State #45, Missoula Half Marathon, Missoula, MT, 6/30/19, Part 2

The next day we decided to stay local in hopes that I wouldn’t be too tired out for the early race start the following day. We settled on a morning hike up to the big "M" on the hillside overlooking the University of Montana. The campus was a short walk across the river from our hotel, and it also allowed me to see exactly where I needed to pick up the shuttle the next morning for the ride out to the race starting line. Easy peasy. 

View of the "M" on the hillside above U.Montana campus.

We found the entrance to the M trail easily along the side of the campus. The walk wasn’t far, only a about a mile, but it was steep. The trail was a series of switchbacks to help with the incline, but it was still pretty tough. I quickly became a frustrated hiker, as I couldn’t keep up with my speedy husband and kids, but I decided to just forget their pace and take my time. After all, I didn’t want to overdo it the day before the half marathon. 

Once I changed my mindset, I enjoyed the walk more. The views got better and better as we reached the top. Our destination was the big white letter M that is cemented on the side of the hill. We finally all reached the M and had fun just taking in the view. We even saw a few parachutists running & jumping off the next hill over. Fun! Craig and the kids decided to hike a bit higher, but I just stayed at the M relaxing and enjoying the view. 

Me at the "M". 

The kids sitting on the "M."

Kids looking out at the view.

Panoramic view from the "M."

View of the University of Montana campus from the "M."

Ella and I took the lead on the hike down, both of us needing to find a restroom after all that walking! At the base of the trail we found what we needed and then decided a trip to the university bookstore was in order. The bookstore had all kinds of UMontana gear, and the family certainly cashed in. We learned that the university's mascot is Monte the grizzly bear and the teams are known as the Grizzlies (or Griz for short). With bags of shirts & hats, we started back to the hotel. 

Just as we were coming by the athletic center on campus, Monte, the mascot, came charging out of the building and right toward us! We were literally the only people around, and we were so excited for this chance encounter with the head Griz! We took some photos with him, and he seemed pretty shocked when we told him I was running the half marathon the next day. We laughed and had the most fun with him for a few short minutes. It looked like he was getting ready to film some kind of promotional video, so we left him to his work. I considered this meet up with us a good luck charm for the run. 

The kids with Monte! 

Monte, amazed that I was going to run the half marathon.

We dropped off our UMontana merch back at the hotel and decided to try another one of the Missoula breweries for lunch. It was called Tamarack Brewing and we had a fun lunch. We walked around a little bit after lunch to find where the finish line was. It was just in front of the Wilma Theater just after the Higgins Street bridge. It would be tough for Craig and the girls to be there due to the narrowness of the bridge. We figured they would find a spot nearby where they could see me coming to the end of the run. 

Cityscape drawn by Ella at Ciao Mambo.

For dinner we decided to try an Italian place called Ciao Mambo that our waitress from the hotel restaurant recommended to us. They didn’t take reservations (except for large parties), so we figured we’d get there as close to 5:00 pm (opening time) to grab table. Unfortunately, every other runner had the same idea. We ended up with about an hour and a half wait after putting in our name. This was not ideal, and for the kids it tough, but we made it. I’m glad to say the wait was worth it. The food was awesome, and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Absolutely worth another visit if we are ever back in Missoula (preferably on a day that isn’t right before a marathon)!

Bedtime was early that night, as I had to get up at 4:15 to catch an early shuttle bus to the 6:00 am start. I couldn’t fall asleep to save my life though, which really stunk. I think I finally fell asleep around midnight or so, not ideal the night before an early race. 

State #45, Missoula Half Marathon, Missoula, MT, 6/30/19, Part 1

My Montana race was a family vacation trip, timed perfectly just after school ended for the year. I chose the Missoula Half Marathon for Montana after researching and finding it was one of the top marathons/half marathons in the country! The whole family came on this trip, and we flew out on Thursday (June 27th) for the Sunday (June 30th) race. After a bit of a delay with the second leg of our flight, we arrived at the Missoula Double Tree Hotel situated very conveniently to most everything in the city. We ended up having dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was surprisingly really amazing. It was a top notch restaurant, and we all enjoyed a light meal before turning in after a long day of travel.

