With this weekend's marathon being just outside of Vegas, I thought it would be fun for Boyfriend to come along. Though we opted not to stay in a hotel on the Strip (we decided to stay at the host hotel out by Lake Mead), the host hotel had its own casino, so the idea was that we'd arrive around 9:30 PM, grab dinner, and then he could hang out at the casino while I rested up for the flight.
Unfortunately, our plans got derailed a bit due to the popularity of the Vegas flights, which sold out. Now, I've learned not to get too stressed out when a flight sells out - chances are high that even with a sold out flight, some standbys will still get seats. Heck, when I was going to Chicago for Sunburst, two flights had been canceled that day, meaning there were several dozen standby passengers for my flight (and a lot of them were revenue standbys, meaning they got priority over me)... yet I still made it on. You just never know, and while it's good to have a backup plan, there's no need to stress until your name actually doesn't get called at the gate.
With this in mind, we arrived for the 6:45 flight without too many worries... until the gate agent called just my name. She told me that I could have a jumpseat, at which point I realized that I could take the flight, but Boyfriend could not. I knew that it would be okay for me to take jumpseat and go without him (he knew the marathon was important, probably more important than staying together), but I decided that I'd prefer to just wait for the next (and last) flight at 9:45. There would definitely be three jumpseats available on that, and since we were being rolled over from an earlier flight, I would be absolute first on the list for those. With no risk of not getting a jumpseat at all, I figured it was worth the three hours to see if a) Boyfriend could get on, and b) I could get a regular seat.
In the meantime, we headed off to the various airport bars, where I proceeded to undo all my healthy pre-race eating and hydrating by having a few beers. Definitely NOT the right thing to do before going out to run a marathon in the desert! I enjoyed them immensely though, and just hope I don't pay for it too much tomorrow. I did follow them up with a ton of water, so maybe they're just the carb loading I need.
Though the 9:45 flight was delayed (ugh, this meant we wouldn't get to Vegas until 1 AM... thank goodness it's a 10:00 AM start!), I was rewarded for my wait when Boyfriend and I both got on and got seats. We didn't have seats together (he was 5E and I was 4F), but we hoped to maybe offer a seat switch with someone. Now, I am very much against "seat poaching" (sitting in someone else's seat and THEN offering the trade when they show up), and I think it's horrible when people try to guilt others into moving. But for the record, I think it's perfectly fine to ask someone once, very nicely, if they would mind a switch - particularly if you're offering an equal or better seat in trade (meaning don't offer to switch your back of the plane middle seat for their front of the plane window or aisle). So we tried it, asking 5F if she would be interested in switching to 4F. She declined, seemingly indicated that she just didn't want to have to get up and move her stuff, and we accepted that and took our assigned seats with no complaints. I saw that Boyfriend's row at least had a hot girl in it, so I knew he wouldn't suffer too much! :)
As we taxied out to the runway for takeoff, I popped my eye mask and iPod on (cue: Sleepy playlist), and prepared to just sleep the whole way. In that respect, I was very glad I had had the beers - they knocked me out pretty quickly. Though I couldn't quite get comfortable because I was confined to my own seat and didn't have the ability to cuddle up with Boyfriend like usual, I still fell asleep fairly quickly, and though I woke up frequently, I was doing pretty well... until my nightmare.
I started having a very realistic dream about the plane I was on. I dreamed that the circumstances were the same as they actually were - we were headed to Vegas for the marathon, and Boyfriend was sitting one row in front of me in a middle seat. I was sleeping peacefully, but woke up for some reason, glanced at the TV monitor (set to some news channel), and saw throngs of police cars and policemen running around the streets of New York. The camera was in Times Square, and the commentary was about how they didn't know exactly where touchdown would be, but that they were trying to prepare. I looked out the window, and discovered that instead of being somewhere over Nevada, the plane was actually over Manhattan - in the no fly zone, flying dangerously low. Like the ill-fated US Airways flight that landed on the Hudson, we were about to divert to an unauthorized "runway," only ours was not even as smooth as the Hudson: we were going to try to land on a cleared out avenue in Manhattan.
Oddly enough, most of the people on the plane didn't seem to realize what was going on, but I was glued to the monitor. It was crazy to watch live the preparations being made for my own plane crash. I realized with a start that I ought to call my mom and tell her I loved her (regulations be damned - this plane was going down, and having a cell phone on would in all likelihood not hurt my chances of survival), but then simultaneously realized that it was too late - we were seconds from landing. I saw the ground coming closer and closer, and some sort of big bullhorn was outside the plane yelling "approach! Approach! Rescue vehicles ready for approach!" (yes, I know in real life I would never be able to hear that). I reached forward to Boyfriend's seat to grab his hand, and we whispered "I love you" to each other, and then there was a huge whistling noise... and then I woke up.
