Category: Learning New Tricks

I guess this title is a tad dramatic but this is my blog and I was dreading this trip. I haven’t read a Harry Potter book. I am probably the only person I know who hasn’t read a Harry Potter book. I have nothing against the series, deep down I am a rebel and I think I have been resistant because I want to buck authority with the least risk to my physical well being.

The youngest member of my family is a middle school girl who loves Harry Potter, has read all of the books multiple times and has long conversations with me about the personalities and difficulties of the various Potter People. Even though I haven’t read the book, I nod along and throw out the few words I know, “Muggles, all of them!”

The magic of Disney is something I don’t understand. Perhaps I was brainwashed as a child by parents who were rebelling in their own way to be anti-Disney. I don’t particularly love crowds and the few times I have been forced to go to Disney World (it’s a thing) I was hot, tired and underwhelmed. I am also very cheap and the little adding machine in my brain kept tallying up all of the people I was fighting my way through, times hundreds of dollars a ticket, adding food and souveniers. It’s hard to imagine that all of the people I saw had retirement and or college savings but I know that sounds judgmental so we will stick to the “I am not a theme park person.”

What to do then when your wonderful little girl wants nothing more in the world, or for her birthday and Christmas, than to go see The World of Harry Potter? We put aside our personal feelings and stoicism and minimalism and we plan a trip to Universal.

I am not a guidebook writer so I will not go into great detail but I will share some helpful tips, some were even gleaned from a Fodor’s guide given to me by my Disney loving mother-in law.

Tips to Survive Universal Studios Orlando if you are afraid of theme parks

  1. Stay on property. Not having to deal with the parking situation is reason enough but the perks of staying in Universal are huge. The biggest perk being early park admission and EXPRESS PASSES for each person!
  2. Get the Universal express pass, it was the best thing I did for the whole trip. Money wise, staying in one of the premium hotels where an express pass is included is a huge savings. Don’t let the $400 a night price scare you. You can use the express pass from the moment the park opens on the day of your check-in till the time the park closes on your day of check out. So even if you only book the fancy hotel (some aren’t really fancy) for one night you essentially get express passes for everyone (in our case 4 to a room) for 2 days! And these are the unlimited use passes costing over a hundred dollars a person per day!
  3. Bring a very small back pack, I have a foldable hiking bag that worked perfectly. Universal provides free lockers at all rides where belongings are prohibited but they are not very tall, maybe 4 inches high? We placed our cell phones, keys, etc. I also packed granola bars and 4 empty water bottle into my small hiking bag. Fill empty water bottles at fillings stations or if you don’t want to carry anything around, there are cups of water available at most food/drink stands
  4. Take the Hogwart’s Express, both ways. It is worth it and so easy with the Express Pass. The attention to detail is amazing and this is from someone who didn’t even care about the books!
  5. Buy a lanyard/badge holder (or if you are like me and you have 4 Busch Gardens lanyards that confused everyone who saw them, bring those). Your hotel key becomes your express pass and it will be scanned every time you get in line. I thought lanyards seemed lame when I read it in the Fodors book but it made it so much easier than fumbling around in a pocket for our pass and definitely reduced our fear of losing it. Lanyards are sold in the park but like everything else they are overpriced so I would look on Amazon first.
  6. If there is any chance of rain, bring those cheap, disposable ponchos. It poured while we were visiting the park, the ponchos made it bearable. Throwing them away when we left the park was even better! Not wet luggage!
  7. Use the Universal app, you will have up to the minute ride opening and wait times. This was huge for us when rides would re-open after rain storms.
  8. The food is pretty terrible and expensive. It was just as terrible and expensive in the City Walk so if you are looking for convenience and to save time, stay in the park to eat. If you are close enough to walk to your hotel, make sandwiches and salads there to save money.
  9. There is hand sanitizer everywhere so if you bring some with you, it doesn’t need to be much, wipes are probably a better option.
  10. All the lines get longer throughout the day even with the Express Pass. This is not the time to sleep in. You are paying good money to see everything you can in the park, take advantage of the early admission! Go early especially if you are using the perks of staying on property. Go straight to Harry Potter and then work your way towards the front.

