In any case, for those of you who were not able to be there with him, I decided that I would go down to Austin this past weekend and surprise him to give him a mental boost...on that note, let me recap my experience...note that all times are approximate...
5:30 AM - I wake to the sound of thunder. I wonder if that is just my mind playing tricks on me from the previous day filled with visits to Crown & Anchor (C&A), Ginger Man, Draught House, and then back to C&A during an unscheduled, mid-afternoon-into-evening pub crawl.
5:38 AM - I'm officially up. It IS raining. I check the weather online. There is a severe thunderstorm rolling through the Austin area. Wonderful! However it looks like it will pass through the area by 7 AM.
6:40 AM - With a newly bleached CamelBak and a somewhat waterproof jacket, I leave my parents' house and head to the start of the race on my Epic. It is still raining.
6:53 AM - I reach the start line two minutes before the wheelchairs go. I momentarily panic when I wonder if Quince is waiting to start at the finish line. It stops raining.
6:57 AM - Quince, Kristian, and Emylie show up at the start. (Hearsay)
6:58 AM - Quince is peeing. (Hearsay)
7:00 AM - The start gun goes off. 22,000 runners or so head off towards downtown Austin.
7:42 AM - [Mile ~5] A surprised Quince runs by and asks me what the hell I'm doing there.
8:15 AM - I ride along, view, and cheer at various points along the race course. Now I'm taking roads, back streets, and alleys to make it to 6th and Congress by 9 AM to see Kristian, Quince, and Emylie. I feel like one of those NYC bike messengers (except I'm not wearing a dress--long story).
9:02 AM - [Mile ~14] I'm trying to meet up with Kristian & Emylie at the Starbucks on Congress (no, the other Starbucks) when I see Quince again. He's still looking strong. I spot Kristian and Emylie but they do not see me on the other side of Congress.
9:06 AM - I stalk Kristian and Emylie and we meet up to head down to Mile 20 to see Quince.
10:08 AM - [Mile ~20] The clouds break, the sun shines, and Quince motors by looking strong.
10:10 AM - Kristian, Emylie, and I head for the finish line.
10:11 AM - Quince craters. (Hearsay)
10:17 AM - I break from Kristian and Emylie and head to Mile 23 to try and catch up with Quince again.
10:33 AM - I am waiting for Quince with about 5K left to go. I have been waiting here for about eight minutes. Where is he? Based on his pace he should have run by here about five minutes ago. Did I miss him? I don't think so. Governor Rick Perry runs by. I momentarily talk to a cute girl who is running the marathon--she gives me the thumbs up, but not her number. Sigh...
10:36 AM - Thinking I missed Quince, I head back to the Mile 25.9 beer stop.
10:50 AM - I wait at the beer stop for ten minutes. It smells sooo good here. It smells like my fridge. Sniff, sniff...
11:04 AM - I wait a the top of a grassy knoll across from the finish line hoping to catch Quince. I assume that I missed him. The last time I saw him, he was on a 3:58 pace.
11:06 AM - Governor Rick Perry finishes. He does a victory lap.
11:14 AM - Alas, I cannot find Quince to congratulate him. I leave a message for Kristian and head home to get back on the road to Dallas by 2 PM. Little do I know that he is just about to finish.
1:53 PM - I head back to Dallas.
Congrats Quince on a job well done!!!
And to all the ladies out there, Happy Valentine's Day!!!
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