It took me a few seconds to realize that I was not, in fact, dead - it had all been just a dream, and Boyfriend and I were still safe and sound flying somewhere over Utah. My breathing slowed and my pulse stopped racing, and I felt the beads of perspiration on my back where I had been sweating in panic. I wanted very badly to give Boyfriend a hug and kiss and have him reassure me that everything was okay, but he was sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to reach through the seats and wake him.
I have no idea why I had that dream though. We've had more than our share of diversions recently, mostly due to medical emergencies, but they were always to alternate airports - never anything so dramatic as landing on something that's not a real runway. There have been instances in the past where people have been able to watch their own plane's imminent crash landings on the seatback news, something that's creeped me out for a while, but nothing recently has brought that up. In short, I have no idea what scared me so much to dream up that horrific nightmare.
On the plus side, I've been absolutely terrified about this race and how unprepared I am, so it took my mind off that for a little while. Am I ready for the race? Not at all. I found out through some research this week that last year, only a third of the runners who started actually managed to finish. Despite not doing heat training, despite drinking the night before, despite it all... I will be in that third.
I'll let you know how it goes!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The stress is almost over...
This week has been crazy. I think I mentioned that Boyfriend is apartment hunting, but it's been so much crazier than I thought. His lease is up June 30th, so still being undecided and looking at apartments through today was really stressful! We've been going into work at 6 AM in order to get out early enough to see apartments in the afternoon, and then Boyfriend has even been going back to work after that and not getting home until midnight... just to do it all over again. Fortunately, by Tuesday, we found a few places that were good options. He wasn't sold on any of them, but they all had potential, so it was at least reassuring to know that he would end up someplace decent.
The big debate is essentially whether he wants to live in the village or the Upper West Side. He's already lived on the UWS for several years, and I've lived here too, and we both love it. But he's always wanted to live in the heart of the village - with restaurants, bars, clubs, nightlife, people out and about all hours of the day and night... it's quintessential New York. On the other hand, the UWS (at least where we live) is very residential and sedate. There are certainly still cool things to do, but it's definitely not the same atmosphere at all. Boyfriend currently lives in a more central part of the UWS that's still not like the village, but it has more life; meanwhile, I live out by the river where it's all completely residential and suburban. The only commercial things near me are grocery stores/bodegas... if I want to go to a restaurant or bar, I need to go to Boyfriend's side of town. But really? I like that. I like New York, but I'm really a suburban girl at heart, and where I live is the closest I can get to that.
Now, Boyfriend loves the suburbs too, and that's ultimately where he wants to end up (neither of us has aspirations of staying in the city forever), but he feels a little cheated that he's always had kind of the sedate, upscale, suburban New York experience. He never lived in Murray Hill (home to all the recent grads before they move on to more mature areas) or the Village (hello, NYU students!), and he feels like he hasn't gotten the New York experience if he hasn't done that. Until we started talking about apartments, I had no idea he had a desire to spend more time in these areas, and I pointed out to him that we could certainly take the short subway ride down there anytime he wanted to go out and go exploring, but he was really adamant that he wanted to be right in the thick of things, or it would never happen. And he's kind of right about that - there are a ton of nights when we plan to go out but decide to just stay in one of our apartments, grab some beers, and watch a movie. We're homebodies, what can I say :)
Anyway, the confounding factor here is that I really can't be impartial about the decision. I love the UWS, and while I think the village is fun on occasion, I have no interest in living there; I'd prefer to just visit when I'm in the mood. Furthermore, I would much much MUCH rather he continue to live somewhere up near me instead of me needing to take a train anytime I want to see him. This is particularly true due to his crazy work hours. If he calls me at midnight and has just gotten out of work and is heading home, right now it's easy for one of us to make the 10 minute walk over to the other's apartment. But if that's an hour's time on the late night subway? It's not happening. I know our relationship should be able to withstand the five mile distance (we're celebrating our one year anniversary next weekend!), but I think it would just cause a lot of tension and arguments, and I'd prefer to avoid those.
He knows my feelings on this, and at first he wouldn't take any of my opinions about various apartments seriously, because he thought I was too biased to be able to advise him. However, like the awesome girlfriend I am, I managed to be fully supportive of both locations. I told him I wouldn't compare village apartments to UWS apartments, but that I would be happy to tell him which one in the village I thought was his best bet, and which one on the UWS should be his top choice for that. As I started this post by saying, we found decent options in both places... so now it's all up to him.
