I just want to eat! Conference food & race

Last month I said to myself, "you need a new fighting cancer shirt".  The one I had was the basic gray with white lettering from RaygunShirts in Des Moines Iowa.   I asked them to make the print on a black shirt for me, me Melanoma color.  They said "Sure". 

The note they sent along was so wonderful. It made my eyes leak.  

 Stage 1a Acral Lentiginous Melanoma or my "toe cancer" as I called it. I'm at a higher risk to have regular sun melanoma as well.  As a result, I took advantage of the sale Athleta had last month and ordered more of the UPF swim shirts they have (Pacifica, long sleeve and short sleeve).  I wear these out mowing, and in the car on road trips, and for the pool/ocean too. The guy at the camping store said the UPF protection is usually good up to 50 washes.  

A fellow Melanomie shared that Rit Sun Guard can be used to put sun protection into clothing. However,  does say that it's works best on cotton and not synthetics.  j
I was excited for the conference, but also for the race on Sunday. It turned out that America's Finest City half marathon would be on the Sunday after the conference, so I stayed an extra day to run!  I haven't been doing running in training. It hurts to run on the treadmill, even though the pain doc said that the treadmill would be better than running on asphalt. Running on asphalt is slightly better than concrete. I've been working on keeping my head/chin in a tucked in position, so as to not extend my neck in a fashion that pains me post car collision.  I ran a 10K in mid July and was feeling good about it--I even biked to and from the race!  However, I still stuck with weights, yoga and walking for training of this race. I was using it as a guideline for how my body was feeling all over, and gauging if I could work towards running in training too.

I packed single packets of Sunbutter for breakfast on race day, as well as maybe the flight home.  I also had my Tanka bars, cheese sticks, and my 'granola' mix as I call it (sunflower & pumpkin seeds, Guittard chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and Trader Joe's dried coconut flakes).

The flight out was fairly boring.  There was so much cloud coverage for most of the flight, that I kept my window shade closed. I had a Mamma Chia drink before leaving the house in the morning, and then my packed snacks.  

After checking into the hotel and for the conference, I met up with some other folks and had a cheese appetizer. The bread went to someone else who could eat it, and I enjoyed the cheese, olives, and dates. Later I went out and enjoyed a raspberry Mojito, and a huge Paella dinner. I shared the lobster (too much) and the mussels (I don't care for them).   

Paella, SO GOOD!  

The conference started the next day and I was hungry.  I took a packet of Sunbutter down to breakfast with me, and some of my Canyon Bakehouse mountain bread. I had fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, and a Chobani yogurt. However, the bread, as usually in a catering event, was served on top of bread to absorb the grease.  **Always be on your toes at a conference!   Their sign said gluten free, obviously it wasn't.  When I said something to the staff, I was told "eh".  Different chain than we've been at before, and I can say the Marriott folks were very accommodating and said, "oh, I see, yes. Let me get you some fresh bacon."  NOT this place though.

There was a mid morning snack. I had the fruit. I have to wonder why they served fruit ninety minutes after breakfast that had fruit.

Lunch. Failure.  Complete failure.  I had a sticker on my name tag that was suppose to mean "go to the catering staff, show them, and ask for your gluten free and soy free meal".  In reality, when I did that, I was directed to the buffet. After standing in line for twenty minutes, I saw this dish and tag: 

Being a farmer's daughter, I knew that Farro was NOT gluten free. I pointed this out to the catering staff and was told "it is gluten free, we checked everything."  After I sat down with my lettuce and parm cheese, the catering staff gave me a gluten free meal from the kitchen. I was SO mad and upset that I could barely eat, but I needed to eat something, so I ate the chicken only.  

The afternoon snack was not much better. I was jealous because I thought everyone had donut holes, but it turned out they were pretzel balls with cheese for the side, and then packages of nuts (which had soy).  I guess I don't even know why nuts would be served as they are a major allergen for so many people.  I ran up to my room and grabbed a Tanka bar and cheese stick.  

Dinner that night was a mixer which was another buffet. I ate some plain rice and a piece of fish, literally was trying to not cry from being sooooo hungry. I stayed for a bit to socialize, and then left for the grocery store a few blocks away. Hormel ham slices, cheese, crackers, chocolate milk, avocado, and a few other things.

The next morning I found someone from the conference and let them know of the issues. They were shocked to hear this.  I know I am not the only celiac at the conference, and I know there are others who have more restrictive food needs than I have (some are gluten, dairy, and nightshade free, some are vegetarian, some are vegans, etc).  The person told me to know that I will have food for lunch and dinner, and that I can send in the receipt for reimbursement.

