Caribbean Running Cruise Day 8 - At Sea, and a Celebration

Wil and I tried -- really TRIED -- to sleep in today... but no luck. So we got up and went for our morning run, where I set the 5K world record. Or, I ran a mile on a moving ship. You decide.

Today's only scheduled event as the "closing ceremony" ... so we spent the day relaxing in the sun and meandering around the ship and wondering just where the whole week went. 

But at four we all reported for one last time to the fabulous Pyramid Lounge.

We had a nice ceremony, starting with John recognizing the state winners, the overall winners, and several other awards -- including an "Over the Top" award for Justin and all he'd done for Street Hearts, and a "Pirate" award for Bud and Claudia for their costumes in San Juan.

John also made a point of honoring our "volunteers" -- some of our non-runners who probably worked harder than the rest of us, helping everything happen.

And then we had a surprise visitor: Captain Manolis, skipper of the Independence of the Seas. He wanted to come by and meet us because he heard about the money we raised for Street Hearts. Of course, I kept thinking, "Who's sailing the ship?"

Captain Manolis

We gave him a medal and a hat (I mean, he did drive us around for a week, right?) and then took a couple of photos with him.

one normal... (photo courtesy Jenny Hadfield)

... one CRAZY! (photo courtesy Jenny Hadfield)

I love this photo, because the lighting makes it look really funny:

why does it look like they're posing with a cardboard cut-out of the captain? (photo courtesy Jenny Hadfield)

Then the captain left, and it was time for the Joke Off.

Bud telling his joke

I can't even remember any of the jokes... or even who won. But my favorite one was by Joyce... "First I used my right hand, then I used my left hand..."

Joyce telling my new favorite joke

We lingered a bit after the ceremony to chat with some folks, saying goodbye to a bunch of friends old and new. We decided to skip the dining room, opting instead for a quick dinner in the Windjammer. We did, however, go for a walk... and it was WINDY AGAIN!

We went to our cabin and finished packing, and then had a glass of wine on the balcony while watching the sunset, before having a late nap. (We had somehow NOT HAD A NAP ALL DAY!)

Later we went up to Olive or Twist for one last time ... I think the unscheduled evenings were my favorite part of the trip!

We finished our drinks and then said more goodbyes, wandered around the ship a bit more, and eventually went to bed. I can't believe the week has gone so quickly.