I love marmalade

Yesterday we went to Michael's aunt and uncle's for a big barbeque with lots of cousins and babies and siblings and significant others. It was a great day for it and I met one of his cousins that I'd not yet met (as well as his wife and son). It was a bit brief and sprawling, but it was a nice night.
Drank more Zinfandel (Gnarly Head: so good) than I ought to have given I had to run a half marathon the next day, but on the other hand it was a Saturday night of a long weekend and I'm on vacation for chrissakes.
A bunch of low class individuals from Surrey checked into the room next to us last night, naturally. We'd been having great sleeps all week and then we had to deal with these deadbeat losers. God.
So, after four hours of sleep, I got up and we headed into Summerland for the Willis Greenaway Half Marathon. It wasn't chip timed and it looked to be the smallest race we'd ever run - maybe a hundred people? I was worried that I was going to end up last. Everyone seemed to know everyone else and we were there, rocking with our clinic t-shirts because we do like to represent when we travel.
It was warm, but overcast. They said "Ready, set, go!" and we went.
It was, hands down, the hottest, hilliest, loneliest and most arduous half I have ever run. I run the North Shore and North Vancouverites know we have an advantage over most runners in the Lower Mainland, but this was nuts. I almost laughed out loud when I saw one of the inclines which reminded me of Heartbreak Hill in Boston. I walked half of it. I took water at all but one water station. I let a volunteer soak me with a hose. I walked.
The course description says its a "challenging" course. Yes. That might be an understatement.
That said? It was superbly run. The volunteers were ten out of ten. Everyone was smiling. It was to raise fund for Alzheimer's which my grandfather died from. There were wonderful homemade treats at the end and everyone was exceptionally friendly. It was the hardest course I've ever run and I would absolutely do it again given the chance.
Didn't hurt that I placed second in my age category and Michael placed third in his.
Our prize was Summerland jam. I picked apricot marmalade.
Marmalade is my favourite.