The night of the race, we ate dinner at a Greek restaurant on the boardwalk. We sat on the ocean-facing patio.
Next door was an amusement park that I could see from my seat. I was infatuated by one ride in particular. It had odd spinning monkeys. They were kind of creepy; I couldn’t stop staring at them.
Since it was getting dark, I had to return the following day and capture their monkey splendor.
Click on the monkeys if you’d like to see larger versions.
Be afraid, be very afraid!
When I mentioned seeing Dokken in VA Beach, I didn’t really clarify that the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon coincides with the American Music Festival.
We skipped the main stage acts. Aside from not really being our thing (well, I loved the original INXS), we would have had to buy my husband a ticket, travel 20 blocks, and deal with thousands of people. There are busses, but friends have had trouble getting a ride back when the shows let out in previous years.
On Saturday night, we entertained the idea of seeing Vertical Horizon, but we only know one song. I had to get to bed early, anyway — I had a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call on race day!
On Sunday night, with the race out of the way, I was ready to party!
To the 80s stage!
We were a little late, but got there with plenty of time to catch their hit song! I was really far away and maxing out my zoom, so that’s the best I could get for a photo.
We moved closer for the next band:
The emo guitarist (who most definitely was not part of the original band) was a bit distracting, since he didn’t really fit the look.
Also distracting? Well, actually, amusing? 80s girl:
I wonder if she just dressed this way for the show? But, she has an 80s-style asymmetrical haircut!
It was a good show!
Afterwards, my husband and I walked a couple blocks to an Irish pub and sat down at the bar. We chose the quieter side room (there was a band in the main area).
We were just talking, when a man wearing sunglasses walked into the bar and sat down next to us.
My husband turned to him and said, “Hey, Tommy, good show!”
Yes, Tommy of Tommy Tutone and his family (sister, brother-in-law, and nephew) had come to the bar following the performance.
Tommy was a nice, friendly guy; he asked our names, and remembered them throughout the night (well, a couple hours).
We chatted, drank, and attempted to play darts. (The bar didn’t have any!?! I guess you have to bring your own!)
The last song they performed was a cover of Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.” During the concert, my husband laughed. He figured they were covering Blink because Blink covered “Jenny.”
He asked Tommy about that, and Tommy said they covered it because they liked the song!
Anyway … we couldn’t leave without a photo with our new friend!
We drove down to Virginia Beach on Friday afternoon, and just got back this afternoon.
It was a great time! Good weather, fun (as always) race, and lots of stories. I should have carried a notebook to make sure I remember everything!
I’ll be starting with the drive down. Which sucked during the half I was driving, because of an accident and rush hour coinciding near Norfolk.
But before that, we stopped for lunch. Would you believe that this is a McDonald’s?
I figured I might need some proof to back up my story:
Anyway, despite it taking at least an hour longer than it should have, we still arrived in time to meet up with some of my friends for dinner, and later wander over to see Dokken perform that night.
Now, I was never really a metal fan (and, was pretty darn bored during the show), but hubby enjoyed it!
I’m running a half marathon on Sunday in Virginia Beach, and we decided to make a weekend of it since we’re off Monday for Labor Day.
I’m “working from home” tomorrow morning, so today was really my last day in the office before this mini vacation.
And it was definitely a good transition day:
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Department meeting.
My boss got assorted pastries from Panera Bread for breakfast. We’re a
department of four, so it was a pretty casual meeting.12 – 1 p.m.: Yoga.
My office has been offering lunchtime yoga twice a week for about a month
now. Not sure how long it’ll continue, but I’m enjoying it while I can!2 p.m.: Snow cones!
When I returned to my desk after yoga, there was an email to all employees
announcing they would have snow cones in front of the office this
afternoon!It was a warm day, they were refreshing. And fun!
I requested a cherry / lemon-lime mix.
The rest of the day was the usual. But, all my projects are wrapped up. I only have a few odds and ends to go through in the morning.
Now … I’d better get packing!
Hmm, there are a lot of things floating through my head right now. Let me try to catch them!
Yuck!
It got hot again on Saturday. I ran a 5K race in the morning. Halfway through, and the sweat was already running in my eyes (usually, I can finish a run before that happens). It was in the mid- to upper-80s, and very humid, even at 8am.
Remember how I just said I don’t care about my speed? Well, as I realized I was having a slow race, I also realized that I don’t believe me. I do care, at least a little bit.
While it was really hot and disgusting, I knew I couldn’t go any faster. I was a little disappointed when I crossed the finish line at the slowest 5K I’ve done in a long time. Quite possibly, the second slowest I’ve ever run at 32:07. I used to consistently break 30 minutes; this year I’ve been a little slower, but at least in the 30-31 range.
Yet, to my surprise (after a very slow race), I somehow managed to place third in my age group! It seems the fast 30-34-year-olds were still sleeping Saturday morning as I managed to eke out a $5 gift certificate with a mediocre race result!
I checked the results, too. I didn’t just place by default. I actually beat nine other people in my age group!
So yes, it was a small race, but, whatever. I won!
Giving back
This morning, I was a volunteer at a big 10-mile race in my hometown. I decided not to run it since I’ve got a half marathon next weekend. I have done both races in the past, but, it just seems like a better idea not to.
I was handing out water at the finish line, and carried many cases of water from the truck to our tables.
I wonder how much that’s going to hurt tomorrow …
It’s about time
We have lived in Annapolis for over six years, and in the Washington, DC area for over 10.
However, we have never actually eaten Maryland crabs.
It’s been terribly wrong. However, it has been corrected.
Our neighbors called us this afternoon and suggested we all go out for crabs this afternoon. Eighteen crabs and 2 1/2 hours later, I’d say it was a successful lunch!
Not a winner, but I was close …
OMSH just had a contest to win a Superhero necklace. I was in the top five, but, didn’t win. Oh well. I did buy myself one a few months back for my birthday … but I really wanted to win another!
