Guilty as Charged: I Am a Fake Nerd Conversationalist

A recent read made me aware of a conversational trend to which I have unknowingly succumbed. In An American Nerd: The Story of My People, author Benjamin Nugent describes a dissociative strategy employed by nerdy types attempting to shed some of their nerd quotient.

Nugent defines a nerd as one who is “intellectual in ways that strike people as machinelike” by: (1) being “passionate about some technically sophisticated activity that doesn’t revolve around” felt needs, (2) speaking in Standard English, (3) avoiding physical and emotional confrontation, (4) favoring logic and rational thinking and communication, and (5) enjoying machines more than most people do. (6)

Often nerds who become aware of their nerd behavior acknowledge it to others to thereby decrease its strength. One way to accomplish this is by beginning a fake nerd conversation with others. It’s rather confessional; a statement of recognition, to create some common ground against nerdiness (even your own). It’s sort of like a bait-and-switch strategy, or like implementing a smoke-and-mirror diversion. Here’s how Nugent describes it:

You hear fake nerd conversation. It follows a model. You bring up an “obsession” or “total fascination” with a purportedly unfashionable subject. . . . “Dude, you want to hit an In-N-Out burger? I basically live on their Protein Burgers when I’m in LA.” This is a way of whipping out cultural capital [to say], “I love the things I love because I am guided by some untamed voice within me that causes me to have random obsessions. I will follow my individualized obsessions, not trends, and be transparent about those obsessions, even when those obsessions tell me to like things widely considered ugly and cheap.” It’s the cultural capital of quirk. (123–124)

So I admit it: I have unknowingly implemented this technique. My own hand incriminates me, and my blog keeps account. These fake nerd conversations center upon words and grammar and punctuation. Before launching into my passionate discourses about the English language, I admit my nerdiness in an attempt to acknowledge the oddity. Like all nerds, I assume my interest in language is now perceived as quirky, not bizarre, so I continue discussing my random obsession.

I am guilty of fake nerd conversation.

Now I’m wondering: Is this post just another version of the fake nerd conversation? I talk about my nerdiness to offset my nerdiness that talks about nerdy things . . . oh, boy.

 

Hoping I Don’t Forget to Remind Myself

Earlier this week in Bible study a conversation was begun that I’ve been chewing on ever since. We were discussing the human bent to get things neat and tidy, orderly, in an attempt to gain control and have peace—especially as it relates to relationships.

Some of this orderliness reflects our Creator—He did, after all, call order out of chaos when He made this world. But we can take regiment too far when relationships become nothing more than a task list. This tasking mentality is most evident in relationship with God: It seems safe to have a checklist for spiritual performance—read your Bible, pray, serve, go to church, and so on.

Tasking drains passion, however. And relationships don’t last without passion. But neither do they grow without pursuit and dedication. This is quite the quandary.

So how do we pursue a relationship with the Lord Jesus without resorting to a checklist of actions? And how do we establish the priority and importance of pursing God when we are such a forgetful, distracted people?

I’ve been thinking of these things since Tuesday. I’d love to hear how you tackle this double-edged sword!

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What follows is a rough piece that has been clanging about in my mind as I ponder these things.

Memorials and Liberty

Remember, remember
the waters split
rocks from the depths
now stacked on shore
helping us remember

Remember, remember
the stain of sin
on hands and heart
now removed by sacrifice
helping us remember

Remember, remember
the glory of God
requires washing and care
special days, routines
helping us remember

Remember, remember
the cross was raised
with blood flowing
power conquering
helping us remember

Remember, remember
the liberty bought
wrested from death
now at rest and seated
helping us remember

Remember, remember
in the midst
of living
now distracted
help us remember . . .

Remember the essence
stacks of stones
sacrifices, offerings
special days and routines
liberty raised on
a cross up high

Memorials
reminding me
of sweet liberty

This I will remember

 

Social Justice Challenge Month 2: A Look at the Water Crisis

Welcome to Month 2 of the Social Justice Challenge (SJC). The goal of the SJC is to foster learning about social justice issues through reading, and then to put feet to that newfound knowledge through some sort of action. (Learning is the easy part; it’s the action that’s difficult!)

