October 3, 2015, Bruckelaufe Half Marathon, State #25, Frankenmuth, MI

After a decent night's sleep, I woke up for the Bruckelaufe race and went through my usual pre-race routine. The coffee from Tim Horton's worked out just fine as a morning pick-me-up-and-get-me-going measure. My usual breakfast of champions, oatmeal, chia seeds and (Michigan) blueberries sufficed nicely. Although, I have to say, my stomach wasn't very hungry, and as such it wasn't easy to finish it all, but I managed.

Breakfast of champions, or at least non-frontrunners. 

I left the hotel and made my way to Heritage Park to the starting line. It wasn't very crowded, despite my late departure time from the hotel. I decided to wait as long as possible to leave my room, as it was only about 45 degrees out and quite windy. I figured it would be better to hang out in my warm room rather than the cold outdoors. 

Starting area selfie.

The start of the half marathon was on the grass along the Cass River, a very picturesque spot. This race started with a prayer (a first for me at any half marathon) and then the National Anthem. Right after that, the starting gun went off and the crowd of runners surged onward!

Gorgeous sunrise at the race start. 

Starting line runners.

We ran a loop around Heritage Park before exiting along the road and out to the main street via the Zehnder's Holz Covered Bridge, our first bridge of the 13. The next bridge was immediately after...a concrete, flat bridge on the main road...nothing fancy to speak of, but a bridge nonetheless. We veered in to a residential neighborhood and then out in to the farmland nearby. I was quite surprised at the expansive farmland in this region. I didn't really think of Michigan as a large farming area, but we ran past several corn fields along the race. The area was rural and lovely.
The third bridge was another flat concrete road bridge, but the fourth one was a surprise iron trestle bridge down a dirt road. When we turned down the dirt road from the paved road, I was a bit apprehensive due to the "Dead End" sign at the top of the road. I wondered where we'd end up. The answer was running over this lovely little bridge literally in the middle of nowhere. There was a small picnic area near it, so it must be a sweet little place to hang out in the summer time.
The temperature was quite perfect for racing, but I wore long pants and a long-sleeved half zip and winter cap anyway. I was plenty warm along the way, and since the wind was so strong, I was glad I dressed warmly. Most of the first part of the race had the wind at our backs, so that was good, and by the time we hit the halfway mark and started heading back to the finish area, it was warming up a bit, so the wind (although strong) wasn't killer. Somewhere around mile 4 or 5 a gentleman named Bill Hart caught up with me and we had a nice chat. He complimented me on my strong pace and asked about my running. I told him that I was on half-marathon #25 in 25 states and that Michigan was a big milestone for me. He was so friendly and nice, asking me about my journey. He told me that he was a runner with a local running club and invited me along to join them for lunch after the race. I told him that I'd check in with him at the finish line, but that I'd be glad to join in the fun. Thanks to Bill's chat, suddenly I found myself at mile 6, nearly halfway. And somewhere in that stretch, we ran past some alpacas. You never know what you're going to see when you are out running!
Bill got ahead of me, and it was fun to watch him chat with other runners along the way. He is just one of those friendly folks who truly enjoys talking with others. He is a fantastic motivator on the course...someone who helps you along and keeps you strong without you even realizing it. I kept up with him the best I could. We traversed through more farmland and made a cute detour through an actual farm and its pumpkin field, rooster coop, horse pasture and fields. The race alternated between paved roads and dirt/gravel roads in some of these farm/rural areas. I'm no trail runner, so I'm not all that used to gravel underfoot, but I did my best.
We were somewhere between miles 9 and 10 when I caught up with Bill again. We were both still running pretty strong. I didn't know what my time was, but I felt good with plenty of energy left to finish. I ended up passing him, and we promised to meet up at the finish. The last few miles were flat, and even though the wind was still strong, I didn't feel like it was as much of a hindrance as it was in Fargo. As I ran on and made my way closer in to town and the finish area, I ran over a pedestrian bridge at the River Place Shops. Just around the corner from there was the covered bridge again, and not far past that was the finish line.

Pedestrian bridge at shopping area.

