South Dakota, Part 1

We left for South Dakota on Friday morning (8/14) and landed in Rapid City. Our first hotel was about an hour from there in Spearfish where my race was to take place on Saturday, August 16th. Spearfish is located in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, and there are several nearby points of interest. We arrived pretty late on Friday night, so we pretty much just hit the sack so we could start fresh on Saturday. 

We decided to go check out Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument on Saturday morning before I picked up my race number. We headed though the beautiful Black Hills out to the Mount Rushmore monument, passing through quaint touristy “wild west” towns along the way. We traveled along the windy road that leads up to Rushmore, and suddenly, we caught a glimpse of the presidents! As we got closer, we realized the magnificence of the monument.

First glimpse of Rushmore from the car!

Getting closer...

It is really so strange to see Mount Rushmore in person after seeing it in books and photographs for your entire life. It seems surreal and unbelievable, but there it is. We parked and walked up to the entrance of the park, and I have to say, it is really impressive. A large stone gate marks the entrance and once inside, a gallery of pillars flanked by all of the flags of the states lines the walkway. On each pillar the name of the state and its date of statehood is listed, as well as its numerical order of entry in to the union. 

It was a very warm, beautiful day with picture perfect skies, and the white of the granite statues contrasted beautifully. What an amazing work of art for Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln, to have envisioned and created. The park is circled with a boardwalk trail that winds around the area providing many wonderful viewing angles. We loved soaking it all in. It is really cool to see how the perspective of the statues changes as you move around. 

Majestic view from the main balcony.

Future great Presidents?

Nostril view angle.

Rushmore selfie.

Silly fun in front of Mt. Rushmore.

Also of note, when you put your back toward Mount Rushmore and look out in the opposite direction, you have a gorgeous view of the South Dakota landscape, and wow, is that spectacular, too!

Our next stop was for lunch in Keystone, a wild west themed town. We ate at the Ruby House which is an old time saloon-feeling restaurant. It was filled with old west artifacts and artwork, and was certainly part of the experience of being in this part of the country. We walked around the town a little bit and shopped for a few souvenirs before hitting the road to Crazy Horse.

Keystone billboard.

The Crazy Horse monument is also impressive, although you can’t really get up close to it like you can at Mount Rushmore. Because it is an active construction site, you aren’t allowed to walk out to it from the parking lot. We got a great view of the monument in progress from the parking lot. A lovely welcome center and Indian Museum of North America are on site, and we spent some time there admiring the beautiful creations of the Native Americans.

Although Crazy Horse is still a work in progress, it was interesting to see. I thought it was cool that my little ones were able to see it under construction, as someday they may be able to come back with their families and visit it when it is complete. 

Crazy Horse Memorial.

After we left the Crazy Horse site, we headed back to our hotel. The hotel across the street from ours was the host site of the running expo and packet pick up. I went in and got my number, swag bag and nailed down a few last minute details like where the finish line was for my husband and kids to pick me up. It only took a few minutes, and then we were off again. 

We found a local mom and pop type restaurant for dinner in Spearfish called the Bayleaf Cafe. The restaurant boasted a slight Middle Eastern influence, but they also had several American and local cuisine dishes on their menu as well. We chose this restaurant for its fresh, made to order cooking and non-chain affiliation. It was a great meal. The girls and I all ordered spaghetti and meatballs. Perfect for pre-racing. 

As we dined, two women entered the restaurant and sat at the table next to us. I overheard them telling their waitress that  they were running the race the next day, so before we left I stopped to talk to them. One of the women, Liz (from Ohio) was running the full marathon in her quest of marathons in all 50 states. The other woman, Fiona (from South Dakota) was running the half. We chatted for a few minutes about our goals and wished each other well. It was back to the hotel to get ready for the morning and bed.
I had a feeling sleep wouldn't come easily for me, as I had some nervousness about having to get up at 3:30 am to catch the 4:15 am shuttle bus to the start of the race. Ugh! But to make matters even worse, just as we were all trying to fall asleep, my oldest daughter's tooth fell out! Now I had to worry about the tooth fairy coming after we all fell asleep! OH GOODNESS! And to top it all off, our tooth fairy has a creative side and likes to origami her dollar bills, which I'm sure takes some research and preparation. Wonderful. Goodbye early to bed. By the time I finally fell asleep it was past midnight, and I awoke a few times for bathroom breaks, too. Not much rest, but so be it.

