#at least it's short. 50ish minutes only

[ambreiiigns]

i watched midori aka shoujo tsubaki and it's huhhhhh how do you say huhhhh lame

[seas-storyarchive]

Auld Acquaintance au

Zatara was never Fate. The Starro tech that was on his neck falls off, wiggling as it is alive. It's taken to be studied, where it's revealed that it is alive thanks to Giovanni's magic infused blood fusing with it.

As it's being observed, it starts to mutate into a human-like shape. Within a matter of weeks it looks like a fetus. Giovanni brings Sindella to the Watchtower, unable to comprehend what this even is, as after three months it now looks like a full term baby boy that's somehow boardering on a year.

"Let it out."

"Are you crazy?"

"It's a baby, and he's full term. Let him out or he'll die."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Della?"

"You know how we both wanted more, but because of my cancer we couldn't.."

...

"Giovanni?"

"Let my son out now."

"What- Zatanna!"

"Here's Zach."

"No."

"But what if I like the name? You weren't the one who essentially birthed him, I'm deciding what to call him."

"Fine.. but his middle name is your first because you just had to start that."

"Fine." [[MORE]]

Zachary Giovanni Zatara grows up to reveal his magic powers, which are weaker than his family because of his partial intergalactic heritage. He does have telepathic capabilities, but it only extends to Zatanna - they tried to test it, M'gann tried to read his mind and link up to them but she couldn't- and the two have to be in the same room. He can float, for short periods of time, and he can climb as well as stick to things. Very well actually. It gets annoying, especially when he doesn't want it to happen or when he and Zatanna have sibling arguments as all siblings do (despite him being 5 and her being 19) when Giovanni makes them hold hands knowing that will get stuck together for at least an hour. Normally everything cools off within 50 minutes, as Zatanna is the example that Zach will follow in life.

By the time season 2 and 3roll around, Zach is 5 and 7 (idk if that's actually right) and is helping with magic acts as well as growing his own powers. He can float more to the point where he can fly short distances. He's learned to open up the mental link, but since he's used to Zatanna being in his head, he just starts SCREAMING things but he hasn't since he's started taking telepathy lessons from M'gann who spoils him (along with Gar, but hey it's a free baby brother).

By the time S4 comes around, Zach is a starting to become a bit arrogant at only ten years old and needs to be forcefed humble every 20 minutes or so. He's a total Mommy's Boy, even if Sindella didn't "birth" him. Sindella gloats to Giovanni, whose hair is turning gray because he's 50ish with a ten year old son, fires back with the former.

He's "friends" with Damian Wayne and the West-Allen twins, more of a glorified older playmate who HAS to play with them sometimes (often). He does have a friend at school, going to public school as opposed to private school like Zatanna did, named Eddie Bloomberg. Zach, after finding out Eddie is Jewish, says "cool. Wanna go get a cheese pizza? I'll buy." He explains to his parents and older sister, all serious, that Eddie is his best friend regardless of his religion and if they didn't like it, he'd move in with Eddie. After a chuckle from everyone, it's explained that they knew Eddie was Jewish after he came over for taco night and he didn't eat any cheese with his taco, which is fine. They were never going to stop the two from being friends, it would actually be a good experience for Zach to have friends of other religions so he can learn about them.

Zach starts having nightmares sortly after he turns 10, about "a big starfish, out in space, it's got one eye and it keeps calling to me". Thus setting off an alarm within the Leaue.

[what2finish]

Icywind Creator Post

(Auctions #1036, #1037)

Creator’s previous works: Here!

Link to GDrive Folder of WIP Summaries/HCs/Plot Bunnies Creator is Offering: Here!

you can contact the Creator before bidding at:

email: hpharing@gmail.com [best] discord: icywind#1415 [best] tumblr: redsector-a.tumblr.com Ao3/Dreamwidth: Icywind

Likes: Fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, identity porn, pining (for the fjords), found family, soulmates, so many AUs - so many. lol Hockey, cats, tatts, coffee! Competent Clint and competent Bucky (BAMFs the both of them). But also I love them being soft and domestic.

Do Not Wants: Incest, underage, explicit rape/assault, character bashing, gore/vore, watersports/scat, harder kinks tbh, daddy kink, unhappy endings. Clint being an idiot that can't function at all to the point of ridiculousness (he has depression and he deals, not always well, but he does deal).

