Sunday, December 4, 2011

Reading, running, reindeer, etc.

These are the books I submitted for consideration for our book club to read next year: "Breathing Lessons," by Anne Tyler; "Fair and Tender Ladies," by Lee Smith; "The Stone Diaries," by Carol Shields; "Ellen Foster," by Kaye Gibbons; "Olive Kitteridge," by Elizabeth Strout; "Gilead," by Marilynne Robinson; and "Angela's Ashes," by Frank McCourt. "Angela's Ashes" is a great book and one I think would be a good fit for our club, but it's not really one of my favorites, as the others are. I have read them multiple times, I buy them at thrift stores and force them on friends, and I try to track down everything else their authors have written (only Kaye Gibbons has never disappointed). Rationally, I know that everyone has different tastes in books, but irrationally, it's hard for me to believe not everyone would love these as much as I do.
Amanda and I ran the Reindeer Fun Run on Saturday. It was a cold morning, a hilly course and I was quite unrested from a week of croupy Kirby kids, but it was a really fun event. I ran the 10k and by the 2-mile mark I knew my best miles were behind me. I also knew there were a lot of women ahead of me and I had no chance of winning anything. That let me chill out and more or less enjoy the rest of the run, even though my competitiveness always creeps in during races. I got a second wind around mile 4.5, as we wound through a cemetery, of all things, but it didn't last. Thank goodness the last half-mile was downhill. Unfortunately, the stroller-pushers and dog-walkers were finishing their 5k just as the 10k runners came in, so we had to weave our way through the crowd. I sprinted the last, like, three seconds to pass three women, on the off chance I was in the running for an age-group award (I wasn't), and almost bulldozed some people who had finished the race and then just stopped moving. The finish-line photos should be interesting. I finished in 46:33, a 7:30 pace. It felt disappointing at first, but in retrospect there's no reason I should have done better, so I'm satisfied.
I don't think I had started this blog when Kate and I ran the first Reindeer Fun Run, in 2007. A lot has changed in its five years -- it's in Aberdeen now, includes a 5k and a 10k, and had more than 2,000 participants this year. I never did get my T-shirt for that first race. I was not in good shape and when I tried to kick it to the finish, I misjudged the amount of steam I had left and nearly vomited my way down Broad Street. Kate beat me, but we were in separate age groups so I think we both won our age groups (at least I know I did because the medal was a Christmas tree ornament that I can see from where I'm sitting).

This finish-line photo of someone else from the 2007 Reindeer Fun Run makes me laugh because it shows me dry heaving in the background. I did that for the last half-mile.

8 comments:

Sweet Tea Mama said...

No lie, I was going to put 'Ellen Foster' and 'Fair and Tender Ladies' on my list! I am definitely going to now. 'Angela's Ashes' is also a great one. I started 'Breathing Lessons' and never finished it. I'm going to check out the other two tomorrow. Good job on the race. Who cares what your time was? You ran a 10K.

Ken Loyd said...

Please select any one of those books to loan me -- I'm ready to try a new author. And oh, how I miss running sometimes.

Jennifer Kirby said...

Sonya - I don't think I know anyone else who's liked "Breathing Lessons." I probably should stop recommending it to people! Anne Tyler definitely has a quirky writing style, but I like it. Her older stuff's not that good. I think our book club would love "Ellen Foster." You really can't go wrong with Kaye Gibbons.

Dad - I sent you an email with a couple of other suggestions. I think you would love G.K. Chesterton's "The Man Who Was Thursday" and C.S. Lewis's "Till We Have Faces."

Kaitlin said...

hey girl, great race time! I'm impressed. And I still love to see how many layers you wore. What was the temperature? haha.

I thought that picture looked familiar. I hope I have my ornament still. When we decorate the tree, I'll let you know.

Jennifer Kirby said...

Kate - I have to admit I overdressed for this one! I thought of you mid-race as i was regretting all the layers! Underarmour, long-sleeved running shirt, long-sleeved T-shirt, fleece, earband, two pairs of gloves. I miss you!

Jennifer Kirby said...

P.S. It was in the 40s. :)

Weeks said...

Great job, Jennifer! I thought the 5k course was tough (hilly), so I can imagine the 10k one was pretty challenging. We should do another run together soon. And, I think I need to start narrowing down my suggestions for the book club. Jax will have so many to sift through. See ya soon.

Jennifer Kirby said...

Heather - you ran an incredible race! First woman overall, right? Congratulations! I would love to run together again soon, maybe next week. Let me know what's good for you.