Some people dread getting old, I really don’t. I consider myself like wine, I get better with age. Each year, I grow, learn, meet new people, try new things, and make new memories. I truly believe the best is yet to come. Is my life perfect?Of course not, it is not. Does my life always go as planned? Again, of course it does not. I would be married with three kids living in Atlanta or California it thing went as I planned. Oh, well life happened. I am single women living in Chicago who loves her life, but would like the married part/kids part- which is another story.
The part about aging that I can’t get quite used to is people passing on. The worse day of my life was the day my mom died. She had terminal cancer, and lived a great life, but I was not ready.Over the last few years I have lost people my age, and younger. I still think we are young, so it always rocks my world a little. The last few years I have lost three college classmates, a high school classmate, and graduate school classmate. We are not supposed to be saying good-bye so soon.
Last weekend, we said good-bye to Leslie Clark Greg. She was a college classmate who I saw once or twice a year when she came home to Chicago. She was a friend, a fellow Florida A&M University Classmate ( FAMU), my Delta Soror, and I had pledged her. So I considered her my baby in Delta- as I do all her linesisters. The bonds run deep. Any who knows anything aboutFAMU knows we are a cult- a good one though. We are family- we bleed orange and green. We love each other.Well we said good-bye to Leslie in true Rattler style. Her FAMU BFF planned such a fitting ceremony. I am sure Leslie was looking down, smiling. I know she would have been pleased. Not because we were praising what I wonderful person she was, but they she brought us all together. Leslie smile lite up a room, she has such a sweet sprit. She touched so many people which she was her with us. The Rev Dr. Reginald Williams Jr’s words were so touching. He knew the right words to honor Leslie, and the right words to make us laugh when the mood was low. The story of about his sister graduating from high school- was right on. How we all walk about the stage and our name is called and we pass on. I know I am not doing his sermon justice, but we all will walk out of this life and our name will be called. He said that there were those who had already crossed waiting.I thought about how Leslie was not alone, she had people to greet her. She had our Soror Patricia Sherfield Polite, our Soror Lawanda Renee Henry She has our FAMU classmate Daryl Champion. She had my mom her Soror too. They had like spirits, and I know they would get along perfectly.
So as we all age, I know it is hard to say good-bye to yesterday. It is hard to say good-bye to love ones, but this is a part of life, unfortunately. I have peace in knowing that God has Leslie, God is always in control.
Rest well my friend, I love you and I loved celebrating your memory last weekend although with a few tears.
November is one of my favorite months. September and October are rough for me due to my parents birthday, and my mother passed in October. I love November because it is the start of the holiday season. It is simple, it is a month to be thankful. Thanksgiving is about family/friends, food, and football. I was reading an article out how holidays can be hard for people who have experienced the lost of a family member. I agree it can.The holidays are so different since both my parents passed. I miss them dearly, but I make the best of it. I realize that life is about change. This year will have another change. I had an on and off again friend who I always ended my Thanksgiving with after visiting the family since I have lived in Chicago. Well I decided it was better for us to stay off, and move on. So this year will be family, and some new friends. I try to concentrate on the good, and be thankful for all I have. I am truly blessed in spite of my life not being perfect. Now, who has a perfect life, anyway. So I ask that during this holiday season be thankful. Even when December comes around don’t get caught in the stress that it can be. Think about the reason for the season. Christmas is about Jesus’s birth, and again family. The gift giving is just a simple way to show family and friends how much they are appreciated.
So June after the following interaction that I blogged about before, I decided I was going to complete a Triathlon
So my 10 year old God son sent me a text
“They have a triathlon in Jackson on June 3rd. You have to swim in the reservoir, bike I think 24 miles, and run 10k what ever that means. It starts at 7:00 and ends at noon. That should be more than enough time for you!”
So I was tickled and thought he has more faith in me than I have in myself or he just wants me to come home. Well I messaged my best friend, his mom. She laughs and states that he thinks that I rock.
