When a Tooth Fairy becomes a Runaway Bride

I love running. And I love when running becomes fun, beyond the official act of running (because, let's face it, as much as we love running, running isn't 100% fun 100% of the time).

I did a local Halloween-themed 5K today, that mentioned on the brochure there was a costume contest (there was no costume contest, I was the only one over the age of 10 who wore anything beyond run gear). And, truth is, I knew this would happen. I did this race 2 years ago, and the same contest was boasted and everyone showed up and beyond the pumpkins and colored leaves, it could have been any other race at any other point of the year.

But I felt like having fun, so I pulled the crinoline from my wedding (5 years ago) out of the attic. A little trimming and a bit of sewing later, I had this tutu-tulle object that made me feel like I was 5 years old again.

The goal was Tooth Fairy. I couldn't find a wand or tiara last minute, so I figured all white and my cloudy-puff would be fine. I no sooner stepped out of the car when someone yelled "Look! There's the Runaway Bride!" Okay, so I went with it. Someone from the YMCA (who hosted the race) started snapping photographs, and took a few where she made Ted look like he was hanging on to me and I was running away.

Lots of comments the entire way from volunteers and spectators. I felt slightly bad for the girl who ran my pace the entire time...she ended up beating me, but had to put up with all the comments of all the people about the tutu for 29 minutes. I'm sure she was slightly annoyed--I probably would have been had the tables been turned.

But it was fun. I enjoyed wearing it, and it really wasn't that hard to run in at all. The next race that encourages dressing up is the Gobble Wobble next month, and I'm wondering if I could pull off this look and be mashed potatoes or Cool Whip?

Sometimes rules have to be broken

As runners, we have a list of "rules", so to speak" that we follow. These rules are based on past experience, advice from experts, or common knowledge. These rules help us run our best times, feel great during a run, and keep us healthy and injury-free. Especially when it comes to race day.

But sometimes, life gets in the way and the rules we keep are pushed aside due to circumstances usually out of our control.

For example...take this past week. Ted and I had a 10K in Hamburg on Saturday. Thursday evening (36 hours prior to race time), we find ourselves in the ER. Ted had abdominal pains. At 10:45 pm, I am waiting in the hallway at the hospital while Ted receives cat scans to verify the doctor's suspicions. And at 2:15 am, Ted is being wheeled away from me to the OR, where the surgeons wait to perform an emergency appendectomy.

This is where my list of pre-race rules begin to get tossed aside.

Rule #1. Be sure to get plenty of rest. I left the hospital after the surgeon told me Ted was in recovery and everything was fine...about 3:30 Friday morning. I head home, fed Curley (who was patiently waiting outside), called into work to say I would be out, called into work to say that Ted would be out, and crawled into bed at 4:00. At 7;15, Ted calls and groggily asks for a pair of socks and underwear and I, surprised that he was alert enough to use a phone, jump out of bed and rush up to the hospital. My day is spent sitting by his bed, watching him fade in and out, and take a quick 15-minute cat nap until the nurse came back for the routine vital check. Friday night I left the hospital at 8:30, and ran into our neighbors as I was getting out of my car. I climbed into bed at 10:00 pm, and Ted called Saturday morning at 6:00, making sure I was up in time to get the race. This brings my total sleep time in the past two nights to a whopping 11 hours.

Rule #2. Run easy, if at all, before a race, being sure to not to any strenuous activity in 24 hours leading up to the race. This is the part of my year commitment to run a mile a day that I was kicking myself. After leaving the neighbor's house Friday night, it occurred to me that I had not yet run my mile. So, at 9:30 Friday night, less than 12 hours until race time, I'm heading out for a mile.

Rule #3. Eat properly, including plenty of healthy carbs, vegetables, and food that has been tested previously. Never, ever eat something you have never before tried the day of the race. I stopped at a convenience store on my way in to the hospital Friday, grabbing coffee, water, a Nutri-Grain bar, and a Nature Valley peanut butter granola bar. Lunch was macaroni and cheese in the hospital cafeteria. Dinner was turkey breast in a lemon sauce, more macaroni and cheese, and broccoli. And a big, big pudding parfait that just wanted to hug me. Saturday--race day--I stop at the same convenience store for coffee and a Cliff Bar. They don't have Cliff Bars. So I grab a chocolate Power Bar, something I've never before eaten, and figure this will just have to do.