A Running Vacation

My family is awesome. They allow me to indulge my crazy running habit, and as a result, they experience the lucky side effect of sometimes traveling to the various states with me. Last year, we took our summer vacation to Washington and Oregon. I ran in both states, and we visited with friends and family while we were out there. It was a great trip for all of us. 

This year, summer vacation again included races for me. I love having my family at the finish line of my half marathons, cheering me on, but these “running vacations” are not without their difficulties. First, there is the responsibility of packing for an entire family for the trip. I need to make sure everyone has their clothes, shoes, bathing suits, hair necessities, creature comforts, books, art supplies, coats, socks, etc. It isn’t just making sure I pack my GU and Rock Tape and running gear (which is hard enough on its own). 

Next, there is the issue of getting a good night's sleep prior to the race. I hardly ever sleep well the night before a race, but with the whole family in the room, it is even more difficult. I worry about waking them up early in the morning as I leave, I get hyper-sensitive to everyone’s breathing/snoring (although my ear plugs help with that), I tiptoe through my trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night hoping no one hears me and wakes up, and as much as I adore snuggling with my little ones, a tiny little body smushed up against me for the night isn’t exactly conducive to a sound sleep. 

Family vacations, of course, involve all kinds of activities…swimming, sight-seeing, walking, hiking and lots of eating out. All of that stuff is loads of fun, but sometimes it is really tiring (when two races bookend the trip) and all the good restaurant food makes me feel heavy, not exactly the best way to feel before a race. 

But the family running vacations come with great benefits, too. Having my spouse and kids there with me rids me of loneliness unlike when I am on my own for a race. They are silly and happy and cuddly and energetic which is all really good for mental fortitude. They get to experience the same cool places that I do, and we make fabulous memories. We laugh and relive our favorite moments “on the road.” It is pretty terrific to have a gang to do that with. Most of all, it is so lovely at the end of the day to have a hug and an “I love you.” It is like being at home even when you are far away from home. Bring on the running vacation!

The Fan Club (in my mind)

This morning while I was out for my run, my friend Maureen drove by and gave me a wave. I love when I see folks I know while I’m out running around town. I have several different regular routes that I run, so on any given day I see the same people around. For those who give me a wave, I’ve come to affectionately think of them as my fan club.

Now, of course, there is my actual fan club at home, my husband and my kids who always cheer me on and often attend the races I run to meet me at the finish line. There are family and friends who have come to my races to cheer me on or who have met up with me on a race location just to hang out. (I love that!) There’s my weight watchers group who clap for me each time I report back to them that I’ve finished another race and the Losing with Lucy ww forum I visit on Facebook who cheer me on. There are my extended family and friends who send me all kinds of support, good vibes and cheers when I post my results to Facebook. But then there are the people who are there on my daily runs giving me a cheerful wave or a beep of their car horns. The list grows larger all the time, and I don’t always even know who everyone is, but I am so grateful for their small gestures, as they help so much to give me a smile as I run each mile.

My favorite fan club members enjoying lunch with me after my race in Olympia, WA.