Preferred Charities of the Creator: Any

Full Charities List

___

Auction #1

Type of fanwork: fanfiction

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing(s): Winterhawk

Character(s): Obviously Clint Barton and Bucky Barnes but I love adding in the rest of the Avengers and also sometimes the AOS and Defenders and other characters.

Rating: General to Explicit

WIPs/Prompts: https://icywind.dreamwidth.org/19765.html

Starting Bid: $8

Creator Notes: So I'm going to be honest - I can't do prompts. It's entirely too much pressure for me and makes my anxiety amp up majorly and blocks me from getting anything done (yay broken brain!) So that said, all I can offer are my WIPs. I fully realize this might not be to everyone's favor and that's okay. If you see an idea you would like to see finished, or at least advanced, please bid; I'd like to have some push to work on something. The Auction will be for one fic I believe (if the bid is really high [like idk 50ish?] maybe a choice of two - one long and one short but I can't fathom my bidding going really high in all honesty). I'm starting at $8 cause it's my lucky number, but if all you can manage is $5 and that's the only bid, I'll probably take it. Basically I will offer unlimited access as I am writing it, we can chat and whatnot, you'd get to see if I make any terrible graphics or playlists, you'd get deleted scenes and lines that don't work, and I'd be happy to list it as a gift for you on AO3. Please see the link above for the listing of WIP ideas I am open to and feel free to contact me (Discord or email are probably the easiest) for more info or if you might have heard of something from me in the past that isn't listed.

Current Bid Spreadsheet: Here.

Please check what the current bid is at before bidding.

Bids might take a few minutes to load.

Bidding ends on November 28th 11:59:00pm CST. The highest bid before that deadline will win the auction.

Bidding Form: Here.

Please check the Bid Spreadsheet and bid higher than the previous bid.

You will not be notified if you have been outbid. Only the winner will be notified after bidding ends.

___

Auction #2

Type of fanwork: fanfiction

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing(s): Winterhawk - and tho I don't have ideas listed if you're interested in Amerihawk please send me a message and I can mention the few ideas I have.

Character(s): Obviously Clint Barton and Bucky Barnes but I love adding in the rest of the Avengers and also sometimes the AOS and Defenders and other characters.

Rating: General to Explicit

WIPs/Prompts: https://icywind.dreamwidth.org/19765.html

Starting Bid: $10

Creator Notes: So I'm going to be honest - I can't do prompts. It's entirely too much pressure for me and makes my anxiety amp up majorly and blocks me from getting anything done (yay broken brain!) So that said, all I can offer are my WIPs. I fully realize this might not be to everyone's favor and that's okay. If you see an idea you would like to see finished, or at least advanced, please bid; I'd like to have some push to work on something. The Auction will be for one fic I believe (if the bid is really high [like idk 50ish?] maybe a choice of two - one long and one short but I can't fathom my bidding going really high in all honesty). If all you can manage is $5 and that's the only bid, I'll probably take it. Basically I will offer unlimited access as I am writing it, we can chat and whatnot, you'd get to see if I make any terrible graphics or playlists, you'd get deleted scenes and lines that don't work, and I'd be happy to list it as a gift for you on AO3.

Please see the link above for the listing of WIP ideas I am open to and feel free to contact me (Discord or email are probably the easiest) for more info or if you might have heard of something from me in the past that isn't listed. 

Current Bid Spreadsheet: Here.

Please check what the current bid is at before bidding.

Bids might take a few minutes to load.

Bidding ends on November 28th 11:59:00pm CST. The highest bid before that deadline will win the auction.

Bidding Form: Here.

Please check the Bid Spreadsheet and bid higher than the previous bid.

You will not be notified if you have been outbid. Only the winner will be notified after bidding ends.

[bangchanshehe]

The Boogeyman pt. 2

Summary: You were constantly having the same reoccurring dream over and over again and your friends told you that it meant nothing. But as your nights became more strange as days passed by you knew that it was more than a dream. much, much more. You tried every night to stop the bizarre dreams from occurring in the same sequence to try to find out more about who or what was controlling them. But when you came face to face with the demon in your dreams in real life, you realized that what he had been telling you all along was true. There is no escape.

