Shoplifter Pride (Part Two)

The last post was inspired by a conversation that my Sunday School teacher had with another person, who is a homosexual.  The man's comment to my teacher was that Christians single out homosexuality of all the sins listed in the Bible.  He quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 which says, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

"Why," he asked, "is so much emphasis put on homosexuality in the list?"

Everyone is a sinner:  Christians and non-Christians alike.  Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we have been born with a sinful nature.  That means we were born with sinful tendencies.  I have things on the 1 Corinthians list that I struggle with (shoplifting is not one of them, by the way.  That was just used to make a point).  But I'm not proud of my sin, and I'm not asking for people to change their views or accept my sin as okay and allow me to keep on sinning.  Instead I ask God for strength to overcome those sinful tendencies.

Does God like that we are born with a sinful nature?  Absolutely not!  That is why he made a way out for us through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ.  Becoming a Christian doesn't eliminate the sinful nature, but it gives you strength to stand up to those temptations.  We will still fail from time to time, but we aren't proud of those failures.

Pro-gay people tend to lean on the thought that homosexuality isn't a sin.  They quote various "contradictions" in the Bible as proof that either the Bible can't be trusted or that times have changed, and we have to change with those times.  Christians view the Bible as the moral authority and believe it is the word of God, given to various people to write down so we could have a glimpse into His very being.  So called "contradictions" in the Bible must be taken into context.  The Old Testament (or old covenent) was made with a specific group of people, the Israelites (or Jews as we call them today), in order that they might stand out among the people of the time as a people set apart to God.   This was a very rule-based covenent, where the Israelites had to follow God's many rules in order to stay in favor with God.  The New Testament (or new covenent) was made to all people, Jews and Gentiles (that's anyone who isn't a Jew), so that God can have a relationship with all of mankind (if they choose to accept that relationship).  This is a very relationship-based covenent.  Even the early church had trouble determining what rules from the Old Testament needed to be followed (read the book of Acts to see the struggles the early church had to determine what part of the law still had to be followed by the Gentiles who accepted Christ).

In both the Old Testament and New Testament, though, homosexuality is listed as a sin.  It was called an abomination in the Old Testament, and whole cities (Sodom and Gomorrah) were destroyed because of that sin.  There are no contradictions when it comes to homosexuality in the Bible.  Just because the Pope says "it's okay to be gay" doesn't mean God has the same view.  And it is God, not the Pope, who will make the ultimate judgment as to who is accepted into heaven.  In Hebrews 10, it says, "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries."

The reality of the situation is that people who commit the other sins on the 1 Corinthians list usually aren't proud of their sin.  In fact, they often are ashamed of it and try to stop the behavior.  Take "drunkards" for example.  We have Alcoholics Anonymous and detox programs that help alcoholics rid themselves of their sin.  They aren't organizing pride parades and saying they're proud to have this affliction.

What did Jesus have to say about homosexuality?  Jesus was mostly silent on the issue, maybe because it wasn't as prominent in his time.  Although the "sinners" Jesus ate with could very well have included homosexuals.  But he never condoned any of the behavior of the sinners he associated with.  On the contrary, his message was always "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."  Think of the story of Zacchaeus.

"And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham."  (Luke 19:2-9 ESV)

Jesus accepted Zacchaeus as a person, even though he was a sinner who had defrauded much of the population in order to get rich.  But he didn't accept the sinful behavior that Zacchaeus had participated in.  Instead, he praised Zacchaeus for repenting of his sin and turning from his sinful ways.

So it should be with homosexuals.  Okay, so you were born with sinful tendencies toward people of the same sex.  But that doesn't mean you should be proud of that and continue in that sin.  Instead, you should repent and ask God to give you strength to overcome those tendencies.  

So to answer the man's question from the beginning:  we aren't singling out homosexuality on the 1 Corinthians list.  The homosexual community is singling it out by refusing to repent, continuing in their sin, and being proud of it.

1 John 3:6 says, "Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ."  When people repented of their sin to Jesus, he said "Go and sin no more."

Shoplifter Pride! (Part one)

When I walk into stores I have this uncontrollable desire to take something that doesn't belong to me.  It's nice that other people pay for their items, but that just doesn't appeal to me.  It doesn't matter how attractive you think the sale price is, it isn't as appealing to me as hiding it in my pocket and walking out of the store without paying.

I can't help it.  I was born this way.  I was born with this desire to take what isn't mine.  I think I would know if I made a choice or not. I’m the shoplifter. You’re not. You don’t know. I never made a choice. I was literally born this way. You have no idea what it took for me to come out and admit how I am. I had a hard time coming out of the closet, because I tried too hard to change myself. I thought it was normal to pay for things at the store. But then realized there's no stopping it. I can’t even change myself. You can ask just about every shoplifter, and I know for a fact they’ll answer that it’s not a choice. Why would you argue against the ones that would actually know? That's like asking a dog what barking means, then saying they’re wrong.