I ran on in to Heritage Park thinking that the finish line was on the main road, but alas, at the end of the road we had to run a lap around the grass of the park to finish. As I turned the last corner and saw the time clock, I could see I'd finish in 1:53 something. Not bad. Not my best, but it was a time I was happy with. I crossed the line and headed in to the sports pavilion there for finish line food, stretching and results.
Some of these smaller races don't have instant online results. They rely on computer printouts on paper that they post on bulletin boards and update constantly as finishers cross the line. I posted my unofficial results on Facebook as "1:53 something." My husband texted me shortly thereafter to tell me he couldn't find my official time online. I told him they were posting paper results. I went to check my official time, and to my utter disbelief, there was my name as #2 finisher in my age group! 

Wow! Second place in my age group!

I placed high enough to win an award! Woo hoooooo! I was so excited! Just then, I bumped in to Bill and told him my good news. He introduced me to some of the other runners from his group and updated me that they were meeting up at the Frankenmuth Brewery for lunch. I'd be there, I told him.
I stretched out, met the local Frankenmuth High School mascot, a large eagle, and then waited for the awards. I won a nice growler from the brewery as my 2nd place trophy. Hot damn!

Meeting the Frankenmuth Eagle.

My beer growler trophy. Not filled with beer by the way.

I walked back to my hotel to shower up and then met the Cass River Runners at the Frankenmuth Brewery for lunch. What a lovely group of people. Bill's wife, Jeanette was there, along with other runners...Danielle, Vicky, Marcia, Brenda, Gordy, and a real "character" of a guy as Bill described him, Riley. 

Exterior view of Frankenmuth Brewery.

The Cass River runners at lunch.

Riley McLincha was a true renaissance man, having kayaked/ran to Niagara Falls from Frankenmuth, run marathons while dribbling 3 basketballs, achieved Guinness World Record fame for memorizing pi to the greatest number of places, playing music and performing as Johnny Appleseed, writing his memoirs in a published book, and singing the National Anthem at this morning's race. He was so much fun to talk to...everyone was, and I had a delightful time sharing lunch with them. Here's a link to his Runyaker blog: www.runyaker.blogspot.com. Lunch consisted of a couple of farmhouse ales and a bratwurst sandwich. I figured I had to order some German food while here in Frankenmuth.

My new pal, Bill Hart from Frankenmuth.

Dog signs at the Frankenmuth Brewery.

Dog taps at the Frankenmuth Brewery.

We said our goodbyes after lunch, vowing to meet up at another run sometime (either in Frankenmuth again or perhaps in Kentucky...). I left the brewery and spent some time in the Frankenmuth Historical Museum. The museum features information about the fifteen original German Lutherans who came to the area as missionaries to convert the Native Americans. It is actually a really lovely little museum with lots of artifacts and photographs of Frankenmuth and its early inhabitants. They also had a special exhibit about the Grimm brothers. I didn't realize Jakob Grimm was a librarian.

Scenes/photos from the historical museum. 

I spent the remainder of the afternoon checking out little shops up and down the main street. I bought some Michigan mittens that are super cute, as well as some souvenirs for my family. I also stopped at a local cupcake shop and had them doctor up a cupcake in honor of my 25th race. It was delicious! I went back to the hotel to rest for awhile and do my laundry before checking out the huge Christmas shop in town, Bronners.

Celebratory cupcake!

The cupcake really wasn't as big as my head. Camera trick here.

Michigan mittens.

Bronner’s claims to be the “World’s Largest Christmas Store,” and according to a statistic I read at the Frankenmuth History Museum, it is the size of five football fields. The outside of the store is nearly as decorated as the inside, with larger than life (or sometimes life-sized) statuary, lights, Christmas music playing and even a “Silent Night” chapel on the grounds. Inside I was met with miles of Christmas decorations. I walked around for about 40 minutes or so, selecting a few new snowman ornaments to bring home to my family for our snowman tree. It was pretty overwhelming in there after awhile…so much to see, and I’m sure I would’ve spent much more money had I walked through the entire facility. It was like the Yankee Candle Headquarters back home, but on steroids.

One outside view of Bronner's Christmas store.

Outdoor decor...maybe a parade float? 

Life-sized Nativity scene.

Silent Night chapel on the Bronner's grounds.

Altar inside the tiny chapel.

Stained glass window in the chapel.

I headed back to my hotel to park my car, then I walked a few doors down to Prost, a wine bar/charcuterie for dinner. I ordered up a delicious plate of charcuterie and a glass of wine, and I enjoyed every bite. I chatted with a nice young couple who sat next to me at the bar. It was a perfect ending to an exciting day. 

Over the bar at Prost.

Dinner!