??? X Reader

Word Count: 3k

The rest of your morning passed as usual. You made your coffee at 6:30 am sharp, you did your hair and makeup and got dressed and made your way to work. The only difference between your morning and other people’s mornings is that you had only slept for 6 hours. You sighed to yourself once you were parked in the work garage and checked your reflection in the rear view mirror.

Fucking eye bags. You cursed under your breath.

You could tell that physically the lack of sleep was starting to get to you. You no longer had naturally dewy, well rested skin. Your eye bags had grown exponentially, and your mood. Most of all… your mood had taken a turn for the worse.

In your precinct you were always known as the most serious investigator, but lately a few co-workers had added some extra vocabulary to your name. detective “bitch-face”, was your favorite as of yet. You gathered up your bag, threw your keys and phone inside and held onto your coffee cup with a death grip as you prepared yourself for another day of mind-numbing work.

You had barely clocked in and sat your things down at your desk when your boss called you into his office. You rolled your eyes and mentally shifted into your role as a well mannered subordinate, before you stalked off to his office. You knocked twice on his glass door before welcoming yourself in.

“you wanted to see me?” you asked him with a straight face although you knew what he was calling you into his office for

“yes, take a seat y/n” he commanded in an authoritative tone

You obliged him and tried to make yourself comfortable in the stiff chairs.

“I know that you are having some trouble in dealing with the suicide cases y/n.” he started and you let out a sigh “I think that we need to put this case to rest not only for our sake but also for the family’s sakes” he leaned forward at his desk and spoke softer to you “simply put there is nothing further to investigate, and there is no sign of foul play in either of these women’s cases.”

You knew that the correct and polite thing to do would be to agree with your boss, but you had a hunch that you couldn’t get rid of. And you knew that if it was you in those women’s shoes, that you would want for someone to try their best for you.

“all do respect sir, ill have to disagree” you started “I’ve spoken to the families and neither of them mention mental illness or indication of suicide. Their work life, social life and financial stability was solid. There was no reason for those women to have motivation to take their own life. I’ve already –“

“let me stop you right there” your boss interrupted you mid-sentence. “we don’t know for sure that these women weren’t suffering from any mental illness. We cant say that they didn’t commit suicide just because they were perfect on paper.” He shook his head in disagreement

“sir, I’ve spoken with the medical examiner and they say that there is no sign of natural death….” You gave him a stern look and he gave you one back “these women essentially just dropped dead. Nothing in their system, nothing wrong with their health. It doesn’t make any sense!”

“I want you to dismiss the case.” He said firmly

“if either of these women were your daughter or wife, would you want someone else to just dismiss the case sir?” you asked him

He paused for a long while giving you a pointed glare before finally looking down at his desk and back up at you again. “y/n, I am going to give you one more week to work on this case. Either you bring me more evidence that this was a homicide by that time, or we dismiss the case. Is that understood?” he asked you

“yes sir! I appreciate it sir!” you said with a small smile, happy that you had talked him into giving you some more time.

You walked out of his office with more motivation than ever to help these women and their families. You made your way back to your desk, unpacked your files and looked back over their cases, starting with the basics.

Looking over the autopsy results the women seemed to be perfectly healthy beings with nothing in their system other than an sleeping aid.

You didn’t find that the fact that they might need help with falling asleep strange, but if you were going to produce results by the end of the week you had to cross all of your t’s and dot all of your I’s. starting with a call to a medical examiner.

You picked up the phone and dialed the examiner less than hopeful to find anything of significance but unwilling for the case to be dropped without finding any further answers.  

“hello, this is examiner song speaking. How can I help you?” a friendly and familiar voice answered

“Hi, Mr. Song this is detective Y/N speaking. I have a few questions for you in regards to the double suicide case. Are you free right now?” you asked him as friendly as possible hoping it would gain you the favor

“oh! Sure ask away!” he said as chipper as ever

“I see from the report that both of the women were both using a sleeping aid and I was wondering if the dose that they had in their system was typical and if you had any other information on this medication?”

He hummed for a moment “the amount still left in the blood stream was pretty typical for a sleep medication, particularly if they had taken it that night. There doesn’t seem to be any signs of drug abuse or abnormalities. However, I don’t know too much about the medication other than its prescription and you have to have some serious sleep insomnia to get prescribed it.” he mentioned

You quickly scribbled down the name of the drug on a piece of paper and thanked the examiner before you hung up the phone. Looking back over the files for the women you quickly look up their family physician’s number only to find that the women both go to the same doctor.

