makes things a little inconvenient logistics-wise since we were in walking distance of the finish line, but better to get a good night's sleep and just drive to the shuttle, finish line, etc.

Today we're going to chill and maybe see a movie, and then tonight there's supposed to be a big pasta dinner for the runners.

I wonder how many rolls of toilet paper Junior has chewed since we've been gone.

Headed for New Mexico

I just have nothing my brain can wrap around as interesting, not even remotely interesting. So here's an update of the goings-on.

Addison and Bailey started back to school this week. (Duh - like every other kid.) But it's kinda weird to have both my kids in high school now, Bailey being a freshman and Addison being a junior. Bailey's playing volleyball for Lee Freshman, and Addison just started a new job as a receptionist at a very nice retirement community.

Tomorrow Alan and his dad and myself leave for Albuquerque for the marathon on Sunday. Alan's race starts at 5:30 a.m., meaning he has to be on the shuttle that takes him to the starting line around 4:30. When the 5K is over that Leigh and I are running, I'll have plenty of time to walk back to the hotel to get my camera for when Alan crosses the finish. I can't wait!

Last night we went out for mexican food with Addison and her boyfriend, J. It was a lot of fun, and we got to know J a little more in the process. He seems like a great guy.

Since this was the first week of school, I wasn't expecting any subbing jobs. But I have been receiving several requests, anywhere from September through to December. Hopefully I'll stay fairly busy.

See? It's a slow week.

Marathon Update

Alan just finished 21 miles in 3:09:47. He left around 4:55 this morning. The race is three weeks from tomorrow and he's right on target!

By the way, if you're looking at my posted time and thinking that doesn't jive, that's the time I clicked "new post" and not the time I published. Good ole Blogger...

Stuff from the weekend I can talk about

I'm starting to mourn the end of my summer, and I don't even have a job yet. But hopefully the job situation will change soon, since principals are due back from vacation on Wednesday. If I do what I should today, several of them will have my resume on their desk when they return. And several of them will have my resume for the second time. It just always sucks to be in job searching mode....it seems you can never really relax because you know it's hanging over you...and the interviews...such joy. BUT, the end result is teaching, and that's very cool.

Saturday we had a minor scare. Alan had left for an 18-mile run and came back an hour later, clearly not having run 18 miles. He walked in and with very short breaths said "I - need - help." To make a long story short he stepped on an ant bed while running, maybe a fire ant bed, and had a bad reaction. We've all been bitten before and just dealt with the typical itching and irritation, but apparently because he had been running, the venom ran quickly through his whole body. His hands were swollen, his face was puffy, his skin was red and blotchy literally from head to toe, and anywhere you touched him he would wince from the severe itching. We called a 24-hour nurse hotline and began treating his systems for both dehydration and an allergic reaction to the ant bites. It took several hours for the swelling to leave his hands, but good old Benadryl took care of the itching pretty quickly. The ant bites slowly started surfacing that afternoon and evening, and I'm guessing we couldn't see them right away because of the redness that covered his whole body.

It sucked that he wasn't able to finish his run, be he made it up yesterday. And I ran a whole 3 miles today. :-)