Back at the hotel, I did my best to organize all my clothes, race paraphernalia, souvenirs and carry on items, as my flight was out early the next morning and the airport was an hour and a half away. I checked the online results of the race, and although my official finish time stayed the same 1:53:35, I was listed as 3rd place in my age group now. Hmmmm? How could that be? Well, I took a look at the listing and noticed the first place woman in the 40-44 age bracket was also the overall first place winner for women in the entire race. My guess is that the race organizers didn’t allow winners to “double dip” in the prize pool, so with that, I’m standing on my 2nd place finish. (Even third place would have been a thrill, so it really didn’t matter.) I have my 2nd place growler trophy to show for my efforts. 

Thank you to Frankenmuth, MI for a monumental halfway milestone race, and thank you to the Cass River Runners for being so welcoming to an outsider who enjoys your sport. Most especially, thank you to my wonderful husband and kids for their unending support. I love you guys! Here’s to the next 25!

Shirt, bib number, finisher medal and 2nd place growler.

Michigan card.

State #25, Michigan, Part 1

I flew out to Detroit this morning. The flight was quick and easy, and from the airport I had to travel just over an hour to a town north and west called Frankenmuth. After a couple of stops (lunch, shopping for necessities), I made it to my destination. Frankenmuth is a quaint Bavarian-style village near the dip between the thumb and first finger of the mitten half of Michigan. It is adorable and is filled with cute shops, hotels, restaurants and attractions. I chose this race in particular because my cousin's husband has family in the area, and they were going to head out with me. Unfortunately, plans didn't work out, so I ended up solo, but in a town this sweet, there was plenty to do just wandering around. 

Statue of mascot outside the Cheese Haus.

I checked in to my hotel and then decided to walk around a bit. I started off checking out the Frankenmuth Cheese Haus which was very close to my hotel. It was a great shop filled with hand made cheeses made on location as well as other local cheeses and all kinds of cheese and kitchen accessories. I was able to find magnets for my kids there as well as a postcard to send to a friend's son for his school project (collecting postcards from all 50 states). I also ended up getting a couple of gifts for other folks for Thanksgiving/Christmas. I won't go in to detail on that here, lest they be reading. 

Fall decor outside the Historical Museum.

Next, I walked by the Frankenmuth Historical Museum. I stopped in to the gift shop and spoke to a woman working there about the town. I asked how a little German town happened to end up in Michigan. She told me that the town began as a missionary town led by German Lutherans who came to the States to spread Christianity to the Native Americans. As they settled, they kept their heritage. Many of the buildings with the Bavarian architecture were constructed in the 1950's as more of a tourist attraction, but the original settlers in the area were from Germany. The name "Franken" comes from their home province in Germany, and "Muth" means courage. I told her I'd probably stop back tomorrow to tour the museum, and thanked her for the background info. 

Window display at Historical Museum.

Local directional signage.

I continued my walk along the main street, photographing some of the signs and sights along the way. Glockenspiel, anyone? The official Frankenmuth visitor's center was also in the Bavarian style and featured a fountain out in front of children running and playing around a maypole. Next was the Bavarian Inn which featured a lower level of shops. I stopped in there to look around and then stayed for a local pint at the bar while I wrote out my postcard. I ended up chatting with some local folks about where I could grab a decent plate of pasta. They gave me their recommendation, and I decided to check it out for dinner.

Visitor's Center

Fountain outside Visitor's Center.

Bavarian Inn

Protector of the Bavarian Inn.

From the Bavarian Inn, I had to walk to Heritage Park to pick up my race number.  It wasn't a far walk, and along the way I crossed the Zehnder's Holz Bridge, a wooden bridge spanning the Cass River. It featured covered sidewalks on both sides and the middle for cars. It was really picturesque. The Bruckelaufe Half Marathon actually features 13 bridges in the 13.1 miles of running. I bet the Zehnder's Holz is one of those I will be running over. I meandered along the road to the sports pavilion where I picked up my race number and shirt. From there I just walked back to my hotel to get ready for dinner. 

Side view of Bavarian Inn with horse and carriage.

Zehnder's Holz Bridge.

I found the restaurant that the folks at the Bavarian Inn recommended. It was called DaVinci's and wasn't too far from where I was staying. I had a hearty plate of spaghetti and meatballs, my usual. On the way back to the hotel, I stopped off for a few groceries and coffee for the morning. There wasn't a Starbucks nearby, so I had to settle for Tim Horton's. I hope it works out ok. I finished up the night getting things ready for the morning. Bed early after this busy travel and walk-about day.

