There are simply too many Pictures to show….So I will try to limit my comentary and just let the pictures do as much talking as I can. Enjoy the ride!
We got a lift to the run via Shuttle bus. Cheryl and I always sit in the back..
They dropped us off at one of the several entrances into the caves…..Reminds me of one of those old apocalyptic movies.
A closer look….Remember dawn of the dead?
We followed the herd deeper into the catacombs. The crowds were impressive!
Cheryl hugs the wall…..I can only assume for safety reasons……to avoid being trampled.
She seems in high spirits….
Seduced and bedazzled by the colorful cartoon badger…er beaver….er…rodent of unusual size.
Then she sees just how far she has to run……and hopes she does not get lost!
She quickly ferrets out the rodent of unusual size…..also known as a groundhog, and forced me to pose for a picture!
Twice!
The oldest participant of the 5K was 94 years young! He came in last, but had a pretty good pep in his shuffle. 94 is really OLD, by they way. I’m hoping I’m able to shuffle that well at 94….or 100….I’ll take living to 100 if I can.
Cheryl quickly found her spot in the start wave and made sure she had a good position
She arrived…Ehem….a Little early..
But soon she was joined by others.
And even MORE others! It did not take long before I totally lost her
With boredom on my hands, And no Cheryl to shoot endless pictures of, I decided to entertain myself photographing the crowd. There were many different types of people who ran marathons I discovered. This Dash reminded me of the individual movement technique we did in Basic Training. I can only imagine the hand grenades, barbed wire, tracer bullets and explosions it must bring in for realism.
Then there is this one….Why not combine running and eating? I imagine this race takes place in Texas…..
Then there are the racing snobs….Athletes that pretty much hate everyone else….I can relate a little as I hate pretty much everyone who is not me….maybe I should lighten up a little though.
Now here is why I would race. If I know there was a Hershey Bar at the end waiting for me, I’m thinking that would provide just enough motivation for 26 miles. Or 5k….Or a trip across the street to the convenience store….
Before long, they were off! Leaving me with very little to photograph…
The first wave came in at such a blur, I barely had time to snap any pictures. I managed to find Cheryl at the half way mark. The Camera failed to focus so many times today I had to delete all the blurry ones.
One of the ONLY pictures of Cheryl that turned out. I DID capture here in a video at the finish….but some guy ran in front of her and stayed there the WHOLE time I was filming…..I was a “little” upset. I only wish I had kept filming a few seconds longer as they called off Cheryl's name. At least I would have had the Audio of her crossing the finish line.
Cheryl with her Swag. A Bottle of water and a finishers Metal
She said she was going to wear it FOREVER! Or until we got home..which ever came first.
On the way out, Time to pose with the colorful mole rat.
Time to EAT! We debated where we wanted to go, but decided on Waffle House one last time….since there are none in our area of Iowa.
Cheryl got the peanut butter waffle…again…..can’t wait to dig into those carbs!
After an exhausting race…..there is only one ideal way to replenish the energy.
Mission accomplished!
As for me, having not run a race. I am forced to be a little more “civilized”
Eggs, cheese and Bacon sandwich with hash browns. What could be better?
The “world famous coffee” was not as special as you might think. Perhaps by “world famous” they mean World Famously average. But, by that time I was drinking it purely for the caffeine.
Half way home, we stopped at an A&W in Indianola, Iowa. We used to have one of these by our neighborhood when I was a kid. it had been gone for years and I was curious how much they had changed. Cheryl did not hesitate to stop in.
Dinner time, and retro design with the old pull up drive and order parking spots. I’m not sure how else to describe them….All that was missing was the girl on the roller-skates!
We wondered why no one was sitting here, then realized we were in the “ Little Kids Section”.
Hand Made Root Beer! This I have to try! I suddenly remembered how A&W ruined my love of ROOT BEER. They simply made it the BEST EVER! Only in New Ulm Minnesota with Schell's 1919 Root Beer can compare to the smoothness.
The food is all American Diner Comfort food….right out of Happy Days. The Chicken fingers are made fresh right there.
Cheryl forces me to call it in. No waitress here……
The Moment of truth!
In a frosted Glass, I take the first sip.
It is SMOOTH! Ahhhh The Memories flow back in like a gentle tide. It’s sweet, smooth, soft and wonderfully refreshing. I want to go back! I wanted to have more, but it is probably really bad for me. I can name the moments and the places I have felt this before. Back when a PIZZA HUT first opened up near our home in Michigan and we had a pitcher of A&W Root Beer…..it was the BEST I had ever tasted.
Again, Schell's Brewery in New Ulm, Mn. makes 1919 Root beer. The ONLY Contender. Once you bottle A&W Root Beer in cans or CO2 Fountains, it loses it’s smoothness and stings your nose and bites your tongue. I’m not sure what the CO2 does to it, Or how they make it here…But I would go back just for this beverage! Yes! It is THAT good.
The Race was fun, Cheryl put in her best time ever for a 10 K at 54:33.5 minutes. She was 20 out of 123 women age 40-45. And ranked 365th out of 1381 runners total! She said it was fun and fairly easy. Then again, She has been running over 10K for the last three weeks now. It was little more than a typical workout for her. She now has her eyes set on a half marathon…and then the FULL BLOWN 26 MILES! I’ll be there to cheer her on..and sample the food and Root Beer…..
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