Flipside

By far, my favorite place to eat in Nashville was Flipside!

Flipside is a restaurant that serves chicken with different toppings. Each entree is a thinly pounded breaded chicken breast, and they have about 15 variations of toppings. My mom got the Popeye, which is spinach, tomato, and mozzarella with balsamic drizzle. I got the Memphis, which is bacon, cheddar, and BBQ sauce. There were so many good options, it was hard to decide! I'm a somewhat picky eater, and usually only like one or two chicken dishes on a menu (usually because the majority of dishes are either spicy or contain mushrooms -yuck!), but there were so many at Flipside that I wanted to try!

My mom and I split our meals so we could try both kinds. I loved them both! The restaurant itself was really unique and had a retro feel to it. I loved it! It can be a little hard to spot from the road, but this was a hidden gem. It was so different and delicious!

Another fun thing: they had trivia cards at each table. Then we noticed that they had a trivia question on the chalkboard, and if you answered correctly, you got a free dessert. My mom and I ended up getting a free cookie for dessert. :)

This place was so unique, with a cool atmosphere and delicious food. I also thought it was pretty healthy compared to a lot of restaurants. I will definitely come back if I'm ever in Nashville again!

Nashville

My mom and I only got to spend two days in Nashville, but we managed to do almost everything I wanted to see and do. These are the highlights:

Parthenon There is a full scale replica of Athen's Parthenon in Centennial Park in Nashville. It was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Inside the building, there are pictures and information about Tennessee's Centennial Exposition. It sounds like it was a lot of fun! I wish I could've gone to it back then. The Parthenon is the only building left, as most of the other buildings and stands were temporary structures that were later taken down.


Country Music Hall of Fame I really wish I had come when they had a Taylor Swift exhibit, because that would have been awesome! As it was, I just missed the Miranda Lambert exhibit Platinum, and I was bummed about that too. They had a lot of stuff about older country artists, and I'm more into modern country music, but it was still a cool museum. And I did get pictures with every Taylor Swift outfit/award that I could find.


Show at the Ryman Auditorium Apparently in the winter, shows move from the Grand Ole Opry to the Ryman Theater. When I was looking up stuff to do in Nashville, I realized that there was a concert at the Ryman with five different country artists. I bought tickets even though I didn't know half the performers! The highlights ended up being the two I knew: Parmalee and Maddie and Tae.

Maddie and Tae- blurry pic from the balcony

Honky Tonk Row One of the quintessential things to do in Nashville is go to one of the bars downtown and listen to live music. We wandered past a few of the bars and ended up going to Tootsie's- probably the most famous of the honky tonks. The band playing in the front room downstairs wasn't very good, so we headed up to the second floor where a second band was setting up in the back. It was kind of weird to have two bands playing at once in different parts of the same bar! We liked the upstairs band much better, but for some reason there was a bigger crowd downstairs.

Grand Ole Opry Like I mentioned before, it closes in the winter, so we just went into the gift shop, explored the grounds a little bit, and took some pictures. I think if I went back to Nashville I would explore Opryland some more. I think there used to be a museum near the Opry with country stars' memorabilia, but it closed down a few years ago.


Radnor Lake This is another spot I would love to come back to visit, in warmer weather! I found this place because Taylor Swift had mentioned it as a favorite spot to go in Nashville. We only walked a short distance to the lake, but I think it would be fun to go on a hike there.


Bluebird Cafe Unfortunately, the day we went to the Bluebird Cafe, it was closed. It's a "listening room" famous for introducing songwriting in the round. Many famous country songwriters have performed here- including Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift! It would be cool to come back for a show.

We also wandered around the shops in the Vanderbilt Area (including going to Fido Cafe- a place Taylor Swift recommends), drove down Music Row (not much to see, except that recording studios are in cute little houses), and drove around downtown Nashville.

On our last day, we were going to see Fontanel Mansion, but discovered we'd have to wait 2 hours for a tour since the earlier tours had been booked. We didn't stick around since we had a long drive ahead.

Things to do if I go back: Fontanel Mansion, a show at Bluebird Cafe, tour the Grand Ole Opry, possibly Belle Meade Plantation. I would love to walk along the riverfront and hike at Lake Radnor in warmer weather. I also would love to go back to the Country Music Hall of Fame and see new exhibits!

Colorado Adventures

My mom and I took a road trip to Colorado Springs. Here are some highlights from our trip!

Garden of the Gods  This was probably my favorite place in Colorado Springs. It's free, the scenery is gorgeous, and there's a few short hiking trails where you can climb up on the rocks. I got some of my favorite pictures here.

