Monday, May 5, 2014

Some (but not all) weekend ugliness

Happy Monday, everyone!

I did not end up doing the last-minute entry into the Wisconsin Half Marathon this past weekend. After debating back and forth and back and forth, what finally sealed the deal was that I didn't get very much sleep on Thursday night. Running Wisconsin the next morning would have involved another night of minimal sleep. I decided not to push things.

I still wanted to get in a double-digit training run over the weekend, though. I'm running the Chicago Spring Half Marathon on May 18. Under normal training circumstances I would have taken this past weekend easy, but next weekend I'll be in Pittsburgh with a packed schedule. Therefore, I slugged through 10.2 miles yesterday. And when I say slugged, I really do mean slugged.



My left hip and hamstring started feeling very sore and tight afterwards. I spent a lot of time trying to stretch things out last night, but the discomfort still remains today. It's to the point where I'm walking with a slight limp right now. Ugh.

When I made the decision on Wisconsin, I was lamenting that it was really too bad the race was Saturday, not Sunday. If it were on Sunday, I would have gone for it. But in the end, it turned out to be the right decision for me not to run Wisconsin. Given how things are feeling today after just a long training run, the potential for uncomfortable ugliness would have been off the charts if I had raced.

Speaking of discomfort...

Congrats to everyone that did run Wisconsin, though, as well as all other races this past weekend! I've read about lots of strong performances and PRs. Woo hoo!

Now, getting back to the ugliness that was yesterday's long run. I had an uncomfortable incident with a passerby which has been weighing on my mind.

I was about one mile into my run and I ran past a random man on the sidewalk. He stopped me and asked if he could have some water from my handheld bottle.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking it was a bit of an odd request. I've only had one other incident in my life when someone had asked me for water from my bottle - and that was by a homeless girl when I was in Myanmar. This guy didn't really look homeless. But I figured it was just water, and I certainly know what it feels like to be thirsty. So I popped up the sports cap on my bottle, then handed it to him.

Personally, when I use a "shared" water bottle, I try to keep things sanitary. No facial contact with the bottle. I will hold the bottle a few inches away from my face and squeeze the water into my mouth. Kind of like this (but not exactly):

What is wrong with this picture?
(You get the idea, though.)

I figured the guy would do the same. Instead, he put the bottle into his mouth and sucked out of it the way a baby drinks out of a baby bottle.

Yuck.

He then made a racially-charged remark towards me.

Really?

I tried to respond calmly. (I grew up in a very non-diverse town and I've had plenty of racial comments hurled at me throughout my life. Sad to say that I'm somewhat used to it.)

But then, instead of handing me back my bottle, he dropped it onto the ground and started walking away. No words of thanks, nothing.

REALLY?!?!?

I picked it up without saying anything. Then I ran away in the other direction, shaking my head. My pace was fueled by anger, disgust, and annoyance. You try to help someone out, and this is what you get. Not to mention that I certainly wasn't going to be drinking from the bottle again after that incident. Way for that guy to throw a nice hydration wrench into my run at Mile 1, too.

People really amaze me sometimes, and not always in a good way.


Hey! I can't end this post on such an ugly note, so let's talk about some things that are making me happy.

My Blackhawks are up 2-0 in their series against Minnesota! There were so many great highlights from the weekend, but in particular, I loved seeing:

  • Kaner's highlight-reel goals in Game 1 followed by his proclamation of "SHOWTIME!"
  • Hoss's breakaway move on Bryz in Game 2, followed by Tazer's rebound clean-up
  • Saad's megawatt smiles in Game 2 when he talked Stoner into a penalty and when scoring two goals
  • Bicksy flipping the switch into playoff mode, big time!

Bryan Bickell in sideways celebration mode.

I've also been having fun participating in a newly-formed neighborhood run club. Plus, I'm starting to think about target half marathons for the fall, when there are some really great options. More about both of these topics to come in another post.

I hope everyone has a great start to the week. For those of you that raced, I love hearing the details so keep those recaps coming!

30 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh. I am completely appalled by what happened to you. Astounded, too. Just... what the eff. It seems like he was stopping you so that he could be a dick then throw your shit on the ground? I am so sorry that happened to you. What an awful encounter to have, ever. :( I bet that will be on your mind for some time.

    I hope you feel better soon (your hip and hammie) - maybe some rest will help?

    And I am curious to hear about your fall half plans! :)

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    1. I really appreciate the sympathy, Kim. I was trying not to think about it afterwards, but you are absolutely right that it's been weighing on my mind and won't go away. It's made me think twice about how I will handle similar situations in the future when random people ask me for help. Sad, I know.