Our experience

Never one to keep things simple, I changed my reservations around a few times. The tickets are sold in 5 day blocks so I knew roughly the days I would go. Our flight landed in the morning and I had originally planned on going to straight to the park for the first of our 2 Day 2 Park tickets. Upon further reading, it seemed crazy to squander the Early Admission and not get a full day out of the park so I decided we would stay in the “premium” hotel the following day. The Portifinio is a beautiful hotel and where I had originally booked but it was not available for the following day so we had to stay at the Hard Rock. I was not impressed, the property is pretty run-down, there were scaffolds everywhere for repainting. If I had the choice, I wouldn;t stay there again, I would try the Portofino or the Royal Pacific.

The biggest surprise was where we stayed the first night. I didn’t need to be on property but after comparing prices, reveiws and the ease of getting to our “final destination” of the Hard Rock, I opted to stay at the Aventura. This hotel is conceptualized as a modern/futuristic design. I loved how quiet and calm, espcially when I later compared it to the Hard Rock which was very noisy.

Thr rooms at the Aventura were just my style. Minimalist. No extra throw pillows, no pictures on the walls. Huge floor to ceiling windows, wood plank flooring and very clean. No shower curtain, just glass. It was probably one of the cleanest hotels I have ever stayed in and I am very much a germaphobe. The beds were also wonderful, they were firm without being too hard, I find most hotel beds much too soft. It was a very reasonable price and I could walk to Universal if needed. We spent the day at the pool ( they let you use the hotel facilities upon arrival even though check in is later in the afternoon.) We also explored the other “theme” hotels nearby, the decor of the Cabana Bay was fun to see, they had an arcade and a bowling alley as well.

First thing in the morning, we drove to the Hard Rock, got my Universal Express passes, which also serve as your room keys. We left our luggage in the car, but could have checked it in the lobby, and walked over to Universal! The rest is history!

During our two days, my kids rode every single ride in the park (excluding kiddie rides.) Even my teenage son enjoyed the park. Even I enjoyed the park, especially the Simpsons! The roller coasters were top-notch and the set design and theming was incredible. Harry Potter World is truly amazing and for kids, I can only imagine that it is truly magical. I had no desire to go to Universal Studios, hiking and quiet places are my preferred way to spend a vacation, but I am so thankful to have had this experience with my family. Sometimes you have to be a little impractical. Comfort zones are meant to be abandoned, wear those ponchos and convention hall-style lanyards proudly!

Highlights of Universal Studios/City Walk

All rides are not created and equal and two people on the same ride can have a very different experience. With that said, here were some of out highlights:

  • Perhaps the most visually stunning ride is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™ in Hogsmeade. We actually went on this one more than once, there is so much to see and the ride itself is enjoyable
  • I enjoyed the Cat in the Hat, it is very basic but manages to capture the absurd and surreal quality of the book. My kids thought it was weird but I think it’s worth seeing.
  • Butter beer is pretty “meh.” I guess you need to try it, but one shared between us was enough! Go buy a 6 pack of ICB Cream soda instead.
  • Better yet, walk into City Walk and have dessert at the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. Though expensive, the quality and quantity are huge. I found the sundaes to be a better value and easier to share. We had the Chocolate Brownie Bark which consisted of several whole brownies and lots of ice-cream. A family of 4 could split this dessert which made it pretty inexpensive by comparison to most of the food we ate during this adventure. The building itself is a cool “steam-punk” chocolate factory and worth a look!
  • The Hulk Coaster was fun, even I went on that one. My kids loved the Velocicoaster, I sat that one out but even my husband raved about how smooth it was. Pass! The Velocicoaster was their favorite coaster in the park. I held the ponchos.
  • The Shrek 4-D movie was fun, I find that series to be entertaining and this movie didn’t disappoint. ]
  • One of our least favorite was The Fast and the Furious, super cheesy. Really, I am on a party van? Luckily we didn’t wait long.
  • Escape From Gringotts was also really well done, even the line has plenty to see. The set of Diagon Alley is pretty incredible, you can even find the dark passage in Knockturn Alley which we found was the best place to shelter during the downpours!
  • We bought a wand. It was hard to use. There were too many people waiting to perform the magic. Much like the butter beer, we did it but I am glad we only bought one!