Knowing I only had two more Sunbutter packs left, I saved then for race day and travel home day, and had the eggs, fruit, and yogurt for breakfast.  Lunch was plain and I did not care. I had something to eat. I had salt and pepper to add some flavor to it.  

Veggies, beef, chicken.  Simple. Edible. Needed 

The afternoon snack was like the hotel didn't even try. I don't get why they had sandwiches only. 

NO thank you.
They kind of look good, but they also look like a whole lot of bread. 

I'll have my usual: 

Rice crackers, cheese, Tanka bar. 

Dinner was hilarious.  I let the catering staff at the table know I was gluten free. I didn't feel I was understood. I wrote on the back of the printed menu, "Gluten Free and Soy Free".
"My" meal was served.

Vegetarian is not gluten free. 

A table mate said, "that'd be gluten free". 

I hope they didn't serve it to someone else. I turned on my phone light and picked it apart. Beans, greens, and squash is not the gluten free meal when others have the meat and fish. 

Sigh.

Frustrated, I said, "I'm going up to the room to get my ham, cheese, crackers".  On the way out of the dinner room, I saw a head catering man. [He had a different jacket on than others]. I showed him the photo and he said, "I will get you your meal. That is not it."  I came back to this:

MUCH better!  Slightly different than every one else's. I was still a bit worried about eating it, but I needed food, I had a race in the morning, and I knew there'd be portapotties on course.  

I stayed for a little dancing, and then headed to the room. I had to be up around 3:30am to dress, get a Lyft, and head to the park for a shuttle to the start.  

Flat Quirky: 

Raygun printed design on my own running tank, and my new Sparkleskirts skort.

I knew the course had a hilly/downhill start and a hilly/uphill finish.
I knew some of the course, as I had run from the Cabrillo Monument back to the hotel two years ago.
I thought I remembered it.
I didn't.
The weather was also muggy/humid. For some reason we in the flyover states haven't had much of it. 

The start was a bit of an undulating road for the first couple of miles. We also didn't actually start at the monument/statue, but in the parking lot of the monument.  I loved the downhills. FLYING. I was FLYING.  The incredible feeling of flying.

Then we got to the Sheraton where the course was a turn right for a loop, and then go the other way for a loop.  With the humidity and sweating, my Glide had worn off. Thankfully there were running paramedics on the course and I asked a couple of them for some Vaseline or some such. 

I've never heard of 2Tom Sport Shield before, but I am a firm believer in them now. The paramedic unfurled it, and then said just to rub it all over. She was going to throw the package away, but I took it and the wipe and put it in my sparkleskirt skort pocket for use later if I needed it. That stuff stayed on and only came off with soap and water.  It was awesome.   

The wipe was still very 'slippery' after the race. I put it in a ziploc and am wondering if I can get another use out of it.  I put an order in for some from Amazon though.  

Race on. We had to get to the 10K by a certain point. I did it, with time to spare! More time than in my July 10K.  The downhills may have had something to do with that, but I was elated nonetheless.  

I had to stop and get a photo at the Cancer Survivor's Park.  The sculpture in the background (blocked off) depicts many entering treatment, but fewer exiting.  I am one of those who exited!

I took excitement and inspiration where I could, because I forgot how long running 13.1 can be.  Running a race with 7,000 friends is different than walking Williams Route 66, or Little Rock half when there are a lot of people around!  

Then the hills started. . .  gentle climbing, and I enjoyed seeing T-Rex for some laughs.   

and the hills just kept coming. A gradual one to start, and then we turned the corner and it continued to climb. We passed an intersection that reminded me of a San Francisco hill. Then we just continued on this long, so long, a climb. Up and up and up. I was hurting up the hill. I'm not sure I could have run that whole stretch even in my best shape! Up to Balboa Park.  Then we turned on a flat road. Such a beautiful flat road! (Except everyone kept trying to shove gluten pretzels at me).  We went past the Museum of Man.  Beautiful architecture, and I knew we were almost at the finish with all of that.  A turn here, a curve there, a straight away and the finish.  

The beautiful, beautiful finish line!   

I may have burned some calories.

You know I don't post my times, because my time is for me, not for anyone else. Knowing Quirky's time doesn't mean anything when we are racing against ourselves. I am not an elite runner!    

The beautiful disco ball 40th running medal.
It's so much fun to spin! 

After a Lyft ride back to the hotel and a quick clean up, I went to the pool and hot tub to relax and stretch the muscles.  I also had a fabulous Margarita and a bunless cheeseburger with fruit at the pool. Salt tasted fabulous!   I let the jets of the hot tub pound on my feet and thighs, and up my spine. I did lunges and bends in the hot tub and the heated pool. I thought I was feeling pretty good.

