rays of happiness

By no means do we intend to alienate our readers, but it must be known, we're a Tampa Bay Rays family through and through. Only the Detroit Tigers garner more of our devotion. For those that don't know, the Durham Bulls are the AAA farm team for the Rays. Junie's been watching Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton for her entire baseball watching life. About two months ago, June and I had lunch with one of the heroes of last night's game, David Price. We happened to be in Tyler's on a Saturday afternoon while they were recording the Durham Bulls weekly radio show, and David Price happened to be the guest. No, we didn't sit at the same table, but since we were just about the only ones sitting inside, I think it counts.

Here's Junie this morning with Wool E. Bull...

there's a baby in there

Junie pointing to her little brother or sister in "mommy's tummy" ...

pigskin review

Here's a picture as we arrived. It's hard to see in the background, but Duke was leading Miami 14 to 7. Junie loved seeing all the people.

Junie looking glamorous as ever. And not a bad crowd for a Duke football game.

June wasn't much impressed with the football game, so much of her time was spent traversing the bleachers. The Duke marching band's halftime performance, however, had her riveted.

The score went back and forth for awhile, with very little defense being played. We left near the end of the third quarter just as Miami went up 28 to 24. The momentum had clearly shifted, and by the time we got home, Miami had opened up a large lead. It wasn't Lambeau Field, but it was a great first game. By this time next year, June should be an expert on the zone blitz and the west coast offense.

push-up to vote

Update on my 100 push-up challenge: Because I completed 46 push-ups in my initial test, the program suggested I start at "Week 3" of the six week regimen. That means today's exhaustion test marked the end of my second week of training and "Week 4" of the program. Got that? Anyways, I completed 70 consecutive push-ups today. This program is tough, and I felt it was overly ambitious during my first week, but I'm beginning to think that 100 is possible when I perform my final exhaustion test on election day.

Speaking of elections, yesterday I voted. I'm not sure if early voting is being promoted or even available nationally, but here in North Carolina, it's received quite a push this year. I take my right to vote seriously, and I want voting to be easily accessible and straightforward (when I lived in Chicago, my district used the same "butterfly" ballots that caused some of the problems in Palm Beach County, and they truly were confusing).

Yesterday's voting experience was refreshingly straightforward - just a matter of filling in some circles like a ScanTron test - but it was a bit too accessible. When I began to show my driver's license, the election official emphatically refused to look at it. She said they would only look at it if there was a problem. I simply needed to give my name, address, and signature. Anybody could have voted for me. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I think a process like that just opens the door for one side or the other to point fingers if things don't go their way. And I'm very tired of fraud charges from both sides. It troubles me that getting a library card, a simple process by most measures, is a more stringent process than voting in our elections.

Back to brighter subjects, we're taking Junie to her first football game in a few minutes. Off to Wallace Wade Stadium we go to watch Duke vs. the Miami Hurricanes. Pictures to follow.

1st ever Watts Hospital-Hilllandale Neighborhood Association/National Pawn 5K!

Today my dear friend Abby and I ran in the 1st ever National Pawn 5K to benefit the Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood Association. WHH is adjacent to our neighborhood, so it was a quick trip to the starting line. And I don't have any fancy altitude data or graphics for you, nor do I have any harrowing tales of steep, rocky terrain. It was just a pleasant run through cute residential streets with lots of bungalows and distinctive Durham charm.

But I do have bragging rights, because Lloyd has never run in a race sponsored by the local pawn shop (National Pawn will buy your gold and wants you to know that gold is high right now. It is also a short trip from our house and across the street from Hog Heaven Bar-B-Q, a preferred stop of ours for excellent chopped pork sandwiches. But don't try going on a Sunday--they're closed for family and worship).

Also, of course, Lloyd has never run a race pregnant. I'm about 24 weeks along now. So that goes some distance in explaining why I was burning up the asphalt at the blistering pace of about 13-and-a-half minute miles. I'm a big fan of my maternity running skort. I think it's fantastic that such a thing exists.

Here we are lining up at the start. That short person next to June is Henry, Abby and Lance's son, who turns 2 in mid-November. June and Henry are very fond of one another.

Here we go....I expected an air horn at least, but it was just a man with a loud voice who counted down from 3 and shouted GO!

The dads and kids entertained themselves playing around a fountain near the starting line. It was, after all, less than 40 minutes from starting line to finish.


Home made sign.Isn't it grand?

Here come the mommies! We were pretty much at the back of the pack, but that didn't dampen our spirits one bit. In fact, except for the very start and the police officers and volunteers cheering us on and pointing the way, we were by ourselves the whole way. There were only maybe 100 runners total.

Reuniting!

I stopped for a photo op....

