A few weeks back the Niff entered the Cigna 5K Race in Manchester. If you're a runner and you live in New Hampshire, you've more than likely run this race at some point in time. Even I did (about 5 years ago). It's a great course: starts you out on Elm Street (flat), then you turn down a street (downhill), then onto River Street (slight downhill) and onto Canal (downhill to flat) and then up one "big" hill. It's big because, well, there aren't any other hills during the race and its right at the end of the race.
Being a fat lazy bastard, I opted to not run and just take some pics and watch. I took a bunch of the Niff before the race, tried to take some during it, and had some fun paparazzi style camera shots after.
One of the best pics ever, the Niff had no idea I was even there. She was standing in the crowd listening to her iPod and holy shit this girl had her game face on.
In the mix of that picture bunch you can see a group of girls that I am sure thought I was taking their picture, when in reality I was aiming at the Niff behind them, so if you notice some of these douche canoes looking at me like I'm so guy that belongs on To Catch a Predator you know why.
After the race started, I immediately ducked into the Ben & Jerry's that was there for a New York Super Fudge Chunk on a chocolate dipped cone. I mean, it was hot out, and I needed to cool down so what else could I do, right?
I parked my fat ass by the finish line so I could see the Niff as she was coming up the hill and get some decent pictures. She was going to be hitting the finish line around the 22 or so minute mark so I had time to get into place.
The first finishers were done in almost 14 minutes, which kicks out about 4:40 minute miles. They expected the course record to fall because of the weather and some of the runners were the best of the best, but from the sounds of it, it appeared the guy from Morocco that was the big gun in the race turned down the wrong street when following the police escort and he lost some time. He was even lucky to make the race, as his plane was late and he showed up about 10 minutes before the gun kicked off the race. Talk about a shitty day.
Shortly after the first maybe 50 runners crossed the finish line this clearly deranged old man on a bike tried to cross the street and weave between the runners. He was walking his bike and stepped right in front of a group of runners that were racing each other to the finish line. If the cop that was standing there didn't scream at him and pull him back at the last second, either he would have been plowed over or the runner(s) would have been taken out. Obviously something was fucked up with him inside his head because he asked the cop why he couldn't cross there and how was he going to get where he was trying to go. Not a very bright man at all.
In particularly grand fashion, I saw the Niff and as usual I tried to get as many pictures of her as possible. I am sure if I had a better spot or a camera that I knew how to take great action photos with (the thing has manual settings but I have no idea what settings are good for what) we would have gotten better pics. You can see the Niff in front of the kid in the red shorts!
After the race I had to walk up past the finish line a ways to get into the Veteran's Park right there to meet up with the Niff. Since we parked back at the gym over the bridge we hurried out of there to beat the traffic. The Niff grabbed a few fuel items (bananas, yogurt, water) and we hurried off.
Because I am super annoying with the camera, I tend to set the camera to take multiple pictures within a half second of each other and I play Mr. Paparazzi man. This is highly amusing to me, but annoying to just about anyone else.
