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I kicked off 2020 with a great trip to one of our southern states, good ole Georgia. This race was called the Freakin’ Freezing 5k and was anything but that! I stalked the weather channel app for 2 weeks prior and realized I would be running in freakin’ 62 degrees. Perfect! So as usual, I flew out early Friday morning. I usually indulge in a Detroit Coney dog pre-flight in the airport but this time I tossed it up with 5 straight up pieces of bacon. It’s protein…. As you all know at this point, food is a very vibrant part of this journey. I actually think I have had BACON in all 17 states so far, which could be a whole separate journey. Well, I boarded my non-stop flight to Atlanta which was pretty non-eventful till 1/2 way through… So let me expand on a few things before I explain more. I am 53 years old and my life the last month can be defined in 2 words…. HOT FLASH!  Ok, back to the flight. I was listening to my peaceful, meditation music when all of a sudden my body felt like I dove head first directly into the EQUATOR!  If you have ever experienced this, the first thing you do is peel off clothing and search for something to frantically wave in front of your face. Well, here is your visual… I’m the middle seat. I instantly start to whip my sweatshirt off and in turn elbow Mr. 18A and Mr. 18C at the same time. Of course they were both mortified because 18B is now in a tank top sweating profusely like a hooker in church. I apologized to both of them and rode the remaining 1 hour flight sleeveless and ready to get off this metal menopausal machine!

Once I landed , I Ubered to my hotel and was able to check in. The ladies at the front desk already were on my list of favorites. The hospitality down south in our country is amazing. I experienced it in Memphis, Charlotte, and now Atlanta. I got to my room, unpacked and relaxed for a bit before embarking on my Friday escapades.  I really wanted to visit the Coca Cola museum downtown Atlanta to grab some polar bear attire to wear for my race in the morning. As a Diet Coke connoisseur, this is a very fitting theme for me.  The tour was super cool and I bought a few items in the gift shop and was ready to move on.

I walked about 6 blocks up toward Peachtree St. to find a place to grab dinner. I immediately was drawn towards the Atlanta Braves Sports Bar because of the flashing BBQ sign out front and I also have 2 family members who are huge Braves fans. I went inside, grabbed a seat , a Chardonnay and ordered my pre-race dinner. Ribs and Mac & Cheese! It was unbelievable. I finished every piece of meat and every last chunk of carbohydrate.  I went through 5 napkins and 3 wet wipes but soooo worth it.

As I was bathing myself and removing the BBQ sauce from my body, I noticed a pitching cage in the back of the bar. I called my server over and asked her what it was all about. Well, for $5, you get 5 balls to pitch to a catcher with a batter standing there as well as a radar gun clocking your speed. Well Howdy Partner, sign me up!  Hmmm, as an ex high school pitcher, of course I am going to kick some butt in there right? Ummm, NO! I grabbed my 5 balls and got ready for my first wind up. (Think the female version of Mark Fidrych from the Tigers ). The first pitch was literally straight into the catcher’s mitt at a impressive speed of 55 mph. Damn, I thought, I still got it! Well, not really, the next 4 pitches went completely downhill from there. Pitch #2 was in the batter’s balls, #3 was at the batter’s head, #4 hit the catcher on his skull and #5 bounced twice before even arriving at the catcher. Wow, my poor High school softball coach would of been mortified watching. Sorry Coach Wiktor!

Well, time to head back to the hotel and wind down and get ready for the 5K in the morning. This Diet Coke drinking polar bear needs her rest.

RACE DAY

I got up at 7am to grab my usual Robust cup of coffee and some protein from the free breakfast in the lobby.  I slipped my new polar bear attire on and caught an Uber to the race to check in at Fourth Ward Park and pre-stretch before the 9am start. The park was gorgeous and the weather was 62 degrees which was very pleasant. This course was the flattest so far and it was about time!!! My pace was a 10:20 per mile and I actually came in 3rd place out of 25 women in my age range . I was thrilled . Once I crossed the finish line , I grabbed a water and my victory banana and headed back to the hotel to shower and plan out the rest of my day.

I headed back downtown to the Ponce City Market which ended up being such a fun afternoon. Lots of shopping, food and great scenery. I started at a cool restaurant named, Venezia. I ordered Pasta Carbonara and it was so tasty. I shopped  for awhile and ended up finding another cute restaurant to grab a quick cocktail before heading back. I chose to sit at the bar which always leads to great conversation amongst the locals. I had a wonderful jalapeno margarita and met an amazing new friend. Her name is Katie and we instantly hit it off and just chatted for an hour. I love meeting people from all over, it makes the journey more interesting.  We swapped info and it was finally  time for me to head back.

I chose to take a quick dip in the pool before bed to relax my 53 year old sore body and wind down before heading back home in the morning.

This state was one of my favorites. I am starting to see how similar we all are. We may look different, sound different, and eat different, but overrall, we are all the same. We all love our families, we love our friends and we just aim to be happy every day in our lives. Our country is a gem! I savor every mile of it now and every person I meet along the way.

