Just when I thought a 5K couldn’t get any colder then Pittsburgh in February….well, hello Minneapolis in March! This race was called “Everybody’s Irish” and was held around a local lake. It was over St. Patrick’s Day weekend so I knew it would be fun.
I flew out early Friday morning from Detroit which is a nice quick flight. Ubered to my Homewood Suites hotel which was conveniently located across from THE MALL OF AMERICA! Checked in and literally ran across the parking lot and was there from 10am till 4pm . I was able to meet an old friend for lunch who I haven’t seen in 20 years. Catching up with Carol made for a wonderful lunch. If you haven’t been to this mall, prepare yourself for a full on religious experience. Every store that exists is there and every type of food is available. After my 6 hour day at the mall , I headed back over to unpack and get my race outfit ready for the next morning. I knew everyone would be in green but NOT me. Being in the birthplace of my main man, PRINCE, I was going all out in PURPLE. I had my Purple Rain tshirt and my purple tutu ready to go. Of course, I won’t stick out at all being 5″10 and all in purple but who cares, right?Well, unpacking is hard work and of course I am craving guacamole and chips now so back across the parking lot I go to the Mall and found a fun Cantina and ate 2 full servings of chips.
With a full belly in tow, back across the parking lot I went and literally was in bed by 9pm to rest for my race .
RACE DAY
Up early, showered to wake my 52 year old body up, ran to the lobby to grab some protein , which is code word for BACON. Ate, got dressed and called my Uber.
My driver was a piece of work. His name was Abdiraham and he literally talked non-stop till I jumped out. He was also a runner and 2 runners together are always fun. He said he had a motivational quote for me to think about everytime I run. I was thinking that this will be great, something I can pull from when I need an extra boost here and there. He turns around and says “Run until you die. And when you die, its over”. For the love, really? That was it? Anyways, he also was pointing out runners along the way and saying how great it is to see old people out there running. Ok, old people? Every single person he pointed out was at least 20 years younger than me. WTF! He probably thinks he’s Driving Miss Daisy around in the backseat at this point. Anyways, he was fun. He dropped me off and to the starting line I went . Literally, everyone was in green except Barney the Dinosaur over here but you only live once…I found a fun Irish runner who I had to get a picture with.
The race was a balmy 10 degrees and the course was ice. My goal was now to not fall on my big purple ass but I did fine. Ran it, enjoyed the view and crossed the finish line on my feet. Got my medal and headed back to the hotel. I had a very exciting afternoon planned…I was going to Paisley Park to tour Prince’s museum.
PAISLEY PARK
Upon entering the museum, I gave my phone to the tour guide to be locked in a pouch. No photos allowed. We started by visiting many of his recording studios, viewing his Grammy’s , numerous costumes, guitars everywhere and other priceless momentos. It was a surreal experience walking into the room where all of the Purple Rain gems were. The big screen had him singing “Purple Rain’ from the movie and a few items from the set. Ok, cue the tears now……..The motorcycle !!!!! That’s all it took for me to become weepy . His costumes were there also. Wow, I get chills still thinking about it. We ended the tour in the gift shop and was able to watch his full 2007 Superbowl halftime show in the rain. Absolutely bucket list for me! Grabbed an Uber, headed back to the Mall of America for a quick dinner . Tonight was going to be a bit healthier of a meal due to all of the chips and salsa I shoved in my face the day prior. Tonight was Chicken Wings at the Hard Rock Cafe. Very healthy regimen I follow, right? Headed back to hotel, crashed early and headed home the next morning. Grabbed my push pin and pinned Minneapolis. Next up, South Carolina in May.
