After injuries derailed my last marathon attempt, I decided to try a three day running, two day biking approach for this marathon and focus on getting to the line healthy with a goal of finishing. Training was great – no injuries and actually fit in with my schedule. I was nervous that it wasn’t enough to get me to the finish line, but figured that as long as I didn’t mind doing a lot of walking, I could probably get it done.

So, so happy that one of my closest friends decided to meet up with me in Kentucky. We learned pretty quickly that Kentucky loves its whiskey and its horses.

After several days of rain, grateful that race day was cool and cloudy and dry. I was definitely anxious at the start since I haven’t done a full marathon in years. Took it nice and slow. Pretty course through Louisville with a short stint through Churchill Downs – definitely the highlight of the race. Really pretty (although also very hilly) portion in Iroquois Park. Felt great through 18 miles and then the wheels came off. Walked the majority of the last 8 miles but actually enjoyed myself!

I think that was the best part of this race – realizing that, at this stage in my life, training in a sustainable way that allows me to get to the finish line, no matter the final time, with a smile on my face, is really what matters. Tessa had french fries waiting for me at the finish line and, of course we had to sample some more whiskey.

25 down, 25 to go – officially the halfway mark!!!

This was an exciting one because I ran it with my brother and it was his first 1/2 marathon. And what a perfect 1/2 marathon – amazing course, lots of runners, great crowd support and the best medal.

First stop was the expo. It’s been a while since I ran a big, city race. I forgot how impressive the expos can be for this type of race.

Dinner was at a delicious vegan restaurant called Charley Was a Sinner. Highly recommend! Luckily, after a night of rain, we had decent weather for race morning. Big 1/2 marathon – I think there were about 15,000 people running the 1/2. Really well organized start and a great course through all the historic neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Cheering crowds lined almost the entire course. Loved some of the signs. And of course, it finished at the “Rocky steps”, so we had to get a picture at the top (we hobbled up – there are a lot of steps)! Post race we managed to find vegan cheesesteaks and I had a Cape May IPA in honor of the Boones.

24 down, 26 to go!

I was really excited for this one, because in addition to checking another state off my list, I got to meet a someone I’ve known for the past few years but have never actually met in person. Race was on Sunday, so I had Saturday to check out Minneapolis. Started with a visit to the Walker museum and sculpture park. Museum was wonderful and the rain held off so I was able to check out the sculpture park without getting soaked. It happened to be located where a lot of gay pride festivities where occurring which made for a great vibe around the park.

Of course, no trip would be complete without a sampling of the local vegan options. The ice cream at BebeZito was amazing as was the mac and cheese from Reverie Cafe and Bar (all in the name of carb loading!)

Sunday was race morning. Thrilled that the rain held out and the temperatures dropped a bit. Smaller race – which I’ve come to love since it makes the logistics so much easier. The race was two loops around the beautiful Normandale Lake Park. So, so pretty. My goal lately has been to enjoy and not worry about time – take lots of pictures, enjoy the surroundings and be grateful that I have a body that can finish 13 miles in cities and towns all over the country. And, to make it even more special, Katie was waiting for me at the finish line. So surreal to meet someone in real life who I’ve developed a really lovely friendship with on-line over the past several years!

Katie then took me all around the twin cities including a walk through Minnehaha Falls, followed by desert of beer and tater tots. Such a perfect day!

23 done, 27 to go!

This was an absolutely Epic Race. Three days running in the most amazing locations with my oldest friend. Loved, loved, loved this race series. Although it was the most physically challenging race, I’ve ever done, the location and camaraderie made it hands-down, the best race I’ve ever done. Kudos to Vacation Races for putting on a great event!

Day 1 – 14.6 miles in Bryce Canyon

Day 2 – 10.4 miles in Zion

Day 3 – 10.6 miles at Horsehoe Bend

And of course, lots of great food and great conversations!

22 down, 28 to go!

