#did crossroads first so it looks a bit funky

[blue543467]

this art project took a whole week, but it was worth it

[franklongbooty]

hi harriet again I swear this is it

hi hi here is my boy frank, his about is long, connections down the bottom!!

Statistics Page

Pinterest character basics

full name: Frank Joseph Longbottom

birth date: June 21st, 1957 (He’s a Gemini/Cancer cusp lmao)

blood status: Pureblood

3 key positive traits: Sincere, sentimental, attentive 

3 key negative traits: , impulsive, critical, single-minded

FC choice (2 or more, please!):  Matthew Daddy-ario 

academics

primary wizarding school & graduation year: London School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 1975

degree & cohort: Auror Academy 

house & year: Gryffindor, 1st Year Masters Student

rooming

Frank was very excited when the flat above Honeydukes Sweetshop suddenly became vacant at the start of this third year. He has a notorious sweet tooth (brought on by his mother not wanting them in the house when he was young), and went there enough during exam periods (and the rest of the year, let's be honest) that he knew the owners by name, and so they gave him a great offer on the place, despite being able to afford whatever rent he would’ve needed to pay without any discounts. He makes up for their generosity by buying way more sweets than he could ever get through. So come to his flat? You’ll be sure to have been offered pretty much anything that’s available in the shop below.

The space is quite big, due to the size of the shop below, but I picture it to be super airy and quite open plan (ie the only door is to the bathroom, everything else is arches and half walls, high ceilings). He’s not big on decorating, and he’s got his neatness that his mother has instilled in him from a young age, but he does have a wall completely covered in book shelves, and his dad's favourite armchair in one corner.

extracurricular activities

Former Head Boy, former member of the duelling club, former captain of the Wizards Chess Club, Warlocks of Great Britain 

all about your kiddo

Frank Joseph Longbottom was raised by a stern mother, and a loving father. A mother who had a place for everything, and a father who always seemed to forget where those places were. A mother who spent hours of each day making sure the house was perfect, and a father who would come home and forget to hang his coat up after a long day at the Department of Mysteries. A mother who couldn’t help but smile anyway when her husband cracked his jokes, forgetting the mess for a moment, and a father who tried his best to remember to wipe his shoes before stepping into the house. A mother who, when her husband didn’t come home, only got worse, and a father who was never seen again. Frank was only eight  years old when Joseph Longbottom disappeared. The day had started like any other, with a kiss to Augusta’s cheek and a ruffle of Frank’s hair. He’d left the house whistling his favourite tune, and that was the last anyone saw of him. He never showed up at work, and by the end of the day Auror’s were swarming the Longbottom house, looking for anything that could be amiss. The disappearance of his father has played on Franks mind ever since that day. What started as a child not quite understanding, turned into a burning desire to find out what happened. That burning desire is what first led Frank to consider the Auror Program at Hogwarts. Now through to the Auror Academy, Frank finally has the resources to start looking into his father’s case. He knew he had to be discreet. Until he knew what had actually happened - whether he had been taken, or, possibly worse, simply left them, Frank knew it was important to lay low and do this slowly, if he wanted any chance of finding answers. 

Without his father there to help, Augusta Longbottom’s perfections slowly turned into obsessions. Although they had a house elf, she spent much of her time reorganising the house, re-stacking bookshelves over and over again until they were exactly how she wanted it, and then once more for good measure. As Frank grew, her need for perfection turned on him. His clothes were always perfectly pressed, his bed had to be perfectly made every morning before his classes, and his hair was always cut to the same length without fail. But he took this in his stride. As a child, Frank had always strived for greatness, wanting to be the best out of all his peers. It started as a need to be able to run the fastest when playing with his friends and to read the longest books during primary, eventuating in the role of Head Boy in his final year at Hogwarts. This grew a deep confidence within himself, but it also caused him to be hypercritical of all the small things that he couldn’t control. And although his hair is now a little longer, he still has to make sure his quill and ink pot are perfectly straight on his desk, his parchment smooth, and his bed made every morning before he goes to class. 

