running family

Go, rustyboy!

Treading lightly

So in honor of the blogger action environmental day, I stayed home from work today. No emissions from my car, no papers that I toss in the trash because my school doesn't recycle. Just me and my girlfriend and our cats, eating noodles and saving energy.
OK, I really stayed home because I was tired/lazy/sickish and just wanted to. But I do try to tread lightly on the earth.
First there's the vegan thing. My cat Pumpkin's sitting with me as I write this. When I point at things, he follows the direction. He responds to my anxiety when it's elevated. He sleeps on my head. His consciousness is different from mine, but it's real. This is all reason enough to be vegan, but the environmental benefits are, too.
Then there's our apartment. You save some energy living in a box in a box, especially if it's old construction.
We cook almost all our food, and what I can get local, I do.
And I do recycle.
I'm hoping it all lightens my impact--I like seasons, and I'm worried about the polar bears.

a more detailed report

A week later, and I had time to reflect more on the race, and write a more detailed report, so here it is.

We started in Forest City, at the high school. They had four volunteers for every runner, this marathon seems to be the high point of excitement in the Scranton area. Revolutionary war reenactors sounded a cannon to start the race. Forest City was filled with lots of white haired women in plastic rain bonnets standing in front of Byzantine Catholic churches cheering us on. We ran to Carbondale, which also had great support--high school bands, cheerleaders, and one little boy asking, "Is *she* the last runner, mommy?" as I chugged by. In addition to the official aid stations, there were lots of kids handing out pretzel rods (really good when you're sweating a lot) and one group with ice cold water from their well. The race went onto a rails-to-trails by a river for a few miles; it was beautiful and I got to see some changing trees at last--the foliage wasn't what we were expecting because of the hot fall. I had to stop for band-aids and take off my shoe and sock at an aid station on the trail, all the downhill running gave me blisters.

I was so happy when we finally entered Scranton. There were marathon parties on people's lawns; kids had chalked messages of good luck on the road. I had gotten slowed down a lot in the industrial outskirts, was really feeling the unseasonal heat, and walked quite a bit. Back with people and the end in sight I picked it up and ran the last two miles fast (for me.)
I finished in 5:35 and felt good about it. It was a record hot day, and so they kept the course open longer than the usual 6 hours to let the last runner finish officially--and it wasn't me. I crossed the finish line with kick left in my legs and a strong intention to run more of these.

harvest

Todays' CSA share.

recovery day five

The subway stairs leave me a little breathless, and if I get startled or angry, it takes a little longer than normal for my heart rate to go down. But I accomplished one of the things on my post marathon list. And I made even more soup.

Steamtown

This was a beautiful race.
I was glad I had my garmin, because they didn't have clocks at the mile markers. What they did have was people--four volunteers for every runner, wildly enthusiastic and generous and kind. And people, out in front of their churches and houses cheering. Some that stand out--the white haired woman who yelled "woman power!" to me by the start, the little girl asking every runner her name than cheering us by name, the woman at the first aid station that appeared exactly when my blisters started to hurt and chatted with me as I sat on the ground, removed my sock and shoe, and band-aided my toes, the volunteers who refilled my gatorade bottle, the kids handing out pretzel sticks on the course.
The hills were exhilarating, the heat and humidity sucked. The people were amazing. I am so grateful.

Despacio voy

porque de prisa estoy. I'm going slow because I'm in a hurry. I got this one from a student, and it'll be my mantra to keep my pace even at the beginning.
I like the rhyme.

the kids

Told the kids at the club I advise to send me good vibes Sunday, if they believe in that woo-woo stuff. The all business club pres visibly made a note on the calendar in her mind. The club comic riffed on a scenario of me, approaching the finish line, hallucinating them running backwards in front of me calling my name in slow motion. He waved his arms in the universal sign for bad trip.
I can already see it.

26.2

Things to think about while I run:

1. Easier than coal mining or a textile mill.
2. Glacier moraines.
3. The forest.
4. My cats.
5. The horses I used to ride. Every ride had negative splits.
6. My goats.
7. All the animals I've known.
8. Not eating them.
9. Title IX.
10. The chasquis.
11. Conjugation charts.
12. Refranes: Al mal paso, date prisa. Al mal tiempo, buena cara. Al que madruga, Dios lo ayuda.
13. My work.
14. All the time I had to train.
15. Bread and roses.
16. Ancestors and antepasados.
17. Making spaghetti in the woods.
18. Fair Haven
19. Running as a little kid.
20. Tag, freeze tag, and best of all TV tag.
21. The first day going barefoot in the spring.
22. Snow.
23. Going to Alaska someday.
24. Having a house with a yard someday.
25. Having a child someday.
26. Not all pain is significant.
.2--having run a marathon.