The SJC hosts post a few introductory questions for participants to answer to kick off each month’s topic. My responses follow, and I highly recommend visiting SJC’s site to review other participant responses. A major component of this challenge is seeing things from someone else’s perspective so that we grow in our own.

For the next 28 days we will look at the water crisis around the world.

If you’ve spent any time around here, you may have noticed that the water crisis has broken me. My husband and I are tethered to this cause, heart and soul. I look forward to learning more, and I’m hopeful for how I might be led to serve so that more people would have access to fresh water.

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SJC: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of water as a social justice issue?

With all our Western technology and wealth, it seems inexcusable for so many to go without access to clean water. Advent Conspiracy estimates just $10 billion would solve the world’s water crisis—permanently. To put this in perspective, U.S. citizens spend approximately $45 billion annually on Christmas gifts. What if we merely spent less on each other and donated the rest to solve this crisis?

SJC: What, if any, exposure have you personally had to a water shortage?

A few times our community has had droughts long enough to cause alarm, but it is nothing compared to what developing countries experience. (I had honestly forgotten about this until after I hit the publish button—then I came back to edit my post.) During these droughts, the water emits this nasty fishy smell. It’s awful for drinking and bathing, and although authorities claimed it was not dangerous to consume, many chose not to. I do not consider this a crisis, however—we had access to bottled water at the store if we wanted it.

I have learned about the water crisis around the world by reading up on and associating with various organizations that dig fresh water wells or provide cleansing systems. Those are:

Blood:Water Mission
Active:Water
Clean Water for Haiti
SIM
Advent Conspiracy
charity: water
ONE DROP

SJC: What potential action steps can you think of that relate to this month’s theme of water?

In January, I ran the Disney half marathon and joined Active:Water to raise money for water for the people of Africa. Active:Water partners with Blood:Water Mission, offering athletes an organized system for communicating their fund-raising goals and collecting donations. I’m seeking God’s lead on how to continue raising funds and awareness without pestering the same circle of loved ones time and again.

One idea is to track all my race entry fees throughout 2010 and then contribute that same amount to water efforts at the end of the year. Another idea is to collect change using B:W’s United for Change campaign materials.

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Join the SJC! Let’s read, act, and change together in 2010. Visit SJC HQ for details.

 

MMM4 Finale: Cool in a Geeky Way

It’s party time here at the patch. Just be sure to BYOB. (Bring Your Own Brain, that is.)

January was Mega Memory Month 4 (MMM4), hosted by Ann Kroeker. And today is our MMM4 Party. It’s time to celebrate our progress and flex our newfound memory muscles. We really know how to have a good time.

[This reminds me of the birthday party from the movie Akeelah and the Bee, where the kids had a Scrabble tournament. Sort of cool in a geeky way.]

I’ve arrived to this shindig late (no intent on being fashionable, just didn’t get to my laptop earlier in the day) . . . any MMM4 partygoers still rocking the blogosphere tonight?!

hmmm . . . I think I’m here chatting to myself, but I’m going to celebrate anyhow. (You know, the brain is out already . . .)

As you may recall, I wanted to get brain buff in January 2010. Colossians 2:6–15 and Ephesians 6:10–18 were the passages selected for my workouts. As the days passed, I discovered that mental workouts are just as difficult to fit in as physical ones. Halfway through, I knew I had to scale back my vision to focus just on the Colossians passage.

Now, at the end of 31 days, I am happy with my progress. I don’t have it down perfectly, but if I use the first-letter prompts, I’ve got it. I plan to keep toting my verse cards about in February to firm up my work.

The final verses (13–15) from my Colossians passage gives much for us to celebrate—check them out from the Amplified Bible:

And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross. [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].

