Austin is Awesome

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While the rest of the country turned its eyes towards Madison, I snuck out-of-town to Austin for a girls weekend and 1/2 marathon.
Notes about the race:
Times I heard “Eye of the Tiger”… 2
Number of bands set up on the side of the course with their own generators…  7+
Schools and colleges I ran past…  4
EMTs reviving man at the side of the road (mile 6)… 1
Oblivious runners wearing i-pods and wandering the course…  Too many to count
number of cross or biblical tattoos on legs and shoulders… 5 (Texans love tattoos and God)
Training all winter to run in 60+ degree weather, eat tacos, and see a great friend… Priceless
It is possible to plan a course that is uphill, both ways. I don’t know how they did it, but by crossing the river twice, we were always running a slow uphill.
What happens to the pacers after mile 2? I never seem to be able to find them.
Running is much more fun went you don’t have to dress in multiple layers, wear Vaseline on your face, and worry about frostbite.
Other things I observed about Austin while I was not running:
It is the new Nashville. If you are a singer or songwriter you head to Austin to make it big.
Everyone owns at least one dog, a fixie bike, and has at least one arm with a full tattoo sleeve. I started to feel like I should try the tattoo thing again and this time go much, much, bigger.
Eating at the numerous taco stands and trailers is the way to go. For $9 I scored the best and maybe biggest two tacos of my life.
Everyone was so kind and I swooned a bit at the Texas twang and the fact that men went out of their way to hold the door for a lady… and me. At the end of three days I was starting to say “All, y’all”.

I was so happy to chat and hang with Laura. Isn’t it great to have friends that you see once a year and pick right up where you left off? We are already planning for 2012, and no I won’t be running the full marathon. Or bringing my kids.