State #8 - a different sort of race

Normally, when I run a race as part of my quest for 50 states, I really RACE it. That doesn't mean it necessarily works out to a PR or that I even run it well, it just means I push myself as hard as I can.

Today's race was not that sort of race. Back in June when Dad and I started looking for a state to pick up this weekend, we chose a 5K in Illinois. Why a 5k (since I've said before that I wanted my races to be longer)? Well, my mom and JONES wanted to do it too.

This morning was clear, but cool and windy. We were all chilly as we waited for the start of the race. It was a small race with less than 150 participants, so we all just hung out near the start until the gun and then we were off.

Dad took off with Shoo in the running stroller and Jones took off like he was shot out of a cannon. As I'd expected, Jones moved at either a dead sprint or a slow walk. There was no in between. Unfortunately, we had not trained as planned this summer, so he burnt himself out in mile one and had to walk the rest of the way. He's perfectly capable of walking that far, but well, there's a reason his nickname is Lazy Bones Jones. Despite a lot of whining, he finished! My mom has some pain going on in her hip, so she walked with Jones and me instead of walking at her usual pace (or even running).



The end result: Jones finished in just over 46 minutes and was the youngest finisher. Mom won her age group. Dad was second in his age group (and the first stroller finisher). Me, ahem, well, I wasn't last in my age group LOL (and it was interesting to discover I could walk 15 minute miles and not break a sweat or get my heart rate up.)

I'm so proud of Jones for finishing and now he really wants to practice and run some shorter races. He's also now suitably impressed by how far his mommy runs. ;o)

TIART: What to eat before a long run

Today Jill's question over at the Runner's Lounge Take It and Run Thursday is "What do you eat before your long run?" It took me a long time to come up with an answer to this question. Not that it took me a long time to think about, but that I tried a whole bunch of different combinations when training for the marathon. My final answer: peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread.

I have a rather finicky stomach, especially in the morning. When I'm not running, I usually eat an egg mixed with vegetables and cottage cheese (basically a crustless quiche). This keeps me full and happy while I'm getting the kids to school and running errands, etc. However, I found that it didn't have enough complex carbs for anything more than about a 4 mile run. So, I tried cereal with milk and added nuts, which works pretty well, but sometimes has a little too much fiber, IYKWIM... Finally, I tried eating a PB&J. For me, it seems to be the perfect combination of protein and carbs and doesn't sit heavy in my stomach (nor does it send me into bathroom crisis a few miles in). Thankfully, it's also really portable, so it's easy to take with me to races or on trips.

Yesterday, my dad and I ran a nearly perfect tempo run. I did plenty of carb loading the night before (hello birthday cake and beer LOL), so my legs felt full of energy, despite the 8 miles the day before. We went out a little fast (8:57) and then got into an awesome groove (8:35, 8:34, 8:35), with a slow quarter mile cool down. The best part was that I usually psych myself out before tempos and this wasn't a planned tempo, so it was really cool to hit what would normally be my tempo pace and enjoy it!

Stay tuned for a beer related giveaway when I get home to Virginia!

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Turning 39

The cake
(and I have no idea why blogger insists on turning it sideways, no matter what changes I make)

Me with a "classy" gift from one aunt

What was in the package (complete with a card that said:
"A woman should age with sophistication and grace...
A good stiff drink couldn't hurt either"

My gift from another aunt: A mid-life crisis survival kit
(The card on this one was good too - "Another year older?
You've got your health, you've got your looks, you've got your youth!
You selfish B*tch"

Yes, my family does have a fun time. I can't decide if I'm happy or sad that I likely won't be in Wisconsin for my 4oth LOL.

One more year till master's status

Today started off with a nice, unintentional 8 mile run. Dad and I headed out with plans to meet my mom and the boys at the local farmer's market. The farmer's market is only 2.5 miles from their house, so Dad suggested we go the "long way" in order to get a total of six miles done. Well, we misjudged how long the "long way" really was and ended up arriving at the market with six miles done. (And, thanks to my gorging on tomatoes and other vegetables yesterday, I've never been so happy to see a bathroom in my life.) By the time I got out of the bathroom, my mom and the boys had left, so we had no choice but to run home. :o)

One of the nice things about being home for my birthday is I got to celebrate it with a lot of my aunts and uncles and cousins. My mom surprised me with a yummy chocolate cake with raspberry filling. Needless to say, I've spent the rest of the day eating cake and drinking good beer and hanging out with my family. The only negative at all was that Beer Geek couldn't join us.