Pike's Peak  I've always wanted to hike Pike's Peak. Except we didn't hike, we drove up to the top. But the scenery was still gorgeous. It's hard to capture it, because we were in awe going around every bend. There were such amazing views of the Rockies and the photos really don't do it justice! (PS. I was glad I brought my coat. It's cold at 14,115 feet!)

North Cheyenne Canyon  The next day, we took a little drive through North Cheyenne Canyon. There was no one around, so we were able to stop in the road to take pictures!

Also fun to see in Colorado Springs: Adventures in Odyssey and the Olympic Training Center.

Road trip to Colorado

The best thing about travel PT is getting 3 weeks off in between assignments! I love getting a big chunk of vacation time all at once rather than a day off here and there. I tried to make the most of my time off, by doing what I love- traveling to new places! I went to Wilmington, NC for a few days to visit my friend Emma, then I spent Thanksgiving in Lynchburg with friends and family, then got packed and ready for the road trip out to Colorado!

Setting out on this crazy journey.

I drove to Nashville, where my mom met me at the airport. We spent a couple days sightseeing in Nashville (which deserves its own post). We crammed everything we wanted to see and do into a very short amount of time! Then began the long drive from Nashville to Colorado. We split the drive into two days and made a pit stop for a few hours to see the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

St. Louis Arch - Gateway to the West

The windows in the Arch are super tiny.

We finally got to Wray, CO and I got to see the place where I'll be living for the next 3 months. It's pretty small, but I have a cozy little room, and it's right down the road from where I'll be working. My mom and I spent a couple days getting me settled. We also checked out the library, the gym, the coffee shop, and the two restaurants in town- so basically we went everywhere there is to go in town. It's a small town. I hope I like it here!

My room.

Wray, Colorado

Branching out

I don't know if I've mentioned this on the blog yet, but I'm actually doing this travel PT thing! After taking my first assignment in Bedford, VA, right near Lynchburg and very much in my comfort zone - now I'm heading to Colorado, which is about 1500 miles out of my comfort zone.

In Lynchburg, I was able to stay at my own townhouse, in a town I know, with friends nearby (at least within driving distance), and live with family (my brother). Everything was familiar and pretty easy. I got to test out how travel PT works without having to move to a completely new place. Even though it was hard at first being thrown into a new job with high expectations, the fact that I was back in a place I loved made the transition easier.

Now I'm about to move to a town where I know absolutely no one, with no friends or family nearby - for the simple reason that I've always wanted to go to Colorado. The town is so small that there aren't any apartments to rent, so I'm going to be staying in a bed and breakfast for the next 3 months. The B&B doesn't even have a website. I had to call and ask about all the details.

I have to be honest: a week ago I was super excited to get a job in Colorado, and a little nervous. This week I'm super nervous, and a little excited. I was sad to leave Lynchburg today. I felt like I was saying goodbye to everything I've known for the past nine years. The last time I felt like this was when I first moved to Virginia in 2005 to start college.

I remember that first week, being so homesick and lonely, and realizing that I needed to overcome my natural shyness to go out and meet people. That year ended up being one of the best years of my life. I met so many people, got to experience new places, and grew a lot as a person. I learned how to be friendlier, and learned a lot about what I wanted in a friendship/relationship. I'm not expecting Colorado to be that same experience, but I do know I wanted a change and a new adventure. For college, I moved 12 hours away to a place I had only visited once. Now I'm moving 24 hours away to a place I've never been.

Go big or go home, right? Or in my case: Go WAY out of your comfort zone, or you might as well stay home.

Richmond Marathon 2014

*I'm actually writing this about a month and a half after the race. I ran Marine Corps, then Richmond three weeks later, then finished my job in Lynchburg, traveled for three weeks, moved across the country, and started a new job in Colorado. Things have been so hectic that I never blogged about either of my fall marathons... until now. Better late than never!

I ran the Richmond Marathon three weeks after running the Marine Corps Marathon. It was not my best idea. The thing is, in 2012 when I ran my first marathon (also Richmond), I felt great the whole time. After I finished, I was dying to run another marathon- like right away! My body was prepared to handle 26 miles, and I thought I might never get to that level of running again.

So this time, when I decided to run a Fall marathon, I thought I'd feel the same way. I wanted to find two marathons about 3-4 weeks apart so that after the first, I could just immediately start tapering for the second. I've been wanting to run MCM for a few years, and I wanted to run Richmond again because I had so much fun the first time. It was perfect! Except that I didn't feel as great during MCM as I had during Richmond 2 years ago.