A group of us headed over to Coronado Beach and played in the surf. My blister on a blister was popped after the surf play. I usually try not to pop the blisters, but this one was right on the side at the base of the toes and rubbed against the Birkenstocks.  I couldn't travel like that the next day.  I just popped it, kept the skin there, and put a bandaid over it.

That night I wasn't too hungry, and had a cheese and meat tray at the hotel restaurant again. 

It was simple and I had salt :D
Cheese, cured meat, fresh olives, and dates. I didn't have the pickled onions or cauliflower. 

Monday flying home day was also the day of the solar eclipse in the USA. I thought we'd be in the air when the eclipse was happening, but it turns out it started as we were waiting in the airport.  I tried the hole in the paper part and it didn't work too well. A nice young woman had some eclipse glasses she let us use.  I got a nice photo through those glasses. Then the clouds covered the sun and moon, and I could see it with my Maui Jim sunglasses (not that I stared at it), and I tried to take a photo through my lenses.  I think it worked well for being a guessing photo.  

I was a little stiff when I woke up the day after the race, but I stretched and thought I was doing well. I thought wrong.  Even waiting at the airport for a couple hours wasn't bad.  I had a window seat on the plane. The folks next to me didn't get up at all, and one fell asleep. I didn't want to wake him up, and since I'm short, I was able to do some stretching in the chair. Arms up and forward. Legs down and under the seat. After getting off the plane in Chicago, I headed to the yoga room to stretch.  Afterwards I thought I was doing well.

Then our flight was delayed due to a computer glitch malfunction.  I improvised using my orange juice bottle to rub out the muscles like "The Stick". It worked.  I stretched some more and walked a bit. We were finally able to board, two plus hours later.  

I did some yoga on Tuesday and stretched. Wednesday resumed with yoga class and some light walking. Yesterday I signed up for the Williams Route 66 in Tulsa in November.

Run on. 

Tulsa! Route 66 because I'm only half a maniac

A friend managed to talk me into doing the Route 66 half marathon in Tulsa, Nov 2016.  I dragged my feet on this because this is a race I want to do the full marathon.  Also, because of the car collision of November 2015, I hadn't run until August, and even then it is uncomfortable and thus I have not been training.  I went into this knowing I'd be essentially walking a half marathon. That is still mentally hard for me to accept.  

First thing, Google maps told me online that it would be an eight hour drive. I was like 'OKAY! Let's do this!'   I knew it was a five hour drive to KC, MO and thought 'I can do another three on the flip side'.  It was a WINDY day and driving into it all day was hard on the injured wrist holding the wheel against the wind, and on the hearing, as the wind was hitting the vehicle such that it was very noisy inside.  I stopped in KC MO to see a family member, and then stopped off at Barnes n Nobles to buy a book on CD, because one can only listen to news radio or the same songs over and over ;-)   It was a good thing I did.  The drive from KC MO to Tulsa was another five hours, not three.  #GoogleFail

Friday morning I did some tourist things and checked out an estate sale at a gorgeous 1920s craftsman house--which actually ended up being on the race course! An ode to my mom to head to estate sales. This one had things I have *never* seen at any other sale: Indoor bicycle trainer, bike road shoes, and (eww) bicycling shorts. So many great books, but I said no to those and picked up some 1950s "Shiny Brite" Christmas ornaments instead.  :-)   

Friday I went to the expo to pick up my numbers, and my friend's, as she was flying in late.  It felt great to be at one again with all the energy and excitement in there!  I wore my RaygunShirts "This is my fighting cancer shirt".  I may need to get one that says "this is my body post vehicle collision"  
The expo was a good size. Not too big, not too small. There were lines for the half/full, and then other lines for the 5k.  Since my friend convinced me to do both the half and the 5k because 'we got something special' I did it.  ---Side note:  We both forgot about that and we didn't wind up with the special glass that said we did the back to back challenge. 

This pretty much summed it up. The energy of the expo was great, but the reality was that I had not done much walking/training other than every day.  I had done a 5k about a month before, I did a 10K a couple weeks later, but I hadn't done anything over a 10k.  I was fine with being a "much more than back of packer" because this was a large enough race  that there'd be a lot of people on the course with me!  Perspective is everything!    

At the expo, I scored a $5 Whole Foods coupon, so I headed over to one to find something for food. Mac and cheese and a packet of tuna fish.  So nutritious, right?  Easy to heat up in the microwave.   Later I picked up my friend at the airport and we headed to Outback---a go to staple in a large city. They do gluten free right. They also do well when I'm with my siblings/families who have peanut, nut, soy, dairy, gluten restrictions :-)  The one things we've found out is that the sweet potatoes are "covered in foil and then in oil" but they apparently aren't deep fried. If you have a soy oil intolerance, you'll want to avoid the sweet potatoes!  