Isn’t that great? God has battled for us, to wrest us out of the enemy’s control and to free us from the penalty of sin.

Now that’s something to celebrate.

 

Social Justice Challenge: How to Nurture Religious Freedom

Fiction is not typically my first reading pick. But if more books were like The Book Thief, I would be swayed. Author Markus Zusak has created characters and scenes so rich, so deep, so cutting, that I found myself  consumed by it.

In this tale, we follow Liesel over a five-year stretch, from a 9-year-old girl to a 14-year-old young woman. She lives in Nazi-controlled Germany during the Jewish Holocaust, and from her life we see into the many faces and facets of her country’s regime. Even for its citizens, Germany during Hitler’s reign was a frightful place to be. There was want and joy and death and rationing and hiding Jews and watching death marches through town and living life and hunger and hope and anger and loss and family.

The Book Thief was my reading selection for the Social Justice Challenge (SJC) this month. My first assessment after getting hooked on the read was that my choice was off base for this month’s SJC theme of religious freedom. After completing the book and giving it some mulling over, my perception of its fit for the theme—and even my perception of the Holocaust itself—has changed.

Before this, I had always thought of Hitler’s assault on the Jewish race as an issue with a people group: Hitler didn’t like Jewish people as a race. I stuck it in the same category as the racism experienced by Irish immigrants in the United States in the 1800s. For some odd reason, in this case alone I had forgotten the inseparable nature of race and religion for the Jewish person. (Although I understand that not all who are of Jewish heritage practice the Jewish faith.)

Therefore, the Holocaust must be seen as religious persecution.

My understanding of religious persecution in general, and the Holocaust in particular, has widened. This was indeed a great read for the SJC.

From this reading, several cautions have risen up through the story that could serve as guardrails to keep history from repeating itself:

1) Stereotyping is the root of religious persecution. Hitler began his assault on the Jewish people by labeling them. Soon the general public had a very negative perception of Jews, making the next steps (persecution, then extermination) seem rational.

In The Book Thief, what Liesel knew about Jews was the propaganda stereotype (they were swine). But when she met an individual Jew, she discovered he did not fit the stereotype. Was he an anomaly? Or was the assessment of the Jewish race wrong? These are the wrestlings we must wrangle: Do we believe the stereotypes we hear about certain people groups or do we discover the individual? Do we make assumptions about individuals based on what we hear in American media today about Christians or Republicans or Democrats or union workers? What if we are missing the beauty of an individual based on faulty information?

2) Fear is the fertilizer that grows stereotypical divides. No one likes to be an outsider. So when stereotyping begins with labeling and verbal assault, people must decide which side of the sand line they want to be on. Fear of being lumped together with the outcasts keeps normally rational people quiet and stationary, on the “safe” side. In regard to the Jewish assault, brute force by the German army widened the gap between Jews and the rest of society, making it impossible for anyone bridge the gap or stop the momentum.

3) Religious freedom requires weeding out the oppression of the oppressors. The tricky thing about freedom is that some oppression is needed for it to flourish. Hitler was an oppressor. For the Jewish people to live freely, he had to be stopped. It is this dilemma that haunts society: Which oppressors do we stop? Which freedoms do we allow? How do people of varying faiths coexist on this planet?

Sometimes I think we all need to be separated, like kids sent to their respective corners. Eyes straight ahead. Hands to yourself. Mouths shut. No squishy faces or tongues stuck out. No taunting. If you can’t say anything nice . . .

Consider though what we would miss if we were completely isolated, stuck in the corner . . . groupthink would be heavy; stereotypes would only grow.

Separation doesn’t seem to be the answer.

So now I’m thinking of society today and wondering how far we’ve come since Hitler. Have we learned to see the individual first, then the religion or race? Do we work to undo the inevitable prejudices that sprout undetected in our own hearts? Have we learned to ask more questions instead of holding tight to our judgments?

