Running Uptown

Another fun race in metro Atlanta is the Uptown Rhodes Race 5K, which is now held around Halloween and includes a fun costume contest, including one for dogs.
Last year my friend Angela's dog Lucy won the contest. This year, with the threat of rain, Lucy stayed home, and, of course, it didn't rain much!
Well, we had fun anyway. If Lucy had joined us, she was going to be Goldilocks again and Angela and I were going to to be two of the three bears. Without Lucy and with threatened rain, we ditched the costume idea.

Pre-race, in a bit of drizzle

 But certainly plenty of other runners got into the spirit, including the dog owner below. She was a police woman and her puppy was the felon on the lam.

Cute costumes!

 We run through the Ansley Park neighborhood and some home owners really get into the Halloween spirit. I loved this yard with it's ship and sea monster theme.

Bet you get good candy at this house!

Along the course

All smiles!

It was a good final 5K before my half marathon in Indianapolis. State No. 29 coming up!

Going uptown

I ran the Uptown Rhodes Race 5K today, but unlike other years, this year the race was Halloween themed. In fact, it was now called the Uptown Rhodes Race at the Haunted Castle.
That was a bit of a stretch, since Rhodes Hall, which does look a bit like a castle, wasn't decorated for the holiday.
But folks came out in costumes and it was fun.

Scooby Doo and crew!

 The race has always been dog friendly, since it was started by a local guy who really loved his dog Georgia. So Angela brought Miss Lucy Liu, who was all dressed up as a witch!

Miss Lucy Liu all dressed up

 I ran the race with running buddies Angela and Erin, and, of course, Lucy.

Bad shadows, but all of us are ready to run

The race is pretty hilly and runs around the Ansley Golf Course and neighborhood. This really was not my best 5K time. We walked a lot of it, even though Lucy was ready to run the whole thing!

Along the course

Hey look! It's us!

Proof we did do some running on the course. Ha!

Not only were there race results winners (which I did not win) there were costume contest winners. Guess who took top prize for dog costume??

Lucy wins top prize!

It was a lot of fun to run the Uptown Rhodes Race again this year, and the Halloween theme made it more interesting. Maybe next year I'll dress up too!

Let's go Uptown

This morning's 5K was the Uptown Rhodes Race, starting and ending at Rhodes Hall in Atlanta.
I've run this race before, and I knew it would be pretty hilly, but today's race had near perfect running weather. Cool, but not cold. No wind, and, best of all, my running buddy Erin at my side.
Erin and her husband have been world travelers this year, so I haven't seen her as much this year. Last year we ran many, many races together. So it was great that she was in town and could run this one with me.

Erin and Lisa before the race, in front of Rhodes Hall

At the ornate staircase

Lion's head staircase

Rhodes Hall is really a beautiful building, the former home of Amos G. Rhodes, of Rhodes Furniture fame. The furniture in the house, and even the wood details in the house, are beautiful. I learned today the home was one of the first that was built completely electrified in Atlanta.
Rhodes Hall is now home to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
The course winds through Ansley Park in Atlanta and some of the trees in the neighborhoods were shouting out their fall colors.
Really a lovely day to go Uptown.

Late harvest

I have been a bit remiss on blogging my running lately. I have run two more 5Ks in the last couple of weeks.

The Nov. 12 race was the Uptown Rhodes Race 5K near Rhodes Hall in Atlanta.

The Uptown Rhodes Race 5K

The race goes around Ansley Park, and it was hilly, but not too terrible. I had a good time for me.

This morning I ran the Lakeside Viking 5K with my friends Carolyn and Susan. I hadn't seen them in a while and it was good to catch up.

Now, this course was hilly. It goes through a subdivison called Sagamore Hills in the Oak Grove area of Atlanta. Sagamore Hills is aptly named!

Carolyn, Susan and me at Lakeside Viking 5K

I'll have no more 5Ks until December, so today's run was a good one to get in before a bit of a break.

The downside is I haven't found any cash as I've been running lately. The piggy bank is going to get very thin.

Atlanta has had its first freeze of the fall and last weekend I went out and pulled all the remaining tomatoes from the vines. I pretty much neglected them after about late September, and I guess that was a good thing! Look how many I pulled off.

Lots of green tomatoes

I literally filled a box with the green ones. Some riper ones are on the bottom and I've been having those in salads lately. I'm getting some of the green ones to ripen on the kitchen counter, but I think I'll be frying up a bunch today for a snack.

I also got my lone eggplant.

My one eggplant

After thinking my eggplant would not produce anything, I got this guy, and there was another small one just starting, but I didn't pull that one and I'm sure it's ruined now.

So I guess I'm going to have to neglect my garden a little more next year. Seems that's the way to get a nice late harvest.