Oakley NY Mini 10K Race Recap

Just over three weeks ago, I participated in my first race of the year. I thought it was high time I got my race recap done, especially before I run race number two in just a few short days.

 

The Oakley New York Mini 10K is one of my most favorite races to run. Not only is it one of the two women's only races put on by the New York Road Runner's Club, but it is also the only race where you get to run up Central Park West before continuing the race inside of Central Park.

 

On June 14, I participated in my fourth New York Mini race. The first time I ran it was when it was called the Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K back in 2006. In 2009 I ran it when it was called the NYRR New York Mini 10K. Then I ran it again when it was renamed the Oakley New York Mini 10K in 2013.

 

The day before race day, I headed uptown to the NYRR Club's office to pick up my race bib and tank top during lunch. This was my first time doing this during working hours, so I wasn't exactly sure how much time it would take me. Thankfully, by the time I got back to the office I still had 20 minutes to spare. Good to know for future bib pickups!

When I woke up at 6am race morning, I was grumpy as all get out. I was stressed that I had to take 3 different trains to get to the race start, due to subway work in Astoria. Those of you who know me, or have been to a race with me, knows just how much I hate being late.

 

Right before this picture was taken,

I had commented to my boyfriend that I didn't want to go. He laughed because seconds later I posed with a big smile on my face. Honestly, I did want to go. I love, love, love to participate in races. At the time I just wished it was going to be a little easier to get to the race and that I had someone going with me. This is where I need to make more running friends who like to race.

But alas, I got myself out the door. Three train rides later, which were surprisingly smooth, I arrived to the race start with 30 minutes to spare. Thank you Subway God's!

I hopped into my coral as soon as they opened and immediately snapped this picture. Taking advantage of them being empty to try and get a glimpse up Central Park West.

The race start was right outside of Trump's International Hotel and Tower...

...with the big globe in Columbus Circle...

...and of course no race start would be complete without the obligatory selfie...

I look excited, right?

Then moments later, that empty sea ahead of me looked a little like this...

Yup, it was crowded. About 6,000 runners crowed. I even overhead someone say during the race that they had no idea that so many people would run this race. Um hello. It's a woman's only race that let's you run up Central Park West. Of course it's going to be crowded and I love that so many women come out and participate.

Heading into this race, I had a goal finish time that I only my boyfriend I was hoping to hit which would give me a PR. I wasn't confident that I would be able to run that fast. A speed that I hadn't done in a race in seven years. He told me before I left that I could do it, but I had to convince myself that I could and at the time I wasn't buying it. So I told myself I would be happy to finish in under an hour, but of course I kept in the back of my mind what my PR number would be.

So at the blow of the horn at 8am, we were off! The first mile takes you up Central Park West and it was nice to see that the cars had been cleared from the side of the road this year.

At 90th Street you make your turn into Central Park and head towards the Harlem Hills. I was thankful for all the hill training I get during my Sunday long runs on the trails. The hills felt like a piece of cake and when I hit the 5K mark I felt amazing!

The last 2 miles of this race are always the toughest for me. It's a combination of just finishing a major hill climb, the heat and knowing that the finish line is on an uphill. It's not a major hill, but it's tough enough of a one on tired legs that you are wanting them to sprint to the finish line.

As I crept closer and close to the finish line I kept peaking at my watch. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was on point for a PR as long as my legs didn't give out.

When I crossed the finish line my watch told me I finished in 57:03! I did it! I set a new freaking PR!

Official Finish Time: 57:01 - Average Pace: 9:11
New PR by 24 seconds (In 2007 I finished my fastest 10K in 57:25. Average pace: 9:15)
Almost 11 minute PR from 2013 finish (01:07:54)

Splits: 9:26, 9:18, 8:46, 9:08, 8:50, 8:44, 8:16 (for the last .2) (Negative Split Race Too!)

When I think about it, I still can't believe what an amazing race I had. I truly pushed myself and saw what I was totally capable of doing. I proved that I had what it took to get that PR my little ol' heart wanted so badly.

My boyfriend texted me after the race and said: "You are getting faster and wiser the older you become!". I never imagined my 42 year old self could beat my 35 year old self! Just shows that hard work, dedication and perseverance pays off. Lord knows I have put in the work and sweated buckets to get where I am today.