You wrote the number down underneath the name of the medication and stuck in on your computer monitor. You highly doubted that it was a strong lead to pursue since doctor song said the levels look normal and decided to save it for later.

You restlessly looked over your notes and files calling anyone who you think would have any additional information on the women, before you finally noticed that it was close to 11.

You pulled out your phone and text your best friend who was a practicing therapist in your area. You had met her because of work and ever since then you were glued to each other. You smiled to yourself remembering how comfortable it was for the two of you when you had first met. It was like you had just met your best friend who you hadn’t seen for a while and had a ton to catch up on.

The entire reason that you were there to begin with was because you were injured on the job and was told to go as a part of probation until you were “better again”, which was short for do your required 3 appointments for an hour and you’ll be cleared to be back on the force again. But the two of you were so close that you met often after your standard three meetings. Only this time you often met at a bar, after business hours for the both of you.

Hey, want to get Mexican food for lunch around 12? You sent here knowing that she was done with her standard 10-11 appointment. You had looked away for only a moment before you had heard your phone vibrate.

ABSOLUTELY! I have the craziest story to tell you when I get there! Get ready!

You laughed quietly at her text. She always had some crazy story to tell you about her clients. Was it technically legal for her to do so? No, not really. But she was at least responsible to change the names and places in her stories so that at least identities were protected. Plus, since she worked strictly with more upscale clientele, she heard a lot of stories about wild affairs, extravagant parties and occasionally a celebrity gone bad.

You locked your phone and put it down on your desk hoping that within the next 45 minutes you’ll be on a better track then you currently were.

  “so you would never believe what happened today!” your friend started off excitedly from across the table, drink in hand “my typical 10 o’clock canceled on me today… whatever, no big deal. But come 9:50ish I get this message from the receptionist that a certain very attractive celebrity wanted to book a same day appointment with me if at all possible. So I’m all ‘hell yeah! Get his ass in here!’ and when he came into my room he told me this story about how he drunkenly married a woman from a foreign country, spent the next three amazing weeks with her in paradise and now she’s gone and he’s completely torn apart from it” she said like it was the wildest news she had ever heard

You stared at her from across the table wondering where she was going to go with her story. Unamused or impressed with what she was telling you

“and I mean like full blown ugly crying in my office over this girl. He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture after picture of her proclaiming that she was the most attractive woman he’d ever met. And eventually at the very end he said that he had received a message from her saying that she was pregnant with another man’s child and wanted to be with him to raise the baby” she stopped to take a breath “I mean the poor guy was really losing his marbles over this chick. But as he’s walking out of the building I literally see him eye fucking some chick and then without a word she just gets into his car and they drive off together to do god knows what!” she finally finished

You raised your eyebrows at her and gave her a look of disbelief. You wouldn’t have believed your ears if it weren’t for the fact that you had some of your own run ins with celebrities or word of celebrities in her office.

“that’s so crazy!” you said confused over such behavior.  “hey I have a question for you about a medication and I have no clue if you’ll actually know anything about it.” you said pulling out your sticky note with the name scribbled across the top

She leaned over to look at the name and immediately perked up. “oh yeah I prescribe that pretty often to patients who need help sleeping.” She said before looking up to you “why? Are you looking into a new sleep medication?”

You sighed and put the note away. “well I found it through a case and had never heard of it, so I figured I’d ask. Is it any good?” you asked her

She scoffed and giggled “it’s the best thing that anyone has invented since bread.” She said “fuck all of the older sleep medications. This one is the best. Plus… there’s a little more that goes into it than just getting the drug from a store. You take a questionnaire and they give you an at home test so they can create it to be designed more for what you need.”

Your eyes went wide and you sat back in your chair happy to hear about how good the medicine was. Whatever the price was you would be willing to pay for a decent night’s sleep again.

You pulled out your phone and googled the drug, and scheduling was much simpler than you thought, you made an appointment for 5:30 so you could go straight after work.

“thank you my sweet, sweet friend. I’ll see you later!” you said with a smile on your face shoving one last tortilla chip in your face before you ran to your car so you could get back to the office on time.

