Year end reflections

I felt so lucky to be able to get outside for a 7.3 mile run today. Temperatures here were in the 40's with a brisk but bearable wind, a welcome change from the deluge of rain we've recently experienced. Even though the last week or so has had some seasonably warm days, my work schedule doesn't always allow me to run outdoors. Most often at this time of year, I'm at the local gym very early in the morning with the pre-sunrise crew banging out a 5 miler on the treadmill. I am very grateful for those treadmills this time of year, but to have a weekend day with cooperative weather was a perfect Christmas gift.

Although I'm very much a winter wimp when it comes to running (thus my indoor runs at the gym), I couldn't help but think as I ran today that braving it out in the chilly temperatures (albeit above freezing) really makes you feel like you are getting the most out of your workout. I kept thinking that the difficulty of the headwind was only making me stronger. The cold of the air and wind was making my body work harder to stay warm. The slowness of the uphills was helping my endurance, making me push harder. The joy of the downhills was pure happiness. As I arrived home and stretched out, I kept thinking of how much running is a metaphor for life; yes, it is hard and sometimes it is just plain terrible, but if you push through the hard bits, the triumph is wonderful. You have literal times of ups and downs; moments of complete doubt and moments of absolute triumph. You have times when you think your body will just quit on you and other times when you feel like you could run forever with glee. You watch out for obstacles in the road. You try to run with the best form you can. The only way to get along your path is to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. You breathe and feel and sweat and hurt and finish. And in the end you feel amazing. It is such a glorious journey. Just like life. 

I've been reflecting on this past year, and again I feel so lucky to be able to run as I do. I am so appreciative of all the support I have from my husband and children and other family members and friends as I continue to strive toward my goal. I am ever grateful that my body continues to cooperate. I don't take for granted one single step along my journey. Each step is a gift. Each step is one step closer to finishing all 50 states. I can't wait!

I feel like the luckiest runner around. As I sit here with my family, relaxing around the Christmas tree, I think about my love for them and for all they've sacrificed for me. Early mornings on vacation when I have to get up for a race, and they drive me to the start; mornings when I'm at the gym and my husband takes care of the wake up and breakfast routine; weekend days when I head out for a long run and everyone has to fend for themselves or my mom hangs out with the kids. I'm so thankful for my family and my life. 

Sitting by our Christmas Tree.

As the year comes to an end, I am thrilled to have reached my goal of 100+ miles per month for this year (assuming I can run the rest of my miles this week...). I'm glad to have run in 5 new states this year and to have seen some incredible sights along the way. I'm grateful to have avoided injury (for the most part) and to still be running strong. I'm proud to have started a running club for students at my school, and I hope they are on the path to life long running. 

It's been an amazing year, and I'm ready to have some relaxing downtime during this holiday vacation. Don't worry...I'll be running, too...gotta get those miles finished! Wishing my 50x50 readers a joyous holiday season. Happy miles to you in the year ahead!

State #42, Nashville Half Marathon, Nashville, TN, 11/10/18, Part 2

I didn’t sleep very well the night before the race. Nothing in particular kept me awake, but I just had a fitful, restless night. I woke to my 5:15 alarm feeling bleary-eyed and pretty tired, but onward I pressed. I forgot to look for a good Starbucks coffee the previous day to have for the morning, so I was stuck with the crappy hotel room coffee maker and coffee pouches. I brewed two cups of super gross coffee and hoped for the best. I also forgot to pack a spoon for my oatmeal, so I tried my best to scoop it up with a coffee stirrer. Great start. 

The weather was a chilly 32 degrees F and with winds at about 10 mph, the windchill was showing as 23 degrees F. Brrrrrr! I was at least hoping for 40 degrees or better here in Tennessee. Oh well, I bundled up and hoped for the best. I caught a cab outside the hotel. The starting line was a little over a mile from my hotel, which wasn’t too far away, but being alone and not knowing the area and the weather being as cold as it was, I didn’t want to brave it alone. I also wanted to keep warm as long as possible before being out in the cold temperatures. The cab ride was quick and got me close to the starting area. This was the first race where they had those heat lamps (like the ones you see at restaurants that have outdoor seating) to keep the runners warm. Unfortunately, there were only a few of them, and they were already crowded with runners. I decided to head to the porta-potty line, and by the time I got done with that, it was only 15 minutes to start time. 

Runners staying warm under heat lamps before the race.

The start of the race was at First Tennessee Park, the ballpark stadium for the Tennessee Sound and the neighborhood was out near the Germantown area of Nashville. The apartments here were very new and modern looking, and a large plot of land was under construction for some kind of digital records library for the state. I was pretty impressed by that!