Race number and shirt.

On Nearing the Halfway Point

This coming weekend marks the official halfway point of my 50x50 half-marathon journey. It is amazing to me that I am this far along. I started working on this goal in 2011 when I ran my first half-marathon here in Connecticut, and actually I didn't even set the goal at that time. It wasn't until I ran my next half-marathon in New York in 2012 that I really made the decision to go for all 50 states. 
Now here I am, standing on the edge of number 25! Amazing. I just recently started putting together a non-blogisphere scrapbook (yup, the old school kind), and it has been a wonderful way to revisit all the places I've had the pleasure to experience while running. Each race has been special in its own way, and all of them carry special memories for me. I've saved all my race bibs, and pasting each one of them in my scrapbook calls up the emotions I felt each time I raced. I truly have loved every moment of these trips and races. Most especially, I love the people who I have connected with along the way and those who have traveled along with me. It is so nice to have those memories to look back upon. 

Low-tech scrapbook in progress.

So this weekend I head to Michigan to a small town called Frankenmuth. It is a Bavarian style town apparently, and I can't wait to see what it is all about. There definitely is a story there...but seriously, what a perfect time of year to be heading to a German-themed locale. Octoberfest, anyone? The race is called the Bruckelaufe Half Marathon and is sponsored by the local Jaycees group . Bruckelaufe means "bridge race" in German, and this race has runners traversing over 13 bridges in 13.1 miles. Some of them are covered bridges or other special kinds of bridges. I can't wait to see what it is all about, and hopefully capture a few good photos while I am there. (And maybe track down a bratwurst when I'm finished.) Interestingly, Michigan was the 26th state to enter the union, and this is technically my 26th half-marathon (although my 25th state overall). So I guess 26 is a lucky number, too.
Stay tuned for my review of the Bruckelaufe coming later this week. I can't wait to have number 25 officially in the books (blog and scrapbook). 

June 13, 2015, Teton Dam Half Marathon, State #22, ID.

I woke up an hour and fifteen minutes before my alarm on race day. Terrific. I hadn’t slept well, and after I awoke at 3:45 am I knew I wasn’t going to fall back asleep, no matter how hard I tried, so I just got up. I tried not to make too much noise, as I didn’t want to wake up Andrew too early. I washed, dressed and did some yoga moves to get my body ready for the race before making some coffee. 

Our hotel had a Keurig machine which is such a dream when traveling. I can buy the kind of coffee I like and brew it right in the room. And not to get too graphic or anything, but let’s just say the proper coffee is required to get the poops out before a long race. And after my food sins from the day before, I really needed to make sure that happened. My stomach had been topsy-turvy all night, contributing to my lack of sleep along with my nerves. Thankfully, a couple of coffees and some oatmeal with chia seeds and blueberries and my situation was much better. Success in this situation is critical.

Andrew awoke and got himself ready. We collected all of our necessary gear and hit the road back to Rexburg. There was not one bit of traffic along the way, so we arrived quite early to the park where the race both began and finished. The race route was a nice loop (square, actually) through the Rexburg area, mostly in farm country. We stretched a bit, utilized the port-a-potties, arranged for gear check and prepared for the start of the race. 

Starting line photo of Andrew and I.

The race stepped off promptly on time at 7:30 am and began through a residential area behind the Madison Junior High School. It was a nice way to start, somewhat slightly up hill, but nothing too taxing. As we came out of the residential area and in to the more rural farm lands, one of the first sights of interest we passed was a house with either bighorn sheep or mountain goats in the yard. I wasn’t sure which they were, but if I had to guess, I’d say they were sheep. They were looking at us as if to say, “What the heck it this? We don’t usually see this going by.” Of course, in my mind as I passed them I couldn’t help thinking that it isn’t every day that you see bighorn sheep. Almost immediately after I passed them, across the street on my right hand side was a huge herd of elk! They were spectacular to see and were kept by a farm called the Rocky Mountain Elk Ranch. What a cool way to start off a long run! 

As we continued, we entered in to complete farm lands for almost as far as the eye could see. We were surrounded by more of the same kind of fields Andrew and I saw the day before—potatoes and some kind of wheat/grassy crop. Grain silos and more of those huge industrial sprinklers were everywhere, too. The first five miles were spent in this way. It was pastoral and lovely and easy on the eyes. 