What can we do to create an atmosphere conducive to religious freedom while discouraging and preventing another Holocaust?

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Join the SJC! Let’s read, act, and change together in 2010. Visit SJC HQ for details.

 

MMM4 Week Four Progress Report: Give Me a U

Remember those progress reports from elementary school? Many of you now receive these for your own children, but for me, I have to go way back to my own childhood memory archives for a point of reference (a mega memory workout in itself).

I vaguely remember the progress reports having a long list of performance categories for which we received a rating of either an S for Satisfactory or a U for Unsatisfactory. [Those of you with better memories (or kids) can help me out here!]

If I were to receive such a rating card for week 4 of Mega Memory Month 4 (MMM4), it would show nothing but Us. This week is not so much a progress report as a regression report: When I attempt to focus on my verses, the words evaporate before I can line them up. I think those verses are still in there somewhere . . .

So I will not be deterred! There are still five days of MMM4 left, and I plan to finish with pizazz. [But I will heed our MMM4 hostess’s counsel: I will not race about like a mad woman in a frenzied attempt to check these verses off as an accomplishment.]

Here’s my strategy:

• Meditate on Colossians 2:6–15 throughout each day
• Take 10 minutes each day for memory work (see my routine here)
• Bump the second set of verses for another month (Ephesians 6:10–18)

I like the mix in that—a rededication to the goal with a touch of grace in letting the second verse set go for another day.

Come on back for the MMM4 party on the 31st. Whatever the progress, I’m planning to celebrate.

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It’s not too late to join MMM4! Choose something to memorize—a speech, a poem, a song, a Scripture passage, geography, etc.—and get brain buff in 2010. Visit MMM HQ for details.

 

We *Heart* New York

FoodNetwork must get a good chunk of its TV viewer ship through our household. We have discussed planning trips around a food itinerary in order to sample some of the tasty-looking dishes we’ve seen over the years. (Is that weird? Probably, but it’s our kind of weird.)

Times Square buzz.

This weekend’s trip seems to qualify as our first in the series . . .

You see, it was my husband’s 40th birthday. With a bit of disjointed planning by yours truly, five of us made our way to New York City for a dinner at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and a cake by Duff Goldman’s troupe at Charm City Cakes to celebrate.

*******
The Cake

Planning the perfect subject for a sculpted cake is no easy task. First, I considered something sentimental featuring a runner and a crowd of beloved spectators cheering him on (Hebrews 12:1 comes to mind). But that didn’t seem to have the right sort of spunk for a cake.

Mike (birthday boy), Katherine (from Charm City Cakes), Feathers McGraw (yummy cake)

That’s when my heart settled on Feathers McGraw, the villain from the Wallace and Gromit short film, The Wrong Trousers. Feathers is a penguin who rents a room from Wallace. Unbeknown to Wallace, Feathers is the thief featured on the wanted posters who dons a red-glove cap as a disguise for his criminal escapades. When the thief is caught and the disguise is removed, Wallace gasps, “It’s you!” . . . this phrase (with its comic tone, British inflection) has found its way into regular usage between us, applied to many situations. (It’s quite versatile.)

All in all, Feathers was the perfect choice for the cake, and how the delivery unfolded made it all the better. This was the one part of the trip that was a surprise for Mike.

Giving Feathers some love.

Here’s how it went: We were checking into the hotel when the Charm City Cakes van pulls up. It’s quite distinctive—an odd, customized shape, black with white scroll detailing all over it. Mike recognized it right away. He turns to me and says, “I think that’s the Charm City Cakes van.” Then Katherine (from Charm City Cakes) walks in, and Mike says, “That’s one of the cake designers from the show.”

That’s when I let him in on the surprise. They were here for him.

Katherine delivered the cake to us—she was so gracious, so warm, making the whole experience even better—and she let us know that Katie Rose and Ben worked on Feathers. They did an amazing job! The cake was phenomenal, in both design and taste. [It was so cute, in fact, we couldn’t bring ourselves to cut him the first day.]

