New Jersey is my 43rd state and Ocean Drive Marathon is my fiftieth marathon. Last week was my most challenging event to date and this weekend will be the most challenging travel adventure so far. This winter I was stranded twice due to winter storms. The polar vortex weather patterns wreaked havoc on my schedule. I was planning on running the George Washington Birthday Marathon in Maryland February 16, but first my flight was cancelled then they cancelled the race.
Winter was loosening it's grip on the Atlantic coast. The weather forecast was for 48 degrees for the whole day and partly sunny. After freezing the week before in the desert I came prepared for any kind of weather. My friend Melinda from California was going to run a marathon in Maryland on Saturday and I offered to come to pick her up after going to the expo to get our numbers. Google maps said that it would be a 4.5 hour drive from the expo to Cumberland.
I am still fighting off the cold, but feeling strong and physically ready to run. My flight got in touch Philadelphia at 11:30 and I was scheduled to pick up the rental car at midnight. Hertz was amazing as always and upgraded me from an economy car to a new Honda CRV. My phone navigation took me directly to the hotel in Atlantic City without a hitch...until... I pulled into the hotel parking lot and the lot was full. People were parked two deep, blocking each other in their spots. Even before I opened the door of the car I could feel the music vibration shaking my steering wheel. As I tried to find a place to park people were leaving the hotel. Young couples with children in strollers leaving a hotel at one in the morning?? Maybe a birthday party with deafening throbbing music? I followed a family to their car and took their parking spot. I was confused but exhausted. As I walked into the lobby the lobby was an entrance to a teen hip-hop night club. There was even more pounding music mixing with the other music. Teen couples were making out in every corner and doorway.
The young man behind the front desk welcomed me. Good thing I can sometimes read lips. I could see the surveillance cameras behind him and the party with young children was still rocking with hundreds of preteens line dancing. I expressed my concerns about the noise but he assured me that the doors into the hotel are would keep the sounds out. I was skeptical but exhausted. He then informed me that I had two rooms reserved. I assured him that I only reserved one room. He said that I would have to call customer service and he was going to charge my card for both rooms. Remember this entire conversation was being shouted out over two loud music scenes. I took my key and the number to the room. The hotel was recently renovated with granite tiles covering all the walls, but the door jams were rusting metal giving a feeling of rot peeking out under a rock facade. The music was still very loud and I was upset with the fellow at the front desk. I called customer service at two in the morning. They couldn't cancel the reservation and told me that the hotel management could do that for me. She did make a reservation at a different hotel for the next day.
By 4am I was able to fall asleep and woke up at 7:30 to my phone ringing. it was Melinda. She was letting me know that she had found a ride from Maryland to New Jersey after the race. I was so relieved that I fell right back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later my phone rang again and Melinda said that the woman had changed her mind. Argh, I was sure that there was a good reason so I got up and headed down to breakfast. The food was aweful. White bread, mass produced muffins and week coffee. I decided not to try eating any of it. I went back to the room, showered and checked out. The young lady that was manning the front desk was very accommodating and understood that I was cancelling the reservation due to a need for rest the day before a marathon. I sat down in the lobby to get my bearings and to do one last check before hitting the road. As I sat there I heard the young woman relate my story to the manager,I think she was getting some grief about letting me out of my reservation, but her help was certainly appreciated and I went on my way.
There was a long white paint mark were someone had opened their car door into the rental car. What a lovely hotel!
I couldn't wait to get on my way. I found the Expo location fairly quickly. the GPS took me on two lane roads through every little berg, but it was a scenic drive. The expo opened at 10am and I was there as they unlocked the doors. I grabbed Melinda's number with no problems and bought a lovely emerald green pair of Gel Nimbus 15s. I got back into the car and the navigation on the phone said that I would be to Cumberland,Maryland by 2:30pm. I got on the highway and headed north. The GPS told me that I was headed in the wrong direction. I thought maybe there was a construction detour and so I kept heading north. New Jersey is a peninsula and I knew to get across the bridge I'd need to head to Philadelphia again. The phone kept telling me to exit the highway and head south. Normally I take a google map print out with me, but I was beginning to trust the new cell phone's navigation and I figured that it would get me where I needed to go eventually. Finally I gave in and followed the insisting voice and exited the Highway. Well I zigzagged in a westerly direction, but it was a bit southerly which worried me. After an hour and a half I reached the end of the road. I mean the end of the road at a ferry terminal. I asked the person in the guard shack where I was. He said that the ferry would take me to Delaware. I explained that I was trying to head to Maryland and he said that the ferry would take less time then going back up to the bridge to Delaware. I was so tired that I decided to pay the $31 and take the ferry. The next departure was at 1:00 and that would give me some time to eat lunch and maybe I could take a nap on the ferry.
