Remember 702?

Whenever I look back to see when I last posted something I feel like, well, that's not so bad.  I generally try to post something at least once a week unless something prevents me from meeting that modest goal.  Generally, life gets in the way.  Kids, crazy schedule, that flipping dog, I got tired, Sam failed to pick up the slack so I had to, crazy as this may sound, do the work of more people (which is what most wives do anyway, but sometimes, that gets to be a bit much for me, and I drop one of the balls that I miraculously seem to keep suspended in air 85-90% of the time).

In all honesty, I don't recall when I last posted something, but my suspicion is it has been over a week, perhaps two?  For that I do apologize.  Its not that I haven't been thinking about topics to share and discuss.  I frequently think that if I could pop a little something-something real quick like from what's in my head, life would be so much easier.

I kind of want to continue where I left off about Alabama because I felt that I didn't really explain myself well with my heading: where are my people at?  Since I am a huge fan of clarity, allow me to back track so things are clear so that way we can move forward, together.

It's been a couple of weeks since our trip to Alabama but while we were there I ran with my cousin Thelma.  Thelma has been a runner for years and she has entered many races in Alabama.  Although there are many more Black people in Alabama, the Black people there don't enter races in large numbers.  Thelma said she had entered a race and won for her division and as she was walking to collect her prize people were looking at her puzzled like 'where is she going?' or since its Alabama, 'where's she dun go'n?'  Thelma said they did not expect her, a Black woman to walk up there to get that medal.  Other races she'd enter, others would ask her what she was doing.  I guess that whole one foot in front of the other at a fast pace was not an obvious indicator that she was running???  Now Thelma had resorted to telling people that she entered the race.  Thelma did tell me about efforts to get Black people out walking/running, but to appeal to people you can't ask them to wake up at 5:00 a.m. because people still love to sleep and their weekends are their only time to do that.  So although 5:00 a.m. in Alabama may be the best time to go for a run/walk in the summer, to be appealing, the time must also be appealing, so you set your clocks for 9:00 a.m.  Looks good on a flyer or a poster, but feels like sh*t if you're running because its so frigging humid!  Thelma told me about a race she entered that didn't start until 10:00 and had hills: WTF!!  No thank you.  Just donate to the cause and stay at home.  Thelma said she was so sick from the heat, but that's how you appeal to the people. Even when Thelma and I went running on the trail--at 5:30 a.m., I saw two other Black runners, and a handful of Black walkers, a gaggle of White runners.  Thelma joined Black Girls Run in Alabama (primarily for the blinged out shirt) so she sees at the very least these runners/walkers when she enters events.

I enter races and I often find myself looking around to see how many other brownies do I see (I am looking for anybody on color wheel spectrum, granted my visual test is not perfect, but its something).  Usually I am the only Black person.  The last race I was at, I dropped my driver license and I didn't realize I had dropped it.  The race had a bunch of people milling around and before the race started, somebody came up to me and said, "is this yours?"  and handed me my driver license they found on the ground.  I said "Yes, thanks" but found it funny at the same time.  (A) You know its mine because you're looking at the picture on the license and you're looking at me, it looks like me.  (B)  Even if you aren't looking at the picture and looking at me and recognizing the two, do you see another Black woman here?  Process of elimination my dear Watson!  Effing Genius.

I interviewed to be an ambassador for Black Girls Run in Portland, but they decided to pass on me.  I guess having run as much as I have was not enough, but whatevs.  I haven't heard anything from the group or if it is formed here or what.  I will continue to enter events and continue to look around to see are there other faces on the color spectrum or shall I remain a solo unicorn or will there be a blessing of unicorn at that particular event.  That is why I ask: where are my people at?  Which also makes me think of that 702 song, Where my girls at from the front to back, well is you feeling that, put one hand up, can you repeat that, trying to take my man, see I don't need that...remember that song.  I don't recall the year, but I recall that I was in law school (and boy did that suck) and I was friends with the only two other Black girls in my law school class.  Wow, talk about free association.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lO5eGEnyRA because I care, click the link to watch their video (remember those, videos).

Until next time, keep running.  What race do you have coming up?

So, it's not just Oregon eh?

Well, a lot has happened in the time I have been absent from my blog.

