I have been training for the upcoming marathon and have been required to run some pretty good distances. Well, I finally ran my “long” run and it was 20 miles. This little run lasted 3 hours and 25 minutes. Not the fastest pace, but wow it really hurt. I started around 0600 and ran with Mickey Miller for the first 12 miles, she had to peel off and get to work and I started on the remaining distance. It was going smooth until around the 17 mile mark. I am not sure if it is mental or physical, but it was a wall that was hard to get past. After that, it was just a matter of getting back to the start point. After about two days of walking gingerly up and down the stairs, all was back to normal.
We are starting to turn in different pieces of equipment that are not necessary for the mission, and it really feels great knowing that we are almost out of here. I try not to count down the days, but it is really hard, especially, when you have a countdown calendar. The weather here is excellent now and we are all relieved for the cooler weather to finally be here.
We have a PT test coming up real soon and it is hard to believe that we are taking one in Iraq. This will be the second one this year and after all this running, I feel better about my chances. The Marathon is coming up pretty quick and it is the last big item on my calendar prior to our replacements arriving. I will let you guys know how it goes on my next entry.
Received word that a good friend, Cynthia Roelle, was selected to be published in B&W Magazine. This is a huge achievement and something that only a select few photographers are able to achieve. Congratulations!
Halloween – Yes, we had a Halloween party in Iraq. I have included some pictures of the event for you viewing pleasure. The night started out with Matt Wolf showing up and his costume was me. He had on a uniform with my last name and rank on and then he even shaved his head. Wow, that is what I call dedication to a holiday. We had pizza and fried chicken and lots of near beer. Matt was the MC for the evening and took most of the pictures; which was a nice break. Matt led us through some trivia questions, puzzles, games, and passed out some prizes for the winners. He did a great job and everyone there had a great time.
Ing Maurstad sporting his Nebraska foam football helmet.
Matt Wolf on the left dressed up as me...on the right.
From left to right, Kari Malgeri, Matt Wolf, Kim McCann
Kari Malgeri(with ponytails), Chris Fredrikson (with Batman Mask), and Jim Culp (with Nebraska helmet and bubba teeth)
Brandon and Michelle Bauer
In the background, Ing Maurstad gives the stiff-arm to Steve Hernandez, Brian Adams looks on.