The 350 square foot studio with no amenities in an old second floor walkup building... that is right smack dab in the middle of the hottest block in the village, with Boyfriend's favorite bar in the village literally across the street? Or the beautiful 750 square foot (it is HUGE) alcove studio in a luxury doorman building with its own private park... that is three blocks from my building but has not a single bar or restaurant within a 10 minute walk? He knows which is the better actual apartment, but which one is right for him ultimately just depends on how much he's willing to sacrifice for location.
I have really come around to the village after spending so much time looking, and I do think the studio there is great value for the area. It would be a really tight squeeze with his stuff, but it would be doable. True, it's a subway ride away, but it's actually quite close to the subway stop, and Boyfriend assured me that if he did move to the village, a) he would stay at my place a lot more to make it more even, and b) he would give me a key so that if I wanted to go to his place even before he got done with work, I could keep stuff there and feel free to use it as my own apartment.
Decision time is tonight... we'll see!
The big debate is essentially whether he wants to live in the village or the Upper West Side. He's already lived on the UWS for several years, and I've lived here too, and we both love it. But he's always wanted to live in the heart of the village - with restaurants, bars, clubs, nightlife, people out and about all hours of the day and night... it's quintessential New York. On the other hand, the UWS (at least where we live) is very residential and sedate. There are certainly still cool things to do, but it's definitely not the same atmosphere at all. Boyfriend currently lives in a more central part of the UWS that's still not like the village, but it has more life; meanwhile, I live out by the river where it's all completely residential and suburban. The only commercial things near me are grocery stores/bodegas... if I want to go to a restaurant or bar, I need to go to Boyfriend's side of town. But really? I like that. I like New York, but I'm really a suburban girl at heart, and where I live is the closest I can get to that.
Now, Boyfriend loves the suburbs too, and that's ultimately where he wants to end up (neither of us has aspirations of staying in the city forever), but he feels a little cheated that he's always had kind of the sedate, upscale, suburban New York experience. He never lived in Murray Hill (home to all the recent grads before they move on to more mature areas) or the Village (hello, NYU students!), and he feels like he hasn't gotten the New York experience if he hasn't done that. Until we started talking about apartments, I had no idea he had a desire to spend more time in these areas, and I pointed out to him that we could certainly take the short subway ride down there anytime he wanted to go out and go exploring, but he was really adamant that he wanted to be right in the thick of things, or it would never happen. And he's kind of right about that - there are a ton of nights when we plan to go out but decide to just stay in one of our apartments, grab some beers, and watch a movie. We're homebodies, what can I say :)
Anyway, the confounding factor here is that I really can't be impartial about the decision. I love the UWS, and while I think the village is fun on occasion, I have no interest in living there; I'd prefer to just visit when I'm in the mood. Furthermore, I would much much MUCH rather he continue to live somewhere up near me instead of me needing to take a train anytime I want to see him. This is particularly true due to his crazy work hours. If he calls me at midnight and has just gotten out of work and is heading home, right now it's easy for one of us to make the 10 minute walk over to the other's apartment. But if that's an hour's time on the late night subway? It's not happening. I know our relationship should be able to withstand the five mile distance (we're celebrating our one year anniversary next weekend!), but I think it would just cause a lot of tension and arguments, and I'd prefer to avoid those.
He knows my feelings on this, and at first he wouldn't take any of my opinions about various apartments seriously, because he thought I was too biased to be able to advise him. However, like the awesome girlfriend I am, I managed to be fully supportive of both locations. I told him I wouldn't compare village apartments to UWS apartments, but that I would be happy to tell him which one in the village I thought was his best bet, and which one on the UWS should be his top choice for that. As I started this post by saying, we found decent options in both places... so now it's all up to him.
The 350 square foot studio with no amenities in an old second floor walkup building... that is right smack dab in the middle of the hottest block in the village, with Boyfriend's favorite bar in the village literally across the street? Or the beautiful 750 square foot (it is HUGE) alcove studio in a luxury doorman building with its own private park... that is three blocks from my building but has not a single bar or restaurant within a 10 minute walk? He knows which is the better actual apartment, but which one is right for him ultimately just depends on how much he's willing to sacrifice for location.
I have really come around to the village after spending so much time looking, and I do think the studio there is great value for the area. It would be a really tight squeeze with his stuff, but it would be doable. True, it's a subway ride away, but it's actually quite close to the subway stop, and Boyfriend assured me that if he did move to the village, a) he would stay at my place a lot more to make it more even, and b) he would give me a key so that if I wanted to go to his place even before he got done with work, I could keep stuff there and feel free to use it as my own apartment.
Decision time is tonight... we'll see!