  The rest of the shift went by terribly slow and you were actually itching to get out of your chair come five o’clock. You had done literally everything that you could have to cover your basics with the case but everything seemed to run into a dead end.

You quickly packed up your belongings and raced out the door so you wouldn’t be late for your appointment. You were as giddy as a school girl to find something that might finally help you feel like a normal human being again. and as soon as you pulled up to the offices for the drug you smiled.

Utopia Inc. you read to yourself, before getting out of the car and walking towards the doors.

Once inside you were impressed with how comfortable and yet clean the offices were. You took a seat in a chair and began reading over the paperwork and questionnaire.

Are you getting more than 5 hours of rest? No.

Do you have trouble falling asleep? No.

Do you have trouble staying asleep? Yes.

On a scale of one to ten how would you rate your average nights rest? 4

Are you currently using any other sleep-inducing medications? No.

What is the average time that you sleep in one night? 4-5 hours

You sighed as you looked over the remaining questions. You couldn’t even remember the last time that you had a decent nights sleep and you were more than anxious to have that back. But the questions were a little dull. You were hoping that the questions would be a little more in depth than the traditional sleep surveys you’ve done in the past.

As you filled out the remaining few questions your name was called by a nurse and you quickly stood and approached her.

“please come this way miss Y/l/n” She said opening a door and walking down a long hallway full of doors. She stopped in front of a office and held the door open for you “ go ahead and have a seat, and the doctor will be ready in just a moment”

You thanked her and took a seat in the stiff looking chair. You read the posters on the walls and looked around the room while you waited, bored and nervous all at once.

Knock, knock.

Your head snapped up and a friendly looking man walked into the room.  He peaked his head into the room and gave you a warm smile before introducing himself.

“hi y/n! my name is Jongho and ill be taking care of your sleep test and diagnosis.” He held out his hand for you to shake and you accepted with a smile “I already looked over your questionnaire and it looks like you have some symptoms of severe sleep insomnia” he explained

“which I have some good news and some bad news with that. Unfortunately there is no cure for sleep insomnia, however after we run some sleep tests on you we can get an idea of what kind of medicine you need to regulate your sleeping patterns” he explained to you very calmly and coolly.

Knock, knock.

The two of you turned your head to see who the new intruder was in the room and you were surprised when you saw a very attractive man walk into the room with a bright smile. Jongho was surprised as well by the new guest in the room and looked back over to you with a smile only to give the man a curious glare.

“hello my name is Hongjoong!” the man said extending his hand “ill be assisting doctor choi”

“y/n” you said taking his hand

You couldn’t help but notice the strange way that the physician looked to the man before he looked back at you with an awkward smile. For some reason it made you feel unsettled

“right, so all you have to do is turn on this device and put it on your finger as you sleep for the next week and it will record all of the information that we need. From there once we look at the reports we will form a diagnosis and get you the perfect medication to help you out. Re-testing can occur at any time if you feel that the diagnosis was incorrect and you need a different medication. Any questions?” he asked you with a smile

You shook your head and jongho smiled back at you. He gave you a bag with the necessary equipment and a packet with questions and answers on insomnia. He scheduled an appointment for a week from now and you were completely ready to go home. He shook your hand one last time before you left the office and on your way out Hongjoong stopped you.

He handed you a business card and you accepted it.  it was simple with his name, email and phone number  on the card. “please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or difficulty during the tests”

You looked him over once more noticing how differently he was dressed compared to doctor Choi who was in a white medical gown and business casual clothes. He was wearing a suit that looked like it cost a fortune and he had the air around him like he was a man who didn’t work with people all day long. he seemed impatient, guarded and utterly too perfect.

you smiled at him once before leaving the long hallway and entering the reception area once more. happy like a child on Christmas you carried the box to your car and set it down carefully in the passenger seat as if it were a precious treasure. You looked back up at the building one last time before you pulled away and smiled. Hopefully this would be the answers to your prayers and help you start a happier and healthier chapter in your life.

[devonrunning]

Jack & Jill Marathon Training Week 2: It Feels Easy Now

This was the kind of week I had hoped for in week one: straightforward, uneventful and—dare I say it?—easy.