God made me this way, and He doesn't make mistakes, does He?  If God is perfect, and He made people shoplifters, either God made a mistake or being a shoplifter is okay to God.  Since He made me this way, He must be okay with me shoplifting.

It's hard enough accepting who I really am without people criticizing me for things I have no control over.  People need to get over their fear of things that are different and start to learn to accept each other.  Isn't America about tolerance?  Well, it's time to demand tolerance for people like me too.  

This is a free country, and my shoplifting practices are my own business.  We don't need the government to tell us we can't live like this. It's time for the shoplifters and thieves to unite and demand equal rights.  We're people too.  We shouldn't have to hide this from others. Today I am starting a new SLRT community for shoplifters, robbers and thieves.  We deserve the same rights and tolerance as those who choose to pay for items.  

We should probably come up with some sort of symbol that we can wave proudly to let everyone know that we are shoplifters.  Maybe a dollar bill in the shape of a crescent or a broken rose or something.  We should also show our pride by organizing parades and march through the streets of major cities demanding tolerance and equal rights.

It's time to be proud of the sins we're committing and demanding that others change their views and accept us for who we are.

Marathon #17 - Nevada

The movie Titanic came out when I was in high school.  My friend saw it before me and told me how amazing it was.  She built it up to be this fabulous movie, the best ever made.  I think at the time it had the highest revenue in an opening weekend or something like that.  Anyway, I went to see the movie and was extremely disappointed.  It wasn't as amazing as my friend had made it out to be.  Sure, it was good.  But I didn't think it was some amazing movie that deserved the hype it was getting.

My last stop on the 2013 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series tour was Las Vegas.  I had very high expectations.  I had just run two Rock 'n' Roll marathons, which were fairly well organized.  The Rock 'n' Roll series has a good reputation.  I went into the race expecting good things from the organization.

The Las Vegas marathon was the Titanic of marathons for me.  I expected great things, but was hugely disappointed.

The Race:  Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, November 17, 2013

My Training Plan:  There was really no time for a training plan for this race.  My last long run before this race was the St. Louis Marathon three weeks before, so between races I pretty much just tapered with some easy running.  I did no speed work in between.

Weather:  With the race being in the evening, the weather was different than I had ever experienced.  Normally, you start cooler and end warmer, so you can wear throw-away clothes at the beginning.  This time it started out at 65 degrees and ended up in the mid-50s.  The sun went down instead of coming up, so you couldn't count on the heat of the sun to keep you warm.  It was extremely windy the day before, but luckily the wind had died down and it was negligible during the race.

Running Attire:  Since the weather was predicted between 55 and 65 degrees, I wore my short sleeved LIZ shirt, purple and pink running shorts, iFitness running belt, and Delaware marathon bright yellow running hat.  I wore Brooks shoes for the first time in a race (I usually wear Asics).

Who I ran with:  I ran with absolutely nobody, and everybody, at the same time.  Usually I pick up some runners along the way, but this was not the kind of race where you talk to anyone.  There were way too many people to strike up a conversation, and when you're dodging runners or concentrating on not falling in the dark, it's hard to talk.

The Course:  The was probably the straightest marathon I've ever run so far.  It started heading south at the bottom of the strip and turned north to run up the strip.  Eventually (maybe around mile 8 or so), we turned off the strip into some very dark roads.  At this point, it was so dark, you couldn't see the people around you or where your foot was about to land.  (I really wished I had my headlamp!)

There were way too many people for this course.  On the strip, we were forced onto a two lane section of the road, and there were so many people that I was still weaving through people until around mile 8.  (Usually by mile 2 or 3 people have settled into their pace.)  I'm sure I wasted more energy than necessary weaving through so many people in the beginning.

Shortly after the marathon and half marathon split, the marathon went through Old Vegas, which was the best part of the course!  The lights and music were so inspiring, and there were crowds lining both sides of the road, high-fiving and cheering the runners along.

Then we turned onto MLK Blvd.  I hate to say it, but just about every MLK Blvd that I've been to in any city is pretty much the ghetto.  I will say that it was well lit, there were plenty of cops, and I never felt unsafe.  But it was definitely not the best part of town.

The course is very flat.  The hills are so gradual that you don't realize you're running up them until you turn around and run back down.  There were a lot of out-and-back spots, and even one spot where you ran down a short road and around a cul-de-sac off the main road.

Organization:  I expected much better organization from a Rock 'n' Roll than I experienced.  I would only give them a 3 out of 5 stars, and that is probably being generous.

The best part was that the Expo was well organized.  They had a lot of good vendors with samples (although they were more the "eat-them-there" samples rather than the "take-them-with-you" samples that runners like).  They had three fun photo opportunities:  a picture where you could pretend you were running across the finish line tape (at 2:04), a picture where you could dress up in rock and roll gear and pose with a Las Vegas show girl, and a picture at the Mazda booth where it made you look like you were going really fast (they blew air in your face).

Another somewhat decent thing about the organization was the website and the mobile apps.  They had a lot of information, although I never got an email with my final race information.  I had to actually go onto the website to know I had to print out my confirmation to pick up my race number.