      Thanks for the well wishes on my hip/hamstring! I'm doing a two-week taper now before my next half marathon, and I have to say that I'm one of those folks out there who LOVE tapering. I think rest heals everything! ;-)

      So quickly about the fall half plans, I was mentioning to you that Grand Rapids looked like a great potential race for a marathon relay... but after reading more about it, I'm starting to think it would make a great target half too! More to come. =)

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    2. I have heard such fantastic things about the GR HM! GO FOR EEEET!!!! :D

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    3. Thanks, Kim. Your "GO FOR EEET" comment always makes me smile, by the way. I feel very privileged to receive that comment from you twice within about four days. =D

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    4. Ha ha ha ha ha! I am happy it makes you smile!!! :D

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  2. BOO! If I were you, I would have picked up the bottle and chucked it at his head. You're much kinder than I am.

    And, sorry - can't lift your spirits with a Blackhawks comment. But at least you won one game. Don't expect another. ;-)

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    1. LOL, I am feeling better envisioning myself throwing the bottle at his head! Note to self for next time. ;-)

      I will just continue to say, let the best team win and GO BLACKHAWKS!!! For what it's worth, I have great respect for Minnesota fans because they are generally TRUE hockey fans. There's much less bandwagoning going on in Minnesota than there are in many other places (i.e. a lot of the teams located south of the Mason-Dixon)!!!

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    2. It's true, even when I was a kid I remember how hard core our hockey fans were. To this day I CANNOT watch a Stars game. It just makes me sick to my stomach. The are North Stars, dammit, and they should still be HERE! But screw 'em - the Wild is much better, anyway. :-)

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    3. Ah yes, I have been curious regarding how Minnesota folks feel about the Stars. The dynamics between the two teams could be... awkward. I agree with you that the North Stars should have never left Minnesota! And I, for one, don't really like having all these NHL teams south of the Mason-Dixon. These are extreme examples, but nobody in Miami or Phoenix cares about a cold-weather sport like hockey, you know?

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  3. OMG..So sorry that happened! People can be a**holes, but kudos to you for walking away. I'm with the person that said I would've hurled that bottle at him! My temper would've gotten the best of me! Go Hawks!

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    1. Tracey, I really appreciate the sympathy. In retrospect, it was one of those instances where the more I think about it afterwards, the more angry I get after the fact. UGH.

      GO HAWKS!!! By the way - I know your husband is a Steelers fan and I'm going to Pittsburgh next weekend for the Steelers Fan Blitz! Any chance either you and/or him have ever been to it before!?!?!?

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  4. Good decision on not running the race. Hope your hamstring feels better soon - ouch! Also I'm sorry to hear about the water bottle incident. I'd chalk it up to a big city with a few bitter/unhappy people wandering around to stir things up. He wanted to bug someone that day, and unfortunately it was you. He'll get his comeuppance one of these days! Anyway, love that the Hawks are up 2-0. I guess I will have to tune in soon before they hoist the Cup!

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    1. Thanks, Pete, and I really appreciate the sympathy. You are absolutely right, there are people out there who want to take things out on others who have nothing to do with it. I can't say that I have never been in that situation, myself - but I'd like to think I would never do anything to that extent. And at least I'll probably never see the guy ever again, right?

      Admittedly, the Hawks still have a long ways to go before they get to the Cup Finals. But in my book, the sooner you start tuning into the Hawks, always the better. =)

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    2. Yes, that guy has big problems. Hopefully he crawls back into the hole he came out of and you won't ever see him again! I need to find out when the Hawks are on regular (antenna) tv so I can tune in!

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    3. That is one of the perks of living in a big city, that it's easy to never see people ever again if we don't want to. LOL

      The Hawks were on NBC yesterday afternoon! And they will be on NBC more and more as the playoffs progress. =D

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  5. What the heck? What a bizarre encounter you had. I just ... why? What was the purpose? What is wrong with people? I'm sorry you had to experience that.

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    1. Appreciate the sympathy, Maggie. My thoughts exactly - WHY?!?!?! And WTH is wrong with people!?!?! Not to be ironic, but welcome to the neighborhood! =D

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  6. What a complete effer. Shame on him and all I can say is karma baby. So sorry that happened to you. Very disturbing and scary but I'm glad it wasn't even worse. Maybe I told you this but GR is where my half AND full PRs live. That course will always have my heart. Definitely go for eeeeet!