The day after the race, I thought it would be fun to see a side-by-side comparison of myself between last year's race day and this year's race day.

This is what a 30 pound weight loss looks like! Never give up my friends!

Eleven Days and Counting

When I am getting ready for work every morning I have a ritual of sorts that I complete. While I am eating my breakfast, I always check two very important internet sites. 

First, I check the MTA site because I need to know if there are any subway delays which would alter how I spend the rest of my time before leaving for work. 

Second, I check the local weather. I start with looking at the hourly report and then finally I look at the 10 day forecast. This morning I saw this and said, "Say It Ain't So!":

This snow/rain/wind stuff didn't make me very happy. I almost put on my grouchy pants, but was good and left them in the drawer. Or at least I thought they were in the drawer because I actually think they may have been in use by Mr. B this morning.

While I don't think the snow will amount to much of anything here in Queens, and I can certainly turn my morning runs into lunch time treadmill runs, it makes me concerned about the trails up at Rockefeller State Park Preserve. The trails are 35-40 minutes north of NYC and when our snow has disappeared in the past, Mr. B and I have driven up there for our Sunday long run to find snow or ice covering the trails making a run impossible.

We have been really lucky with the past two Sunday's (last week the trails were finally clear of all ice) and I am hoping that luck will hold out for this Sunday, because I have one last long run to complete before I run this:

That's right. My first half-marathon of 2013 is in less than 11 days! I have finally gotten excited about it due to the last couple weeks of successful training. I first wasn't sure if I would be totally prepared for this race, but now I know I can handle it.

And speaking of half marathons, I actually have two more on the books. Four weeks after my St. Patty's Day race, on April 14th I will be participating in:

I registered for this race back in 2009, but did not compete. I am really looking forward to participating this year.

Then two weeks later on April 28, Mr. B and I will be heading to DC to participate in this little inaugural race:

I entered the lottery for this race back in December and formed a little team which included Mr. B and my niece. Thank heavens we were accepted because my niece would have been severely disappointed. This is her first half marathon race ever! I can't wait to share this day with my two loves!

At times I still can't believe I will be running three half marathon races over a 6 week period! I have never done that before and I am still hunting down more races for the rest of the year. I am determined to get a Sub-2 hour half marathon this year!

Fitness 4 Mile Race Recap

This past Saturday marked my return to racing in over a year! Ever since I started my marathon training, and it going so well, I have been itching to get back to racing. I had been on the fence all last week about whether or not I wanted to interrupt my harmonious training with a race the day before a long run. I even put it out there on Facebook about me being on the fence knowing that I would get some positive feedback in encouraging me to do it. On Friday I made up my mind and to make it concrete I asked a very dear friend of mine if she wanted to do brunch in the city so there was no backing out the morning of the race.

Let me tell you, it felt awesome being back out amongst the racing crowd. I forgot just how much I loved the atmosphere and being amongst others who love running as much as I do. I ended up going to this race without any support. My honey had planned on a long bike ride that morning and I didn't have the heart to ask my dear friend if she wanted to come cheer me on. Call me silly or stubborn, but something that was said to me in the past prevents me from asking any of my friends to come out with me anymore. I don't want to feel like they have to come out and support me because I asked them to. I want them to be there because they want to be there. So if a friend asks me if they can come and cheer me on I don't hesitate to say "Heck Yes!"

So how was I going to approach this race? I honestly didn't know how I was going to handle running the race since I knew I had a 10 mile run the next morning. On one hand my heart wanted to see what I was made of and on the other hand my heart was telling me to take it easy because technically this race was a training run the day before a long run on hilly trails. My heart didn't make up it's mind until I was standing in the corral and the race horn blared. When I clicked my Garmin as I crossed the start line me heart said "Let's see what you can do!"

This is what the course looked like:

Mile 1 has an uphill that is called Cat Hill. As you are running up the hill and you look up the stone wall on your left you see this:

Many people dread this hill. I use to be one of them. After all my training on the trails with major hills, the hills in Central Park are not so bad.  I attacked this hill with a new outlook on hills and was able to charge up it without any problems.

Mile 2 provides a nice recovery from the hill we just climbed. There is downhill, a minor hill climb and flat road in this mile.