Getting to the start and from the finish was another thing that they didn't do so well.  The start and finish were about 4 or 5 miles apart, and there were no shuttle services.  When going to the website to find out about "getting to the start" the only thing they had as an option was to take the train.  The problem is that the train is so limited in where it goes.  From the last train station to the start line was another mile or so anyway.

The course organization was poor.  See Starting Line for more information about the starting line.  At the first hydration stop that was supposed to have Gatorade, the Gatorade was only on one side of the road (which happened to be on the other side from where I was), and the volunteers were pouring water instead of handing it out (i.e. there weren't enough volunteers).

After the race turned off the strip, it got extremely dark.  There were a few generated lights set up, but not enough.  There were plenty of times where I couldn't see in front of me and some extra lights would have greatly helped.  The roads had a lot of reflectors and water ditches, so it was a little dangerous (potential sprained ankle hazards) to not be well lit.

Swag:  The race had the normal Rock 'n' Roll swag:  a technical shirt, medal, and bumper sticker.  The shirt said both marathon and half and didn't distinguish between the two, but they did have both women's and men's sizes.  They also had some pretty good pre-race and post-race party incentives (although I was too tired to take advantage of them).

Starting Line:  The first thing I noticed about the starting area was how hard it was to get in.  As I approached the entrance, there were lines of people waiting to get in.  Once I got to the entrance, I found out why - they were checking all the bags that were coming in with the people.  It makes sense, with the heightened security since the Boston marathon bombing.  But they needed more people to be checking the bags if they were going to block up traffic to do so.  Again, this points to the fact that they allowed way too many people to register for this race.

The second thing I noticed, once I finally got into the starting area, was that the gear check seemed very well marked.  Unlike the past Rock 'n' Roll marathons where there were no signs to find the gear check, this one had the gear check right as you were entering the starting area.  Very convenient.

After checking my bag, I went to find a bagel and banana - my typical pre-race food, which were supposed to be provided per the website.  Since this was an evening race (starting at 4:30pm), I hadn't had much to eat since brunch, so I was ready for something to take me through the race.  The bagels were available, but the fruit was completely gone.  Empty boxes from bananas sat in the tent where the bananas were supposed to be.  Even worse than that, I saw people who were obviously spectators and not runners eating the runners' food!

When I went to walk to my corral, the directions to get to the front corrals were not very good.  There were multiple times where I had to walk through flowers on a median to get around the other people in the higher numbered corrals to weave my way down to my corral #6.  And they were not really paroling the corrals.  There were people from much higher numbered corrals inside my corral, which no doubt contributed to the massive amounts of people I had to weave around at the beginning.  When you start in corral 6 and you almost run into people walking at mile 2 or 3, they were obviously not in the right corral to begin with.

Fans:  The fans were pretty good in this race.  With the bands and the strip and Old Vegas, most of the race had some people cheering you on.  Once you got out onto MLK Blvd, there was much less fan-base.  But the bands did help a little.

Finish Line:  The finish line took forever to get through.  I felt like I walked another mile after I crossed the finish line just to get to my checked bag.  Again, they didn't have bananas, but had apples instead.  (Who eats apples after a marathon?!?  And what race has absolutely no bananas?!?)

Other than the lack of bananas issue, they did have some good hydration and nutrition options at the finish.  For hydration, they had bottles of water and Gatorade.  They also had chocolate milk (love that!).  For nutrition, they had pretzels, bagels, and of course the apples.  They may have had more, but I don't remember getting anything else.  It would have been helpful if they had just packaged it all up into a bag and handed the bags to the runners.  It is very hard to carry everything when you've just run 26 miles.

They also had the mylar blankets, as usual.

Results:  When I crossed the finish line and pulled out my phone to stop my MapMyRun app, it said 4:00:13.  I was so disappointed in myself, because I was sure I had done just barely over 4 hours, and I knew I could have gone a few seconds faster if I had known that.   I couldn't believe it when I saw my official time:  3:59:59.  I had broken 4 hours by ONE SECOND!!  I'll take it.  Nevada, check!

How I felt:  This was definitely not my best race.  I guess I shouldn't expect too much when I try to run three marathons in a months time.  I started off feeling pretty good, although I was frustrated that I was having to weave through all the people constantly.   For those who haven't been following me prior to this, I get tendinitis or something in the back side of my left knee when I run fast that causes my left leg to want to lock up and makes me land on my left foot funny (actually breaking my foot back in May).  At mile six or so, my left leg started acting up.  I was able to control it, and once I got to the marathon split, it felt okay.  Around mile fifteen or so, the tendons on the back of my right knee started hurting.  I don't know if I had been over compensating because of the left one bothering me or what, but when I would bring my leg forward, behind my right knee would hurt.  This lasted most of the last part of the race.  It wasn't enough to sideline me, but it was enough to slow me down.  Then around mile 19, I got a sharp pain in my stomach, like someone had stabbed me (most women reading this probably know what that feels like - pretty much like period cramps).  I had to stop, so I moved over to the side and stretched my right leg while I was waiting for it to pass.

