My Awesome Trip to LA (3 of 4) . . . a/k/a U2 Concert!

And now it comes down to U2. What can I say? October 25th was a day I won't soon forget. It began about 8am that morning with us getting up and getting ready to head to the Rose Bowl for the day. My sister lives less than 4 miles from the Rose Bowl, certainly within walking distance if we had to. But thankfully, she lives .5 miles from the Metro Gold Line and that took us 2 miles closer and we walked the last 1.5 miles or so to the venue. First we stopped up at Trader Joe's for food for the day and a portable cooler to bring with us.

At first I thought we'd get to the Rose Bowl at 8am to get in the general admission line up but since we were out late at the Magic Castle the night before we got to the Rose Bowl not long after 10am and had to walk around the Rose Bowl to get in line. The stage was already in place, we could see it above the top of the Rose Bowl, it was awesome. It took a good 15 minutes to walk around to the backside of the Rose Bowl, mainly the golf course side, but once we got around it, we could see where the general admission line up was. We got in line and took a seat on the ground, where we'd be until about 4:30 or so, the gates didn't open until 5pm.

Of course everyone around us was wondering if we'd get into the coveted inner circle, or ellipse, a/k/a the inner part of the stage, the best spot to watch the concert. There were rumors that the first 2500 people in the GA line would be able to get into the inner circle so when they came around and numbered our hands 1708 and 1709, we were all very excited.

Now this whole hand-numbering thing happened roughly around lunchtime if I had to guess so we still had 5 more hours until the gates opened. So, we brought magazines to read, talked with the other people around us in line, and just waited. It was about 82 that day and we were in partial shade for most, if not all, of the day in the line. We also brought water, pop, protein shakes, sandwiches, and other snacks. One thing my sister got me hooked on a while back was Wasabi Peas, good stuff!!! We brought those too.

Surprisingly, the afternoon went pretty fast. I actually thought I'd go over to the porta-johns, not because I thought I needed to go to the bathroom, I just thought I'd "Potty Up," as my Dad would say. By this time, maybe 2pm, U2 was doing a sound check and everyone could here it. It was pretty cool to listen to it all. I'd say the sound check went for at least an hour, maybe longer. There were a dozen or so porta-johns and the lines were 20 people deep so I was nearly the 5th person in line and then a girl in the line next to me got a call and she alerted the guy in front of her in line that they were giving out wristbands for the general admission people. The wristbands got you to the main floor. I saw the number on her hand was 1585 and panicked a bit, so I jumped the line and headed back to our spot. Of course I couldn't find my sister right away and freaked for a minute or two but she was there, behind some others. Everyone was standing to get their wristbands and so the whole situation was a little exciting for everyone. Got my wristband and sat back down in line. I wasn't going anywhere now and I was okay with that.

It was now after 4:20 and suddenly everyone was standing up and moving. The gates didn't open until 5 but we just followed the crowds and ended up in a huge mass of people at the general admission entrance gate. It was hot out and we were packed up there. People around me, as well as myself, started expressing concerns about a stampede through the gates. There was no order whatsoever. Pasadena police were yelling through a megaphone but the band was still doing a sound check at this time and it was impossible to hear what the police were saying to us. FINALLY, they herded people back into a line with SOME type of order, not much order, but it lessened my fears of any possible stampede.

Once we got in, we headed to the field and secured out spot on the field, about a dozen rows back from the outer stage. Not what I had hoped for, but it was still close. The Black Eyed Peas were the opener and though I don't know a lot of their songs, I knew most of what they played, especially when they brought a special guest onstage to play with them, Slash! It rocked! They played Sweet Child of Mine with Fergie singing. I didn't care so much that she sang it, but with Slash, it was awesome! I think they played about 6-7 songs and then left. I knew U2 would be coming on about 8:30 since they advertised that the concert was going to be simultaneously broadcast on YouTube as well. I think it was closer to 8:45 when they came onstage and they WERE FRICKIN' AWESOME!!!!