Giant grizzly bear at the Missoula Airport.

On Friday, we got up bright and early (still on east coast time) and jumped in the car for a ride up to Glacier National Park. The drive was about 2 and a half hours from Missoula, but we experienced a good flavor of the state along the way. Missoula is definitely a big city compared to the outlying areas. Although by major city standards, it still felt like a small town. The outlying areas were very rural, and at times, a little rough. We took in all the mountain vistas and big sky views along the way, which were beautiful. Highlights on the drive included passing along the east side of Flathead Lake (which was so gorgeous and I’m ready to look for a lake house there!!!)  as well as Big Fork (a tiny little town where our friends Kav & Roxann have a place). We passed by countless cherry orchards and farm fields on the drive. 

Views of rural Montana on our drive. 

Vibrant field of yellow flowers along our drive.

We finally reached the entrance to Glacier National Park around 8:30 am and made our way along the road that winds through. Called “The Road to the Sun” in homage to native tribes of the area, the views along the drive were spectacular and majestic. My husband had downloaded the GyPSy Guide touring app for the National Parks  for our visit, which operates off the GPS of your vehicle and narrates your travel for you as you progress along the national park route. We learned many fascinating facts about the history of park, how the roads were built, who its early directors were and how it is protected and maintained today. Only 50 of the original 150 glaciers in the park still remain, and we were startled to hear that it is expected that all the glaciers will be gone by the year 2030. A very sad state for our world, indeed. 

Jackson Glacier in Glacier National Park.

Family selfie at Jackson Glacier.

Information about the shrinking glaciers.

We intended to park at Logan Pass and hike one of the trails there, but upon arrival at that point (around 9 am or so) the parking lot was completely full and we were out of luck. The best we could do was jump out for a bathroom break while Craig circled around the parking lot hoping for a space. 

The mountains in Glacier National Park were taller than what I remember seeing in Yellowstone, and they were very rocky, snowcapped and steep. It seems impossible that the crews back in the Depression Era could carve roads through this treacherous  terrain. Absolutely astounding! The narrow, winding road along the mountain’s edge is nerve-wracking to drive, but the views are well worth it. Absolute beauty surrounded us in all directions. 

Gorgeous mountain views surrounded us. 

Each view was more stunning than the next!

At one point in the drive, we went through a pass that still had upwards of 20 feet of snow on either side of the road. The road often is impassable until sometime in the month of June, and we had heard that it was finally cleared on June 21st. Wow! Amazing to think of how much snow must be up there in the depths of winter! We also spied a few of the famous red touring vehicles the park uses to drive visitors along the road. This is a great way to see the park if you don’t feel comfortable driving or if you have a vehicle that wouldn’t fit along the road (RV, etc.). And they are kinda cute cars, too.  

If you look closely, you can see the red park touring car in the photo.

We finished the Road to the Sun drive, and rather than turn around and drive it back the other way, we exited the park and took the long way around to get back to the road that would bring us back to Missoula. This “long way” featured some beautiful views of the mountains we just drove through as well as some adventurous “off road” type driving. Some of the road was under construction, so it was dirt only for a bit. We pulled off at a nice spot with a river view to enjoy the picnic we brought with us for lunch. Eventually, the road led us back to the route we followed on our drive out. 

Some final views of Glacier National Park.  

Literally a postcard in every photo.

One panoramic of the stunning view!

Once back in Missoula, we decided to walk around the town a little bit, and we found a great local brewery for dinner. It was called Conflux Brewing Company. After dinner, we walked toward the river where we found the race expo underway. I was able to pick up my race bib and t-shirt, and we watched the beer run participants. 

Race shirt and bib number both feature the shape of Montana!

The Missoula Marathon features events all weekend long including a beer run, kids fun run, 5k, half and full marathon. There were lots of people milling about and a festive atmosphere was all around. 

Riverfront behind our hotel with running/biking path beneath car overpass.