Monday, June 22, 2009
The Best Sweatshirt Ever
Whenever I have a need to wear a sweatshirt, it's usually one of the two bright pink ones I own that screams "CORNELL" in huge letters across the front. What can I say, I absolutely love my alma mater and I have a lot of school pride! Most Cornellians do, as evidenced by the fact that whenever I wear it around, I often get stopped by other alum who want to introduce themselves and maybe exchange a few stories about life "on the hill." Boyfriend really hates when I wear it though. He thinks my obsession with Cornell is a little weird and pretentious (I am nothing like Andy on The Office, but he teases me that I am); he prefers that I don't wear it when I'm out with him, though he doesn't make a big deal about it when I do.
Yesterday I threw the sweatshirt on and we stopped at Starbucks to get coffee. While fixing it up with milk and sugar, a guy stopped me to ask if I was a Cornell student - he introduced himself as an alum from the 70s. I was pleased to meet him, and in the course of our chat, I asked him what he did now. Boyfriend was listening politely (though I could tell he was just building ammo with which to tease me later), but then the guy said something that has forever quelled Boyfriend's Cornell sweatshirt hatred:
"I'm the chief corporate officer of Activision Blizzard - it's a gaming company."
Boyfriend's jaw nearly fell on the floor. Blizzard makes World of Warcraft, a game that is his absolute favorite hobby. He's long been checking the Blizzard careers website for opportunities that might fit his background, and dreams of working for them. Furthermore, when Boyfriend eventually gets a dog (he's dying for a white Husky with blue eyes), he plans to name it Blizzard - Bliz for short.
I get to wear my sweatshirt everywhere we go now, and Boyfriend has never been more proud to have me as a girlfriend :)
Yesterday I threw the sweatshirt on and we stopped at Starbucks to get coffee. While fixing it up with milk and sugar, a guy stopped me to ask if I was a Cornell student - he introduced himself as an alum from the 70s. I was pleased to meet him, and in the course of our chat, I asked him what he did now. Boyfriend was listening politely (though I could tell he was just building ammo with which to tease me later), but then the guy said something that has forever quelled Boyfriend's Cornell sweatshirt hatred:
"I'm the chief corporate officer of Activision Blizzard - it's a gaming company."
Boyfriend's jaw nearly fell on the floor. Blizzard makes World of Warcraft, a game that is his absolute favorite hobby. He's long been checking the Blizzard careers website for opportunities that might fit his background, and dreams of working for them. Furthermore, when Boyfriend eventually gets a dog (he's dying for a white Husky with blue eyes), he plans to name it Blizzard - Bliz for short.
I get to wear my sweatshirt everywhere we go now, and Boyfriend has never been more proud to have me as a girlfriend :)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
I already did random subway fainting... how about a little marathon-induced blackout?
I'm mostly done with my Hatfield race report (the actual race report, not the night before); however, they're being very slow to upload the results, so I'm waiting to get those before I declare my ultimate verdict of the race. Note to the race director: the further you move me up in the rankings, the better the review you get :)
I was trying to be all cagey about how I did, leaving you with a little to-be-continued, but the tardiness of the results is going to force me to tip my hand: I don't want to leave you hanging in the dark that long. The short version of the race report is that it was probably the second toughest marathon course I've done (Seafair being the toughest), due to the humidity and hills; however, I came in with one of my top three fastest times. I'm telling you, I do well when faced with a challenge! Though I didn't PR this race, I did get my 2009 PR (not saying much when you consider that I've only run six marathons so far this year), which leads me to believe that in order to get my all-time PR I'm going to need to do something crazy like run the Pike's Peak Marathon (26.2 miles heading straight up the mountain). Or the Kilimanjaro Marathon, you know, whatever...
It was with these thoughts in mind that I signed up for my next race: Running with the Devil. It's a marathon just outside of Las Vegas, and held specifically under the worst possible conditions. You know how most race organizers like to advertise their course as "flat and fast" (ha, yeah right)? This one specifies right on its website: "Held in summer in the middle of the day thru the dry Mojave Desert, athletes will be challenged to contend with extreme heat and unrelenting rolling hills as they traverse this spectacularly scenic course." Sounds appealing, huh? Even more appealing is when you read prior years' race reports and find that runners are weighed in before and after the race to make sure they're not going to drop dead from dehydration, end up hooked up to IVs after the course, and arrive at the finish fainting and, I quote, "puking [their] guts out." Lovely!
I've pointed out to my mom that she shouldn't worry; after all, they were running the 50 mile ultra while I'll "just" be running the marathon. But really, it's still going to be pretty tough. Am I up for the challenge? We'll see. Goal is to be back in Vegas that night, puking my guts out not because of dehydration/heat stroke, but because of all the victory drinks I'm going to have at the casino. Cheers!
