Morning at the Marathon

Kate and her East Coast pals Caitie and Annie ran the AT&T Austin Half Marathon this morning. A half marathon is 13.1 miles. Kate ran this distance in just under two hours and 21 minutes.

I took this photo right after Kate crossed the finish line at Congress and 4th. I don't think she looks like she just ran 13.1 miles at all. I'd be curled up in a fetal position and covered in my own sick after the first mile.

The three runners were hungry, so I offered to take them to Las Manitas. The food was good and I felt bad telling Caitie and Annie that Las Manitas would probably be replaced by a lame-ass Marriott before too long. I felt even worse when it came time to pay and I discovered my wallet was not in my pants. I must pat myself on the back for not having ruined the tranquility of Sunday brunch by lauching into an anxious, profanity-peppered tirade.

Nevertheless, this was bad. I left my digital camera at Las Manitas as collateral and ran back to North Austin to see if I'd left my wallet at home, wondering the entire time if it had been picked from my pocket while I was watching the marathon. Thankfully, it was right where I left it. A truly unpleasant situation became merely embarrassing.

Life lesson #4,326: Always feel around for your money before offering to buy anyone brunch.