Looking toward starting line. 

View from the starting line corral.

We stepped off a few minutes later than scheduled and first headed around the downtown Nashville area for a loop. It was nice to run in the city's downtown. I got a pretty good look at all the restaurants and fun things to do. Nashville definitely has a great vibe and you can tell it has seen amazing growth with all the new looking buildings and new construction going on. Next we made our way up to the Gulch neighborhood where I had picked up my number the day before. From there, we ran a loop through the neighborhood where all the music studios were located. It was pretty cool to see them all lined up along the street. Music row, I think it was called, and there were lots of cute bungalow style houses along this area, too. After that area, we circled back through the Gulch, out toward the riverside area of downtown and over a bridge to where the Titans football stadium was located. 

Once we got over to this area of the race, I finally felt like I was starting to warm up a little. The sun was higher in the sky and felt good, although I think my butt was freezing and numb for pretty much the whole race. Weird. We ran through an industrialish looking area and out to a park called Shelby park. Our turnaround was near the end of the park, and then we headed back toward the football stadium. I had to laugh, as we headed back toward the stadium, there was a gas station with a big Citgo sign on it, and I couldn’t help but think of the end of the Boston Marathon. Well placed, Nashville! 

We looped a different way around the stadium and finally back over the bridge, but at this point (mile 11-12ish) my legs were feeing heavy, and the steepness of the bridge was tough. I decided to take two short walk breaks up the bridge to give my legs a little recovery time. Unfortunately, during this stretch, the 2 hour pacing group passed me. I had hoped to best them this time, but no such luck. Oh well, best to have a little gas left in the tank to get to the finish.

We headed back toward the downtown area, but skirted the main streets, heading a different way around and back to where we started. I gave my last bit of kick the last 100 yards or so, finishing in 2:01:14. My throat was dry, and I was achy, but it was done. I collected my medal, some water and a slice of pizza, and headed back to the hotel for stretching and a shower. 

The walk back was not very far, and it was good to keep my legs moving, but I was cold in the wind. Once back in the room, I stretched and showered and decided I wanted to try to nap for a little bit before hitting the streets to see the sights. Unfortunately, my body just wouldn’t cooperate with sleeping. I rested, but no sleep came. Better than nothing, I guess.

I left to find some lunch around 12:30 in the afternoon and headed to the Broadway strip, the honky tonk heaven of Nashville. I couldn’t believe the crowds there! People packed all the bars, stories high, including rooftop bars, and everyone was in full party mode. Live music blared out of every establishment, and along the road, pedal powered bars rolled by and even a tractor-pulled party wagon with partiers singing and shouting their way along the road passed by. Neon honky tonk signs lined the streets, and I couldn’t help thinking that Broadway in Nashville was country music’s Bourbon Street. Holy moly, this place was crazy!

View of the honky tonks on Broadway.

Broadway on my side of the street.

Nudie's famous Honky Tonk.

Lots of neon signs along the way.

I stopped into a souvenir shop to get my kids some Nashville magnets (my usual keepsake for them when I race/travel), and among all the t-shirts, knicknacks, and other items, I spied a Willie Nelson fortune teller machine. They really do up everything country here in Nashville! I didn't get a fortune from Willie, but I overheard one that someone else got and it wasn't as prophetic as I thought it should be. Sorry, Willie, but I think you are just a scammer in that shop!

Willie Nelson, fortune teller.

I decided to turn up a side street to see if I could find someplace a bit quieter for lunch, and I found the Florida Georgia Line restaurant. Apparently FGL is a country music group (don't hate me country music fans...I know very little about the genre), and this was their eatery. I enjoyed a great lunch of fish tacos and a local IPA before heading across the street to the Johnny Cash museum. 

View at the FGL bar.

Marathon sign in the FGL restaurant.

The Johnny Cash museum was small but informative. The museum was filled with memorabilia from all chapters of Johnny’s life, from his childhood through his recording of "Hurt" with Nine Inch Nails. According to one of the placards, he was one of very few recording artists who had chart hits in all audio formats: 78, 45, 33 1/3 RPMs, reel to reel, 4 and 8 tracks, cassette tapes, cds, and mp3s. 

Johnny Cash Museum framed poster.

Placard chronicling Cash's collaboration with NIN.

A recording in every kind of format...amazing!

On display were many of Johnny’s letters to his first wife (girlfriend at the time) from the time he was in the military, his high school yearbook photos and school records, clothing, family photos, housewares and of course his many gold and platinum albums. One room had footage of all of Johnny’s acting gigs. He starred in many movies and even made appearances on Little House on the Prairie and The Simpsons, in addition to his hit tv show in the late 1960’s, The Johnny Cash Show. It was fun to see footage of all his endeavors up on the screen. It was a fun place to visit while in Nashville.