I was trying to be all cagey about how I did, leaving you with a little to-be-continued, but the tardiness of the results is going to force me to tip my hand: I don't want to leave you hanging in the dark that long. The short version of the race report is that it was probably the second toughest marathon course I've done (Seafair being the toughest), due to the humidity and hills; however, I came in with one of my top three fastest times. I'm telling you, I do well when faced with a challenge! Though I didn't PR this race, I did get my 2009 PR (not saying much when you consider that I've only run six marathons so far this year), which leads me to believe that in order to get my all-time PR I'm going to need to do something crazy like run the Pike's Peak Marathon (26.2 miles heading straight up the mountain). Or the Kilimanjaro Marathon, you know, whatever...
It was with these thoughts in mind that I signed up for my next race: Running with the Devil. It's a marathon just outside of Las Vegas, and held specifically under the worst possible conditions. You know how most race organizers like to advertise their course as "flat and fast" (ha, yeah right)? This one specifies right on its website: "Held in summer in the middle of the day thru the dry Mojave Desert, athletes will be challenged to contend with extreme heat and unrelenting rolling hills as they traverse this spectacularly scenic course." Sounds appealing, huh? Even more appealing is when you read prior years' race reports and find that runners are weighed in before and after the race to make sure they're not going to drop dead from dehydration, end up hooked up to IVs after the course, and arrive at the finish fainting and, I quote, "puking [their] guts out." Lovely!
I've pointed out to my mom that she shouldn't worry; after all, they were running the 50 mile ultra while I'll "just" be running the marathon. But really, it's still going to be pretty tough. Am I up for the challenge? We'll see. Goal is to be back in Vegas that night, puking my guts out not because of dehydration/heat stroke, but because of all the victory drinks I'm going to have at the casino. Cheers!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Race Report: Hatfield McCoy Marathon Part 1
I arrived in Huntington around 2 PM and quickly headed off on the 1.5 hour drive to Williamson. I took a wrong turn at first when Google Maps wasn't specific about directions (it said to take 52, but didn't specify north or south), but it was quickly remedied and otherwise I made it to Williamson without incident. Arriving at the packet pickup, I found it to be a far cry from the expos at most marathons. There were just four folding tables in a parking garage, all in a row: registration/bib pickup, t-shirt pickup, dinner ticket pickup, and a 50/50 raffle. When I got to the t-shirt pickup, the ladies behind the table politely asked where I was staying, and I told them that I was participating in the new bed and breakfast program (local families volunteer to host runners at their homes for a nominal fee), and that I was about to call Joyce, my host. Turned out it was her behind the table!
Joyce offered to take me back to her house right then to rest before the pasta dinner at 6 PM, and I gratefully took her up on that. Much better than sitting in my car reading for a few hours, even if I was in the middle of Stephenie Meyer's page-turning adult novel, The Host. When we arrived at Joyce's house, she introduced me to her equally hospitable daughter, Kathy, and the three of us sat down to chat for a while. They were both so friendly that I felt instantly at home. Around 5 PM, I excused myself to go rest (meaning, get back to reading The Host) before dinner.
Just before 6, Joyce and I headed over to the pasta dinner. Turned out it started promptly at 6, which was a surprise to me - usually the start time is when people start arriving, and then the actual speeches and events don't happen till later. I was impressed! We only missed a few of the race director's opening remarks, and while the tent was packed, I managed to find two seats together for us at one of the far tables.
The announcements seemed to go on forever, while the buffet was set up just a few feet from my table and was looking and smelling delicious! It was hard to concentrate on the race director, but I did my best. He seemed very caring and genuine, reminding us that now that we were running this race, he considered us part of his family forever. He encouraged us to come back next year, and told us that anyone who came back would have a special sign made for them and put on the course! What a cool personal touch.
Finally we got to eat, and I filled my plate with tons of pasta (three kinds to choose from: fettucine, angel hair, and ziti) and sauce (again, three options: marinara, meat sauce, and alfredo). Better than that though, I got two pieces of garlic bread - which turned out to be awesome! Even though I was stuffed from the pasta (so stuffed I didn't even have any salad - so not like me), I ended up grabbing one more piece of the garlic bread for good measure. I vowed that the next day, I would not pig out after the race - I was already pigging out enough beforehand.