Before the tasting . . .

and after.

Looks like a clip from a very strange scary movie.

{Check out our sweet little Feathers featured on the Charm City Cakes blog. Makes me happy they loved him as much as we did.}

*******
The Dinner

Everything about this dinner was exceptional: the décor, the atmosphere, the food, the server. The food was not only deliciously flavorful but the presentation was lovely! This was a perfect fit for Mike’s birthday meal.

A fabulous b-day dinner!

My hubby and me.

Fellow celebrators: Erin, Aaron, and Krista.

Although we knew it wasn’t likely Bobby Flay would be at the restaurant on that night, we had to ask to make sure: He wasn’t there. [sigh.] No photos with the chef this time.

*******
Side Notes

New York City taxi drivers make Chicago taxi drivers look wimpy. We will never be nervous in Chicago cabs again. [Thanks, NY cabbies!]

Mike at The Garden.

Our meal at Churrascaria Plataforma Rodizio is affectionately referred to as Meat Fest 2010. It’s overwhelming to have so much food coming at you in so little time. [But we highly recommend the experience, despite the potential for Meat Fest Revenge afterward.]

Madison Square Garden has to be the best place to see a game. Our seats were in the upper section but the view was still great. And it was a history making game! [for the worst Knicks home defeat ever . . . ] It really was a great afternoon though. We especially enjoyed the Player Karaoke/Name That Tune segment—could have watched that for hours.

Yes, there were three people on this trip with the same phonetic name (two Erins, one Aaron). The other two who share my phonetic name are married. Aaron is Mike’s business partner (they co-own Zdi), and now we count Aaron and Erin as dear friends as well. Was this confusing, to have three people with the same phonetic name together? Well, I think we’ve gotten used to it, but it is rather odd! Mike and I tend to refer to them in conversation as Mr. Aaron and Mrs. Erin or A&E . . . I’ve just recently thought of A&E as in the Arts & Entertainment TV channel. (Perhaps I’ll start to refer to them as such to clear any confusion: he’s Arts, she’s Entertainment.)

An Addendum: The last leg of our trip home, the flight from Chicago to Bloomington, was delayed by three hours. Mind you, it’s a 25-minute flight home or a 2.5 hour drive. The wonderful company, however, made the delay thoroughly enjoyable. We relaxed, read books, ate snacks, told more stories, laughed, reminisced about the trip . . . this is also a highlight for me!

 

Social Justice Challenge Month 1: A Look at Religious Freedom

This post was started January 3. I meant to post it that first week of the new year . . . oops.

Well, there are still 11 days left in month 1 of the Social Justice Challenge (SJC). So let’s make the most of it, shall we?

The goal of the SJC is to read and pursue understanding of the monthly topic, and then to put feet to that newfound knowledge through some sort of action. (Learning is the easy part; it’s the action that’s difficult!)

To kick off month 1 and the topic of Religious Freedom, the SJC hosts posted a few introductory questions for participants to answer. I recommend visiting SJC’s site to review other participant responses—it’s fascinating and helpful to hear how other people view the topic! And I was so encouraged to see that this challenge has attracted people of many faiths and beliefs. We have much to learn from each other.

_______________

SJC: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of religious freedom?

I think of it in terms of its absence, what life is like for people who do not have freedom—I think of oppression, fear, loss, false accusations, coercion, imprisonment, torture, and death.

SJC: Why does religious freedom matter to you?

Spiritual matters are housed in the heart and soul; to have religion managed or forced or limited or coerced in any external way distorts it. To know how someone believes and thinks is the core of who that person is.

For example, my faith in Jesus Christ defines me. To know me is to know the love I have for the God who made me, loves me, and redeemed me. Religious freedom allows me to express freely and openly who I am and then pursue knowing God without oppression, fear, loss, false accusations, coercion, imprisonment, torture, and death.

It matters to me that people around the world experience tremendous loss and fear and suffering because they do not have this same sort of religious freedom.