The last six miles, I pushed myself and tried to pick off runners, one at a time.  I followed one girl for two miles before I was able to pull ahead of her.  I saw one other girl who had passed me around mile 20 that I was able to pass back around mile 24.  I just kept focusing on getting faster and passing the people in front of me as I got closer to the finish line.  By the time I finished, I didn't have anything left in me, just how it should be.

Travel/tourism:  You always hear such good things about Vegas.  I hadn't been there since I was 20, so I was expecting to have a good time.  The problem with going for a marathon, though, is that you can't do anything in that city that doesn't involve walking.

The first thing I would recommend is to get a rental car.  I thought that I could just use the train the whole time, and I'd be fine.  However, there are a lot of things to see that are off the beaten path away from the strip, and the train doesn't go there, including the airport.  The bus from the airport to the closest train stop is $2 and not included in the train day pass.  I had to use cabs several times, and if I added up the cost of the cabs and the train pass, it likely would have been comparable to a rental.

I stayed at the Desert Rose Resort, which is a timeshare condo place between the MGM hotel and the Mandalay Bay hotel.  It was a short walk to the closest train station at MGM, although the walk was a little scary by myself at night, passing the Hooters Resort and Casino.

When I arrived and dropped my bags off at the condo, I headed to the Venetian, which is where my sister was.  I ate lunch at a burger place at the food court at the Venetian.  The avocado burger and fries that I got was extremely expensive for a food court place ($15), although it was pretty good.  I found that would not be the only expensive meal that I would get - in fact most of the meals I got were expensive.  Amy and I walked around and saw a candy place that sold caramel apples and cupcakes, and didn't post their prices.  We quickly found out that they didn't post the prices because the candy apple was $10, and more people probably buy it without knowing how much it is ahead of time.

The mall at the Venetian was really cool, and I found out that most malls on the strip (between the casinos) were very similar.  The ceiling was painted in a way that it made it look like you were outside - blue skies and clouds.  There was a little canal, just like Italy, with Gondola rides through the mall.  The mall had very high class stores like Coach and Louis Vuitton.

After the Venetian we went to the Expo to pick up our race number.  When we were done at the Expo (we stayed until closing time), I was so tired that I took the train back to my hotel.  I stopped by Bonanno's New York Pizza in the MGM food court on the way to my hotel to grab something for dinner.  I got the baked ziti with meatballs.  There was enough for two meals, but the pasta was only mediocre (Olive Garden is way better).

On race day, I took a cab to the original Las Vegas Hard Rock Cafe, located outside of the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel and Casino.  It was also about halfway between my hotel and the Blueberry Hill pancake place, which was where I planned to have brunch.  

As is tradition, I wanted to get some pancakes for my pre-race meal (normally the night before a morning race).  I googled "blueberry pancakes Las Vegas" and found this local chain called Blueberry Hill Family Restaurant.  It said they made their pancakes from scratch and not from some mix.  After getting my Hard Rock shirt, I walked the rest of the way to the pancake place, which was about a mile and a half.

The food was very good.  The toast was thick, and I've never tasted such delicious hash browns.  The pancakes were thick and good also, although some of the blueberries from the topping were a little sour.  It was worth the walk, although it was a little tough to get a cab back to the strip from that far out of the city.

After the pancake house, Amy said she was going to be at Caesar's Palace, so I headed there.  This place was the biggest disappointment.  It looked so big and nice from the outside, but the inside wasn't as nice as some of the other places.  And there was absolutely no place to sit unless you were gambling.  After my mile and a half walk to the pancake place, I didn't want to do any more walking or standing until the race.  We ended up sitting on the floor.

After the race, we went to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.  They were about the only place still open that late, although they had a very limited menu.  I had a Cheeseburger in Paradise, which was ok (not as good as Cheeseburger Bobby's, but better than most other places).  They had a live band playing and a little dance floor where all the drunk people danced.

The day after the race, I went through the south side of the strip.  I started at Mandalay Bay and walked all the casinos (Luxor and Excalibur) inside through the malls that connect them.  Then I went across the bridge to New York New York and through that casino to MGM before going back to the hotel to rest.

After my nap, I went up one train stop to Paris Las Vegas, the Bellagio, and Aria.  




The Bellagio was by far my favorite of all the hotels and casinos.  I stopped to see the Bellagio fountains and the conservatory (which is a breath of fresh air, literally, among all the smoke-filled casinos).

I stopped at the Napoleon's piano bar to see some dueling pianos.  I love piano bars, but this one did not live up to my expectations.  The drinks were expensive and the guys didn't play anything good (in my opinion).  But they did know how to work the audience for more tips.

I flew back the next day.  The airport was big enough and easy to get through (although getting to and from there from the hotel was more difficult).

Overall, Las Vegas was a disappointment.  They have some great architecture and some interesting places, but Sin City is not the place for me.  Thankfully I have my sub-4 hour marathon, so I don't have to go back.