While we ate, we got to watch a really cool skit about the history of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Two local guys played the parts of the fathers of each clan, and they did a great job acting very realistically while still managing to convey the whole story to the group. I had read through some pamphlets in my race packet, so I already had a good idea of the story, and I found my thoughts wandering to Boyfriend and if he had gotten home and found all my surprises yet. I forced myself to pay attention, and when the skit concluded, I was rewarded for my patience with a call from him telling me that I'm absolutely amazing and unbelievable to have done all that for him. Nothing like a little self confidence boost before the race :)
After the skit, I ran into my friend Walter, whom I had met at the Honolulu Marathon expo. Hawaii was Walter's 50th state, so it was really a celebration race for him. We bumped into each other again on the course there, and actually ended up crossing the finish line together, so he'll always be one of my special marathon buddies :) He told me that he was going for another time around, and because he had driven the Hatfield McCoy course that morning, he was able to give me some good tips (e.g. though the elevation profile only seems to show one big hill at mile 6, there's another nasty one around mile 23). I have to say, that's my favorite part of marathoning so frequently. I love traveling to so many different places only to see a lot of the same people, especially when I'm traveling by myself. In addition to Walter, I also saw my friend Fran, whom I had met at the Lincoln Marathon and shared dinner with then. She's closing in on her 50 states, with only three states to go! Fran introduced me to several other frequent marathoners who were from Canada and were very nice, and I'm looking forward to seeing them at future races. Again, I can't emphasize enough how I love making all these new friends all over the world!
After dinner, not much to report except that I got to bed fairly early, and hoped that I wouldn't suffer too many consequences from eating all that garlic bread. Stay tuned to find out!
Joyce offered to take me back to her house right then to rest before the pasta dinner at 6 PM, and I gratefully took her up on that. Much better than sitting in my car reading for a few hours, even if I was in the middle of Stephenie Meyer's page-turning adult novel, The Host. When we arrived at Joyce's house, she introduced me to her equally hospitable daughter, Kathy, and the three of us sat down to chat for a while. They were both so friendly that I felt instantly at home. Around 5 PM, I excused myself to go rest (meaning, get back to reading The Host) before dinner.
Just before 6, Joyce and I headed over to the pasta dinner. Turned out it started promptly at 6, which was a surprise to me - usually the start time is when people start arriving, and then the actual speeches and events don't happen till later. I was impressed! We only missed a few of the race director's opening remarks, and while the tent was packed, I managed to find two seats together for us at one of the far tables.
The announcements seemed to go on forever, while the buffet was set up just a few feet from my table and was looking and smelling delicious! It was hard to concentrate on the race director, but I did my best. He seemed very caring and genuine, reminding us that now that we were running this race, he considered us part of his family forever. He encouraged us to come back next year, and told us that anyone who came back would have a special sign made for them and put on the course! What a cool personal touch.
Finally we got to eat, and I filled my plate with tons of pasta (three kinds to choose from: fettucine, angel hair, and ziti) and sauce (again, three options: marinara, meat sauce, and alfredo). Better than that though, I got two pieces of garlic bread - which turned out to be awesome! Even though I was stuffed from the pasta (so stuffed I didn't even have any salad - so not like me), I ended up grabbing one more piece of the garlic bread for good measure. I vowed that the next day, I would not pig out after the race - I was already pigging out enough beforehand.
While we ate, we got to watch a really cool skit about the history of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Two local guys played the parts of the fathers of each clan, and they did a great job acting very realistically while still managing to convey the whole story to the group. I had read through some pamphlets in my race packet, so I already had a good idea of the story, and I found my thoughts wandering to Boyfriend and if he had gotten home and found all my surprises yet. I forced myself to pay attention, and when the skit concluded, I was rewarded for my patience with a call from him telling me that I'm absolutely amazing and unbelievable to have done all that for him. Nothing like a little self confidence boost before the race :)
After the skit, I ran into my friend Walter, whom I had met at the Honolulu Marathon expo. Hawaii was Walter's 50th state, so it was really a celebration race for him. We bumped into each other again on the course there, and actually ended up crossing the finish line together, so he'll always be one of my special marathon buddies :) He told me that he was going for another time around, and because he had driven the Hatfield McCoy course that morning, he was able to give me some good tips (e.g. though the elevation profile only seems to show one big hill at mile 6, there's another nasty one around mile 23). I have to say, that's my favorite part of marathoning so frequently. I love traveling to so many different places only to see a lot of the same people, especially when I'm traveling by myself. In addition to Walter, I also saw my friend Fran, whom I had met at the Lincoln Marathon and shared dinner with then. She's closing in on her 50 states, with only three states to go! Fran introduced me to several other frequent marathoners who were from Canada and were very nice, and I'm looking forward to seeing them at future races. Again, I can't emphasize enough how I love making all these new friends all over the world!
