Hot Chocolate 15K Race Report

A few months ago my girlfriends and I decided to run the Hot Chocolate 15K in Seattle.  Why? Because you got a really cute sweatshirt and chocolate at the end!

Saturday afternoon I hopped in the old minivan and headed south, rounding up 5 more women on the way.  (Lady  #7 lives down in the Seattle area and was meeting us at the hotel.)

We finally made it to the hotel in Seattle after driving in a monsoon and making an emergency pit stop at a scary cafe on Aurora.  After walking over to the Seattle Center and picking up our race packet we headed for an early, very early (embarrassed to say 4:30pm) dinner.

We started out at a great little restaurant, Toulouse Petit.  Since there were seven of us we decided to just get a couple of bottles of wine rather than a glass each.  After a fabulous meal we realized it was only 6:00pm and way too early to head back to the hotel so our great waitress directed us to The Sitting Room around the corner.   

 Toulouse Petit

The Sitting room is a Euro-chic bar and was perfect for what we wanted.  After a couple more bottles of wine and some amazing Chocolate Mousse with Sea Salt, we headed back to the rooms.

Now normally on the night before a race we would eat sensibly, stick to one glass of wine at dinner and go to bed early.  This weekend, however, we decided none of us really cared about "racing" and would rather enjoy our time together. 
So we opened up 3 more bottles in the hotel room.  Now I know that some guys out there like to think that when seven girls get together in a hotel room with wine that girly pillow fights in tiny clothes ensues but I assure you that was not the case.  We just sat and talked and giggled, drank more wine and ate more chocolate.  And took silly photos of our wine and shoes...

So bright and early the next morning we are all up and scrounging for Advil and Tylenol.  Thank goodness it is sunny and blue skies.    We can do this!!

Despite numerous warnings from the race directors to be at the start line at 6:30am for the 7:40am start, we head out of our hotel lobby at 7:20 and walk over to the start, find our corral and only have to wait 5 minutes for the race to start.  Perfect.

The race starts and little miss Anna, who says she hasn't been training and doesn't care to race, takes off.  As the first miles go by I notice that our race pace is about 2 minutes faster per mile than I had envisioned.  Oh, so this is not going to be one of those easy fun races.  dang.

I hang in there with Anna and Susie cause I am stubborn like that.  I don't care that thousands of other people are ahead of me but I will not let these two girls shake me!
We trudge up never ending inclines and are rewarded with some declines only to find another incline.  I feel like we are on a never ending roller coaster...up up up then down, then up up up then down. 

Anna just chats along filling us in on all the Seattle happenings and more importantly, the latest on The Bachelor. 

oh, anyway, the race....Anna and Susie chat, I huff and puff, and we finish the race with a much better time than I would have ever imagined.  Which got to me to wondering, would the race have been faster or slower without the seven bottles of wine??  hmmm...

Post Race with our Chocolate Fondue Mugs

The Joys of the Swimming Pool

Things I learned today:

1.As much as I whine, bitch, and moan the swimming pool doesn't go away.  It's still there.

2.  I can't just sit in the car in the parking lot of the pool.  I have to actually open the door and get out of the car.  All I've done is waste another 10 minutes stalling.

3.  Having to walk in front of the Water Aerobics Class, cold and dripping wet from your pre-swim shower just plain sucks.

4.  I can't count past 1.    Was that my second lap or my fourth?  Was that my last set of 25's or my second set?  Crap.

1800 yards done today (or maybe 1850)

Swim Leg-Ironman Canada 2011

Fish Killer

All my son wanted for Christmas was a fish. 
I thought this was awesome.  Non-Electronic, easy, cheap.  Perfect. 

His Aunt gave him a beautiful red and blue Betta fish on Christmas Eve and the look on his face was priceless.  He was so excited.

We brought home Spikeo (aka Spikey, Spike) and set him up in his little plastic aquarium next to my son's bed.  The day was proclaimed the best day ever!

Christmas Day Spikeo wasn't looking so good.  He was sorta hanging vertically and I swear he was only taking a breath when I blew on the water.  Oh dear.

The next day my son really wanted to buy Spikeo a little cave so he could hide out and have a little home.  We hit two different pet stores looking for just the right house.  There was a little part of me that thought maybe we should pick up another fish while we were there cause I wasn't sure little Spikeo would still be alive when we got home.

When we got home, my son ran into the house with Spikeos new home and a few seconds later he came running back to me, sobbing...."Mom!  Come look, just come look!" 

oh crap.  I don't want to look.  Why, oh why, did this have to happen when the hubby is at work?? 
Seriously, dead animal removal is the mans job.  My job is to comfort the heart broken kid, his is to remove the dead thing.  But no, today I get to do both. 

 I am terrified that Spikeo is not really dead and I try and try to get him to move before I take him completely out of the water.   So I pour out some water, shake him around a little, pour out more water, shake again...until I finally am out of water and I flop him onto a paper towel. 

We decide he is too special to flush so my son grabs a little hand shovel and buries him under his special plum tree.  So heartbreaking and sweet.

RIP Spikeo

  We loved Spikeo for two days.  Next we got Awesome and he lasted 3 days.  Petunia, along with a bigger tank, heater and filter, lasted a full week.  Yesterday we welcomed Dragon home.
Please, oh please Dragon, stay alive!

Dragon only lasted one day.