Dark to Dark

I’m back home at a computer with a full keyboard at which I can type at full speed tonight.   I love my iPad, but it’s not the ideal device to type long blog posts on (and you know how I like writing long posts).   I have a lot more energy today too, which helps because I could hardly type straight last night.

We got up yesterday morning to run the New York marathon in the dark at four-thirty AM.   It was daylight savings which gave us another hour of sleep but we were in the dark from the point we got up, through the cab ride to the bus and most of the way to the start village on Staten Island.  Once there we checked in with the clear bag of belongings allowed per security protocol and headed to Charity Village where we met our friends from the Hole in the Wall Gang charity we had helped raise money on behalf of the event.

We hydrated, ate food and waited until 10:30AM to get in queue for our starting corral.   We ditched hats, jackets and other items that kept us warm which we planned on donating as the weather warmed up for the day.   It was sunny and about as nice as we could possibly ask for on race day by the time we crossed the start line.

I’d heard the bridge was challenging but I couldn’t imagine why until I ran it.   The Verrazanno bridge is about two miles with the first mile uphill.   You’re not warmed up and it’s just a long, steady slope for those who don’t run hills often.    It was a great way to start the race though with a spectacular view:

We hydrated every mile at the water stations, which turned out to be a disadvantage when we realized we were over-hydrating and therefore had to stop at a port-a-potty several miles in.   Where we stopped there was a long, long, barely moving line causing us to have a 21:44 minute mile (ouch).

The hydration stations were somewhat of a mystery to me in that there were no trash cans.   Our sitter, Morgan, was working one all day and she told us the reason they were all wearing volunteer rain ponchos was because they were going to get splashed all day from runners who threw their cups on the ground.

Why not some big trash bins?   Every stop there were sweepers and people working with rakes to get the squashed cups off the road.   I would have done my best to get in or near a trash receptacle if there had been any in evidence.

We spent a long time in Brooklyn and were amazed at the number of people, bands, children, signs, free food from strangers as we ran past.   We were close to the last corral which means folks had been cheering for hours already, but they were still there, still cheering us on.   It was quite motivating.

We passed through Queens and then crossed the Queensboro bridge into Manhattan and had even more crowds cheering for us at that point.    It was a happy run the entire time.   The participants were from something like one-hundred-forty countries.    This was the fortieth year the race has gone through all five boroughs and many older people had bibs on their backs saying, “24 NY Marathons and counting” or other equally impressive number.

We left Manhattan to enter into the Bronx where we’d heard there would be the least crowds cheering, but we were met with bands, orange slices, bananas, pretzels and goldfish as well as still-cheering spectators.     After a short time we crossed back into Manhattan, heading south to Central park.

This part of the race was the longest mentally because you feel close to being finished, but you’re not.   It was also where I threw a temper tantrum because I made a setting change on my phone and watch and unknowingly caused it to drain power to fast and die at about twenty-three miles into the race.   My best friend told me it was okay to which I said something probably very rude indicating I was mad and to leave me alone for a while.  

She did and I got over it and we ran on.   We ended the race on Central Park South, turning at Columbus Circle back into Central park and across the finish line.    It was just about dusk at this point.   But we weren’t done.   Oh no, there’s about two miles of walking through the park to get out of the cordoned off area before you can get back to your hotel, taxi or find friends.    They provided recovery bags of food and drinks, a very nice poncho and medical support for any who needed it.

What we didn’t fully appreciate until we were tired and desperate to find our way out of the maze at the end of the race (which we’d been forewarned about) was the wisdom of the hotel we were staying at.   Friends who’d run the race before had suggested it.    Low on fuel and energy, once we exited the race area we were only a few blocks from our beds and a shower.  

By that time we were in the full dark of night.   We left for the race in the morning in the dark and returned to our hotel in the dark—but we ran in the light.

After we’d had showers we caught up with Morgan, who took care of both my best friend’s and my children all summer and who had given us drinks at the mile nine hydration station.   She came to meet us for dinner, taking a night off from her studies at Pratt.   We had a delicious Indian meal (even more delicious because of how hungry we were) and caught up on each other’s lives.

Then we both slept soundly until the alarm went off to get up and head to the airport to come home to see our families.   It was a fun weekend but I’m always glad to be home.

The Big Boy Tiny Girl Google Trillion Welcome:   I got home this afternoon from New York, having been gone for three days to run the New York Marathon.   I picked up the children from school and was greeted by happy smiles and a welcome home from both children.   As we were driving away from school my son said, “I love you a google trillion, mom.”  My daughter, not to be outdone told me she loved me a ‘google, google trillion”.   My son said that number wasn’t possible but gave in when his sister was emphatic it was, indeed, a valid number.   With that information, he told me, “I love you a google, google, trillion, trillion, billion/“

New York Marathon Update:  Feeling fine today after the 26.2 plus bonus walking miles after the race.   Tomorrow I might be sore; typically it’s the second day that I can tell how the run really went.

New York City Marathon

I'm tired, it's late and I have to get up early to catch a flight home so this is a quick post until I get to my computer with more hours of sleep behind me. 

