Holliday Lake 50k 2013

Friday night, headed to the dinner with Zach and Lindsay. Delicious lasagna, spaghetti, and cheesy bread got me all primed and ready for what would come the next day. “The King” got up on his throne to give his usual schpeel to include taunting, encouraging, challenging, and prize-giving. Another race, another night of no door prizes… I was exhausted by the time we left so when I got home a little after 9, I was ready to crash. Unfortunately, my roommate has a very obnoxious half lab/half husky that just gets extreme amounts of joy from barking. From the moment I walked in the door until the moment my eyes finally closed, that dog was whining. But I digress. Uneasy sleep with a few awakenings throughout the night.

4 am came way too early, but I got up, fixed a nice big bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee, checked and double-checked my stuff (I had packed everything the night before) and headed to Zach’s. Slept most of the ride and got to Holiday Lake 4-H Club at about 5:40. Moved inside, savored the warmth, and got all the last minute things together. Relieved myself after a long line, just in time for a beautiful National Anthem, a prayer, and finally the cheers of 350+ runners heading into the night to suffer the glorious experience of running 50 (or more!) Kilometers.

The race started out great. A little cold but the sun would eventually fix that. I had my 1.5 liter Nathan race vest filled with electrolyte tablets, some gu’s, clif shots, and sport beans… and toilet paper!! Ran with Jordan Whitlock and Holly Bugin for most of the first half, with some leap-frogging. The first 4 ticked by, the second 4 ticked by, and finally to AS 3 at ~12 miles. I was still feeling strong, though I bumped my watch during a pit stop so I was running free! Got to the turnaround in about 2:06 (about the same time as last year). I dropped my pack here after getting some nutrition out; I guess the tube froze so I could not get any liquid out of my pack. I was carrying dead weight. From this point on my system was: chug a cup of gu, grab some bugles and pb&j, and eat that while I drank a cup of water. The plan worked fantastic!

As was expected, I slowed quite a bit on the second loop, leap-frogging with Holly throughout, but maintained a decent pace and passed as many people as passed me. When I reached the AS with 8 miles to go, I was greeted by the news that I was the first LU student! Things went well until I got back on the Single-track by the road with ~6 miles to go. I knew this part would mess with my mind so I just had to keep telling myself to keep shuffling; no matter how slow, don’t walk! Finally reached the last AS and knew I was almost home. Downed my last gu as we went through the picnic area, and just tried to keep chugging, keep chugging.

“1 Mile To Go” spray painted in red on the ground is one of the best things I’ve ever read. I knew just a slight uphill, a tad more single-track, and then the road awaited me. I ran faster; when I saw cars I ran faster; when I saw the finish line I was sprinting. I could see “4:23:…” and knew I would be getting a PR today! Finished in 4:24:42, set a 4 minute PR, was reminded that I beat Dr. Horton’s seeding (20^th, and I finished 15^th), and awaited my “Fastest LU Student” fleece blanket! Many nights will be spent wrapped in this beauty! Zach finished shortly after, and then I jumped in the shower, drank all of my bladder pack (wasn’t frozen anymore), and got a few morsels from the potluck. Lindsay came in about an hour after me, and then after sunbathing for quite some time, and talking to some of the friends I have made in this amazing community, it was time to head home.

While this race is entirely different from the rest of Horton’s Ultras, it is fun and challenging in its own way. There are not many excuses to walk due to terrain so it really wears you down. It truly is an Ultra RUN. Though I am a little dismayed I will not be able to complete the LUS or Beast Series this year, I savor every time I get to spend a day on the trails. The friends, the challenges, and the food! All make it worth it in the end. The same thing happens every race: I start asking myself “why am I doing this?!!”, and then at the finish I get the blues that it is over. Such is the life, and I suppose it always will be.

My many thanks to the Holiday Lake staff, the awesome AS and other volunteers, and Dr. Horton for the amazing races he puts together. I will see you at the Promise Land!!

Holy Wednesday!

Today started just like any other day... Wait, no it didn't! Today I woke up, had breakfast, and then got on the bus to Vatican City. After a long wait and reading a good chunk of the Hunger Games (I know, it was a bad idea...), he finally arrived. He being Pope Benedict XVI. Yes. His Holiness, the big Papa, the one and only, the freakin' Pope. I thought he would be taller...

