Happy Tuesday!
Today was another 100% walking effort. I went 6.37 miles. I pushed myself to be faster today, but I wasn't expecting much. My body will be in recovery mode for at least a week and the odds of seeing anything overly speedy is highly unlikely. So, I wound up feeling like I was working harder and moving faster than I really was. Still, I got a later start and sunrise looked like it would be best from the dock. So, I pushed myself that extra for the time boost to allow for a quick stop.
I also promised some race details.
- That police officer pictured above is a really cool story. He's done this race quite a few times and always runs the half in full uniform. He's a lieutenant in the police dept and has been there since something like 1991. He works three jobs just to stay busy, involves, and varying it up. His job enabled him to go back to school and get his pharmacy degree, so he also works as a pharmacist. Sounds like he does that at facilities for people in need. I hate to do him any disservice but I forget the third job. Either way, I was behind him for a while on the route and crossed paths once. Super nice and supportive guy.
- I met a woman at the start who wasn't sure if she was going to finish in time but she was going to try... because she's spent the last handful of years fighting for her life. She'd had a decent chunk of her liver removed in order to save her. I don't know if she finished but I passed her at one point and tried to encourage her the best I could
- I met a woman who appeared like she was probably a good 20-30 years older than me. She was just so giddy to be in the environment and super curious about all of us with glitter. She was out ahead of me for a while, but when I passed her, I realized that she had something with her leg. At this point, she was walking, and the one leg didn't seem to bend at the knee. I'm thinking it was a mid race injury because the sheer math behind her current pace meant I should have passed her miles earlier...but either way...she was still doing it and had a smile on her face.
- We were promised firemen (and one fire woman) to give us our medals at the finish. They weren't kidding. When I crossed the finish line, this enormous muscular man wearing pretty much just his uniform pants and some harnesses greeted me with a huge smile and draped the medal around my neck.
- I know champagne was advertised to go with the celebratory race finish but I never saw any. It's probably an omen since I'm not a huge fan and the cheap stuff would really turn my already turned stomach. I did, however, find some sparkling water (LaCroix). Not a ton of flavor options but grapefruit seemed like the most appealing in the moment.
- boas and tiaras were available right at the start of the last .1 miles. I did not want to waste any time, so I skipped it mid race and jumped back in to get mine after the fact. Priorities!!! After seeing this process and seeing what was given out, I am so glad I bought my own. I think I already said this...but seriously... I liked mine so much better. I wasn't the only one that went this route. I saw others who came in their own unique tiaras and tutus.
I also promised some plant pics. I may have to split this between two posts. First off...what I bought and how it's going...
1. I bought five monster elephant ear bulbs. These things are supposed to reach 6-10 feet in height and up to an 8 foot spread. I was a little nervous because only one was showing growth for a while, but then I remembered that only one bulb looked more mature. I now have all five showing growth. Due to the potential size, I limited the driveway flowerbed to three and put the remaining two in an empty space up front. So, yay for all five growing.
2. I bought two cleopatra canna lily bulbs. Only one is growing and I have a feeling that's all that's going to grow. It might be an omen. They supposedly multiply on their own like crazy. A neighbor at our first house had big orange ones growing. No clue how many they planted at first but they took over the corners of all four yards around the fence section where they were planted. Those looked a bit different and are a bit shorter. These have deep purple leaves with hints of green. The flowers are supposed to be a blend of bright red with yellow and white. These are supposed to top out around 5 feet in height. I planted them on the left side of our driveway and the very end of this bed. There's iron decorative (but also functional) fencing for the driveway in the mix, so it should create an interesting visual as they fill in and spread.
3. I've shared a bit on the hostas already. I ordered five giant roots and wound up with five standard size and one runt. Supposedly, all of these varieties are known to hit over 4 feet in height and spread over 5 feet in width. All of them are growing and showing early signs of spread...height not so much just yet. I am hoping they spread enough to fill in around the elephant ears and create sort of a visual balance with each other.
4. Starlette lilies- I bought three of these and while I think all three grew, I think all three have died. As you'll see in #5, there's going to be room for confusion and potential surprises. Whatever type of lily was growing had similar leaves to #5 but they had sort of burgundy colored edge to them. While the pics I've seen of the mature plants are solid green, it seemed plausible that these were the starlettes, not just due to quantity, but that the flowers would have been a mix of that deep purplish burgundy with bright orange. I will be utterly shocked if I see any of these blooming, but who knows.
5. Stargazer lilies- These are my favorite. They made up most of my wedding bouquet. I ordered six and I think I have either four or five growing. So, definitely not all, but most. Again, the plants look so similar to the starlettes in the online pics that it's entirely possible that they could be a mix, but I doubt it.
6. The bonus bulbs- In the stargazer packaging I found a two or three smaller bulbs. They almost looked like broken off pieces of the stargazer bulbs...kind of like working with a head of garlic and how you can break off the individual cloves. In any event, they looked strange but I planted them. Two of them are growing, and they look NOTHING like anything else. I used a plan ID app to determine what they are. It said Easter lilies. They do look like the early growth pics I've seen of Easter lilies but the company I ordered from doesn't even sell Easter lilies. The app I used also identified the other lilies as tiger lilies, and I doubt that's right. Although, it does add an interesting thought in the mix. Stargazers are Oriental lilies. Starlettes are Asiatic lilies. Tiger lilies are also Asiatic lilies. So, either they all look too similar to ID without a flower, or I could have a mix of both simply due to the numbers growing...not to mention the mystery lilies.
Elephant ears - monster variety
Canna lilies- Cleopatra variety
I really look forward to my daily walks. 
