Under the weather….Food Poisoning or Stomach Flu?

   Ah well,   I’m not really sure what happened or what it is, but I have been ill the last few days.   Not the sniffles, or cough, but a case of intestinal difficulty that causes my joints to ache, head to spin, and insides to explode.  Let’s re-trace our steps without going into too graphic of detail,  shall we?

After the Sunday Run in Kansas City,   I was obviously sleep deprived.   So Monday morning,  I felt foggy, as usual.  And thought that It was due to lack of caffeine.  Even after Cheryl's workout,  I felt ok, but tired.  

Then Yesterday,   Same feeling,   nothing too strange….but the feeling still lags as a looming spectre.  Then we go to bagels..our normal routine.   BOOM!   The bagel was fresh and good.  I possibly ate it too fast.   But on the way home….I suddenly got very tired.  

Not a problem, Just sleep it off!  Take a nap, drink some water…..Problem solved. 

Then the chills and aches hit….basically the same feeling I had back when I visited Chicago about 9 months ago.  Nothing worth visiting the Doctor for…as all they will tell you is to get some rest. 

Well, I’m much better now…which makes me wonder if it was eating something that did not agree with me….or was it being exposed to all those people in an underground enclosure.  Cheryl feels fine,  so I’m thinking that a mild case of food poisoning is the most likely culprit.   I still feel a bit of the after effects even today.  The good news is that I managed to lose 5 lbs in 24 hours!   Take that Hollywood Miracle Diet! 

Perhaps We should avoid eating out at random diners when we go out of town.  Or I should avoid eating the newest maple cinnamon flavored cream cheese at the bagel place.  Come to think of it….I had that stuff on Monday as well.   Hmmm.   Well,  whatever it was, We did not eat there today as I really was not very hungry at all. Hopefully I’ll get back to normal by tomorrow.  We shall see.

Day Two in Kansas City, Ground Hog Run..With Fine Diner(s)

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…..

Day One in Kansas City

  Well,   we got off to an early start. The cats did not want to see us go…Rashi even tried to stowaway in Cheryl’s luggage.

The traveling was pretty uneventful. 

 

 

 

We crossed into Missouri so fast,  we almost missed the sign.  

 

We were able to stop at the welcome center and pause for a much better shot.  

The Welcome Center was pretty cool in that it had some nice art and murals to show off.  

 

 

 

 

 

About the only item of interest on the way was the bridge crossing the Missouri river…..I’m always fond of suspension bridges. 

 

 

 

   We first made the packet pick-up and got the T-shirt.    Cheryl could not wait to try it on….  She looks so cute.  She had been calling it the “Beaver” run….which is also kind of cute…..in an innocent way.   Being a biologist,   The difference between a beaver and a groundhog are quite apparent.  

With little else to do,   we wandered around the city for a while trying to kill some time before the hotel opened.   There was not much to do…..other than eat or go shopping.  Two things we do plenty of at home.   Being Saturday,  I was not pleased with fighting crowds in an unfamiliar city. 

I wish we would have known the layout  of the city, because right next to the hotel…is a Waffle House!   We had to eat there! The World famous Pecan Waffle is to die for.   I know it is simple enough to make.   But the Official “DINER” experience brings back such fond memories back in the day when we would travel to Florida.    I’m kind of hoping we can catch it tomorrow morning as well.   We shall see as the race begins rather early.

 

 

 

After “Dinner”, We headed  back to the hotel for some Pool Therapy, ( i.e. HOT TUB!)  followed by video games!  They had several games in their little arcade that we just had to try.   Cheryl tried to score a ziggy…even though I tried to talk her out of it… After shelling out $50 for a Domo we never actually scored, we both came to the conclusion that these games NEVER pay out.   But a lesson not learned is worth repeating.  He face tells it all! thankfully we kept it to 50 cents this time around. 

 

 

 

I was Busy trying to Destroy the Death Star!   I didn’t actually get very far…..and I think I killed Han Solo when he tried to save me.   Ah well.    I guess  I  should have used the Force.

I can still hear Chewy’s roar of terror….It will haunt me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next,  Cheryl takes out her aggression in the “Reckless Driving” game..Also known as a racing game.   I’m so glad she does not drive like this when we are behind the wheel of he Subie.   Hitting walls, flying, explosions, and peeling out…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m hoping she gets this out of her system before she has to drive back tomorrow….

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a stab at it as well….finishing 7th….then Cheryl tied me…..I guess she can drive back after all.

So that is about it.   After 5 hours of driving,  there is not much else to do than hit the showers and prepare for sleepy time before the race.   Cheryl needs her sleep after all.   Because, apparently,  she did not sleep much at all  last night.   I guess it must be the excitement.   I’m just thankful I do not have to exert any physical energy tomorrow.  I’ll be there snapping pictures and cheering her on.   Perhaps they will allow betting!  I guess it would make me look good if I was to bet on her…..but that might not be a wise investment for our limited funds.  We shall see.