Running into the new year

Mrs Notthat and I were really feeling the effects of the Brazen New Year's Eve Half Marathon the rest of that day, and when I got up on New Year's Day, things weren't much better. Due to other commitments, Mrs Notthat was not going to be able to reprise the Eve Half with the Day Half, but I had no excuses, so I taped up the feet and headed back to Lake Chabot for Brazen's New Year's Day Half Marathon.

Here was the big prize - complete both races and you get a bonus medal to tie the two together. Some points to make:

• No, I was not the model for that old man on the first medal. (I only wished I looked that spritely.)

• Yes, it is Mr Brazen's goal to have a beard as long as that old guy's (but maybe not as white). Mrs Brazen may have other thoughts though.

• In the middle medal, I love the subtle hour glass that the lake is pouring through. I had not noticed this until Mrs Notthat pointed it out - cool!

• That kid on the right has HUGE feet! I tried to get Brazen Second Born to show me his feet to see if he was the model for this, but he gave me a look that changed my mind and made me decide to go eat some pastries instead.

Actually, one of the coolest things about this race was the surprise appearance of Coach Luap, helping out at the sweat check area! I hadn't seen him at an event like this for ages, and seeing him there made me start walking more upright and stop moaning and whining quite as much (at least while he was looking).

Weird Haired Mom was also there, but was very tired after having finished her six hour run just a few hours earlier. And yes, it really was that cold at the start.

One of my favorite bathroom pictures - Nerak, Nerak, and Arabrab (not their real names) waiting in line, getting hydrated while hoping to get rid of some hydration soon.

Of course Not a Canadian Enirehtak (not her real name either) was there, starting her third consecutive Brazen streak (this time with a goal of doing 10Ks instead of her normal 5Ks - although that might be a secret). I reprised my billboard thing and added the arrow through the head thing to it. Note that it is a bit crooked - I don't understand why these trail races don't provide full-length mirrors for us to make sure we are really good to go.

I was determined to take it easy for this race, and I succeeded. For that reason, I felt better after it than before it. A really fun thing is that the Brazen Rabbit and Mas the Sweeper had remarked the Half course so we went in the reverse direction. There was lots of talk about whether it would be easier - the same amount of climbing, but it's in different areas and with different slopes - and I think it was a bit easier, although there were a LOT of uphill sections that I had not remembered as being downhill sections the day before.

This banana slug offered to pace me in, but I was not up to going that fast.

"I've got a splitting headache" was what I would tell people that looked at me with concern (or fear). By the end of the race, that arrow thing was really starting to dig into my head and indeed, I had a splitting headache.

After the race, WHM showed off her age group medal from the six hour race (over 20 miles for the first time!). You can tell how tired she is though - note that she is holding it sideways for the picture.

The shirt was great and of course the medals were stunning. There were not as many people at this race as the day before, but there were still a LOT. Brazen ended up running out of the middle medals since more people did both races than anticipated (doesn't anyone go out and get blasted on New Year's Eve anymore?).

I loved these and hope it works out that they can do this again next year.

When Mr Brazen's beard will surely have caught up to that old man's.

That's it - move along...

PS: I put up some more pictures here.

PPS: I'm always amazed at people I don't know (and thus have no obligation) that read these things. People come up to me and say "You're that Notthat guy, right?" or recognize Mrs Notthat and spend time sympathizing with her. Enirehtak had some guy she didn't know walk past her yesterday and say "Hi Canadian!" She must hate me something fierce! (BTW, she is actually German, but does this New Zealand accent just for effect.) If she didn't hate me before, she does now.

The other thing that happened was that Mrs Notthat and I had lunch with Etep, Nire, Llib, and Eilsel (not their real names) yesterday before heading to Zombie Runner. I was given this calendar:

How did they know?