post race celebration

1/2 Marathon concluded. Next one chosen--Georgetown-Idaho Springs. I think that will be race #2 of 2011. Very excited.

I e-mailed my friends to put that seed in their heads, too. I think Jenn is in. We shall see about the Goddess and Sara Jo.

Yes, the half went well considering my training lacked. But, I now feel confident that I will be able to run a 1/2 with little training. I will no longer be intimidated by the mileage. I guess that is something.

Post race, we dined at the Crown Pub in Ft. Collins. It is sort of like our tradition. We went there, last year, on my co-worker's suggestion. He felt that it would be a suitable place for us to celebrate and it was. Omelette with avocado. Heavenly.

This year, I had been dreaming of avocados the entire race. They motivated me not the promise of beer. We drove back to Ft. Collins after collecting the car. We knew from last year that the shuttles were quick/prompt, but we caught the last one. We wanted to ensure that we retrieved our car before the shuttles stopped.

I was disappointed to find out they know longer offered brunch. No avocado with eggs--bummer! Instead of my chosen post-race meal, I enjoyed a turkey avocado bacon sandwich. The steak fries were delightful. Yes, it made the effort of the 1/2 worth it.

Afterwards, we returned to Denver and watched Glee. Finally. Lindsay was catching up on the first season and I was happy to rewatch the episodes. Most of our runs, I would bring up Glee at some point during the conversation. Until recently, Lindsay would listen to my mangled recap of the show. Now, she is a committed fan, too.

Of course, I wanted to spend time with Steve and Sarah. We had arranged to meet to celebrate Sarah's birthday and catch up, in general. Brussel sprout hash, cheese plate, and mac and cheese tempted us into choosing that place. Typically, the wine wins me over, but Sunday night, I drank cocktails. Fairly certain, I shocked my friends with that choice, too.

The time went by too fast. I remember arriving, ordering my first drink and then paying the tab. Where did the night go?

There is always next time. My friends, thankfully, all seem to get along and enjoy each other's company. I spent most of my night talking with Steve and Sarah. Lindsay entertained Sara and Chris. The way we were arranged set that up. We sat in a line instead of on a corner which would have enabled us all to be a part of the conversation.

I enjoyed the opportunity to enjoy great food, conversation and cocktails. Yes, cocktail can be a lovely substitute for wine.