10.30.2005

I could totally rock the Olympics

Friday was a really cool day. I actually spent most of the daylight hours bumming around my apartment and moaning about the Run Like Hell. I was trying to think of reasons I shouldn't go, excuses I could tell people, etc. Finally, around 6 p.m. I decided I didn't really have any excuses and headed out.

Once I got there, though, I knew it was going to be really fun. People were dressed up and having fun. The weather was beautiful and suddenly 5 kilometers didn't sound so far. I'm not very good at figuring crowd sizes but there were at least several hundred people. Big fun.

The race itself wasn't bad. Jeff warned me about getting caught up in the raceness of it all and going out too fast, so I made a point of sticking to my so very slow pace. Some girl wearing a refrigerator box passed me, but I didn't let it get me down.

There was another girl wearing a hoop skirt and a corset and that was the last straw. We were running at about the same pace but I really didn't want her to get too far in front of me. There was no way I was going to let a girl in a hoop skirt beat me.

The part of the race that went through the cemetery was really cool. They had the trail lined with flashlights and you see the gravestones backlit by the setting sun. It would have been even cooler if there hadn't been a giant hill in the middle of the place. I did resort to walking up the steepest part of this hill but it was only about 30 seconds. I'm pretty proud of myself for not stopping any more than that.

The end of the race was really fun. It seemed to go by quickly and there was a big party at the end. I finished in 42 minutes, far from fast but, most importantly, the exact same time as hoop skirt girl.

Later that night, my friends Mike and Anne Elisabeth were hosting Prombie 2: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It's their annual prom for zombies, so I slathered on the zombie makeup and headed over. The highlight of the evening was meeting (and thereby verifying the actual existence of) Kelly's boyfriend (who is coincidentally named Edmund). Yes, Jeff, he does seem to be real. I also got meet Mike's cat, Stella, who looks like Tippy but without the tip. Throw in some chocolate fondue and it makes for a pretty good time.

Wanna see some Prombie pictures? Go here.

Finally, we won our third football game of the season today. It took a penalty on the other team and a fourth down deflection by yours truly but it was a win and I'll take it.

So back to the albums tomorrow. If I don't start listening again, I'll never get to Achtung Baby and Jeff has been waiting on pins and needles for that day to roll around.

5 comments:

Thomas said...

Nice blog, have you heard about the new walmart movie that documents the high cost to low price? Check out the sample clip on my blog www.thoughtsoft.blogspot.com, or go to walmartmovie.org

Eileen said...

I love Wal-Mart. I know it's not cool to say that but it's fun to be able to buy socks and ketchup in the same place.

Plus, Sam Walton went to Mizzou!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to welcome you to the ranks of the running world Eileen. I myself run every day. Usually about 10K. That's why I'm so fit.

Jeff Ackerman

Shawn said...

Sounds like a good Halloween for Eileen.

It's awesome that you have your first run under your belt. That's preeetty cool.

I'm just glad you didn't need to make use of the cemetary during the run...although I saw the party pics and you don't look too good. All this exercise will kill ya.

(Praise the Laird for short and easy word verifications!)

Maggie said...

Aw, man. I want a Prombie of my own.

Guess I'll have to host one myself.

GREAT photos, by the way. And congratulations on the 5K!!!