Where his mother had instilled the hard side to Frank, the time he did have with his father nourished a soft side within him that continued to grow as Frank got older. A side that made bad jokes, that was sentimental, that loved sweet things, and that fiercely cared for those close to him. Perhaps contradictory, the confidence that grew from his mother pushing him only fueled his desire to help others in the only way he knew how. The growing war did nothing to quell Franks need to excel in the Academy. His strong convictions and the anger that was bubbling within him at the injustice of it all made him want to do something. Whispers around the castle and a cryptic conversation with Dumbledore has led Frank to believe something bigger is coming -- something to help put a stop to the war that is beginning to bubble around them. With half of him feeling a pull to follow Dumbledore into that unknown, and the other half increasingly focused on trying to find out what happened to his father, Frank is finding himself at a crossroads. 

The unexpected always threw Frank. Something about Alice Shafiq was completely unexpected, but it was an unexpectedness he welcomed with open arms as soon as he saw the way she smiled. She made him feel at ease, and as the years went on and friendly study sessions turned into stolen kisses, it was easy to understand why. The touch of her hand on his arm always helped ease him, and he suddenly didn’t mind spending his nights awake, as long as they were with her. Ask him, and Frank would tell you she’s a good friend. But ask anyone else, and they’d probably disagree. 

extra credit

Frank feels all his emotions with fierceness and certainty. If he disagrees with something his blood will boil and he won’t sit quietly - he’s got them strong convictions. Similar so, when something makes him happy it’ll be impossible for anyone not to notice. Think loud exclamations, lots of opinions, stubbornly standing up for whatever it is he is currently fighting for. He’s also quite impulsive, and these go hand in hand. He believes in his emotions to the fullest (maybe to the extent he acts like a bit of a know-it-all at times). Also has a bit of a saviour complex tbh, and doesn’t like asking for help. He can do it himself, thank you very much !!!

Frank has the fashion sense of a Grandpa. He loves his funky socks, and they’re all perfectly matching and rolled up (he has a whole drawer of them). He loves baggy jumpers over blue denim jeans (thanks 70’s). He loves his funky socks perfectly matching his baggy jumpers. He also wears glasses, but! They’re reading glasses, so during class/study only 

His patronus is a buzzard

Armortentia is oatmeal cookies, burning fireplace, lavender

Wand is Rowan, unicorn hair, 13 inches, rigid

Likes: funky socks, sweets, oatmeal cookies, mustard, earl grey tea, elaborate chocolates, muggle movies, the smell of lavender, bad jokes, satchels, his owl Whetherby 

Dislikes: quidditch (but no one knows this), ketchup, coffee (see elaborate hot chocolates), messiness, laziness, messiness caused by laziness, unpredictable change

Whilst Frank is nowhere near as bad as his mother, he’s definitely inherited some ticks. He keeps his sock drawer perfectly tidy. If he’s sitting, he bounces his leg whenever he’s anxious, or stressed, or worried; if he’s standing, he paces like a madman. Someone get a fitbit on this boy. He always feels like he needs to be in control, which leads him to be critical of things when it means he’s not going to be in control of them. And critical of himself when he lets things get out of his control. 

Possible connections

A good friend he’s had since childhood - maybe a family friend, maybe a neighbour, someone who was there through it all, his #rideordie. This person helps Frank fkn chill out

An ex-girlfriend, or fling, who ended up dumping him for being weirdly close with Alice, despite his insistence that they’re just friends

Fam bam  - some cousins would be lit

Frank is a competitive boy, something that comes from needing the be the best of the best, so someone who is his competitive rival would be fun!!

And also the good old enemies! Frank doesn’t think his fathers disappearance was a coincidence, and now all these things with Voldemort have come up he’s extremely suspicious of people

[bruno-in-barovia]

Session Four, Part Five

As we followed the road toward Vallaki, a howl rang out from the woods around us. A pack of wolves burst into view. Lith blasted the nearest with her fire. Three attacked Elliott. One bit him. Four came after me, three getting their teeth in me. Ireena ran forward with her shortsword, not terribly confident, but she managed to hit one and kill it. Elliott cast a spell that caused five of the wolves to fall asleep on the spot. The rest of the wolves looked around, half their number having been downed in just six seconds, and they seemed a little confused. Opal killed yet another one, and their confusion was replaced by fear. They ran away into the woods. Lith and Opal suggested we butcher the fallen wolves. We’d been lacking in resources, after all. Lith’s didn’t go so well, but the rest of us were able to get some meat and pelts from the corpses.

Moving on from there, we came to a bridge decorated with really creepy gargoyles and marred with scorchmarks. We kept pushing on, crossing the bridge, and found ourselves at another crossroads. One sign, pointing the way we came, said VILLAGE OF BAROVIA. A sign pointing along the wider road of the split said VALLAKI, and the one for the more decrepit road said CASTLE RAVENLOFT. A piece of paper was nailed to that last one.