Such news of oppression and fear and death breaks my heart—when I keep abreast of what is happening. And that is the challenge: Will I open myself to the ache of the oppressed in this world? My prayer is that the SJC will soften my heart to ways I can make a difference in such matters, whether through prayer, writing, giving or serving, so that others have the freedoms we enjoy.

SJC: What knowledge do you have of present threats to religious freedom in our world today?

Some of the editing and proofreading work I do for KMA Direct Communications allows me to learn of present threats to religious freedom throughout the world, although my level of awareness is paltry at best. I also receive e-mail news updates and prayer alerts from Open Doors USA. In the past, my church has participated in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, so I have learned about various countries that are known for their harsh religious intolerance.

Ultimately, if I am to know more about these things, I know I must purposely expose myself to it—hence, my commitment to the 2010 SJC.

SJC: Have you chosen a book or resource to read for this month?

I have selected The Book Thief by Markus Zasak, primarily because it came recommended by my nieces.

Of all the books on SJC’s reading list, I’ve read just two: Silence (Shusaku Endo) and The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne). Two other books I’ve read that seem to fit the topic are God’s Smuggler by Brother Lawrence (founder of Open Doors) and Jesus Freaks by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs. An inspiring documentary that fits for this month (as well as for the June’s topic of genocide) is the first in the Nomad Show series, which features Sara Groves.

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Join the SJC! Let’s read, act, and change together in 2010. Visit SJC HQ for details.

 

MMM4 Week Three Progress Report #2 (Confused Yet?!)

Welcome to the third Monday of Mega Memory Month #4 (MMM4)!

This should be, therefore, Report #3. But this is Report #2 for me, because last week, which was week two, I failed to report. Now I’m a week off. [arg!]

You see, last week I was in Florida for the Disney World Half Marathon, and I took a break from my blog while I was away. The laptop didn’t even take the trip with me. And when I got home mid-week, it seemed too late to post, so I waited until today. Hence the overdue Report #2.

My memory verses, however, did make the trip, and I was able to make some headway while I was away. Although you might think that sunny Florida got my brain cells ultra energized, that was not the case. The weather was reminiscent of the Midwest: brisk, cloudy, even giving us a bit of sleet. The chill forced us inside more than anticipated, so I actually had time to read and review my verses.

As you may recall, I’m working on Colossians 2:6–15. By Report #1, I had gotten through verses 6 through 8 with just a few errors. I can now repeat verses 6 through 12 without prompting:

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you have been were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, which who raised Him from the dead.

Just a few sketchy parts there to work on. I am also happy to report that verses 13–14 I can repeat using the first-letter prompt cards—I’m so close to having those in my bank!

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt <consisting> of decrees against us, which were was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Just two sketchy spots there to work on this week, along with verse 15. If I can get these smoothed out, that will conclude my work on the Colossians passage.

Even better than being able to recite some verses is what the Word is teaching me. I just cannot shake the awe that Jesus Christ is the head over all rule and authority. He has final say—in everything. And now that I have received Christ Jesus as my Lord, I yield to Him and His authority, which supersedes all other claims on me.

Sin will beckon me to follow its lead—but by Christ’s authority and with His help, I do not have to go.

The enemy will entice me to manage my life and manipulate circumstances to my liking—but instead I can trust in Christ’s rule over me and my life.

My flesh will tempt me to clamor for place and notoriety, but in Christ I am complete.

There is something about meditating upon Scripture that changes the rhythms of my heart and the undercurrents of my soul. God uses my feeble attempts to take in the Word and He multiplies it. I find my mind coursing upon new wavelengths, along the currents of truth instead of currents of falsehood and deception.

How grateful I am for the power of Christ, the Living Word, at work in me.

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It’s not too late to join MMM4! Choose something to memorize—a speech, a poem, a song, a Scripture passage, geography, etc.—and get brain buff in 2010. Visit MMM HQ for details.