In no particular order (and certainly not an exhaustive list), I wish to call out and thank the farmer at the tree farm I run by, Jack the fire chief in my district, my neighbors Ashley and Jamie and Carolyn and Shirley and Karen and Dave and Julie and Mike, my co-worker Kristen who beeps from her cute little red car (and other colleagues who occasionally spy me), Charlie at the funeral home who yells for me to “pick up the pace," Carl and Bobby and Mark and Ed from  the public works department, Tommy and Julie who I ran in to a couple of weeks ago, Fr. Melnick, Mrs. Mongillo and Ms. Surapine and some of the parents from my daughter’s school, Mrs. Hoginski who yelled to me one day, Mr. Art Potter who drives a huge dump truck sometimes, my brother, my mom who likes to yell “run, Forrest, run,” the firefighters from the Hazardville Department, my running buddy Scott, my pal Pat, Rachel who recognized me from my blog at a recent 5k, families from my girls’ gymnastics school, the Yarums, the ladies who walk their dogs in my neighborhood, Penny the farmer around the corner from my house, Mrs. Kosa, the Magic Carpet bus driver(s), and all the random drivers who give me a wave when I wave to them for giving me a wide berth on the side of the road as they pass by. 

Additionally, I also thank all the folks who read this blog. I consider you fans to some degree as well. I most especially love to look at the "stats" page of Blogger which tells me where you are viewing me. Here's a virtual high five to the readers in the UK, Spain, France, Ukraine, Australia, Ireland and sometimes Russia and Asia. It is fun to realize that the world really is a little place. I'd love to hear of your running adventures, too. Feel free to comment & share or tell me your blog address so I can become a member of your fan club. 

So thank you to all my fans, near and far, friends and strangers alike. You are tremendously appreciated! Your kindnesses help put a little extra lift in my step when I’m out hitting the pavement. 

Hi-ho, hi-ho, off to Idaho

I left early Thursday morning, June 11th for Idaho Falls, Idaho. Yup, Idaho. My cousin Andrew joined me for this trip, and we met up at the teeny-tiny Idaho Falls airport. He was already there as I was landing, and he texted me while I was still in flight to let me know he was enjoying some local Idaho potato french fries at the airport while he waited for me. I was instantly jealous. Because, of course, Idaho is all about the potato.

I found him quickly, as the airport is smaller than my local grocery store, and we headed off to get our rental car. We decided we would skip checking in to our hotel at first to instead pick up our race packets a few towns away in Rexburg, where the official race took place. That would leave us all day Friday to do what we wanted.

Thanks to the wonders of GPS, we easily found the Rexburg City Hall and retrieved our numbers, t-shirts and other goodies. The set-up was well-organized, and the volunteers were very helpful with our questions. My main question related to the elevation of the course. Seeing as the race was dubbed the Teton Dam Half Marathon, my concern was that we’d be tackling some kind of foothills of the Teton Mountain Range. I prefer knowing what to expect when it comes to hills, and the race website only profiled the elevation for the full marathon, not the half. The man I spoke to let me know that there was one major hill that started at mile 5 and ended at mile 8. A three. mile. hill. But, here’s the fun part…as one of the awards of this race, they take special timing marks at the start of the hill and end of the hill. The male and female racers who run up the hill the fastest are dubbed the king and queen of the hill and each win a cash prize. Now that’s incentive to keep moving! He said after that big hill the course was “rolling” hills until about mile 10 where it was all downhill to the finish. Ok, I guess I could deal with that. It sounded better to me than the sadistically placed humongo hills that show up notoriously at mile 11 in half marathons. Tackling hills when you are fresh is certainly preferable, and at least I had a downhill finish to look forward to.

We left packet pick up and went to our hotel to check in. We stayed about a half hour away from Rexburg in Idaho Falls. 

View of Snake River, river walk and temple from our hotel room.

Our hotel overlooked the Snake River and the lovely riverwalk that runs along it. It was a beautiful view, and we had a small balcony we could sit on to enjoy it. We were both pretty tired from our long day of travel, so we decided to just have dinner at the hotel that first night. We opted to sit on the patio off of the restaurant/lounge area, and luckily we had it all to ourselves. We shared some wine along with dinner and had a great time catching up with each other, as we hadn’t seen each other in quite awhile…I think not since November of last year! It was early to bed for both of us after that.

