we beat beethoven

Sunday was the Reading Symphonies "Beat Beethoven" race. Beethoven was there. And the town crier was there. And the young people's symphony was there playing their little fingers off.

It was a beautiful day for a race. And they changed the course. That horrible uphill to the stadium was gone. Lydia, it's safe for you to go back. The big hills are all gone!!!

Bonnie and I arrived about 20 minutes early and walked around a bit. Then it was off to the races. The new course allows you to hear the music at several locations. That's because they have it piped thru the athletic fields sound system. After the race we got a snow cone and listened to the rest of the concert. A few 10k-ers did not beat Beethoven. But they played the 5th, again, for the kids fun race.

At one time Beethoven conducted the orchestra. The baton flew out of his hand and hit a violinist. Oops. At that point the conductor took his baton back.

Bonnie finished in 51:05, I think, and I finished a minute later. If I would have moved just a bit faster and stayed with the group of 10K=ers, she would not have seen me and sped up. For a change I could have won!

(Left: Bonnie chats with a dead man.)

fat girl chasing fat girl

Today was the Daylight Savings Dash at Penn State—Berks campus. My camera was exhausted again so I took photos with my crappy phone camera. Clearly I can't do a selfie with it. So, instead I took pictures of the sculptures and quilts.

It was warm, maybe 40 when we arrived and the sun was bright. I wore a fleece and then a zipped fleece and once we got started I took off the zipped. By the third mile I wanted to take off the other one.

 The Penn Sate Nittany Lion. Every campus has at least one.

There was only about 150 people. We did two loops of the course. All on asphalt so there was no climbing on snow banks. Bonnie is on her way to Kentucky for her grandchild's birth, so I had to go it alone. Did you know that an iPod unused for 5 months dies and needs to be recharged? Ooops. (It's charging now. Next time I need it it will be dead again. Why do I have it?)

One person in the back of the crowd was overweight....a bit bigger than me. I decided if she ever got ahead of me, she'd be my challenge person. (Even playing field.) Well it turned out she walked/ran. And passed me quickly. She was always a half block ahead. As soon as I got near, we encounter another hill and I'd be far behind again.  This game continued for about 2.5 miles. At one point I even saw her look back before she started to run.

Now I didn't tell her it was a competition, but clearly she sensed it.

The last half mile I finally passed her. I won by at least 1000 yards. My time was 51:29. Not bad for alone and hills.

My sister Pat was in the car. She didn't want to wait in the building. The car was warm with the sun beating in the window. Apparently while I was gone a Good Samaritan knocked on the window and asked why she was sitting in the car.  He was worried about her to the point he was going to call the police and have me arrested for "abusing the elderly". (Ouch.) She told him she was plenty warm and to buzz off. That's Pat.

Then we went to the Reading outlets. That's the most she walked in months.