The BEST 5K. Ever.

Whoever decided to combine hockey with running is a genius. Today we did the Mad Dash To Madison 5K run, in conjunction with the Blackhawks training camp festival. Before the race, Hawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison (I'm probably botching the spelling of his name) treated us to his rendition of the national anthem-- and just like inside the UC, everyone clapped and cheered the entire time. Also pre-race, we got to meet, shake hands with and talk to Stan Mikita, who signed my singlet. What a bit thrill that was. Wish I would've thought enough to get a picture, too.

Race conditions weren't ideal, but they weren't horrible either... the temps were upper 60's, but the humidity was over 75% and the dreaded sun was out. I went out pretty fast, for me (9:40 for the first mile and comparable for the second), but around 2.5 miles, I started to fade-- too much sun, couldn't breathe. So as much as I wanted to go sub-30, it didn't happen today. Finished at 31:50. Ahh, that's okay. I had more fun just soaking up the atmosphere. Hockey's back!!

After the race, there was an open Blackhawks practice to attend. What fun! We had great seats and nothing beats a juicy hotdog and cold beer at 10:00 in the morning. Let's go Hawks!! Regarding the pictures above, I have no idea what happened to big Buff and friends' uniforms-- they look like the glow in the dark and the ice is a weird, spooky color. But it's pretty cool looking, huh?!