You can watch the concert in its entirety HERE. It's about 2.5 hours long, but AWESOME!

Again, I was totally blown away by the whole show. I think my favorite songs of the night were Magnificent, Sunday Bloody Sunday, One, and Moment of Surrender, the closer song.

Here is the Set List. Some of these songs are direct links to the video from the concert:
Breathe
Get on Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stuck In A Moment
No Line on the Horizon
Elevation
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Until The End of the World
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy - Remix
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On
One
Where The Streets Have No Name

Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Now I just sit and wait for the Spartan Stadium U2 tickets to go on sale!!!

My Awesome Trip to LA (2 of 4)

So it's Friday night and we're back at Peggy's house in South Pasadena. We unloaded the car and then loaded the car back up because we were going to be running 9 miles in the morning along Venice Beach. My sister is a PaceLeader for the LA Marathon and Saturday mornings is when they all get together for the long training runs. The LA Marathon is at the end of February but when you're going to run 26.2 miles, you need to start training for it early to build up the miles and endurance.

We drove about a 1/2 hour to Marina Del Ray and checked into a hotel there. We had to meet at 6:30am the next morning for the run. I'm sure we collapsed into bed that night, we'd done SO much walking in the past couple of days and I'm an early bird when it comes to bedtime.

The next morning we were to the school by 6:30, along with all the other pace leaders and I got to meet a few of them, all very nice folks. Once everyone's group arrived and they did the pep talk for the pace leaders and the runners, we made our way to Venice Beach. I believe Peggy said that there are roughly 1500 people doing this training between all the running groups and THAT's HUGE! Peggy, Mary, and Walt's group this morning was 35 plus me. They started with 68 and you pay to be in this group. It includes a nice wicking shirt and the training for all those weeks as well as guest speakers every so often. And since the LA Marathon is now owned by Frank McCourt, the whole training experience is even better than before. There were even water stations along the training route with Gatorade and bananas at the finish! How nice is that!

My sister's group is called Run/Walk 5--meaning run for 2 minutes, walk for 1 and alternate that through the entire marathon, which equates to a 15-minute mile. I ran towards the back of the group and talked with some of the ladies training with my sister, who was leading the group. At 6:30 in the morning, there are very few homeless people along Venice Beach at that time of the morning, but on our way back, that number multiplied by about 100!!! TONS of homeless people, and a lot of them yelled at us, obscenities, whatever, you name it. It was kinda funny in a way. And then Mary ran back to me and asked me if I saw Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson pass by a few minutes ago. Damn! I totally missed them! In any case, it was a great time and I loved the fact that I ran along Venice Beach that morning, if only to experience the homeless people yelling at us.

Once we got back to Peggy's house, we headed to Bristol Farms to get some Sushi. I absolutely LOVE sushi and they had a great selection of it. I think we ended up with about 6 or 8 different trays of sushi and then I picked up some coconut water as well. Coconut water you say??? Yep. I was just reading about it in the in-flight magazine about the benefits of coconut water and it's high level of potassium, more than 2 bananas and 15 times more electrolytes than the average sports drink with only 60 calories per serving. I'd rather drink coconut water on a run than have Gatorade, bleh!

Later that Saturday night, we were going to the Magic Castle for dinner. Even though I'd only been here once before, I LOVE this place. It is a private club that my sister belongs to and they have magic shows each evening and a great dinner menu to choose from. Our dinner reservation was for 9:30 so we had time to wander around the place and watch some of the magicians, which we did. Now, when we got seated for dinner my sister said that she'd had the beef wellington and it was the BEST she'd ever had and that on a radio show, someone was asking about the best beef wellington in the LA area and the radio host said something like the ONLY beef wellington in the area is served at the Magic Castle. So of course that's what I choose for dinner. It was the BEST. I swear to goodness, that it was at LEAST 1.5 inches thick and I ate EVERY single bite of it and nearly licked my plate clean. I don't think I could ever attempt to make it because I know it will never be as good as when I had it that evening.