We walked along the river bike/walking trail and ended the evening with a ride on the carousel for the kids. We walked back to our hotel along the trail which conveniently ran directly along the hotel’s back side. It was a great night in Missoula!

State #44, Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon, Louisville, KY, 4/27/19, Part 2

Race morning, I woke up before my alarm and felt super tired. I did my best to get some coffee in me to wake up, but I just felt exhausted. I figured I’d just try my best to get through the race and finish somewhat close to the 2 hour mark. I could always nap later. I watched the local news coverage of the race from my hotel room. I was excited to experience running through Churchill Downs. I dressed warmly for the cool morning temperatures.

TV coverage from race at finish line.

TV coverage of race from Churchill Downs.

The race starting line area was festive. They kicked things off with a man playing “My Old Kentucky Home” on the trumpet (he was dressed like a horse jockey) and then followed up with the National Anthem sung by a local recording artist. Kathrine Switzer was on hand to give some words of encouragement before the starting gun went off promptly at 7:30 am. Although it was chilly at the start, I knew pretty quickly that I wouldn’t need my long sleeve half-zip for the whole race. Once we got moving, the body warmed up fast. 

Gold statue near first part of race.

Giant bat outside Louisville Slugger Museum.

Our first mile brought us through some of the downtown area, including passing some of the bourbon bars, a giant gold statue of David, and a giant Louisville Slugger baseball bat outside the Louisville Slugger factory. This stretch led us in to a more industrial/residential somewhat run down neighborhood for a bit. It wasn’t bad, but just had a different feel from the downtown area, for sure. We ran a bit on Market Street and then crossed Muhammad Ali Blvd. (He was a Louisville native.) Next, we ran on 4th Street, but outside of the downtown area I had walked through the night before. Along this stretch, I decided to remove my long sleeved top, which ended up being quite a feat. I was sweaty and the material was sticking to me, so trying to remove it while I ran was like a Cirque du Soleil trick. Finally, I shed the layer and tied it around my waist. 

The next section of the race was one of my favorites. It was the Central Park neighborhood, which was lined with beautiful brick homes and lots of trees. If I lived in Louisville, I’d want to live here. It was so beautiful, and the crowds were good here. They also had a dj playing, which helped keep us moving along at a good pace. I can’t remember if it was just before Central Park area or just after, but we passed by Spalding University, which from what I can gather is a religious affiliated college. Outside a church on campus, a brother was cheering us on in his brown robe telling us “he had confidence in each and every one of us.” That was some nice encouragement! I also thought it was neat that one of their main buildings had a red and white Pee Wee Herman style bicycle up above its door. Cute! 

Access road approaching Churchill Downs.

Next we followed a pretty straight away path through the University of Kentucky (or at least what I could see of it from the main road) and out to Churchill Downs. The neighborhood just before the horse track was sort of run down, but I could smell the horses about a half mile before getting to the venue. Once we turned in to the Churchill Downs entrance, it was huge and such a thrill to see it in person. I snapped a couple of photos as we turned toward the building, and managed to film my run through the underground tunnel in to the inner area of Churchill Downs. We didn’t end up running on the track (which is what I thought we were going to do), but we ran all through the roads inside the property. It was pretty cool to see the famous spires and there were some cute billboards along the way. Coming out of the tunnel was tough, but it was worth it to have been on this famous ground. 

Entrance gates to Churchill Downs.

Billboard inside stadium: This would be easier on a horse!

Billboard inside stadium: Run now, Juleps later.

Once we exited the tunnel, we were past the 8 mile mark and heading straight back toward the downtown area. The first landmark we passed on this part of the race route was the University of Louisville campus. It was beautiful as we ran along, and I spied the UL Cardinals baseball stadium. Impressive! Pretty much, from this point on, we were on a straight path along Third Avenue. I knew I didn’t have that much more to go, but I also felt myself slowing down a bit. The 1:55 group passed me at Churchill Downs, but I was determined to stay ahead of the 2 hour group. As I progressed these last 4 miles or so, I kept feeling fatigue but kept trying to pull out whatever small bursts of speed I could muster. 

