Mitchell’s Run through Rockford
On August 21, Kevin and I ran Mitchell’s Run through Rockford, which is a 5k that raises money for muscular dystrophy research. We were excited to try this run because it’s for a great cause, and it turns out we were part of the event’s most successful year yet! They raised over $71,000!
The weather forecast had been calling for storms the night before. When we woke up and it was still raining, we pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we’d be running in the rain. It even rained all the way on our drive to Rockford and was drizzling when we headed to pick up our numbers and souvenir shirts. Then miraculously, it just stopped… much to my excitement. While Kevin will run in any weather, I try to avoid running while it’s precipitating— it just feels icky. While it was a bit of a morale booster that it wasn’t raining, it might as well have been! The humidity was such that it felt like the air was extra thick and full of moisture. Oh well, whatever.
Here we are! All ready for the race!
Kevin sneaked in a bit of extra running by going across the dam before the race started.
As we were approaching race time, Kevin lined up near the starting line with all the rest of the speedy runners, while I headed back to my people, the slower ones. They line you up by your anticipated speed. As you can see over Kevin’s shoulder, he was running with the 6 minute mile crowd. Wowzers! I knew I’d found my people when someone nearby said, “They don’t have numbers that go up high enough for me! Where’s the finish before lunch group?” Ha! Love it!
Back where I was, we didn’t even hear anything that would indicate that the race had started. Nothing. The herd in front of us just started slowly creeping forward, so we guessed that was it. It was a slow walk to the starting line, and only then did we manage a slow jog before the crowds thinned out a bit. Part of the course looped around, so I got to see Kevin while I was heading out and he was making the return trip down that portion of the course, which was so spiffy! I knew he’d finish in plenty of time to jog back a bit and see me during the latter part of my run, so it was fabulous to be able to see him during his run as well!
Kevin before the race started with the speedy runners and me at about the 3 mile mark
Rockford is such a pretty area! My favorite part of the run consisted of running on the nature trails through the woods. It was so nice! It was also great to see Mitchell himself sitting at the last curve before the finish line! After all, as the motto of the race says: “We run for Mitch!”
Kevin finished with an awesome time of 19:38— his first sub-20 minute 5k! And I managed my first sub-10 minute pace with an overall time of 30:58! Hooray!! But as Frank would say, the best is yet to come:
That Sinatra really knew his stuff. The best was yet to come! In the form of a post-race stop at Robinette’s for so-fresh-they-were-still-warm doughnuts— so good!
Strike a Pose!
On August 19, I attended a yoga class on the rooftop deck behind the EGR library. It was my first outdoor yoga session, and it was pretty spiffy. Originally, the event was supposed to take place in the park down the street, but a last-minute change of venue landed us behind the library, overlooking the lake. I was sort of worried that we’d all cook out there! It was hot, and we were all sweating by the time the hour was up… but, thankfully, no one expired!
Yoga… Outside!
When I first got there, right on time, there were only about 15 other women there… all about my age. As the hour-long session went on, I could see people trickling in. After the session was over, I was surprised to see that the group had more than doubled and now included a few men (one of which was Kevin!) and a few children. Kevin had been running around the lake and had snuck in for the last few minutes. He’d stayed behind me where I couldn’t see him until the class was over, and then he snuck up behind me as I was rolling up my mat and poked me… sending me about a foot into the air, I’m sure!
All in all, it was very relaxing! The view was phenomenal, and I enjoyed the irony of doing sun salutation poses under the bright and shining sun. Ha! I’d biked down (with my yoga mat strapped to my back), and I felt so relaxed by the session that I told Kevin that I was afraid I’d tip over on the way home and that he should be prepared to catch me!
Cheers to the Three-Day Weekend!
Hooray for 3 days off! Technically, it’s our second three-day weekend in a row because we took my birthday off to celebrate. However, this feels more like it as, due to magic, we are not traveling and there are no races!
We got the weekend off to a great start with actual, factual SLEEP! We’ve been so busy lately that (other than “extras” like blogging- sorry, faithful readers!) the first thing to give is always sleep. It was getting totally rough to answer the bell this week!
