Dingo's fame

Yep, even the Dingo dog is a bit of a fame whore.  Just like her 'mama.'

http://www.iaapweb.com/

Or, if you're lazy...

I don't know why I'm always so tired

Well, maybe last weekend will explain.  First, there was the Zoo Relay on Friday night - it's a 4 x 2 mile relay - with part of the route going by the alligators.

Here's most of the Brak Pak contingent.

The next morning, I ran with my buddy, Lorie, in her retirement run at McAllister Park - she's retiring after 33 years in the USAF.

Then, I frantically cleaned the house, chopped, peeled, cooked, etc. for wine book club.  Which brought on Sunday - and rain - and muddy dogprints across my clean floors.

Sunday morning was the Loteria 5k at Brackenridge park.  I dressed as Loteria card #33 - La araña

For those of you who don't know -- this is ironic, since I LOATHE spiders.  We have a hate-hate relationship.  I once took a bite out of one, and she took a bite out of me - landing me in the hospital (dumb black widows).  Disclaimer - I was 9 months old and everything on the floor was food.

So now, when I see a spider, I usually douse it with the hose - until it writhes in the water - like this:

Then, just before it shrivels up and dies, it looks about like this:

Maybe I'll be nicer to spiders.  Or I'll just give them a beer after the dousing - it helped me perk back up.

Then I went home, dried off, mopped up dogprints, and cooked some more - for my feast of Michoacán book club - and it was tasty, but I was TIRED.

Thanks to Ceci, Victor, and Scottydog (below) for the pics.

Sally, M, 35-39

Yep, I apparently ran as a boy on Sunday at the Scallywompus Mission Possible 10k on Sunday.

First, let me backtrack - to my birth.  See, I am the eldest of three girls. My parents raised us to understand and believe that girls are just as strong, smart, and successful as boys.  I attended one of the top all-women's colleges in the nation, served on a CJSOTF (SOF task force) in Sarajevo as one of very few women in the task force, commanded Army predominately male troops, and went into the male-dominated profession of law.  I support women's rights from my local Girls on the Run association to not voting for jerkfaces in politics who are trying to turn the social rights clocks back a century or two.  Yes, I am woman, hear me roar.

But enough on my personal beliefs - except when they extend to my running beliefs.  That said,  Women's running has come a long way baby - and in recent history - since just the 1980s.  In 1967, running under the name K. Switzer, Katherine Switzer finished the Boston Marathon in 4:20, after race officials physically tried to rip her out of the race (for the record, I was not alive then, but she's a personal hero).  In 1980, the Road Runners of America began a campaign to raise awareness about women's distance running and, in that year, the San Antonio Road Runners hosted its first SARR Women's Run.  I was honored to direct the 33rd annual SARR Women's 5k this year (and plug - next year's race is July 20, 2013- save the date).  As part of the RRCA effort, in 1984, Joan Benoit won the first ever gold medal in the Women's marathon event (I was alive then and watched her wave her floppy hat as she entered the stadium on TV).  And, add to that, it's the 40th anniversary of Title XI, which made so much of women's athletics possible.

See, I know a little about women's rights and women's running.  Yet, after an iffish 19-mile training run on Saturday morning (blessedly, after a 'cold front' - WI readers - that means 80-90 degrees), I apparently ran the Scallywompus 10K the next day as a boy.  Ooops.  Yep - 21st M, 35-39.  But, since I would have only came in 20th in the F, 35-39 age group, I didn't change it - how's that for some gender equality?  Both guys and gals actually do run more slowly than me, and about 20 of them in this category faster?!

Alas, none take uglier pictures than me - so, here it goes - the post-race pic from my race as a boy (guess I would have had a better disguise, had I not run in a skirt?).

disclaimer:  Had I not run 19 miles on Saturday, jumped into a shower to find all the places I chafed, and taken a 1-hour nap before packet pickup, I might have noticed that my bib said Sally was a boy.  I guess I was just unintentionally reverse-Switzer-izing them?

Thanks to Ceci for the pic - incidentally, she's a female race director who is directing an awesome Loteria race this Sunday - you still have a last chance to register here before it sells out.  I will be running it as a female.  Female spider, that is - pics to follow.

Whining

It was a dark and hot and humid morning....oh, heck, it was just another dang Summer morning in San Antonio.  But I made it out of bed to hit the Labor Day Whine 5 Mile Run.  Sunday, I ran 14 somewhat hilly miles and dropped 5 1/2 pounds of sweat - really, I weighed before/after.  So, I spent the rest of Sunday alternating water and juice and water and juice and....I actually was rehydrated for this morning's race.  But I was tired and my feet/knee were sore, so I took the 5 mile sunny, hot, humid, and HILLY run easy.

So - here we are after the 45-minute drive, waiting to start

And I started off slow, made it up the first hill, down the next, then got slower.  And basically just coasted - and took it really easy (e.g. I was slacking). 

Until, just after mile 4, when I was pounced by 2-time Olympic marathoner, Liza Hunter Galvan.  I had joked with her a couple of weeks ago that, after she won, she could give me a piggy back ride up the last hill (at about mile 4.7).  Anyway, she had already finished, was running some cooldown miles, turned around, and dragged me in to the finish line - but no piggy back ride. 

Here's the proof that I beat her (okay, yeah, she'd already finished a first and maybe a second time before this, and was practically running backward to 'maintain' my pace, and maybe went home to feed the chickens too, but still - photographic proof!).  What it really is is me repaying the favor by showing Liza how much easier it is to pose for crazy pics when you run a twee bit slower than a sub-6:00 pace!  Thanks, Liza.

After the race, I again "rehydrated" - with Sangria.  (The race is held at Dry Comal Creek Vineyard - and I always support our sponsors.)

Incidentally -  the "bib bag" (Am'o bag) I have there was made by Liza & her family - you can check them and other 'recycled material bags' out at http://www.geegeebags.com/GeeGee_Bags/Welcome.html

Thanks to Ceci, IAAP, Scottydog, Tom Lake, and SARR for the pics!