Well, I decided to go for it, I texted my God son and said next year I would come home and complete a Triathlon. So I bought a road bike, joined Major Taylor Cycling Club of Chicago (MTC3), and started taking swim classes. Well, my journey has not been easy, but I have enjoyed it. The most challenging thing has been the swimming. I have progressed to the deep end, but I still get nervous. Going from a hybrid to a road bike was such a learning curve and I am still learning. I have a great family who answers my questions and guides me along the way. My plan was to do my first triathlon next summer, but Fredricka who is also a member of MTC talked me into signing up for an indoor TRI. I only had to swim for 10 mins, and my swim coach got me ready with some extra practice
Race Day
So I drove to the facility. Fredericka has just arrived, too. We walked in and got our number placed on our arm. I think that is the coolest think the temporary number tattoo on the arm. We then headed to locker room and changed. I decided to wear my black triathlete (BTA) association TRI suit. It is dope, and the only one I have. We inspected the pool, it only goes to five feet which calmed me. We walked up to the bike area to see if the bike were stationary or a spin bike. I bought my cycling shoes for a spin bike. We also checked out the track.
It was 10 minutes before our wave started so we headed to pool. I got in to do my bobs in the pool, and superman drills to warm up and get comfortable. They go over the rules. We had a personal lap counter, they would let us know when we had a minute left then we would hear a whistle. I had to share a lane with someone. I told him it was my first race and hopefully I would not migrate over to his side. He smiled and said not to worry. We started he was a strong /fast swimmer so I did not have to worry about him being beside him much. I did a triple switch, and turn combination, and a back stroke when I got tired or to calm down. That was my strategy. My triple switch was sometimes a quadruple switch, etc. I was nervous so my goal was calm down , not freak out and to keep moving. I kept looking up to see if they had called time. I was in my own world trying to stay calm, and keep moving. Ten minutes passed, and I had made it. The worse was over, figured the rest would be easy.
We had 10 minutes for transition. I grabbed my running shoes, and put on my cycling shoes and put my swim cap away. We headed upstairs. I adjusted my bike. We rode for 20 minutes. I tried to maintain a good speed, and power. I tried to envision riding my road bike. Spin is a different feel, and I prefer my bike on a compu trainer if I had to chose.
Next is transition, I put on my running shoes, and get a number. We have another personal lap counter. Eight laps was a mile, I had my Garmin so I could pace myself, but I forgot my music. I thought good training as many Tri races they don’t allow them. I have not run in a week, as the following week I had run New York Marathon, and was still in recovery mode. My ankle was the only thing that was still bothering me, and they was an injury about three weeks before my marathon. It started bothering me a mile in, but just a twinge. We run 15 min, and that was it. We were done, I was a Triathlete. No medal for the race, but the experience was priceless. I can’t wait for he next one. I still plan to go to Mississippi and do a Tri there as I promised my Godson, but I will be a more seasoned Triathlete at that time. Plan is to do three prior to the one in Mississippi.
I arrived Friday morning, but I made the mistake of staying up too late the night before. I am still not sure why I had all my clothes out on my bed a week before the race. So, I only got an hour and a half of sleep prior to my flight. I arrived in New York at 9am.
One of my running friends offered to let me stay at her place in Brooklyn. I did not realize the commute to the city is 40 min to an hour. I saved some money, but if I had to do again, I would probably get an AirBnb in the city or a hotel just for ease of commute.
Due to my lack of sleep the night before, I had to take a nap. I then went to the expo around 2:30pm. To my surprise they could not find my bib. Not sure what happed there. They assigned me another bib but it took extra time out of my schedule. I was supposed to go to the opening ceremony, but I was still at the expo. They had plenty of photo opportunities, and a few notable runners such as Deena Kastor. I then listened to the race strategies session–very helpful. The most important tip was don’t start too fast, the race starts on a bridge — a step hill. Also they mentioned the other hills in the race. I was so tired, although there were a meet and greets that Friday. I decided to get some food, headed back to Brooklyn and went to sleep.
Saturday
I had previous signed up for 5k on Saturday before I sprained my ankle about 3 weeks before the race. Not sure why I got caught up. I never do a shake down run, and one of the cardinal rules of racing is never anything new. Well I decided to listen to my coach who said for those with minor injuries to take it easy and rest. Again there was another Meet and Greet and my charity dinner, but I stayed in Brooklyn. My running friend who I stayed with found me a Thai place. I carb load with Asian food. Pad Thai works, and I stick with it. I laid all my clothes out, and got a few things for camping out before the race especially if it did indeed rain at a local dollar store. I ended up going to bed about 10pm. We got an extra hour of sleep due to time change.