After MCM, I was sore and tired for a few days, so I gave my body plenty of rest. Things were also kind of busy at work, so I didn't run at all for 5 days following the marathon. On Saturday, I was going to do a 12 mile long run. I started out, and I couldn't run. My ankle was in pain with every step, and my hip was hurting again. I wasn't injured, but my muscles were really tight. I gently stretched out my calf and hip muscles, and then had to walk about half a mile to loosen up. When I could finally run, it was a really slow pathetic run. I ran about 4 miles, then called it quits. I figured I needed to rest my body more than I needed to run 12 miles.

The next week I was supposed to run 8 miles, and I may have managed 6. I skipped all the short runs in between the long runs, so in the three weeks leading up to the Richmond Marathon, I ran a total of two times. This is not the best recipe for success. I was hoping that all my training in the weeks leading up to MCM would make up for my failure towards the end. It sort of did. I ended up getting a marathon PR at Richmond- but at a price. It was the most miserable marathon of the three I've run so far- the last 6 miles battling hip pain were the worst 6 miles ever! But let me start at the beginning...

Tristan and I met in Richmond after work on Friday. I had asked for a half day so I had plenty of time to get there. We stayed with my friend Sarah in Midlothian, so the next morning, we had about a 25 minute drive to get to the race. For previous races, I'd approached downtown from the north side, and found street parking, but this time we came from the south side and ended up in the heart of downtown. It took us a couple loops around the blocks to find parking, but eventually we ended up in a parking garage not too far from the finish area. Normally I hate paying for parking, but for a marathon it's worth it!

It was really cold and windy in the morning. Tristan and I ran the entire race in long pants and long sleeve shirts (the past 2 years it's been warmer, and I've run in t-shirt and capris). The extra layers this year were a good idea and we did not regret our decision one bit! In fact, it took us about 5 miles just to warm up.

The first half of the course is my favorite. We ran down Monument Ave and Grove Ave, crossed the Huguenot Bridge, and came back along the scenic stretch by the river. I think we did a good job of not starting out too fast, and then settling into a rhythm. The first 2 miles were purposefully slow, but the next 12 miles were all a 9:30 pace or under! In fact we had a great first half!

At mile 14, we stopped to refuel. This was our first marathon where no one was waiting for us at a certain point, so we carried our own gummies and refilled our water bottles with gatorade at the aid stations. I definitely prefer to have my family supporting us. It's a huge morale booster! It was kind of weird to just stop on our own. It was nice at MCM to run off to my mom who was waiting on the sidelines, with everything laid out for us.

After the first half, I started to feel a little tired. Nothing too bad, but I didn't feel as good as I had for my other two marathons. Mile 16 is the worst part of the course, because you have to cross the Belvidere Bridge, which seems to last forever! Tristan had to use the bathroom, so we made a port-a-potty stop after we crossed the bridge. I took the opportunity to eat some more gummies to get my energy level back up. I was hoping to get a second wind around mile 19-20, like I did the last time I ran Richmond. Unfortunately it never happened.

Miles 16-20 were a little slower. I was feeling tired and couldn't keep up the pace of the first half. At mile 20, we stopped again to refill our gatorade and refuel. After that, I really started to fall apart. Normally I like the last 6 miles of Richmond. It's a loop I used to run all the time when I lived there, so it's familiar territory. This year, my hip started hurting at mile 20 and continued to hurt for the last 6 miles, so I couldn't enjoy it. I tried my best to run through it for awhile, but on mile 22, I told Tristan I needed to walk for a little bit.

I was so frustrated because I knew we had been on pace to set a marathon PR (even though before the race we told ourselves it was "just for fun" and that we'd take it easy). On mile 23, I had to stop and stretch to see if it would help. It maybe helped the tiniest bit, but I continued to have pain throughout my hip for the rest of the race. At this point, I waved goodbye to all hopes of a PR, and decided to be content with just finishing the race. I knew I could still finish, even if I had to walk a lot. I told Tristan to go ahead without me. I told her I was definitely going to finish whether or not she stayed with me, but I was in pain and I knew I was holding her back.

Tristan, God bless her, would not leave me behind. She stayed with me every step of the way, even though she was feeling good and could definitely have gotten a faster time. She also wouldn't let me walk very much, damn it! She tried to be really encouraging and keep me going. I was still in a lot of pain, so I wasn't responding much. At one point, Tristan said, "I don't know if I'm helping you or making you mad!" I told her, "Nothing you say can make this worse; I'm listening, I just don't have the energy to talk right now."