Today commenced with a 10.5 mile run (Kevin)/bike ride (me) this morning. We just finished a yummy taco lunch and are now settling in for an afternoon of college football! Anybody else wondering how it’s time for football already??
Woo to the Hoo for the Holiday Weekend! It’s going to be a lazy few days…with an appropriate amount of work around the house, of course! And, because we’re actually going to be around and not frightfully busy running here and there, I’ll actually have time to catch up the blog a bit! So hold unto your hats, people!
Shear Irony
It is the third day of the week, and I received a third compliment on my hair. That’s one per day, from different people. Arg! Just when it’s getting long enough to chop and donate!
Taste of GR 2010
We’ve always been curious about the Taste of GR event, and this year we made it down to check it out. It is held in John Ball Park, right by the zoo, and I saw on my way home from work that it was packed! We took advantage of the fact that Kevin’s Dad lives just a couple blocks away and got primo parking in his driveway. On the way over to the park, we saw something that looked like a Charlie Brown cartoon come to life.
We saw a kite-eating tree!
Once we got to the event, we were mystified… and very glad that we’d eaten dinner before heading down. We bought $10 worth of coupons and got a teeny taste of ribs and a slice of pie. Okee dokee. I’ll admit it. We’ve officially been spoiled by the Local First Street Party! This one seemed very different. Less emphasis on the trendy, green/locally-sourced aspects and more— ummmm— how’s a nice way to say it?? More an excuse for our fellow Grand Rapidians to walk around without shirts on (men only, thankfully!) and to drink massive amounts of beer and smoke a lot. We’ve so quickly become accustomed to the smoking ban in restaurants, that it seemed so strange to walk through clouds of smoke.
It was crowded!
We were glad we went to see what it was all about, but we couldn’t wait to get away from all the smoke! So, we made our selections and headed out of the crowd toward the opposite side of the zoo’s property. We found a nice empty table near the paddle-boat pond (where they’ve moved our dear friend, Nessie). There, we could eat our selections in blissfully quiet and smoke-free surroundings. That part was splendid!
We found that GR “tastes like” BBQ Ribs and Lakeshore Berry Pie! How fascinating!
BBQ sauce got everywhere— including the program!
Jello to Bricks
That’s what my legs felt like this morning! Kevin did a 12 mile run this morning, and I tagged along on the bicycle/concession stand on wheels. Just as we were nearing the halfway point, he sprang the idea of doing my very first brick workout on me. I don’t know if it was the 82% humidity addling my brain or the fact that I actually got a decent night’s sleep for the first night in a looonnngg time and actually had (wait for it) ENERGY (shocking!), but I agreed to the plan with a surprising amount of enthusiasm!
So, immediately after returning home and stowing the bike in the garage, we set off again! At first, my legs felt all jell-o-y and like I might tip over at any second. It didn’t feel brick-like at all…. until it did. Four or five houses down the street, the brick-feeling set in, and it felt like my knees just didn’t want to bend anymore. Um, running involves movement, Knees. So shape up and pay attention! After the little pep-talk, my knees un-bricked themselves and it was running as usual the rest of the way!
Running straight after biking makes you feel all powerful! Might I recommend it?
What a coach! What a hubby! What a pal!
After 12 miles of his own running, he’ll still go another mile and a half with me!
My first brick workout went really, really well! Guess I’ll have to brush up on my swimming! My coach complimented my climb of the Hall Street Hill on the bike ride, and then immediately started talking about cute road bikes, new helmets, biking skirts, and getting me set up for my first tri! Yikes! He knows just the buttons to push! The excuse opportunity to buy a bunch of cute new things might just be too much to pass up!
B-DoubleE-DoubleR-UN: Beer Run!
Kevin and I have officially participated in our first Beer Run! Unlike the normal use of the term, this did not involve driving to the store to restock on libations mid-party. Oh no. This involved actual running. Then beer. I wasn’t too thrilled about the beer part, to tell you the truth. But, I figured that I was going to run anyway, so why not? So, we biked up to the Derby Station in Gaslight Village to join over 150 similarly-minded individuals.
