Trick-or-Trot

Sorry for the lapse in entries.  We are in the final days leading up to the marathon and everything seems to be happening in hyperdrive.  Twenty weeks ago all of this seemed kind of unreal and so safely in the distant future.  Well, that future is NOW and all of this training is about to become very real this Saturday!!  The Rock-n-Roll trucks and buses have already crowded into the downtown area, and local businesses are putting out their "closed on November 5th" signs.  This race is literally taking over the city!  How exciting to be a part of history in the making! 

This past weekend we signed up for a practice race before the Big Day just to whet the appetite a little.  The Trick-or-Trot 10k on Wilmington was being advertised as a "great warm up for the marathon!" But it was anything but warm that morning! We woke up to 40 degrees and rain, but I guess it's best to be prepared for anything on race day and it turns out we could not have asked for better running conditions.  The wait at the start line was a little rough, and it felt like we were back in the cold north while standing around at the end in drenched running clothes, but that cooler overcast weather turned out to be exactly what we needed for a strong finish.  Both Jason and I finished with medals.  That's the first time I've ever placed at an event!  I took the gold for the women's 10k in my age group.  Check out my awesome Halloween-themed medal!

What that medal does not convey is that I spent most of the race trying to catch up with an octogenarian pacing away in front of me.  It was an odd start.   This was not a chipped race, so when the gun was fired, the clock started and it didn't matter how far behind the start line you were.  Your time began the minute that shot rang out.  I'm not saying that old man would not have been in the lead had we all started on the same line, but I was sure not going to let him beat me to the finish, head start or not.  And to his credit, I didn't catch up to him until mile 4 when he stopped at a water station to rest.  (Jason, by the way, was no where to be seen until he came back to get me after his own finish.  I remember when he used to patiently slow his pace considerably to cross the finish line with me...does that mean the romance is gone??  :-P)  

If you're interested in seeing some more of the not-so-complimentary action shots, we are photos #71, 207 and 240 on the website for John Carrington Photography. 

I wanted to add some more photos from our Halloween festivities later that day, but I've delayed posting long enough.  I'll try and remember to add an addendum later...maybe after all the craziness from this weekend settles down a bit.  I have some photos of the vegan graveyard cake I made.  That was pretty much the extent of my Halloween creativity this year, but I do have to prove I got into the spirit (and not just the spirits!) this year.  

One of my favorite annual events in Savannah occurred last week.  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Mansion on Forsyth hosts a Little Pink Dress party during their monthly "Martinis at the Mansion" event.  They feature the ta-ta-tini and always bring in a vocal artist of some merit.  Andy Grammer came this year.  I know I've heard his music before ("Keep Your Head Up"..or something like that, maybe you've heard it?), but I was not nearly as excited as the group of screaming teenagers who sat at his feet most of the evening.  Still, it's a great excuse to dress up and the one time of year I get to pull out my frilly pink dress from the closet.  We were "spotted" this year by our local newspaper.  You can follow this link to see our photo.