One of Johnny's guitars.

Gold, silver, platinum albums.

Album covers.

Next, I decided to walk up to the Gulch neighborhood to check out a shop I spied when I was there the day before picking up my bib number. It was called Two Old Hippies and had an eclectic selection of gifts, clothing and jewelry. It was fun to walk around and just look at all the cool stuff. I ended up buying Craig some funny dress socks, but I really loved the David Bowie and Dave Grohl pillows the most. 

Marley, Bowie and Jackson pillows. Music royalty.

And let's not forget badass Grohl.

At this point, I headed back to my hotel and had a cocktail in the hotel bar while I listened to some live music courtesy of a guitar and violin duo. It was a nice relaxing way to end the busy day. I opted to just have dinner via room service, as I was pretty wiped out and didn’t really feel like fighting the crowds in the streets and area eateries for a spot. It was nice to just put my feet up and relax. I had dinner and watched some television and then packed all my stuff to make sure I was ready for my early morning flight. 

Medal, shirt, bib number post race. 

It was a great trip to Nashville, and I think it’s a pretty cool city. I would have loved to have seen some of the historical sites in the area, but that will have to wait for another time. State #42 is done, and Tennessee was terrific to visit. Thank you, Music City, for a great visit!

State #42, Nashville Half Marathon, Nashville, TN, 11/10/18, Part 1

I arrived in Nashville on Friday afternoon after a morning of uneventful travel except for a bit of bumpy air due to weather conditions. My flight in to Nashville was packed with folks from New England traveling to the Patriots-Titans game on Sunday. I had no idea I’d be with so many folks from my neck of the woods for the weekend. I picked up my rental car at the airport and to my delight, it was a VW Beetle! Just like my old one, except the newer model and not a convertible. It was fun to have this cute car for the weekend. 

My VW Beetle rental for the trip.

I decided to drive directly to the running store to pick up my race bib first before heading to the hotel. The drive from the airport to downtown wasn’t long, but there was a bit of traffic. The neighborhood the running store was in was called the Gulch, and I found it easily enough, along with a parking garage. I recalled that the race organizers mentioned the strict parking enforcement in the area, and I didn’t want to get the Boot.

The weather was very windy and cold on this day, which I knew didn’t bode well for race day. I was hoping for warmer temps here in Tennessee, but you get what you get. At least the forecast wasn’t for rain or snow. 

Race shirt and bib number.

The line at the running store moved quickly, and in no time I was back in the car and heading to the nearest grocery store called The Turnip Truck. It was a cute fresh, organic type of place. I grabbed some berries and snacks and headed to the hotel. 

My hotel was the Hilton in downtown Nashville, and it was located right next to the Predators hockey stadium. All around me were the sights of Nashville: the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Symphony Center, Broadway—home to all the honky tonks, and many other local sites. It seemed I was in the middle of everything here. I checked in to the hotel and realized that attached to the Hilton was an Italian trattoria, Il Mulino. I booked a table for dinner, figuring it would be easy and that I could get to bed early for the race the next day. 

Il Mulino restaurant entrance from hotel lobby.

The restaurant ended up being the perfect choice. The food was fantastic. I had an amazing seasonal salad with romaine, mushrooms, shredded carrots, red onion, hearts of palm, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a very light lemon thyme vinaigrette dressing. So yummy! They also brought out some fresh bread with a pureed eggplant spread. Amazing. For dinner I had spaghetti and meatballs…back to my old standard. The pasta was freshly made and the meatballs were to die for. 

Bread and eggplant spread, along with a gorgeous glass of red wine. 

Spaghetti and meatballs. YUM!

I ended up chatting with a table of women next to me who were in Nashville from Louisville, KY for their annual girls weekend. The two younger women were sisters and they were there with their elderly mom and aunt. They go somewhere different every year, and they were heading out to see a show. I told them how much I loved that they took that time out for themselves each year. What fun. When they asked what brought me to Nashville, I told them about the race the next morning, and they couldn’t believe it. When I told them this was going to me my 42nd state, they were completely blown away. I told them Louisville was on the list for the spring of next year for the Derby half marathon, and they gave me some tips of things to check out when I’m there. It was fun to make their acquaintance, and it added some extra fun to dinner. 

With a full belly and a box of leftover pasta, I headed back to my room to get everything ready for the morning. The race started at 7 am, and I was hoping to get a good night of sleep.