Those last few miles were a struggle. I think I walked a little bit more, but Tristan was pushing me to keep going, and honestly I just wanted to get it over with! When I got to the last mile, I thought, okay I can do this now, I'm going to run the rest. It helps that the last quarter of a mile is down a huge hill. Now, I had given up on a PR, but I was still checking my watch, and at the very end I realized that it WAS still possible. As we started down the hill towards the finish, Tristan turned to me and said, "You know we're going to PR this, right?" I just started bawling, and all I could say was, "I know!" All of my emotions came to the surface in that moment: all the pain, the frustration, the relief of being almost done, and the disbelief that we were going to get a PR.

As I ran down the hill, I let my legs loose and just tried not to fall. It almost felt like I had no control over my body. I wanted to be done, and get over the finish line as fast as possible. I was still emotional after I crossed the finish line. I think I cried some more (while Tristan laughed at me). I am so grateful Tristan stayed with me and encouraged me to keep running. I never would have gotten a PR in this race without her! This was definitely the most challenging race I've run yet. I've never bonked like that in the last few miles, and never had to run through pain like that before. It was a mental and physical challenge unlike any other race. I still can't believe my worst marathon experience resulted in a marathon PR!

Official time: 4:16:01 - Marathon PR!

I should mention that I still love running Richmond. The course is great. There's a good number of people, but it's not super crowded. The start and finish areas are organized and easy to navigate. Finally, the post-race swag was awesome! We got finisher hats, finisher blankets (LOVE), awesome medals, and pizza! We hung out at Brown's Island for awhile to rest and rehydrate.

I should also mention, that after the race, a guy came up to us in the finish area. He said he had been right with us for the first 14-15 miles. He said we were keeping a really good pace! When we told him our final time, he said, "What happened? You most have bonked at the end!" Um, yeah. He said he had finished in 4:05! So we were on track to finish a lot faster than we did. I am so happy with our PR, but that made me think we could run even faster! I thought this was my last marathon... but now I'm not so sure!

Our Splits, because I love looking at data from races!

1	9:40		…
2	9:36			15	10:05	(1st stop for fuel)
3	9:20			16	9:36
4	9:29			17	11:35	(bathroom break)
5	9:17			18	9:39
6	9:30			19	9:36
7	9:02	*2nd fastest mile		20	9:56
8	9:23			21	10:34	(2nd stop for fuel)
9	9:10			22	9:38
10	9:17			23	10:34
11	9:23			24	11:44
12	9:11			25	10:13
13	9:01	*fastest mile		26	9:48
14	9:09			27	7:19

10K: 59:14

Half: 2:02:56

20 mile: 3:11:43

Final time: 4:16:01

1989

Nice to meet you. Where you been? I could show you incredible things.

Of course I had to buy Taylor Swift's new album 1989 the day it came out! I've been listening to it non-stop this week. Although it's different from any of her previous albums, I really like it! I love that her sound keeps evolving and that she's not afraid to try something new. Sometimes I miss the country feel of her first record, but Red and 1989 have been my favorites since then. These are my favorite songs so far:

1. Blank Space: 

So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain

Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game

2. Style

He's got that James Dean daydream look in his eye
And I've got that red lip classic thing that he likes
When we go crashing down, we'll come back every time
Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

3. Wildest Dreams

Say you'll remember me, standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks, say you'll see me a-gain, even if it's just in your...
Wildest dreams

4. Bad Blood

Now we got problems
And I don't think we can solve 'em
You made a really deep cut
And now we've got bad blood

5. I Know Places

Ba-by, I know places we won't be found
They'll be, chasing their tails trying to track us down
Cause I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i, I know places
We can hi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-de, I know places.

They've got the cages, they've got the boxes - and guns
They are the hunters, we are the foxes- and we run

6. All You Had To Do Was Stay

People like you always want back the love they pushed aside
But people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye

STAY, hey, All you had to do was stay
Had me in the palm of your hand
Now, why'd you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?
STAY, hey, All you had to do was STAY
Well, it could've been easy, all you had to do was STAY

Those are the songs that really stand out so far. They're the ones I keep listening to again and again- in fact, it took me awhile to listen to the entire cd because I kept going back to repeat the ones I loved! The only two I don't like are This Love and Clean - they're kind of slow and boring, and the lyrics don't really stand out to me. Otherwise, the whole cd is really great, and I love the Polaroids that came with it - so cool! I hope Taylor's able to sell one million albums this week! She really deserves it. There are about 6 or 7 songs out of 13 that I could see being radio singles. It is that good.

Marine Corps Marathon

*Actual post date: more than two months after the marathon* I got busy with life, so this post is really late, but I wanted to finally get this recorded so I can remember it. So much of my life during the past summer and fall was spent preparing for the Marine Corps Marathon. It was an epic goal race that I will probably only run once, but now I can forever say I had the privilege of running MCM. My thoughts and feelings may not be as fresh, but I'll write down what I can remember.