Sunday- Race Day
I woke up at 5:30am. I got dressed. I got my throw away bag. They gave runners an option of bag check or a keep sake–a poncho. I chose the Poncho option. They gave us a clear bag at check in. Everything we brought had to fit in the clear bag. Security was heightened due to the recent terrorist attack in New York. So I packed two flannel table clothes so I could rest while I was waiting for race to start. It rained the night before and the ground was most likely wet. Also while my Ferry left at 7:30am my wave did not start until 11am so I assumed I would be waiting awhile. My plan was to take a nap. I also packed a protein bar and some almond butter. My usually pre-race mean is a bagel with crunchy peanut butter. I bought bagels and peanut butter from home and packed them in my suitcase. I did not know if I would find a near-by grocery store and I wanted to make sure I had my typical pre-race meal. Also that was one less thing I had to do. I ate that around 6am, so I brought something to have 2-3 hours before I ran. I also had some throw away gloves. I also had a throw away outfit. Jacket and pants I bought at the Chicago Marathon Expo. Some people go to Good Will or look in their closet for items to get rid of. This was easier for me. I also bought an extra pair of shoes so if they got muddy due to wet ground my running shoes would be fresh. Some old shoes that I was going to get rid of anyway I also had duct tape so my socks would not get wet to prevent blisters.
So I walked to the subway stop and rode to Whitehall terminal. This was the location where we were to take the ferry to Staten Island — the start of the race. So I made friends with random people on the subway I saw with bibs to make sure I was headed in the correct direction to the ferry terminal. My time was 7:30, but they just give us a time so everyone would not show up at once. I get the terminal, and I meet some of my Delta Sorors I recognized from a Delta Facebook running group. They are from New York, and one of them has done the race. I talked to them, and they calm my nerve. Some people are camped out there versus getting on the bus to go to the race village to sit outside. We decided to use the public restroom versus port potties, but the line took about 30 minutes. It is now almost 9am then we walk to the bus line (allot of lines). We ride to the running village. We get to the Runner’s Village, and have to go through a security check point with metal detectors. Security again was heighten as last year there was not as much security per my new friend- soror. They had dogs snipping for explosives. We also had a small boat that rode beside our ferry with a machete.
After this I said good-bye to my new friends who were in a different color corral. I took a run for the porta-potty. Walked to my corral open area. It was about 10:15, and my corral opened at 10:30 so I basically threw away all my supplies I had for camping out. I took off my throw-away clothes, put on my running shoes and walked to the entrance to the actual corral start. I ran into some old run friends, and meet some new ones. One older man looked at me and said, you look so good. I said thank you. “Do you plan to look like that at the end” I said I hope so.
We then head to the bridge that would take us from Staten Island to Brooklyn. I take some pictures listen to the anthem. The gun goes on and it is on. So in the race strategy session the main mistake people usually make is start to fast up the hill. The speaker stated that expect to go one minute slower than goal pace, and that the downhill would make up for it. So that is what I did I was running 12:30 to 13 per minutes. On the downhill I was running 10 to 10:30 pace. I usally race with music, but I just wanted to seize the moment so I just ran. I listen to the bands, and music that some of the spectator had. I was feeling great. Brooklyn had so much energy, the people, the bands. I was in heaven. I decided to take my ginger chews ( my run fuel) early. I usually wait an hour. I started 30 min, and took one each 30 min. I had literally ran out of gas my last long run, so I was trying to prevent it. It started to rain, it was a drizzle, but not too bad. I had to watch my footing. I almost sprained my other ankle on a pot hole, and also almost slipped on a plastic bag someone has dropped. Thank God I didn’t. While I loved Brooklyn, one thing I would recommend to NYRR is have some aggressive course marshals. While spectator give me energy , some of them were in the way. They were too far in the street at certain points which caused a bottle neck. The Type A in me wanted to tell them to move back and give us some space, but I didn’t. I then decided to listen to some tunes. I choose some upbeat gospel as it was Sunday and thought it would motivate me. I was around mile 6 or 8 and still feeling good. I had to slow down, as I need not want to burn out. I was thinking save it for the end. Today would be my negative split day, I said to myself. I also want to have gas in the tank the monster hill at around mile sixteen. I keep running I see my running friend I was staying with cheering. She is also a running coach, and her group was cheering for their girls. I see my running friend Davon around mile 13. Mile thirteen I was starting to feel my quads, I was like what is going on. It is too early. I just keep running, trying to keep 11 to 11:30 pace. I run/ walk so – run 5min and walk 1 min. My goal pace is 11:30 to 12:00 so I run 30 sec faster and it evens out. I know I am close to pace if each 6 minutes run half a mile, so each complete interval is half a mile.