We were near the end of the line, so by the time we’d “registered” (read: gave our names and handed over our $5 apiece entry fee), most of the runners had already taken off around the lake. We’d heard that there was going to be a short course and a long course. However, the “short” course was only slightly (read: barely) shorter, and both went around the lake (read: out of my comfort-range… especially since everyone had already gotten a comfy head start). So, I set off on my own run while Kevin headed off to chase, catch up to, and pass as many from the group as he could.
I was a bit dubious at first when I found out that it wasn’t as advertised, but it worked out very well! I enjoyed my solo run and was just approaching a store for some window shopping when Kevin came running by. We timed it perfectly and were some of the first runners to get back. Which was a very good thing.
Me thinks their motto: “You can’t finish unless you start” needs a little adjusting.
Perhaps they should tell you that when you finish, you’ll get this:
Just one of many fabulous appetizers that awaited us after the run!
As we were among some of the first back, we got first dibs on seating (meaning: we actually got chairs), collected our pints of New Holland Mad Hatter IPA (which was not bad! I actually made a decent attempt before Kevin polished off the rest.), and got to the appetizers before everyone else dove in (read: before the sweaty masses dug in with bare hands)! In addition to the Nachos of the Gods (I’m not kidding. That’s actually what it’s called on the menu.) pictured above, they also had Spinach and Grilled Artichoke Dip with Bagel Slices and Smothered Pommes Frites (homemade french fries topped with gravy, a fried egg, truffle oil, and melted cheeses— which may sound gross, but which were actually quite delicious!)
To wrap up the event, they raffled off some shirts and hats. I got pretty excited when they called out the first three numbers of my ticket, momentarily sad when the last number didn’t match, but then equally excited again upon realizing that the number was one before mine: Kevin’s number! He totally wasn’t paying attention until I squealed “It’s you!!” Then he happily went off to collect his New Holland Brewing Co. shirt.
Here he is showing off the shirt!
Oh, and we each got a New Holland bottle opener as we left. Not bad for $10! Especially since half of the entry fee was a donation to the American Diabetes Association! It turned out to be a very fun evening, and I’m really glad that we went!
The Berry Best
Since we didn’t go strawberry picking this year, we decided to go blueberry picking instead! In my quest for an organic blueberry farm, I found Irvine Blueberries online. I was instantly impressed with their website, which included a “daily update”… pretty snazzy! (Most u-pick sites I’ve perused haven’t been updated in months or even YEARS, so this one pretty much had me at hello!)
Here’s the update from our picking day: July 25, 2010 Daily Update: After a couple of soggy days, it is a gorgeous sunny day here – perfect for picking! We also have picked berries available today.
And a gorgeous and sunny day it was! I was the only square who followed the website’s recommendations of long pants and closed-toe shoes. Thankfully, the pants were easily converted into capris!
The farm was off the beaten path in an area we’ve never before been…
Couldn’t miss it, though, with this friendly sign and a blueberry-bedazzled flag.
Irvine Blueberries is a family farm that grows heirloom-variety organic blueberries. We opted for “eating” berries (rather than berries for pie) and were led to the rows of Rubel Blueberries. We picked and picked, and we ended up with 6.5 pounds of sweet and delicious blueberries. That may seem like a lot, but we’re both tempted to go back and get more! The farm was nice and neat, the farmers were really friendly, and we really enjoyed picking blueberries. It was very peaceful and relaxing…. and easier on the knees than strawberry-picking! Picking of Jersey Blueberries started yesterday and will continue for 2-3 weeks… we’ll see!
Kevin picking away and me showing off quite possibly the latest fashion trend: blueberry bucket as belt!
One of the reasons to go get more berries: homemade blueberry muffins! Yummy!!
If you’re interested in picking some blueberries, we’d definitely recommend this farm. Check out www.irvineblueberries.com/ for more information.
Going a Little Batty
No, there aren’t any bats in the belfry, but up until about an hour ago, there was a bat in our house. Yes. You read that correctly: A bat. In. Our. House.