Marathon #16 - Missouri

When I bought the Tour Pass, I thought Denver and St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Marathons were a month apart.  They were in 2012.  But in 2013, they changed them to be only a week apart.  So my next marathon was St. Louis, a mere eight days after completing the Denver marathon.

Because they were only a week away, I flew with Alan to Springfield, MO.  I dropped him off for the weekend with my sister and her family (she has three kids) so he could spend some time with his cousins.  Then I flew to Denver for the marathon.  Once finished, I flew back to Springfield to stay with Stephanie for the week leading up to St. Louis.

The Race:  St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, October 27, 2013

My Training Plan:  For a majority of this training, you can see the plan for the Denver Marathon.  Because I was training for back-to-back weekends, I ran several long runs on back-to-back days to try to simulate running on fatigued muscles.  Most notably, I did an 18/13 and a 20/15 on consecutive Saturday/Sundays.  Between the two races, I did one easy 2 miler and an easy 3 miler.

Weather:  It was COLD to start off.  I think it was in the upper 30s, but both of my feet were frozen to numbness by the time we started.  It took a good 2 miles before I could feel them normally.  But by the end of the race, it was in the upper 50s and sunny.  I was getting a little hot toward the end.

Running Attire:  I wore the exact same outfit as I wore in the Denver marathon.  I had my black running tights, long-sleeved purple running shirt, Liz shirt, iFitness belt, and Delaware marathon running hat.

Who I ran with:  This time I had a running partner, my sister Stephanie.  This was her third marathon, and I had run with her during her first last year.  It was great running with her again!

The Course:  The course had some rolling hills, but none that were so steep they were unmanageable.  There was a lot of concrete and slanted roads, which didn't make for the best running surface.  There were some pretty views as we went through several parks (most notably Forest Park), including a lake, some fall colors, and buildings in the background.  There were not as many fall colors as I would have expected, but there were some really nice looking bright red and yellow trees here and there.

Organization:  The organization was great, as usual for Rock 'n' Roll marathons.  The water stations were well stocked with both hydration and volunteers.  The GUs were a little far apart for my taste (mile 7 and 19).  The race started on time and the corrals were well spaced.  It wasn't too crowded even with the half and full marathons starting at the same time.  Everyone was well placed in the corrals based on their expected pace.

The expo had a lot of great stuff for kids.  This was especially important, since we were dragging four kids with us.  They had a Brooks area that had a mountain climbing game for the kids, a gait analysis, a shoe ride that was supposed to be similar to one of those bull machines that you have to try to hold on as long as you can before it knocks you off, and a passport game that the kids could do to get a free prize.  There was a Geico booth with the gecko mascot that the kids could get their picture with.  There were a lot of good samples and vendors, but I was a little disappointed that LaraBar wasn't there.

Swag:  They had the normal Rock 'n' Roll swag, with nothing special.  Just a shirt, medal, and bumper sticker.  The shirt was a tech shirt and specific for men and women, which is nice.  And this one actually had a pretty cool design on the back.

Starting Line:  There were lots of porta potties at the starting line.  They also had water and bananas (I actually looked for them this time).  They also had all the tents set up already so you could scope out where they would be after the finish.  Again, there wasn't a lot of signage as to how to get to the gear check, but there were signs once you got there.  I loved that we were able to find a couple of heaters to stand next to as we waited for the start of the race.  One of the vendors even had a little bon fire set up in their tent that runners could gather around.  The corrals were also well marked.

Fans:  The fans in St. Louis were very good, and there were a lot of them.  There were a lot of spots for fans to congregate, and the bands helped a lot too.  I loved that there were speakers set up along a long, boring stretch right after the half split to keep the music within ear shot the whole way.  They also had a lot of DJs, which I actually prefer because they don't take breaks when I'm running by like the bands always seem to do.  I did notice that some of the bands here were set up to play music while they were on break, so the runners would always have something to listen to as they ran.  That should be a requirement for all the bands!

Finish Line:  There were lots of goodies at the finish line.  I got a banana, pretzels, and PowerBar.  They also had clementines/tangerines and fruit cups.  For hydration, they had water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, and one beer per runner.  Outside of the runner area they also had Jamba Juice energy drinks that both runners and their families could take.

As usual for the Rock 'n' Roll marathons, a band was playing on a big stage at the finish line for all to enjoy.  They also had a tent where you were supposed to be able to get your finisher time, but the site was down when we got there.  I'm not sure how long it was down or if it ever came back up for the later runners.

Results: Official chip results were 4:12:42.  Pretty good for the second marathon in eight days.

How I felt:  I felt good for the first 10 miles (after my the feeling came back to my feet).  I had to stop at the porta potty around mile 8 though, which took about two extra minutes.  Around mile 15, my tendinitis started acting up, and we had to slow down a lot.  I'm sure I slowed my sister down at this point.  She could have kept going and possibly set a PR, but she stuck with me.  I had to stop to stretch, hoping this would help.  My leg kept wanting to lock up, and I didn't want to end up breaking my foot again.  I tried to ensure my gait remained consistent and that I wasn't over compensating on the right side due to the irritation in my left leg.

