Isle aux Noir

While it may not be the smallpox, malarial fever or dysentery of our American Revolution forefathers, our little army of 3 here in Fairfax has been stricken with our first sickness of the school year. Nothing more than the common cold, but just enough to disrupt sleep and make us all just a bit grouchy. I'm sure it's only the beginning of a loooong cold and flu season.

To tame the savage beast (a.k.a. Elijah), we decided there was nothing more calming than a nice snuggle on the couch with some good friends and a box of Buggy Grahams.... I got sick just in time for my half-marathon. Thankfully, my head cold was gone by the morning of the race- although the cold had settled in my chest, making for some difficult breathing while running (thankfully, I still had a few "puffs" left on my nebulizer from last year's post-flu bronchitis). Liz and I hoped to break 2 hours, a highly attainable goal at any other time. But in the end, we crossed the finish line in 2:03:54...missing our target time by nearly 4 minutes.

On a more positive note, it was a great day to run, and the race was as delightful and organized as always! Glad to have participated again after a 4-year hiatus.

This is the pre-race photo. NO ONE wants to see what we looked like after 2+ hours of running! When I returned (read: dragged myself) to my car, someone had stuck fliers on everyone's windshield advertising another half-marathon coming up at the end of the month in St. Johnsbury. Bad timing...what are these people, crazy?!?