04 March 2011
thoughts and randomness
So I'm sitting here in a coffee shop next to Gate 403 at the Dublin airport vainly searching for a wifi connection and waiting for my long flight back to New York. This by the way will be my 8th flight in near as many days, only 2 more remain, and it also marks the end of my grand adventure coming to an end (temporarily!) of actually getting off the North American continent.......My mood at the moment? A bit glum and slightly melancholy because while the main focus of my trip was to run the Malta 1/2 Marathon I did manage to carve out a couple of days to explore just a bit of London and I kinda fell in love with the city. Oh ok, the first day was nearly a complete bust because of approximately 24 hours spent in security lines, milling about in sterile airport waiting areas, and subjected to entirely too many pressure changes whilst being flown about in giant, cylindrical chunks of metal.......and the 2nd day wasn't much better as far as how I felt but I did get myself out to explore thanks to the very detailed advice of a couple of twitter friends.
I didn't get around to setting up any meetups because of wanting to not be tied to having to be a certain place at a specific time any more than absolutely necessary. Hopefully next time I will feel more like having a more structured trip and will get to meet some of the absolutely wonderful people I call friends, mentors, and advisors.
Random thoughts.......
Charlotte, NC airport is gorgeous and the people watching was fantastic.
JFK is the best for hearing a myriad of accents.
Most everybody I dealt with was extremely friendly.
London is.......well it's London. Can't be described, has to be experienced firsthand.
Malta wasn't exactly what I expected........beautiful, but......I'll have to elaborate on this later in a separate post
Hotels.........I stayed in 2 different types, one a boutique style smaller one, the other a resort style....prefer the former even if it doesn't have near as many amenities. The latter was just sterile.
Jet lag is a right bitch
Some of the running community can be entirely too full of themselves.
Low flow toilets are not any fun to deal with
No more of this multiple flight business.......all future trips will be as direct as possible.
ALL my luggage from here on is going to be the roller style
Some people just think they are immune to the travel rules that the rest of us have to follow
The AA lines flight to Dallas has the best flight attendant out of all of them so far. He's funny, personable, quick with the quips.
I think I'm getting this security thing figured out
Sleeping next to a total stranger in a seated position isn't near as difficult as I thought it would be.
My claustrophobia didn't kick in like I thought it would (Yay!!!!!)
Am I the only one who doesn't mind sitting next to the wing area?
My stomach hates me though :-/
Bacon in the UK is not really bacon.......it's what we call ham :P
It was interesting being in a country (Malta) while it's being featured in the news due to the unrest of a nearby country. Almost like being part of history unfolding
Free wifi rocks!!!!!!
I need to win the lottery so I can travel anywhere I want running half marathons
I didn't get around to setting up any meetups because of wanting to not be tied to having to be a certain place at a specific time any more than absolutely necessary. Hopefully next time I will feel more like having a more structured trip and will get to meet some of the absolutely wonderful people I call friends, mentors, and advisors.
Random thoughts.......
Charlotte, NC airport is gorgeous and the people watching was fantastic.
JFK is the best for hearing a myriad of accents.
Most everybody I dealt with was extremely friendly.
London is.......well it's London. Can't be described, has to be experienced firsthand.
Malta wasn't exactly what I expected........beautiful, but......I'll have to elaborate on this later in a separate post
Hotels.........I stayed in 2 different types, one a boutique style smaller one, the other a resort style....prefer the former even if it doesn't have near as many amenities. The latter was just sterile.
Jet lag is a right bitch
Some of the running community can be entirely too full of themselves.
Low flow toilets are not any fun to deal with
No more of this multiple flight business.......all future trips will be as direct as possible.
ALL my luggage from here on is going to be the roller style
Some people just think they are immune to the travel rules that the rest of us have to follow
The AA lines flight to Dallas has the best flight attendant out of all of them so far. He's funny, personable, quick with the quips.
I think I'm getting this security thing figured out
Sleeping next to a total stranger in a seated position isn't near as difficult as I thought it would be.
My claustrophobia didn't kick in like I thought it would (Yay!!!!!)
Am I the only one who doesn't mind sitting next to the wing area?
My stomach hates me though :-/
Bacon in the UK is not really bacon.......it's what we call ham :P
It was interesting being in a country (Malta) while it's being featured in the news due to the unrest of a nearby country. Almost like being part of history unfolding
Free wifi rocks!!!!!!
I need to win the lottery so I can travel anywhere I want running half marathons
Malta 1/2 Marathon mishaps and adventures
Malta 1/2 Marathon aka what NOT to do when preparing for a race.......I think I did nearly everything wrong when it came to getting ready for this particular event. And yes, I've enough races under my belt to know better, go figure.