By mile 22, I was feeling good again.  This part of the course had a lot of the concrete, though, so it wasn't the best running surface.  But I put on a smile and powered ahead, although at that point "powering through" really meant maintaining a 10 minute per mile pace.  Stephanie said her feet were hurting.  I could feel the second toe on my own right foot (which is annoyingly longer than my first toe) was hurting a little as well.  I put on my best encouraging attitude and pushed us forward.  I probably could have gone a little faster than we did on those last miles, since my tendinitis seemed to have let up.

Travel/Tourism:  We arrived in St. Louis on Saturday morning around 11am.  I had a room booked at the Embassy Suites at the airport, but it was so booked solid (the World Series was going on in St. Louis that weekend also) that we couldn't check in early.  We fit seven of us in one hotel room.  The room had two queen beds in a separate room with the bathroom off that room (I would have preferred if the bathroom was outside the suite room, but it still worked out fine).  The couch was a pull-out couch, so we were able to fit six in beds and one on the couch cushions on the floor.  The room wasn't a big room overall, but it was worth it if you have a lot of people staying in one room.  There was a mini fridge in the room, so I was able to bring my breakfast stuff for the race, since the hotel breakfast didn't start until 7 on weekends.  The breakfast at Embassy Suites almost can't be beat for a free breakfast.  Hot, some made-to-order (think omelets) breakfast.  They had the usual breads/pastries, cereals, juice, yogurt, fruit, etc. that you get at a free breakfast also, but they had breakfast potatoes, eggs, and bacon too.  They were very accommodating when we asked for extra towels and sheet and blanket for the person on the floor.  They also had a promotion code that allowed you to get free wifi, and parking was free.  The hotel offered a shuttle to the airport and Metrolink, which we used to get us down to the race start line.  

Metrolink took about 30 minutes to get downtown from the airport (which was our closest stop).  We looked up the fare ahead of time on their website, and they said it would cost us $2.25 to get downtown.  When we got to the station, however, the cheapest option was a 2-hr pass for $4 each.  It's a good thing I had my credit card and that they accepted it.

On Saturday, after picking up our race packets and going through the expo, we are lunch near the hotel at a place called Lion's Choice.  Lion's Choice is a roast beef restaurant that also has hot dogs, barbecue, some other sandwiches, and frozen custard for dessert.  Their roast beef is amazing.  It is seasoned in a way that makes your mouth water for more.  The kids' menu gives you the option of a entree, two sides, and a drink.  Beware that the roast beef sandwiches in the kid's meals are very small - much too small for a kid over maybe 5.  The kid's cones are also pretty small.  But Alan had a hot dog, carrot sticks, and applesauce and had plenty of food.

After lunch, we headed downtown for some sightseeing.  We went to the Arch first, which was very cool.  It Costs $10 for adults and $5 for kids 3-15 and takes about an hour to get up and back down (between standing in line and looking and the tram up and down).  There are some beautiful views and interesting architecture.  Get there early to make sure you get a spot.  The place stops doing tours at 5, but tickets will sell out by 3:45 on a busy day.  There is also a museum that you can go through while you're waiting for your tram trip time. 

After the Arch, we went to Union Station.  It is an old train station that has been converted into a shopping area.  It looks like it used to be really busy and cool, but that most of the good shops had moved out and there isn't much left.  It is really anchored now by the Hard Rock Cafe and Landry's Seafood restaurants.  There is a Train museum on the top level that supposedly tells the story of union station, but the rest of the place looked so empty and a little run down, that we decided to leave without going there.  The museum looked pretty small anyway.  Outside Union Station, between Hard Rock and Landry's was a fish pond where you can feed the fish.  The shops inside Union Station close at 9pm, but of course the big restaurants stay open later.

We left Union Station, after I got my Hard Rock shirt of course, and headed back toward the hotel.  We ate at my traditional pre-race place, IHOP, for dinner.  Kids eat free on weekends with each adult purchase.  It was a perfect place to get a good carb dinner with a large group.

Following the race on Sunday, we stayed back at the hotel to let Alan take a nap.  After the nap, we went back out to explore another part of the city, Forest Park.  Forest Park is a public park located in western part of St. Louis, and is apparently the seventh largest urban park in the U. S.  It is home to the St. Louis zoo, art museum, science center, history museum, and The Mury (which is some sort of outdoor theater).  Unfortunately for us, the Zoo closes at 5 on Sunday, and by the time we got there it was about 4.  The zoo was nice, and mostly free.  Some exhibits are pay, like the petting zoo and seal show, but admission to the actual zoo and the parking was free.   It was easy to get too.  Some of the animals weren't there, and not to return until 2015, some to return in the summer.  The Science center closes early on Sundays too, at 4:30.  The older males in our group went to an IMAX show in the Science Center that started at 4 and lasted 45 mins, while the rest of us walked around the zoo.