Friday morning I awoke from a sound, solid and wonderful night of sleep. I love it when that happens on a trip. I woke up earlier than Andrew and got myself together. I snuck out of the room to give him time to sleep in and just relaxed in the lobby area of the hotel enjoying coffee and the newspaper. Andrew joined me an hour or so later, and we had breakfast. Then it was off to explore Idaho Falls. First we just drove around a little to see what was nearby. There was a fair amount of retail along with some residential areas. We then drove to the Museum of Idaho to take in the exhibits. 

Museum of Idaho

The museum was hosting the “Real Pirates” traveling exhibit which chronicled the history and eventual demise of the Whydah pirate ship, the wreck of which was discovered off the coast of Cape Cod. It was a pretty cool exhibit to see, as it featured many artifacts found in the wreck including coins & pieces of eight, utensils, plates, buckles, buttons, weapons and other items. The museum also featured some history of the local area including some connections to the explorations by Lewis & Clark, the significance of the nuclear industry in the local area, and a replica of a 1800’s era “downtown main street” back when the town was originally named Eagle Rock. It was a fun way to spend our morning. We were glad to have visited.

For lunch we found a cute little cafe nearby called the Snakebite Cafe. I ordered shrimp tacos with Idaho fries (yay!) and Andrew ordered a veggie burger with fries. I also tried a local microbrew which was very tasty. The cafe was cozy with indoor and outdoor seating. Local art hung on the walls and was available for purchase. I love when places do that. We had a swell lunch and then decided to take a drive following the signs that indicated the “green belt” district.

We headed out of town and in just a couple of miles, we were surrounded by farmland as far as the eye could see. It seemed that some farms grew potatoes while others grew wheat or some other kind of grassy crop. 

Farmland views.

Big sprinkler.

Wild terrain in farm area.

Farm crops.

The huge sprinkler systems on wheels were everywhere. There was a real kind of desolate farm beauty to it all. It was very green, indeed. We pulled off the road to take a few photos before heading back to the hotel to relax a bit. 

We chilled out for a little while and then took a walk along the Snake River walk behind our hotel. Literally steps away from our hotel were the falls of Idaho Falls. 

The falls of Idaho Falls.

It was a pretty sight. We walked along the path a bit longer, admiring some of the artistic benches that lined the way. It was a popular area for walkers, runners, bikers, skateboarders, and kids on scooters. And geese. 

Riverwalk views. 

Geese!

Snake bench on the Snake River.

Our next adventure brought us out to the site of the Teton Dam for which our race was named. In 1976, shortly after the dam was completed, it was breeched, destroying several towns in its wake. Eleven lives were lost in the tragedy, and the dam was never rebuilt. You can learn more of the history here. 

Remains of Teton Dam. 

Eerie desolation.

Looking downstream at Snake River beyond dam site.

Dam selfie.

The dam site was so desolate and quite eerie. The Snake River runs through the area, and a large land mass sits in the middle of the section where the dam once existed. You can see the evidence of the two man-made sides of it on either side of the river valley. I couldn’t help but feel the magnitude of the history that happened here. There is a strong sense of ghostliness there. Along with that, there is graffiti in a few spots, most likely marking the proof that some partying takes place there among the young crowd. We didn’t stay long, as we had to get to the pre-race potato dinner, but we were glad to have visited this historic site.

It was back to Rexburg for the dinner, and after a minor snafu regarding which school the dinner was being held at, we found our place. We arrived just in time to hear the race director provide all his last minute announcements. One bit of information that came out of the Q & A portion of his talk was that the half marathon only had a total of 192 runners registered. 192. Total. That means it would be the smallest half marathon I’ve ever run in. Right away my nerves started freaking out. What if I came in last because everyone in Idaho practices running in the mountains and is faster than me? What if I run so slowly that I lose sight of anyone in front of me and can’t figure out which way to go. What if...

Potato bake dinner.

