The Glass City (Half) Marathon

 We both survived!  And were successful!  (Despite Fate's best efforts.... ) And I would like to note that we both succeeded with each of our objectives.  Cheryl with her race time and Me with my matched Beer Mug set!   Oh!  And I finished without injury or walking...   Win Win!  (Win!)

Now the drama part.   ( There is always the drama, right?)  

I mentioned that Cheryl was relying on Google Maps a little too much in the last post.   Well....   Google Maps pulled out all of the stops and decided to take the "Intelligence" out of the A.I. program.   She/He/ It...  Put us about 10 miles away from the race course in the dark rainy morning.   Visibility near nil!   Frustration rising!   The hour and a half we set up for parking and bathroom visits was cut to 30 minutes!   The parking lots were filled.  We were forced to park further away than we had planned, and had only minutes to get in line for the bathrooms and hope we could finish before the gun went off!  

And then there was the threat of rain.  Which eventually happened about midway through the race.  By that time, it was more like a blessing rather than an inconvenience.   The temps were hot and humid, but the clouds kept the sun off of our heads. (And the rain cooled us down.)  Eventually, the clouds parted and the temps rose to 85 degrees! Very harsh running conditions... but we were both finished by then. 

Upon completion of my race, I was to link up with Cheryl at the finish line as she came in.  ( Just like last year.)   There was just one catch:   I missed her!

After all of the races we have been through, it was bound to happen.  And it happened here.  I figured I had at least an hour before she finished so I could change clothes and hydrate up to stop my legs from cramping.   Once I stopped running,  the pain set in and despite it being hot outside,  I began to shiver uncontrollably.   I ran to the car,  swapped out my clothes,  left my mug and gathered up fresh clothes and rain gear for Cheryl. I ran back tot he finish line.

An hour and a half later,  she is no where to be seen.   She had finished before I got back somehow and I was stuck searching for her at the finish line.   She wandered around trying to find me...  exhausted, cold, wet, and hangry!  She was thinking I was still on the race course..  Or DEAD! 

There was one other minor detail.   I had the keys to the car.  

It seemed like the right idea:   I get the car keys because I would finish first.   I could do what I did and find her...  like I had planned, and did last year.    Only things did not work out the same way this year....  Murphy's law of War:   Plans never last past first contact.  Instead, I went from Hero to Zero instantly!

By the time we finally found each other, we were both DONE with Toledo!    We managed to survive and make it back to the car.  ( After I scored a matching mug!  Yeah!)   We went back to the Hotel,  turned off Google Maps,  And found that we had everything we needed just five minutes down the road!   Stores, gas, food!  We did NOT have to navigate through downtown Toledo every time.    Thanks Google!

  Perhaps the best part of the trip was that evening meal.   After the race,  we grabbed some of our own beer and a couple of sandwiches from Meijers and ate them in the lobby of the hotel.   We had the entire place to ourselves.   It was peaceful and we managed to salvage the good stuff while talking about the bad stuff.  

 
Sometimes when you are on an adventure,  the stresses can become a   bit overwhelming.
 
  But that is short lived in comparison to the memories that are made.  And those are the things you cherish and laugh about when you are old and reminiscing about your life. I hope that tid-bit of wisdom is realized by people other than myself.    Because life is short.   And every second count!

Toledo!

 The Glass City Marathon  this weekend ( Tomorrow, to be exact!)  And today was spent gathering our things, picking up our packets and getting familiar with Toledo.   Or, more accurately:  doing the things we did not get to do last year.  

 First:  I want to say that a pilot (Cheryl) should keep their eyes on the road and listen to the navigator.(Me!)   However,  Cheryl seems to trust Google Maps more and we end up finding ourselves driving down the line up shoot of the 5K race!    Race officials scramble to cut us off before we run someone over... And in a frightened tone, tell us to back up and get off the course!   Rather embarrassing....

But we did not hit anyone.  And the 5K was almost completely over by the time we got there.   The Expo was right there but was not open yet.   My theory:  They were planning on the 5K being done before the Expo opened the doors.   They did not account for the people who were 10 minutes early. (Us.)  