As you turned left onto the west side of the park, you are faced with an uphill. Mile 3 consists of 3 hills. In the past this part of the park use to be "Oh My Goodness Kill Me Now" part. Now it was "Bring It On." I actually enjoyed this challenge because it showed me how far I have come with my running just this year, or I should say just the past 2 months. With each footstep I felt strong and to my amazement I was passing other runners.

Coming off of mile 3 there is a nice downhill portion bringing you closer to the 4 mile mark. Unfortunately to get to the finish line there is a slight uphill climb. I managed to get my sprint on at the end and finished in 39:31! Believe you me I was SURPRISED! I was THRILLED! I was HAPPY! I proved to myself that I am a strong and my hard work is paying off.

Here's my Splits from my Garmin:

My pace from miles 1 and 3 reflect the hills and overall my pace was phenomenal through the entire race. I haven't run 9:30's in like forever!

Here's my official stats from NYRR:

It's kinda hard to see the F41. This is my first time racing in a new age group. Not that I am ever going to place within my age group, but it's still hard because I have mixed feelings about being in my 40's. Anyhoo, my place within the age group is not too shabby. I placed 179 out of a total of 336 which puts me in the top 50%.

Overall I am thrilled with my performance and look forward to getting back on the race course again!

Of course, no race experience is ever complete without a post-race meal! After I crossed the finish line and picked up my bag, I immediately texted my dear friend that I was on my way to our meeting point. We made a pit stop at my local running store where I dashed in to pick up a new pair of running shoes (yes I believe I mentioned I bought a new pair about 3 weeks ago, another story for another post). Then we were off to Almond for brunch.

Let me tell you it was the perfect place! It's located on 22nd Street between Broadway and Park Avenue and if you live in NYC I highly recommend checking it out sometime.  I had never been there before and I will definitely be going back. It was a super adorable restaurant. The staff was attentive and friendly. The food was to die for. I wish I had remembered to take some pictures to share, but unfortunately in my state I forgot to whip the camera out that I had with me.

We started out with a basket (or two) of mini biscuits which were perfect. I think I would have been happy just having several baskets of these as my meal. Since I could not, I chose to order the Ricotta Pancakes served with Lemon Curd. OH MY GOSH! These babies melted in your mouth. I thought I died and went to pancake heaven! My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Running a race, catching up with my friend and sharing a delicious meal was a perfect way to spend my Saturday morning!

Philly Distance Run

DB and I spent this past weekend in Philadelphia for the Philly Distance Run (13.1 miles) on Sunday. We arrived Saturday afternoon, did some sight seeing, ate some pasta for dinner with friends and went to bed as early as possible to be able to get up at 6:30am for a race start of 7:45am. I had no problem getting up considering I woke up all on my own at 6am. Guess I was a tiny bit excited about running the race that morning.

When we signed up for this race back in June, I was suppose to be one of three runners doing this together. Turns out I was the only one able to run the race and was the woman representing the men of our little group. I think I did well. I finished the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes - my third best half marathon race time and best since 2006/2007.

Here is the race in photos - complementary of my photographer DB.

The start line before the crowd came.

Even Rocky was there!

Gearing up to take my place at the start.

The Pro's...Ryan Hall was the winner and finished in 1 hour 1 minute. He's in the white tank wearing #1.

This is me crossing the start line. Apparently I was the only one running at this point.

Me at mile 4.5.

Me quite happy to see the mile 13 marker and DB. The finish was right around the corner.

Very happy!

This medal is way cool and doubles as a weapon!

Inauguration

I'm not talking politics. I'm talking about racing. This past weekend I hopped on a plane and landed myself in Indianapolis, Indiana to participate in an inaugural race!

I've talked in the past about my training for running the the NYC Marathon this year. What I haven't talked about is the fact that I had to drop out of it about a month ago. I suffered an injury towards the end of September that forced me to take some time off from running. What that did was to really not give me enough time to get my long runs up to the distance that they needed to be in time for running the marathon this past Sunday. I was bummed to have to postpone my second marathon to 2009.

So what does a runner do instead? I knew I could handle the distance of a half marathon so I signed up for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. This was their very first Marathon and Half Marathon on this course. While I didn't get to run the 26.2 mile distance I had wanted, I was very happy that I got to race the 13.1 mile distance the same weekend as the NYC Marathon. It helped me not be so bummed.