So I reached mile 14 and I realized it is hard for me to keep pace. My legs particular quads were cramping. I tried to keep running but it hurt so bad. I continued on until I get to the bridge that separates Brooklyn from Queens. It is about a mile long. I could not run up that bridge my legs could not do it. I figured it would be faster to speed walk, and maybe I my legs could run later. So I walked as fast as I could which was between a 13-19 mile pace depending on the incline. I see people passing me. I keep moving though. I throw away my pace bracelet as I knew that keeping my pace was not possible. My goal was to finish as fast I could walk, and maybe possible be able to run again. So I tried to listen to my music and zone out for the momentum to keep me going. I then got tired of music, and tried to enjoy the crowd. I make it through Queens, and then we got to Manhattan. Crowd support was awesome, I keep walking. I had my phone on airplane mode so my battery would last, but I turned in on to do a live video to let my family/friends know what was going on as I had slowed down significantly. As soon as my phone turns on I saw that my Eagles were beating the mess out of the Broncos. I shouted yes my team is winning, and laughed and said to some random lady–the little things. I looked around and I was not the only one struggling. There were plenty of people limping/walking with me. I tried to encourage them, because a few time during the process I was about to break down and cry I was hurting so bad. I made it to mile 20 and there was an awesome band. I stoped and made a video, and took some pictures. I keep moving. We go to Bronx, and then back to Manhattan. There were a few hills in Manhattan, then mile 23 my ankle started to throb. I had been wearing compression socks since I sprained my ankle to help with swelling to work, to work out, run. I ran the race with them. I think it may have been too much as I almost felt like I had a tourniquet around my ankle. Then my iliotibial band started to bother me, and well has my hip flexors. I had a moment and was about to shed a few tears. I got myself together turned some music on and trying to walk to the beat. The crowd was still there cheering. Mile 23, mile 24, mile 25. I only had 1.2 more miles to go. I tried to run but is was a fake run. I wanted to look good at the finish. I also made sure I smiled for each camera. At least my pictures would look good. I fake ran those last 1.2 miles. I had made it, I was so greatful. My 9th Marathon, and 3rd Work Major. I was grateful, because due to injuries it would have been a little over three years since my last marathon. Before that I had two year off due to knee surgery.
After I crossed the finish line, and got my medial. I did another video to check in. They there was a mile walk to get the keepsake poncho. Then I had to hobble to the subway which is another reason that staying in Brooklyn may not have been the best move. They let marathon finishers ride for free though after the race. I ride until transfer stop then Uber.
My take aways from New York
Hiils, hills, and more hills which is hard for people from Chicago. One of the things I learned form my swim coach when she trained for it was she used the bridges and overpast on the trail to help train.
Staying in Stanton Island the night before the race, would really help but I was told they do not have any major hotels there. Would just have to take throw away clothes. Would have to have hotel or place to leave rest of items in Manhattan for after race.
Need to work on the cramp strategy. I never cramp, but I cramped my last long run and during the race
Beware of potholes- if I would not have sprained my ankle and not have had to shut down for couple weeks maybe my race would have been better
Don’t wear compression socks even with an ankle sprain
Go to New York Running Company by Jackrabbit and get your medal engraved as it is free, and the pavilion charges $25. They say you need to have Nike app and use during race, but that is only if you don’t want to wait.
The logistics is crazy, getting to Staten Island and the long walk to the Poncho and exit, but I would highly recommend it. I said one and done, but I was to conquer the boroughs versus them conquering me.