State #41, Hot Cider Hustle, Bloomington, MN, 10/20/18, Part 2

I woke up at 6 am on race day, 45 minutes before my scheduled alarm. This race was generous with its start time: 8:30 am, a nice departure from the usual 7 am start times. It was good to sleep until 6 am, but truth be told, I didn’t have a very sound sleep. I was restless most of the night probably with some race nerves and thoughts of Purple Rain and the Mall of America swirling in my head. 

As promised, the morning weather greeted us with a frigid 37 degrees, and the temperature was on the way down. The winds were whipping at around 15 mph or so. Not exactly the lovely fall weather I was hoping for. Andrew was a trooper to join with me on this one. We drove to the parking area for the race which was really close to our hotel, and then we didn’t want to get out of the car. The walk to the starting line was super windy and cold, a sign of what we were in for. We stopped at the porta potties on the way, and ended up in the corral line up with only about 15 minutes to spare. That was fine with me, as this was not a day to be hanging around outside for long periods of time. We took a quick selfie and briefly admired the lake and surrounding area. It was really pretty, but I don’t think we really took the time to appreciate it. With all the cold, all thoughts were just on getting started, and more importantly, getting done.

Cold people in front of a lovely lake.

The race stepped off right at 8:30 am on a paved walking path near the Normandale Lake area in Bloomington. There were some large office/corporate buildings in the area, but as we rounded the corner and up the hill out of the starting line area, we passed a recreation area with a ski jump. That’s something you don’t see every day! 

View from starting corral. Pretty fall colors.

We crossed the street from this recreation area and headed in to a nearby nature preserve called the Highland Lake Park Reserve. We ran along a paved path all through this, and surrounding us were lovely wooded areas and prairie grass. (Click on the imbedded link to see how lovely the grassy topography was.) The path was curvy and had rolling hills all throughout the park. One thing I noticed once I got moving was that I warmed up pretty nicely, and largely throughout the course, we were protected from headwinds. That was good. Don’t get me wrong…I could still feel the wind loud and clear, but often we were protected by hills, berms or trees. That helped tremendously. It was cold, but at least the wind wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Around mile 4 I spied a few sparse snow flurries. Yikes!

It was hard for me to keep track of exactly where we were with this route, as there were many loops, turn-arounds and out and back spots. The topography throughout was very similar though; landscapes of beautiful autumnal wooded and grassy lands. I just wish it had been about 10-15 degrees warmer so I could have enjoyed looking around more. By mile 8 we exited the Highland Lake Park area and headed back toward the start, but we took a left turn on to another paved walking/biking path for an out and back stretch. It was only about two miles or so for this part, then we headed back toward Normandale Lake where we began.

At this point, we entered the Normandale Lake area on the recreation road access and ran along for a bit there before turning and looping back and then out to run about three quarters of the way around the lake in the opposite direction of the start/finish zone. For me, this was the most difficult part of the race. As our running direction shifted in this part, the wind was in our faces for the majority of the last few miles. This, with a few late mile hills plus cold and fatigue setting in made for slow going. Again, it was beautiful terrain running along the lake, but I just couldn’t appreciate it as much as I would have liked with the weather being what it was.

I pushed as much as I could to get on to the finish line. The last 100 meters or so took me past a beaver dam! That  was pretty cool. On to the finish I went, crossing in 2:04:31, good enough for 6th place in my age group. Not my fastest time, but respectable given the conditions. I collected a bottled water, coffee mug and my medal and headed straight for the hot cider station. As promised by the name of the race (Hot Cider Hustle) the finish line included hot cider for all runners, a perfect finish line spoil. Andrew was already waiting in the parking garage (it was way too cold to hang around outdoors after sweating for two hours…).

We met up and traded race stories. He finished in 1:53! Great job, cousin! Back to the hotel we went, and I think a hot shower never felt as good as it did after this race. We relaxed a bit as we enjoyed a late check out time. Andrew had an earlier flight than I, so we said our goodbyes and he left around 1:00 pm or so. 

I decided to research a restaurants in the area to see what might be close by and super yummy so I could have lunch before I went to the airport. I found a place called Hazelwood Food & Drink, but I didn’t realize that when I put the restaurant’s address in to Waze, I neglected to put in the address number. I jumped in the car and soon found myself in the middle of Minneapolis, not anywhere near the restaurant which was supposedly near the Mall of America. Oh well, I figured I’d just give up and head to the airport for whatever I could find for food there. Lo and behold, as I drove along Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis, I saw a really cool looking neighborhood establishment called The Howe. Named for the neighborhood where it resides, the restaurant looked crowded from the parking lot and people were coming in and out, so I decided at 1:45 pm on a Saturday that this place was worth checking out. 