The ceremony was long and very little in English although the Cardinal representing the speakers of the english language had quite possibly the most epic voice ever. After blessings in many languages, the crowd sang the Lord's Prayer in Latin and dispersed. I still can't believe I saw the pope.

From the Vatican, I ran off and found a pizza al taglio place I had heard of online called Pizzarium. I got a slice with spinach, eggs, and potatoes; and a slice loaded with cooked peppers. I wrapped them up, threw them in my camelbak, and proceeded to climb a mountain up to Monte Mario. I found a bench with an incredible view and ate my pizza while I read. I then hiked up to the very top and found there to be a restaurant and a gelato place with the most commanding view of Rome I could imagine. I chilled a little while to soak it in, then ran back down the mountain, across the river, through Villa Borghese, and back to the convent. When I got there I had some watermelon (because I love watermelon), read, did a workout, took a shower, and then Hailey, Christal and I went out to dinner. The rest of the group went to Dar Poeta but having been there twice already and having pizza for lunch, I wanted a change. We went to Il Fontana di Venere or something like that... it was right by the Trevi Fountain. Dinner took a while but it was delicious. I got fettucini with pesto, shrimp, and tomatoes. Afterwards, I knew only one thing would satisfy me: sfogliatelle. I got my pastry, parted ways with the gals, then met Caleb at the Scholar's Lounge, sporting my knee Miroslav Klose jersey, and watched Deutschland completely control the Netherlands surrounded by (half-drunken) Germans and various other people groups. Fun times!

We got back to the convent a little after 11, I read some more and then crashed. Another long, exhausting day but such a great one. Tomorrow (Thursday) is my last full day in the Eternal City. I would say real life starts after that but I'm going straight to Ocean City once I touch down in the states on Friday! After that, real life starts. A short break and then a month and a half of army stuff, followed immediately by school.

The time here has gone by surprisingly regularly. Week 1 went by slow, week 2 I knew my way around the city, week 3 flew because of Cinque Terre, then straight to Tuscany. The days of this week have flown, probably because I have been out and about for the entirety of the day.

Thursday we are discussing clean-up and assignments, and then I think we are going to watch a gelato demonstration and then see St. Theresa in Ecstasy. Other than that, I'm drawing a blank. I feel like I have really done everything to do here and I am satisfied. I'm not going to waste the day but I do need to pack and whatnot.

Thursday's blog will be my last in Italy. I may write a few more when I get home because it's fun, but most likely not daily. Thank you for those who have read and I hope you have been able to enjoy Rome a little bit through my adventures; I know I have!

The last thing I want to add is that I cannot express how thankful I am that God gave me the ability and the desire to run. I experienced Rome, the Cinque Terre, and Florence in an incredible way that many will never have. I truly believe that running is the best way to explore a place. You see culture, weather, landmarks, parks, out-of-the-way items; you discover new places; you see overlooks that nobody else sees; you find things and do things that others don't. It really is a great thing. I know had it not been for running I would not have enjoyed this trip as much as I did. *End rant*

Tuesday!

Today we ventured as a group to go to Galleria Borghese. Being who I am, I walked and met the group there. Only I arrived much earlier than anticipated and slept on a park bench for almost an hour. The gallery was very cool. It housed a huge collection of Carravagio and Bernini sculptures and Dr. Mann gave us background on the more important pieces. After about an hour we had all finished up and we met outside. Dr. D had nothing else planned so off I went.

I went through the park and into Piazza del Popolo and stopped in Santa Maria del Popolo. I had planned to run but I guess being out all day yesterday and then not getting enough sleep combined to give me a decent headache. So I walked. I crossed the river and jogged a little bit to get to Castel Sant' Angelo. This place is beasty! It was used as a fortress for the Pope in the event of an emergency, built by Emperor Hadrian, and I definitely felt safe just walking around! What amazed me was that at the top, you have a clear shot to St. Peter's. I literally felt like I could have hit it with a rock! I had a cappucino on the terrace and after some more walking, I left. I crossed the river again and went to Campo di Fiori. The place is a bustling market but the reason I went is because of a pizza al taglio place I had heard of: Forno Campo di Fiori. It was so incredible. Some of the best pizza I've ever had. I walked to the Piazza Navona and went in St. Agnes in Agony. I also bought a (fake) Germany football jersey! Yay! Then I met the group at the Jesuit Church because apparently something happens every day there at five. Nothing happened so I left. Apparently patience is a virtue because the rest of the group witnessed some singing, dimming of windows, and the revealing of a mosaic behind one of the altars; or something like that.