After dinner, another magic show in the Palace of Mystery, we saw three magicians--Derek Hughes, David Kovac, and Hong Jun-Pyo. They were great and very entertaining. If you EVAR have an opportunity to visit the Magic Castle, DON'T pass it up. This place ROCKS!

My Awesome Trip to LA (1 of 4)

On Wednesday morning, I flew out of DTW for ORD, then LAX. Easy peasy flights, no problem. It sure pays to have an extra 5 inches of leg space on a flight. I could actually cross my legs if I wanted to. Both of my flights landed a little earlier than scheduled, which was nice. When I landed in LA, my sister and I went to the Encounter restaurant for lunch at LAX. This restaurant is also known as the Theme Restaurant. Wiki it for more history if you want to know.

From there, we headed to South Pasadena, where my sister lives to gather a few things, get to the Hertz rental to pick up a car, and then head to Vegas. On renting a car, I was pretty sure my full coverage on my auto covered me on a rental but I wasn't sure about the loss damage waiver coverage. Before we stopped to get the rental, we stopped at a AAA office and inquired about it. I was right, loss damage waiver is NOT something that my own personal insurance covers on a rental car. Now, if I were renting the car for a day, I probably wouldn't worry about this coverage, but since I have it for a week, I got it. With the loss damage waiver coverage, I can pretty much return the steering wheel back to Hertz and not worry since I got the loss damage waiver coverage. Otherwise, I'm screwed ten different ways without it. Again, to save time, Wiki or Google it if you want to know more.

Now, on Wednesday afternoon we're on our way to Vegas for a couple of nights. This time, we are staying at the Four Queens on Fremont Street in Las Vegas. The room rate there with tax was $28.25 a night and it was a nice, clean room with free parking.

With that, we ventured onto Fremont Street. If you've never been to Fremont Street, it's pretty cool. This was the first time I really went there. I remember years ago with my sister that we only drove by it but never stopped. At that time, back in 1997, they didn't have the Fremont Experience and you could drive down all the streets. Now, Fremont Street is closed to traffic for about 3-4 blocks and there is a screen above the street and in the evenings on every hour videos are played. I remember seeing a KISS and Bachman Turner Overdrive display and I think that was about it. For the experience, all the other lights on Fremont Street are shut off for about 10 minutes or so so that you can see the video above you without lights disturbing it.

One thing that totally captured Peggy's and my imagination was this guy:



We saw this thing go off about 3 or 4 times that night and were quite amused by it. I videotaped it with my iPhone to replay it over and over again.

Now, unless I dig through receipts from that night, I don't remember what we ate for dinner. It's all a blur and I wasn't drinking a lot either. We did get $.99 margaritas from Binions but just a couple. Plus the fact that I was up since 4am EST, or 2 am MST, made for a long, long day. My flight left Detroit at 7:44 that morning for LA.

Oh, and it's a 4 hour drive from LA to Vegas, not too bad really. Since we went on a Wednesday afternoon, there wasn't as much traffic going East as there would be on a Thursday or Friday night.

On Thursday morning we got up and went for a buffet lunch at the Golden Nugget Casino next door. Before we were seated, the woman asked me what I wanted to drink, I said a pop and then she immediately asked me where I was from. Apparently they don't say "pop" out there. And then Peggy and I got into a discussion about the Michigan accent. That is for another blog entry.

After a great lunch, and it was a good buffet lunch, we heading to Caesar's Palace to park and walk along the strip. We had to stop at the MAC Store in the Caesar Forum Shops. I had a very small list from that place, 2 items is all. Then Peggy introduced me to the Thomas Pink store, which I fell in love with and I almost bought myself a VERY nice shirt. But, it was expensive and I had to think about it, so I didn't buy anything, but I remembered the name so I could check out the website.