It was a super cool restaurant/bar with an edgy vibe. Loud, hard music played, the bar was backed by lots of shiny bottles, sports were on the tvs and tons of locals were enjoying a late lunch. Billed as a Bar & Kitchen, the menu was breakfast and pub centered. I settled on the spicy benedict, which was awesome! It was like an eggs benedict, but with jalapeño bacon and chipotle hollandaise sauce. Um, YUM! It was spectacular post-race food. I left full and happy, on to the airport. 

After fueling my rental car, I returned it and made it through airport security in a snap. Thanks Minneapolis for a lovely, albeit FREEZING half marathon and some pretty special local attractions. I would love to explore more of this land of lakes sometime in the future. 

State #41, Hot Cider Hustle, Bloomington, MN, 10/20/18, Part 1

I arrived late on Thursday night at my hotel, and my cousin Andrew was already there ahead of me. He was nearly asleep, so I felt kind of bad showing up feeling wired from my travel. We chatted and got caught up with each other. Our last race together was in June of 2017, so it had been awhile. We turned in after learning that the Red Sox had won the final game in their division play off! Off to the World Series!

Our first full day together was Friday, and we planned to head off to visit the famous Paisley Park, home of the amazing musician Prince. The property was made in to a museum after his passing, and we both really wanted to see it.

It wasn’t far from where we were staying, but I was really surprised when we arrived. it looked more like a warehouse or industrial building than the home of a world-wide phenom like Prince. But that all changed once we went inside.

Paisley Park exterior shot.

Additional building at Paisley Park.

No photos are allowed inside the property. In fact, they make you power your phone off in front of one of the officials and then they take your phone and put it in a locked pouch that you carry around until you get to the end of the tour. The entryway and ticket area was purple, of course, with footage of Prince playing on televisions and the first hallway displayed some of his gold and platinum albums. It was amazing just being in this space that he spent so much time in. A staircase extended upward just inside the front door, but we weren’t privy to that area of the building. 

We waited for a few minutes while our tour guide got ready, and then we entered the atrium area. This space was a square shaped area in the center of the building with cathedral ceilings that extended two stories up to a ceiling of skylights. Natural light flooded the area that held two purple couches and was surrounded by several smaller rooms. Along the back of the atrium was a glassed off area known as the “small kitchen.” We were told that this was where Prince at many meals and hosted friends often. It was set up like a diner with black and white booths along the wall and a tv so he could watch his sports in there. From the atrium area we could also see a balcony above that had a cage of white doves on it. 

The other doors that surrounded the atrium were all tributes to various albums of his and were filled with memorabilia related to each one. Guitars, clothing, art images, etc. filled these areas. We also were able to see his personal office just off the atrium. It was lush and serious but also cozy and soft. The high point of the atrium and one of the most moving moments of the tour was learning that Prince’s ashes were located in an overhead replica of Paisley Park located just at the top of the first story. His spirit is truly in every part of this building. 

Next, we were off to the main recording studio in Paisley Park. It was a round room, with walls covered in gorgeous wooden planks. It was a large open space with two sound rooms. We could see some of the equipment he used most often, a mixing machine and synthesizer that were pivotal to many of his songs, including “When Doves Cry.” We also saw the microphone he used to for singing. It was in a seated area, which is not typical for singers. They usually stand to sing because it is easier to get the correct breathing and notes that way. Prince usually sat when he recorded because he was also doing all the production at the same time. Amazing. We also saw some of his guitars in this room and heard a clip of an unreleased song. The sound in this room was amazing of course, and we learned that many, many guests had joined him in this studio over the years including Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Celine Dion, James Brown, REM and Stevie Wonder. It was emphasized that Paisley Park was a place for all artists to make music on their terms. 

Next we saw the rooms dedicated to Prince’s three films, Purple Rain, Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge. Each room was amazing in itself, filled with artifacts from the films. In the Purple Rain room (which had once been Prince’s basketball court room), clips of the film were playing with the music. One of the iconic motorcycles from the movie was in there along with some of the most fabulous suits he wore in the picture. A purple piano he dance on in the movie was there, too, and you could see the scuff marks from his shoes on it. It was so wonderful to see. 

We were led through a hallway of inspiration next, which had mural of Prince and all the people who influenced him as well as all the people he influenced. On the opposite wall from the mural were various awards he won including his Grammy awards, MTV Awards and others. This brought us to his piano room which had formerly been his video arcade. This room held his very rare (one of only 14 in the world) Schimmel Pegasus hydraulic piano. We had previously viewed a video clip of Prince playing this piano in front of a live audience, so seeing it up close and personal was pretty cool. 