Still.... Go back in time and LISTEN TO ETHAN!

Venting done.   We picked up the packet and headed to the lake shore.  Lake Erie!  That is.   The shallow , brown water called to us for another beach combing experience.  On a brighter note,   This area is known for its birding corridors.   Next week is a huge event where birders from all around come to catalog as many fly overs as possible.   While we were on the shore, a number of birders were already out and about.   I managed to capture an Egret and a Blue Heron. We also scored a lot of polished shells.  ( Not much beach glass this time.)  It was windy, warm and calming to walk along the shore once again.  

Then on to the Glass Museum.   Not as special as you might think. But they did have two actual Van Gogh paintings.  ( In a glass museum?  I guess so....)   How the paintings got there I may never know, but we also saw a Monet and Renoir.  Not sure if they were originals though.  

There were a number of other "interesting" items that captured my attention.   My personal favorite was the glass dress.    Most other things were right out of your grandmother's cupboards... minus the dust.    I found them rather boring as they looked like things I had seen before.  ( Not that special) 

  With Google Maps CONSTANTLY directing us through the city center of Toledo,   we are finally bushed!  And discovered  ( BY accident actually, )  That you could take the highway and cut a lot of traffic and time off of your route.  This is good news for tomorrow when we have to wake up and get there in the dark. 

Cheryl just informed me that the race starts in less than 12 hours.   This means an early bed time for us.  (By the way,I'm running the half,  she is running the full Marathon.) It is going to be HOT  with temps rising up over 75 degrees.   It also might rain. (Think:  Chaffing!)   Sure glad I chose the half...

So wish us luck!  My goal is to finish... Injury free!  And hopefully without any walking.   It would be nice if I could beat my last race's time... But I will aim for that as the race progresses.   My first concern is the heat and the hydration breaks.    

And also,  I would like to get an extra mug if I can.  Last time they gave me an extra beer glass,   but the finisher's prize this time is a mug.   Doesn't matter!  I want to see if I can get a matched set.   

And also..  Cheer for Cheryl.   ( She is my ride back home... so  Safe running!)  

Time is short!  And ever second counts....   Time for some rest before the storm.

The DAVE!

 To those who may not know... Dave is a crossfitter.  ( Is that even a word? Google?)  For those who may not know what a crossfitter is...  They do workouts that Mirror the life of a caveman.   ( Lifting boulders, rolling giant tires,  and jumping over tall things.)   Most of the serious crossfitters end up looking like hulks (Minus the green paint) after a few years... So be warned!  

Well today,  Dave was walking around the neighborhood when he encountered a neighbor that was having a bit of an issue...  With a tree.   

 You see,   this neighbor has an immaculate lawn that he dotes over every day and he wanted to remove a fairly large tree so he could plant a new, younger one.    In the process, he did not want to damage his wonderful lawn by tearing a large gouge in the turf.   So... he has been working on removing the tree bit by bit over the last several days.  Until today,  when he finally had to remove the large stump.  

Dave to the rescue!  

 After conversing with the neighbor,  Dave walked over and picked up the stump and put it on the guy's Massive Truck!  Looks like all of those years of picking up boulders had finally been worth something...  

  The entire scenario reminded me of the animated TV series "The Tick!"    A guy who is so ridiculously strong  that he is practically indestructible.    Yet,   he seems to be unaware of his own strength.    He picks up trucks with one hand so he can look under them for "bad guys."  Comedy ensues!  

To be fair,  I guess the neighbor helped a little.   And I saw the stump... ( It was not huge, but big enough.... And  solid!)
  Still,  the idea that a heavy tree stump could be ripped out   by some random guy walking down the street makes for a funny story.  Nice to know there are guys like him around in the event you ever lose the jack for your car and you need to change out a flat tire.

Busy Weekend.