I ran the race with my speedster running friend and totally enjoyed it! It was a wonderful flat course, with about 2 hills total, through downtown Indianapolis. The weather was perfect and it was so cool when the Elite First Place Male Winner of the Marathon ran past me at 2 hours 10 minutes and I was just hitting mile 11.5 while he was only a couple miles shy of finishing his 26.2. Talk about inspiration to move my rear!

I was completely thrilled with my finish time of 2 hours 30 minutes flat. That was my goal. I had been sick ever since I returned from Rhinebeck so my longest training run during the past two weeks had been 3 miles and I was concerned how I would do on race day. I surprised myself for sure.

We received really nice technical running shirts and very cool medals. I'm looking forward to setting a PR on the course next year!

The Finish Line

Cloudy? Check. (When I left for the race it was thundering, lightening and a light rain. It stopped right when the race started at 7am.)
Cooler Temps? Check. (mid 70's)
Humid? Double Check! (90% - made for tough breathing)

So with all my troubles and woes from being sick and not being able to run as much as I wanted in preparation for this race, I did compete on Sunday.

This is a one of a kind race for NYC. Even though the NYC Half Marathon (13.1 miles) is only in it's third year, this race is considered to be the second premiere race for NYC, with the NYC ING Marathon being the first. Professional runners come out to run with the rest of us (10,000 to be exact) that comprise the heart of running this race.

The first 7 miles of the race was the toughest. If you haven't trained for hill running, you'll get into trouble here. Central Park is filled with them, especially the dreaded Harlem Hills. I knew I needed to go slow and save energy for the last half of the race. I paced myself nicely, a bit slower than I normally would have run.

I hit a mental block, or The Wall, as it's called in running, around mile 6.5. I totally wanted to quit. With having been sick and recently back to the doc for a diagnosed inner ear infection, I was considering bee-lining it for the nearest subway. I kept telling myself that I just had to get to mile 7 and I would be out of the park into a downhill flat course. I dug deep and kept on going.

Once we were out of the park we got to run through the heart of Times Square. This was completely awesome. Being able to run down the middle of the street with no traffic, no crowd trying to get here and there across the streets was definitely worth finding the mental energy to get to that point.

I managed to run through to mile 8. Once I got there, I had to run/walk the last 5 miles. This is something I haven't had to so since I started racing three years ago. I knew all the reasons it was hard for me to keep running straight through to the end, reasons that were out of my control. I also knew I wasn't going to stop until I reached that finish line!

And reaching that finish line I did. I had my worst time for running a half marathon, but I am extremely proud of myself for finishing. I crossed the finish in 2 hours and 43 minutes.

I totally earned this baby...

Heat Craze

So what does one do with themselves when a heatwave has come through the city? You run!?!? Many have called me crazy, but I've got a huge race coming up this weekend. This Sunday at 7am I will be joining thousands of runners here in NYC to run the 3rd Annual NYC Half Marathon. This is a huge race because we have the professionals coming to join us wee ones.

Two years ago when they first created this race, it sold out in 2 days. Who would have thought then that this was going to be a hot one to run? Well it is the only race here, besides the marathon, that gives you the opportunity to race through Manhattan. Anyway, that year was the last time it was a first-come-first-serve race. Last year they made it a lottery race and I didn't make it. So to my surprise, and happiness, my name got selected this year! Woo Hoo.

I've been training but as you all know I've had some setbacks lately with it. Being sick so close to the race has not helped. I completed a long-run this past weekend and only pumped out 7.5 miles as compared to the 10 I wanted to get in. Now I have run out of time and can only believe in myself to do the best that I can.

My first ever half marathon (13.1 miles for those non-runners out there) was completed in 2.5 hrs. My best ever time was 2 hours and 1 minute. That was my first long race right after the NYC marathon in 2006. I was so in shape and in great running form. I don't expect to beat my personal best this Sunday. My goal is just to finish within the 3 hour time limit.

