having beer with another buddy...

Don't worry Paul, you have not been replaced. You are my beer buddy, tried and true.

I'm talking about my Muddy Buddy!

This past weekend, I traveled to the Richmond region to visit with my friend Brian and his family and to take part in the Muddy Buddy, a partner 10k in which you kind of leapfrog each other, switching off biking and running, and concluding the race by crawling through a huge mud pit together. This is the second year I've done the event with Brian, and while not by any means a gifted athlete, I had such a blast both times.


muddy legs and feet that are happy to be liberated from wet, muddy socks and shoes

I unfortunately hadn't seen Brian and his wife and two super awesome children since last year's Muddy Buddy. We caught up over dinner at Capitol Alehouse, where I tried Starr Hill's Love Weiss, a really excellent Hefeweizen. It was just light feeling and super tasty and has a nice banana and clove hint about it. Because it's brewed with that stuff. I would do this again, very gladly! This might be a new favorite hefeweizen for me (sorry Sam).

The actual event was really fun. Last year I ran it after several months of recovering from a stress fracture and later, a car accident, and my first semester teaching. I've already admitted I'm not the most gifted athlete; I am grateful that Brian is not the least bit competitive, and only wants to finish the race. This year I was in slightly better shape and actually kept a more decent pace. Our time was still abysmal but we already have plans for next year, when I will be free of grad school and possibly able to keep a more regular exercise schedule? (Though Brian made a good point-- as a parent, how on earth does he do that himself?)

the mudpit and the finish line!

After the race, there was a beer garden sponsored by Red Hook. They gave out their ESB, which is not one of my favorite styles of beer-- come on, the "B" stands for "bitter". Regardless, it was nice to have a cold beer after an intense workout along the trails of Pocahontas State Park (and a swim through a stream with the bike on my shoulder!). Definitely more bitter than I'd prefer, but if you're into that, it might be tolerable. I get the sense that there's a decent something or other hiding under all the bitter. I won't go out of my way for this again any time soon, but I definitely appreciated the free beer at the end of a race. (To those who think that sounds crazy, two things: 1. I had plenty of water first and 2. See here, here and here.)

Many thanks to Brian and family for being amazing hosts and excellent friends!

Colleen: 239
Paul: 222