Somos soldados

So, since my last post, I did not say no again to a new opportunity with Girls on the Run, but, in balance, I tried to say not so much yes to things I've been doing for years. 

I am trying to transfer the BrakPak blog to the Brak Pak as a whole (right now, blogspot can bite me, but I'm taking a deep breath and re-confronting that issue in the next few days), backing off on being the team captain of just about every Brak Pak Chiks team in the past 6-7-8 years, and restricting my SARR involvement to race director of the Women's 5k, scholarship committee member, Wednesday zoo run volunteer, and general volunteer.  Now, if only I could get my neighbors to spay/neuter all of the stray animals in the neighborhood and fold/distribute the newsletter every month, I would actually also have time for my full time job that pays the bills.  Oh, and I need to start training for a December marathon - TODAY.  dangit. 

So, here's what last weekend looked like - among folding/distributing neighborhood newsletters, working overtime, and too much else.  The Loteria 5k - or 'Mexican bingo.'  Somos soldados for this one - mostly since we were all busy and cobbled together costumes by Thursday before the run.  I actually found an old BDU blouse from my Army days - strangely, 1 rank and 2 units older than when I was discharged (honorably, after I'd served my time, and at my request!), so I'm not sure why I did not give that one away and still had it floating around my closet.

This was so not (and is not) intended to be sexy solider - just Brak Pak solidarity (same word root, I love that).  If it, in some way seemed to try to be sexy - I started cutting the camo shirt without a bra...much lower, if you know what I mean.  I'm sure someone will find it to be a sexy outfit at Goodwill. And my cheesy half-awake grin is pretty much the antithesis of any sort of sexy soldier ever.

Speaking of un-sexy - and ugly race pics - then I turned in a run that represented a month of piss-poor training (other things got in my way). 

But it made for some ugly race pics..

Once again, I was passed by my new nemesis - this hairless dog named Mojo - this time at about mile 1 - I shot him with my squirt gun.  It's not animal abuse when it's almost 100 degrees and you are a bald dog.

In the end, we just hammed it up for the camera

Next up - I try to make it through an un-trained half marathon (13.1 miles) on trails on Sunday.  This might hurt, but at least I just stabbed myself with some Humira, so I hope the back will work.  The mind, well...

In other thoughts, I'm not a huge celebrity follower or recent movie watcher, but the death of Robin Williams strikes a personal chord with me.  Some of his wonderful portrayals in movies were poignant at certain points in my life - particularly: Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, and The Birdcage.  I loved how he was maniacally brilliant and unpredictable without (or ignoring) a script - and to the surprise sometimes of his co-actors.  He was also a big supporter of troops, performing many times overseas.  Humor comforts all of us - and distracts many of us from those things we just cannot overcome.  I just wish he would have made it through, like the rest of us try to do, and will continue to try to do.