Traditions and weekend shenanigans
What an epic weekend!
The 40th annual Birmingham Greek food festival furnished our city with good times again on Friday night. This was the fourth consecutive year I attended this fine festival with my dear friends Whitney and Jordan R. Great memories always abound, including one of the highlights of our freshmen year- dancing on-stage with swarthy young Greek men, unknowingly during their choreographed routine! Whoops, or...OPA! The chocolate baklava is always the show-stopper of the event, although the gyros, wine and music are all worthy of the gods as well.
Saturday morning I ran a 10k trail race on the rugged Pinhoti trail at Mount Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. Whitney graced me with her presence despite our early departure time, perfectly playing the role of "race mom" by providing hot coffee in thermoses for the trip. It was a beautiful drive up to the Talledega National forest. While I was enamored with the views, Whitney found her own entertainment with the variations of pronunciation that one can use while saying this word: "Cheaha. Cheeeaha. Cheahaaa. CheaHA. Cheahaw. CHEAHA!" We met up with my friend and teammate Phil at the race, and Whitney had the opportunity to visit with some other interesting characters while I ran. I could still feel some fatigue in my legs from the ultra last weekend, but I just adjusted my pace up the steep climbs (aka added some hiking breaks) and I managed to get second place. On the way home, we feasted at the Barrel of Crack, throwing back coffee and lumberjack sized breakfasts like we hadn't eaten in days.
Saturday evening I had the opportunity to cheer on Whitney in her first 5k road race, a total role reversal! This time I carried the bag and jogged the course, yelling out meaningful messages of inspiration to the road runners. Whit's special message was: "The pain of quitting on yourself lasts longer than the pain of pushing on!" I had WAY too much fun cheering, experiencing more of a runners high than after my own race that morning! Seeing other people stretch themselves and reach their goals was truly amazing. It was also an excellent moment for the Trailblazers, the school running club I started, as we captured a group picture with our school president, sweet Andy!
After the race, we dressed to the nines, and Whitney, Jordan, Dave and I dined at Rojo to celebrate Jordan K's birthday. We also checked out a really eccentric dive bar, the Garage Cafe, where Jordan and Whitney successfully scored free drinks. When the time was right, the girls headed out to a rooftop bar, where we danced late into the night. It really was the perfect day!