When it started to get close to the MCM, I started to get antsy and nervous, just like my last marathon. I had put so much time and effort into training, that I was scared to get sick or injured and not be able to run. Not making it to the starting line is my biggest fear with marathons. I actually had some hip pain a few weeks before the marathon, but I was already tapering, so I was able to take it pretty easy and rest my legs a little bit.

On Saturday (the day before the race), I drove to Fredericksburg, picked up Tristan, and we drove into DC together. The line for packet pick-up was ridiculously long, but somehow we approached the building from the opposite side of the crowd and got into a shorter line. When we left, we saw that the other lines were wrapped around the building! They had a huge expo with lots of free stuff, which was fun. We got some free Dunkin Donuts coffee, Nuun, veggies and dip, and smoothies (very small samples, but still yummy!).

That night my mom met us in DC and we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, one of our go-to places to carb-load. We looked up the weather and found out there was 0% chance of rain, which was good, but I also realized that meant there wouldn't be a cloud in the sky. There wasn't. On race day the sun was beating down on us, and it was blinding at times when we were running towards it. It was actually quite hot for late October, so we were glad for any shade!

On race morning, we took the shuttle to the metro stop at Crystal City, and discovered it would be easier to just walk from there rather than taking the metro two stops. It was about a 10-15 minute walk. When we passed the Pentagon metro station, people were pouring out of the trains and we followed the crowds to the starting area. It got very, very crowded and we were at a standstill as we waited to go through the security checkpoint. I started to get worried that we weren't going to make it there on time, but once we passed through the metal detectors, the crowds thinned out. We passed through the runner's village, where they had tons of port-a-potties and tents set up. We stopped at the port-a-potties far away at the edge of the runner's village and didn't have to wait very long at all. That was pretty much the last time it wasn't crowded during the whole race.

We made it to our corral and were getting so excited to run this thing! They did a flyover at the start and had people parachuting down holding giant flags. Then we were off! Even though there were corrals, each group started right after the other, so it was crowded from the get-go. With 30,000 runners, it remained pretty crowded throughout the whole race, but I can say the first 5 miles or so were the worst. I really think they need to wait 2 minutes between the corrals to space everyone out more to make the first few miles more enjoyable. You can tell by our pace that it was difficult to run very fast the first few miles, because our pace for the first 5k was 10:23.

After the first 3 miles, we were able to pick up the pace and settle into a comfortable rhythm. We still had to weave in and out of runners, and had to separate and then find each other again. I'm amazed we were able to stay together for the whole race, because it wasn't easy! It also got hot real fast. I took off my long sleeve shirt after the first mile. My mom met us at mile 11 with gatorade and gummies, and we dropped off our extra layers with her. There were SO many spectators lining the streets, I was worried we wouldn't spot her, but she found a spot further down the line that was a little more secluded.

We ran mile 11 in 9:03 because we were so excited to get to my mom!

Mile 12 was a little slower because of our stop to refuel. Miles 13-16 were along the water, so it was really scenic. Plus we were looking forward to mile 16 where my mom was going to meet up with us again. I would have preferred to have my mom at mile 19-20, but it just worked out better for her to meet us at mile 16 with the way the course was laid out. We refueled again, and we were still feeling good!

Miles 17, 18, and 19 were fun because we got to run by the Washington Monument and the Capital Building. Running right by the Capital Building was really fun and one of my favorite parts of the race. Then we were looking forward to "beating the bridge"- by this point we had no doubt we'd make it in time. After crossing the bridge, things started to get a little less fun. Before this, we always had something to look forward to- my mom at mile 11 and 16, the Capital Building at mile 18, getting to the bridge at mile 20. After mile 21, we were really only looking forward to the finish- but we still had 5 more miles to go!

Miles 23, 24, and 25 were really hard. It wasn't scenic, we were tired, it was an out-and-back section, and it was getting really, really hot. I was disappointed because our pace had been great until that point. For those three miles, our pace increased to 10+ minute miles, but we couldn't help it. I literally felt like I could not have run any faster. Of course, the last mile motivated us to kick it up a notch, but only very slightly, because we were already giving it everything we had. We got to the last 0.2 miles, and it was up a freaking hill! I was like, "Who puts a huge hill at the end of a marathon?!" We struggled up it and finished at the statue of Iwo Jima, which was pretty awesome. Marathon #2, run and done!

