Penguin World Conference IV
Toronto, Canada
May 24 to 27, 2002The first international Penguin encounter and the first encounter outside of the United States
PWC IV Report from Carol Schobert of La Porte, Ind...
My report yesterday was pretty brief. Won't try and do a chronological report.....would get too long. I always try and learn something from my runs so instead will post "Things I Learned at PWC IV". In no particular order: 1. It is possible to gain 5# in a weekend even though one runs 18-19 miles in two days.
2. It might be a good idea to listen a little better when deciding to run the day before a half-marathon. I *thought* John B said we would be taking a little jaunt to the running store and back, about 5K. In *reality* he meant we would run to the store and THEN run a 5K which was NOT a 5K but REALLY 5.5 K! Then run back for a total of oh, say about 6 miles total! I never run the day before a race!
3. Never moon anyone in Antarctica unless you want it announced that you did so before 100 strangers who have not yet met you.
4. Canadian money is prettier than American money and goes farther too.
5 Dimitre knows of some secret parking spaces in GreekTown that saved us from driving around in circles a few more times.
6 There was NO cuter waiter than ours at the Greek restaurant and I thought Judy and her friend Carol (another Carol) were going to bundle him up and try and bring him home.
7. I was glad I chose Greek so I did not have to endure red bean sorbet!! Besides, we got to yell "Opa!!" when the flaming saganaki was served.
8 Julie Wobbe should get a job as a tour guide. Her enthusiasm and pride in her city was contagious!! She guided our intrepid little group through the subway system to Casa Loma, then after my 6 mile jaunt that morning made me climb up about 100 stairs to get to the castle! THEN, after the pasta dinner she herded our same group through the rain to the CN Tower for a night time view of the city...........where we very gingerly stepped just on the edge of the glass floor looking down at the sidewalk oh, say about 100 stories below......yeow!
9. Thankfully, Mary D. does not snore and hers was the first smiling face I saw at the Penguin water stop after hearing reports she might not make it.....she drove all the way from Detroit THAT morning!
10. Maybe running the day before a race isn't so bad after all.........I came within 3 seconds of my pace band time of 2:22 coming in at 2:21:57.....my fourth fastest time in a total of 17 marathons. And running by kilometers wasn't that bad!! But for a Rock n Roll Marathon where were all the bands?
11. The Penguin water station had potato chips and gummie bears?? Sorry for not socializing more and checking things out. See #8 above......would have blown my 3 second margin.......didn't really mean to be antisocial. I knew I was close when I heard the bell ringing and the screaming from a km away. I think the band was playing a Grateful Dead song when I came by.
12. It is REALLY fun to stand at the finish line and cheer everyone in, especially knowing what Ken Myers goal was and watching the clock turn to 3:24 and seeing him round the last corner at that moment and knowing he had met his Boston Qualifying time. A perfectly executed plan.
13. The shining moments were seeing Penguins pace or pull or drag others in, sacrificing their own times to help others meet theirs, people like Todd, David G, and Bruce.
14. It is more difficult to know when to respect ones body enough to walk off the course rather than push on and risk long term injury as Ken and Tonya made those difficult decisions on a day that just was not to be theirs. And I greatly admire them for wise decisions. Their day will come another time. They were winners in my book that day anyway for giving it their best.
15. There were more door prizes than I have ever seen. I won a neat Penguin tote bag!!
16. Queen City Yacht Club was the place to be on Sunday night! Never heard more moving tributes, speeches, accolades and announcements all while overlooking the skyline of the city as the sun set.
17. Toronto is a great city.....wish I had had time to see more of it. The Toronto Penguins were the ultimate hosts....and I hope to see many of them and others at future encounters. THANK YOU!!
Carol in Indiana
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