We walked ALL over the place along the strip, to the Miracle Mile shops in the Planet Hollywood Casino to the MGM, to New York, New York, and back. We made a stop at he M&M Store in Vegas as well. That place is HUGE and if you collect M&M stuff, THIS is the place to go. I believe there were 4 floors of M&M collectibles, ornaments, NASCAR crap, and whatever you wanted with M&M all over it. We did stop in the Harley Davidson Store in New York, New York and I found a new pair of boots to get, they rocked! I'll order them when I get back to work next week. I get them at cost!

On Friday, we left the hotel about 11:30 or so and headed to the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino for lunch. There was a LARGE picture of Bono on display at the Hard Rock Cafe and we figured out why. He created a t-shirt for sustained development in Africa, along with other artists for various causes. So after lunch we stopped at the shop thinking that the shirts were going to cost a fortune since it was the Hard Rock Cafe, but they were $26! So, thinking Bono would notice us in the crowd with them on (silly eh?), we each got one.

After lunch, we started heading back to LA but stopped in Baker, CA for some Alien Fresh Jerky. A family stop that began with a trip my sisters and brother made back in 2002 I believe, when we last drove to Vegas from LA.

It's Official: I am a Runner!

It all started Sunday morning at 6:30am when Steve and I left the house for downtown Grand Rapids. Yep, Steve got up that early too! Our group met at 7 in the basement of our parking garage when Jan had garbage bags for us to start running in to keep our core warm, and it really did help. After I put it on, Steve said, "I think you have it on backwards." I did. The cut was lower in the back so I turned it around and it wasn't cutting into my neck. With all our garbage bags in place, we walked up the ramp and started running as we neared the top because someone was at the top to take pictures of us.

We jogged the .6 miles to the starting area. At this time, the temp was about 30 and I don't think by the time we were all done that it got much warmer than 35. The garbage bags really did help to keep the heat in. Looking among all the runners, we were among very few that did it.

Once we were lined up to start, the excitement set it. I could hear a countdown over the loudspeakers and then air horns going off to signal the start of the 2009 Grand Rapids Marathon. It probably took up about 3 minutes to walk up to the start line. There were roughly 3,700 runners that morning.

It didn't take long for me to warm up and peel off that garbage bag, about 2 miles in. It was kind of funny to see, most particularly, in the first 3-5 miles of the course, to see all the clothes and gloves that people pitched on the side of the course. I did have gloves on but I couldn't stand them after 3 miles and pitched them somewhere on Leonard Street. The gloves were $2 so I didn't have much invested in them.

We started out at a good clip in the first couple miles, actually faster than I'd hoped and we probably did the first 3 miles, with the exception of walking through the water station, without stopping, and at a nearly 11 minute mile pace. Our goal was an 11:30 minute mile pace. Finally, when I saw the 5 Mile market, I asked for a minute of walking, and we continued that at each mile marker, thank goodness!

The run became a little more strenuous, at least for me, as we were on the bike trail near Millenium Park, roughly mile 7-8. It's crazy how many people were along the route for a major portion of the half marathon. After the 8 mile marker, we turned around and headed back to downtown. I knew the rest of the route was not going to involve any hill climbing and we'd run these trails before so I was familiar with them. I was excited to see mile 10 just underneath the I-196 overpass and under the highway, they were blasting music and a woman was "playing" a guitar hero guitar, she was hilarious and it was nice to have that to break up the monotony a bit and there were LOADS of people cheering us on at this point. People we didn't even know, cheering and clapping for us. It was great!

Once we passed that area, we had a long trail that curved south of the Coca Cola bottling plant near John Ball Zoo and from that point, downtown seemed so far away, but we did now that we had a 5K left to finish, thank goodness.

There was a pace leader for one of the groups that we saw running back and forth along the route encouraging people and making sure everyone was in good shape and spirits. I can't even imagine how far he actually ran that day but I did see him in the finish area so he was done not long after us.

As we passed the 12 mile marker, I was looking forward to being done. This was my first run at 13.1 total miles without much of a break really. The pace guy did tell people around us that when we turn the last corner before the finish that it's a good 4 blocks and don't start pushing yourself too early or you'd be walking across the finish line before you got to it.