I turned our passes into a Christmas ornament so that we can always remember the time we braved the crowds and the rain to visit Universal!

Hello world! It’s been a while. I have been running races and even had a PR in a 5k in April, a 24:27! At least I think it was a PR. I injured my psoas, which is just plain fun to say but not so fun to rehab in January. The psoas led to a hip flexor issue but I watched a million youtube videos and through a greater power and much stronger glutes, I have persevered!

If feel like my Altras contributed to my psoas pull/glute weakness. Though I love the zero drop, I felt like I had little arch support. As a runner with very high arches, I struggle to find a balance between restriction and support. I switched to Saucony Kinveras, which I liked for their light weight feel and support but after a few months, I began to get that familiar plantar plate ache, this time on the opposite foot. My plantar plate tear previously took me out of commission for about 2 months, I didn’t want to lose the best part of the spring/summer so I backed off and went back to my Hokas. I taped my 2nd toe down to prevent the curling I was starting to see and began a vigorous toe exercise regimen. I never thought my life would revolve around glute exercises and toe lifts, but, here I am.

After wearing the Hokas for a few weeks, the rocker bottom allowed me to take that strain off toes, I started looking for other options. I didn’t likt the narrow toe box on the Hokas, and I do feel the excessive stack height throws off my gait and doesn’t allow me to engage my now incredible glutes. I have never been as comfortable wearign a show as I was with the Altra Escalante but after a 10 mile race, and a very sore psoas, I checked into other zero or low drop shoes. I found the Topo Magnifly 3. These shoes are very comfortable, feel supportive but not bulky. Unlike the Altras, they don’t look like clown shoes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…. I removed the insert and used these alleged zero drop insoles to allow for a little more shock control. I can’t believe I paid this much for an insert, but my toe has been ok so far!

Back to the black hole that is Etsy. It reminds me of the halcyon days of yore when I was first on facebook and I wanted to see every comment and like. Like this blog, I will go months without posting and then go on a rager. I didn’t paint as much during the pandemic as I thought I would when contemplating what I would do during a pandemic. My house was busy all of the time and I just didn’t make it a priority. Recently I started painting again, I don’t have a lot more wall space and I hate trying to make prints, so I just started throwing more stuff on Etsy. Some of the work is generally appealing and some is a little more artsy-fartsy. Either way, the posting process is cumbersome and I have no idea how to use Instagram but I made a page anyway. I don’t share it because I somehow want to be anonymous which makes no sense, pretty much the same thing I do with this blog. A quiet, dignified Etsy shop. That 2 people a week visit. I have actually had 7 sales which is more than I thought I would have but less than I would need to make this an actual occupation. I would have to figure out how to make prints and doo-dads with my prints on them and that makes me want to take a nap, though if I am following my own advice and learning new tricks, I guess I should learn. Here are the latest additions to my Etsy shop!

    It has been a busy week. Especially busy now that it is dark at 5 PM and I have my pajamas on by 6, so much to do in so little time.

    I was having a streak, I even took some photos (terrible of course) of several from scratch pumpkin pies I made. Though I am not a good baker, I do make everything from scratch, no mixes here. I took these precious little pie pumpkins and transformed them into crust-less pies! Why crust-less? Because otherwise I will be listening to the rumblings of a certain someone in my family who avoids extraneous gluten. I don’t particularly care about crust and as I would be making it from scratch, thus increasing my chances of disaster, I am happy to skip it.

    Riding high on the victory of my past pies, I flew too close to the sun and literally melted my pumpkin wings. Note to self, if your pie needs 5 or so minutes to be fully set in the middle it is not wise to step outside to do a little hedge clipping.

    The scorched earth pie began simply. Microwaving chunks of pumpkin until soft. Easy, right? All went well until I decided to use my food processor not just to puree the pumpkin but to blend my entire batter. It was at this point that I realized that I do not have one of those food processors in which one can blend soups and liquids. It leaks out of the bottom. After I cleaned this mess up and poured the remains into my pie pan, I popped this beauty into the oven. After about 40 minutes, I decided it needed about 5 more minutes to fully set. So I left it in for another hour while I pruned hedges on a glorious fall day.