This room led in to probably the most amazing room in the complex, the concert stage room. Double doors led in to a massive space where Prince often hosted people for concerts. A floor to ceiling screen showed various clips of him playing live, and with each clip, lights around the room illuminated to show related clothing or instruments that were contained in the clip. Two of Prince’s cars were also in this room, a powder blue Bentley and a deep purple roadster. Wandering around this cavernous room while concert footage played set one’s mind imagining what it must have been like to be here in person for an intimate show. Many of his suits were displayed around the room, making it feel like he could have walked in at any moment. It was soulful and very moving. 

This concert hall opened up in to Prince’s private night club where everyone was welcome to hang out when it was open. Often it was only known by word of mouth or sometimes posted on the internet. I can only imagine what it would have been like to hang out there. Mind blowing. 

This ended our tour except for the gift shop where they ran a loop of Prince’s performance in the rain at the Super Bowl. As we were browsing for our souvenirs, Prince sang “Best of You” by the Foo Fighters, and I commented out loud about it. The cashier said that the Foo Fighters had taken the Paisley Park tour the day before! They played in Detroit the previous night and made the trip. We just missed them! I can’t imagine being in the same tour with Dave Grohl & co. Crazy!

I bought a t-shirt and had my phone unlocked, and then we went outside and snapped a couple of shots of the exterior of the building. What an extraordinary place. I left feeling a sense of peace, love, generosity, soulfulness and inspiration. Prince truly was a musical genius of our generation. His legacy will live on for all eternity. I’m so glad I had the chance to experience this amazing home. 

Our tour took an hour and a half, and after we went to pick up my bib number for the race. We headed to a local gym and managed to get everything without any trouble. Next we found a great little Italian street food take out place where we had lunch and talked about our tour and other things. It was so nice to just hang out and not have any major agenda to worry about. Paisley Park had been such an incredible experience. It was good to just let it sink in.

Paisley Park t-shirt.

We headed back to the hotel to nap for a little bit, then we headed to the Mall of America to check it out and have dinner there. Andrew visited the mall years ago, but I had never seen it. Wow! First of all, it is massive with just about every store you can imagine! Next, there is an entire amusement park in the middle area of the mall. Rollercoasters, rides of all kinds, ferris wheel, zip lining, you name it, and it is whizzing by in that place. 

Amusement park in Mall of America

It's Sugar candy store at MOA.

There are huge LEGO figures flanking the LEGO store, there is a mini golf course, aquarium, escape room, and goodness knows what else. We walked around a bit, and then set off to grab dinner. 

Restaurant menu shot.

Us at dinner.

We ate at Cedar + Stone which was the restaurant in the Marriott Hotel (also located in the mall). The food was amazing. We split an order of polenta frites covered in sautéed mushrooms. I ordered risotto for dinner and Andrew got an amazing burrata pizza and a salad. We had a nice relaxed meal, got our carb load on, and then walked around the mall a bit more. We had to take a peek at the aquarium. I still can’t believe there’s an aquarium in there! It was fun to see everything, but we both wanted to get to bed somewhat early, so we set out for the hotel with one quick stop at Walgreens for some last minute race necessities. 

Mall of America aquarium ray/skate tank. 

LEGO sculptures at MOA.

I got to bed later than I wanted to, around 10 pm, but since I didn’t have to be up at an ungodly hour for this race, I figured it wouldn’t be too bad. I fell asleep with the song Purple Rain firmly stuck in my head. 

Color-Fall!

My goodness and my apologies...I am just now realizing I haven't posted anything here since August! I missed September completely. Wow! So much has been going on in life in general that the running blog has been shoved off to the side, but today I just had to post about a super fun color run we had at our kids' school. Done as a fundraiser for the school, families could register their kids and other members to participate. Each registered runner received a white t-shirt. 

Before...white shirt...getting ready to run.

The distance of the race wasn't measured, but runners ran or walked around 4 color stations on the course where colored powder was tossed to make the shirts (and participants) very colorful. Despite the fact that it was a rainy morning, everyone had a super fun time getting wet and colorful. The finish of the race featured each runner tossing a packet of colored powder into the air to make a huge color cloud to really get everyone covered with colors. (As if we weren't already!) It ended up being a really fun time for kids and grown ups. Many thanks to all the volunteers and parents who helped set up the fabulous event! (Photo credits to Karie Madigan and Nicole Birdsey--thank you!)

Me and the fam after the run.

Complete color explosion post-run!