As we did turn the last corner, I was so excited to see the finish line that I did start to cry, I couldn't help it. I quickly stiffled it though. I knew there was no way I would be able to run and cry for 4 blocks with any success. So, I looked everywhere but the finish line ahead of me.

I was elated to see that finish line get closer and closer and briefly looked at the clock on the ground as I passed it, 2:35 something. Don Kern, Race Director, shook EVERY finisher's hand as they crossed the finish and I thought that was awesome! I've never seen that at any race.

We were given mylar blankets to keep us warm and they did, I'm keeping mine! And Robin was there waiting for us, she finished in 2:14 and we all cried and hugged each other, it was great. We all trained so long and hard for this and it was so worth it to have that medal put around my neck. And then I found Steve on the side and walked up to him crying and hugged him. This was the first race he came to see me finish. It was awesome. I was thrilled that he came to watch me/us/everyone.

The hardest part about running this morning was the cold. Breathing in that 30 degree temp and then drinking the ice cold water and Gatorade was tough. Needless to say, I coughed a lot and had a runny nose through the whole 13.1. I'm not sure if it's easier to complain about ice cold drinks on a freezing cold day or warm drinks on a hot, muggy day.

My finish time was 2:32:08. That's crazy huh? 2 and a half hours of running? What was I thinking? But, I love it. No one can call me on my cell phone, there's no radio or TV, just me and nature, or the gym, with my thoughts. It's my ME time and I love it.

Wednesday morning I fly out to Los Angeles to visit my sister in Pasadena, a quick trip to Vegas, back to LA, run 9 miles on Saturday morning, Magic Castle for dinner that night, camp out on Sunday morning for the U2 concert at the Rose Bowl. We'll be busy! But, I'm looking forward to it, especially the run along the Pacific Ocean in Marina Del Ray.

Next on our running agenda is to start training in January for the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City on Memorial Day next year. Yup, just like that guy's shirt reads, "Running is mental and we're all insane!"

OMG

This coming Sunday, you can all watch the concert I will hopefully be up close and personal at:



When I found this out, I really got SUPER excited!!!!

Yay!!!!! I did it!

I'm working on a follow up entry of the days events.

Who Knew?

I've run many 5Ks, a few 10Ks, a 10 Mile Run, and now, 2 days before THE BIG RACE, I'm very emotional. I just got off the phone with my sister and couldn't talk about the race too much because I started tearing up. Call me a baby if you want but I've worked a long, hard time to get to this point and it all is becoming very surreal to me now.

It doesn't help that Don Kern, the Grand Rapids Marathon creator and Race Director since its inception sends us the most inspiring emails on a nearly weekly, and in the last ten days, daily basis. Here's an excerpt from the email we received from him today and it brought tears to my eyes reading it.

Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Newsletter
Sponsored by Sportwax
16 October 2009 --- THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

AND NOW, LIVE FROM GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN

(theme from Rocky playing in the background)

The preparation is over. The contenders from all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Germany are ready.

The leaves are turning. The bike paths are repaved. The numbers are painted on the road. The course is ready.

And now...live from Grand Rapids Michigan....

LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLE!

It's time to step into the ring. Step up to the line. The training is over. It's you and a few thousand of your best friends hitting the roads.

It's all about you now! You are ready. You're strong, you're amazing. You're about to do something that only a fraction of the population can or will ever do!

You are going to have the time of your life. This is your weekend. This is your race. This is your day! You're gonna be awesome out there!

Our running group, me, Kim, Mary, and Robin got Dr. Jan, our running coach, a big gift card to Macy's and a bouquet of flowers today. I had to leave them in her office when she wasn't there. The excitement of this upcoming race is making me a bit weepy these days. Within minutes we all got an email from her, she was crying over the sentiments we wrote and the gifts. It is THE LEAST we can do for ALL the time and energy she's put into us. I think I wrote something like she's the first step in my "journey" for the rest of my life and that I hope to keep running until I can't do it anymore. And IT'S SO TRUE. Words cannot begin to express my gratitude for what she's done for us.