The pre-race dinner featured baked Idaho potatoes (so cute!)  along with some toppings. I was so looking forward to this part of the weekend, as I thought it was genius to have potatoes to “carb up” rather than pasta. When in Idaho… However, I ended up being a little disappointed with the offerings available. I guess I am just too used to how I doctor up a potato at home. I usually use lots of fresh veggies, some healthy caramelized onions, salsa, black beans, low fat dressing or sour cream, jalapeños, etc. I was looking forward to some creative and delicious toppings. I made the best of what was available, which for me was some beef & bean chili to top my potato along with a fairly bland side salad with ranch dressing. Other toppings available were broccoli & cheese sauce, some kind of creamy/meaty dressing (not sure what it was), sour cream & butter. Not exactly the “toppings bar” of my dreams. I didn’t want any of the creamy stuff, as I don’t usually eat that way, and I didn’t want to make my stomach get all crazy before the race. Plus, my stomach was already a little gassy from the beer and french fries from lunch (also stuff I don’t usually eat…). I was getting worried that this might be a disastrous G.I. trouble situation. So I did my best at the potato dinner to keep it straight up. I didn’t even partake in the brownies for dessert. 

Back at the hotel, we prepared our gear for the morning and turned in somewhat early. Andrew was earlier to bed than I. I turned the lights out at 9:30 pm, but had a restless and fitful sleep.  Partly because of the gassy stomach and partly because of the 192 runners info. I hate when that happens the night before a race!

5K Fever!

Yesterday my daughter and I ran a 5K in our town at a local elementary school. 'Tis the season when 5Ks are sprouting up like grass...they are everywhere and are a terrific way to have fun, get some fitness and support worthy causes. Yesterday's race, the HMS (Hazardville Memorial School) 5K caught my attention because the race director, Scott, is a running buddy of mine here in town. He was on hand to support the race my daughter's school held last year, so it was the least we could do to support his efforts at his kids' school. 
Scott did a fantastic job as race director. Everything was well publicized and organized. We decided to walk to the starting line of the race from our house (only about a mile from where we live) so we wouldn't have to deal with parking. It was a perfect morning, overcast and pleasant without too much heat. We arrived at HMS and picked up our numbers and goody bags. We were pretty early, so we just relaxed in the back yard of the school near the playground area. My daughter was more than happy to have a new playground to try out. There were plenty of volunteers around to help out with everyone's questions. After a couple of quick bathroom stops for us, we were ready to run! 
One fun thing that occurred prior to the start of the race was that I got "recognized" by someone who recently read my blog! That was really cool. So I made a new friend in Rachel (Hi Rachel!), and we chatted a bit about how fun running is. She had a friend in tow who was running her first 5K. We had a lovely pre-race visit, and Rachel was kind enough to snap a photo of my daughter and I prior to the start of the race. 

Pre-race photo of us taken by Rachel.

Finally, it was time to begin, and all the 5Kers were directed to the starting line. I had to laugh that my little 7 year old was front and center, adamant that she toe the line. My little competitor! On the starting command, she took off like a shot and was the frontrunner of the race until we exited the school's driveway and turned on to our first sidewalk. So awesome! She was doing great and running strong. I knew we wouldn't keep up her fast pace for too long, but I knew we'd likely best our previous 5K time that we ran a year and a half prior. 

Toeing the line.

The race route took a couple of turns through area neighborhoods and returned back to the school parking lot where there was a water stop, then we were out for a second loop before finishing. My little buddy and I ran most of the time, but we took walk breaks whenever she needed to catch her breath. Many of the other runners provided us with encouragement along the way. One person even told my daughter that she was a "rock star" for her running ability. That comment went a long way in keeping her motivated to the finish. Thanks to all the runners who gave us some kind words along the way.

My little runner looking strong on the route.