After dinner, not much to report except that I got to bed fairly early, and hoped that I wouldn't suffer too many consequences from eating all that garlic bread. Stay tuned to find out!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Quick update... the next adventure?
I'm hanging out in the Charlotte airport, waiting for my connection flight to West Virginia. I am so psyched for the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon tomorrow! I've been hearing great things about it for a very long time - pretty much since I started marathoning. The Hatfields and the McCoys are two families in West Virginia who feuded for many years - but now the descendants celebrate every June with a festival. In this marathon, there is a *free* pasta dinner the night before that includes a skit explaining the familes and the feud (which is why I took off work today - I was told this was not to be missed!). Then, for the actual race, you're assigned to be an honorary Hatfield or McCoy, spend the race good-naturedly teasing those of the other clan, and the clan with the lowest average time wins! Lots of fun :)
In other news, Boyfriend is safe and sound off the mountain, and is now getting on a plane to fly home. I put in a call to the gate agents and they're going to make an announcement on the plane to congratulate him for summiting Rainier! I also left a whole host of surprises for him at home, from homemade mint chocolate chip cupcakes with homemade mint buttercream frosting (a treat to celebrate), to chicken chili (protein for muscle recovery), to a foot spa and various scrubs and massage things, to movies to watch while he recovers and waits for me to get home. I can't wait to see him tomorrow!!!
He had an amazing time on the trip, and is already planning his next big adventure. You ready for this one? He's decided he's done "wasting his time" with the Cascades, and wants a bigger challenge. He's made it his life goal (dear god, I hope I can convince him to change it) to climb each of the Seven Summits - the highest mountains in the world. Next up is a couples trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and go on an African safari, and he wants me to come. Financially, I'm really not sure I can swing it, especially since I'm still trying to get through the fifty states. But what an adventure! I would love to do at least Kilimanjaro, particularly because it's supposed to be easy. I can't say I'm up for the other (death-defying) mountains though - in fact, I'm hoping to talk Boyfriend out of them.
Geez, though... from musical theater non-jock to weekly marathoner to someone who's climbed Mount Kilimanjaro? Everyone at my high school reunion won't know what him them!
In other news, Boyfriend is safe and sound off the mountain, and is now getting on a plane to fly home. I put in a call to the gate agents and they're going to make an announcement on the plane to congratulate him for summiting Rainier! I also left a whole host of surprises for him at home, from homemade mint chocolate chip cupcakes with homemade mint buttercream frosting (a treat to celebrate), to chicken chili (protein for muscle recovery), to a foot spa and various scrubs and massage things, to movies to watch while he recovers and waits for me to get home. I can't wait to see him tomorrow!!!
He had an amazing time on the trip, and is already planning his next big adventure. You ready for this one? He's decided he's done "wasting his time" with the Cascades, and wants a bigger challenge. He's made it his life goal (dear god, I hope I can convince him to change it) to climb each of the Seven Summits - the highest mountains in the world. Next up is a couples trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and go on an African safari, and he wants me to come. Financially, I'm really not sure I can swing it, especially since I'm still trying to get through the fifty states. But what an adventure! I would love to do at least Kilimanjaro, particularly because it's supposed to be easy. I can't say I'm up for the other (death-defying) mountains though - in fact, I'm hoping to talk Boyfriend out of them.
Geez, though... from musical theater non-jock to weekly marathoner to someone who's climbed Mount Kilimanjaro? Everyone at my high school reunion won't know what him them!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Would You Pay? (An Airline Game)
Today at work, we were discussing RyanAir's announcement that they will be charging to use lavatories inflight. I'm all for this decision. I don't often use the lavatory inflight, and if I really needed to, I'd be happy to pay a few bucks to do so. However, one of my coworkers pointed out that some people will do anything to save a few dollars, and that it might result in some rather disgusting behavior. I definitely think that is unacceptable; however, if they had a way to enforce the policy to be sure gross stuff didn't happen, I would be fine with it.
In general, I'm a big fan of nickel and diming, especially when it's for things I don't want to use. First bag fee? Bring it on, I only check bags when I'm going somewhere for several weeks. Charging for drinks? Despite my alcoholic nature, I never drink inflight - I typically just booze up at the airport bar and then sleep it off on the plane. People tend to get very upset with extra fees, but you have to consider that even though you're paying extra for something, your ticket price is going to be cheaper by that amount or more, so if you were going to use it anyway, it's break even, and if you weren't, you're saving money. (Yes, I realize this brings up the question of whether airlines are just looking for ancillary revenue or are just trying to cover costs - let's just assume the latter).