At mile five the hill started. And what a hill it was. The first part of it wasn’t too bad. Most of the time I’m ok with hills. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other like any other run on any other surface. Just keep pushing forward. But keep in mind, this was a THREE MILE HILL. It was largely steep for the first half, then it leveled off a bit, went up a bit more, leveled off again, went up again, leveled off again then went one last huge steep bit up. Just enough to completely kick your ass. The special timing devices were at the bottom and top of the hill as we had heard the night before, but I knew there was no way I’d be the fastest runner, so I tried not to focus on that. I just wanted to focus on getting over the hill. I did fine, only stopped to take a few walking steps at about the halfway point to catch my breath. During this part of the run, I ended up running partly with a man named John from Utah. He took up running to lose weight, and he was doing a great job. We had a nice chat and talked a bit with each other about races we had done. I asked him if he was a 50-stater, and he didn’t know about it, so I filled him in. I think I may have made a new recruit today. He was a nice guy. He mostly outran me on the hill, but I caught him near the top and then passed him when the downhills started. 

Miles 8-10 were up and down. I felt fine physically and took advantage of the downhills as best as I could. There were still a few pretty steep uphills during this part of the race though that kept it quite challenging. 

Once we hit mile 10 the race pretty much turned to a downhill sprint. This was wonderful after all the uphills, and it really made the end of the race a pleasure to finish. Just after mile 10 as I crested the top of the hill and started down, the view below me was spectacular! All I could think of was that it was the potato valley below me. It was an incredible vista of the farm fields, houses leading in to the valley, churches, the valley stretching out below and the amazing mountains off in the distance framing it all in. This beneath a perfect clear blue sky without a cloud in sight. Breathtaking.

I ran these downhills as fast as I could get gravity and my legs to take me. It was exhilarating to experience the fun of running downhill to the finish line. I passed the end of the 10K walkers/runners as they hit their turn around and went back to the finish. I ran through a gorgeous neighborhood in the final few turns that led back to the park. Folks in the neighborhood were in good spirits and kids and parents both were there to cheer us on. It was a perfect day.

As I rounded the corner in to the park I could hear the announcer, and since I was running with no one around me, he announced my name as I approached the finish line. I love it when that happens! 

I crossed and checked my time which was right around 1:57 something. Certainly slower than my normal pace, but with that big huge hill in the middle, I didn’t mind. I was sub-2 hours and that is always my aim. I grabbed some water and snacks and walked through the finishing area, of course collecting my medal as well. I walked around the expo area, checking out some of the local vendors. I met this cool giant dalmatian while I was there. 

Hanging with the big dogs.

After we took a picture together, I noticed that my wonderful husband (and biggest fan) texted me to tell me I had finished 2nd in my age group! My top placement in a race ever! I couldn’t believe it! I also finished 4th overall in the masters category, which is all women 40 and up. Not too shabby.

I collected my gear bag and checked in with officials to see if this status was true, and in fact, it was! I was a 2nd place winner with an official time of 1:57:46. I told the race director that I couldn’t stay for the awards ceremony because I had a 1:30 flight out and still had to get back to the hotel to shower, pack and return the rental car. 

Me on the awards stage giving the #22 sign. 22 states done!

He slipped me my prize (a gear belt) on the sly and told me to keep it under wraps. I asked the high school kids volunteering at the prize table to do a victory dance for me when they called my name since I had to leave. They said they would. :)

Andrew and I found each other and walked back to the car. The drive back to the hotel was easy, and we traded stories of our trials and tribulations along the race route. He spied llamas and cows but not the sheep and elk I saw. I missed the llamas and cows. His IT band was really hurting, so he took it slow, but he finished. Mostly we both felt pretty good though. Completing another state was exciting. 

Race t-shirt, number and medal.

We grabbed some breakfast back at the hotel then got ourselves stretched, showered and packed before heading off to the airport. Luckily our hotel was only about 7 minutes from the airport, so we didn’t have to kill ourselves with rushing around. We arrived with plenty of time to spare before boarding our flights. 

I always feel sad saying good bye to cousin Andrew because he is such an easy going guy to hang out with. He’s super smart, and I love having discussions with him about books or music or running or whatever we touch upon. It is always more fun to have him along on a run than when I’m all by myself watching HGTV in my hotel room. I gave him a hug at the airport because I knew he didn’t have much time to make his connection when we got to Minneapolis (neither did I, for that matter). Off we went.