I don't think I told you all about the Bald Peak Half that Sam and I did June 21.  I had read reviews on the RunOregon.com blog about the course from last year and it sounded grueling.  I told Sam about it, he simply said, "great".  I read the first 1.8 miles was uphill and a majority of the course was rather hilly.  I knew what I was in for, theoretically, but you can never really prepare yourself for the reality of a hilly course until you see the actual hill with your own eyes and your legs and feet feel it.  And boy did I feel it.  I thought I would do okay, since in the past I have tended to do very well on hills, it seems to be where I pass a lot of other people.  But when you can't see the crest of the hill, that's a problem.  I decided these weren't hills, these were mountains and we weren't running, we were hiking and the flattened portions is where we could intersperse our hiking with running.  Whatevs.  My lungs were burning, but it was still a good run.  At one point my phone decided to butt-dial a friend and I heard his voice mail pick up.  At that point, I decided I would no longer use my music, not that I turned it off, rather I just took out my headphones and listened to the sounds around me, not something I normally do (I never considered myself an internally motivated runner).  Strangely, it was actually quite nice without the music.  I was able to hear what people said to me when I passed them and when they passed me, and I was able to respond accordingly rather than giving them the obligatory half-smile as I slog up yet another hill.  On those relatively flat stretches, I was cruising.  Roadkills left and right, I felt great.  I got myself some electrolyte replacement and was on a roll.  The cool breeze on my skin felt amazing, then another hill, curses.  I tried to manage as long as possible, running up the hill that is, then the incline would get the better of me and I was walking.  So much for forward momentum.  But, in the end, I ran admirably across the finish line and felt great.  No PR at that run, but it was a small race and it was very scenic and I finished what I started and it was challenging and I love a challenge.  So, although it was brutal, I would do it again, for sure.  How many races do you enter will you pass an alpaca farm?  So, that alone is worth doing it again, maybe next time I'll take my phone out and snap photos.

Here we are pre-race, looking fresh as daisies:

Next, we went on vacation.  Well, we went on a trip.  A vacation is a place you go without your kids and someone waits on you hand and foot.  This was a trip.  The kids were there, we visited family and the location was not a typical vacation destination location: Alabama.  We went for a family reunion on my dad's side of the family and had a mini-family reunion in Montgomery, Alabama for my mom's side of the family.  

I ran on the hotel treadmill one day, 30 minutes in a canned environment and I was sweating like a __________ (fill in any appropriate southern euphemism, really, it could go many directions here).  Man do I dislike running on a treadmill.  I am so happy to live in the northwest that I can run at virtually any time of year outside.  Sure, I can run in Alabama too, and I did go running outside once, with my cousin Thelma.  I had to get up at 4:45 a.m. to do it though: OUCH!!  It was nice outside, the sun was coming up and the temperature was perfect.  But, geez, it was early.  

My cousin Thelma has been a runner for years.  I remember when I was little and she was always running and I was a chubby little girl who simply admired my lithe, fast, running cousin.  She was so cool.  Now, she and I were going running together...at the crack of dawn.  Thelma was telling me about how in the 60's she was a Black girl running.  Although there is a running group, Black Girls Run, which she is a member when she went to that group and was asked to introduce herself she said she has always been a runner because she loves running and back in the 60's she was a singular Black girl running and that it's great that now there's a group called Black Girls Run, but I remember way back when.  And after telling her story, it was as if she offended someone because they all got silent.  Really, my cousin is the original Black Girl Run, and remains.  I told her about being a Running Unicorn and she acknowledged the same thing happens in Alabama.  People don't seem to expect her to be running and when she has won medals they look at her funny, not expecting a Black woman to be walking up to the podium to collect her prize.  

It's still crazy.  Alabama is nuts, the race relations there are very odd.  But, that is a completely separate entry, I couldn't quite wrap my head around it, but it was very, very odd.  Confederate flags fly there and the Sons of the Confederate Veterans sign displayed clearly from the highway, obviously, that organization is proud of their heritage, granted that doesn't mean the whole state is, but so odd.  We were well ensconced in the bible belt which would explain why we drove past the sign that declared, "Go to church or the devil will get you" with a red devil carrying a pitchfork on the side of the highway.  Hmmm.  

Okay, moving right along.  I had a great run with my cousin near Samford College.  The girls hung out with lots of teens and tween cousins.  They were entertained and entertaining.  It was overall a very nice trip, I'm glad we went and I'm glad I'm home.  Now, I need to get it back into gear and do some real work.  For real.  Tomorrow.  

But, we came back to 90 degree temperatures.  What the?  Now I am going to have to get up early and go running in the morning.  Oy vey!  Well, at least it's not humid.