big weekend

Between a visit from Lelaine's friend Jennifer, the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, Halloween, Howard's homecoming (a big deal in our neighborhood), and 40,000 runners doing the Marine Corps Marathon and 10k, it was a big weekend in DC.

Jenn and Lelaine, who had been working in LA, got into town Thursday night. On Saturday they went to the rally, which was pretty big - more than 200,000 people on the mall. That night was the annual bookclub halloween party at Stoney's. The theme was Greek gods. Lelaine was Selene, the goddess of the moon, and I sported a Brooks Laich t-shirt jersey with helmet and gloves (the Greek god of the Caps second line).

Sunday morning I woke up early and went down to the mall for the Marine Corps 10k. When I signed up I decided my goal would be under an hour, which is a 9:40 per mile page. Sadly, I thought the only way to do that would be to stop drinking, so for the last six weeks I have been (mostly) abstaining from booze. Fortunately it paid off, and I ended up finishing in 59:16. The result was in doubt, but I ran the fifth mile in 8:52 to ensure that I could do it. To celebrate my accomplishment I planted my butt on the couch and ate some chocolate croissants Lelaine bought for me, some bbq she picked up, and drank some beer while watching the Chiefs pull out a squeaker against the Bills.

All in all, a pretty good weekend.