Travelers,

It was a pleasure to meet you earlier. Your company was enlightening. I find that you seem to be worthy to guard my precious Tatyana and make sure that nothing bad happens to her. There are many dangerous things in Barovia which I have not yet managed to civilize. If you would be so kind as to take her safely, I would much appreciate it. My dearest wish is that you might leave this place and return to your home, as I am sure you desire also. Once in Vallaki, seek out Lady Wachter. I have tasked her with assisting me in returning you home.

It was signed Strahd von Zarovich.

“He wants to help us leave?” Lith said after reading the letter to the rest of us.

I grimaced. “That seems sketchy.”

Lith asked whether we should maybe go see this Lady Wachter without Ireena, find out what she had to say. Ireena said she had never heard of a Lady Wachter. Elliott said we shouldn’t listen to whatever Strahd wants.

...Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to go home, I want to go home, very badly. But I can’t go home, and it’s not because we’re here in Barovia. 

Besides, I definitely don’t think Strahd is trustworthy. The party agreed. We were still heading to Vallaki for now. We could figure out what to do on the way.

We came across a single grave as we moved along. I knelt to investigate it. It looked to have been dug up, maybe by graverobbers. A few bones were visible. Huh… We moved on.

Finally, we came into view of a rundown-looking windmill that Elliott recognized from a deed that he’d taken from Zazear’s body for safekeeping. So I guess we owned it, if one considers possession to be the majority of property law.

As we approached the mill, we noticed a raven on its roof. It was screeching at us, almost frantically, like it was trying to warn us off. Huh.

An old woman answered the door. Elliott introduced our group, and she was quick to invite us in. Really quick. The kitchen inside smelled delicious. In fact, it smelled just like those pies that we had been given in the village of Barovia. She called her sister down as well to greet us. They introduced themselves as Offal and Bella. They run a bakery from the mill. Granny, the woman Elliott got the pies from, is their other sister, Morgan, who travels with the pies they make to sell in the surrounding area. Offal (What a weird name, but who am I to judge? Especially when her nickname for her own sister is Granny.) said we should stay the night, it being dangerous outside.

Opal explained that we had the deed to the windmill, but that we weren’t looking to evict them at the moment. She asked them if we could, as their new landlords, fix up the place a bit since it was so decrepit. Offal refused her offer, but she suggested our party spend the night in the hut behind the windmill since there was more room for all of us there. She asked if we would like some of their meat pies baked that morning, and Opal and I were quick to accept. Finally, more of that deliciousness we’d been craving. Lith refused, noting that we could cook the wolf meat from earlier in the afternoon to eat tonight.

Opal and I scarfed our pies down immediately. I suddenly felt a lot better than I had since that morning. Guess that satisfied the craving. Opal bought an extra pie for later.

We headed out to the hut in back. Lith and Opal cooked the wolf meat so that the members of the party who didn’t want pies could eat. I examined the hut, looking for ways to fortify it, but found no boards to put over the windows.

There were logs, some of which Lith and Opal had used for the cooking fire. Since I couldn’t do anything to make our shelter more secure, I set to carving a rough version of my holy symbol from a leftover bit of wood, occasionally glancing out the nearest window. This place didn’t feel right.

Behind me, I could hear Opal discussing her theory about the pies’ addictive properties with Elliott and Lith. 

I saw something outside. Just for a moment, a flash of a humanoid shape, standing right outside the window, and then it was gone. I startled, feeling a little divine power leave my body as if I had cast a spell. Um. 

“Uh, folks?” I said slowly, still staring out the window where the figure had appeared.

“What’s up?” Opal asked.

“I really, really, really, really, really think that something is very, very not right.”

“What do you mean, not right?”

“I saw something.”

Opal stepped up to the window by me and concentrated. Almost immediately, her fur stood on end, and her ears turned back. “This entire area is desecrated.”

The rest of the party stared at her. “What are you saying about these old ladies?” Elliott asked.

“There’s something not right.”

“What, ‘cause the dirt’s funky?”

“Yes! And because of the whole meat pie situation.”

“All right, so you like their pies and the dirt feels funny, but—”

I chimed in and told them what I had seen. And that I was pretty sure the place was haunted. Opal said it wasn’t likely to be safer outside the shack than inside, so either way we’d need to stay where we were. I eyed the dirt floor with more than a little trepidation, but she was probably right. Then she stiffened again. Elliott asked what was wrong.