The drawback to this weekend is that it takes place in November!  Brrr.  The day I drove into town it was unseasonably hot, like the rest of this 2016 Autumn, 70 degrees. I wore my skort. Friday, it was still nice, but a bit breezy, wore a skort.  5k race morning was in the mid30s. What the heck?   I did come prepared!  I also got a hotel near the *start* line of the Sunday races, but not Saturday's 5k, which meant we had to walk about a mile to the start line ---ooops on realizing that!  

Prepared for the cold air

Near the start area is the Woodie Guthrie museum. I didn't get a chance to go in it this time, but when I'm back in this town I'll head in.  The mural is neat.  It was obstructed at the bottom by some race course metal.    

Volunteers setting out the warm blankets. How I wanted one on this morning!   

The start of the 5k race was a long corral that was sparsely filled, so there were plenty of 'holes' in the groupings of people letting in the wind ;-)   I was able to run, slowly, with plenty of walking for the first half mile, then there was a big hill over the train tracks, and I pretty much walked with some running.  Coming up to the last turn area, we saw this retro Tulsa sign: 

Turning the corner, there was this road sign just screaming "take a selfie here".  

We are a special event for sure!

Crossing the finish line felt good. Obviously my time is slow, but it was under 45 minutes, so that was a good thing for this collision recovering body. This spring my 5k was almost an hour in extreme pain.  After the finish line I spied one of the mascots.  I don't recall who the dragon belonged to, but I thought it was great.  (There is a mascot race at some point on Saturday).   

 Walking back to the hotel, we tried to take a short cut 'straight ahead'. We passed the "center of the universe" area which is a side detour on the marathon course for a 'special' medal.  I didn't look it up ahead of time, but the echo part sounds neat--and not something we noticed as we walked past.  

My friend and I went back to the expo, so she could experience it and buy race day energy.  While there, we checked out the Brooks display which I had skipped on Friday. She wanted a new pair of shoes, and we did the random entry on their table.  Fill out info on a tablet, win something. My friend won a shirt.  As I was filling out the final screen and hitting 'enter', I said "free shoes, free shoes". The Brooks worker scanned the code and I WON A FREE PAIR OF SHOES!   I had to laugh: last year at the Marine Corps Marathon I won a banner bag which had a free pair of Brooks shoes in it.   I didn't wear those until after my epidural in June this year, and I guess it was time for a new pair ;-)     The Brooks worker insisted I do the treadmill fit test even though I wear Brooks and my local store does a fit. Oh My Goodness. My back was hurting doing the test (barefoot) and then she told me I had to kick higher for the reading.  Pain, 8. OW.

In 2014 I did back to back half marathons in order to become a half fanatic.  Hartford CT and Newport RI halves (Followed up with the Tufts 10K on the Monday--mistake with my foot having a twing in it that day. Then I ran a 10K the next weekend in NH).  Four states that trip, but the important thing was that I earned my entry into the Half Fanatics club.  

Half Marathon Maniac and the Route 66 was the first one where I could partake in any 'mania'.   Got my entry bracelet at the expo and had to keep it on until after the race on Sunday.  Road ID is always on.  Last race with my MotoActv as well---hubby got me a new Garmin vivoactiv HR for Christmas.  

Driving around Saturday afternoon we were hungry and couldn't find the restaurant we had googled. We passed by My Fit Foods and thought 'this sounds like a place we can find gluten and soy free food'.  We were expecting a regular restaurant. Instead, it is a already prepared food, take and reheat establishment. You can reheat and dine in, or take with you home.  Portions are available in regular and large.  Plenty of choices and beverages as well. My limitation was not being able to have soy as well, so I went with the Cilantro Lime Turkey. This was tasty, flavorful, filling.  

---Insert Marathon Maniacs/Half Fanatics group photo---
Just pretend it's here ;-)   

I didn't ask for permission to publicly share it on the blog and 

I don't feel right doing it without the permission.  

  

I still couldn't believe I was going to do a half marathon. This year has been hard. I can lament the fitness I've lost, but the reality is going forward from this point isn't as much fun as it was when I could run without pain and enjoy training.   Race day morning was cold, again, but the bright side was that the starting line was basically right outside our room---or so we thought.  Basically, the road sides were blocked off and the only openings to the corrals, each of which is one block long, were at the intersections.  My block/starting corral was at the end of the line, so I would have been better of staying at the Hyatt, HA!   The Maniac corner at the start area, was guarded, we actually did have to show our bracelets to get in!  We went back to our hotel for the warm lobby.  I thought I heard some loudspeaker talk, so we went outside. The national anthem was being played. Several people were walking in front of us and randomly happened to look back. I stopped and stood at attention, my friend did the same.  Someone ahead of us looked over their shoulder, saw us stopped at attention and then they did the same and it repeated for the next four people who had been walking to the start. That was pretty cool.