After the zoo and Science Center closed, we decided to check out the local pizza at Imo's pizza.  Imo's has original St Louis style pizza, which is basically crust as thin as paper, cut into squares.  It was good, but I prefer thicker crust.

We then headed to Ted Drewes to try out the local custard. It was delicious, and they had so many options.

I'm sure there are a lot of other places we could have visited in this great city while we were there.  There's so much to do and so little time.

Marathon #15 - Colorado

As you may remember, I purchased the 2013 Tour Pass for the Rock 'n' Roll series, which allows me to participate in as many Rock 'n' Roll events throughout the year.  My first race was the New Orleans marathon in February.  I was going to do the Seattle marathon in June, but couldn't due to my broken foot.  The next race on my list was the Denver Rock 'n' Roll marathon.

The Race:  Denver Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, October 20, 2013.

My Training Plan:  Since this was the first race since my broken foot (broken during the Delaware Marathon), my training plan was modified.  I started training in July with a 7-week recovery plan for people who have suffered from stress fractures.  While my injury wasn't a stress fracture, but it was the closest I could find online to something that would work for me.  It was a run/walk program to get me back into running slowly as to allow the foot enough time to fully heal.  After that training plan was complete, I basically had another 8 weeks to get up to marathon mileage.  I had to increase my mileage pretty quickly over those weeks, especially since I was training for back-to-back marathon weekends.

Weather:  The weather was perfect marathon running weather.  We started off in the upper 40s and ended in the lower to mid 50s.  The sky was cloudy so the sun wasn't beating down on us.  It wasn't too windy until the very end when we were coming back into the city and the wind picked up.

Running Attire:  I wore my black running tights, a long-sleeved purple running shirt, my Liz shirt, the hat I got at the Delaware marathon, and my running belt.

Who I ran with:  I came to Denver alone and wasn't planning on running with anyone specific.  I met a very nice guy at the start line who had two pre-teen/teen kids that were running the half marathon (in corral 1, so they were pretty fast!).  I lost him when we started, but caught up to him around mile 4 or so.  He had recently moved to the Denver area from Mississippi and apparently had something to do with producing the movie October Baby.  We chatted for several miles until I lost him at a water station around mile 11.  After that, I didn't really stick with anyone during the race.

The Course:  The course has some rolling hills that are very minor, and one fairly big hill toward the end of the downtown portion.  Most of the course would be considered to most runners as flat.  There were some nice parks with rivers or lakes.  The leaves were changing, so that added to the beauty.  The course also went through some very nice neighborhoods and started and ended downtown.  It was a nice way to see the city.

Organization:  As to be expected with the Rock 'n' Roll marathons, the organization was very good.  The expo had a lot of good vendors and free samples.  The water stops were well stocked and had enough volunteers, even when there were large crowds toward the beginning before the half marathon split.  The race facebook page and the marathon website kept you in the loop about the weekend activities, although I don't recall getting any emails with information.

Swag:  The Rock 'n' Roll series never has much to offer as far as SWAG.  They pretty much only have the typical medal, race shirt, and a bumper sticker.  I did like that they have separate Men's and Women's cuts for race shirts.  However, the shirt design was rather boring and they don't have different shirts for the half and the full marathons.

Starting Line:  When I arrived at the starting line, there were plenty of porta potties with reasonable lines (first thing I look for!)  There wasn't a lot of signage to know how to get to the gear check.  I had someone ask me where it was, and I had no idea.  There was supposedly a place you could get pre-race water and bananas, but I didn't look around to find it.

The corrals seemed well organized and there was adequate signage to see where you were supposed to go.  However, the volunteers didn't enforce runners to line up in the correct corrals.

The race did not start on time.  It was supposed to start at 7:15, and the first corral didn't leave until 7:25.  To catch up, they let corrals 1 and 2 go together, 3 and 4 together, etc.  Even though there was a delay and the corrals went together, it didn't seem overly crowded when we started running, so the corrals going together was not a problem.

Fans:  The fans were very good.  The bands were spread out well along the course and fans tended to group around the band areas.  Most of the fans cheered for all the runners and not just the one or two they came to see.  I had a lot of people calling my name and cheering me on as I went.  Denver seems to be a very friendly city.

I also had my personal fans there.  My husband's sister's in-laws came to cheer me on around mile 21 and took pictures of me coming and going.

Finish Line:  There were plenty of goodies at the finish line.  For hydration, they had water, Gatorade, smoothies, chocolate milk and one free beer per runner.  For food, they had PowerBars, pretzels, bananas, and fruit cups.  As usual for the Rock 'n' Rolls, they had a post race concert.  They also had plenty of porta potties.

Results:  For a first race back from injury and a race at an altitude I'm not used to, I was very pleased with my results.  My time was 3:57.

How I felt:  I felt very good during the first 11 miles.  I started feeling very sluggish around mile 12, and that lasted through about mile 19.  My tendon on the back of my knee started to bother me a little bit, so I slowed down.  Around mile 20, though, I got my second wind and sped up.  The last 6 miles were my best miles of the race.