Thank you Georgia for an amazing weekend . You were a PEACH!

Next up……. Disney Princess 5k in Orlando, Florida in February.

 

What a great race to end my 2019 5K’s. I found this race after my East Coast races a few weeks ago and thought it would be so fun to run through Central Park in the fall with the amazing trees and overall atmosphere of the city. Flights to La Guardia are pretty cheap from Detroit so I decided to do it. This trip was one that I needed to include my daughter on . I asked her if she wanted to join me and her response was under one condition…..that she didn’t have to run….what the hell? I said fine, you just have to hold all my crap at the finish line. She was cool with that. I used some of my Flex points to book the hotel and was able to get into the Millenium Premier in Times Square. So we were good to go. We caught an early flight out the day before. The flight was awful! It was turbulent the whole way and we were both nauseous even after we landed because we had an hour Uber ride to the hotel which was as close to a real life game of Mario Cart and Frogger together.

We finally arrived at our hotel and were actually able to check in. We unpacked and literally just sat for a bit to get our equilibriums back. We then ventured out to have lunch because once we ate we knew we would feel better. We ended up at the famous Juniors restaurant and I ordered a huge rueben. 

After we ate , we roamed around Times Square, took in lots of shops, scenery and of course a trip back to Juniors a few hours later…why you ask? For chocolate martinis and cheesecake. We were in Big Apple Heaven!

We then worked our way back to the hotel to relax. One of the extra bonuses of the weekend was seeing 2 Broadway musicals. Tonight we were seeing “Jagged Little Pill”. The highlight of this evening was that a local Grosse Pointe young man and also another friend of my daughter’s from musical theatre were both making their Broadway debuts! The show was unbelievable! After the curtain call we headed back to the hotel, it was already 11:30 pm and I had a race to run in the morning. I did get sidetracked on the walk over and grabbed a hot dog from a vendor with extra mustard…. hey, its protein, I think?

 

RACE DAY

The race was at 10am so I was up at 8am to find coffee and some protein. I hit up a Starbucks and found both. I headed back upstairs to wake up Sleeping Beauty and got dressed to head over to Central Park. The weather was perfect. It was sunny and 36 degrees. We grabbed an Uber and headed over. We found the starting line, grabbed my race bib and got ready to run. Today felt different and this race changed everything for me. Let me explain… Since I started this journey I have had the goal of breaking a 10 minute mile . I got super close in Arizona but today it finally happened. I felt my stride was smoother and I was just coasting better. I crossed the finish line and looked down at my Garmin and saw my pace…… 9.52 !!!! My results came in as a text and it was correct. I got a bit weepy as I approached Kendall and told her the news. We high fived and then she asked me if I was going to barf…wow, that’s my support system, LOL. We grabbed an Uber back to the hotel and I showered and got ready for lunch. We had lunch reservations with a friend of hers who attends Julliard. We took Ryan to an Italian restaurant and visited for at least 2 hours. We ate Baked Ziti and Chicken Piccata and enjoyed every bite. We said our goodbyes and headed back to shop a few more shops and then sorta got sidetracked again for more cheesecake. This time at an Irish pub. I had Baileys cheesecake and she had bread pudding.

 

We grabbed a quick nap and got ready for Broadway musical #2, Mean Girls! We walked to 58th street for this one which was 10 blocks away and yup, grabbed another hot dog. The musical was fantastic. Very funny and entertaining. We headed back around 11:30pm but guess who was hungry AGAIN??? I dragged my daughter into a Mexican restaurant for guacamole , salsa and chips and after that we finally called it a night. Quote of the trip was from my daughter when she said she had never seen anyone eat as much as I do…LOL, this is why I run ! We flew back to Detroit and capped out my year with 16 states so far. It has been amazing and I have learned so much about myself . I have conquered many fears and have pushed myself to reach these goals. 2020 is going to be great. I am kicking it off in Georgia ! Stay tuned.

 

It’s Raining Zombies!!!

Well, this race will go down in history in my blog as the worst weather so far. It even beat the icy course I ran in Minneapolis. I woke up early to get ready because I had a 1 hour drive to Providence. The term raining cats and dogs was an understatement. It was fricking raining caribou and moose out there, but buckle in Buddy, I have a race to run and I needed to suck it up. My biggest concern was ruining my new running ear buds because I need music to cross the finish line . Unfortunately, my witch t-shirt and Halloween tutu wasn’t going to keep me dry so I did what any smart runner would do…. I grabbed the shower cap from the hotel room and headed to Rhode Island! The drive wasn’t to bad, just rainy. I found a parking spot close and headed out to find some pre-race food. I found an adorable coffee/sandwich shop that had a phenomenal oatmeal bar. And this people, was the warmest part of my morning… I ordered a bowl with all the fixins and a cup of java and sat down to eat. Once I was done I headed out into rainy street to get lined up for the race. I put my stylish shower cap on and was ready to get ur done! I looked like a complete dork but didn’t give a crap. The race was through the streets of downtown Providence with a very fun twist and the 1  1/2 mile mark. We ran through the bus tunnels of the city and it was very dark, lit enough to see but still dark. Upon entering the tunnel, all I could hear was screaming and loud scary music. You ask why they were screaming? Well, an occasional zombie, monster or Freddy Krueger look a like were jumping out at the runners. I set my standards VERY low for this race due to the downpour . I had 2 goals for this race:  #1 goal was to finish even if I was completely soaked. #2 goal was to not piss myself if a zombie jumped out at me.  Sooo, I accomplished only 1 of them, just sayin! After about 33 minutes of my life, I crossed the finish line. Now usually I always include a post race photo with my medal…..NOT going to happen! I had mascara down to my ankles and looked like a very bad Alice Cooper knock off. I took of my sexy shower cap, whipped it in the trash and headed to my car back to Boston. Once back at the hotel I showered and laid down for a nap. Two races in two days kicked my butt.

