Ten Mile Race

Last Saturday, a bunch of the B-school guys had a manhood competition ran a ten-mile race together. TEN MILES! And they had only been training for it for about five weeks! I was very impressed that everyone finished and finished so well.

Here are all five families overtaking Pizza Capri the night before for some serious carb loading. No, the ladies didn't participate in the race, but we showed our support by consuming as much or more carbs than the guys. The sacrifices we make for our husbands!

The next morning everyone woke up ridiculously early for the race. The guys all had to be at Soldier Field by 6:30, and the rest of us caught the 8:04 train to make it up there for the big finish.

Keeping this many kids (THIRTEEN to be precise) from falling off the train platform was a proud accomplishment.

And then not losing one of them in that huge stadium was another victory.

But it was worth all the effort of the trip when the kids got to see their dads run across the finish line...if they were looking at that particular moment...and if they weren't fighting with a friend or begging for snacks...you know how it is. I'm sure they all understood that each dad was a pretty big deal that day.

Matt is there in the blue pumping his fist. He ran an 8:48 mile pace the whole way--his personal best!

It was funny because the participants ran along the lake almost all the way back to our apartment, and then came back to cross the fifty yard line at the finish. Which, as I said before, was the main reason Matt signed up for the race in the first place.

Anyone up for a little Where's Waldo?? That's what it was like trying to pick our husbands out of the crowd as they ran in. Matt, Lincoln and Sam are right in the center of this next picture.

Who'd a thunk they'd give out participation medals made out of real pirate's gold?

All the proud baby mamas.

Here's a look at Matt's amphibian shoes, which made him bed-ridden the rest of the weekend. (Only because he wasn't seriously training the last couple of weeks, so his muscles weren't quite up to snuff. And he got little pebbles in the toes of his shoes and kept running anyway, so he got blistered toes.) Worth it. He still says he'll never wear regular running shoes again.

After the race, some of us got together at my place for an impromptu pancake brunch. Eve preferred to snack on the toys. "This cone is missing the ice cream!! Oh well, I'll just pretend it's there anyway."

The cleanliness of our place is inversely correlated with the number of people we cram into it. Don't judge. It's totally worth it!

After the kids started hogging our Rockband time, we shoved them in Josh's room with a movie...

...so we could show the babies how to seriously rock out on plastic guitars.

Mission accomplished. Do you see Jude pumping his fist to the beat??

SUCH a fun day!