With all this in mind, here are some ancillary revenue fees we discussed and my reactions. Please note that these are not being considered at all as legitimate fees; this is a what-if scenario. If they cost extra, would you pay for:
Seatbelts? Yes. They help in turbulence.
Oxygen masks or life preservers? No. If my plane is going down (already a near impossibility), these aren't likely to do that much anyway.
Ability to recline? I would love if this were a fee so I could avoid paying it. I almost never recline on flights - I like to sit up straight. And I hate when other people recline into my lap and make it difficult for me to use my laptop. It would be fantastic if airlines designated one column of seats (would have to be front-to-back of the plane to make it fair) as non-reclining.
Window/aisle vs middle? I won't ever pay for advance seat selection, and I don't pay for extra legroom seats, but I'd probably be willing to kick in a few bucks to guarantee not getting stuck in a middle seat (depending on stage length of the flight). Particularly on the large trans-Atlantic flights where you have blocks of 5 seats in the middle, these are the worst! That said, if Boyfriend were next to me, I'd take a middle and cuddle up with him.
Electrical outlets (to plug in your laptop)? No, my computer gets good enough battery life.
Wi-fi? If it was strong and good, yes. However, I'd only pay $3/hour, which is much less than most current carriers charge, and they have terrible bandwidth that makes it really slow.
Television? Nope. I'll bring my laptop and watch stuff on there. I rarely watch the inflight TV or movies anyway.
Headsets? Yes, I always bring my own, and don't want to subsidize yours.
Food and drinks? Definitely. I don't consider those a necessity for a flight anyway, and I can bring my own if I don't want to pay.
Bathroom? As discussed above, would happily pay for this if I felt the need to use it.
Barf bags? (Note: RyanAir also announced they will charge for these). I don't like the idea of charging for sick bags, because it could result in some messy situations, but I think if you DO get sick, you should have to pay a surcharge. That is nasty to sit near and even nastier to clean up!
Curious what all your opinions are - just no fighting please, as I realize these are some hot-button issues :)
In general, I'm a big fan of nickel and diming, especially when it's for things I don't want to use. First bag fee? Bring it on, I only check bags when I'm going somewhere for several weeks. Charging for drinks? Despite my alcoholic nature, I never drink inflight - I typically just booze up at the airport bar and then sleep it off on the plane. People tend to get very upset with extra fees, but you have to consider that even though you're paying extra for something, your ticket price is going to be cheaper by that amount or more, so if you were going to use it anyway, it's break even, and if you weren't, you're saving money. (Yes, I realize this brings up the question of whether airlines are just looking for ancillary revenue or are just trying to cover costs - let's just assume the latter).
With all this in mind, here are some ancillary revenue fees we discussed and my reactions. Please note that these are not being considered at all as legitimate fees; this is a what-if scenario. If they cost extra, would you pay for:
Seatbelts? Yes. They help in turbulence.
Oxygen masks or life preservers? No. If my plane is going down (already a near impossibility), these aren't likely to do that much anyway.
Ability to recline? I would love if this were a fee so I could avoid paying it. I almost never recline on flights - I like to sit up straight. And I hate when other people recline into my lap and make it difficult for me to use my laptop. It would be fantastic if airlines designated one column of seats (would have to be front-to-back of the plane to make it fair) as non-reclining.
Window/aisle vs middle? I won't ever pay for advance seat selection, and I don't pay for extra legroom seats, but I'd probably be willing to kick in a few bucks to guarantee not getting stuck in a middle seat (depending on stage length of the flight). Particularly on the large trans-Atlantic flights where you have blocks of 5 seats in the middle, these are the worst! That said, if Boyfriend were next to me, I'd take a middle and cuddle up with him.
Electrical outlets (to plug in your laptop)? No, my computer gets good enough battery life.
Wi-fi? If it was strong and good, yes. However, I'd only pay $3/hour, which is much less than most current carriers charge, and they have terrible bandwidth that makes it really slow.
Television? Nope. I'll bring my laptop and watch stuff on there. I rarely watch the inflight TV or movies anyway.
Headsets? Yes, I always bring my own, and don't want to subsidize yours.
Food and drinks? Definitely. I don't consider those a necessity for a flight anyway, and I can bring my own if I don't want to pay.
Bathroom? As discussed above, would happily pay for this if I felt the need to use it.
Barf bags? (Note: RyanAir also announced they will charge for these). I don't like the idea of charging for sick bags, because it could result in some messy situations, but I think if you DO get sick, you should have to pay a surcharge. That is nasty to sit near and even nastier to clean up!
Curious what all your opinions are - just no fighting please, as I realize these are some hot-button issues :)
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