Charlie McMullen Mile and Turkey Pot Pies!

Last night I volunteered at the Charlie McMullen Mile.

Charlie was one hell of an athlete his very impressive resume can be found here.

He was a 2:15 marathoner, and also a sub 4 minute miler.

Our track club every year puts on a race in his memory, its very moving, his brother and wife come to hand out awards.

I've never participated, and I've never gone before.

So go figure, the year I decide to go, it was a torrential downpour all day. Seriously, the inside lane was an inch deep with water.  It was a 1 mile unintentional steeple chase.

I got there at 4, the races didn't start until 6, and by then I was fantasizing about food, about ready to eat my shoe.  I scavenged my car and found this:

Thank god I'm unorganized.  If I were organized I would have scarfed that bad boy up weeks ago!

Then I went grocery shopping for this weekend (we are going camping!! Woot I'm so excited) so I had to pick up some hot dogs and hamburgers etc.  I had bought turkey when I went grocery shopping with the intention of making turkey pot pie for dinner.  But it was already after 7.  So I bought some pie crust (how not like me...I'm a make it from scratch kind of girl!) And made the turkey pot pies when I got home.

I will have to give you the recipe.  So friggin good.  Although that might be because of the starving state I was in, I did mention contemplating eating my shoe right?

Track Practice!!!

I'm a card carrying member, or at least a singlet wearing member, of our local Running Club the Genesee Valley Harriers.

I affectionately call it "track practice".

I hated track practice in high school.  I was horrible. I wanted to love it, but I hated it.  I would run home during our runs through town, play Super Mario Brothers, and drink a pepsi and then walk back.

Sorry Mr. Wight.

But I know you knew.  One practice, we were indoors due to inclement weather, doing circuits, you said, "I don't give a fat rats ass if you cheat, it doesn't effect me at all".

You are classy Mr. Wight.

And you are right Mr. Wight.

I didn't know that I was doing it for me, I didn't know that if I stuck to it I COULD be better than horrible.

I'm better than horrible now, I might even venture to say I'm pretty decent, and now...NOW...I LOVE track practice.  I love the slightly uneasy feeling I have when I start the workout.

Coach writes on the dry erase board the workout, and no matter what it is..

Oh my god that sounds hard.

Then I do the first interval.

Oh god that hurt that hurt that hurt. only 2 minutes recovery !#$!#@#

Towards the end of the second interval

Ok, Ok, this isn't so bad, just one more lap around the track, ok. ok I got this

At the end of the third interval

@#$ it.  Only half way done...Oh my god...

The rest is always pretty blurry...until:

End of the last interval (and beginning of the slowest easy miles ever recorded)

That wasn't so bad, man I'm fast, that didn't even hurt at all.

I'm pretty sure that is why I'm a decent athlete, my short term memory SUCKS! But I love the feeling of accomplishment, and improvement!

The Canoe Season Intermission

Our big canoe race of the spring is the general clinton canoe regatta.

aka The 70 miler
aka New York
aka Cooperstown.

It is one of three triple crown races, The General Clinton, The Ausable River Canoe Marathon and The Classique.  I have done the prior 11 times, including this year, I have done the middle 4 times, and will do it again this year, and the Classique, i have done once, and will never.do.again.  Thats a story for another day.

Anyhow, I like shallow water, I may have mentioned before (and I guess now I will mention again) I like shallow water.  It takes skill, it takes stamina, and generally lighter people have an advantage.  The 70 this year was deep. REALLY DEEP.  I also am not the strongest swimmer in the world.  I can swim, but I'd really prefer not to. So it was 7 hours of..."god, please let this  be over soon"

As perspective, the fastest Clinton I had done before last week was 8 hours.  This was a full hour faster, thats some fast, squirrely scarey water.

A father daughter team that I have A LOT of respect for, dominated the race this year, and I couldnt' be happier for them.  Marc and I got outsprinted at the end after a failed short-cut attempt.  But I didn't flip...and it''s OVER! Thank goodness!

So now, a bit of "Post Race Let Down"; and some soul searching to find out what's next on my schedule.

Besides the Ausable (aka Michigan, aka the marathon).

hmmmmm

This is a tradition when we are at the race a few days before. A three mile* run to the stop sign. You must touch the stop sign. 

*its totally not three miles. We pretend it is though