I will blog a post-race entry sometime on Sunday with pictures of me PROUDLY wearing my medal. Who knew something so small could mean so much to me. Okay, I gotta stop now, tearing up again.

I would like to thank EVERYONE for the well wishes I've received in the past week leading up to Sunday. It has been a GREAT journey so far.

And the race continues . . .

Less Than Two Weeks Now . . .

until I run the Grand Rapids Half Marathon!!! I'm getting excited for it now. It seems like forever ago when I registered for it, actually it was forever ago, May! Now, the countdown begins!

Yesterday, I ran the Big House Big Heart 10K on the campus of the University of Michigan. It was great and I had a decent time, 1:10:41. That means an 11:23 mile pace. Not bad since we train at a 12 minute/mile pace. My only choice to line up was at the 10 minute mile pace, after that, the stroller/walker area, and I got passed by a few of them. I walked through the water stations and walked for my gel pack. Other than that, it was a great race. The best part was when I was entering the tunnel. I was getting a bit excited as I neared it because they were blasting The Victors outside the entrance and through the tunnel. The tunnel was probably the most emotional part of the whole race. Okay, except maybe the finish, but that later. As I ran down the tunnel to the stadium, I just had thoughts running through my mind of ALL the great Michigan players that have run through this tunnel, Anthony Carter, Ali Haji-Sheik, Rick Leach, Tom Harmon, Tom Brady, Charles Woodson, to name a few. And then there's Bo. My guess is that he ran through that tunnel at least 150 times for game day. Those thoughts just kind of overtook me there for a bit and then I entered the field, started picking up my pace and booked it from the endzone to the 50 yard line and the finish. I always finish a race running my fastest in the last .3 mile or so.

Ditched my timer chip and sat there for a few minutes to bask in the glory of Michigan football that I've known and experienced for so long, at least since I was 10. How many times have I seen the goalposts get torn down after a Michigan victory? Lots! And I couldn't even begin to count how many rolls of toilet paper have been wasted at a Michigan game after a touchdown. Those were the days. :)

After resting for a few minutes, I went to find some food and water. I had no idea what lay ahead of me, but it was glorious!!! Domino's Pizza on three very long tables and it was warm!



I carried my iPhone with me during the race so I could take pictures on the field after the race. My thumb is in the way of this one.



They weren't going to be running out of water here either. I ran a 10K this summer that did.



And then, there were cookies! I didn't have any of these, but there sure were plenty of them!



And lots of bagels! And this was just one of the bagel tables.



I saw this man before the race and I was glad to see him at the end of the race. I love his shirt and sometimes when I'm running, my mind wanders to this thought.



I stayed in the finish/food area long enough to eat 2.5 pieces of pizza, grab a water, and grab 3 Rice Krispy treats and then I was outta there and on my way back to my car, I was following this guy. I think he needs to invest in some moisture-wicking shorts!



So we have a 6.2 mile run on Wednesday, a 4 mile run on Saturday, and then just a 4 mile run next Wednesday before the 13.1 on the 18th. I can't even imagine what I'll be like when I cross that finish line. Shoot, I can cry on a good commercial. I KNOW I will probably be a wreck. I've trained a long time for this and it's all been SO worth the effort and pain (actually, not much pain but a LOT of effort!).

And HERE is what I'll get at the finish! Plus, Don Kern, the Race Director for the Grand Rapids Marathon said he will give each and every one of us a hug as we cross the finish.

I'm looking forward to that too. And I hear there is beer and chili in the finish/food area, yay!

Paper Airplanes

I was downtown on Sunday and I didn't expect this many people to show up. I don't know why. Restaurants ran out of food yesterday because there were so many people.

This is the video of Rob Bliss' Artprize entry.



Or, you can watch it in HD HERE.

U2 at the Rose Bowl Update

I received an email from the Rose Bowl venue today alerting me of limited parking and such. They also mentioned that 96,000+ people are expected to attend the concert, the largest concert in the history of the venue. How awesome is that?!?!?!?!