The flights home were great. My wonderful, amazing, smart, loving, biggest-fan husband genius that he is bought me a first class ticket, so I had plenty of room to stretch out my legs. After a long run that is just divine.

Idaho is in the books, and it was a nice state to visit. I’d like to go back there and see some other areas someday. For now, I’ll just bask in the glory that this state gave me—a 2nd place age group finish. 

Life changes and running

The last couple of weeks or so have been a complete whirlwind for me. We arrived back from the Dakotas on August 24th. On August 25th I submitted an application for a job a friend of mine let me know about. My youngest daughter just started kindergarten this year, so I was thinking I might take a look around to see what might be out there job-wise. My friend sent me a message while we were away on vacation that a library job opened up at a school in her district, so when we got home, I figured I'd give it a shot. I didn't really think it would go very far, as the job had already been posted for a couple of weeks, and the teachers had to report to school on the 24th, students September 1st. I figured it was too late and that they likely would've already hired someone. 

I received a call on the 28th that they wanted to interview me on the 31st. Fast forward a week...I was offered the job and accepted. I started as a full-time library media specialist in an intermediate school (grades 3-6) this past week. Talk about making my head spin. It has been just like running a marathon. Fast pace, not knowing what is going to come up along the way, working on building your stamina, complete exhilaration and complete exhaustion.

So my plans to work on projects around the house and train for races have fallen by the wayside in favor of getting my brain back in shape with work. However, this definitely does not mean that I'm cutting back on running. Instead, I have started getting up at 5 am every morning to either bang out a 5 miler or some Beachbody strength training DVDs. It has been tiring, but my body is getting used to the wake up time by now. Somehow I'm managing, but it has definitely been tough.

I am convinced that fitting in my run (however early it may be) helps me keep my energy up during the day. Working with elementary school kids all day takes a lot of energy for sure. I need to stay dedicated and focused, both with work and workouts. So far, so good. Long runs will just have to wait for weekends. Or holidays. 

Today my oldest daughter and I ran in a local 5K race, the Somers Great Escape. It was a nice way to kick off our weekend. I bumped in to a bunch of running pals there. Shout out to Rachel and her sister, Scott R., Alicia (Kate's mom), Dave and Sam Smith (my neighbors), and Stephanie (formerly Green, but I don't know her married name) and her family. I also saw a friend on the sidelines. Hi Tenley...thanks for cheering us on!

Pre-race selfie.

It was a lovely little race, but it wasn't our finest. My daughter was tired and nursing some sore legs. We ran some, walked some, which is fine, but she just felt really defeated bringing on some whining, grumbling and tears. Not an easy race for either of us, but we did it. I'm always so amazed that my little 7 year old even wants to run in these races. I NEVER would have done that at her age. I hated running then. She makes me so proud getting out there to try. Even though we didn't beat our fastest time, we gave a good effort. And she already said she wanted to do it again next year, maybe with her sister. So I guess it wasn't all that bad. 

For now, I'm going to balance everything the best I can. I know I can do it. It will just take a little more planning and perseverance. Stay tuned as I embark on this new life-work-running journey. 

August 22, 2015, Go Far Woman Half Marathon, State #24, Fargo, ND

Race morning came without incident, and luckily I got more sleep for this race than for the one in South Dakota. Not much more, but every little bit helps. I got myself together and brought all my breakfast stuff down to the lobby/restaurant area of the hotel. While I was having my breakfast, I met a woman who was also working on half marathons in all 50 states. We got to talking, and it turned out that she was from our neck of the woods...Massachusetts. Then I discovered that she was from my husband's hometown. She didn't grow up there, but instead in a nearby town...the town my father-in-law taught high school in. Lo and behold...she had my father-in-law as her chemistry teacher! We had a nice chat together about that time in her life and our running, and we ended up walking to the start of the race together.
The mood at the starting line was jovial, and all of the women were encouraging one another. It was a nice vibe, and the race director gave a very moving speech about the background of the race. The race was established to honor a woman who was a runner and doctor in the area who lost her life early. She was an ob/gyn in the area, and she was responsible for bringing hundreds of babies in to the world. She was a woman who loved life and loved her family. I felt privileged to be part of a race of all women running in her honor and to raise money for the local NICU department at the hospital where she worked. Next, an a-capella group sang the national anthem and then we were off!