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    1. Appreciate the sympathy, Marcia. Karma baby, indeed! And likewise - I remember you sharing some of your own incidents with people who, shall we say, make us shake our heads. So I know you relate!

      Oh wow, I had no idea that you'd run GR in the past, period, let alone that your full and half PRs are there!!! I'll have to go look in your blog archives to read about both. I would also really love to hear more about your experiences there when we catch up in person next! See you in two weeks, yes!?!?!? And YAY for going for eeeeeet. ;-)

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  7. Omg what a creep with the water bottle! Now, I have thought about asking someone for water when I ran out recently during a 10 (which ended up being a 9) mile run. I even opened up my bottle and licked the rim hoping for something. I never did ask for water as I just felt weird.

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    1. CREEPY is RIGHT! Blugh. And likewise - when I was in dire straights during a long run for any of various reasons (bathroom, thirst, et al), I have also thought about asking someone for help. But I've never actually asked. The difference, though, is that if either of us did ask, we would both be MUCH more polite and considerate than that guy was. (Never mind that the guy obviously didn't set the bar very high when it comes to graciousness!)

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  8. That's really strange and just really crappy, I'm sorry that happened :( But Pete's right, whatever that was is on that guy, not you.

    Anyway, I'm happy to hear that you're thinking about Grand Rapids! Everything I've read says that it's a perfect course to PR, since it's super flat. And Michigan in the fall (my favorite time of year) is beautiful and G-Rap is a fun town to hang out in :)

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    1. Appreciate the sympathy, Anne. I can only imagine what the guy must have been thinking to act that way. Blugh.

      Yay for Grand Rapids! The pictures I've seen of the foliage and river views along the course are STUNNING. Michigan in the fall is truly breathtaking! And I've never heard of GR being referred to before as G-Rap but that's such a cool nickname!

      How close are you to pulling the trigger on registering for GR, by the way? I was surprised to see how expensive the half is. I'm hesitating a bit on making it a done deal for that reason only.

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  9. I am completely disgusted to hear what happened to you this weekend. It's sad to read that this sort of racism still exists today. Shocking and appalling. At first I was surprised you reacted so calmly (I wouldn't put it past myself to throw water in his face) but after giving it some thought I realized that you reacted perfectly. He was probably a pathetic messed up man who wanted to stir a reaction out of you but you acted with poise and class by stepping away :)

    Anyway, I hope your hamstring is feeling better! I'm with you on the pain...lately my hamstrings have been soooo tight and nothing seems to help. Let me know if you find a cure-all :)

    -Irina

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    1. Appreciate the sympathy, Irina. It is indeed very, very sad that racism still exists to the extent that it does. It seems like we live in such progressive times - but there are exceptions to everything, and a lot of ignorance out there. To be honest, when it happened, part of the reason that I didn't retaliate was because there weren't any other people around. Who knows what this guy could have done with no witnesses. So, better to leave well enough alone. =(

      So sorry to hear that you've been experiencing hamstring tightness, too. I've been foam rolling and using the stick religiously, but the tightness is indeed very stubborn! Maybe it's time for both of us to investigate sports massages!?!?!? =D

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  10. So sorry to hear about that ugly situation. You handled it the best way possible. No sense in fueling a fire you don't know the size of. I must say you are way more kind than me. If I notice someone approaching me I walk the other way, and I'd never ever give my water to anyone (outside of close friends) lets just say ive been burned a few too many times to believe there's good in random strangers (or in some of the people I know).

    Smart move on not doing the WI half. There's plenty of races out there to run when the time is right. And: hammies: feel better!!!

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    1. Appreciate the sympathy, Xaar, and thanks for the support. I'm definitely going to be more wary of strangers approaching me in the future, and you better believe that's the last time I'll be giving my water to anyone I don't know. I am really sorry to hear that you've been burned in these types of interactions in the past. It was such an awful feeling for me and I wouldn't want you or anyone to ever feel this way. Blugh.

      Thanks for the well wishes on the hamstrings. Unfortunately even today they are still hurting. I think I'll be taking the entire week off of training. It's right about now that I am regretting being signed up for the Chicago Spring Half! But I am looking forward to brunching with you afterwards. =)

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  11. Holy frijoles!! I am so sorry about that incident. Ha, I won't give anyone any water. Too bad.

    I hope the hamstrings feel better. Yoga? I know, I know. We still need to make that date.

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    1. Appreciate the sympathy, Zenaida. Yeah, don't give anyone any water, EVER, unless it's someone that you personally know!!!

      YOGA YOGA YOGA!!! When your school year ends, let's make it happen for sure!!!

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