Craig's OTHER List: May 2019

This month has been full of many things: travels, chores and portraits from youth that make you wish you still had their immense imagination..and summer finally arrived!

A 2018 graduate of Youngstown State University L's brother Chris found his first job in the testing lab at a steel plant in Steubenville, Ohio. We paid him a visit and made a trip out there while making stops along the way, hitting historic Triple Locks Park in Coshocton, Ohio, stopping by Wooly Pig Farm Brewery, Honey Run Waterfall in Knox County and browsing Tappan Lake in Deersville.

It was cool to have Chris show us his bachelor pad and around Steubenville, Mingo Junction and Wintersville - places loaded with history along the Ohio River and in the shadow of West Virginia. His place is short on furniture and belongings, but is typical of first apartments. Mine was a hidden, ramshackle second floor space on a hill in Grayson, Kentucky back in the summer of 1998 - how is that over 20 years ago now?

Me - as a tiger and me, again, as a
...a lady?

Anyway, here back at home schools are wrapping up their academic years and preparing for next year. As a result, the library has been attending events to ready students, and parents alike, for what to expect when the summer comes to an end. Assigned to a kindergarten registration earlier this month for work, a pair of 5 year-old girls found me to be their entertainment while waiting for their mom.

According to Olivia - I'm weird and have no hair, but before leaving she says, '"Hey Mr. Man...I like you!".
Her sister, McKenna, drew some pictures...for the first one she says, "This is you as a tiger."
For the second, she says, "This is you as a lady." Ahh...fringe benefits from the mouths of babes. Apparently, I not only resemble a wild animal but also Picasso's ideal woman.

The pair of school employees, as well as the parent, who were at the registration table next to me were in hysterics. I was entertained, but yet confused, with McKenna's interpretation. Did she know something I didn't, like "I see dead people"? Instead, she was blessed with the misguided and warped depiction of reality from disturbed & eccentric artists? Either way, I'm sure showing her and her sister how to turn their eyelids inside out for a cool zombie look (among other things) had something to do with it. Somewhere out there, Salvador Dali is smiling in satisfaction that his protege' has found her craft.

With Memorial Day weekend rolling around, it was again time for New Moon Half & Quarter Marathon AND the Crescent Moon 5K here in Delaware. Two years ago I ran the quarter marathon portion and crashed in the late afternoon heat - it is a 6pm start - finishing 8th overall in 47:18. Last year, almost two months after L and I moved to Delaware, I ran the half marathon and following a Thunderstorm just before the start I finished second overall in 1:28:03. The heat and humidity returned after the thunderstorm and there were some kids along the route who cooled us off with squirt guns as we navigated the course, to go along with the water stops. This was also the race where I ran over the little girl near the finish line...not my proudest moment.

The race travels through scenic Delaware City and this is how the race is described: Join us and celebrate the "unofficial" arrival of Summer on Memorial Day weekend for the exciting 5th annual New Moon Half & Quarter Marathon AND the Crescent Moon 5K. The event kicks off fun summer evenings with a Half Marathon (13.1 miles), Quarter Marathon (6.55 miles) and the Crescent Moon 5K (3.1 miles). All three races, which begin and end in the heart of downtown Delaware, Ohio are open to runners and walkers. The New Moon is a party and celebration of all that is fun on great summer nights - including a festive post-event Celebration Block Party for you and all your friends and family.

It was unexpectedly cool at the beginning of this week, but it was to be humid and toasty - again - by the time the Saturday afternoon race was to arrive with heat index warnings & other fun stuff.

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The urban run course starts directly in the downtown of Delaware, takes you through the historic business district, the neighborhoods that make up the city, through the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University, around beautiful Mingo Park and alongside the Olentangy River on a fun bike path where portions follow on old rail line that stretches over U.S Route 23 and to an exciting downhill finish back at the heart of downtown. In the middle portions of the route, we have some nice hills to navigate and get to circle the block L and I live on.

The quarter marathon route, the half
marathon is two loops of the same route

Speaking of L, she would be running the quarter marathon portion this year which would also be her longest race ever. Just like the year before, it was hot and humid then clouds rolled in prior to race time dropping some rain and leaving us with a wet, humid course. Sounds way too familiar.

About 400 meters in I'm following a couple of dudes and I'm going to fast (as always) and this dude pulls up alongside me. "Hey, what pace you going for?", he says.

"I'd like for it be around 6:30, but we'll see"

"Oh, cool...wanna run together?"

Annoyed, but not deterred, I agreed. Which ended up being a short-lived - luckily - mistake. For the next mile this dude asked if I lived in Delaware, where in Delaware I lived, told me where he lived, asked my half marathon PR, told me his half marathon PR and few other things. I'm at 6:05 through the first marker.