National Anthem at starting line.

The weather was very humid and strong winds were definitely sweeping across the plains. It was only partly cloudy, but there was rain in the forecast for later in the day. I was hoping I would finish long before any rain showed up. As I mentioned in my last post, the area of Fargo where we were was so strange. New construction was everywhere, and the race circled through all these brand new neighborhoods filled with large, beautiful newly constructed homes. Many of them were occupied, but some neighborhoods were still under construction or had many homes available for purchase. All I could think was that it was like Wisteria Lane on steroids...for miles and miles around. It will be a gorgeous area when all is said and done. The neighborhoods are all linked with a walking path (largely what we ran on) dotted with playgrounds, ponds, even schools all built right in. I've never seen anything like it! I don't know where all these droves of people moving to Fargo are coming from, but I can tell you, there is plenty of real estate available.
The race was going well enough, I tried to stay with the 1:50 pace group as much as I could, and for the first 7 miles I was well in front of them, but the humidity and wind were taking a lot out of me, and the looping in and out of the neighborhoods made the race route seem tedious at times. But fans were friendly along the way, and I kept seeing these two women over and over again as I continued on the path. The person they were cheering for was somewhere behind me, so each time I passed them, and then their runner passed them, they'd hurry ahead to some other location further along the race, and I'd see them again. Eventually I started to joke with them that they should run the race next year because they were so fast. We had fun each time we saw each other, and those moments help a lot when you are hot and tired and losing steam.
By mile nine I was definitely feeling spent. I pushed on along the best I could, but running against the wind was exhausting, and there was a long stretch of straight-away sidewalk that required just that. We finally turned in to another neighborhood (with enormous houses in it!) which quieted the wind for a spell. The return trip back out on that straight sidewalk had the wind at my back, which was good, but then of course the humidity felt immense. As flat as Fargo was, it wasn't an easy race to run.
The last few miles for me were just about survival. The 1:50 group had long since passed me by, and I just wanted to finish in my overall "under 2 hours" range. Finally I could see the expo center where the finish line was, and I couldn't get there fast enough. It felt like I had sandbags tied to my legs, but I pressed on. I provided some words of encouragement to some of the walkers I passed as I made my way to the finish line. They were finishing the 5K and 10K races that they walked.
As I approached the finish line, I started looking for my fans. There they were off to the right hand side, my girls, my husband and my friends from home. I blew them all kisses as I crossed the finish line with an official time of 1:54:30 which I was really happy with. I thought I'd be much slower. Handsome firefighters were at the finish line handing out the medals. I collected mine and went to find my peeps. I ended up finishing 39th overall (out of 235) and 9th in my age group (out of 38). Happy to be finished I found my gang and told them all about it.

Hot & humid & crossing the finish.

As my family took some finish line photos for me, I spied my two fan friends who followed me all along the race. Of course, I went right over to them to thank them for their encouragement along the way and to tell them what great fans they were. We chatted for a bit and took a photo together as well. What a fun couple of gals!

Me and my new favorite fans.

I grabbed some water and a little bit of finish line chocolate milk for the girls and took a quick douse through the fire truck sprinkler that was running in the parking lot. That felt good after all that sweat! We walked back to the hotel, and I found out all about what the family was doing while I was running.

Finisher's medal, number & shirt.

I changed and took a rinsing shower and then treated myself to a soak in the hot tub while my girls swam one last time. After that, we said good-bye to our friends, as they were heading to a relative's cabin for the weekend, and we were heading back to Bismarck. As we were getting ready to leave, we bumped in to Sue from Massachusetts, so my husband got to meet her. We chatted for a few minutes and wished her a safe trip home. She was heading to the airport.

Sign at World's Largest Buffalo.

On our drive back to Bismarck, we stopped to visit the "World's Largest Buffalo" because when do you ever get that kind of opportunity?! 

World's Largest Buffalo, indeed!

Family selfie with giant buffalo.

We had a low key night in Bismarck and spent an extra day there before we headed back to the airport for our trip home. Mostly we just drove around exploring the area. Not much was open on Sunday, so we just went to the movies later in the afternoon. Monday we left for home.
What a wonderful trip we had! I don't know if we ever would have selected North and South Dakota as a vacation destination, but I'm sure glad we went there. You never know where running will take you!

North Dakota card.