“There are undead under the ground by the windmill. And a fiend inside it.”

Oh, hells no. 

“You mean—” “So one of your precious little old ladies…”

We looked around at each other. The sun had almost set.

“...We’ll deal with it in the morning,” Opal said. 

Right as the sun dipped below the horizon, a hand broke out from the ground between us and the windmill. More followed, zombies crawling up, pulling themselves out of the soil. They shambled around the windmill, paying no attention to our shack. I clutched my holy symbol carving tightly as we watched them for a few minutes. I hadn’t seen a zombie since the last of them back home were immolated. Attacking them now might alert the fiend in the windmill to our wising up. Instead, I volunteered for first watch. It’s a good thing I cast the gentle repose on Zazear’s body. If this was a feature of the area, he could have been reanimated right in our midst.

In the morning, I woke up hungry, so hungry, and I couldn’t help myself—I grabbed the pie we’d bought and ate it before I knew what I was doing. Opal said her craving was back. Lith didn’t sleep well at all—she looked awful, said she’d had nightmares the whole night.

The zombies had dug themselves back underground just before sunrise.

“Y’all,” Elliott said, “do not mention to them that we saw anything.”

I raised my hand. “I say we confront them.”

“I mean initially. To my knowledge, when I hear the word ‘fiend,’ I picture something that can take out my innards and play double-dutch with ‘em.”

That was a fair point. We talked it out for a bit, and finally Opal snuck over to the mill’s window to look inside. Offal popped up, and they started talking, so we followed Opal over. She had bought more pies. Really? The windmill’s blades began turning, and after a bit Offal returned and gave Opal two meat pies.

I was beginning to get an inkling of an idea, and I had said as much to Opal while the fiend was away. Opal askedif we could come inside. Lith and Elliott came with us, leaving Haku to watch over Ireena and Zazear’s body in the shack. Y’know, just in case.

As we entered, Offal said that Bella was grinding flour for the pies and would be down later. I asked if, given that we were her new landlords, we could fix some things up around the mill for her. She said not to bother, that since she and her sisters don’t pay rent, it was a fair deal. Opal said that we owed her for the first two pies yesterday, since she’d given them to us for free, as well as a place to stay. Offal said we could fix up the hut out back. Lith said that it didn’t have anything to do with their business. Offal said of course not, did it need to? While they were all talking, I cast a zone of truth around us.

“We’re gonna say hi to Zazear,” Elliott muttered, watching me. I elected not to correct his blasphemy. It wasn’t the time.

I felt the spell work on both fiends in the mill. They would have to tell the truth for the next ten minutes, but they would know what I had done as soon as they attempted to lie.

Opal asked how long Bella would be making flour for. Offal made an odd face, probably noticing the spell, and answered “for the next fifteen minutes or so.” Lith asked if there was anything specific with the flour. Offal said that there were “many specific things with the flour.” Lith asked what the process was for making the pies. Offal said they took their ingredients and ground them in the grinder. Lith asked what the ingredients were.

Offal tilted her head to the side and smiled wide. “The bones of small children, of course.” Immediately, she spun, folding in on herself, and vanished into the air.

[ri0tdude]

Arkansas Traveler 100

I had the pleasure of running the Arkansas Traveler 100 this weekend near Perryville, AR.  What an amazing experience and well organized race!

Jen, Autumn and I arrived on Friday in time to check in, eat, then walk around Perryville for a few.  Turns out they were having a Goat Festival that weekend featuring a fashion show of goats in Lingerie!?  Glad I would be busy running a race!  After buying a couple things from the local flea market we headed back to Camp Ouachita for the pre-race meeting.  We got all the particulars of the race, rules, markings, etc. and met up with a few friends from Tulsa area and met some new friends.  Since we don’t partake of carbs much, we decided to forego the pre-race spaghetti and go check into our motel and hit the local steakhouse, Colton’s.  It didn’t disappoint!  We returned to the Super 8 motel and I went through all of my gear and checked it twice.  Like the party animals we are, we were in bed by 8PM.  I slept well until about midnight, then I was up and down until about 3:15 when I decided it was time to get up.  I had my coffee, ate my turkey sandwich and took a shower(yeah, for some reason I like to do that before I spend 20 something hours in my own stank).  We were about 30 minutes away from the start/finish so we left around 4:45 to be there for 6AM start.  I still had to get my race bib and do the morning check in.  