Mile 9 must have flown by because the next mile marker sign I saw was 10. That was a happy moment! Less to go than I thought! The crowds along this last part of the run were lively in spurts, which helped to pump up my momentum along the way. Slowly, we came back in to the tall buildings of the downtown area and mile 12. Again for like the millionth time, the Morrissey lyrics, “Why is the last mile the hardest mile…” came to mind. Seriously, the last mile always seems sooooo long! How can that be? But at this point, I knew I was close…a right hand turn, a half mile, a left hand turn and the finish line was a welcome beacon. To my great surprise, I not only held off the 2 hour group, but I finished in a net time of 1:56:53! Way faster than I anticipated! Woo hoo!

Panoramic view of runner finish line festival.

Once through the finish chute, we were paraded through the medal, water, food and photo areas and the trail emptied into the waterfront park where gear check and runner/family meeting stations were. It was a lively atmosphere, with an announcer talking to various participants to get their stories, some of which were really inspirational. I asked another runner to take my finish line photo near a display of what I thought were bourbon barrels (only to see post-photo that they were marked as vodka…). I grabbed the obligatory cup of beer from the beer tent—local beer Goodwood. It was ok, but I didn’t finish it. I was ready to get back to the hotel for a shower. 

Finish line photo with metal.

I put my half zip back on to keep me from feeling chilled from being sweaty. The 3-4 block walk back to my hotel was nice. I got to stretch out my legs and just enjoy the sunshine and city streets. I enjoyed a longer than normal shower, called home to check in with the family, and then hit the streets of Louisville. 

Statue of George Rogers Clark. 

Panoramic view of waterfront area along Ohio River.

I took a walk out near the waterfront onto an overlook that connected to the plaza of my hotel. There was a statue of George Rogers Clark (brother of William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame) who was one of the surveyors/founders of Kentucky. He scouted the Ohio River for a safe settlement. There was a fabulous view of the rivers, area bridges and city skyline from here. 

One interesting thing I found about the downtown area of Louisville is all the skywalks they have. My hotel had several skywalks/connectors that went to the convention center, parking garages and other areas. It seems that this is a trend along the downtown area. From the waterfront plaza, I was able to walk on outdoor walkways over to the Muhammad Ali Center, a cultural center and museum dedicated to the life of the boxer. From there, I went street level down to the main street to walk to the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. Also in this area were an arts center and science museum. Pretty cool cultural area. 

Muhammad Ali Cultural Center.

I took the tour of the Louisville Slugger factory, which was fun. They make all their bats from ash, maple and birch trees sourced from forest land on the border of NY and PA. Most popular with MLB players is maple. It was very interesting to see the process (harvesting, billeting, lathing, sanding, finishing, etc.). It was really cool to see the process and hear about how MLB players contract with them to get their special bats made to their liking. There were some cool exhibits in the museum relating to some famous players. And the lobby boasts a wall of Louisville lumber name plates featuring the names, signatures and years played by famous players who used their bats. An impressive display for sure. The tour concluded with distribution of a souvenir mini-Louisville Slugger souvenir bat and trip to the gift shop. It was fun.

Wooden hall of fame plaques in the lobby of Louisville Slugger Museum. 

Ted Williams statue.

Babe Ruth statue.

Jackie Robinson statue.

At this point, it was nearing 2 pm and I was getting hungry and tired. I opted for a quick bite at Starbucks (saving a more substantial, celebratory meal for dinner) and then a nap at my hotel. However, before my nap, I stopped at the hotel bar for a mint julep. I figured, I might as well get an official Derby cocktail while in Kentucky! It was actually stronger than I expected, but I think it helped me fall asleep pretty quickly once back in my room! LOL!