I have some goals for this final year before 40, but it's been a long day, so that'll wait for another day. Stay tuned for amusing birthday pictures and my first giveaway (which, of course, will be beer related).

100% humidity

In some place, 100% humidity would mean it was actually raining. Not in Virginia. Here it meant that all the rain we got last night was coming up from the ground and making it feel like I was running underwater. Since I've never really perfected that breathing water thing, it was a pretty miserable run. I did manage to finish four miles at about a 9:30 pace.

After my lovely (NOT) run, I gave blood. When I was getting the initial workup done, the technician took a look at my driver's license and at me and said "how'd you do it?" I looked blank and she pointed to the license and said "It looks like a different person." Oh, that. Well, I was 7.5 months pregnant with Shoo when I got my license renewed. Guess all the running since then has made a difference. ;o) I have cheekbones and a collar bone now. The phlebotomist managed to hit a nerve while inserting the needle and I nearly jumped out of the seat from the feeling of an electric shock going down my arm. I'm going to have a lovely bruise tomorrow.

Yesterday and today we took the boys to the county fair. Jones has always been pretty timid about the rides and is scared of heights, so I was totally shocked at some of the rides he chose. It's amazing what a little peer pressure will do (which makes me more than a little nervous). Shoo, on the other hand, road every ride that he met the height requirement on and would have ridden others if he could have. While we were at the fair, the temperature was in the high 90s, so we were all pretty worn out. Shortly after we got home, the skies opened and we finally got some of the rain we've been needing. Amazingly, despite off and on downpours, we managed to go twice when it was hot and sunny.

Beer Geek and the boys on the Ferris Wheel

24 hours till we leave for Grandma and Papa's!

That sucking sound you hear?

That would be the heat sucking every bit of life out of me.

It's 9:00 am here and it already "feels like" 88 and is only projected to go up. (Jess wrote a nice explanation of this once, but I'm too lazy to go find it.) I hate being hot. HATE IT. And I've been hot for the whole week.

Yesterday was one big FAIL after another. I tried to write a TIART post - FAIL. I tried to run on the treadmill and ended up getting sick - FAIL. I took the boys to the park and managed to last less than an hour, despite it being shady - FAIL. I needed to do laundry and pack, but the basement isn't air conditioned and I just couldn't handle being sweaty while INSIDE - FAIL.

Last night, Beer Geek took me out for an early birthday dinner, since I'll be in Wisconsin for my actual birthday. I had halibut (I have a bit of an addiction to halibut. When we went to Alaska for our honeymoon, I had halibut at least once a day.), a really yummy chocolate almond tort, and we shared a bottle of Cline's Ancient Vine Zinfandel (Sorry Glaven, I'll have a beer when we go to a brewpub on Saturday). The food, as always at Harry's, was quite good, and the wine was a nice hearty red with a peppery flavor. Yum!

As we were eating dinner, I noticed a nicely dressed guy come in with a flower bouquet. He didn't have a wedding ring on, so I thought for a moment that maybe an engagement was planned. I love that sort of thing, so I kept watching for the woman to arrive. She, um, didn't. When we left, he was still sitting there by himself, so I'm guessing it was actually a first date and she stood him up. Ouch.

We leave for my parents' house on Sunday. I can't wait. The weather there is so much cooler. I still need to run 7.5 miles this week, but it's supposed to get a bit cooler Sunday morning. I only managed 3 miles last night on the treadmill before I threw up. Now, I was running intervals (one minute at a 7:30 minute pace, two at a 10 minute pace), but I didn't think I was anywhere near my puke threshold until suddenly I was. Very strange.

Now I just need to get motivated to get ready for our trip...

I am SO over summer (even though I've found more shorts)

Today was another hot and humid day here in the south. When the boys and I met up with friends for a walk to the playground at 8:30am this morning, it was already uncomfortable. We walked to the playground, hung out there for a while, walked to Whole Foods and Barnes and Noble (Jones has been reading Harry Potter, so I promised him the second movie) and then walked home. It was a total of 2.5 miles of walking and by the time we got home it was over 90 degrees. Needless to say, we didn't do much else outside today.