The crowds at the end were not so awesome. They had everything barricaded off so that we had to walk about half a mile before we were out of the fences to get some breathing room. I felt sick and overheated and had to sit on the ground for awhile. We were supposed to meet my mom at the Arlington Bridge, so we had to walk back the way we had come, but there was no easy way to get there. We had to stop and ask for directions, then ended up walking along the highway and along an exit ramp for what felt like forever! It probably took us 30 minutes to walk back to our meeting place. When we got there, we couldn't see my mom anywhere. This was definitely not the race to not have our phones with us.

We took the metro back, because I was not going to walk another step further than I had to! We eventually made it back to the hotel and found my mom. It took so long for us to get back to the hotel, that we had to pack up and leave in 15 minutes (even though we had set up a late check-out). We went to Starbucks to get some coffee and spend a little time with my mom before she had to drive back to Mass, and we had to drive back to Virginia. My mom gets a mom of the year award for this one: she drove 20 hours round trip to spend 4+ hours hanging around DC to see us twice for 1 minute each time! I am so grateful that she was there to cheer us on!

Our splits:

1	10:49	(crowded)
2	10:28	(crowded)
3	9:41
4	9:13
5	9:32
6	9:04
7	9:28
8	9:15
9	9:17
10	9:14
11	9:03	*fastest mile
12	10:34	(1st stop for fuel)
13	9:19
14	9:37
15	9:31
16	9:23
17	10:09	(2nd stop for fuel)
18	9:33
19	9:16
20	9:38
21	9:26
22	9:45
23	10:04	(tough)
24	10:05	(tough)
25	10:13	(tough)
26	9:55
27	9:35

 Our official time was 4:17:51- a marathon PR (at the time)!

Racing in the Rain

*post actually written 1/4/15* Tristan and I ran the Hokie Half Marathon on October 12, 2014 in Blacksburg, VA. We needed to do a 12 mile training run that weekend, so we looked up races, because what's more fun than tacking on an extra mile and getting to run as part of a race? Plus I was kind of tired of running routes in Lynchburg by this point, so I thought it would be fun to run in a different place.

The race was pretty small and low-key. Blacksburg is only about a 2 hour drive from Lynchburg so it was an easy weekend trip. Tristan's sister Bailey goes to college at Virginia Tech, so we stayed with her. Besides running the race, we got to do some shopping, go out to eat in Blacksburg, and hang out with Bailey and her dog, so it was a fun weekend trip!

The only thing that didn't cooperate was the weather. On Saturday it was rainy, foggy, cold, and drizzly. We went to packet pick up and got our short sleeve and long sleeve tech shirts. They didn't really have much of an expo, but the shirts were awesome! The rain let up that evening, and we went to a haunted house- it was terrifying! I hid behind Tristan and Bailey the whole time. I was glad the rain stopped for awhile because we had to wait in line outside for over an hour to get in.

We were hoping it would clear up on Sunday morning, but the rain only got worse! When we started the race, it was cold and raining lightly. Throughout the race, the weather alternated between a light drizzle and full-on hardcore RAIN. I started out with a long sleeved shirt over my tank top, but I had to take it off after a few miles because it got soaked and was weighing me down.

The bike path we were running on would have been really nice in nice weather. Since it had been raining for two days straight, we were running through huge puddles. I tried to go around most of them, but some of the puddles spanned the entire bike path, and there was no way but through them. By the end of the race, my shirt was soaked, my shoes were soaked, and I was numb from my elbow to my fingertips. It was that cold miserable kind of rain that makes you want to curl up inside with hot chocolate and a good book.

If I hadn't signed up for this race, I probably would have put off running for another day. I'm a wimp when it comes to weather. I have to say, I've been pretty lucky with a lot of my races. It may have been cloudy or dreary or sprinkled a bit, but this is the first time when it just outright rained on us the whole time. We did feel kind of hardcore for braving the elements and running a good race regardless.

We ran the whole race at a pretty good pace. During the middle miles, I was setting the pace, and at the end, Tristan was setting the pace (and I was just trying to keep up!). We had good teamwork! On the last mile, I thought maybe I could break 2 hours, so I picked it up even more, but it wasn't meant to be. We finished in just over 2 hours. After we stopped, it started to downpour! I was so cold I couldn't feel my hands. They had chili and other post-race snacks, but we didn't stick around. Despite the rain, we thought it was a good race. I think it was one of my best races in terms of pacing and staying strong till the end.

Our Splits:

1	9:34
2	9:01
3	9:14
4	9:19
5	9:22
6	9:37
7	9:43
8	9:15
9	9:23
10	9:20
11	9:05
12	8:58
13	8:53

We did a good job of starting out slow, keeping a steady pace, and finishing strong! Our last 5 miles got progressively faster, and our last 2 miles were under a 9 minute pace!