Yuck!!!!!!!
Kevin was having trouble sleeping early this morning due to a nasty sunburn. He was reading in the living room when he first heard and saw our bat invader. As far as we can figure, the bat must have entered through the attic fan’s vent, which we had on/open during the night (and which I am tempted to go after with some plywood and nails at 11:45 pm! It has officially been decommissioned to say the least!!).
Kevin opened the front door in the hopes that the bat would fly out and we’d be rid of it… but that was not to be. So we spent hours of our day trying everything we and internet searches could think of to find and capture said bat: looking in every room and in all nooks and crannies with the aid of flashlights and mirrors, sealing off “cleared” rooms by closing doors and shoving bath towels under the bottom to close the gap (Did you know bats need only a space the size of a nickel to squeeze through??), turning/leaving all the lights on strategically, turning music on and banging on the floor upstairs to wake it up in case it was sleeping in the rafters downstairs.
It hid somewhere, and as the day wore on, we had just about talked ourselves into the fact that it must have flown out the door while it was open. That is until 10:15ish when: I. saw. it. flying. through. the dining room. TOWARD the living room. where. we. WERE!
AHHHHHHHH!!!!
I am not ashamed to say that I shrieked. Prayed aloud. Wanted nothing more than to throw a blanket over my head and hide from the thing…. except for the fact that then I couldn’t see where it was or where it was going. It flew around for a bit (see an approximation of the bat’s flight on Kevin’s blog). Then landed on the dining room curtain and crawled into it.
Ick!!!
Kevin ran out to the garage to get a bucket and tennis racket while I kept watch of the curtain. Kevin poked the curtain with the racket and the chase was on again. It flew down the hallway, but because all the doors were sealed off, found a dead-end and turned around, flying back down the hallway and right into Kevin’s waiting tennis racket. He didn’t even swing at the bat, just held out the racket and waited for the bat to fly into it. The bat, stunned, fell to the ground and Kevin then threw a bucket over it. Half a pizza box and lots of strong tape later, it was sealed in and ready for transport OUT of our house. It is now residing on our deck in a bucket with air holes poked in it with a brick on top to weigh it down.
It seemed so big while it was flying around. It has quite an impressive wingspan. Now it looks really small. And I feel sort of bad for it. Sort of bad that it’s trapped and about to be turned over for rabies testing. (Since we were asleep while it was in the house, we have no idea if it may have come into any sort of contact with us AHHHHH!!!EWWWWW!!!!GROSSSSSSS!!!!!! So we figure much better to be safe than sorry!!) …But sort of bad is trumped by REALLY GLAD that IT IS OUT OF OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!
Which leaves us with the million dollar question: Where was it all day???
In Case You Needed a Reminder
Our God is awesome, and miracles do happen.
On my way home from work, I was driving down a 4 lane road with an additional lane for left turns in the center. I was in the lane next to the left turn lane. When I was very nearly next to it, the minivan that was in said left turn lane suddenly decided it didn’t want to turn left anymore and without warning, swerved into my lane.
I should have hit it. I was almost directly behind/next to it when it swerved into my path. There wasn’t time for me to stop, and I was traveling at the speed of that road, which is 55 miles an hour.
I slammed on the brakes and swerved to miss it. For a brief instant (and it was very brief, since the entire incident took place in under 60 seconds), I thought I was ok in the right hand lane. Then, the van was hit by another car and lurched into my path again. In yanking the steering wheel to the right and swerving to miss it again, I was essentially making a right turn off the road. There happened to be a side street there. And brakes squealing, I came to a stop, in one piece, on that side street.
After sitting there in shocked amazement, I got out and looked at the car. There was beige paint on my car from the van. The cover around my headlight was chipped, not cracked, but dinged. That’s how close it was. My car actually brushed against that van as God and my guardian angel steered me away to the safety of that side street.
I truly believe that. It wasn’t me driving. I am not that talented. To steer out of harm’s way, not go off the road, not hit another car/mailbox/street sign/etc., go from 55 to 0 that fast without flipping over/spinning out was a MIRACLE. It absolutely was.
