Cheryl's Kickoff for Kinnick 5K.

Off to the Races!

Early and Cold.

 Greetings from the Wilds of Wellman, Iowa.   (Hopefully)   Once again testing to see if the Internet works.   So far it has been a lovely mix of surprise and disappointment.  Cheryl is in awe while I remain skeptical.  She was able to score from home AND print. ( The printer never worked very well even with the Old system!)  So things are looking good for the "must haves".   Now all we have to do is figure out a way to post blog pictures AND not have the window open all winter long for the best possible signal.

Cheryl at the Gate. Or IN he gate.

Lining up at the start.

But on to the "good Stuff".   Cheryl ran a fast 5K into the Hawkeye stadium.   (It has a name,  I can't remember it off hand.)  Not being a fan of the Hawkeyes,  I figured this might be the one and only opportunity to see the inside from the field.  Call it a morbid curiosity.  So she signed up for this early, chilly race to fill in for the usual short training run.

Thankfully, it was not as early as the Quad-Cities Marathon.  And it was over so quickly.    How quick....  let me show you the two highlights!
Start time!

Cheryl races past at the Start. (In Real Time.)

Finish time!

Cheryl races past at the finish! ( In Real Time.) 

Super Slow Mo start

Super Slow Mo finish.

Feeling the "Hawkeye" 

Now it is my turn...

See?   Wasn't that fun!  We hung around the stadium for a few moments trying to "capture the essence" of being a Hawkeye. I think we got down.

Cheryl in the middle.

Rubberized "Dirt".

Unique astro turf.

I should mention the astro-turf was pretty cool and unique.   It was the typical outdoor carpeting with small bits of ground-up rubber.   It had a very unique spongy feel to it.   Different from he Various colleges I have been to.   Or the Silverdome!   (Remember the Silverdome?   In Pontiac Michigan.... Ah, those were such great times...)

Cheryl wears it properly.

Belt Buckle Medal

Also,  The medal Cheryl received was a Belt Buckle.   She told me that I looked like one and I said it was probably a gimmick two for one deal.  She decided to wear it the correct fashion way.




We headed out to the "after-party" at the Big Grove Brewery.   I know what you are thinking:   Free Beer?  In the Morning?  After a 5K?  Yes!  But we did not stick around for all of that.   (I know,  that IS a surprise.)  I had not had any breakfast, was not desiring beer, and Cheryl has sworn off any Alcohol for Training Purposes.    The Big Grove Brewery and Tap Room looked pretty cool.

Big Grove Tap Room.

Menu.... Not just for Adults!

  They had lots of things to do there that were not entirely "adult"   for instance:  Foosball tables, Air hockey,  Throw toss, and many others.   The Menu had "Milk and Cookies" as an Item.   From what I can gather:  Tap Rooms are not really bars.  Or rather,  Micro Brewing is trying it's best to make the traditional Bar more family Friendly.   There were lots of families with kids there.  (I'm sure the kids were not there to get tanked!)

Fun and Games.

For "Warm" and cozy conversations.

 The outdoor environment was pretty cool as well.  We pass by this place all the time on Cheryl's usual training runs.  There were fire pits and comfortable lounge areas. Too bad we did not stick around.

Cheryl on the BIG SCREEN.

Cheryl places second in her age group.   No award.   No fanfare.   Just the pleasant knowledge that there is some one out there who is faster than she is. 



The rest of the day was spent doing boring junk:   Farmers market, woodland walk,  mushroom hunting and foraging.  Thankfully the rain held off until just a few moments ago.  The Temps are not going to climb much past 50 degrees and we are staying inside enjoying warm foods and beverages.

That is all for now.   I'll now spend the rest of the evening seeing if I can post this with the pictures.    Thanks for stopping in.