    “Oh my god, the pie!”

    Apparently, virtual school makes it impossible to smell burning pumpkin pie. My children were oblivious to the disaster as I walked into the kitchen, realizing that I had left the pie in the oven.

    I didn’t realize how blurry this was until now. Probably from the steam.

    The saving grace of this pie, baked for well over 2 hours, was that it was crust-less. If there had been a gluten engorged crust to this particular pie, it would have turned to ash. Instead, the custard caramelized. My son actually said he preferred my burned pie to the others. That’s not really saying much. There’s a sound bite for you, “this burned pie tastes better tha n my other pumpkin pie, follow me for more recipes!”

    Breaking News, middle aged woman runs faster than she did before.

    Two earth shattering things in my running world. I am wearing new shoes and I ran a 24:44 5k on Saturday, a sub 8 min pace!

    The Hokas helped me recover from a foot injury, specifically a plantar plate tear. The rocker bottom allowed me to run without pressure on this healing area. On the other hand, I felt that the cushion contributed to some hip flexor/psoas pain. I have been using some Pilate and yoga strength training to work my glutes and to stretch my psoas. The Hokas helped me recover from a foot injury, specifically a plantar plate tear. The rocker bottom allowed me to run without pressure on this healing area. On the other hand, I felt that the cushion contributed to some hip flexor/psoas pain. I have been using some Pilate and yoga strength training to work my glutes and to stretch my psoas. Doesn’t that make me sound like a gym rat?

    Interestingly, foot pain has been my Achilles heel. I have bunions and high arches and I have been using an arch support in my running shoes. After listening to this podcast with guest, Irene Davis, PhD and with my reading on trigger points and muscle attachments, I decided to increase my foot flexibility and strengthen my arches. After several weeks of these exercises, I took out my arch supports. The first few runs I felt like I was getting blisters below my bunion. After that, I could feel my ankles getting stronger and much more range of motion in my toes.

    I ran in minimalist shoes before, the Merrell Arc 4. I was running in these when I had the plantar plate injury. Though I was running in Hokas, I believed in the mechanics of the minimal shoe. I have started running in the Altra Escalante and have been pleased with results. By focusing on proper form, especially a midfoot/forefoot strike pattern my feet feel strong. Picturing my daughter’s beautiful running form, particularly the leg extension. There is a more natural rhythm that I am falling into when I am focusing on my foot strike and leg extension which leads me to a faster pace!

    This weekend, I was shocked when my phone clocked my first mile at a 7:50! I kept each mile pretty consistent and finished with a 7:53 average pace, something I did not think would ever be possible. I did this with new shoes, no arch supports and a kick ass playlist.

    There is a metaphor in here somewhere. Sometimes the things you think are helping you are actually holding you back. Had I not decided to begin this foot exercise regimen and to cast aside the shoes I had been running in somewhat successfully, I would never know the glory of running like a slow motion Olympian. Sometimes you have to break it all down to rebuild it better. We are never too old to learn some new tricks.

    Loyal readers, I know there has been much anticipation about yesterday’s 5k. Despite the chilly temps and a looming full moon, I actually had a great race!

    My time was close to but not quite a PR, I was most proud of my negative splits. Still even prouder that I can use “negative split” in a sentence. I ran each mile slightly faster than the one prior with an average pace of 8:07. This comes naturally to me as the irrational fear of not being able to finish the race keeps me from starting out too fast. I will not fall into the speed trap.

    At one point I did see someone from our local run club taking photos, I smiled and waved. Smiled and waved. I smile and wave through most of my races, I smile and wave at the course marshals, at spectators. I thank the marshals and the water attendants. I like to think that even though I am not the fastest runner, I am the most pleasant and polite runner. The Miss Congeniality of road running! Or the psycho smiling woman, you choose.

    When our run club posted photos on facebook from yesterday’s race, they did not post my smile and wave photo. Instead, I have a pretty scary and miserable looking picture, I didn’t even know there was a camera in the vicinity. Clearly I was unaware of the camera… “Hoka on line one, they want you to be the new face of running!”

