Mardi Gras Marathon 2008

Okay - I admit that the last post was a little on the "heavy" side, so on a much lighter note, I give you my race-day experience through the following pics.

Here's our protagonist, Julie E. Vaicius, around 6:26 a.m. on race day, looking fresh and ready to go!

Holy crap! How did it get to be race day already?

Maybe I'll be okay - look, there's Canal Street!

And, the Old Absinthe House, the site of many celebratory cocktails when I passed the Louisiana Bar Exam in 2001...

Yeah - I'll be okay - look, a bridge of balloons as we turn onto Dumaine!

And, the Rodrigue blue dog pics on Royal - can't help but think of Winston at this point, which brings a smile to my face...

Great - the Garden District is just ahead...

Or - should I stop in for a quick chocolate croissant at the Boulangerie? No - I think I see the St. Charles streetcars up ahead...and the Columns Hotel.....

Okay - there's Julie - she's keeping up her 10-minute mile pace. She's doing fine... Yikes - have I really walked 6 miles?

Maybe I should start drinking....

Yikes...mile 8 - maybe I should start eating doughnuts....

(Oh my gosh - is this the same girl from the Jumbotron on Friday night? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I don't know which took more guts - attempting the half, or posting this pic! Hope there's a makeover team waiting for me at Julie's b/f Commander's!)

Mile 10...okay, it's really, really time to reconsider my goals of (a) finishing vertically, (b) not getting EMS involved, and (c) absolutely not being picked up by the rescue buses along the routes. NO! I shall go on to the finish!

Hooray! I actually made it! Now - gotta wait for my Julie to cross the finish line.

Oh my gosh!! She made it, and she looks great! But - who's the mystery man with her????She really doesn't look any different than she did at 6:25 a.m.! WAY TO GO, JULIE!!!!! TIME TO PAR-TAY!!!!!!