I'm having a really hard time hitting 20 miles each week since August started. First, we were on vacation for a week. Then we got home and got hit with ridiculously hot weather. Now, both boys are home (no camps) and it's hot and we have a lot going on. So, I jumped on the treadmill for a few minutes before Beer Geek got home and knocked out a quick 1.6 miles. Then, when he got home, I ran another 3.7 on the treadmill. I was aiming for 6 miles total, but even our basement is hot right now and I was drenched. That's 9.5 so far for the week. I'll likely hit the treadmill in fits and starts tomorrow, hoping to hit 4.5 miles total so I only have 6 to do on Saturday. I really miss having the time(and lack of heat) to get in a true long run.

I know I've raved about my Lululemon shorts a few times here. I still like them, but despite always air drying them, they are starting to feel worn. I only really wear them for races, so I'm pretty disappointed by how they are holding up. I've also discovered that they can be a bit warm in 90+ degree weather. So, I have a new favorite (yeah, I'm fickle): the Adidas Rebound short. It's similar in length, but of a lighter weight material. It's also got a fairly low rise, so it sits just above my hipbones, which I like. Even better, it's cheaper than the Lululemon shorts. Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty finding another pair and am choking at the cost of shipping a simple pair of shorts. I'm planning to hit the Adidas outlet near my parents' house next week to see if I can find another pair at outlet prices.

Only three more days of no camp/hot weather/sibling fighting and then it's County Fair weekend. Then the boys and I head to my parents house again and when we get back, it's almost time for school to start. No, I'm not counting the days until I have actual free time (aka long run time) again. Really, I'm not.

Creamsicles, handhelds, and treadmills, oh my

Saturday night we had some friends over for dinner. The wife doesn't drink beer, so I elected her as my co-guinea pig and made her drink XC2's POM/vodka concoction. We mixed equal parts POM and orange juice and added vanilla vodka to taste. The resultant drink was a bit too sweet, so we added some plain vodka and came up with a drink that tasted just like a creamsicle. YUM! I'm a lightweight when it comes to hard alcohol, so I switched back to beer after our experiment, but my friend told me that mixing POM, apple juice and plain vodka was even better than our first drink. I'm not sure POM had exactly this in mind when they sent me the juice to review LOL.

Since it's been really hot out lately, I've been running with my new handheld water bottle, Amphipod Hydraform Light. I've been pretty pleased with it. I carry my cell phone and key in the pocket and that makes it a bit uncomfortable, but otherwise, it's working out. Everything gets really sweaty, but it still stays comfortable after it's soaking wet. It'll probably be a summer only thing for me. In the winter, I'm comfortable doing 6 miles without a drink and if I'm going further, I just wear my fuel belt (which I don't mind at all in the winter, but find really hot in the summer.) So, it's a good addition to my running "arsenal".

Yesterday, Jones decided he wanted to get on the treadmill. I wasn't really keen on the idea but decided that he'd likely hate it and would never ask again. I was wrong. He ended up walking a mile at about a 4 mph pace! Today he insisted on trying again, but I only let him do it for about 5 minutes - he'd just eaten dinner and I was afraid it would end up on the floor. ;o)

I did a sweaty four mile run in 90+ degree weather this afternoon. I, of course, committed the rooky error of starting out too fast and failed horribly in the last mile (8:46, 8;51, 9:31, 10:08). I wonder if I'll ever learn?

No tempo for me

Yesterday, a very generous friend offered to take both boys (she has one boy Jones' age) so that I could go for a run. I took her up on it and headed out for a run around 2:30 pm in 86 degree weather. I had my handheld filled with berry nuun and didn't push myself and it still sucked. Even going at a 10 minute pace was hell. After I got home, it took me forever to stop sweating.

I figured today's run had to be better. I was wrong. Within the first few minutes, I had to adjust my speed goals. At the end of the first mile (9:56), I knew a tempo of any sort was out of the question, so decided to try for a progressive run. While I did manage that (9:50, 9:48, 9:35, 9:27), it was quite possibly the worst run ever. I had to remind myself that if I could run the last mile of the marathon, I could manage to run the last mile of a 5.5 mile run. Yeah, it was that bad. I think my half mile cool down may have been closer to an 11 minute pace. And, honestly, if I didn't have the 20 mile per week goal, I totally would have stopped after mile 3. Oh well, at least it's done.

Now I can focus on enjoying the rest of my day. :o) Possible alcohol influenced post to occur later 'cause Jess is still recovering from having Norah.

And a little back talk at Glaven... Beer is my first choice of alcohol, but my tastes tend toward darker, heavier beers. I will NOT EVER drink a budmilloor beer (no offense to those who like that kind). I'd rather drink water. Anyways, in the summer, it's difficult to find any darker beers on tap at most restaurants, so I often opt for a Merlot or Shiraz instead. You live with Teh Bride, so you should understand the love of a good dark beer. Now, get off my case. ;o) Oh, and feel free to feel jealous as I type on my Mac notebook, in my living room, using WiFi with DSL, while drinking a Dominion Baltic Porter.

Speaking of plans + POM review

My running week starts on Monday (mostly because I track my runs on Running Ahead and that's when they start the week.) So, I made my plans for the week, knowing that Beer Geek would be out of town.

My plan for the week:

Monday - 3 miles on treadmill after kids go to bed

Tuesday - 6 miles outside while sitter watches Shoo + 2-3 on treadmill after bed

Wednesday - rest

Thursday - 4 miles after Beer Geek returns

Friday - rest

Saturday - Tempo run of whatever length I need to go to get 20 miles for the week

Sunday - rest

How it's really gone this week

Monday - check - 3.3 on the T

Tuesday - eh - 4.25 outside at noon (ugh), no T as boys WOULD.NOT.FALL.ASLEEP

Wednesday - makeup three miles

Thursday - rest (I'd run 4 days in a row and my body said STOP)

The remaining plan was to run four miles tonight and then a 6 mile tempo tomorrow. Of course, life has already intervened and Beer Geek has a meeting tonight, so I'm unlikely to run 4 tonight. This leaves me with three alternatives.

1. Get a babysitter and run 4 today, then my planned tempo tomorrow (unlikely)
2. Turn Saturday into a long run and do the 9.5 miles I have left
3. Run Saturday as planned and do remaining miles on Sunday (likely with a mild hangover due to friends coming over for dinner Saturday)

It's early in the day yet, so things could still change, but it's looking like #2 will be what happens. I hate weeks where I can't manage a mid-length run (5-8) in during the week.

On a different topic, I was contacted by Janny at POM Wonderful about trying their pomegranate juice. It arrived before we left on vacation and I've drunk about half of the bottles they sent. I'm not going to bore you with the nutritional aspects as you can see them on their website, plus I'm coming late to the game as far as reviews go.

I did like the juice. In fact, I could swig one of the 8 oz bottles in seconds flat. I found the juice sort of "sweet tart", which I like. I tried it once after a hot run and found it refreshing. What I didn't like was the calories. I'm not really a juice drinker and if I'm going to drink a liquid with calories, it's likely going to be beer or wine. So, I'm not likely to buy much in the future, but I did enjoy trying it.

And how am I going to use up the last couple of bottles? XC2's vanilla vodka, POM, and orange juice concoction. Hey, if I'm going to ingest liquid calories, there might as well be alcohol involved. (Although I'm not sure I'll throw on heels and a skanky dress - I do have kids afterall).

TIART: To plan or not to plan

Or, as Erin asked as part of the Runner's Lounge Take It and Run Thursday, should you always have a training plan and, if not, what do you do?

Since I've been running without a training plan since I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in October 2008, I obviously think you can run just fine without one. One reason I'm not using a plan is that I tend to rebel against someone telling me I "have" to do something. Another is that I haven't had any specific "A" race since the marathon. I just want to run well at any distance from a 5K to a half marathon. My race distances are all over the place these days as I've been choosing races based on one of three things: 1) a new state (0r a beer related race), 2) a local race I've never done, or 3) a local race that I love to do every year.

Now, just because I don't have a training plan, doesn't mean I don't have a plan. At the beginning of each week, I figure out my running schedule, based on what is going on in our lives and what my next race is. Each week I try to run a minimum of 20 miles, which will increase slowly to 25-30 during the school year. I do at least 3 speed workouts a month and at least one hill workout (I don't have to specifically do hills often as I live in a very hilly area). My minimum long run is 6 miles, with a goal of hitting at least one 10+ per month (not sure if that'll happen in August). The longest race I currently have on the calendar is a 10 miler in October, so I can slack a bit in the long run department for the moment.

Is it working? I think so.

• I've been injury free since before the marathon (KNOCK WOOD!)
• I've seen some nice increases in speed and have PR'd at almost every distance this year.
• I feel like I have a nice balance with the amount of running I do and what I have left to give to my family.

At this point, I'm unlikely to pick up a training plan again unless I decide to run a marathon. If I do, I will probably create my own plan, based on FIRST, Hal, and my marathon buddy's advice.

In unrelated news...

• That peanut butter was every bit as good as I expected and I managed to limit myself to 2 spoonfuls.
• I had a babysitter yesterday afternoon. I stopped in to Origins to check out some skin stuff and ended up getting a mini-facial. That, combined with a quick 3 mile run when I got back, kept my sanity intact last night.
• In the very near future, I plan to review POM Wonderful, Nuun, my new Adidas Rebound shorts, and my new Amphipod handheld.
• I found out yesterday that my local Whole Foods is trying to get in Dragon's Milk beer. Guess who'll be buying every bottle they have in the store. ;o)
• Beer Geek commented that, based on how clean the table and the living room were, the maids must have just come. So, here's what it looks like 24 hours later (and it only gets worse as the days go on)...

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: YUM YUM!

I participated in Lil Runner's bake sale a few weeks ago and won some Harvest Muffins from Katrina at Gluten Free Gidget. They arrived today, along with a jar of PB Loco Raspberry White Chocolate peanut butter! Of course, Shoo and I each had a muffin IMMEDIATELY! They are wonderful. Thanks Katrina!!!

I'm lovin' the container the she sent too. I'm sure it will soon be filled with cars or crayons or something LOL. I'm a little scared of the peanut butter though. I LOVE PB and I'm afraid I'll sit down and eat the whole thing in one sitting. Must.exercise.self.control.

And, since I had the camera out, here's today's blogging spot. Thanks to the laptop, I don't have any one specific place I blog.

Beer Geek gets back tomorrow. It's been a bit of a rough week with the boys, but I did manage to get in 3.3 miles on the treadmill Monday night after the boys went to bed and then 4.25 in the mid-day heat yesterday while my neighbor's son played with Shoo. I have a number of posts running around in my head, but not a lot of free time, so hopefully will post some real stuff soon.

Maine Running = Teh Awesome

Running in Maine in the summer rocks! My body is used to heat and humidity, so getting the chance to run without that resulted in some awesome runs. Besides my PR in the race, I managed to run three awesome runs. The house we stayed at (Anne's Seaview Cottage, which was awesome) was on a hilly road, with a few side roads that were awesome for speed work. My slowest run was a 5 mile run in 45:29 (9:05 average)! I also did a run with some speed work in the middle and managed 5.5 miles in 48:19 (8:47 average). My final run of the week, which was at what felt like an easy pace, ended up being 4.5 miles in 38:55 (8:39 average). Wish I could always run that fast without feeling like I was pushing myself!

In our last couple of days, we went out on a boat to see puffins, seals, and other cool wildlife. We also did a lot of walking around on the very rocky beaches, hit another winery (sorry Glaven, no easily accessible brewpubs), and checked out a few more lighthouses. I learned that the next time we do a vacation like this, I need to take my Merrell Waterpro's . I kept ending up with wet running shoes or slipping while wearing sandals.

Climbing rocks with the boys (note the inappropriate footwear)

Saturday morning, we hit the road at 6am for our drive home. We made decent time, thankfully, and had enough time to stop at the High Point of New Jersey. (Yes, this is indeed one of the instances where Beer Geek earns the "geek" part of his name.) In addition to the actual geographic high point, NJ has erected a 220 foot tower on the spot. Inside are stairs leading up to what is supposedly an awesome view. Jones discovered he has a fear of heights and he and I climbed the first four sets of steps multiple times as he tried to conquer it and go to the top. Beer Geek and Shoo, on the other hand, made it all the way up.

Shoo at the top of the monument. He climbed all the way up and all the way down!

(Apparently prompting several struggling climbers to comment that "if he can do it, I should be able to do it" LOL)

We are home now and the weather forecast calls for temps in the high 90s/low 100s. I ran on the treadmill today and it was not a fun run. I did, however, manage to hit 20 miles for the week, even with being on vacation. I also didn't gain any weight while on vacation and may in fact have lost some.

Now to survive a week of ridiculous hot while Beer Geek is on travel for work. Lucky me.

Semi Wordless Wednesday: Maine Vacation

We are having an awesome vacation - lots of ferries, lighthouses, and beaches. Here are a few pictures of other things we've done.

Gotta love when the finish line photographer is about 20 feet from the finish rather than at the line.

We visited the Owls Head Transportation Museum. The boys loved it. Wonder why this model wasn't a big hit...

Beer Geek gave me a break (I went shopping LOL) and took the boys to the Lighthouse Museum.

Then we dragged the boys to Sweetgrass Winery, where we got a nice bottle of peach wine.

Two more days of fun ahead, including a boat trip to look at puffins and dinner at a brewpub. Then we have the very long drive home.

State #7: A 10K PR!

Short story: Today's race was awesome and I finished in 54:49 according to Garmin (no official results yet).

Settle back with a beer, the rest of the story is pretty long.

Pre-race:

We left DC at 7 am on Friday morning. We had decided to go the western route, rather than I-95. Travel went great for the first 5 hours. Then we started hitting rain and there was an accident that had us sitting in traffic, barely moving, for more than an hour. By the time we got to Hartford, the boys were squirrelly and we were exhausted. Unfortunately, our hotel didn't have a pool, so the boys had to settle for ottoman races down the corridor in our suite. Thank goodness we had dinner plans with a blog friend of Beer Geek's at the City Steam Brewpub. Through a miscommunication with the waitress, we ended up leaving with two growlers. YUM!

The perfect after dinner treat: Porter and M&Ms

Saturday, we headed east from Hartford. We knew that traffic was supposed to be a nightmare once you got into Maine, but we started having horrid traffic on 495 near Boston. After going 10 miles in two hours, we bailed. We headed north through New Hampshire on backroads and ended up pulling up at our house after almost 9 hours of driving (google says it should take 5!) I'm not sure we saved any time by driving the way we did, but it was certainly less stressful than sitting in traffic. Once we got to Rockland, we headed to the Maine Lobster Festival, where mommy and daddy got lobster rolls and the boys got to ride a couple of rides and look around the harbor. I picked up my race packet and then we headed back to the house we've rented, where I had another glass of yummy porter. I highly recommend lobster rolls and good beer for fueling!

Race day: I woke up this morning to a cool, foggy day. Excellent! Despite some tummy issues, I got out the door on time and was able to park near the start of the race. With only about 250 runners, the start consisted of a line on the ground and a woman yelling "ready, set, go".

My stomach continued to bother me for the first mile or so, but I was planning on negative splits, so I was running fairly easy. The first three miles ticked off right on target : 8:43, 8:50, 8:48. I was barely sweating and not really breathing hard. I saw Beer Geek and the boys at the 5k mark.

Right after the 5k mark, we hit a few inclines. I let them slow me down more than I'd hoped, but still managed two decent miles: 8:59 and 9:02. With 1.2 miles, I knew I'd likely PR, so I picked up the speed as much as I could and did mile 6 in 8:22, followed by a flatout sprint for the remaining .2. I ended up finishing all by myself, so I didn't have chance to pass anyone, but since I was the only one finishing at that point, I had a lot of spectators cheering for me as I raced to the end. I handed off my bib tag (no chips here) and looked at Garmin to find nearly a minute PR with 54:49!

I really enjoyed this race. It was small, but extremely well organized. They didn't close down most of the roads completely, but the volunteers did a wonderful job of keeping cars stopped and getting us through stoplights and across streets. I highly recommend this race for anyone who wants to run in Maine and doesn't get into the Beach to Beacon. It's probably not as scenic, but I enjoyed the views and the terrain and had a wonderful time!

After the race, we took the boys out to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. To get to it, you have to walk on a 7/8ths of a mile long breakwater. Shoo did a fabulous job walking all the way out and then up the lighthouse steps.

Then, in the way of 3 year olds, he suddenly needed to pee (there's no potty option out there), so I got to carry him back as fast as I could walk. Thankfully, I'd taken my ergo carrier with me, so at least he was on my back and not in my arms.

Now, I think I deserve the growler of City Steam Dark Lager we have left...