Just as I started imagining shoving talky-talkerson off of the rail bridge and onto the busy freeway below, he says, "Sorry, I'm a talker when I run. Feel free to tell me to shut up If I'm bothering you." I didn't want to be a complete jerk, so I jokingly followed with, "Oh, no problem. If need be I'll just trip you and push you towards the nearest tree." That's when I realized that might be an excellent idea.

At the finish

He glances behind us to see a woman on our heels and the way she is dressed indicated she was only playing possum before deciding to wipe the floor with the both of us. "I just don't want to lose to that girl," he says. I really wanted to kidney punch him because he was going to lose to several women on this day, for sure. What an ass.

He drifts in front and as we reach the quarter marathon turn at the two mile marker, he goes that way. I'm now confused, I though for sure I saw he had the half marathon bib on and he was yammering away about half marathons up until that point. I contemplated saying something, but kept my mouth shut and ran the half marathon route which turned the same direction, but one block further up. I'm at 6:22 for mile number two.

After navigating the additional block, I'm alone until we merge back with the quarter marathoners. I see talky-talkerson in the distance and he's glancing behind him ever minute or two. I get to run now in relative silence, keeping a decent pace and making my way through the familiar streets of my hometown. The third mile is 6:17 and a large up hill portion evolves. As I head up Franklin to turn onto Lincoln for more incline I see L's Mom & Dad, encouragement from familiar faces is a good thing. Working my way up Lincoln, I pass a house with a crowd of people on the porch and then my name is bellowed. It's our neighbor Rob and others and to add to their glee, I yell, "Elmwood Strong!" They erupt in excitement & laughter as they recognize the phrase they yelled to me at this same point of the race last year. Elmwood, by the way, is the street we live on.

L at the finish

The uphill climb ends with a 6:45 mile four and the next mile downhill is 6:23 where the kids with super soakers ask if they can blast you. If you give them the thumbs up, you get splattered and it is welcomed in the post rain humidity that's lingering. Around Mingo park mile six is at 6:45 and now the quarter marathoners, half marathoners are so mixed together you can't be sure who is who until their turn for the finish and our loop number two. The humidity is really starting to slow me down now and once the split comes and I turn for the second time around it is nothing but crickets. The one dude who I know for sure is way ahead is nowhere to be seen and don't hear anyone behind me.

L and I

Miles seven and eight are 7:07 & 7:09 and I alternate each water stop with water and a heavily watered-down Gatorade. In the middle of mile nine I hear footsteps, but continue my fatigued pace. Along the downhill on Oak Hill he cruises by and I attempt to focus on him to help pull me the rest of the way through. Mile nine is 7:01 and through the uphill of mile ten I see L's parents again. I keep staring down the guy in front of me and mile ten is 7:37 with the downhill of mile eleven at 7:05. I'm struggling now and push through Mingo Park and mile twelve at 7:25. The final mile was about the same and I felt sorry for those still running because it was quite uncomfortable. Mile 13 was 7:24 and I come in crossing at 1:29:54, a bit less than two minutes slower than last year's time and third place overall - first in my age group.

As for talky-talkerson, he did (according to the results) finish ahead of that young woman (10 years his junior) by one place. Though, they finished with the exact time. I'll give the edge to her.

L finds me and we grab our finisher's beer and food. She says she was doing well for the first three miles of the quarter marathon, but with the humidity, and along the uphills on Franklin & Lincoln, the wheels fell off. She placed 56th with a time of 57:23. We then run into our neighbors and their extended family, some of whom also took part in the sweaty mess. Then it was time to head home and clean up. We ended the night fighting to stay awake on the futon in the carport we use as an outdoor space. The rest of our Memorial Day weekend was spent chilling out, grilling and welcoming summer back.

We now prepare for next weekend's AEP Ohio Columbus 10K. I finished in 38:46 in 2017 and 38:19 last year, maybe this year I break that 38:00 minute barrier. As for L, I think she wants to improve on the disappointing finished at the New Moon.

So our August wedding will be simple: a family style barbecue picnic at a shelter house at a park a mile from our house where we will do the cooking. This will be followed by a quick cut & dry ceremony there on the premises to make it official, then for those who would like too, a short drive north to our house for a post ceremony get-together. We aren't interested in and don't need the full hullabaloo. This is obvious, I think, on the wedding invitations we will be sending out. They are simple and to the point, because sometimes, there's just too much...

Too Many Words - Paper Airplane

Too many words

in too many places

Too many times where I got out of line

but I try to be patient, yeah, I try to be patient

Too many words

I thought I could trust you

I thought I could tell you just who I am

but I don't know who that is, yeah, I don't know who that is

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