The race was great.  We had fun, met lots of nice people, were cheered on by throngs of onlookers, many with funny signs, a surprising portion making fun of Donald Trump. It was a long morning to get to the start lines but we had good weather which made it a more pleasant wait.  

We had long porta potty lines which jacked up our tptotal run time eve though we ran many of the miles faster than our typical pace. We happily finished the race just before dark in Central Park,   

Our friends had told us which hotel to stay in because it is cery close to the finish line ejecton point out of the park.  We stumbled back to our room and sat down for a while.   Then, we had the most delightful dinner with Morgan, our sitter who is adored by our children.

Next, I'm going to bed.

The Big Boy, Tiny Girl and Neighbor's Children Update:  Nana came to visit with Papa today.  Nana is a lot of fun.  She was so much fun that everyone wanted to sit beside her or on her lap, including our neighbor's children.   I'm not surprised, Nana knows how to make children happy. 

Marathon Update:  I ran the New York Marathon today and had a blast.  I'm not sure about doing it again, but it most definitely was a fun experience. 

To the Convention Center and Back

It was an early morning, heading to New York with my best friend to run the New York marathon tomorrow.  I'm tired as I write this (in a taxi) so I'll make it brief.   It's been a busy day.  

We arrived in the city and headed straight for the expo to pick up our bibs.  After looking around, we left, went to the hotel, got lunch and came back when our room was available for check-in. As we were looking over our things for the race tomorrow, my friend noticed she had the wrong bib.   

We had to go back to the Convention Center to make a swap.  Fortunately her bib was still there and she had returned the man's one she had by mistake.  As we were about to leave we we're talking about how timing had worked out as the other man hadn't gotten there yet to pick up his bib—at which point he walked up to the table beside us to check in.  

In over fifty thousand runners, what a coincidence.  

The Big Boy Update: I asked my son how it went during playground time at school the other day.  He told me, "well, I didn't really do any roughousing".

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  my daughter was playing on a  huge leaf and mulch pile under old growth trees in an area she didn't know recently.  I noticed she wanted a stick to use to fill her way around.   The cane work has taught her to use her other senses to find out about her environment. 

Tomorrow We’re Off

Tomorrow my best friend and I are heading to New York to run in the marathon.  Tonight is a chaotic mess getting ready for the trip in small part but mostly the fun of our movie night friends here.   It’s fun chaotic.    I just found out our friends are pregnant and we’re all excitedly talking about babies and the fun of having children.  

The Big Boy Update:  My son has a new trick.   He’ll say, “hey mama, look at that!”  He will point to something in the next room and then run when I look away.   When I turn around he’s gone and I exclaim, wondering where he went.   He laughs, immediately giving away his location, and then tells me he got me.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  my daughter likes to store socks as well as ice cubes in the back of her tricycle.  Fortunately she doesn't store tHem both at the same time.

Chaotic Closet

I’ve been asked to help out at school.   It was just a query at first, wondering if I’d be available at the end of the school year to assist in the reorganization of the toddler classrooms shared closet.    The end of year was when they thought they’d have to do it because they needed to purchase bins, file folders and other containers and they wouldn’t know how much was available until they found out how many gift cards they might receive over the course of the year.

Typically, children in the classroom present the class with a “class gift” at their birthday celebration.   The children enjoy giving something to their teachers for the class.   Since we’ve moved into our newly built school there have been a lot of needs to finish outfitting the classrooms.   An empty, large closet wasn’t the most conducive to organizing and storing material representing an entire year of toddler education.

I wasn’t able to wait.   I messaged Kica and asked if I could come in and look at the situation.   It was (as my son told me), “a nightmare”.   I would agree heartily.   I thought I could help and I thought I could do so without that much cost.   I didn’t ask permission, I just said I was coming in and I’d lock myself in the closet while class took place.

The teachers laughed at me when they saw me arrive with a few bins I had to test sizes.    I ended up leaving the closet open and talking to all the inquisitive toddlers who were interested in what I was doing.

That was yesterday.   Today I made big progress.  Teachers were coming in and out of the area I was working in throughout the morning and afternoon.   Every time, they’d look in and tell me how happy they were and how they couldn’t believe how much room there was just from the work I’d done so far.  

Tomorrow I’m hoping to get things more in order so I can start to figure out where best to put things.  I’ve got to tell you—I’m so happy sitting in that closet, organizing materials and putting things in order.  I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

The Big Boy Update:  I heard my son say, “that’s the smallest person I’ve seen in my life.”   I looked over to see him watching a mother holding and rocking a newborn on her chest.  I told him he used to be that small.   I’m not sure he believed me.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  While I was organizing the closet today when one of my daughter’s teacher’s came into the room.   She’s been one of the teachers in the main school day or after school period with my daughter for the entire time she’s been at the school.   She said my daughter had just said, “Miss Pearl, you’re everything to me.”

All The Powers in the World

My children have a game they play when getting out of the tub.  It’s mostly my daughter’s passion, but my son has helped expand the game.   The real problem is my husband though.   He’s just too good at the game.   He’s so creative.   So far I don’t think I’ve seen him play the game the same way twice.   Why is this a problem?   Because when dad isn’t around, my children expect me to play the game and try as I might, I just can’t do it as well as he does.

