Everyone Eats a Little Dirt aka A County Fair

One week a year we press the

We stay up late.  We eat bad food.  We get dirty.  We get rained on. 

We give our time to our great rural home town tradition.

I volunteer with the Senior Arts division so that means lots of this

and this.

But it also means some of these

And some of these

And nightly turns at this

But a couple of days spent doing this.

and this

and this.

Every year we have some of this

We even had a little of this

And a dose of that

We had our turn at lots of this.

Then no fair would be complete without S'ghetti Girl's annual photo of this

It was a week of a lot of fun, togetherness and running.

and even a bit of the actual running kind.

It's Gonna Rain for Sure

Day # 441 - Sunday's run HOT

Saturday evening starting our local county fair. 

It's gonna rain for sure!

The kids and I will nearly live at the fair while I help out in the Senior Art Exhibits.

And just as I am nearing my racing weight the fair brings with it a tempting array of fattening foods.
With my evenings filled with fair activities I'll be relying on squeezing my workouts into the morning or a late night run.  I keep reminding myself that although my racing this summer has taken a back seat to family adventures I do still have a fall schedule of trail 50ks and maybe a little more that is fast approaching and I need to keep my training on track.

However with all the extra activity and little down time, I OVERSLEPT this morning!
Just about the worst way to start your day.
So all day I'll be running mental senerios of when I can go run. 
I pity anyone who has to deal with me today.  It won't be pretty.

Simple Small Town Life

Yesterday was a wonderfully long day.

It started early with my usual 3.5 mile (28:16) wake up run before work.

Which was day 80 and I can see it in my pace but the day's run was done and we had plans for the evening so no double for me.

We were going to the...

FAIR!

A county fair is pretty after dark...you can't see all the dirt!

Promises to myself to be home at a reasonable hour went out the window as S'ghetti girl found friends to run around and ride with.  Which was really fine with me since I am at the fair the majority of evenings volunteering with the senior arts department.  In fact, one of my photos won best of show!

A small section of the arts entries.

S'ghetti girl got on stage with the magician.  She somewhat stalks him every year.  It is one of her favorite things to do.  Watch the magic show, not stalk.  In fact she has been working on her own act.

S'ghetti girl as the magician's helper

The kids road lots of rides and enjoyed having their friends to share the fun with. 

I got dust covered and sticky but enjoyed seeing them having so much fun.

S'ghetti has riden this exact horse every single year!  She calls it "her's."

We ate too much "bad" food but were on our feet for hours so I am hoping we worked some of it off.  If you have a local or county fair I encourage you to go and enjoy.  It's even better if it helps to support a local 4-H group.  Maybe consider entering something; most agricultural fairs have departments for baked goods, produce, wine, arts and crafts, sewing and photography. 

LBM making his bike go Vrooooooooom!

Even with the late night I was still up (all be it slowly) this morning for a squeezed in 3.5 miles (28:59). 

I have made it to day 81 with no injuries but even with dropping a few double days, I can feel the effects of running without a break.  It is such an ingrained habit now, I wonder about my ability to not get up in the morning for the first run. 

Day 81 3.5 miles / 28:59

I have a big cup of coffee waiting for me and a very full desk of work. 

Between that and the cotton candy I am sure I'll make it through my day.

And then it's back to the fair.

Do you have a county fair?

Do you attend?  Volunteer? 

Do you enter anything?