Official time: 2:01:39

Twenty x2

September flew by. I was busy running and working, and not blogging about any of it. (I'm going to go back and put up a few of the blog posts I had planned). Suddenly October is here, and suddenly the end is in sight! The Marine Corps Marathon is at the end of this month!

Two weekends ago, I ran my first 20 miler in training, and it went pretty well. Tristan and I met up in Fredericksburg, where we ran downtown and along the canal path. I felt pretty good until the last three miles, when I started to fade, but we still managed to pick up the pace at the end- we ran the last mile in 8:59! The entire run took us 3 hours, 15 minutes.

The next day wasn't so great. My left hip has still been giving me trouble. My muscles are tight, and I've been getting sciatic pain shooting through my hip and down into my leg. The day after the 20, I was supposed to run 10 miles, and I just couldn't. Every time I took a step, pain would shoot through my leg. I couldn't run without limping. It was frustrating!

This was the weekend for our last 20 miler, and I really wanted to have a good run before the taper. I wasn't able to run all week since I had to put in some overtime at work... but in hindsight, maybe it was a good thing since it gave my hip a chance to rest. Tristan and I signed up for a small 20 mile race in Fredericksburg for this last long run, thinking it would give us extra motivation.

I'm glad we did! We ran the Stonewall Jackson 20 miler, which travels along portions of Stonewall Jackson's actual ambulance route, and through the Chancellorsville Battlefield. My favorite part was miles 7-10, when we ran through the battlefield and along some back roads. It was a perfect fall day- there was a nice crispness in the air and some of the trees were just starting to change color. As we were running, it seemed so peaceful and quiet out there in the woods. It reminded me of why I love running- I get be outside and enjoy nature!

The course was very hilly, but we took it in stride. After all, it's good prep for the marathon! We ended up walking a little bit every mile for the last four miles, but finished strong. At the end, I was SO relieved to have my last 20 mile run over! We got Chick-Fil-A sandwiches at the end, which was a nice surprise. It really hit the spot after all that running. This time I made sure to ice and stretch after the race.

Today, Tristan and I ran 10 miles. It definitely wasn't my best run. I was tired and I struggled a bit, but we finished it. I think it's important to learn how to keep running on tired legs- just more quality marathon training! Also, I was super excited not to experience any hip pain on these last two runs! (Just knee pain and calf tightness- NBD).

And I'm super, super excited that this was the last big running weekend before the marathon. Two twenty milers, done. I'M SO EXCITED TO TAPER!!!

Lynchburg 10 miler 2014

This was my second time running the Lynchburg 10 miler. It's a really fun race, but lots of hills! My mom ran the 4 miler, and we had a fun running weekend. I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures!

Pre-race

Post-race

Running weekend with my mom and best friend

Official time: 1:33:44

You know you're a runner if...

Runners are a special breed. Here are some ways you can identify them.

You know you're a runner if:

• 95% of your laundry consists of running clothes.
• You spend more on races than groceries some weeks.
• You peel blisters off your feet so you can run again the next day.
• You've rolled out your muscles so you can run again the next day.
• When you get a pedicure, you have to ask them not to file down your calluses. (You need them to protect you feet!)
• You get visible streaks of salt on your body after a run.
• You discover you can get chafed almost anywhere...
• Therefore you are intimately familiar with Body Glide and/or Vaseline.
• You plan your entire weekend around your long runs.
• You look forward to what you're going to eat after a run.
• You tell your friends how far you ran like it's no big deal (even though it's a really big deal).
• Your quads have been so sore you can't go down stairs or sit down on the toilet.
• "Bathroom issues" are your worst fear during a long run.
• An ice bath actually sounds like a good idea.
• On a non-running day, you don't even bother to take a shower.
• When your Garmin dies in the middle of a run, it's a tragedy.
• You've done mental math to calculate your pace and projected finish time.
• You keep spare running clothes in your car- just in case.

Any other good ones I'm missing?

Monadnock Half Marathon

The past few running days have been tough. After my 9 and 18 mile runs last weekend, I developed huge blisters on both feet and left hip pain. Every run since then has been a struggle. I don't want to focus on those runs at all; the important thing is that I finished them- now it's time to move on and hope this week is better.

But I did want to blog about the race I did a few weeks back- the Monadnock Half Marathon in New Hampshire. Mt. Monadnock is a very popular hiking mountain- in fact, it is the most-hiked summit in the US. I've hiked to the top a few times, and it's a fun but challenging day hike (3-6 hours). The Monadnock race was in the nearby town of Rindge, NH.