...and scooped Junie up to cross the finish line with me. The announcer even announced the bun and me as we finished. I don't really know my time, though, because either the clock malfunctioned or they turned it off after 33 minutes (surely they wouldn't do that?).

Henry was so happy see his momma.

That's it! We're off for barbecue lunch in a little while, because ever since mentioning Hog Heaven I can't really focus on anything else. Mmmmm, lunch. Oh how I love lunch.

June is 2!

She is not 6, as she tried to tell me for a few days.

For her party last Wednesday (actual birthday was Tuesday, October 7th) we kept things very simple this year, with just 4 of her best friends and their parents (who happen to be our friends--what luck!). On the menu for the kids: finger jello, grapes, turkey sausage wheels, and chocolate cupcakes.
All of her guests were punctual and in fine spirits. Thanks to them, Junie had a spastic and wonderful time at her party. At one point she was hopping up and down and pulling the hem of her dress up to her neck. A short while later she and Rachel (who is 6 months older and therefore worthy of non-stop emulation) were jumping around and bopping themselves on the head with balloons. Such hilarity! Now that's how to enjoy your own party.

The hula hoops were June's birthday gift from her friend Henry. What a hit!

Mellowing out with her bouquet of balloons after the guests had all gone home. Decompressing you might call it.

June makes a prediction

Because we have decided to wait until the baby is actually out of my body to know his or her gender, it's become quite a sport to make a guess.

(We're at least hoping for the big declaration at the appropriate moment this time. Due to a confluence of factors the first time around, neither the doctors nor the nurses attending June's birth knew we didn't know yet, so no one made any announcement. In the haze of it all, I spent the first 5 or so minutes of June's life believing we had just had a boy. But believe me, at that moment it made no difference at all; I was just so happy to hear those lusty, healthy cries.)

So far, the boys have it. There are lots of superstitious, old-wivesy explanations, but mostly it's because I'm showing later and less so far and also because I was so very much sicker and for so very much longer this time.

June and I talk about the baby all the time, and mostly we do a little script. It's very rote. I ask her what's in my tummy, she says "bigger...bigger...come out...baby" or a variation on that. Then I ask her what she's going to be once the baby is here and she says "big sister" and we talk about mommy, daddy and Junie holding the baby.

Just for kicks, I parted with the script a couple of nights ago and asked June whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. Girl, she predicted. Encouraged by her alacrity, I pressed further and asked her what we should name her. No hesitation: "Stickers". Since then, she has gone back and forth on whether the baby will be a boy or a girl, but either way the baby will be named Stickers. So hopefully June's prediction will be correct, the baby will be a boy or a girl.

Hey, speaking of names....in Charlottesville two weeks ago Lloyd, June and I went to their children's museum. June enjoyed it, but it is much smaller and pretty much in every way inferior to our own Museum of Life and Science, which is pretty much down the street from our house. We came away feeling pretty smug about our museum situation. (Also, this museum was full of frightening uber-mommies who had loud conversations about what midwife they used and how there were far too few midwives in the area, and talked loudly about their political positions and how unenlightened others people who don't agree with them are. There was also some aggressive public breastfeeding. I'm very much pro-breastfeeding, and pro-public breastfeeding, but something about this display felt like a challenge. Really....it quite scared me.)

Anyways, of course there were lots of little kids running around and lots of moms calling out after them. No kidding, there was a little boy there named Dasher. Seriously. Come on, Dasher? And Dasher had an identical twin brother, too, named.....Duncan. What did you think I was going to say? Prancer?

hoopin'

a lighter subject

I felt guilty for my depressing financial market related post, so here are a few pictures of June to keep you smiling...

Wearing her new raincoat before we went running tonight...

... and with balloons from her birthday party. More pics and details to come...

turn those machines back on

I won't bore you with my thoughts on the recent turmoil in the credit and equity markets. Instead, I'll bore you with someone else's. I really like this post, "The Truth: What Obama and McCain Won’t Tell You About Your Money," from the I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog.

For those interested in collateralized debt obligations, and who isn't, this video provides an excellent explanation.

and the next challenge is...

...100 push-ups. Exciting, eh? I came across this website awhile ago and thought a hundred push-ups in six weeks would be a worthwhile goal. And since I've given up triathlons, at least for the time being, and the swimming that goes along with them, I fear I'll soon have the prepubescent upper body of a professional cyclist. I'll start the program on Monday. I can only do 46 now. Just 54 to go.

Bless Adrienne's heart, for my birthday she got me a 90 minute sports massage that I cashed in this afternoon. If anybody ever needs a gift idea for me, look no further. It was great. It also served as a reminder that I need to stretch more. I know I should stretch regularly, but if I'm tight on time, it just gets skipped. So along with my push-ups, I hope to gain some flexibility.