Here's a clip of Elevation from the Soldier Field Chicago show to give you an idea of the stage set up and I'm hoping, hoping, hoping, that my sister and I get into the inner circle!



I got giddy just watching that clip. It's amazing with all the camera flashes!

13, ArtPrize, and Other Stuff

13 miles on Sunday morning. Yep, I ran 13 miles. I am certifiable.

On Sunday morning, our Wednesday night running crew participated in the Gazelle Sports Bridge Run, a 10 mile run that starts and finishes in Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. It goes 5 miles north through Riverside Park and then back to downtown. It was pretty cold to start, about 46 degrees and before the 8am start, we ran a warm up mile. I believe there were 521 other crazy people running it too. I wore a long sleeved henley to start and pitched it after the warm up mile.

Note to self: Head to Good Will to find throw away tops for running.

The 10 miles weren't bad. Jesus, did I just say that? The hills were a bit hard on my knees and I'm working on preventing that pain, weighted leg exercises. The folks all along the route were very encouraging and enthusiastic as we went by. At mile 3, Jan, our Buddha Coach, told us there'd be a surprise and it was great! Her daughter and friend were there with a big sign with all of our names on it. That was awesome!

We all finished at about 1 hour, 57 minutes and some change. All except for Robin, she shot out ahead of us and finished the race in 1:40 something. Her PR and the first time she ran a straight 10 miles. I'm SO proud of her.

Then, at the finish, Harvest Health Foods, local health food store, provided all organic foods at the finish. There was even a smoothie area where the ladies were using the Blendtec blender and they were delish! We waited for the raffle prizes and a couple of our gals won gift cards. By this point, my knees were doing some serious barking, but we had 2 more miles to go to complete our weekly mile roundup of 13. So, we pitched the goodies in our car and took off.

At first I was miserable, but after the first half mile, I was in a groove and the 2 miles seems to go by pretty quickly. Jan reminded us again about taking an ice bath for about 20 minutes to heal our muscles. On my way home I considered buying a bag of ice at the gas station, but I thought for my first cold bath, I'd just go with the cold water out of the tap. I have to admit, I really think the cold water helped heal my legs a lot faster than if I didn't do anything. On the next long run next week, 7 miles, this Wednesday is only 5, I will buy a bag of ice.

Robin told me she cried a little bit after she crossed the finish and I can understand it. I imagine I'll be bawling my eyes out when I complete the half marathon on October 18, less than a month away already!!! It seems like forever ago when I first registered for the half marathon and I think I am/was the impetus for this Wednesday night running crew. I told my friend Kim that I signed up for it to keep me focused on exercise and to have a goal in mind to work toward. Already knowing this half marathon is less than a month away, I'm thinking about the Bayshore Marathon next May in Traverse City and what I need to "gear up" on for that. Running through the winter, outside, crazy thoughts, but I am looking forward to each and every minute of it.

Now, on to ArtPrize. ArtPrize starts on Wednesday and runs through October 10th in the downtown Grand Rapids area. Running yesterday gave me an opportunity to view a lot of the ArtPrize exhibits and some of them were very cool.

A huge mobile in the Grand River, a HUGE table and 2 chairs on top of a pedestrian bridge over the Grand River, a mural on The B.O.B., there's TONS of stuff all over downtown. I'm hoping Steve and I will have some time next weekend to head downtown and take a TON of pictures. If you go to Flickr and search ArtPrize, you will come up with a load of pictures. The stuff is all over the place. ArtPrize is an international competition with a $250,000 prize and is voted on by the public. I got to run under the huge table and chairs in the 10-mile route yesterday morning and it was pretty huge, and pretty cool.

If you have an opportunity to see any of the exhibits, I highly suggest you do so. A shuttle is provided for part of the route. All the information is posted at the ArtPrize website with venues and artists. CHECK IT OUT!

Other stuff, hmmm, I have less than a month before I get ready to fly to Cali!!!