Kyle and I have been doing quite a lot of walking this weekend. On Saturday we did a magnificent 6K volkswalk through a beautiful neighborhood. It was a splendid Indian Summer morning, bright and clear and sunny and the miles just flew by. The neighborhood was designed to be foot-traffic friendly, with wood chip covered paths through the subdivisions, and an elevated boardwalk through the neighborhood wetland. The views were lovely!
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| A shady bower fit for Titania. |
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| An incandescent Maple tree. |
Then, on Sunday, we got up a bit earlier for the "Run Like Hell" charity run to help a young woman pay for her lupus medications. We didn't run - oh my no. But we went for the 10K walk. There was also a half-marathon, a 10K run, and a 5K run/walk. As it is the season, people were encouraged to participate in costume
A black-winged fairy I presume. There were LOTS of fairies and butterflies, lots of guys dressed as unicorns, And lots of folks of both sexes wearing tutus.
It's not easy to come up with a costume that can be run in. I watched a male unicorn putting bandaids over his nipples.
After the glorious day we had on Saturday, we were prepared for more sun and warm weather. Instead, we had thick fog with a stiff breeze. It was cold! I wished I had brought a hat and gloves. (I wore white tights, a red mini-skirt and a blue t-shirt, topped with red devil horns. I went as a Republican in the House of Representatives.) (Kyle went as a shy guy with a weird wife.)
Here we see a rainbow family. The wigs helped keep them warm.
A cheerful dragon. People kept asking him to blow on their hands. I guess he was too small to breathe fire.
As I said, lots of folks in tutus.
So how did we do? Well, given that I am a wuss, and we were easily the oldest walkers in the 10K, and we started at the back of the pack - - - yeah, we were the spot on the end of the tail - the last of the 10K group to complete the route. The rescue wagon passed us at the first water stop, and by the time we reached the half-way mark, folks were taking down the barricades and the signs directing us where to go. In fact, we got lost. A couple of times. We knew where we were, and we knew where we were headed, but we sort of had to bushwhack the last two miles. Heck, we're used to Volkswalkers. They give you a map AND written directions, and no one races. Slow and steady oldsters. For the Run Like Hell, with over 4 thousand participants, there were 17 guys in Kyle's age category, and there were 12 women in my age category. All these speedy youngsters showed us their heels!
But, damn it, I walked 10 chilly, foggy, crappy kilometers on the hard streets and didn't whine at ALL until the last mile or so. And Kyle, bless his dear heart, could have done it in half the time but he slowed down to keep me company, the prince!
I got home. peeled off my sweat-soaked and freezing clothes, and hopped into the hot tub. I am now bundled in my comfy sweats with Thermawraps on my back and neck, and a cup of hot cream of chantourelle soup to sip. There is pride in accomplishing it, even if I didn't win!