 

Half Marathon Details: The Story Behind the Results

Over the past few days, many dear ones have called, e-mailed, and sent text messages of congratulations after Mike and I completed the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday. Most wanted to know how we fared in the race, but they also wanted to hear the details.

Life is in the details, isn’t it?

It’s the sharing of frigid weather and sleep deprivation and costumed participants and running through Disney parks and the like.

This is my attempt to open the window on this little part of my life. The Q&A format seemed fitting here to cover the wide array of questions I’ve gotten. Enjoy!

Friends and Family: How did you feel during the race?
ES: Great through mile 10, then the highway ramps in miles 11 and 12 sucked the wind out of my sails (and lungs). It wasn’t horrid, but it made me wish for the finish.

F&F: How was the weather?
ES: It was cold (31 degrees) and sleeting at the start. Ice pellets in the eye are always a nice race-day touch. I much prefer cold-weather running, however, so the temperature was fine for me once we got moving. Waiting for 30 minutes in the starting corral was a bit painful.

F&F: What was it like running through the parks?
ES: A complete blur! I am so sad I didn’t slow down to take more of it in. I need to do another Disney half, with friends—you know who you are, gals!—so we can take pictures and drink in the atmosphere. And we must have costumes.

F&F: Were you happy with your race results?
ES: Very much so! I accomplished two goals: 1) I broke the two-hour mark, finishing in 1:58:38, which is faster than I thought I could run, and 2) I ran the whole race without walking or stopping. Several other victories:

• My slowest leg of the race was the first 5K (3.1 miles), oddly enough, when I was with my pace group and feeling fresh.
• My middle 10K (6.2 miles) of 54:50 was faster than the 10K race time of 55:23 that I submitted to enter the Disney half marathon—and I ran another 3.8 miles after that!
• I didn’t stop to walk, even when I was feeling extremely beat at mile 11.
• I kept my pace without the help of my pace group (I went ahead when they slowed for water after mile 6, and they didn’t catch me again until the finish line—oops).

F&F: How did it feel to cross the finish line?
ES: I wish I could say euphoric, but honestly, I was just very glad to be done running. The last 2.1 miles of the race were difficult for me mentally, and I was initially disappointed in my race because I did not cross the line feeling ecstatic. After seeing my splits for the race though, I am so pleased with my accomplishment! The last leg of the race felt pitifully slow, but it actually wasn’t. I was just tired. (Fancy that after running 13.1 miles!)

F&F: How much sleep did you get before the race?
ES: Sadly, no more than 4.5 hours. It was ridiculous to get moving so early, but we were done and back to our room by mid-morning for a good nap. (I really can’t complain, as this was self-inflicted.) I wouldn’t want to make this a routine.

F&F: Any post-race aches or pains?
ES: None! No blisters, no leg cramps, no vomiting. My legs felt slightly stiff Sunday, but not even enough to alter my gait.

F&F: What was the most memorable part of the race experience?
ES: So many impressions . . .

• 

  Wendell, aka Goofy Bear

  The fireworks starting the race.

• I got to run with Superman and Flash for a stretch.
• A royal bugle-call welcome while running through Cinderella’s Castle.
• The lounge singer stationed outside the Grand Floridian Resort.
• Seeing pallets of bottled water and thinking of how good we have it here in the States.
• Chatting with the people in my pace group (until we got separated at mile 6).
• Having Mike waiting for me when I finished.
• The Gospel Choir stationed at mile 13, singing praise songs—a fitting way to end the race!
• People sitting in the freezing cold to cheer us on.
• Seeing Wendell, aka Goofy Bear, in Magic Kingdom, which made me giggle and think of our friend Tim.
• The nice lady who smiled at me as she gave me my medal.

F&F: Will you ever do this again?
ES: Yes! I’m already registered for the half marathon in Champaign scheduled for May 2010.

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Photo Source
Wendell Photo: http://home.att.net/~disneysue/characters/wdw/wendell.html