Page 6! Jinglebell Run! (And a Yodeling Baby)

Page 6 is out today!

I am thinking in the final version I might add some speech bubbles behind the narrative text just to add some depth to the page and make it more satisfying to read. It'll also serve to present a more accurate depiction of our dinner conversations.

They were quite good! And I do love all the talking.

In other news the JINGLE BELL RUN was an unmitigated success!

I PR'D!! I slayed last year's time by almost a minute and a half per mile but I also shaved 21 seconds off my best time ever! Ladies and gentleman you are now looking at a proud 9:08 miler!



Yep, these sore hips are a testament to my well-earned improvement. I might still be the slowest person I know but hey, I can be the slowest AND the happiest.

At least for today.


The Santa Sleigh returned for another year of "How can they DO that to themselves?!"



There were also a great many (wonderful!) Christmas costumes and jingle bells jangling the whole course long. Here are a few of the highlights:

His tree hat actually lit up

Baby, it's COLD outside

Baby, it's REALLY cold outside

More than ONE of you ran in skivvies?!

Here is a little video of the beginning of the race. There was a bit of a kerfuffle trying to meet up with everyone before the race started and we all got separated but I began with Liz and Kelly who were so much fun to run with. You'll see them waving below:





A quarter mile in we ran into Allison and Amy (fellow SMO's) and ran the next two miles together chatting and laughing (they were chatting, they were laughing). Amy is a marathoner, as I have mentioned, and Allison (whose gait is rather bouncy, though I think she was just warming up her legs) is a former Division 1 soccer player (which here means 'effortless runner'). While Kelly and Liz's running backgrounds are unknown to me, they seemed completely at ease weaving through the people and remarking on the costumes.



(off screen there was a man running in a cut-off bathrobe, holding a cigar in one hand, a PBR in the other and gold spandex. he was amazing.)


At about mile two my entourage clicked it up into their actual running gear and disappeared up into the crowd. Allison looked back and gave me the 'you good?' nod. I smiled, I waved them on and I continued to run my own, plodding race.

I have but one speed. And I maintained it for the entire 3.2 miles.

On the final turn (the one by the 7/11 not the one onto the bridal path) I wanted to vomit. I wanted to stop and I wanted to vomit but I did not stop and I did not vomit. I held my pace. And I tried to feel like that urge, both the wanting to stop AND the wanting to throw up, were signs that I was running a good race.

And I was!

Through my rubbery legs and my sweaty ears (thank god it was chilly!) and that coldness in my chest I knew I was running the best race that I could run and really, what more could I ask from myself? But enough feel good nonsense; here is my team!

Pre-race with Kelly and Liz and Me and (the birthday girl herself) Regan.

Post race with the Virgins! Chloe's and Zana's 1st ever race!

Yay Jinglebellers!

Also, I made myself a MAX antler to wear at the post-race festivus over at Tavern on the Hill. I forgot my camera in the car so (sadly) there are no pictures of the many pitchers of beer that were consumed NOR of the camaraderie NOR of me rocking the Max antler complete with my race medal hanging off the back peg.

Alas.

(I did get a jump start on my Halloween costume for next year. Who will be my Grinch I wonder?)

And, to round off this long winded Monday post, here is Miss Sekiah yodeling to her heart's content complete with pink cowboy hat and powder blue pony. We don't coax her into doing this stuff, she just starts doing it herself.



(As always, please forgive any typos and/or misspellings.)

Happy Christmas week, everybody!
xoxo