What a perfect race! I was flying into New York to see my daughter’s Freshman Showcase on Tuesday and there just happened to be a 1/2 marathon in central park the Sunday before. Perfect timing! And 2 loops around Central Park on a crisp spring morning with the cherry blossom trees in bloom couldn’t have been better. I was nursing a foot injury and knew I would be spending the rest of the day walking around New York, so I took this one really slow and just tried to enjoy the morning in Central Park.

And to make the morning even better, look who was waiting for me at the finish line…

After the race (and bagels and a shower of course), we poked around the Strand Bookstore, went to see a Broadway show and then met up with family for dinner. The best day ever!

And to make the trip even better, two days later, I got to see my beautiful, talented daughter perform in her first college show.

What a perfect trip!

Next up, the Kiawah Island Marathon in South Carolina. Decided to stay in Charleston for this race because, 1. it’s hard to find a place to stay on Kiawah Island and 2. I love Charleston. Stayed in a great hotel called the Ansonborough Inn, an old stationer’s warehouse right in downtown Charleston. Dinner pre race was at the Neon Tiger – first vegan restaurant I’ve been to that I couldn’t get a table because reservations book a minimum of 2 weeks out. Luckily I was able to snag a spot at the bar, because the food was amazing.

The race was on Kiawah Island. A beautiful, upscale island that I’m guessing is known for its golfing. I was not expecting the race to have so many participants. It’s by far the biggest crowd I’ve been in since COVID started. Well organized though. Easy packet pickup the morning of with a small expo in the morning and yoga on the beach. The course was beautiful. Didn’t see much of the ocean, instead we were mainly running through the neighborhoods on the island. But the houses and landscaping was beautiful and lots of spectators lining the course. It was HUMID though. I’m not used to that much humidity. Felt great for the first 9-10 miles, but then the heat and humidity got to me!

After the race (and a quick nap), I did some exploring of Charleston.

20 down, 30 to go!

Wow, it’s been quite a year (plus). The short version included the COVID pandemic, breaking my ankle and sending my daughter off to college. The ankle fracture was quite severe so it meant nearly 9 months without running. Luckily I took the plunge (along with a lot of other people if the wait for delivery was any indication) of buying a Peloton bike so that I could stay in shape. It felt so wonderful, and almost normal, to travel for a race again. Tried very hard not to take it for granted.

I’ve never been to Colorado Springs. What a great city. I went by myself and spent a lot of the weekend exploring by foot. Stayed in a great hotel, The Kingship Landing which provided great access to downtown Colorado Springs

The race itself was wonderful (or maybe I was just so happy to be back running again). It was an out and back along a river, some paved some well maintained trails and very flat. Great views for the entire race and really friendly support crew.

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As always, I managed to find wonderful vegan food and local beer. I loved the Burrowing Owl, I ended up eating dinner there two nights in a row.

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So happy to be back and really looking forward to the next race. Feeling blessed that my family has remained healthy during COVID and that my daughter is happily adjusting to college. Looking forward to the next race!

19 down, 31 to go!

It’s been a bit since I did a race, so I was a little nervous but also really looking forward to this one. This is part of a BAM (big ass medal series). As you’ll see with the picture of the medal, they weren’t lying.

Race took place on Holden Island, right off the coast of North Carolina. The race organizers did a great job with this – great communication, easy packet pickup, free race pictures that you could download from Facebook. Instead of a t-shirt, they gave a “trucker” running hat with registration. Great design and I really loved getting something other than a tech shirt. I saw people wearing hats from previous races – almost makes me want to do another of their races to collect more hats.

This part of North Carolina is certainly not a vegan mecca. After searching Happycow and looking online, I was really out of luck. Ended up at a place on the water where my choices were side salad or fish – I opted for the oysters (sorry to all the vegans out there).