    I think we have a clear winner for my Christmas card photos. I had better lift my feet a tad more if I am going to clear that speed bump!

    The moral of this story is, even if you think you are having the race of your life, smiling and waving at your fans, there may be a perspective that is different. I could choose to dwell on this photo or I can decide that my image of a strong, healthy, happy young runner is in fact the reality.

    Now, to stretch my psoas, a muscle I never even knew existed before last year. Sore ass I knew but not psoas.

    I have heard of people becoming born again virgins. Can one have a born-again PR? Let me begin by saying that I have run in a handful of races since the “Corn Teen” of 2020.

    not me

    The first two were tiny and shy, unsure of what to do in this Covid landscape. One was through the ground of mental hospital on an insanely (poor taste?) hot day. It was a race to promote mental health so there is that irony. Another was the slightly chaotic, very wet and very disappointing 8k that I was unprepared for written about here.

    I didn’t think I liked running in races, I am not especially fast, except compared to women of a certain age. Typically, I spend the first mile freaking out that I won’t be able to finish and that they will find me curled in the fetal position when they “sweep” the course at the end. The second mile I am cursing my idiotic ideas and vowing to never race again. “This is the last race I will ever run in, I will only run for fun from this day forth!” By the 3rd mile, I see the literal light at the end of the tunnel and I tell myself the faster I run the faster it will be over. It doesn’t help to think that when I am finishing mile 2, my much faster son has finished the race and is snacking.

    Is it me or is that last 0.1 unnecessary? Is it not the longest 100 meters on planet Earth? Do the laws of physics cease to exist? I always forget about that damn 0.1.

    Not running in actual races has made me slow. Not even particularly steady, but significantly slower. I thought I would be ok with this but I am not. There is still some life in this old girl yet.

    Back to my PR goal of running in the 25’s for my next 5k. Well, I was looking through our local run club results and the results from the last Turkey Trot we ran in Florida and found that I have already done this, more than once! I have no recollection of this, I thought my time was in the 26 range but no, 25:10 is my PR and I see no way that I am capable of running this time in 3 days. That’s something like an 8:06 pace, a pace which is perilously close to what I consider a “sprint.”

    But do I look good?

    On a positive note, I have been stealing the running sunglasses my son got for his birthday often enough that he finally yelled at me and I bought my own. Like everything I do and buy, I spent way too much time analyzing and being “frugal”. Ordinarily I buy whatever sunglasses are available from TJ Maxx or Marshalls, the idea of buying sunglasses without trying them on seemed foreign. How would I know if they were distorted or if I looked like a cast member from Dynasty?

    I settled on these and I love them, the Tifosi “Swank.” The matte finish is so much better for sweaty faces. Having the bright polarizing lens means I don’t have to keep pulling my glasses up and down depending on the tree canopy above, allowing me to leap gracefully over the rocks and roots on the trail. They look pretty cool, at least as cool as I am willing to look. Though more expensive then the 9.99 glasses I usually buy, they are not ridiculously expensive.

    In case I didn’t like the Tifosi’s, I bought these Knockarounds. I liked these too so I am keeping them both! They are a little less fancy than the Tifosis but they are still much better than my usual sunglasses!

    The pair of Goodr that my son has are nice too, I wasn’t as crazy about the mirrored lenses but they have a great lightweight feel and ample but not overly dark light blocking.

    All three of these brands, Knockarounds, Tifosi and Goodr have fun colors and remind me of the Swatch watches I so loved as a kid. I am coming full-circle, I will be the old lady trying to chase her best 5k time wearing some crazy sunglasses and checking my time on a swatch non-smart watch. Maybe a perm and bangs to complete my teen look?

    We can at least all agree, I will be wearing ugly Hokas.

    While I may not be able to run a 25:15, my goal is still to see a 25 in front of my time. I have been doing at least one speed workout a week, which I hate. I can feel a difference when I run faster, my legs hurt and I sound and look like Cujo on a hot day. Speed is not my friend. The one thing I have learned is to never say never, maybe I will like speed workouts someday. After my lobotomy.

