I’m having fun with mine - it’s just such a different way of cooking, since I have never used a pressure cooker before. I hear that where it really shines is with cooking dried beans, so that’s on the menu for this weekend.
The $$$ cost of a marathon - what do you think???
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/07/15/the-1600-marathon/?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0
Suppose if it’s local you save. If you travel, consider it a vacation of sorts…
The entry fees have gotten high, but I understand that in many instances because I was on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Marathon for over 20 years and I understand the expenses of putting on the race.
I spend that on gear (much more) even NOT training for a marathon!
Travel can be a big hit, of course, but that’s sort of the fun of a lot of it. I found myself annoyed in 2009 when I ran Grandma’s in Duluth and the lodging on the north shore (race started in Two Harbors) is limited and they know they “have” you. They gouge you and the rates were ridiculous with 2 night minimums. We used it as a vacation, but it was still annoying and disproportionate to what is charged any other time.
No kidding! Alaska Air sent an email giving a small discount to people traveling to their races. Called it Racecation:
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/explore/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/running.aspx
My most expensive race would have been the Boston, but I had enough Marriott points to cover the cost of those $500 rooms conveniently located right next to the finish and enough Alaska points to get us 2 first class tickets on the way back ('cause I had no idea whether I would need to be carried on the plane or not). 
I had the most interesting dream last night. Pizzagirl, MOfWC, and I were getting ready to run a race in some remote place that had a nice mix of scenic park trails and picturesque city streets. We were getting ready for the start, and Pizzagirl was freaking out that she would not be able to get to the finish without ruining her new shoes because the trail was muddy, I was freakng out because I forgot my Garmin, and MOfWC was simply freaking out. And we collectively were freakng out that we were too slow to get to the finish line before all of the freshly baked pastries and donuts offered to the finishers would disappear. So we devised a plan: whoever got there first would grab a basketful to share with the other two. 
And off we went! I was running… no hip pain. And it felt so good. Sigh. I know I am obsessed. 
Is there widespread insurance for marathons now? Like if you get injured and can’t do the race you get your money back? I remember when it wasn’t so hard to get into races, so a runner could wait until she was pretty sure she would make it to the starting line before signing up. Then there was a period when you had to commit so early to get a spot it was risky. A few $ races (and tris) offered insurance. I am out of touch now.
I used to run some alone and some with the whole family. The big, expensive, destination races with everyone and we would turn it into a vacation.
^^^^How is your hip, BB?
Worked out with my trainer today–walked home from the gym (got my steps). Doing a make-up Pilates mat class early this evening.
Hope you are OK, Michael.
"Pizzagirl was freaking out that she would not be able to get to the finish without ruining her new shoes because the trail was muddy, I was freakng out because I forgot my Garmin, and MOfWC was simply freaking out. "
I literally did LOL when I read this! Not sure whether to be flattered, humbled or horrified!
I know, Pizzagirl. It was a funny dream. One of those dreams when you realize you are dreaming but do not want to wake up because you want to find out what happens next. We also had our CC names printed on our race bibs: Pizzagirl, BB, MOfWC. Lol!!!
I like that dream, Bunsen! Except for the freaking out part!
I haven’t heard of race insurance, but some races will let you defer, like sabaray has done with her marathon.
Triathlons (especially Ironman series) can be over $500 to enter.
What a great dream BB, l loved it! When you have dreams like that and start to wake up, you just want to force yourself back to sleep to finish it, lol. Recently, I’ve had dreams where I’ve been doing rings and parallettes routines effortlessly and in the dreams I am talking to myself saying"yeah, you can do that". If only it worked like magic, ;).
Thank you everyone for your concern about my crash. My hip is still bruised, my road rash burns but the swelling is noticeably reduced and I’m fully mobile with no weight bearing pain except when I sit the wrong way. The bolsters on my car’s driver’s seat hit all the wrong spots! I figure it will take a week or so. In the mean time, everyone invest in the stock of the maker of Second Skin bandages. My purchases alone will drive the price up :D.