My parents, who were taking a week of vacation nearby, came to help with crewing.  They’re pros with helping crew me by now.  They joined us at the start/finish and we reviewed driving, supply and logistics.  By then it was close to starting time.  My friend Scott Smaligo came by echoed my thoughts, “I’m just ready to start this thing!”  We took pictures next to the “Arkansas Traveller 100 sign” together, I hugged and kissed my family and I joined the runners on the road for the start!

Autumn is having a good time while we plan.  

I ran back to Jen for one last kiss and was back with the other runners shortly before the gunshot(literally).  I think we were all surprised when it went off.  We took off down the mile of pavement before we entered the rocky, dirty, and often foot-hurtiness that would be the rest of the race.  We all settled in and almost immediately started separating.  My A goal was to finish in under 20 hours, but with the much warmer weather than I anticipated I would just take what the course gave me.  The morning was cool and breezy so I decided to try to get some good mileage in before the heat.  I ended up running with a strong runner named Sam for a little while.  We chatted as we made our way down the packed gravel road.  He was a principal at an elementary school from Michigan.  Nice guy.  I heard he ended up falling and having to drop later on.  I looked him up but haven’t been able to find him online.  It looked like he was doing great until he fell.  Praying he’s fine.  

After about 8 miles, we ended up on the Ouachita trail which was really rocky, but really fun.  About half way through the roughly 8? miles of trail I hit the Brown’s Creek aid station for the second time.  I remember telling the lady, “That was fun!” while pointing at the trail I just dropped out of.  She pointed to more trail across the street and said, “Well, go get you some more!”  I grabbed a strip of bacon, as I had the first time I hit this station, and took off.  However, this part of the trail was not as fun.  It felt like at least 2 miles of ascent.  Very rocky.  There were definitely still some fun parts before we dropped out of the trail and back onto the jeep and gravel roads.  I opted to wear my Altra Timp trail shoes on this first section due to the trails.  It was a good choice for this part.  Great shoe!  Because so much of this course was so rocky, I ended up switching to my Altra Olympus around mile 48 to finish out the race.  They provided more cushion and gave my feet some relief.  

For some reason, I seem to hit my lows in the early stages of these races.  Around mile 30 as it was heating up, I was running on some parts of the trail that provide little coverage.  My stomach was getting a little funky.  I slowed down.  I power hiked all of the uphills and gave my stomach time to recover.  I was having trouble keeping up with my hydration and slowing down helped.  I knew I was hovering around the top 10 runners, but I just wanted to run my race.  I’d meet my day pit crew (my parents) every 16 miles and we’d refill what needed to be refilled, I’d lube what needed to be lubed, and change what needed to be changed.  My daughters joined the crew at mile 48.  It was so good to see them!  Kayla flew in from California and Kristin drove up from Louisiana with their husbands and we used the race as an excuse for a mini reunion of sorts.  Seeing them certainly gave me an extra boost!  Kristin ran with me for a bit from Copperhead aid station.  Loved it!  Also, at this section, I could see the other runners coming back from the turnaround.  Some guys were missing….and I was 7th!  Nice!  Evidently, I had passed a few guys who needed more time at one of the crewed aid stations and didn’t even realize it. ��Shortly after, I crossed them as they were still running to the turnaround. A couple of them looked like they were struggling.  As always, I encouraged them and ran on.  It was encouraging crossing the other runners and seeing the smiles, getting high fives, and seeing their determination.  You feel and see a full range of emotions when running an ultra.  Excitement, pain, sorrow, determination, joy….

I was a bit behind pace to get my sub 20, but I’d press on with what my body gave me.  I had lost quite a bit of time in the heat but the night was coming and along with it cooler temps.  My brother was going to join me for the final 16 miles so I was just doing what I could until then.  I’d also get to see my Jen when I picked him up.  I was really anxious to see her.  She was supposed to meet me and take over earlier, but my dad was worried about her on some of those messed up roads at night with just her and Autumn(she’s 5) so they stayed on a little longer.  