Don’t let not getting picked via lottery stop you, find a cause near and dear to you and run for charity. It give extra meaning to those miles. People are more likely to give to a cause that you are passionate about
So in five days I will run my 9th marathon, and my third world major marathon- New York Marathon. I am excited although a bit nervous. This is the year-2017. It has been a long hard journey for me to get to this race. My last marathon was in 2014. While training for it I developed plantar fasciitis which haunted me for two and a half years. In 2015 I was blessed enough to be selected in the lottery for New York Marathon, but my plantar fasciitis continued to bother me. I also developed a stress fracture and had to be in a walker boot for three months in addition to the plantar fasciitis. So there was no way I could run a marathon Luckily I could defer until 2015. So my stress fracture healed, and I then went to rehab for my planter fasciitis, and because I had been in boot for so long. It never resolved, I ended up having to have a small procedure. After the procedure I was placed in another boot, and actually could not put weight on my leg. This was in June 2016 so there was no way I could train for my marathon in the Fall of 2016. So no marathon for me, my foot got better and I was on my way to recovery I then fell skiing early 2017 and had a cartilage injury. I got treated with Platelet-rich Plasma(PRP) and hyaluronic acid- three injections and rehab and I was better. I was running pain free, finally. I was so happy. This is my year
Well, two weeks ago today, I fell and sprained my ankle. I was running on the lake front and got my foot caught in a pot hole. I was like “oh my” this injury bug is not going to stop me. You see I have paid for New York Marathon three times (2015, 2016, and now 2017). Training has been so awesome. My pace has improved. The cross-taring from swimming and cycling has helped my endurance. My Triathlete training is making me an all around better athletes. I tell you all of this to let you know that my road, my journey to the finish line is long. It is not just 26.2 miles, add a couple years and a few injuries. So Sunday will be a true celebration. I will enjoy every step, every mile, every minute. My journey has been fun through out despite the length of it. I also have had my smile, my will, and my determination. New York is not ready for me. There will be a party on the pavement
So yesterday I was at work at the hospital and I was talking to one of the staff of the emergency room. She was going on and on about how many people came to the hospital on Sunday due to dehydration, heat exhaustion, etc. She commented it is not that serious, and it is not like they were going to win the Marathon. She also stated that it was not like they were getting paid. Well, you know I had to say something. I said it is that serious, and we actually pay to run. I am a marathoner, you may not understand the madness, but it is well worth it. The first Sunday in October, the day before Columbus Day is the annual Chicago Marathon. People come from all over the world to run it.
Let me give you a little background regarding Marathons. The history of the Marathon -490 B.C. a Greek soldier, Pheidippides, ran the 25 miles to Athens from the town of Marathon to announce a battleground victory over the Persians. “Greetings, we win!” he shouted — and then fell to the ground, dead. It would be more than 2,000 years before the marathon would make its return, at the revival of the modern Olympic Games in Greece in 1896. In that event, 17 runners ran 40 km, or 24.8 miles, with Greek runner Spyridon Louis taking the gold medal with a time of 2 hr. 58 min. 50 sec. Inspired by the event’s success, Boston inaugurated its race the next year; it is now the oldest annual marathon in the world. In 1908, the marathon course at the London Olympics ran from Windsor Castle to the royal box at the Olympic stadium in White City. The length of the race continued varying for years, but in 1924 that specific distance — 42,195 m, or 26 miles, 385 yd. (26.2) — was made the worldwide standard.
Well I did not run Chicago this year, but I volunteered. I starting volunteering when I could not run due to injury. I remember 2015 being a course marshal and I had a walking boot trying to direct people- for the love of running In 2016 I volunteered in the medical tent, and this year I volunteer with one of my running groups Black Chicago Runners (BCR) at mile 20. This year praise God I am not injured, but my race is next month- New York Marathon. I wanted to expereince the race and be there for my running family. I have come a long way. I remember when I had my first major running injury in 2013 and could not run. I used to see people running and literally wanted to hit them with my car. I was mad they could run, and I couldn’t.
People run marathon for a variety of reasons. All I can do is tell you my reasons why I love them. My favorite bible verse is Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing Shall Be Impossible” Well the Marathon is the ultimate challenge. It takes your body to new heights. The training can be grueling. Only about 1% of people worldwide have completed one. Each one has a new set of challenges. I equate running to life. Life is hard, and can kick you butt but you have to keep moving. There maybe pain, but you keep going. Running Marathons has made me a better person. I don’t quit, I have determination. I keep it moving with a smile.
I have run eight and number nine is next month. I ask you to pray, and send me well wishes. I am running New York Marathon for American Cancer Society in memory of both my parents who died of cancer. New York is one of the World Majors, my goal is to do all six. This will be my third. Also I paid fo this race three times. I got in the lottery in 2015, but had to defer due to my stress fracture. I had guaranteed entry 2016 due to deferment but I was recovering for a foot procedure for my plantar fasciitis. This year I did not get in the lottery, but that did not stop me. I am running for charity which also gives the race special meaning. I will enjoy every mile with a smile. Race report will follow. Also if you want to get the detailed story with why I started running in the first place my book does that www.ouilife.ouilove.com. Also if you want to donate to the American Cancer Society I am $30 for my goal, and no amount is too small.