Packet pickup was a bit odd, there were only 2 days that you could do so with strange times for both. Since I flew into Malta on Saturday morning I only had the option of that evening which was from 1900 to 2130 at the Urban Jungle sporting goods store on Sliema. Yup, arrive there to find a HUGE line and not very many middle of the pack looking runners like me.......and no one was chatting with anyone else!!!!!!! Curious as to whether that was due to the cultural differences or the more serious competitive nature of this race. Perhaps a combination of both I would suppose.
Bib and t-shirt collected, it was then off to find some food......No I don't carbo-load although I think I might have been the only one, lol. A local restaurant I ate at was packed with competitors chowing down on the pasta and pizza, I just opted for a surprisingly filling and delicious risotto funghi dish. Yeah, I voluntarily ate mushrooms, that's gonna shock a few people......Oh and had a yummy cider with my meal followed up with a 1/2 pint of some beer that I was only so-so about........that MIGHT have been one of my mistakes ;-), along with the full day of walking around sightseeing the previous day in London.
Race morning and I'm laying in bed feeling all smug about being able to sleep in since the shuttle didn't leave the hotel until 0800 for the 10am half marathon start when I get this phone call asking if I still needed the shuttle and they were waiting on me in the lobby.......I'd assumed my phone's clock had auto-adjusted itself to Malta time like it had in the UK, hadn't double-checked the time to make sure I was in the correct time zone and hadn't set a secondary alarm. OOPS. Talk about a mad dash to get my contacts in, pee, change into my running gear, grab the bib plus a GIANT bottle of water and literally run down the hall and stairs. I was getting some serious glares from the other 2 runners who were taking the shuttle to race start, yikes.
So empty stomach, no jacket or throwaway shirt (and it was VERY chilly!!!) and.........no bus pass to get from finish line pickup to start line and oh yeah, no room key!!!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about running around ragged before I even got to the starting line. I had to sweet-talk my way onto the bus, lol. It helped that when the driver asked how did he know for sure I'd actually paid for the pass that I offered to bring it back by afterwards and even offered to pay cash--I did remember to grab some money before heading out the door thankfully...
At the start line finally, first stop is (of course) the queue for the toilets......I'm standing there freezing in my short sleeve shirt and shorts while everyone is looking at me like I'm insane for not being bundled up and I'm looking at them thinking they were soooo gonna regret being swathed up like a baby in wintertime, lol. Second stop was the snack stand for coffee and a donut. Yep, my pre-race fuel was a sugary concoction of fluffy dough and fruit filling. Chalk this one up to another of the what not to dos :D.
The very same storm that brought us the chill and winds also created a couple of flooded areas on the race course........the first of which was within 1-2 miles on a very narrow section.....this particular section wasn't too bad but it was quite funny and frustrating that you rounded a corner and the entire field of runners was at a dead stop. I literally had to reach out and grab the guy's shoulders in front of me to keep from plowing into him, lotsa momentum there--sorry about the overly personal contact, whoever you were, lol. Very few people wanted to run through the water so they were all walking on either side single file, hence the human logjam. Needless to say I went through the middle of it along with a few other hardy souls.....Our feet were gonna get wet anyways so why not :)
The next flooded section........yeah, not as shallow, the majority of us had to get up on this rock wall to get around the pond that had formed on the road, this was closer to calf deep on me so no way was I wading through this section. Problem was that there were people too scared to get back down off the rock wall at the end so we were just standing there waiting, complete with several guys yelling behind me for them to just go, sigh........I completely lost my rhythm here, that was all she wrote as far as getting back going properly. It was a run/walk slogfest the last 6-7 mile but I already had decided my only goal was to just finish anyways so I didn't stress about the walking (too much).
Oh, and the half marathon is billed as mostly downhill..............don't f'ing believe it!!! There were quite a few wicked uphills, one of which was within a half mile of the race start. The elevation chart on the website is completely skewed. I wasn't the only one grumbling about how the course was mis-labeled as predominantly downhill, approximately 3 miles from the finish line, I overheard a girl telling her companion as we chugged up a hill that this was NOT the race she signed up for, lol.
Up sides........some great scenery, an awesome medal--while it's not the largest race medal I have, I think it's the heaviest--and the satisfaction of having completed an international race. Loved the cold wet sponge stations......the oranges at the fruit station were also refreshingly chilled. Did I mention the scenery? Gorgeous!
Down sides....the 1st powerade station ran out before I reached it, which considering that I was nowhere near the last means that somebody failed on estimating how much would be needed. Not a bunch of crowd support so those who prefer constant cheering might not like this event. The course is also very uneven, several brick/cobblestone sections that would reach out and grab a toe if you weren't paying any attention. I also had the worst calf cramp EVAH afterwards, my left calf is still sore from where it seized up.
