Last day!

It's my last day at my current position! Good-bye, crazy lady who punched another customer in the face (this happened yesterday)! Good-bye, homeless dude who hides in the drive-through to jump out at cars and ask for money! Good-bye, technician who is always half an hour late!
We're going on a little vacation before my new job starts, and you won't believe this, but it's to Boston. I guess I forgot to tell the hubby how I feel about Boston...and how I feel about his frenemy who lives there. Sigh.

Yesterday I ran the Eat My Crust 5k before heading into work. It benefits the NO/AIDS foundation, so I ran it even though 5k's aren't my thing. I had a bad race. I really don't know how to pace for a 5k, and I came in 4th, which might as well be last! I started out too slow and was 7th for most of the race. Then I overcompensated, sped up too much, and passed people until I was third. Then someone passed me in the last mile and I didn't have the energy to prevent it! I have decided that 4th is the worst feeling ever.
I also wasn't thrilled with my gun time of 21:29; it was only a little better than last week's race. However yesterday was extremely humid (97%) and set a record for heat, and I certainly felt it. I will be able to gauge my ability better in dry weather, since humidity slows me down.
As for the race, if you're in the area do it next year. I had to leave to go to work, but the after party was awesome and runners get an apron instead of a T-shirt!
Now that I've been royally humiliated in the 5k, does anyone have any tips and hints for me? I'd like to get faster and I'd like to know what a "good" time for me would be.
Hope you're Monday is wonderful and no one jumps out of the drive through and asks you for cash!

Greek Fest!!!

I'm always scared of festivals in the New Orleans summer heat - I dread the headache from beating down sun, the smell of other hot people, the bacterial breeding ground food, the weird tan lines the next day. It turns out that the perfect solution is to have your festival at night! Greek Fest Friday night was the perfect temperature, thanks mostly to storms and rain nearby. No rain came our way, though!
The 5k was bleah for me. It started at 7, so my blood sugar was crazy low and I was feeling lightheaded. Plus, you know, I'd been sick to my stomach so I hadn't really been eating anyway. And I was already a little woozy just from being sick. I figured I was ok to run though, and I was; but I had to slow it down and...well...I got sick during the race and right after! Grosssss! Some sweet lady at the finish line brought me wet wipes, which I must say was pretty heroic of her since no one really wants someone puking behind their spectating spots. My pace was horrid, 23:55, slower than I run on my normal runs in the park - which makes me wonder why I bother running races. It seems like something always goes wrong and then I feel like I wasted my entry fee! You know I'm cheap like that.
After the race we cleaned up and headed to the fest. We ended up running into a hundred people we knew (including one of my brothers) and I decided to settle my stomach with some feta fries. It did no such thing. I tried baklava next...same results. I decided perhaps the ol' tummy didn't need Greek food just yet. I managed the Abita lights just fine, though!
We sat on the grass by Bayou St John in a cool breeze listening to Greek music and talking to all the friends we happened to run into and I have to say (tummy and all) it was the most fun I've had at a festival in awhile.
What's your favorite summer festival? And have you ever run sick just because you already paid the entry fee? I totally would, even if I had bubonic plague. I can't stand wasting money. It kills me!
Up next...my Memorial Day shopping spree for in-law birthday gifts!