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.