We then had to go the length of the starting corrals to get to ours. The bad thing about the intersections was that they had gates out into the side street for a bit so we had to swerve around those. Security at those intersections too, so no one could dash into a corral that wasn't theirs.  (Really liked the set up of this race).

It was so nice to be in the corral with everyone around us (i.e I was warm with the surrounding body heat).  Hills, hills, hills. I never would have thought Tulsa or Oklahoma would have been hilly.  I grew up in Iowa with the Loess Hills; however, I live near a river now, so I'm a flat lander, and one who is happy we drove part of the route the prior day.  Once we got out of downtown/business areas and entered into the residential areas it was flatter.  We went down a hill and at the little spot before the rise started, there were runners and a race person helping a man who appeared to have performed a face plant. OUCH.  He wanted to continue. I wonder if they let him.  I had been doing a walk, with a little running up to this point. Pretty much after I turned the corner, I just started walking completely.  My lower back was aching and I had many more miles to go.

One of the roads we ran on was near a private school. The road was lined with a water stop, and with speed bumps. Lots of speed bumps.  It made me wonder what kind of speedsters those high schoolers and parents much be ;-)

We wound our way up to a pretty park at the top of a climb. There was great country/banjo music at the area. I think that was about mile 4 or 5.  

Who was I to argue, especially when they repeated it three times!  

Also, does this photo scream "no longer a twenty something"?

There are many gorgeous homes in this town.   It was a great route to just 'walk' because of this.  One area of the roadway was torn up and patched with gravel, then we turned off the road. A volunteer was telling us that we were running on earthquake damaged land, from the fracking/drilling massive earthquake in September.

Soon we were on a road paralleling a river that reminded me of the great wide Nebraska Platt River. One that didn't look very deep, but it was quite wide and probably scared pioneers in days gone by.  The Arkansas River I've seen before near Leadville CO as the east fork of the Arkansas River, where it's very tiny.  I've seen it in Salida, Colorado as a stream/brook with lots of rocks. Something about as wide as an eighteen wheeler.   This crossing in Tulsa was quite wide.  It was also where we turned off the street, took a left to do a U turn on the bridge/Route 66. Alongside it was an old bridge that was cut off from traffic. I believe it was an original 66 crossing.  

Arkansas River  

Route 66 ba-by!   Woot!   

The last couple of miles were really hard for me. My back was really hurting and I was trying to keep my mind off of it.  Plenty of people were around me at this point, which was nice and reassuring (I wasn't the last one out).  Then I spied it, money on the course!  Yes, I stopped for a quarter on the roadway.  Why not? It just made my registration a little less ;-)  

I was soooo happy to see the finish line :-)  and I did the dumbest thing possible.  I ran the last ten paces. Oh my back. Why did I do that?   Habit. I always take off faster at the last of a race, and I got caught up in the energy of the crowd/finish. Made me wonder what the heck I was doing and then beat myself up for it from the pain that took a while to diminish.

Finish area.
Heat blanket: check  

Medal: check   

Photos: check
Food: check
Results page: check   Maniac Corner: CHECK
Inking that we were suppose to get something special for doing the 5k and half was there ---OOPS

I'd show you the inside, but you have to earn you way :-D 

I exchanged my 'regular' half marathon medal for the Fanatics one.  The original was blue and the Maniac one is yellow. This race is truly amazing with the medals. Special for your first marathon, first half marathon, special for maniac members. I think there are like a couple of handfuls of different types of medals they offer.  

Done, for the glory of cool medals. 

When we got back to the hotel we had the same thought: thankful we had the rest of the day to relax and did not have to travel right away.  We leisurely soaked in the hot tub for about an hour after we were back at the hotel, cleaned up and then I said "we need to get out and stretch, let's go to Target". We found a superTarget so we were able to get gluten free (soy free) food for dinner and breakfast, did some slow strolling and headed back. The microwave in the lobby was on the wimpy side, 180º from mine at home, but there were good chairs to relax in while we waited for our dinner to heat. They even had silverware for us!

We headed out in the morning, dropped my friend off at the airport and I settled in for the ten hour drive home.  Google was off, the car GPS was spot on with that. 

Definitely recommend Route 66 marathon/half/5k weekend.