Most of my running was at a relaxed pace; my speed workout felt really short; pushing my 30-pound kid in the running stroller one day felt pretty effortless; and my long run was mentally challenging due to the conditions, but definitely not the worst long run ever.

It feels easy now. I know it won't feel that way for long, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

I'm trying not to make the mistake of running too fast, too often, which is a mistake I've made plenty of times before. The only runs I'm trying to work really hard during are my Thursday speed workouts and Saturday marathon-pace runs (although they're not every Saturday; this week was an off week). Every other run—especially my long runs—I'm going easy.

It seems like a counterintuitive method for getting faster, but I've read enough articles (like this one) to convince me it's worth a shot. I've never tried it before, and I've never made huge leaps in my marathon finish times before, so why not? Plus, I've never run six days a week for a marathon training cycle before. I need to take it easy at the very least to avoid burning out partway through.

Not every run feels like a sweaty, breathless, confidence-boosting rush of endorphins—and that's OK. I'm focusing on being patient, sticking to my strategy, and really going for it when it counts.

MONDAY: 3-mile easy run at 9:06 average pace.

I used to take Mondays off running to recover from my Sunday long run, but now I do a short recovery run instead. I don't think I could run fast on Mondays even if I tried. ☺ My friend Stephanie had five miles to do, so I joined her for the last three. Her first marathon is on April 21—so soon! I'm so excited for her. I also lifted weights and did some ab exercises.

TUESDAY: 5-mile easy run at 9:08 average pace.

I haven't run with headphones since I very first began running in 2010, but for some reason on this day, I didn't think I could get through these slower miles without something to entertain me. I listened to my friend Ali's podcast, The Ali on the Run Show, which I've become obsessed with. She interviews a great mix of pro runners, regular runners, celeb runners (like Andrea Barber, aka Kimmy Gibbler!), doctors, nutritionists and more. Ali is one of those people who can chat with anyone and make it fun and engaging, so listening to her show on the run is sort of like listening to a good conversation while running with friends. I ran on a gravel trail, and the show was a million times better to listen to than the crunch, crunch, crunch of my footsteps.

WEDNESDAY: 3-mile easy treadmill run at 9:15 average pace.

When I was dealing with my foot pain last week, one of the things I thought might help was replacing my orthotic insoles. I was originally fitted for them at a running store in Colorado, where we went on vacation last summer, because I had packed my running shoes but not my insoles. Anyway, I ordered those same insoles from Amazon, and realized when they arrived that there was an option to heat them up in the oven and mold them to my feet! (Or you can just let them mold to your feet over time, but where's the fun in that?) I followed the directions, then did a super-easy treadmill run in my freshly baked soles. They feel great so far, and this method was definitely cheaper than having custom insoles made at Road Runner Sports, which is what I used to do. That costs $80 now! Noooo thank you.

THURSDAY: 4-mile tempo run at 8:34 average pace.

It was super rainy, but also warm, so I wound up ditching my jacket midway through and just getting soaked during this run. That was no big deal, but maybe it was being too warm/messing with my jacket that made me feel a little off. I spent the 15 minutes of running at tempo pace (7:50ish) doubting that it was fast enough for my marathon non-goal. But I ran comfortably hard at a pace I felt I could sustain, like I'm supposed to, so I don't know. I just never settled into a good enough rhythm to feel satisfied with this run.

FRIDAY: Rest.

Rest day is the best day! We got a babysitter and went out for a kid-free double date with Stephanie and her husband at The Attic. Pizza, BBQ ribs and beer, oh my.

SATURDAY: 5.3-mile run at 8:38 average pace.

Aaron went for a bike ride first thing in the morning, and I decided to attempt a stroller run with Evie since we hadn’t done it in a while. (I say “attempt” because she’s almost two... you never know what will happen with a willful toddler.) 

Luckily, she was happy as a clam for most of the run since she had a snack cup full of Goldfish and plenty of people and animals to say “hi!” to along the way. It started pouring rain about halfway through, but again, it was warm rain. I’ll take that over cold rain any day! And we literally ran into Hallie as she was heading out for her run, so we enjoyed the last two miles with her. 

SUNDAY: 11-mile long trail run at 11:51 average pace.

Speaking of pouring rain... think of the most intense, relentless rain you’ve ever seen. Now imagine that going all day long. Welcome to Sunday in the Pacific Northwest! 