When we got to the driveway of the school, all we had to do was run through the parking lot and then back in to the back area of the school where the finish line was. I encouraged my daughter to pick up the pace to finish strong, and she did! As we came across the finish line, everyone was cheering for her and even shouting her name. How they knew her name, I have no clue, but it was a kick that she had such a terrific fan base. As we crossed the finish line, I checked our time on my Strava app, and we finished in 34 minutes! We crushed our previous 5K time of 49 minutes, improving it by 15 minutes! A new PR for my little runner! I was so proud of her!
We walked to the recovery area for cold waters and some fruit snacks for her. We had a great race and now could bask in the glory of finishing. We chatted with some of our running friends who were at the race as we waited for the results. The first male and female finishers were recognized and then the participation medals were handed out. It was a great morning. On our way out of the school, we stopped to chat with a few 169 runners. These are folks who work on running races in each of Connecticut's 169 towns. I thought it was awesome that this little school race attracted them. Kudos again to the race director for all the publicity. We had a nice leisurely walk home, which was a perfect way to cool down. 

Rosy-cheeked 5K finisher!

On our walk home we talked about how fun the race was for us. We also decided for sure we'll be back for it again next year. I can't wait.

Sweet, sweet spring running

Newly budding tree

The sweetness of spring running is one of the loveliest, most uplifting feelings a runner can experience. I have been enjoying the terrific spring running weather here in Connecticut lately. Spring was late to come, but now that it is here, it is just perfect. Things are budding and bursting out all over. We’ve had a couple of steamy days lately, but mostly the temperatures have been moderate and the skies filled with sunshine and happy clouds. I had the extreme pleasure a few weeks ago of trying out a new running route. It was the first weekend of May and the local kayak/canoe race was taking place that day. I opted to run near the river route to check out the goings-on. Not much was happening as I passed by because I was running early and the finishers hadn’t come down the river to the finish line yet. The terrific thing though was that the road was shut down to traffic, leaving a lovely, winding country road all to me. This road is hilly and cars tend to fly down it and around the swerving corners, so it can be treacherous for runners, walkers and bikers. But not this morning. It was all mine, and it was spectacular! I almost didn’t even mind the major hill leading up to the Collins Creamery. Almost. 

"Flocked" front yard along the way

I continued along the route and decided that the day was too gorgeous to ignore. I took out my cell phone so I could document the beauty around me. Trees were blooming, flowers were sprouting up everywhere, and I couldn’t help but smile with every footfall. I don’t normally hold my cell phone while running, let alone take photos, but I decided to break that rule for this day. Included in this post are the photos I took along the way that day. Much of the area is a residential neighborhood, but some farms still exist, too. The views were just lovely all around. 

Farm vista

I encountered some other runners as I got to a paved walking/biking path in my town. It was great to see other folks out getting their daily dose of sunshine and fresh air. Flowers were sprouting along the path as well as one of my favorite signs of spring in this neck of the woods: skunk cabbage! The paved running path features a large downhill followed by the requisite large uphill. Again I didn't mind. I just kept plugging, bounding along on my merry way.

Daffodils on the paved path.

Even the dandelions looked cheerful!

Substantial downhill portion of path.

Followed by uphill...reduce speed, indeed!

Farm tractor along the way.

Skunk cabbage.

Next, I passed by our local middle school where a huge line of traffic was backed up. I yelled hello to a friend as I ran past the stopped cars. It was fun to know that I was going faster on foot than on four wheels! As i finished up the last bit of my run, I encountered a house that was being renovated by a local charity group. What a perfect day to be volunteering on a house project. Happy emotions were everywhere! 

Flowering tree in front of middle school.

Home improvement in progress.

Tobacco barns and happy clouds near my house on the homestretch.

Spectacular forsythia hedge!

As I think about my other springtime runs recently, I think about the luscious scent of the lilacs I pass in the tree farm I run by. I think about the high school athletes on the track, baseball and softball fields I pass. I think about the gorgeous horse farms and distant hills I see on one of my routes. I think about how lucky I am to have all this beauty and and expansiveness around me. I try not to think about the headless doll that was on the sidewalk where I was running the other day. Yikes!

Creepy headless doll on the sidewalk. 

Spring is special. I’m convinced it is the best time of year to run. Soak it in! I sure am. 

Happy running shadow selfie!