I have studied the coarse map this past weekend. The toughest part of the race is at the beginning in Central Park. We will be running 1 and a quarter full loops of the park (the first seven miles) and then exiting the south end down 7th Avenue through Times Square (awesome to be able to run through there with no traffic) and then heading to West Side Highway to a finish at Battery Park. If I can get through the park portion (even those Harlem Hills we all dread running), I will not have a problem finishing (unless of course the heat issues strike again). While I was training for the NYC Marathon in 2006 I did all my long training runs along the Battery Park/West Side Highway area and I know this portion of the coarse is flat. Smooth sailing. It's just gonna be getting to that part. LOL

So my non-running knitting friends, I ask this of you all. Pray for cooler weather here in NYC on Sunday and even rain would be welcome like it did last year.

I'll be training for this race the rest of the week up through Friday, so the only knitting I will be doing is what I get accomplished at work. I did start my fourth pair of SOS08 socks last week while I was sick. I am almost done with the second sock and will report on it soon. With the heat though, it's been really hard to knit at home. Way too hot.

Out With The Old, In With The New

Need For Speed Relay: Fight Against Domestic Violence

(50-Miles from Bear Mtn to New Rochelle) - June 8, 2008

Click here to help me reach (preferrably exceed) my fundraising goal!

This means more than you know.

Thank you from my heart to all who have already donated, and those that will!

I am in the process of moving the old out and the new in. On Sunday I finally went and purchased new running shoes. I desperately needed them and found the time to finally purchase them. Can you tell which ones are the new ones above? Sad isn't it?

It's actually very hard for me to chuck the old running shoes. I'm quite a sentimental kinda gal, and these shoes have crossed some milestones in my running life. During the past year and a half they have been there when I've set new PRs times (Personal Record for all you non-running friends), run my best Half Marathons and most important victory of all, crossing the NYC ING Marathon finish line in 2006 (my very first ever).

I joked with a running friend of mine that we could bronze them like baby shoes. We shared a good laugh over the ridiculous thought of doing that (I'm sure someone out there in this world has done just that). So for right now, my old running pals will reside on a shelf in my closet until I deem it time to part with them. Tomorrow, my new pair begins it's journey with me. These one's will get the extra special treatment of being the shoes I train in for my second marathon that I am running in NYC this November.

It's also quite a coincidence that purchasing my new shoes has perfect timing. Nora announced a running proclamation on her blog today. Wouldn't it be something if it was an April Fool's joke? Regardless, she can count me in!

Stay tuned in this week. There will be another FO, a new project and a Contest Post! You don't want to miss out.

For A Good Cause and My 100th Post

I can't believe this is actually my 100th post! Wow. Never thought I would have so much to say in only 8 months since I started this blog. I knew this moment was coming and had everything planned out in my head how it was going to be a total knitting content post and what not. But as fate would have it, this post is going to be about something very close and dear to my heart.

Some of you may have already received an email from me in regards to the Need For Speed Relay Against Domestic Violence that I am participating in on June 8th. This is a 50 mile relay race begining in Bear Mountain and ending all the way in downtown New Rochelle. I am one of a six person team (3 guys and 3 gals). As far as I know I am the only Domestic Abuse Survivor on my team.

I am fundraising for this relay because of the cause. This is something that many people do not completely understand unless they have experienced it themselves. In casual conversations I have heard so many people say "Why doesn't she just leave?". There are so many answers to that simple question and to why she doesn't just up and leave. The biggest one is fear. Fear of what will happen. I faced that fear and got out. But I am lucky to have gotten out. I am a survivor of a 6 year abuse. I was lucky I had no children. I was lucky I had a family to turn to, even if they didn't know the whole story. Many are not so lucky. Many have children.

"It is estimated that each year up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence"

Back in 2005, I ran a Mother's Day race in Central Park that was a fundraiser for Domestic Violence. At that time I raised over $800. Now I am fundraising under a different race, but for the same cause. Specifically the money raised in this race will go to the Avon Foundation Helping Children of Domestic Violence program. It would be a dream for me to be able to raise at least that amount again.

If you can, I ask that you stop by my fundraising site and donate, even if it's only $5.00. Every little bit helps.

Thank you from the bottom to the top of my heart!

4 Years of Running

I am amazed that I have been running races now for three full years and have entered my 4th this year.

Back in the Fall of 2004 I never thought I would ever run a race. Earlier in that year I took a terrible fall down my apartment steps. Saw the doctor three days later and he said it was just a really bad sprain. Well in the Fall of 2004 this injury came back to haunt me. It got to the point where I couldn't even run for the bus without being in terrible pain. I saw a specialist and endured six months of physical therapy for the tendonitis in my ankle.