Unofficial Results from the website has me at 2:10:44 chip time, not too terribly bad considering the amount of powerwalking I had to do (oh there might have been a bit of shuffling too). Would I do this race again? Possibly but only if there was a group of people I knew running it (MizzRun, Middlepackgirl???)
Packet pickup was a bit odd, there were only 2 days that you could do so with strange times for both. Since I flew into Malta on Saturday morning I only had the option of that evening which was from 1900 to 2130 at the Urban Jungle sporting goods store on Sliema. Yup, arrive there to find a HUGE line and not very many middle of the pack looking runners like me.......and no one was chatting with anyone else!!!!!!! Curious as to whether that was due to the cultural differences or the more serious competitive nature of this race. Perhaps a combination of both I would suppose.
Bib and t-shirt collected, it was then off to find some food......No I don't carbo-load although I think I might have been the only one, lol. A local restaurant I ate at was packed with competitors chowing down on the pasta and pizza, I just opted for a surprisingly filling and delicious risotto funghi dish. Yeah, I voluntarily ate mushrooms, that's gonna shock a few people......Oh and had a yummy cider with my meal followed up with a 1/2 pint of some beer that I was only so-so about........that MIGHT have been one of my mistakes ;-), along with the full day of walking around sightseeing the previous day in London.
Race morning and I'm laying in bed feeling all smug about being able to sleep in since the shuttle didn't leave the hotel until 0800 for the 10am half marathon start when I get this phone call asking if I still needed the shuttle and they were waiting on me in the lobby.......I'd assumed my phone's clock had auto-adjusted itself to Malta time like it had in the UK, hadn't double-checked the time to make sure I was in the correct time zone and hadn't set a secondary alarm. OOPS. Talk about a mad dash to get my contacts in, pee, change into my running gear, grab the bib plus a GIANT bottle of water and literally run down the hall and stairs. I was getting some serious glares from the other 2 runners who were taking the shuttle to race start, yikes.
So empty stomach, no jacket or throwaway shirt (and it was VERY chilly!!!) and.........no bus pass to get from finish line pickup to start line and oh yeah, no room key!!!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about running around ragged before I even got to the starting line. I had to sweet-talk my way onto the bus, lol. It helped that when the driver asked how did he know for sure I'd actually paid for the pass that I offered to bring it back by afterwards and even offered to pay cash--I did remember to grab some money before heading out the door thankfully...
At the start line finally, first stop is (of course) the queue for the toilets......I'm standing there freezing in my short sleeve shirt and shorts while everyone is looking at me like I'm insane for not being bundled up and I'm looking at them thinking they were soooo gonna regret being swathed up like a baby in wintertime, lol. Second stop was the snack stand for coffee and a donut. Yep, my pre-race fuel was a sugary concoction of fluffy dough and fruit filling. Chalk this one up to another of the what not to dos :D.
The very same storm that brought us the chill and winds also created a couple of flooded areas on the race course........the first of which was within 1-2 miles on a very narrow section.....this particular section wasn't too bad but it was quite funny and frustrating that you rounded a corner and the entire field of runners was at a dead stop. I literally had to reach out and grab the guy's shoulders in front of me to keep from plowing into him, lotsa momentum there--sorry about the overly personal contact, whoever you were, lol. Very few people wanted to run through the water so they were all walking on either side single file, hence the human logjam. Needless to say I went through the middle of it along with a few other hardy souls.....Our feet were gonna get wet anyways so why not :)
The next flooded section........yeah, not as shallow, the majority of us had to get up on this rock wall to get around the pond that had formed on the road, this was closer to calf deep on me so no way was I wading through this section. Problem was that there were people too scared to get back down off the rock wall at the end so we were just standing there waiting, complete with several guys yelling behind me for them to just go, sigh........I completely lost my rhythm here, that was all she wrote as far as getting back going properly. It was a run/walk slogfest the last 6-7 mile but I already had decided my only goal was to just finish anyways so I didn't stress about the walking (too much).
Oh, and the half marathon is billed as mostly downhill..............don't f'ing believe it!!! There were quite a few wicked uphills, one of which was within a half mile of the race start. The elevation chart on the website is completely skewed. I wasn't the only one grumbling about how the course was mis-labeled as predominantly downhill, approximately 3 miles from the finish line, I overheard a girl telling her companion as we chugged up a hill that this was NOT the race she signed up for, lol.
Up sides........some great scenery, an awesome medal--while it's not the largest race medal I have, I think it's the heaviest--and the satisfaction of having completed an international race. Loved the cold wet sponge stations......the oranges at the fruit station were also refreshingly chilled. Did I mention the scenery? Gorgeous!