BB, it was all that talk about the Chicago race featuring couches and cake that prompted your dream!
I love that your bibs featured your CC names. <3
Glad you are mobile, Michael. It sounds very painful to me!
For Monkey Marathon, we can choose names for our bibs and many of us have used our screen names from RunningAhead. Of course, just like with CC, sometimes we chose a screen name years ago that made sense (mine is a running shoe I wore over 10 years ago that actually sounds like a street address) and is no longer particularly relevant. On RA you can change your screen name, but I never bothered.
I had a good 3.3 mile run this morning with Back on My Feet. One of my favorite members just found out he got a job he had interviewed for, so he was pretty excited this morning. He doesn’t know his schedule yet - I’m hoping he’ll still be able to run with us in the mornings.
BB - hilarious dream! I also really like the CC names on the bibs!
Michael - thanks for the insider tip on Second Skin! I’ll include that info in my retirement plan - somehow I don’t think this will be your last need for them!
Vacation races - we sure had a great time running the Grand Teton Half Marathon and the Yellowstone Half Marathon in June. They had a pretty lengthy survey they sent out a couple weeks later and I almost got a little depressed with the questions about how much we spent for different things - airfare (not too bad), lodging (ridiculously expensive), food (way more than I would have guessed), etc. The only thing I could feel good about was the shopping category - our only purchase was one race shirt that H liked and it was only $15. Even though it was a crazy expensive week, it really was an awesome vacation. If either of had gotten injured and been unable to run, we probably wouldn’t have been able to hike and that would have really killed the vacation.
When I go away to a race or run a “big” race, I like to buy swag! My husband even bought a cool jacket in Charlotte last year (Thunder Road Half/full) and he wasn’t even running!
One of my big memories was in 1996 when I was running St. George Marathon in Utah, which was my first marathon in about 4 years. I bought SO much stuff at the Expo that said “St. George Marathon”. I had shirts, a jacket, a denim shirt------- Well, the race was difficult and I seriously wanted to quit. I kept telling myself, “You can’t quit. You have a whole wardrobe that says St. George Marathon!” A few miles later I told myself “You can still wear it. You ran a lot of the race!” Of course I wound up finishing- 3:35 or so which at the time I thought was terrible. Oh what I would give for that time now! I’ve never been so sore after a race- until the Monkey! The down hills kill- and we didn’t get good practice for them in Dallas. It was a beautiful race, though.
I was kind of astonished by the article about how much marathons cost. I mostly enter local races, and I consider $30 a lot of money for a race. Most of the local 5Ks are $15 or $25 (and mostly no t-shirts, thankfully, because I really don’t feel the need for a lot of race t-shirts). My five-race trail series was only $75!
My bil recently did the escape from Alcatraz triathlon, the entry fee alone was $750! I can’t imagine how much was spent. Including shipping his bike back and forth. It was a bucket list race and he enjoyed it immensely.
I’m sure Kona is a very expensive vacation @MomofWildChild.
Kona is expensive, but surprisingly, our lodging (nice condo) wasn’t terrible and neither was food. The big thing was airfare and the horrific travel from this part of the US. I’m not in a hurry to go back. The shipping of bikes is an expensive nightmare, although WildChild seems to have found a solution where his bike is in two suitcase-looking containers which don’t cost extra (just whatever the baggage charge is) and don"t scream “EXPENSIVE BIKE” and beg for TSA to rifle through the bags and damage things. SO many bikes got damaged on the way to Kona- including WildChild’s in 2013 and the ex-girlfriend’s in 2014.
I remember that ordeal, MOfWC!
Whining here- looks like it will be raining for my 5K. I don’t like rain running for lots of reasons- footing being one of them. But- won’t be a cold rain, at least. It makes it a lot less fun to hang around for awards, too.
But not to worry- I fueled well for it at Women of the Church meeting tonight which involved lots of wine, peach pie and all sorts of other goodies.