And trying to catch back up

This is a frenzied time of year - both in San Antonio and in my head.  Para San Antonio - it's THREE weeks of Fiesta this year, couched around Holy Week.  Para mi, it's that plus work detail, Women's 5k planning, and co-hosting wine book club.  Fun times, but, man, I am tired.

So, last weekend, I ran the Fiesta Missions 10k on Saturday.  Only, this year, the River Authority became distinctly anti-runners, and the race was held at Brooks City Base.  I haven't run a race out there in a very long time, and I remembered it being a little hilly.  However, the first 5k was nice and flat, and I thought my memory fooled me - until I trudged into the second 5k (just like I remembered - extended inclines).  But here's how it looked - we're off...

 

 I'm lurking back there.  But the race got run.

In the end, I just tried not to get hit by the kid with the pinata stick.

Sunday was the pancake de las Pascuas run.  But we ate tamales instead of pancakes.  It's very complicated.

 Even Gargamel, the perro, got the cascarone - Fiesta can be fierce.

So, after making it through the weekend, it was Cornyation on Tuesday - a lovely, raunchy show that involves drag queens, political satire, and (in the past) tortilla throwing.  It's also very complicated.  Instead of taking pics with the ab fab performers this year, I stalked politicians - here I am with Bexar County Sheriff Pamerleau (she said "this is NOT a get out of jail free card," but, after noticing how I was holding the program, I think it very well could be).

 Then, I found former US Congressman Charlie Gonzalez and his balloon.

 Wednesday was zoo run with a special celebration for the day that Michele left my age group (she called it something different than "the day every 5 years I leave Sally's age group").

And Thursday was "Welcome home Boston amigos" for friends who ran the Boston Marathon on Monday.

The final pic was my last-ditch attempt to procure a Boston medal this year.  I guess, next year, I'll just have to actually TRAIN and somehow cut 1 hour off my best marathon finish time to BQ.  Until then, this week still includes the Fandango pre-night parade run and book wine club.  And then, I'll sleep - in July, perhaps.

Thanks to Ceci, Tom/SARR, Dulce, Michele, and Bertha for the pics

Trailing behind

I'm not sure why all of my longer-distance runs this year have been trail runs.  I really suck at trail running.  My left hip still hurts from my fall in Big Bend, though my right thumb tip grew back, but I still hiked it in the last 3ish miles of the Prickly Pear because I KNEW I would fall in the mud.

So, cue trails, cue mud - and cue the IAAP 10 mile trail run on the SOUTHSIDE last Sunday.  Spoiler:  I did not fall.  These were some beautiful trails along the Medina river - doubletrack, non-technical, wild flowers, lovely old trees, not-so-many hills, and, well, MUD.  The mud was crazy, but I really had a fun race, running with 3 strangers and stopping to scrape the mud off our shoes on trees and roads.

post-race Brak Pak mud - I'm the smart one wearing LOUD gators at house left - next to the guy who changed his shoes.  I dressed in LOUD colors so that, unlike a big plane in a big sea, if I got lost, satellites could find me without me having to ping.

So, this is what running with 5 pounds of mud on your shoes looks like - pathetic crazy running chicken:

Then, my buddy, Stefan, lapped me - he was only running twice the distance, but had a head start.

And he's clearly laughing at me.
So, I chased him like a super crazy running chicken (bkaw, bkaw, quiquiriqui?)

but at least I'm laughing in the rain and mud.  Or, maybe, because of this sign....yeah, not lately, Sal.

Thanks to Ceci/IAAP for the pics and Celia!