    Next, I will regale you with spooky tales of my pumpkin pie.

    Apparently I will only run rainy races this year. At least it was cooler than the last race and I was prepared to run in wet conditions.

    This time, I tried to find a course map. The link to the race page went to an email address so that didn’t quite work out for me. I underestimated the hills, my phone told me there was a nearly half a mile of ascent but my speed training carried me through!

    We all ran hard, I think in part to make up for our lackluster performance at the previous race. I was most proud of my daughter, she had a PR and ran a 23:20 ish which was 40 seconds faster than her prior PR. It was an out an back course so I got to see both of my kids as they sailed through the back half!

    Why did I feel so much stronger in this race? I ran 2 and 3 day streaks in a row, usually I run every other day. I also incorporated some sprints into my regular run and did a track workout with my daughter. My 5k time was 26:11 which will not quality me for any product endorsements or coaching gigs, but it it a time I am proud to tell other people!

    What are my next goals?

    1. To get into the 25 minute range for a 5k. Most of our upcoming races that have not been cancelled are 8 or 10ks.
    2. Run some races outside of the area, I like a change of scenery, it satisfies my “wanderlust gene!”. As the daughter of an immigrant and a descendant of Mormon Pioneers, it’s strong in me.

    Tracking my runs is something I obsess over. Not because I am in some sort of Olympic training program but I think it helps to keep me accountable and I take pride in my steady, though slow, progress.

    Over the summer, Runkeeper began to give me fits. My GPS would stop tracking as soon as I woke my screen up. I would run 5 miles and have Runkeeper tell me I went half a mile at a pace of 32 miles per minute. I tried changing the sleep settings, nothing seemed to help.

    Reluctantly, I tried a few other aps. Map my Run has too many advertising features and it seemed like the most useful stuff was a premium upgrade. I settled on Samsung Health. It gives me all of the useful data which for me includes, current pace, average pace, distance and duration. You can also monitor cadence and elevation, which isn’t available on many free aps.

    My biggest complaint is that I find the interface difficult to use when I am actually running. Runkeeper has that tacky orange and blue but easy to read screen. I have a tendency to think I am running faster than I actual am so a visual reminder keeps me on pace. Yes, I am one of those old ladies who runs with her phone. What if I need to make a phone call? What if my kids have an emergency? What if I need to send a cell tower ping for my last known location so the FBI can track me? What if I see the perfect sunrise and need to take a photo while being kidnapped?

    Running with your phone presents some difficulties. In the beginning of my running journey, I would just hold my phone. After one race in particular, I developed a neural cyst I believe from squeezing my phone in my efforts to break the sound barrier.

    Arm bands do not work well for me. Like many runners, I have spindly little arms and every arm band I tried wound up around my wrists. In addition, I am a fiddler, it is too difficult for me to navigate spotify and my running ap while staring at my under-developed bicep.

    A simple hand held holder works best for me. I can still take a photo when I unstrap the phone, it’s a little clunky but much easier than trying to fish my phone out of a slot type holder.

    this is not my hairy wrist

    I am going to work on toggling my settings for Samsung health, the ap provides a lot of data which is great to review after a run but I need to find a away to make it more user friendly whilst running.

    I paint in spurts. During the summer I don’t paint much. Between torturing my children at the “cabin” and working outside, I just can’t make myself sit still long enough to paint. I carry paint with me places but don’t usually do any real work.

    As soon as there is a whiff of fall in the air, my brushes come out. I can feel the days getting shorter and the darkness starts to descend on me. Painting is a coping mechanism for me. I am used to having a day or two of quiet during the week but with this virtual school thing, I am never alone.

    I painted a few of these wave painting as a way to practice some ocean watercolor techniques I picked up from you tube. Though they are technically not very difficult, they are fun to make and visually interesting. These paintings have been my only sellers on Etsy!

    Had I thought of it, I would have “unmasked” this painting in a video. I will do that next time! Instead, I created an animation through Google photos, not quite the same thing!

    Perhaps my favorite things about these type of watercolor paintings is that they don’t have to be perfect. Having a job that requires pretty much constant perfection, I appreciate the “happy accidents” that watercolor allows.