Travel/Tourism:  I flew into the Denver airport, which was easy and convenient.  The airport is a pretty good size with a lot of flight options, even from smaller cities.  I can't comment on hotels or rental cars in the area because I stayed with my husband's sister's in-laws, so I didn't have to look for a hotel, and they took me around so I didn't need a rental car.

While I was in town, we went to Red Rocks amphitheater and walked around Golden, CO.  The Red Rocks area was very pretty, and you could see downtown Denver in the distance.  We also went to Golden, CO and saw where the Coors factory and the flat rock on the Coors bottles.

We also went to the 16th Street Outdoor mall in downtown Denver, where I got my Hard Rock shirt.  The outdoor mall has just about everything you need, with restaurants of all different levels, clothing stores, etc.  There are buses that will take you to each block for free.  Other than buses and emergency vehicles, it is pedestrian traffic only down the street.

In Golden we ate at the Old Capital Grill, which is a historic building where the capital of Colorado was almost located.  I had a delicious buffalo burger and fries.  In the Denver outdoor mall, we ate at a seafood restaurant called Willie G's.  I had the Red Snapper Charlie meal, which was phenomenal.  I would definitely recommend both of these places.

The day before the race, I did a short, easy run on the Cherry Creek trail.  This is an 11-mile side-walked trail along a creek with some very nice views.  I could see the mountains in the distance.  The trees were turning their fall colors, and looked beautiful next to the creek.

Foot update

It's official.  I won't be going to Seattle this weekend.

I went to the doctor for a check up on my foot today.  I got good news and bad news, but more bad news than good.

It looks like the bone is not healed yet.  I didn't really expect it to be.  It's only been five weeks from the time of the break, and four weeks from the time I stopped walking/running on it.  So it hasn't even been the traditional "six to eight weeks" of healing time for a broken bone.  The new piece of information I gained was that the piece of bone that broke free and is sticking into the inside of my foot is never going away.  It's like a permanent splinter.  But the bones around where it broke free are supposed to heal back together.

The foot is still swollen from what the doctor calls "turf toe."  He said this kind of injury will normally keep football players out for the season because it keeps flaring up and they need that part of the foot to push off in what they do.  He mentioned doing some injections, and I quickly changed the subject. 

The good news is that he said he didn't think I could do anything that would cause permanent damage to the foot or any other part of my body.  It's just about managing the pain and swelling right now and working toward regaining all range of motion in the foot.  If I stay off it for another couple of weeks, I should still be able to do the Peachtree.

Next stop - the neurologist appointment on Wednesday.

MRI Results

For those of you who did not see how I broke my foot, you can read about it in my previous blog.  Last Wednesday, I went for an MRI of both my left foot and my left knee.  Today I went for my follow-up appointment to find out the results of the MRI.  I received good news and bad news.  The good news is that the MRI on my knee came back clean. There were no problems indicated by the MRI. Now I await the neurology appointment to see if they can figure out why my leg stops working.  The bad news is that the MRI did reveal problems with my foot.


Here are the official results for my foot:

There is significantly increased T2 signal involving the medial sesamoid of the 1st MPJ.  A transverse defect is best appreciated on sagittal T2 image I6, very probably representing a bipartite sesamoid, although fracture cannot be excluded.  There is some increased T2 signal in the closely surrounding soft tissues.  The lateral sesamoid is without definite deformity or abnormal signal intensity.  The tarsals, metatarsals, and MPJs are otherwise within normal limits.  Moderate degree of edema involving the medial sesamoid of the 1st MPJ.  The represents at least residual contusion and inflammation.  Subacute fracture is less likely.  Mild inflammation in the closely surrounding soft tissues.  No evidence of stress fracture or other deformity is seen on this exam.

I'm not a doctor, so I don't exactly know what all that says, but here was the doctor's interpretation to me.  I have an "avulsion fracture of the bilateral bipartite sesamoids," which is the break he saw on the x-ray at the last appointment.  The other piece he was worried about (and the reason for the MRI, which is apparently called the medial sesamoid) is "not happy with me." 

He is still not ruling out me completing the Seattle marathon on the 22nd, but is not overly hopeful.  He said that if it isn't healing as fast as we want it to, he could give me a shot that would allow me to run the marathon, but the healing process then would restart from the date of the marathon (i.e. 6-8 weeks after the Seattle race before I could really start training again).  He said he's gotten those shots before when he wasn't healing as fast as he needed to in the past, but would like to leave that as a last resort. (There is no way I would do this anyway, since I'm afraid of needles.)

His instructions to me are to stay off it as much as possible.  Continue to bike.  Ice two to three times a day.  Wear my running shoes as much as possible, and try not to walk/stand on it in socks or barefoot.  He also prescribed me some sort of anti-inflammatory drug to take and recommends physical therapy.

I have a follow up appointment the Monday before the race to confirm whether or not I will be able to race.  In the meantime, he said I should check with the airline to see when the latest cancellation date is in case I can't run.  It's not looking good for racing in Seattle this year.