Running in the dark, just before my second crossing of Bahama Mama’s aid station at mile 72.6 I almost stepped on a copperhead.  I had seen 3 other snakes on the trail but they weren’t poisonous.  This guy, though he wasn’t huge, would have ended my run.  After i left the aid station, I was so paranoid and watching the ground for snakes that I tripped on a rock, hit my knees, hands, and rolled.  Side note:  Judo and ju-jitsu prepare you for all kinds of things.  Due to my training, when I fall on the trails, my body knows whether to just eat the fall or roll.  Rolling saved my knees and hands big time on this tumble.  Once I was back on my feet, I did inventory.  I had a few little gashes on each knee, my palms were scratched and bruised, and my right wrist hurt.  I made sure I hadn’t busted my hydration bladder and took a few steps.  Everything felt fine ok.  I sped up….still no hurting.  Awesome!  I kept cruising until I fell again a few miles later!  Grrrr….  This time, I didn’t roll and jammed my right wrist again.  Ouch.  Might have to check on that after the race.  One other time, I twisted my foot on a rock and hit the top of it really hard.  That’ll leave a mark.  I’ll post a post race pic.  It left a nice bruise.  

Throughout much of the race I had been leap frogging with a nice guy, and strong runner named Steven.  This was his 10th 100 miler and he had only been running them for about 3 years.  We’d cross on the trail and meet at just about all the aid stations and encourage each other.  It’s hard to explain to non-trail-runner-ultra people the dynamic of encouraging and helping people you are technically competing against.  I love it.  I love seeing people accomplish this stuff and if my encouragement and competing against them helps spur them onto greater achievements, then that’s a really good thing.

I picked up my brother for the last 16.  We ended up hanging with Zack and Daniel, his pacer and doing some leap frogging with them too.  They were broth from the Tulsa area and I had met Daniel before on a training run.  It was Zack’s first 100 miler and he was killing it.  Though he was struggling with some leg issues, he was still moving well.  My brother is a really fast hiker so he would pass me power hiking the inclines and I’d catch him on the flats and downhills.  He told me to go ahead and go if I felt like I could and wanted to take off.  When we finally reached the last aid station and I realized that I had 6.6 miles to go.  It was on.  I was ready to be finished.  I was ready to see my wife again.  I took off.  With about 6 miles to go I met up with Zack and Daniel again.  I told them I was ready to be done and I may blow up shortly, but I was cruising.  I ran almost the entire 6.6 final miles at a really good clip.  I power hiked one short incline and had to squat under a tree over the trail (it was hilarious because I could hardly squat!)  When I came out to Crossroads check in, I was 2.4 miles from the finish!  I ran harder.  

When I got out on the road for the final mile I was so pumped.  I knew there was a final uphill coming so I backed off a little. A woman who was on the side of the road with a headlamp said, “You know there’s a runner not far ahead of you and they way you’re running, I think you can catch him.”  I said, out loud, “It’s ON!” and dropped the hammer.  With about ½ a mile to go I saw 2 headlights, the runner and his pacer.  They were fast walking.  I thought about turning off my headlamp for the sneak attack, but didn’t.  I should have.  I could tell the moment his pacer saw me.  His headlamp spun around and their headlamps started bobbing fast.  I ran harder….still closing the gap, but was running out of gas and running out of road.  Strava shows that I actually got below a 7 minute mile here.  This uphill was killing my legs and they were still moving fast.  I tried, but I couldn’t catch him!  When I crossed the finish line, I found out that I was chasing a guy by the name of Daniel(another one) I had met at the Full Moon 50K.  Good guy and very strong runner.  He said, “Dude, where did you come from??”  He left the last aid station (Pumpkin Patch) at 1:06 and I left it at 1:43 and in 6.6 miles I almost caught him.  It made for a fun, competitive ending.  I finished in 20:24:45 and he in 20:24:10.

This was a great race on a challenging course.  The aid stations were top notch and everything was well organized.  There was definitely a great atmosphere out there.  I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

On a side note:  I had my phone loaded with music and audiobooks for this race and planned on using them when I felt like it.  Well, I never felt like it.  I thought about it during some of the low times when I was questioning why I was even doing this crazy thing….or to distract myself from the pain, but decided to just stay in the moment on this one.  It was a good journey in my head as well as on my feet.

Once again, thanks to my parents for their help and unwavering support.  Thank you to my kids who came out to help and cheer me on.  And a BIG THANK YOU to my wife who puts up with my training, my hyper-organized race prep, and grouchiness when I’m spent.  I love being on this journey with you. Last, and most of all, I thank God for the ability and freedom to enjoy doing this thing that I enjoy so much.  

On Sunday evening, my parents cooked a big gumbo at Maumelle park.  We all hung out as a family and had a great time.