I had gone to Trastevere and was looking for a place where I would get me all out Italian meal. I picked out a few places but could not make a decision. I walked up Via Garibaldi to a nice overlook and sat and prayed for a while. It was very relaxing. I walked back down the hill when I finally made my decision: I know it's tourist-y but I really want to eat by the Piazza Navona. So I crossed the river once more (Fourth time today I think?) and headed over.

I am glad I made this decision because I found a place right behind St. Agnes in Agony (the church in the piazza) that served Tuscan specialties! One Tuscan specialty is apparently Wild Board and since I never got any while I was in Tuscany, I knew I had found the right place. I got spaghetti alla carbonara for nostalgic reasons and then my wild boar. The carbonara was amazing! Much creamier than what Memaw makes (don't worry Memaw, yours is my favorite) and the noodles were so good; I think they call it al dente when the noodles are a bit harder. Then came the wild boar. Chunks of insanely tender meat bathed in a spicy tomato sauce. I savored each and every bite of that delicious meal.

I then walked to the coliseum and watched it light up as the sun went down. Sensing I would miss curfew, I caught the bus back home. I was out for 12 hours today.

When I got back the group was just finishing up dinner so I sampled some salad and chicken and zucchini along with a piece of watermelon (I had planned to get a pastry on the way home but the shops were closed; watermelon did just fine!). Tomorrow we are waking up early to see somebody... to be continued.

Monday

So sorry I fell behind! Starting with today (Monday) I have been out for very very long days, wandering around and exploring the last corners of this incredible city. Today I woke up and went running. I ran to Santa Maria Maggiore, looked around there, and then ran to St. Paul's Outside the Walls. St. Paul's was great. Very huge and beautiful but very out of the way. It's far away from most of the sites so there are not a whole lot of visitors. It actually feels like going into a church! I read, meditated, and almost fell asleep and ended up staying there for about an hour. I also bought something I should have bought a long time ago: a map.

I headed back along the river, down a somewhat sketchy major road, and went to Santa Maria in Trastevere. I was going to go to Il Duca for lunch but it was closed! I was walking by this time, running, resting, and running again makes me very tired. Anyway, I crossed the river and found a buffet by Largo Argentina whilst looking for a kebab shop. The buffet was good: for 10 euro, you got water, a pasta plate, and the buffet which had ROSEMARY CHICKEN, some potatoes, some tomatoes, and eggplant and veggies fried with parmesan cheese. So delicious. I got pasta with cheese and tomato sauce and two smallish plates at the buffet and then walked back. On my way back I stopped and got my favorite dessert and ate half of it. I wandered some back streets and eventually got on Via Nationale and then the straight shot back home. I went to the grocery store first because I REALLY wanted watermelon.

For dinner, we had pasta with meat sauce and Jessica made some delicious almond cookies. I also had a huge chunk of watermelon. I ate and watched some soccer and for some horrible reason I ended up staying awake until 2:30 working on my puzzle.

It was a very good, although exhausting day.

Sunny Sundays

After a light breakfast, Christal and I went to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church of Scotland. It was awesome! We were a little late because of the buses but walked in to It Is Well With My Soul. The message was fantastic. I am not sure exactly what the preacher was talking about but it was ok because he had a thick Scottish accent. I loved it! After church they had refreshments on the roof and we talked with Els and Mirta who were there!

After church we walked to Dar Poeta. I had been looking for an excuse to go back so why not a beautiful Sunday after church? I got a pizza with cheese, ham, mushrooms, and potatoes and it was so incredibly good. Christal's had sausage, zucchini, sauce, and cheese and it was also delicious. We split a Strawberry Mousse and it was pretty good; kind of like jello...