In other news, I've completed 3 weeks with my running club kids at school, and the club is going well. All of the students are well on their way to completing their half marathon or marathon distances, and we are all so excited about our "final mile" race on October 30th at Rentschler Field. I'm so proud of the students who are participating. Most of them are able to run 2 miles each week at practice. That is sure something I couldn't do when I was in elementary school. I think we all enjoy the stress relief of running and the fresh air we get after school at our sessions. I'm so glad I decided to make it happen this year. 
I'm only one week away from my next half in Minnesota. This will be state #41 on my way to all 50 states. I'll be running with my cousin, Andrew, in Bloomington, home of the Mall of America. It should be a blast, as we will participate in the Hot Cider Hustle. We also plan to make a trip to Paisley Park, which will surely be a highlight of this trip. I can't wait! I promise to post about the run soon after the trip...no more two month lags on the blog. 

Summer slog

Here it is, August already. I'm sad that the summer days are dwindling quickly, but it sure has been a heck of a hot season! Since early July, we've been (mostly) in a hot, humid, muggy heatwave here in Connecticut, and it has made for some pretty difficult running. Most days I try to get out as early in the morning as possible to beat the heat, but even then, the air is still thick (albeit not quite as hot), and I come home sweatier than a sweat hog! (All due respect to Arnold Horseshack & co.).
But press on, I must, and so I slog through my miles. I took about a week off when we went on vacation last week. I didn't plan on taking the whole week off, but being away with the family and just spending time seeing the sights of Niagara Falls & the surrounding area were enough. I was itching to get back to hitting the pavement this week, so as soon as we were back I was out there. Of course, the heat was back, too. It has just been relentless!
Another challenge I've been facing this summer is plantar fasciitis in my right foot. I think it started quite some time ago, but it wasn't more than an occasional ache in my heel. Last month, it really became painful and tender. I consulted with my massage therapist, who did some amazing work on it, and I've been wearing various inserts in my shoes ever since. It seems to be helping, but I still feel the ache/pain sometimes. I've cut back on long runs, and truth be told, it was probably a good thing that I took time off over our vacation. (As much as I hate taking time off...). I've  still managed to meet my monthly mileage goals, but I'm not trying to go too far overboard with them right now. I hope the issue will clear up in the weeks to come. 
I booked my next two races, both of which are coming this fall. In October I will head to Minnesota with my cousin Andrew for a race, and in November I will head to Nashville, Tennessee with my friend Amy (hopefully!) for another race. (You might remember Amy from my very first half marathon here in Hartford all those years ago). :) I'm super excited about both of these upcoming halfs. It will be so nice to have company this time around, both locations are going to be super fun, and it will be a return to racing after a three month break this summer. Can't wait!
In other super cool news, I am starting a running club at the school where I work this fall. Yay! I reached out to the Hartford Marathon Foundation (local running organization here in the state) to inquire about their Fit Kids program. This is a program available for schools, where a coach (me) is given training materials to encourage kids to run. It is a non-competitive running plan with the goal of getting kids to reach 12.1 or 25.2 miles of distance in their practice training time. In October, a large event is hosted by HMF where all the kids who participated run their "last mile" to complete either a half or full marathon. I think it is going to be a blast! The kids receive medals for their achievement, and hopefully begin on a path of health, wellness and movement for life. I am so excited to start up this program in our school. I will keep you posted about how it is going. Our school is also planning to do a color run as a fundraiser this fall, so the running club will double to help students get in shape before that event comes up. It should be a busy and fun fall semester!
So in this last month of unstructured time before school starts back up, a lot is happening in the background. I will continue to slog through those steamy miles and post my progress. Thanks, as always, for checking in to see where I'm running!

State #40, Sunburst Half Marathon, South Bend, IN, 6/2/18, Part 2

The whole family was up by 5:15 am and out the door by about 5:45. The Sunburst Half Marathon start time was 6:30 am, and I didn’t want to be late. Craig and the girls dropped me off at Four Winds Field (the starting line area) with plenty of time to spare. I tried to do some light stretching before the starting line up began.

Race start headquarters, early morning June 2nd.

The race was well organized. There were plenty of porta potties at the start, and regular announcements were made by the dj to keep runners aware of the timeline for the morning. The race stepped off promptly at 6:30 after the National Anthem was sung. 

Starting line view.

We began by running through the downtown streets of South Bend. It reminded me very much of many of the other small midwestern cities I’ve run in. There were 3 or 4 story brick buildings hallmarking the streets. Mostly, it seemed we were in a small business area. I lined up with the 1:50 pacing group, knowing it was probably too fast for me, but hoping I could stay with them for at least a little while. 

One of our first sights was crossing the river. We went over a bridge that gave us a lovely view of the water flowing over a small dam on the river. It was a nice way to start the run in the early morning. We zig zagged through some business/residential streets until we came out along the river on a nice paved path.

We continued along the river path for a bit, then went back in to some residential streets followed by a return to the river path. Being unfamiliar with the area, I’m not sure of the reason for having to leave the path and then go back to it, but it was all nice running. 