Down sides....the 1st powerade station ran out before I reached it, which considering that I was nowhere near the last means that somebody failed on estimating how much would be needed. Not a bunch of crowd support so those who prefer constant cheering might not like this event. The course is also very uneven, several brick/cobblestone sections that would reach out and grab a toe if you weren't paying any attention. I also had the worst calf cramp EVAH afterwards, my left calf is still sore from where it seized up.
Unofficial Results from the website has me at 2:10:44 chip time, not too terribly bad considering the amount of powerwalking I had to do (oh there might have been a bit of shuffling too). Would I do this race again? Possibly but only if there was a group of people I knew running it (MizzRun, Middlepackgirl???)
15 February 2011
The trials and tribulations of Lola
I have been having a recurring issue with Lola the truck over the past couple of months.....I honestly never know if she's gonna start or not when I shut off the engine so my weeks lately have resulted in me not shutting the engine off at all while I'm working. The problem seems to be one of the wires/cables leading to the starter or starter solenoid.....starter has been replaced.....and a couple of bolts happened to not get replaced and the positive cable was crimped and touching metal. It's a wonder the truck didn't catch fire on that particular week. Now there's a ground or loose cable that seems to not be connecting correctly and to get the truck started I have to crawl underneath or reach from the top to start kinda jiggling at wires, crawl back out if I can't find anyone to sit in the drivers seat and repeatedly turn the key while I'm checking said connections. A complete and utter hassle which has resulted in me being wet, cold, and filthy muddy more times than I can stand. So now I don't shut the truck engine off after each stint in the shop unless it's on a relatively clean surface.
The truck that's causing me all kinds of grief
Handy, dandy latch that unclips to allow the front bumper to be lowered
Bumper in lowered position
The tire that I have to crawl behind in order to reach the starter
Part of the wiring that leads from starter and solenoid
My view from under the truck and behind the left steer tire
Yup, there's the part causing me the problem
Oooh, bent license plate bracket and bumper from where somebody didn't use the tow hooks to pull my truck into the shop when it wouldn't start
A New Adventure
I hate February......always have. It's a cold dreary month that seems to drag on forever much longer than it's 28 (or 29) days. And it just happens to be my birthday month. This year I decided to treat myself to an out of state half marathon, go somewhere, make a week of it, explore a little. However when I did a web search for end of February races, this little gem popped up, the Malta Marathon. Yes, Malta, the island in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Italy. Might as well start my passport stamps off in style, right? A bit of (ok a lot of!) debating with myself and a bit of research and one very maxed out credit card and yes I really am taking a solo international trip to run my very first international race.
Satellite image borrowed from Wikipedia
I haven't told many people because quite frankly most are freaked out by the thought of me making this trip alone. However, this is a safe place to go and one of its main languages is English (the other being Maltese of course). Have I mentioned my credit card is maxed out, lol. I will be spending a very limited amount of time in London before flying over to Malta so if anyone is interested in meeting for a coffee let me know and we'll see what can be arranged. Also if there are any must-sees please leave me a comment :-))). Oh and any advice about what to take would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!! And traveling advice too please, I haven't flown in 24 (25?) years, wow.
A thank you post
This should have been posted last month but my blogging mojo hasn't been great lately. A huge thank you to Mike (my dad) for the washer and dryer! And a giant thanks to James for picking them up for me. Of course I can't leave out my appreciation to Jackie and Phil because I was able to get a much nicer set than I thought I could get initially.
Go away snow
This winter really isn't much fun anymore. Between recurrring truck problems (let's just say I've spent more time than I care to under the engine) and the snow/ice I'm just plain old ready for winter to be over with. Part of the reason that I like my route is that I do normally get to avoid the vast majority of winter precipitation but I do believe Mother Nature is taking her revenge on the south this year.
Here's a bit of Wednesday and Thursday in pictures for your viewing pleasure
Here's a bit of Wednesday and Thursday in pictures for your viewing pleasure
Hwy 70, attempting to get to the International dealer
Overpass at Galloway over I40
Returning to terminal, all these trucks are parked for the night in the road, nowhere else to go
Hwy 70 on Thursday, the trucks up ahead are parked
The great white expanse of I40 outside of Little Rock
Let the backups begin
This lovely guy "Elmer" decided to throw his trash out his window while we were sittng in a traffic jam
Snow chains!
The next series of pics are a very good example of why you shouldn't drive right on the bumper of the truck in front of you during inclement weather. The first one or two mess up and there's absolutely nowhere to go.
View of the underneath of my trailer between the trailer duals, lots of ugly dirty ice
Closing with a pretty shot :-)
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