Last Saturday of Fiesta

I didn't participate in many Fiesta events this year, but this Saturday I was in the King William Fair Parade and Fiesta Fandango Run (before the Fiesta Flambeau Parade) - both in high heat and humidity and dressed in the finest Santa Claus suits Chinese children could construct (that last part may not QUITE be true).  But the rest was - it was uncomfortable, but fun.

First up was the King William Fair parade in the morning - this was a nice walk, handing out candy and seeing friends along the route.

Then, in the evening was the Fiesta Fandango ~2.6ish mile run.  With 1000s and 1000s of fans waving turkey legs and cheering us on.

Before:

During

we took off our pants around mile two (just kidding)

and after (yeah, those jackets came off FAST)

Whew - looking L-A-R-G-E and ugly - but fun running with the Brak Pak.

Here's a video by Ceci of us being goofy...

Thanks to Victor, Darlene, Dulce, Fumi, ScottyDog, Ceci, and Tom Lake/SARR for the pics!  Next up - 200 miles in Cape Cod.  Then, some more races and travel.  Then, I sleep (at the end of May).

Fiesta Mission 10K

It's that time of year again, when San Antonio celebrates Fiesta - 10 days of made-up holiday.  This year, I'm taking it easy, but one can't help but to join in the fun.  Today was the Fiesta 10K at the Mission trail.  After months of bad back pain, especially in the morning, I actually woke up and could move.

So move I did - for 10K.  My buddy, Patti, caught up to me early on and we ran the pretty course together.  It was really a nice, easy run. Which is exactly what I needed after this week.

Thanks to Tom Lake, Scotty Dog, Bertha, and Dulce for the pics. 

Run for Boston

Monday really made me sad.  and angry.  and a million other things.  Thanks to buddies who checked up on me all day to make sure I wasn't running Boston. Alas, I am neither fast enough nor rich enough to gain entry to that esteemed marathon (one day). I appreciate your thoughts. And I truly appreciate all the folks who have ever supported me and all runners in distance events through the years- be it online or those on the sidelines of the race - my family members, friends, and the person I see for 10 seconds with the "This is the worst parade ever" sign around mile 19 - you are all a valued and important part of the sport and spirit of the marathon. You have been an integral part of my marathon experiences, and injury to one of us hurts us all.

But we cannot dwell on horrible things - it is best to process them however we can and move forward, better prepared, emotionally and otherwise.  And, by 'processing,' I mean going for a run and drinking a beer with buddies.  So, the race director of the BCS (Bryan-College Station) marathon suggested....On Wednesday, April 17th, runners, non-runners, and people who believe in hope and peace will run together as a sign of solidarity for the people and runners of Boston. And we did. 

Here in San Antonio, there have been many runs to support that solidarity and familial bond among all runners.  On Wednesday, we Ran for Boston at the Wednesday night Zoo Run. Here's the news coverage.

Off to run 2 miles in Brackenridge Park

Along the trail

With Richard, who ran about 25.9 miles of the 2013 Boston Marathon before he was, to his surprise, pulled off the course (he made it back to SA at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday).

And candlelight vigils are tough to pull off when the sun goes down after 8 pm, and there is a burn ban in place (so glowsticks it was).

That little sweaty guy in the orange is a 'running buddy' of mine - he happily collected up ALL of the glowsticks to take home. 

It was good to celebrate those who ran and supported the Boston Marathon, as well as those who were hurt and killed in a senseless violent act.  Nobody can undo what happened, but we can all keep running and supporting those who do.  Like Rose, here, who is totally copying my race pic moves :)\

Thanks to Tom Lake for the pics.  Boston strong.  Running strong.