    The mess behind the madness

    Though I can’t quit my day job, I have enjoyed having an Etsy shop. It’s nice to share my artwork with people who don’t have to like it!

    https://www.etsy.com/shop/RestingLaurels?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

    I usually run significantly faster during a race than I do on my own. Adreneline is probably a factor as is peer pressure and being in a new location. There is a joy and energy that pushes you to perform.

    Yesterday our family participated in an 8k/5k, the crowd was larger than other post-Covid races and seemed a little loosely organized for such a large event. The teenagers handing out the race bibs weren’t especially friendly, there were 2 bathroom stalls (only one with toilet paper) and the weather turned for the worse.

    The vibe was off and it never felt “right.” I struggled after 3 miles ( I was running the 8k), I probably haven’t trained for 5 miles enough, I should have been running 6 miles to be ready for 5 miles. Humidity was at 100% and the light rain turned into a downpour. At the 3 miles mark, I looked longingly at the 5k finish line. Instead, I trudged on, quite literally through the remaining 2 miles.

    The last 2 miles were off the pavement and onto a muddy and rocky fire road. The fourth mile was downhill, leading to the inevitable, soggy and muddy turnaround. I began the slog up the hill, through the mud for the last mile. I finished, it wasn’t pretty and I didn’t have that, “let’s do it again!” feeling. The joy was missing.

    After the race, too many people were crammed into the the too tiny pavilion in an attempt to avoid the torrential downpour. We didn’t stay. The parking lot was a half mile back down the road, we headed to our car and changed into dry shirts. It was so muddy that several people were stuck in the mud, their wheels spinning.

    The perfect metaphor for how I felt this race. Stuck in the mud with my wheels spinning. But just like my slog uphill, the unlucky motorists pushed and pulled themselves out and eventually found higher ground.

    How could I have prepared for this race differently?

    • Train with enough distance running close to race speed. I needed to do some tempo runs in addition to some longer runs.
    • Look at the course map! I assumed I knew this course, I had run a 5k in this same park, I had no idea about the fire road and would have paced differently
    • Check more than one weather site, when I looked, there was a slight chance of rain. It poured.
    • Bring old shoes. Once I saw the course and how wet everything was, I would have opted to wear my older shoes. Instead, I wore my new Hokas which look pretty sad right now.

    Not every race can be a good race. There were things I could have done to better prepare. Out and back courses are not my favorite and I don’t enjoy neighborhood loops. In the future, I should sign up for races that I will likely enjoy. Life is too short to feel pressured into running every local race!

    The older I get (remember, I am still chilly!) the more I focus on doing things that make me happy. Why then am I cutting downs trees and sleepign in a shed without heat, it must make me happy on some strange, primal level.

    I grew up in the 80s and as a child of this time period I am keenly aware of “stranger danger.” Having been fed a regular diet of “After School Specials” and “America’s Most Wanted,” I was keenly aware that I might be kidnapped at any time. Safety, or the illusion of safety is something we Gen X-ers prioritize.

    where it all started

    Growing up in the 80’s also meant listening to music was one of the most important things in my life. I listened at 9pm to the local “Top 9 tonight.” I never quite understood who was rating them and how it could change daily but I would record my favorite songs from the radio to my cassette player. I did my aerobic workouts listening to my walkman. I never liked the disc man as much, it skipped too much during my jump heavy dance routines. Without social media or in my case, cable television, music was my primary connection to the world around me.

    When I began running in my 40’s, it made me feel like a kid again. Seriously, who other than elementary school kids takes off running at full speed (or any speed) for fun and not just to escape a predator? Runners, that’s who. We may look serious with our dri-weave running gear and our hideous Hokas but we really are just giddy kids. Happy to be outside, running into or around puddles, listening to the soundtrack of our youth.

    In my neighborhood, where I have defined and regularly trafficked trails, I feel comfortable listening to my earbuds. If I am elsewhere, I may only use one earbud or none at all.

    I know “serious” runners don’t listen to music while they run. It’s their loss. Running for me is basically an excuse to listen to music, especially cheesy 80’s music, though I also tend to sing which scares the people around me.

    What do you like to listen to while you run?