The young men that working at the little cafe made me a bowl of chili and a turkey sandwich. We talked about my marathon adventures and they were my only true New Joisey folks with a lovely Cape May da' hoppah accent. The gift shop gave me some maps of the Cape May area and maps of Maryland and Delaware.
When Brian and Stacy were little John and I spent every summer with them on our boat on the Great Lakes and the North Channel in Canada. We took rides on the ferry called the Chi-Chi Mon (Big Canoe) and it never failed that by the end of the trip Brian would have met some of the crew and he would be captaining the vessel. This ferry that I found myself on was very much like the Chi-Chi-Mon. I had brought some of Brian's ashes with me to spread at the race, but this unexpected boat trip was a much better chance to remember him. I waited until we were well away from shore and found the wind was blowing off the port side so I went downwind to let his ashes catch the wind. It was a grey and dismal day, I was tired and feeling sorry for myself so I just let myself sob, the sound of the boat motor and the wind and waves drowned out my pitiful mourning. I walked around the deck by myself until I composed myself and went to find a spot to take a nap. In the cabin their were very nice reclining chairs and I thought that I could curl up and make myself comfortable. I closed my eyes and almost fell asleep, but there were some happy energetic people who were talking to the security guard about running marathons. Ugh, they were in the happy euphoric state of sharing adventures with beautiful strangers that I love to do, but my heart was heavy and my cells just wanted sleep induced oxygen. I decided to relocate down to my rented CRV and take a nap. As I lay down in the car on the slightly rolling deck I tasted the sensation of being rocked to sleep that I used to experience on the Ambiance and Anastasia those years ago when my babies where young.
I woke to the sound of the ships horn signalling to dock. I checked my watch and figured that I could be to Cumberland in two and half hours. Poor Melinda, I wouldn't get there until after 4pm. My cell phone had gone dead so I plugged it into the car charger as I drove the car off of the ferry. I had four texts from Melinda asking me to call her. I pulled over in a Walgreens and gave her a call. Melinda's original person that offered her a ride saw her in the lobby of the host hotel and again offered her a ride.
Wonderful, can be expressed twoways: one with a groan and one in excitement. Both feelings came from my soul. I felt like daffy duck slobbering and confused, and all of my mental gears were shifting thinking, what do I do now? I wasn't sure, but the realization that my best way back to New Jersey was back on the ferry popped into my confused brain. I didn't think urgently about it until I bought my ticket at the ferry booth and saw no cars waiting to board. I said to the women who sold me the ticket, "Not a very full boat, eh?" She said "Oh yes it is, but everyone is already ready to sail, you have a minute to get on deck. And there are no more ferries tonight!"
"Thank You!!" I was so grateful that she let me back on the boat.
In this brief moment in Delaware I realized that I ran by that exact ferry terminal in December when I ran the Rehoboth Beach Marathon for Delaware. This trip I brought my charger up to the cabin and charged my phone. I struck up a conversation with some lovely young men from Pittsburgh who watched my charging phone while I went to the bathroom. I got back to the Jersey Shore by 4:30, laughing at myself and rested. I decided to go back to the expo in Wildwood to get early start forms and to see about doing Melinda's friend a favor and pick-up her race shirt.
I wasn't sure where I was relative to the expo until I turned on my Navigation. I was only 9 miles from the expo!! It had taken me 90 minutes to drive in a big circle that took me right back to where I started from.
Melinda and Deborah were due to arrive around 7 so I decided to go to my hotel and check in.
It was a Knights Inn in Atlantic City. After the experience from the night before I though it would be wise to check it out in daylight. It was similar to the hotel from the night before. Fancy cars (drug dealer rides?) and run down cars. I noticed a few runners so I felt a little better. I took my bag out of the car and decided to find dinner. I drove downtown Atlantic City and got really bad vibes. Casinos and strip joints and no women. I mean I did not see one female. I saw a subway and went in to buy a sub for dinner and again, no women. I got back into my car and ate my sub at the hotel. When I came back to my room the fellow behind the desk asked me how my evening was going. I said fine, I was looking forward to resting and getting ready for my race tomorrow. He looked at me with concerned eyes and said "Well, I'm having an awful evening . We've got some people here tonight who are going to give me trouble." I took note of that tip and went to the room. I have rituals the night before a run. I set out my bib, pin on the number and make sure everything is in order.
As the sun started to set the rooms above my room started rockin and rollin. I really think that people were bumping and grinding in the room above me. Not just a couple but many people. I put everything back into the bag and checked out of the hotel. Deborah and Melinda were having a rough ride on the dark rainy roads. Melinda asked if I could come get her. Unfortunately I didn't know where she was. Deborah gave me the address of her hotel so we met there. In the mean time as I was driving I found another hotel 10 miles from the start. I booked it. We reached Deborah's hotel at the same time. It turned out that she had a room with two double beds and a couch. We decided to stay with her. I was so glad to put my head on the pillow.
