I am SO Excited…

… I just registered Harry and I for the 5k distance of the CITY OF PITTSBURGH GREAT RACE!

Last year I ran the 10k DISTANCE OF THE GREAT RACE 2011 and loved every step.  It was very emotional.

To date – it’s the only 10k distance race I’ve run.  I thought about running it again this year, but then when Harry said that he wanted to participate in the 5k distance, well – I really thought that it would be great for us to do it together.

As I’ve already said WE'VE BEEN HEADING TO THE TRACK SEVERAL DAYS PER WEEK and I want to be there when Harry crosses the Finish Line.  He’s been there for me for every race but one [MOM WAS THERE FOR THE WHISKEY REBELLION 2011].

The 5k race begins at 8am and the 10k begins at 9:30am – so I’d miss his entire race!

Besides, there are moments that I don’t feel the need to recreate and that moment when my young cousin caught up to me on the 10k course? I can’t replicate it…

I’m happy to say that there are a number of folks who will be also running/walking both 5k and 10k distances of the race – we’re DEFINITELY having pancakes at the FINISH LINE!!

YESTERDAY'S 2.02 MILES AROUND THE TRACK shouldn’t go unheralded – although, while it wasn’t anything to write home about – it was consistent.

While we all strive to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, some times we need to take note of our consistency…

I’d *LIKE* To Tell You…

… my run on the ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK was a huge success.

I completely take responsibility because I’d WALKED [double the runkeeper total mileage] and BIKED So much THE DAY BEFORE that my body was exhausted.

I was miserable for NEARLY EVERY STEP OF TWO MILES that I was able to run.

I hadn’t run much since CHICAGO HAD BEEN IN REHEARSAL & THEN TWO WEEKS OF PRODUCTION.  But I’d like to think that my miserableness had more to do with the fact that the weather was horrid at 6:30am when I headed out the door of my hotel room.

I couldn’t tell you what the temp was, doesn’t matter – what did matter was the 112% humidity that was absolutely stifling.  The air was so heavy and cloud cover so thick the sun wasn’t able to breach the clouds.

There was also a strong head-wind and as I was running, noticed that they were changing the beach signs because there was a strong RIP CURRENT and they was no swimming allowed.

But – that aside, I enjoyed being out there with the other runners.  I was slow – oh so very slow.  I realized 3 tens of a mile into the run that I’d forgotten to eat my banana and when I’d taken my blood sugar, it was very low.

YEAH.  I had a LOT of factors that were immediately working against me.

But you know what?  Doesn’t matter.  I said I was going to do it and I did.

My favorite part of the run was coffee and a bagel afterwards.  I had a table right on the boardwalk, the sun had come out and I noticed a fellow at a table close to me wearing a throw-back CLEMENTE jersey.

Let’s just say, the day got better from there…

I Don’t Think…

…I could’ve asked for a nicer few days to get away to ATLANTIC CITY, NY.  I have worked hard over the past 6 months with rehearsals and 3 back-to-back productions.  My body knew that I needed some down time – but my brain needed something to look forward to with a bit of physical activity thrown in the mix.

I guess that’s PART OF THE REASON I chose Atlantic City.  The other part was completely sentimental.

Originally – I’d planned to bring my own bike, but that quickly got ‘nixed’ when I realized that I wouldn’t be able to bike the Gettysburg Battlefield this trip.  With bikes available to rent by the hour, I couldn’t justify dragging Mountain MAN 300+ miles across the state to ride less than 10 miles of Boardwalk.

There’s an AC Ordinance that allows bikes on the boardwalk from 6:30am to 10am.  On Wednesday, July 25th – I got up at 6am, dragged myself into my gear and out the door.  It was a short walk to the bike rental place – luckily, there’s two places [run by the same company] that are located on either end of the boardwalk and I was close to the southern rental location at the TROPICANA AC.