Early start since the bridge to the island closed to traffic before the race. Only 32 degrees in the morning which I wasn’t really anticipating. Luckily, it was a small enough race that parking was close to the start line. I stayed in my car with the heater on until 10 minutes before starting time. Lovely course (aside from the many turnarounds – not a fan of hairpin turns in a race). Although the bridge was a decent incline, it was definitely worth it because it provided great views of the island.

Crazy enough, my sister-in-law’s mom was also running the race and she actually recognized me somewhere around mile 7. Quick beer at the finish line (it was a little too cold to linger). Due to weather, ended up getting rerouted out of the Fayetteville airport which was really tiny but luckily had a small restaurant where I was able to get a BLT (without the B) and a beer.

Glad to have another one under my belt. Wish I could have spent a little more time exploring this part of North Carolina – maybe I’ll have to go back for another one in the BAM series (and continue my hat collection).

18 down, 32 to go!

It’s been a while since my last race. Between a few nagging injuries and Chris’s travel schedule for the documentary he’s been working on, it’s been hard to schedule an out of town race. I finally had an open weekend when Chris was going to be in Albuquerque, so I started researching races. This one passed the test – a state I haven’t been to, easy to fly to (1.5 hours outside Chicago) and good finisher’s medal.

Packet pickup was at a winery. I think that’s a first for me, although appropriate since the race is dubbed 13.wine and runs throughout wine country in Michigan. Unfortunately, the weather report for race morning wasn’t looking great.

I stayed in a town right on Lake Michigan. Being from Cape Cod, I’ve spent lots of time on ocean beaches, but this was my first beach experience on a large lake. The beach was beautiful. I had dinner at a brewery and then watched the sun set at the beach.

Luckily, the rain held off on race morning. This was my kind of race – not too big, parking close by, well organized. The course was beautiful. We ran past vineyards and farms. It was a challenging course though with lots of rolling hills. There were certainly times when I thought that the entire course was uphill. And, it turns out that it’s humid in August in Michigan! Luckily it started to lightly rain at about mile 11 which felt wonderful. The finisher’s medals were very cool and unique. The after race included a wine tent which I didn’t partake in – for some reason, wine is not appealing at all to me post race.

Another great weekend checking out a part of the country that I might never had made it to. That is what has been the best part of this adventure – the opportunity to travel to places I might never have explored. I haven’t been disappointed yet!

17 down, 33 to go

 

I have to be honest, I picked this run mainly because I had the weekend off and it was a pretty easy trip from Albuquerque. I think I was back home just over 24 hours after I left. The bonus of this race, though, was that 100% of the race registration fees went to Rett Syndrome research.

I stayed in an area of Oklahoma City known as Brickyard. From what I learned, this area has been fairly recently rehabbed. Fun place to stay with lots of bars and restaurants and a canal that reminded me a bit of San Antonio.

I’m starting to feel like this blog is part a running blog and part a blog about where to find delicious vegan food (and beer). Oklahoma City did not disappoint in the vegan food department. For dinner, I went to a place called the Loaded Bowl and had the most incredible mac and cheese. And, of course, I couldn’t pass on the cupcakes for dessert.

The run was on a paved path along the river. It was a small race, but well run. Since it was so small, I had the opportunity to chat with the other race participants – it felt more like a Sunday morning jog with a running club than a true race, but as I’ve said before, I really prefer small races. It started out pretty warm and humid, but by about 45 minutes in the rain started. Rain is actually a bit of an understatement! But, after the humidity, the wind and rain felt great and I found myself smiling as I splashed through giant puddles. Remarkably, the volunteers stayed out in the deluge to hand out water and Gatorade – very grateful!

On the way back to the hotel (despite being completely drenched), I had to stop at an all-vegan donut shop.

After a quick rest (and some donuts and coffee) and a shower, it was back to the Loaded Bowl for nachos. I even brought home a cookie for Chris.

I really enjoyed my quick trip to Oklahoma City. Although I only explored a few areas, I was very impressed and told Chris that we’ll need to make a trip back sometime soon to explore more of the city.

16 down, 34 to go!