Adventures in Toledo, Ohio!

 Remember when I said I was running a Half Marathon in Cincinnati?  Well, that was not entirely true.  In fact.  It was pretty much wrong!  I guess I'm running in Toledo!   ( Good thing I checked!) So here I am in Toledo, Ohio, preparing for my heroic victory or humiliating defeat as I attempt to run my first Half Marathon.  Hurray for me!

Oh!   I decided to bring Cheryl along.   So she could run the Full Marathon.   And give me a ride in the Bean Subaru.  It helps to have a designated driver... Especially when you don't know where the Race that you are supposed to be running is actually located!  But here we are now...  Ready to face the trials and trails of life together tomorrow.  (Was that sentence too complicated?   Did anyone get the joke?) 

So where do I begin?   It was a fairly long day filled with much adventure.   But I guess it really started yesterday with the long carpool through Chicago.  I linked up with Cheryl in Joliet and parked the Silver Bullet Subie in a safe place next to the bus stop and Penitentiary. A few reasons for that:  It is only $1.50 parking fee per day.  And what Criminal will be committing a crime that close to the State Pen?  We shall see if the theory holds true, as this IS seriously close to Chicago....  ( Be safe Subie.... ) 

Arriving in Toledo,  We camped out and Prepared for the Expo,  which was today.  We were one of the first people in the door and picked up our BIBS and checked out the expo.   Cheryl posed for a bunch of pictures by the giant  26.2 numbers. You could also write and sign the numbers to leave your mark on the experience.   

As for me... I added my catch phrase to the numbers,  even though I was only running the half Marathon. 

 

There were a number of posters that the local school children made for the event.  Honestly, I shot several dozen pictures of the artwork and could have spent the day inspecting the future artists of America rather than doing all that running stuff.   Some of the kids were incredibly talented.  If you payed any attention, you could see how the age of the kids helped display their skill levels.   And even among a single grade,  there were several students who broke away from the mold.   

How I view myself

How I am really....

I liked this kid... Not only did he share my name, ( There were several posters by "Ethan." ) but he also shared my aptitude for art at an early age. I never thought I was anything special when it came to art.

 

Cheryl at the first Mile.

Cheryl after 26 miles.

But I did notice that many of my fellow class mates were not on the same level as I was.  Not bragging... just an observation.  ( Not that I did a heck of a lot with that Art skill in my adult years....) 

We also did a little shopping and picked up some swag for the experience.   The deals are there if you know what to look for!  I scored a tumbler for under $20 and a tech shirt for  only $5!  Cheryl bought gels, socks and a headband.  But eventually...  we saw it all and left for the next adventure. 

The BEACH of Lake Erie!

That's an has an eerie sound to it.    Especially when they try to convince you that the beach is toxic or something.   Sure, there was that moment in the 70's when the lake caught fire... but that was years ago!  I'm sure it is perfectly safe now...

 Did I mention Lake Erie is the Walleye capitol of the east?   East of the Mississippi at least. the lake is far from dead... It's ALIVE!  With blue green algae.   But don't be fooled by the blue or the green....  The algae comes in a number of fun and fine colors. 

Like Purple, Pink, Gray...

And Brown!

We were not there to swim, but rather to beach comb for oddities in the surf.   Beach glass being one of the cool things we found in Lake Michigan several weeks ago when Cheryl stopped in to Kenosha.

What we found were shells.  

Lots and LOTS of shells! 

 

In fact,  Finding beach glass at this beach was a rarity.  We did find some, but most of them were large and not fully rounded off. 

 

 

There were also a lot of Fossils in the large break wall rocks.   Once again, there were so many, I could not possibly post all of them on this blog post.  We wondered if they were ancient corals or petrified wood.   A nice find along with the endless shells.  

There were so many shells there that at one point, we could not find any sand or small pebbles there. 

We walked up and down the beach until we felt we could find nothing else and then headed to the nature center, located in the same park. It was a typical nature/ learning center with many kids outside fishing in the small trout pond.  Again, I took lots of photos, but most of them will not make it to the blog posting. 

And finally we are back in our hotel room, waiting for the early 3 am wake up call to get the ball rolling.  Only this time, I will be an active participant, rather than a highly skilled, but passive spectator.  I doubt there will be many pictures, as I will be running the darn thing and will not want to lug my heavy camera around for 13.1 miles.  ( Yes!  Heavy!   Anything is heavy after 13.1 miles.)   So my next blog post will lack many of the "action shots" that Have made me famous in previous blog posts.  

So what do I do in the mean time?   Well, I took a long shower and shaved off all of the hair on my head, face, and other body parts to make sure I am as aerodynamic as possible. Who knows if it will help, but why not eliminate as many variables as possible?  Remember, I'm not aiming for speed,  but I would like to reduce as much drag as possible. 

And then there is this blog post.   Usually these guys take me three to four hours to complete.  And I have an early bed time scheduled tonight!  So...  I will hurry up and finish this post while I make a few more memes of myself and the half marathon.   Cheryl said I should have titled this post: " Half Marathon Man!"  Or the "Hero of the Half Marathon!" There is a joke there somewhere....  ( "Half a man... But the BEST half possible!"   Or " Where are the legs? Man. ) I like the hero part, as long as I don't fail terribly.  And I have set the bar pretty darn low for myself.   Besides, I look like a heroic Lex Luthor in a cape and running shirt.  Perhaps Marvel fans will see the contradiction better than most.   But in the mean time, I will attempt to channel that "Hero Spirit" to get me across the finish line.  If I survive,  I will tell you all about it. Possibly tomorrow...  Wish me luck!