I was soaked within the first five minutes of this run, and it was not warm rain. Once I got onto the actual trail in the woods, the trees helped a little to mitigate the downpour, but not as much as I’d hoped. I also climbed nearly 2,200 feet, so it got reallyyyyy cold as I neared my 5.5-miles turnaround point and my hands went numb. I think it’s time to invest in some lightweight, waterproof running gloves! I borrowed Hallie’s for the Orcas Island 25K and they were so necessary. 

With the cold, the rain and the steep trail wearing me down, I had an internal battle with myself over whether I should keep running up the trail to hit 5.5 or turn back early and make up the mileage on the flat gravel path to the parking lot. The latter would have been easier, but I knew I’d be disappointed in myself if I chose to do that. During the Tiger Mountain Half, I won’t have the option to run some of the miles on a flatter trail. 

I’m glad I chose to push through my discomfort and keep going. It reminded me that, in addition to the physical rigor of running a race, at least half the battle—if not more—is totally mental.

Total weekly mileage: 31.3

Follow along in real time on Instagram @dev.on.running.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

[rdgpcg]

“Trail shoes or road shoes?” This was the question I asked myself after registering for the Run to the Rock 10K in Hamburg. The course would take us mostly over groomed gravel trail and some service roads where my Hoka Arahi’s would be fine but there was a couple miles of trail involved and I was unsure how severe that would be. A young couple emerged from the car next to me also wearing white 10K bibs. They were having the same dilemma but neither had run this course before. He chose trail shoes, she chose road shoes. That didn’t help my decision. In the end, I went with the road shoes. I like them much more than my current trail shoes and decided I’d muddle through the off-road sections.

Run to the Rock is part of the Blue Mountain Wildlife Trail Series. Apparently the series has been on-going for the better part of 15 years. I’ve only been a casual trail runner so hadn’t really paid attention but if Saturday’s event was any indication I could do more of these, especially since my wonky right foot has forced my early retirement from the marathon.

I stumbled across Run to the Rock while searching for races Friday evening. I wanted to find a local event but preferred something longer than the ubiquitous 5K. You can’t swing a dead cat in the summertime without hitting a 5K and this includes the Run to the Rock event that also has a 5K and 2.5K. A glance at the course map for the 10K piqued my interest. It was basically a gentle run along the Schuylkill River and New Kernsville Lake in Hamburg, PA. Sure there would be some hairy looking trail sections but how bad could that be?

Author’s Note: There a dam on the Schuylkill River in Hamburg that forms a narrow lake. Who knew? Second Author’s Note: Despite living less than a mile from the river for nearly 30 years, I still can’t spell “Schuylkill” without googling it. 

After settling on my normal road shoes I headed out along the Schuylkill River Trail for a brief warm-up. As I ran, I realized how lucky we are to have such awesome trails these days.

Part of the SRT near Hamburg

The SRT is an extensive trail network that makes its way from Pottsville all the way down to Center City Philadelphia. Once just a dream of a small organization, the trail is becoming more and more of a reality each year with new sections being completed and the few remaining gaps quickly filling in. This despite the boom and bust of State and Federal funding that goes on-going changes to the political climate. If you are a runner, walker, or cyclist who enjoys using these trails make sure you support the organizations that make things happen. The Rails To Trails Conservancy is a major player in this space and there are several local organizations that help fund and maintain the SRT.

Overview map of the SRT

After my warm-up, I hovered around the start waiting to race. I looked around and noted the usual mix of serious runners ready to pound out a fast 10K, the fit training runners who were good runners but not necessarily serious racers, and then the casual runners and general public who who walk/jog the event. Some were equipped with extra nutrition and hydration kits. I guess 10K is a long way to some as it once would have been to me. I’m not exactly sure where I fall these days. I guess I am somewhere between the dead-serious racers and the dedicated runners. I’d like to think I’m still fast but know that probably isn’t reality at least at the moment.

A hydration pack may be a little overkill for a 10K.

We had a beautiful morning to run although it was a skosh warmer than expected. Temps hovered in the high 60s or low 70s, and the cottony clouds floated overhead. The wind was supposed to pick up later but was calm at the race start. Considering the near-monsoon state we’ve been enduring, it was a pleasant change.