During a three month checkup in the middle of my treatment, my doctor asked me how important it was to me to be able to run again. I immediately answered, "Very important!". Three months later after all the hardwork I was given the go ahead to run. I was terrified. I was scared I was going to feel the pain and would never be able to run, neverless fulfill my dream of running a marathon. Well fortunately the therapy paid off and I was able to look forward to running my very first race ever in 2005.

The above picture shows almost all of my racing t-shirt's that I have accumulated during these years of racing. There are a couple missing from the pile because some of my favorites I train in and they are currently in the laundry pile. So which one am I the most proud of? It, of course, is my 2006 ING NYC Marathon t-shirt. I worked so hard during 2005 to fulfill the race requirement to get guaranteed entry into the marathon. Then I put in five months of long, hard and sometimes lonely training (think about running a 20 mile long run all by yourself). All the sweat and tears was so worth it and whenever I wear this t-shirt, I wear it proudly. I can't wait to run the marathon again this year.

So with all of these t-shirt's what am I to do with them? Well, these t-shirt's here are from my first year of racing. I have always wanted to have them made into a quilt. However, this is not a task I am going to attempt myself. I am way to inexperienced in quilting and I don't want to screw up these shirts that mean more to me than I think anyone would believe.

Maybe one day I can find someone who has the talent to create this for me. I would much rather pay someone who I trust and believe in their work. I know I can always get a company to do it for me, and I will if I have to, but I rather give the cash to someone close to me than a complete stranger that is just a company name. We'll see what happens.

Slow Going

Well I still haven't been really doing any knitting, but I have been reading about knitting! That counts for something right? When I put in my book requests at my local library the other week I decided to check this one out, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I have to say that I am truly loving it. I am loving it so much that I am almost done with it. It is a good read and it is more than about knitting. I saw Julia Roberts on Oprah Winfrey a few months back and she is suppose to be starring in the movie. I know the movies aren't usually as good as the book, but I would definitely go see this one with my girlfriends.

Sunday I competed in my first road race of the year. It was only a four miler, but it definitely felt good to get back into the competitive racing with all the other runner fanatics in New York. I am proud of myself for completing the four miles in a little over 42 minutes. I have been trying to get myself back into the running form I use to be in and racing again will definitely assist in my efforts.

I'm also doing really well with the Weight Watchers online. I have been following the points system for 3 weeks now and have lost a total of 8 pounds. Woo Hoo! I would highly recommend Weight Watchers to anyone who struggles with trying to eat healthy. I always knew what I needed to do for exercising but the eating right was always my issue. Now with the help of the points plan, I am eating so much better and feel so much better.

I did mention earlier that I haven't been really knitting. Well last night I made it a point to sit down with my Juno Regina Wrap. Considering this is a lace project, it is slow going. I can only work on it when I am totally alone and can concentrate. I did manage to complete 8 rows of it before I got too tired. When it progresses a little more I'll post an updated picture.

Fifth Avenue Mile

The weather could not have been more perfect for a road race yesterday! The highs were in the low 70's. This race (Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile) is the shortest race offered by the New York Road Runners Club and it is one of the best. This is the only time runners get to race down Fifth Avenue. The race is only a mile, but there sure is a hill you have to climb and once you reach the top it is all downhill to the finish line. This is the second time I have run this race and I love it because you don't hold back. This is the time to see just how fast you can run a mile. While I can say my finish time was much faster last year, I am not disappointed with my 9:00 minute mile yesterday.

As for the knitting front, I have yet to block CPH. I started to do it yesterday and realized my method of pinning the pieces to towels was not going to work. I need to get a board in which I can push the pins into so the pieces will stay in place. I am disappointed because I really wanted to block, seam and start that hood. Now I am not sure when that is going to happen.

So in the meantime I have been knitting furiously on the Provence Throw. As of yesterday evening I have worked 21.5" of the 55". I just started my fourth skein of yarn and it's starting to get a little weight to it. I'm still planning on lugging it around for my train knitting right now.

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. BTW...my sister's kitten came home on Friday night. She was able to get her from the woods around 10pm. Kitty was out for 11 days and she is very happy to be home where she belongs. Hopefully she learned her lesson. I am so happy for Mary Beth and Kitty.