Given my remarkable, lifelong inflexibility, I doubt I'll ever be able to do the splits, but I found this excerpt from a "how to do the splits" article on a cheerleading website too good not to share...

Remember, you must focus on and want the splits, or else you’ll never get them. The wanting part is easy. Who wouldn’t want to do the splits? The focus is the hard part. Stretching in your kitchen, for instance, is a bad habit. You’ll see that bag of chips and box of cereal and be completely distracted. You’ve lost your focus. If you truly want your splits, you should be stretching like you’re meditating. Think of nothing other than those splits, breathing, and your flexibility. This is not the time to daydream. Now go stretching, and remember, think:

splits, splits, splits, splits, splits, splits, flexibility, splits, breathe, splits, splits . . .

I'll keep you posted on my progress. If I reach my goal, I promise I won't start looking for a 1000 push-up training program.

too....tired.....

I would love to think I had it in me to post about my experience of this past weekend right now (it was wonderful and exhausting and inspiring, so check back for me to show-don't-tell all about it), but I'm simply too exhausted for it tonight. Lo these past few months, I find myself in the grip of a fatigue that explodes any previously held convictions about how tired a human being could possibly be. So, until I find a little energy boost, I just wanted to post this one photo.......because I think it's really funny. Can you tell that June is in a manic state, wide awake 2 hours past bedtime and running on no nap? Can you tell that I feel like I've just completed a sort of endurance event of my own? By 9:30 at night Junie was spinning like a top and full of erratic, purposeless energy. It was, actually, slightly terrifying. She's back on schedule now, well-rested, and mostly purposeful in her energy again (although tonight she was making phone calls from her toy calculator and called up someone she called orange juice. So you be the judge).

And since I'm posting photos of us looking crazy, here's one more for you:
I don't remember Lloyd looking like that, but somehow I snapped a photo of it. It was taken just moments before the one of him putting away some potatoes, so just know that he really did look remarkably, inappropriately fresh after 58 miles and 14 hours. So, if you want to consider the psychology of why I then chose to post this crazy looking picture of him, please be my guest.

Also, read Lloyd's post below if you haven't already...it's his full race report.

rocks, hills, & an iron stomach

That was hard.

That's probably the best way to describe yesterday's Great Eastern Endurance Run held near Charlottesville, VA in the George Washington National Forest. At 100 kilometers (62.53 miles) in length, the race was 12 miles longer that any of my previous efforts. But the distance wasn't the kicker, the climbing was. With over 15,000 feet of climb, it roughly tripled the most I had previously done in a single event.

I woke up, unintentionally, shortly after 2 a.m on Saturday morning. After finally giving up on falling back to sleep, I watched Sportscenter and some coverage of Friday's debate. At 4 a.m. I had my standard pre-race meal of oatmeal and two bottles of Ensure. After getting into my running gear, I headed outside at 4:50 a.m. to pick up my ride to the start (Fortunately for everyone, I had found another runner staying in the same resort. Instead of having to drive me to the start at that godforsaken hour, Adrienne and June got to sleep blissfully).

I've mentioned before that I like running in the rain, but I really dislike starting a run in the rain. When my ride picked me up, it was a downpour. A tad bit discouraging, but by the time we got to the starting area some 15 minutes away, the downpour had become a light mist.

We started along our way at 6 a.m. After a mile on a road inside the Sherando Lake Recreation Area, we turned onto a trail that went straight up for a mile. The terrain was very rocky and wet, which was a very good preview of what was to come. By the time I reached the first aid station, Slacks Overlook, nearly six miles into the race, the sun had come up and I no longer needed my headlamp. I had a drop bag waiting for me there, so I put away away my headlamp for later (I would return to this aid station twice more).

From there I headed back onto the trails before arriving at a two mile stretch along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The course then took me down a gravel road for well over four miles. That's a long ways down, and when I reached the aid station at the bottom, I had to turn around and go back up. The incline was just gradual enough that I was able to run most of the way to the top. At the top, I went back along the Blue Ridge Parkway and eventually returned to the same aid station where I had dropped my headlamp. My race crew, Adrienne and June, were there waiting for me.

22.9 down, 39.6 to go

Adrienne and June went on their way, and I went on mine. We wouldn't see each other again for ten hours (Adrienne will hopefully post the details of their day. Just to whet your appetite, their day included apple slingshots and "oom-pah" music).

At this point, I was 22.9 miles into the race and in third place. I was feeling good, but I knew my pace was going to slow significantly over the remainder of the race.

Back onto the trails I went, and it wasn't long before the terrain and inclination became less conducive to running. After reaching the Bald Mountain Summit aid station at the 25.4 mile mark, the rocky trail went downhill for nearly six miles to the Kennedy Ridge aid station. I had just completed the first 50k in exactly six hours; the second 50k wouldn't be nearly so fast.

