Henry Update, More Nasty Intervals, and Weekend Race!

1: HENRY UPDATE:

Henry STILL has some small scabs on his feet from his "hand, foot, and mouth disease" that he came down with over 2 weeks ago. He hasn't been contagious for over a week, and he's been feeling GREAT this past week. We've been having a blast together so far this summer. We started having adventures down by the Mississippi River when he was sick and needed to "burn off some energy" but couldn't be around other kids (at daycare or the park). So the 2 of us would go exploring:

Watching barges.




Laughing at military helicopters flying low overhead!


Playing at Hidden Falls.


Checking out the storm damage from last weekend.
(That tree was hollow and just full of "ant mush" seen in front of Henry.)


Throwing weeds into the river.

2: MORE NASTY INTERVALS:

Coach Jen had me do some 400s yesterday to help get me ready for the road mile that I'm doing in 2 weeks. Here was her plan (which I posted more about this past weekend):

It was hot, humid, and lonely at the track at 4:45 a.m. yesterday:

75 degrees and 73 degree dew point - that's more than "tropical."

When I ran with the breeze down the back-stretch, my glasses fogged up from my breath every time I exhaled. Nasty. I was really working hard for Coach Jen. Here's what I ran:

70.4
68.0
69.8
70.6
70.4
70.0
69.9
70.3
69.93 / 400 average

I thought I'd look much, much worse when I finished. This doesn't look NEARLY as bad as I felt.

3: FIRST TWO MILE RACE THIS WEEKEND:

Henry and I will continue our father / son adventures this weekend by driving down to spend a day with all 4 Grandpas and Grandmas! My wife's hometown church is hosting their annual summer celebration called "Friendship Day." (Really. How much more perfect small-town Americana can you get?) And they are having a 2-mile road race for the first time. I THOUGHT it was just going to be Pharmie's sister and I racing...

Auntie Annie with Henry and Evie at the pool last weekend!

... but I just found out that Evie's Mom and Dad (Pharmie's other sister and her hubby), one of Pharmie's brothers and his girlfriend, and one of Pharmie's cousins are all doing it too! So I'll be part of a clan of 7 doing that 2-mile race! And it's fitting that the starting line is right out the front door of the church where we were married nearly 10 years ago:

WE LOOK LIKE BABIESSSSSSS!!!!!

I don't know the course for the race, but I've heard there's no gravel. It either must go out into the country and come back or do 2 loops somewhere in town because her hometown is tiny - just 199 people. It's roughly 3 blocks by 5 blocks. I'm hoping to be the first finisher over the age of 17 - I'm expecting to be beat by a lot of high school CC runners. I've never done a 2 mile race, but sub-11:00 sounds like a nice goal, right? I'll shoot for that. Keep an eye on my twitter page and my instagram - I'll try to post updates, but my phone gets real shitty reception "back home."

Wish me luck!