Rule #4. Ensure you can run the distance of the race, or more, before race day. Okay, so this has nothing to do with the fact that Ted had his appendix removed. But it was just one more rule that I hadn't followed--the most I had run in the past few weeks, was 3 miles.

The race was okay. I wouldn't have even gone if it hadn't been the fourth race in a series (turns out I was the only female to complete all four events, making me the overall winner, which was neat). At the hospital (where I stayed, still sweaty from this race), it occurred to me that I still hadn't finished calling people who were expecting Ted and I to be places this weekend, so I called Cassie, happy to tell her at least what was going on, and have her make a phone call for me (I didn't have the number...the whole weekend was a bumbling mess for me).

Bottom line is Ted is fine. He was discharged this morning (Sunday) and is up and around as much as you can expect with stitches and 72 hours post-op. And we're both looking forward to hopefully a normal week, with sleep and rest and everything as routine as possible.

Marathon Fever

I love fall. I absolutely do. After months of hot, steamy temperatures, bright sun, and very little relief, the cooler temperatures are a welcome change. I love the colors of the leaves, the brisk air, and the "autumn sun", which is still beautiful and warm, but hardly as blistering as "summer sun".


It's this time of year that my urge to run kicks in. There are very few natural elements in the fall that hinder my running--winter is obvious snow and brutally cold temperatures. Summer brings heat and humidity, and while spring is definitely a welcome change from the dead of January, the increase in air temperature can cause problems (since I've decided my body is sensitive to warm temperatures, and going from cold-to-hot in running is not as pleasant as going from hot-to-cold).


Ted and I have three races in the next three weeks, and I've been following quite a few people training for fall marathons. I, however, am not one of those people training (although I do look very forward to training for Nashville beginning in January).


This time last year, we were at the peak of the Philadelphia Marathon training. This year, we plan on taking a new role in the race. We're motivators.


One of the greatest thing about having Ted's family down at the Philadelphia Marathon last year was how amazing it was for them to jump in and run miles 21-25 with us...words could not express what that meant and, even before the race, I would not have been able to comprehend the power that had.

So this year, Ted and I are paying it forward. My cousins, Jessie and Nick, are running Philly. They are juniors in high school, and part of the Students Run Philly Style training program with the Philadelphia School System. This will be their first full marathon, and I plan on being there for them as Ted's family was for us...backpacks, change of clothes, food, water, and a running partner when they need it the most. It will be a different side of the line to be on, but one I'm looking forward to.

Good luck to everyone running Steamtown and Chicago...and any other fall races!

Going off on a tangent...

This isn't running related, unless the "running" we are referring to is associated with running for public office.

This is a plea to the Americans. I'm not going to use this to push my own political agenda or discuss my viewpoints/opinions. I've read alot about each candidate and I am trying desperately to come to my own opinion based on the issues that concern me.

What I find to be especially troublesome is how absolutely ignorant people can be, and how rude, mean, insulting, and unfair. I find it difficult to find information that isn't slanted towards one side or the other. I find it difficult to discuss issues and I find it difficult to get a basic, middle-of-the-road approach to who I want to vote for because of what they believe. People will take their political stance and they will run with it and they will bash the opponent--sometimes bashing the opponent more than they are supporting their own. I have read liberal news, conservative news, and mainstream media. It's all like this. And I'm fairly certain this isn't want our forefathers had in mind when they created this amazing country.

I really don't care who people vote for--I care for WHY they vote. It's still a bi-partisan government. No one person will go into office and force a million new things. It still gets voted on, it still needs to get approved, and it will still be debated and analyzed. All I want people to do is read on the issues and make an educated decision. Leave your personal opinions about the IQ of the candidates, the color of their skin, how well they talk, how well they don't talk, what they look like, and their religion out of the mix. We are voting on issues that affect our country, our economy, and our well-being.

We live in a great country, and because we live in a great country, people like me are allowed to post stuff like this. And because of this great country I could come up with a crazy, brutal attack on either party and shout it from the rooftops, and the worst that could happen is people call me crazy. But because we live in a great country, I think we owe it to everyone to show a little respect. A great debate, whether it's on national television or at the water cooler, is patriotic and I encourage it. But leave the name-calling, finger-pointing, and uneducated accusations out of the mix. We owe it to ourselves, our candidates, our forefathers, and our future generations to elect someone based on educated decisions and for believing what we believe, not electing someone just because they are or are not Democratic or Republican, are or are not male or female, are or are not black or white.