The race was a smaller more low-key affair. Packet pick up was the morning of the race. We got there an hour early, had no problem parking and picking up the race packets, then had to wait around for awhile. There were about 200 runners in the half marathon, definitely the smallest race I've ever done. I was worried that I would be last!

There were no timing chips, just clock time, so I tried to line up somewhat close to the start (without getting ahead of the runners who looked really fast). The race director delayed the start by 10 minutes so that some of the half marathoners could use the porta-potties. I thought that was pretty funny. When everyone was ready, the gun sounded, and we were off!

I was expecting it to be hilly, because it's Monadnock. But the description on the race site said this: "rolling hills (a few challenging), some dirt roads, and inspirational views of the Mt. Monadnock (world-renowned)". Let me tell you, that description totally downplayed the hilliness of this course. I felt like I was going uphill both ways (which is impossible because it was an out-and-back course, but that's what it felt like!) It seemed like there was a lot more "up" than "down"). I would consider those hills more on the steep side then rolling.

The course also contained several dirt roads, which were challenging because a storm had washed out some of the rocks- you had to be careful and watch your step. When the course finally got back on pavement, it was a welcome break from navigating stones/gravel/dirt. Around mile 5, I saw the first runner heading back on the course (he was on mile 9). From then on, it was fun to see the runners returning on the course.

It was even better when I passed the halfway point, and began running back! I could see the runners on the other side of the course, and knew that I was definitely not last, but somewhere in the middle. The hard part about going back was I knew where all the brutal hills were. Every time I ran down a steep section on the way there, I knew I was going to have to go up it on the way back! But, I also knew when I was getting close to the finish line, and the last bit was downhill.

My mom almost didn't get this shot of me near the finish.

I got my medal and discovered my mom had also gotten a medal for running the 5k. And she got a technical shirt! We found out from the race director that if they have enough medals and shirts for the 5k'ers, everyone gets one. The 5k race is small enough that they've been able to do that for the past several years. I told my mom she definitely got more bang for her buck. She got all the same stuff that I did and only had to run 1/4 the distance!

We waited around for them to post the times. My mom said this is exactly how races were done when she was in her 20's. You showed up, got a bib, ran the race, and then they posted your time on a piece of paper. I liked how simple and easy everything was. Obviously this system wouldn't work in a large race, but it was nice to experience a smaller community race. My mom and I both had a lot of fun.

My time: 2:04:20

Summer Sabbatical

I'm so grateful that I was able to take a few months off this summer between jobs! I filled my time with lots of new adventures. Here are some of my favorites.

1. Ran half marathons in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Knocked two more states off the list and got to experience some smaller community races.

2. Biked the East Bay bike path in Rhode Island. It was my first weekend back in New England, and I had such a fun time exploring Rhode Island, running a race in Jamestown, and going to Newport.

3. Tried paddlebording for the first time. Then tried running onto the paddleboard from the dock.

4. Got burgers at Wild Willy's. My favorite burger ever is the Tatonka- a bison burger with smoked mayonnaise and American cheese.

5. Tried all of the ice cream iced coffee flavors at Dunkin Donuts. Cookie Dough was the winner in my book.

6. Hiked Mt. Katahdin with Dad and Bud. It is Maine's tallest peak and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Took us 8 hours round trip to hike ~12 miles.

7. Went kayaking and sailing. I love being out on the lake!

8. Saw my extended family. My cousins and aunt and uncle came to Maine for the weekend. I hadn't seen them in more than 5 years. We went cliff jumping with them!

9. Got free tennis lessons from a family friend. I still suck, but not quite as much. And my serve is significantly improved.

10. Went to the shooting range. Fired my mom's handgun, and actually hit the target a few times.

11. Traveled to the Domican Republic. The summer was kicked off by a trip with one of my best friends.

12. Hiked Dragon's Tooth and Mt. Monadnock. Neither was as tough as Katahdin, but both were fun day hikes with some awesome views at the top.

13. Discovered trail running. I went running on the Blackwater Creek trails in Lynchburg, and realized I love running trails!

14. Watched all 8 seasons of Dexter. I was obsessed for a month. It's one of those morally questionable shows (warning: language and nudity) but very thought-provoking, with amazing actors.

15. Went to the US National Whitewater Center in North Carolina. They have a whitewater rafting course, high ropes courses, paddleboarding, kayaking, rock climbing, and bike trails. We didn't have time to do everything in one day, but I had a blast running around doing as much as possible!

I felt like I was able to do so much this summer, and I loved my time off!