 Unlike last week,  this weekend is filled with plans!  And today,  I spend Some time with Phil.  (Remember Phil?)    He was a former co-worker at the Zebra and currently works at Haribo making gummy bears.  Gone are the days in the witness protection program!  I wrote an entire blog post about him. ( Some of my best writing!  and Jokes.)

 He contacted us and asked if we wanted to link up, catch up and have some fresh golden gummy bears.   ( He brought us two bags!)  We agreed and met up at the Brat stop to swap stories and listen to his "Haribo Sales Pitch".  (Which, I will admit, was pretty good!)  Fortunately, ( Or Un-Fortunately... depending on how you look at it...)  I already have a gig coming up in July so I was unaffected.  Still,  We appreciated the offer. (And the Gummies!!!)

 I then joined Marion  to go out for a run at the Bong Wilderness Park.  She had a sticker so we could get in for "free".  ( I'm sure she paid for the sticker initially...)   But the weather was just too cold for walking or mushroom hunting.    We ended up running just to stay warm.   AND  the entire event did not last very long.  

 We even ran into her Sons as they were bird watching over the lake.   I thought it would have been too cold for bird watching, but they were out there with cameras in hand, taking pics of the Geese and Sand Hill Cranes that were flying around the open marsh area.  We stopped in to say "Hi" before heading back to Kenosha.  

  Tomorrow,  I have a Morning run with Marion and then Church.   Followed by a Walleye dinner with Dave at Helen Vigansky's house.  ( Remember:  Helen's Apple Pie?)  So Sunday will be a full packed day as well.  I probably will not have much time to work on the fish OR my patches!   My weekend feels like it is almost over already!  Luckily, I managed to finish and fold my laundry this morning...  so all of the essential tasks are completed.  

So this post will be short.   But at least I found the time to write this much.   Because next weekend is the Half Marathon in Toledo... And that will be Busy as well.    Time is short!  And every second counts.

The Weekend Catch-Up!

 Not much happened over the last several days this week.  It was pretty much a half week for me and the only eventful thing that happened was that I unloaded my eclipse story to anyone who would listen.  Other than that... it was fairly normal.  

So this is the perfect opportunity to blog about the other things that happened but were overshadowed by the Great 2024 Eclipse!  ( Pun intended!   Did you get it?  Or are my jokes too subtle?  )  Here are the little hills that I wanted to make into mountains, but lacked the time or space. ( Another pun?)  

  The Origami Ryūjin was delivered to VAS last week and I had not had the opportunity to formally show it off.   Luckily, it is still there on Veronica's desk and no one has "Stolen" it ( Borrowed without returning...)  I figured it looked good enough wrapped around the shelving so it did not need a stand.  

  But it did need a sign!  Just so no one mistakes it for a crumpled piece of paper...  

  I did not know this, but apparently "artwork" is not allowed in the VAS area.  So...  I have to test the waters with my Origami.  So far,  either the head boss has not noticed it  OR it was good enough to be allowed!  ( That is what I want to think, anyway....) 

  I have been working on the fish, but this afternoon, I had another small task to sharpen Helen's kitchen knives.     They were pretty dull, so it took a little more time, but while I had the sharpener out,  I took the opportunity to hone up the rest of Dave's knives as well.  

 
  I also took a little extra step and made a few sheathes for them.  I did not want the sharpened blades exposed to dulling or injury. I imagine Helen has them in a block at home so these are only temporary.  

   Other than that,  I ran 12 miles and got to enjoy the great outdoors this morning.  I have another half marathon in a few more weeks, so I have to stay in shape  and "race ready!"  Not that I will be running to win...Just hopefully finish and get the T-shirt and medal.

   Other than that,  it's just a nice relaxing day.   I may go out on Sunday and look for some mushrooms.   It has been wet and cold lately, but I heard we are supposed to have temps in the 70''s tomorrow.     Perhaps something will pop up and I will be able to find it.   Wouldn't that be fun!

 I have a few other projects lined up this weekend, but I understand that they might not be achievable just yet.   (Sunday is such a short day...  )  But it things happen where I find a little extra time, I may be able to tackle a little more.   In the mea
n time...  Time is short and every second counts.