Let's Go Mountaineers!

We headed back to WV for our first game of the season on September 12th. WVU hosted East Carolina University. We enjoyed our usual pre-game routine with Aunt Mary Gay and Frankie tailgating at the Mylan tent.

This season is our first year as official season ticket holders! Although our seats aren't quite as good as we're used to (I've been spoiled since a young kid)...

Here are some highlights from the pre-game show featuring The Pride of West Virginia! This was Pappaw's favorite part... the "sunburst" from Simple Gifts.

For those of you who don't recognize it, here's the state outline. A little rusty, but hey- it's only the second home game.

Game time!

WVU won 35-20. Let's Go Mountaineers!

Here we are at our traditional Sunday afternoon dinner at Mammaw's house. She always fills our bellies before we hit the long road home. She served up one of her specialties, roast & potatoes/carrots. Sorry we stole all the leftovers, Mark!

13.1

I did it! I can hardly believe it myself, but I ran the Virginia Beach Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon over Labor Day weekend. That's 13.1 miles, with a time of 2:06:30.

Suzy had been encouraging me to sign up for a good six months before I finally gave it a shot. She recommended a good running schedule, and I started the program in June. It was really manageable- two short runs during the week, one long run on the weekend, and some cross-training in-between. I started out at 3 miles, and gradually increased the distance every week. I found running to be a great stress reliever, and it was something fun to focus on for a few months. I enjoyed the challenge, and it was a nice distraction from The Wait.

Here is the view of Virginia Beach from our hotel balcony. The race finish line was on the boardwalk only a few blocks away.

Here I am on the morning of the race. Very nervous!

Rounding the corner on mile 11.

This one was taken after I saw Pete. I must have used up all my energy smiling and waving, because the last mile was brutal!

Suzy and I after the race.

After our post-race lunch. Feeling better now!