Once we were back on the paved river path, we stayed there until about mile 5 or so. It was really nice with little parks sprinkled along the way and some interesting stonework, too. We crossed a couple of footbridges before making the turn to come back up the river on the other side. This side, too, had a paved path along nice neighborhoods. All in all, it was pleasant. The only difficult thing was that despite the relatively cool temperatures in the low 60’s, the air was very muggy, so breathing felt harder than it should have. There was also a ton of pollen in the air (which I had already been suffering from pretty badly at home) so that wasn’t the easiest thing either. Let’s just say I sniffed and spat my way along that riverfront area. I’m sure I was a pretty unpleasant runner to my fellow participants, but hey, you have to do what it takes to get from point A to point B.

We returned along the river and made a turn through Indiana University’s campus at one point before heading back into some of the residential areas we passed at the start of the race. We stayed mostly in residential areas until mile 11 where we hit the largest hill of the race near a medical center. Once I got up that hill, I knew that I wasn’t too far away. The 2 hour pacing group hadn’t caught up to me yet, so if I could just keep a good pace, I’d break 2 hours which was my goal. At mile 12 we turned on to a pretty main road and far off in the distance I could see the golden dome of Notre Dame! I took out my camera to snap a picture. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes!

Can you spy the dome way off in the distance?

The rest of the race, I just tried to keep my breathing controlled and my steps light and quick. Just before one of the final turns to the race, there was a woman holding a sign that said .87 to go! I thought that was kind of funny, so I snapped a shot as I ran by. Less than a mile…

This way to the finish line!

I ran through the next streets and turned left on to a “main street” area that had restaurants, shops, bars and a band playing. It was all brand new and so close to the ND campus. It definitely wasn’t there when my husband was a student. What a nice addition to the area for the university! 

Waving to my family as I head toward the stadium.

Running in to the ND football stadium, phone filming.

I plugged along in the heat and humidity waiting to catch a glimpse of the stadium where the finish line was. It seemed to take FOREVER to get there. As I turned the corner to get in to the stadium, there was my family cheering me on and taking photos! I still had my phone in my hand so I could capture my entry into the stadium and on to the field. What fun it was pretending to be a Notre Dame champion! I crossed the finish line in 1:57:43 meeting my goal of sub-2 hours. (Below is the video I took while running in to the football stadium.)

The stadium was gorgeous and filled with lots of activity as runners finished and the announcer called out the finisher names. Fans were in the stands cheering on their runners. I snapped a few shots of the stadium and then headed out the exit in to the food and recovery area. I picked up my medal (substantial and colorful) and some fresh fruit on my way to find Craig and the girls. We found each other finally and enjoyed a fun walk around the campus a bit on our way back to the hotel. We took some fun pictures here and there. 

Happy to be across the finish line.

Inside the stadium.

Panoramic view of the stadium.

Finding my family as I exit the runners finishing zone.

Notre Dame class of 2029 ? Or maybe Purdue?

Outside the stadium as we walked back to the hotel.

Giving Touchdown Jesus a double high five. 

Detail of mural on ND library, aka "Touchdown Jesus."

It also happened to be alumni weekend at ND, but we didn't participate in any alumni events.

Visiting the campus grotto. Very similar to one at my alma mater, Stonehill College in MA.

After some stretch out time and a shower, we all walked back to the campus for more exploring. We visited the basilica which was spectacularly beautiful, then made our way to the bookstore for some ND souvenirs. 

Gearing up at the ND bookstore.

Basilica on the ND campus.

Inside the Basilica. 

More inside views. 

One of the new buildings on campus. 

We all picked out our Notre Dame gear and then headed to an Irish Pub called O’Rourke’s back in that new restaurant/shop area I had run through. We had an enjoyable lunch, then walked back to the hotel where I took a nap and the kids went swimming with their dad. When they were done, Craig took a nap and I took the kids out for ice cream. Why is it kids never get tired??!!

Race shirt, bib and medal.

We enjoyed a nice dinner out at an Italian restaurant in the area called Carmela’s. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the new Notre Dame 18 hole golf course for a bit of looking around. It was a gorgeous course and we decided we all want to come back and play it next time. Before we knew it, it was 8:30 pm and we had to return to the hotel to pack and hit the pillow. Our flight the next morning was at 7 am so we needed to be up at 5:15 again. Thank goodness for those nap times today!

We left Indiana with our hearts (and souvenir bags) full. It was a quick but wonderful trip with family and school memories. The Sunburst Half is a nice (mostly flat) race with a great finish line vibe. Indiana is in the books at #40. Only 10 more to go!

Indiana card.