Penn State and THE tutu (May 16 - Day 49, 12+ miles, Waddle, PA)

I ran in a tutu today. Yes, I am not joking. I ran in a glitzy, pink and purple, lacy handmade tutu. Even better, I was running through the most populated town in PA along my route, State College. And best, is that I was joined by the magnificently engaging and fun members of the Nitanny Valley Running Club - Jerry Steffy, Tom Cali, Jamie Volkert, Randy Jepson, Jim Myers, Mike and Evan Casper, Mark Fedkin, Beth Herndon, Katie Davis, Dave DeGroote, Jeremy (the president), Marty Mazur, Stephanie Velegol, and others!!! Also, Charlotte Walsh, one of my heroes and a GOTR coach in Williamsport, drove out run this morning as well. What a trooper! She was the one who brought the tutu (story about the tutu next paragraph).

Running in tutu...evidence!

This dedicated group of runners met me at the State College Elks Country Club at 8:30 this morning, ready with gusto to run!!! They had mental maps of where we were going to run (I had no clue where I was going and left it up to them to guide me through their own stomping grounds). It was so great! Keith Miller from the local NBC affiliate also showed up and got some coverage. Surprise to me!!! Haha. He followed us 10 miles through State College, gathering footage and interviewing runners. What fun.

Keith and I:

So, we ran. It was crazy, because it was the first time that runners actually came out from behind bushes or from intersecting streets and joined me as we were running along. Kind of like how people started following Forest Gump...they just hopped in! It was insane! Perhaps I am offering a once in a lifetime experience for people...to “run across america?” I am honored to give these great runners a thrill! Guys - were you thrilled? Excited? Why? Thank you so much for joining me.

(Ok, tutu story. Charlotte and her buddy, Youlin, ran the Philly marathon to raise funds for Girls on the Run. To raise awareness, literally, they each made tutus and wore tiaras for the entire race! This tutu means a lot to Charlotte and embodies who she is, I think - A bold, colorful, standout of a human being. I wear it for her and for the girls...on the run.)

Today's running peeps were also hilarious. We actually passed the tutu around, taking turns, and Tom wore it the longest. He was a real jokester. He loved it. All through the heart of State College, he sported that baby. He whistled and waved to people he knew in town, and took comments from strangers, “nice skirt!” I admire his humility.

The group of us runners today:

Tom in tutu:

We ran up 322, then up University Drive, through residential neighborhoods! I could not believe it, but I realized that it was the first time I ran through this type of area. They told me about the buildings we ran by, and about Penn State University. Awesome. We also made a stop at Rapid Transit, the local running store. I was hooked up with a free Penn State Cross Country shirt. I wear it proud.

We continued on to take a picture with the famous Nitanny Lion Shrine (big statue of the Penn State lion) that everyone and their mother wants to take a photo with. My fellow runners thought it was necessary to cut in line considering we were running by and “I had to make it to San Diego by December.” Ha ha, good excuse, but I let them make the cut for me. Oddly, I filmed it (and slightly hid at the same time)! Watch the cutting in line below. Nice announcing skills, Jaime;-) Haaaaaaa!

Ellen and I with famous Lion shrine in distant background:-)

We saw the sights of the HUGE Penn State stadium too:

We then made our way the rails to Trails trail nearby. I have not yet, for 49 days, run on a soft path until today! It was magnificently soothing for my legs. Despite the fear of being attacked by “Birdzilla” on the path, it was great, silent, calm, and FLAT! By the way, “Birdzilla” is a wild bird along this trail that likes to attack runners. He apparently looks like a huge brown chicken. I didn’t see Birdzilla...but I BELIEVE! Watch yourself. Today was also the first time I felt faint. It was humid and we pushed the pace more than I had before. I learned that my body needs to slowly adjust to these climates, and I cannot be afraid to say no to my body calling for a walk break. Yes, I felt like a wimp for feeling faint when everyone else ran the same number of miles in the same heat, but hey, EVERY BODY IS DIFFERENT! I need to remember that.

Pic of us on the trail:

After done with run:

Calling for Ellen...support!!!

It was then time for lunch, finally. Ellen and I ate refried beans from a can, plopped onto a styrofoam plate (reminded me of poop, of course). We parked and set up our lawn chairs on the side of the road, looking out to a big red barn and horses, chickens, and pigs, oh my. Dipping lettuce and chips into the poop beans, we sat there, totally relaxed, eating off our cooler that we brought out from the car. Despite the fact that a) the cooler was awkwardly slanted, causing the poop beans to constantly slide down towards the dirty ground, b) it started raining (imagine watery beans on a plate), and c) I bet 5 gazillion dollars that NOBODY else has ever picnicked in the exact spot we were on the side of that random road, it was the best gosh-darn lunch we have had yet. Life can be so random, simple, but unexplainably conscience at the same time. I feel like we were meant to have that bean lunch in that exact spot today.

Lunch:-)

The rest of the day was spent walking around State College, and hanging out at Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe. Quirky, quaint place. We even borrowed some showers at the Recreation Hall on campus. Sometime what you need is right in front of your face, you just have to go for it. OF course, I don’t just mean free showers;)

Love,
Katie

More pics from today!
Ellen and Marty planning day's route:

Charlotte helps Marty sport the tutu:

Running through the residential area: