Halloween Hustle

Captain America, Thor, The Wicked Witch, The Good Witch, Superman and a hot dog all ran with me yesterday.

How often do you get to say that?

The 3rd annual Halloween Hustle 5K was held at Stony Creek Metropark and thanks to the event organizers and volunteers, this event went off like an Olympic marathon.

Everything from the the costume contest to the race results were handled smoothly and in a timely fashion.  Which was important since the winds were whipping over the lake and causing quite a chill after the race.

I completely forgot how terrible running feels in the first mile of a 5k event, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that all of my biking has paid off when it comes to blocking out pain and discomfort.

No sooner had it started and I was finished with an Asiago bagel in hand!

Woot! Woot!

My favorite part of the race was watching all the little kids that were racing alongside the adults.  

The unboundless energy and gait kids have make running seem so easy.  They do it purely because it's fun and without all of the mental prep adults attach to the simple act of running.

It reminds me of "Phoebe" running on Friends.  

All arms, legs and smiles.

Pure joy!

Finding All The Stuff

Fall has arrived and it's sent me scrambling pleasantly for all of the gear I tucked away in the spring.

It's funny how big of a surprise it is the first few times you head out to ride and you find yourself slightly under dressed for the temperature.

Suddenly, a thirty minute commute becomes a thirty minute ice bath!

In my ongoing attempt to perfect my fall/winter apparel, I've been haunting my favorite websites and keeping my eyes peeled for deals.

I've become a bit rabid about checking Steep and Cheaps site for their daily closeouts.

In addition, I've meandered through REI several times, purely just to "see" what was on the rack.

My last jaunt through the aisles scored me a Brooks Playground Jacket on closeout.

I have to say that after running and riding in it, I absolutely love it!

I'm looking forward to layering it with some of my merino wool tops for this winter.

Plus it has an internal pocket for your phone that keeps it safe and dry (it was even big enough for my Galaxy Note II's huge "data" a$$!).

My biggest like with this jacket is that it feels like you're wearing a hoodie, but it has the wind protection of a jacket.

Now that I feel a bit more confident about my jacket layering system, I'm moving back to footwear.

I've had the opportunity to try on and smell 45nrth's Fasterkatt's,  in addition to the Vasque Paw Paw.

I really felt like a flat peddle and standard winter boot worked well for me last year, but the appeal of clipping in is seductive.

It's been long enough that I've forgotten how frustrating it can be to have ice packed into your cleats after a hike a bike section.

I think I have at least three weeks before threat of snowfall will be in the air, so I have more time to deliberate!

In the meantime, my pup "Danni" and I have been getting out and running through the leaves.  He loves crunching leaves like a little hellion!

This weekend I will be running in my first official Halloween 5k, possibly with Danni if he feels up to the costume challenge, it should be interesting to say the least!