The 5K and 10K events would share a start and the 2.5K would setoff the opposite direction. The race director got everyone lined up and stood between the groups to give the start commands. Shortly after 9:00am we were off.

The 2018 Start: Everyone is always all smiles at the beginning.

We headed South along the SRT. I had been chatting with the young couple parked next to me and they both were just ahead of me. We had all started near the front. We ran a couple hundred yards South and then around a curve and took a bridge across the river. There were a couple folks at the pointy end of the field who I could tell would be contenders and they, predictably, disappeared in the distance.

My current race paces are only a vague guess so I figured I’d run to effort and  hope not to blow up. As usual in these smaller events the field sorted itself out quickly and I found myself following the the female half of the parking lot couple. She was about 50 yards in front of me. We continued along the trail for the first couple miles. The only real position changes for the day came here. A younger, shirtless gentleman clearly started out a bit too fast and faded backward getting passed by the woman in front of me and then by me. I also heard some footsteps behind me and got passed by an older runner who introduced himself later as Donny. I found out later Donny’s full name was Don Mengel and he is a very high-caliber local runner. He didn’t even look like he was working hard when he passed me. I certainly felt like I was working hard. Donny passed passed the girl and then remained just ahead of us the rest of the way. Though I couldn’t catch him I felt pretty good having kept him in sight for the race.

Shortly after Donny passed, the course took a hard right turn and plunged into a green jungle. The race director had warned of rocks, roots, logs, and green briar and this section of the course didn’t disappoint. I had held a 6:50ish pace for the first couple miles but the jungle required slow and steady. It also required ducking under down trees, climbing over logs, bushwhacking through briars and weeds, and fighting off a pack of rampaging orcs with nasty looking iron scimitars. I might be exaggerating a little bit but I do think I saw a Hobbit at one point.

The 10K course features marauding orcs . .

No orcs really but there may have been a hobbit.

I momentarily passed the girl on the trail section. She clearly out classed me on the open trail but ran a bit cautiously through the heavy bush. As we clambered over several down trees I commented that I left my chainsaw in my other running shorts. It was slow-going for a bit including scaling a rocky bank that required hands and feet. I remember seeing a 42 minute time for the winner from the previous year. That’s a respectable 10K on the road let alone with downed trees, Hobbits, and Orcs.

The heavy bush didn’t last terribly long and in short order the young lady was on my heels again. I let her go by at a wide turn knowing she’d be faster on the open trail. Suddenly, a runner was coming back the other way. We were nearly at the Rock.

The Rock, as you can guess, is the main feature of the Run to the Rock 10K. It is a big rocky precipice that overlooks the river at the North end of New Kernsville Lake. Cleverly, the race director stationed a photographer across the river so runners have the opportunity to get a quick photo snapped before turning and heading back toward the finish. I stopped and waited for the lady to get her picture so as not to photo bomb her. When it was my turn, I ascended the rock giving the photographer a big thumbs up. (I don’t anticipate that picture being available at the time of publication but it would be cool if it was!)

From the 2018 event.

After the photo opp, the return course branched off from the trail to the rock so we weren’t going head to head with those still on the way to the rock. In fact, we didn’t have to bushwhack at all on the way home. Once we navigated the muddy trail out of the woods we followed the river trail and service road the whole way back.

For me the most difficult part was revving the engines back up to a fast pace after tip-toeing through the jungle. This is evident from my splits. The first two miles on open trail were both well under 7:00 pace. Mile three included the beginning of the jungle and slowed to 8:17. Mile four was jungle, the hand-over-hand climb, and the stop at the rock for pictures and all that dragged the pace down to 9:58. The last two miles were mostly back on open trail and I was unable to get back to a sub-7:00 pace. It did get hot but it was just difficult to get the feet turning over at a faster pace after the jungle dance.

The real speed killer came at the end. There is a steep slope up to the bridge back across the river. My legs filed a formal protest when we had to climb up that but I pushed ahead anyway. As always at the end of a race, I’m pretty sure they move the finish while we are out on the course just to mess with us. After coming off the bridge it seemed to take forever for the Finish banner to come in sight. I crossed the line with 48:nn something on the clock. Good enough for 2nd place in my age group and definitely near the pointy end of the race.

Runnin’ to the Rock "Trail shoes or road shoes?" This was the question I asked myself after registering for the…