Out from that aid station, I took a left turn down the undulating, gravel Coal Mountain Road for three miles until I reached the Stony Run Trail aid station. From there I had to run 7.5 miles back up to the Bald Mountain Summit. In the pre-race meeting, they said it would likely be the "longest 7.5 miles of your life," and they weren't kidding. It took me 2 hours and 15 minutes to finally make it to the top. It was brutal. Rocky and relentless. To add insult to injury, near the top where the trail had an occasional flat spot, there were huge, shin deep puddles that covered the width of the trail. The ice cold water, however, felt surprisingly good on my tired feet.

From the Bald Mountain Summit aid station, I took a different trail back down the mountain. Through a series of switchbacks, the trail plunged to the valley floor and wound along Mills Creek. The terrain in this section was just rocky enough that I had to keep a continuous eye on the trail, but it was flat and runnable - a nice change. The creek was beautiful, and I crossed through it several times. Seven miles later I reached the next aid station.

From there I once again turned left and went three miles down a different portion of Coal Mountain Road. Nearly 51 miles into the race, I found myself back at the Kennedy Ridge Trail aid station. This time I would have to go 5.8 miles up the same trail that I had descended 25 miles ago. Again, it was a rocky and relentless climb, but not nearly as torturous as the trip up the mountain from the Stony Ridge aid station. I had no doubts that I would eventually reach the Bald Mountain aid station, but I was becoming very concerned that I wouldn't get there before it was totally dark (I won't confuse you with the details, but my headlamp was now waiting for me at the Bald Mountain aid station). I reached the summit with about five minutes of twilight to spare.

Another 2.3 miles from the summit and only 4 miles from the finish, I arrived back at Slacks Overlook for the third and final time. And once again, my tireless race crew was there to greet me. Seeing them gave me an incredible boost. I was excited to spend more time with them at the finish, so I only stayed there for a minute or two before heading back onto the trail.

cold potatoes. 58.8 miles down, 3.7 to go

At this point, I wasn't that tired of running per se, I was just tired of running on rocks. With that in mind, the last 3.7 mile section was a nice treat. Of course I was slowed by the darkness, but the gradual decent and not-so-rocky terrain was great. Eventually the trail took me back onto a road inside the Sherando Lake Recreation Area. I got a little choked up about a 30 seconds from the finish but kept myself together. Adrienne and June were there waiting for me. It was nearly two hours past Junie's bed time, but she was in fine spirits. For anyone with kids, you understand what a heroic effort Adrienne made to keep an almost-two-year-old from melting down, let alone smiley and happy, during the course of such a hectic day.

clock says 15:15:55, but the official results say 15:17:33.
10th place overall and age 30-39 age group winner.

Junie modeling her well deserved finisher's medal.

Enjoying some post-race lasagna.

I carried very little with me during the race: just two bottles of Cytomax that I replenished several times via my drop bags. I think I did a great job with hydration and caloric intake, as I had no stomach problems whatsoever and a relatively clear head throughout the race. In hindsight, the combination of items I digested during the race sounds rather nauseating. For your pleasure:

Boiled Potatoes

Potato Chips
Gummy Bears
Candied ginger

Pretzels
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Ham and cheese sandwich (half)
Turkey and cheese sandwich (half)
Grilled cheese sandwich (one and a half)
Mini Snickers bars
Snickers Marathon bar
Gatorade
Cytomax
Water

Overall, it was a great race. I don't think I could have prepared any better (my weekly stair-climbing sessions in Duke's football stadium were very helpful) . It was undoubtedly the toughest physical challenge I've ever done. Except for two very small blisters, I have no injuries to speak of. I'm able to walk around today but not very gracefully.

And as I wobbled pathetically down the sidewalk today, Adrienne said to June, "Your father did this to himself."

dogs, raptors, salons, & trains

Some more photos from that last trip to see Lauren and Foster:

Junie and Phoebe are like peas and carrots...

Junie loved the owls and eagles at the Carolina Raptor Center...







Her first "salon" haircut. Maybe I'm biased, but I think Adrienne does a better job...



At the train station for the trip back to Durham...



Junie obviously not happy about saying goodbye to her Aunt Lauren...

hobo june

On Sunday we took the train to Charlotte to see Lauren and Foster one last time before they head back up north for the winter. It was June's first real train ride, and it was a delight for everyone. She had a blast looking out the windows and climbing on the seats, and Adrienne and I had a blast because it's undoubtedly the easiest way to travel with a toddler.

waiting at the station


all aboard










On the return trip, June showing why she's in
the 400th percentile for her pen holding technique