When they are done, they have to do a victory lap.

Today was Thursday, another gorgeous day. After Sam had left for work, I watered the newly planted plants and spent the day sat in the sun and playing games. Pretty much the usual for lifestyle week. 

Sam came home and suggested we go cheer on the runners of the Albany 5k race. So we packed up a chair and some water and headed off. We found a great spot, right by the 1mile marker, on a small bank right by the park.

The race started at 6 and it was still pretty darn warm. We heard the starters orders over the loud speaker system and the timer ticked down. 5 mins later the leaders of the pack were heading for the marker. A 5 min mile is not bad! Sam went to the side of the road to cheer them on, looking for someone she knew was running. However, it soon became clear that even more runners were on their way as they started running on the pavement too. Sam was stuck by a lamp post with runners whizzing by her on both sides. I chuckled as she made a dash for the grassy bank. My chuckles were soon lessened as the runners started running on that too. We had to pull our chair and bags further up the bank as more pavement pounders came flooding by. 

After 20 mins they were still coming. We worked it out that the leaders must have already finished and we heard form the race official that there were still people at the start line waiting to start! We never realised so many people lived in Albany. The runners started to turn to joggers, then to walkers then finally meanders - people just strolling along in packs gossiping as they went. They had only done a mile by this point, still had a ways to go. 

Sam did find the guy she was looking for but only because this man emerged from the crowd and ran right at her yelling and waving and then disappeared back into the crowd of mid pack runners. She looked down at her camera in her hand and shrugged "well, shoot!" She said, having not managed to take the picture she wanted. It wouldn't of been an easy task anyway, considering the huge volume of runners. 

When the last of the meanders strolled by, we went back to the car and decided to go get some food. Sam took me to a German themed bar. Something I have never seen back home. It was great. It was an old fire station and the garage doors were opened out onto the street. Inside it was decorated like a street. So it looked like the bar was in a street. Fake doors and windows with window boxes lined one wall, the bar on the other. a huge fake tree in the middle and park benches throughout. even dart boards at one end. There was straw on the floor, along with piles and piles of empty peanut shells. Baskets of monkey nuts were placed on the bar and tables and people were opening the shells and tossing the remains on the floor. It really added to the atmosphere of the place. 

I had a pilsner larger and we both ordered the wurst plate with sour kraut. It has been years since I had sour kraut. Wurst is basically bangers and mash but with German sausage. It was delicious if not a little salty. 

We noticed runners from the race trickling in, after their post race refreshments. It was a great little place and right next door was the dinner we had breakfast in on my first visit. Now an Italian themed restaurant. Both places owned by the same guy who owns the Old English pub that does such great fish and chips. 

With bellies full we went home and spent the rest of the warm evening on the porch before turning in for the night.