Here’s how it’s played:  first, you have a small little girl who wants to play “the egg game” each and every time she gets out of the bath.   She wants to jump out, curl into a ball on the bathmat and be covered by her towel.   At this point she’s an egg.   She needs to be hatched, which is where my husband comes in, coming up with various ways to knock on an egg, talk to it once he hears the peeping or squeaking sounds it’s making and then be happily surprised when the baby turtle, giraffe or alligator pops out of the egg.  

Activities then revolve around getting pajamas on, drying hair, brushing teeth, doing eye drops but with the child being that particular animal.   This can be particularly challenging when you have a bouncing type of animal, which they all are in the case of my daughter’s.  

The game has gotten more complex lately in what animal the children are picking.  It wasn’t enough to be just a lion.   The lion had to have the power of fire and the dolphin needed the power of water.   These powers were sometimes able to be defeated by other powers (so my son told my daughter) so they needed secondary powers to counteract that.   In short order the battle of powers was settled evenly by each child saying something like, “I’m a baby elephant and I have all the powers in the world!”  

It didn’t stop there though.   Just tonight I heard my daughter hatching from her egg proclaiming in the fastest voice she could muster, “I’m a baby turtle with all the powers in the world and all the colors in the world and all the foods in the world.”   Her brother told her about several things she forgot to add, which means tomorrow we’ll have even more powerful animals hatching in our bathroom at bedtime.

The Big Boy Update:  I was wearing a ball cap today.  I rarely wear one but today turned out to be that rare day.   As my son was getting ready for bed I asked him if he thought I looked good in a hat.   He said he didn’t think I did, so I took the hat off, asking if that was better?  He said, “now you look like the Mommy I know.”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter wanted to go outside and ride her scooter before dinner last night.   I opened the garage doors and told her she could go ahead, that it was okay.   Instead of being happy, she cried out instead, “but nobody’s going to supervise me!”

Meeting a Friend

This isn’t about catching up with a friend, it’s about meeting a friend for the first time.  I think I told a story about a year ago in which one of our friends in the neighborhood heard about my daughter’s sudden vision loss.   He got in contact with me and told me we had another neighbor who was a retina surgeon.   He said he’d let her know about me and was it okay if she got in touch with me.

Last Labor Day at around dinner time she called me.   She took time out on a holiday to talk to me about what was happening in my daughter’s eyes.  I took notes—furious notes—because I didn’t know the medical terms in lots of cases and I wanted to make sure to get down all her suggestions and advice.   She talked to me like a friend, not like a doctor who was telling me matter of factly the situation.   She understood how scared I was and how lost we felt as parents, not knowing what was happening with our child.

We were on the phone for quite some time and at the end she told me she was there if I needed anything.    In the past year I’ve contacted her several times, once I remember in complete panic, when we were scared things were suddenly getting worse.    Each time she gave me the advice I needed and the support of a fellow mother.    She was such a comfort.

Here is the thing though—we’ve never met.   We keep meaning on meeting and almost met once I think at a neighborhood function, but we missed each other.   Last nigh however, we finally met.   I was out on the street, handing out my inoculations (adult beverages) and she stopped me and said, “I’m Lisa”.   I think I may have hugged her a bit too hard, but I was so very glad to see her.

We caught up quickly on the latest with my daughter’s eyes.   We had to catch up quickly, what with the chaos of Halloween surrounding us and her children heading down the street without her.   Folks I have to tell you, had there been a pop quiz on eye terms related to my daughter’s condition we discussed, I think I would have gotten a ninety-five percent.   I’ve learned a lot over the past year.  As we got to the cul-de-sac I met one of Lisa’s children, her daughter who also four-years-old.   She knows all sorts of things about eyes because she’s interested in her mother’s work.  I suspect she might know more about eyes than I do.

I gave Lisa another hug and we made plans to get together for coffee or a play date or something sometime soon.    As she left I had a big smile on my face.   It’s so nice to meet a friend you’ve been wanting to meet for a long time.

The Big Boy Update:  My son got a card game in a happy meal today.   You lay out the cards and select two that have something in common, naming what that commonality is.   I picked the bamboo and tree cards and said, “these two are plants”.   My son said, “can I pick the lion and the tiger cards?”  I told him sure, what did those two have in common?   What he said was not what I had expected.   He told me, “the lion and the tiger are both predators.”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter was helping me make lunches for tomorrow.  She decided quesadillas would be nice so I got out the cheese slices and asked her to cover up one tortilla and then we’d put the second one on top and microwave it to melt the cheese.   She’s done this before and solves the cheese coverage problem in her own way.  Instead of using as few, large pieces as possible, she prefers many, many smaller pieces.  She tears up the cheese slice square into small bits.   She was in the midst of this today when she said, “mommy, do  you know this thing is a trapezoid?”  I looked over and yes, she was holding a regular trapezoidal-shaped piece of cheese.

Final Taper:  We ran five miles today as our last, pre NYC Marathon, run.   Less than a week away now.   I’m looking forward to the weekend.