We walked back to Piazza Venezia and caught the bus home. I was tired. I finished my pizza, read a little, then fell asleep for about 40 minutes. I wanted to run to the park and do a crazy workout so I jogged over, felt weird, the park was crowded, so I walked around. I crossed the street to the bigger park and walked a big loop around and then up the hill to a flat little treed-in area overlooking the park. I sat for a while then thought "what the hey... I brought my jump rope and have on my workout clothes..." so I did a little workout. Was fun! Walked (very slowly) back to the convent and sat down to watch the Italy-Spain game. After that game I made some black beans and onions and then read some more. Watched some of the Ireland-Croatia game (still on) and now here I am, tired, and planning tomorrow!

I only have a very short time left in Rome so I am trying to pack in a lot of wanderings this week! Tomorrow I plan to run to Santa Maria in Maggiore and St. Paul's Outside the Walls as well as anything else Dr. D recommends.

Esses

Today when I woke up, I had no idea what the weather was doing. It was dark and windy, looking like the world was going to end, and then it was sunny, then rainy (while sunny), then beautiful again. This would continue all day.

Today we went back to help Elizabeth with the ministry for the Afghan refugees. On the way there I missed where everyone got off the bus so I walked and found my way there. We got to work chopping vegetables, fruit, etc. Then we loaded up the dishes and prayed before we left. There was a group from Ole Miss and they were pretty cool!

We got the spot and began distributing food. It did not seem like there were as many people this time and I think everyone received a dish plus the additional bread and dessert. We cleaned up and talked with the men for a while then walked to the Coliseum (some of us). Caleb, Dr. Mann, and I played soccer! The group was larger this time so we split up into three teams and rotated. Some very good players out today and it was a lot of fun.

After the game I wanted to walk home so I started off and before long realized I was close to St. Peter's in Chains. I went in (it wasn't closed this time!) and saw the famous "Moses with Horns" sculpture. Very cool. I kept walking, stopped and got my favorite dessert (sfogliatelle), and wound up at Termini so I took the 90 bus back home.

I showered up and then started roasting my chicken that I bought when we first got here. Just some spices and and onion inside and threw it in the oven while I played bananagrams with the group then watched some of the Netherlands-Denmark game. The chicken was de-lish-us. Downed it, finished my dessert, then watched some more of the game.

Some of the group decided to do a Rome night tour so I tagged along on the bus ride but instead I went to the Scholar's Lounge to watch the Deutschland-Portugal game in english! That place was packed! But it was a good time and Germany won so all is well. Poor, poor Ronaldo.

Caught the bus back and got to the convent at about 11. I freaked out a little because I tried to call the "on-call" phone for Kristen to let me in but my phone kept saying "emergency calls only". I turned it off then back on and it worked! I got ready for bed and read until the group got back so I could talk plans with Christal. We're going to go to St. Andrew's Church of Scotland and then Dar Poeta for lunch!

I slept like a rock and it felt great. Sunday will be good.

TGIF

After a wonderful sleep last night (I was out the moment my head hit the pillow), I woke up a little after 7 with no alarm. Got up, did my morning stuff, had a cup of coffee and an apple, then packed up for a run. I have been getting down lately as I consider the short time I have left here, with still so much to see. That being said, I had planned to run for a long time today. I set out towards the Trastevere and ran through Parco Pamphili. It is huge! After a big loop around, I got back to the Tiber and ran alongside it until I reached the Piazza del Popolo and then into the Villa Borghese and back home. 18.2 miles in 2:25:47; the nice long run I was hoping for.

I got back, made some eggs, and then started on my puzzle until Caleb, Katherine, Dr. D, Kristen, and I went to an amazing gelato place tucked in a corner close to Piazza Navona. True artisan gelato and Thursday we are going back to watch a demonstration of how it's made! I got chocolate/wine, ricotta cheese almond and fig, and watermelon. The cheese/almond/fig has been my favorite flavor of the trip. I'm gonna need to get me some ricotta when I get home.

We walked around the Piazza, I got my handstand picture, and then we headed back. Dr. D and I decided to go to "Momart" for dinner and we would be meeting at 7. Until then we watched the Poland-Greece football game. At around 7 (halftime of the game), we met with Hailey, Christal, and Morrissa and walked to Momart. 10 euro for a buffet of seriously good food. Pizza was great, pasta was great. We walked back and watched a little bit of the Russia-Czech Republic game and then put on Gladiator! Unfortunately, I was very tired so I only watched a little, then got ready for bed and was asleep probably before 10.

It was a good day. High 80's but didn't feel too hot because of the low humidity.