Mint Julep.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep the previous two nights, maybe it was the julep, but I conked out for a glorious solid one hour nap. Just what I needed! I would’ve liked to have visited the Muhammad Ali Center, but that will have to wait until next time. My dinner plans brought me back to Fourth Street to a restaurant I spied the night before called Bourbon Raw. It was a seafood/raw bar/southern food place with LOADS of bourbon on the menu. I’m NOT a bourbon drinker AT ALL, but I figured I’d try some kind of bourbon just to say that I experience the local libation. There are bourbon distilleries all throughout the city where you can go on tours and have tastings. I didn’t do that, so I figured a tasting was in order as part of dinner. My very helpful bartender, Tesla, guided me to a gentle tasting of Makers Mark, Four Roses and Buffalo Trace. It was fun, and surprisingly, better than I thought it would be.

My tasting flight.

Restaurant menu.

Dinner consisted of some appetizer plates of buffalo cauliflower (so yummy!) and short rib sliders (the perfect bit of southern cuisine without it being too heavy). I left feeling perfectly fed and satisfied without going overboard and risking a post-race stomach issue.

Artwork at the restaurant.

Once back at the hotel, I prepped my suitcase for the morning and got to bed nice and early. I really needed a good night’s sleep. It had been a fun experience in Louisville, but I know I only hit the tip of the iceberg. I’d love to return to visit more of the cultural and horse racing attractions. A woman I met on my flight out said I should absolutely come back and fly in to Lexington, rent a car and visit the race track out there along with the bourbon trail. Sounds like a future plan. Great race, enjoyable place. 

Race shirt, number and finishers medal.

State #44, Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon, Louisville, KY, 4/27/19, Part 1

I flew out to Louisville, KY on Friday morning (4/26). The flight was easy, and my connections were made without incident. I arrived around 4 pm, picked up my rental car and drove to my hotel in downtown Louisville. I stayed at the Galt House Hotel, the host hotel for the marathon, and when I arrived, the lobby was packed with a giant line of people checking in, most of them marathoners by the looks of their attire and by the sound of their conversations. When I finally got my room key, I dropped off my luggage and made my way over to the running expo to pick up my bib number. Thankfully, it was only about a block away and was a quick walk. 

Banner logo at running expo.

After getting my bib and race shirt, I browsed quickly around at the various vendors, and the Humana booth (top sponsor of the race) caught my eye. There was a woman in the booth who I knew I recognized as a famous runner, and it wasn’t until I saw her holding a 261 bib that I realized it was Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon! She was taking a photo with a young girl and encouraging her to keep running. I asked one of the women working in the booth if Kathrine was taking photos with everyone, and she said that it was time for her to leave and that she’d been trying to leave for awhile because she had a dinner meeting to get to. I thanked her and began to walk away, figuring I’d head out myself to find some dinner. As I exited the expo, Kathrine was leaving and I decided to just say a few words to her. I thanked her for all she had done for women in our sport. She gave me a hug and asked if I wanted to get a picture. I was thrilled! So the man she was walking with took our photo. I was so overwhelmed with emotion, meeting this legendary running hero. What a thrill! 

Photo with running legend, Kathrine Switzer.

I was planning to grab dinner at a restaurant nearby called The Old Spaghetti Factory, but when I got there, a two hour wait for a table made me rethink my plan. Apparently all the other runners in town for the race were planning on eating there, too. Instead, I made my way from there to the Fourth Street Live area, a section of downtown that is closed to vehicular traffic and full of restaurants, bars and a place for live music to be staged. After browsing around all the options, I settled on TGI Fridays. Not my first choice, but at least I could get a regular plate of pasta there. All the other fancier restaurants had spicy or creamy pasta choices on their menus that I really didn’t want to experiment with the day before a race. It wasn’t the greatest dinner I’ve ever had, but it was food and the restaurant wasn’t crowded, so it worked. 

I stopped at a CVS before heading back to my hotel to pick up water and some other supplies. Once back at the hotel, I checked the weather for the next morning only to realize that the warm temperatures I was expecting were not what was in the forecast. It was looking to be in the high 40’s for race morning!  I laid out my long sleeve/pant running gear and tried to get to sleep on the early side. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a very restful sleep, but I slept on and off throughout the night. I guess it was better than nothing.