All the rental bikes were BEACH CRUISERS and looked to be well maintained.  I liked the fact that the rental agent gave me his cell number if there was a problem.  There were also stringent rules about where to ride [only on the boardwalk] and I had to sign a helmet waiver – even though I chose to wear my own helmet.

It was a gorgeous morning – clear blue sky with no clouds.  Temps in the mid 70’s with little or no humidity.  Which was a change from the day before.  It was tough riding into the sun, but it was the shortest distance and I figured I’d ride as quickly as I could into the sun, knowing that I had to ride back the same route with the sun at my back, I would be able to take in more of the surroundings.

I’m glad I chose to ride early, there were a few cyclists out – but as time went on, there were quite a few folks riding.  Some were sightseeing like me, but there were others who were out for SPEED. 

I’d walked a good deal the day before, but was glad that I was able to see a lot more when I was riding.  There’s just something so freeing about riding a bike.  I guess it reminds me so much of my childhood. 

I covered 6.41 MILES OF BOARDWALK in just under an hour.  The easiest part to ride was where the boardwalk was near the casinos and tourist attractions because it was the widest.  But as I rode South, the boardwalk became narrow and more residential.  While I enjoyed it for the peacefulness, there just wasn’t as much navigation room.

All in all, it was a wonderful early morning ride and I’d recommend it to anyone!

Opening Night Thoughts…

Someone recently asked me how I could play MAMA MORTON IN CHICAGO – she’s always portrayed as a large black woman.

I thought about it for a second before I replied:

Cinderella isn’t always blonde – nor does she need to be.  She’d still be CINDERELLA no matter her hair color.

I’m not Queen Latifah.  And I don’t NEED to be.  I don’t even need to be BIG.

Turns out the real MAMA WAS A LITTLE WHITE LADY. And supposedly SOHPIE TUCKER WAS CITED AS THE MAIN INFLUENCE FOR THE CHARACTER OF MAMA.

You don’t gots to be big or tall or white or black to be in charge.

But you do gots to have the pipes.

It’s Been a Week…

… since my last run.

Or at least an activity that wasn’t a rehearsal or climbing the stairs in our house. [Which I do about a bagillion times per day.  But believe me – it’s a whole hell-of-a-lot easier than it use to be!]

This morning’s 1.75 MILE RUN wasn’t anything exciting or out of the ordinary.  There wasn’t any fantastic scenery or anything special about it.

The most I can say [other than it was done] was that the weather was cooler. 

I find that when the runs aren’t spectacular or even record-breaking, that I can go inside and concentrate on clearing my brain.  Listening to the inner voice that talks whether we want it to or not.

It’s those cobweb-clearing runs that sometimes are the most refreshing…

Sometimes, the Crazy Thing…

… is the ability to stay focused on what you is in front of you.

I was watching the Olympic Trials yesterday and I am always amazed how focused the athletes remain regardless of who was watching.

Here’s the crazy part – as an actor/athlete who knows how to have that kind of ferocious focus – it’s imperative to remain intent on the task at hand.  But you know what you DO hear?  The celebration of a job well done – of a task performed to the best of one’s ability – the support of the crowd/audience.

I watched gymnast NASTIA LIUKIN slip off the uneven parallel bars and fall flat on her face to the mat.  There was a gasp from the crowd – even her father who was spotting her was surprised to find her suddenly face down on the mat.

She picked herself up and got on with her routine.

When she finished, the crowd went nuts!

Me too. 

I watched it first hand at a local HS Talent show last month. A young lady was playing/singing from memory and got ‘lost’ where she was in the song and couldn’t remember the chords.  She stopped cold and the audience could see the terror on her face – not knowing whether she could/should continue.

A voice from the crowd shouted: YOU GOT THIS – WE LOVE YOU!

The auditorium cheered for her to continue, she refocused and finished her song.

There’s nothing we want to see more than another human being take a risk, make a mistake, pick themselves up, stay focused on the task at hand and complete what they started.

It brings out the Olympian in all of us.