I woke up after an hour and of course was starving. I figured I pretty much cleaned the Italian pub out of ravioli next door so lets do something different. I found a Cheesecake Factory close! Sweet baby Jesus, I see Chicken Piccata and cheesecake in my future. I enjoyed every bite and left there with a full belly to wind down and get ready to head back early morning.

 

My flight was at 6am back to Detroit. I arrived home and for the first time got to put 2 tacks into my US map!  15 done, next up New York in November ! See you in Central Park 🙂

Well, this was my biggest challenge so far in this journey. And to a lot of runners it may not be, but for me it was. My first time tackling 2 states in a weekend. I found this race a few months ago and instantly was sold on it. Salem, Massachusetts on the Saturday before Halloween, seriously? I figured if I was going to fly into Boston I could feasibly do Rhode Island too. Stay tuned for that blog entry but right now it is all about Witches, Wine and Chowder!

I flew into Boston on that Friday morning before the race. I actually rented a car this time due to the amount of driving on this trip. Thought I would give those Uber drivers a break from Miss Chatty Kathy in the back seat for a while. I immediately regretted this decision as soon as I started to drive through the Boston area. Whoa Nelly, if my GPS could of bitch slapped me, she would have. I made a few wrong turns here and there but eventually found my Doubletree Hilton hotel. I am sure my GPS was drinking a few after I turned her off.  I wasn’t able to check in right away so I left my luggage there and walked next door to the pub they recommended for lunch. This pub was different because it was Italian food, a bit confusing but all good.  I sat down, ordered a nice Chardonnay and relaxed a bit.  So this is when I started to look around at the patrons in this establishment and realized I was one of only 3 people not sporting New England Patriots attire. And by the way, Patriots fans, you are welcome for TOM Brady. He is a Michigan boy !  And over the course of the weekend, it became obvious that he is the man!  Anyways, I ordered an appetizer of homemade cheese ravioli and chilled till my room was ready.  I headed over , unpacked and got ready for my night in Boston. So about that…  I have a good guy friend from grade school who has lived there over 30 years and he offered to pick me up and give me the grand tour. And that is exactly what Glenn did. He took me on a 6 hour walking tour that involved my 1st and 2nd Samuel Adams beer ever, the best New England clam chowder, a visit to  the Cheers bar from the TV show, an amazing Italian dinner, and coffee and cannollis to end the night. Glenn and I have been friends since 6th grade so this was very cool to hang, reminisce, laugh and tip a few. He dropped me off at  11pm , I thanked him and hit the sack.

RACE DAY

Up early, coffee in tow, race attire on and this witch was ready  to run.  The race was in downtown Salem at 8am so it wasn’t too busy yet. It was a bit chilly but not too bad. The course was great because it ran through downtown Salem. I met a few runners before who were locals and they told me where to go for lunch for of course, MORE Chowder!  Okay, time to run!!!  Nice race, a few hills but mostly flat.  Couldn’t wait to finish so I could head back up there to sight see and get lunch. I changed into a dry shirt and walked back into town to start my adventure.  The coolest part of this day was that it was packed with people and most of them in costumes. I hit a few shops right away and grabbed a few souvenirs. I then headed over to the area where the graveyard and memorials are where the girls were hung at the Witch Trials. It was very sad to see this. 

Once I finished the tour I headed over to lunch. I had an amazing bowl of chowder, lobster roll and a glass of Chardonnay! My view was overlooking the harbor , sunny and 55 out. I was a happy WITCH!

I headed back to my hotel, showered and actually grabbed a quick nap. The next day would  include another 5K so I needed some rest. After my nappy-poo, I walked back to the Italian pub for more cheese ravioli. No judging please.. I over heard a few locals talking about the new casino 2 miles away… Hmmm, twist my arm.  After I paid, I called an Uber and headed over to play some quarter slots. Well, I lost $40 but it was still fun. Time to head back again for some sleep before 5K number 2 this weekend. Called an Uber and had one of my favorite rides so far. His name was Michael and he taught me how to speak in the Boston accent! He gave me a sentence to recite 10x over until I sounded like a local….and here it is:  ” I went to BAHSTON for CHOWDAH after I PAHKED the CAH!  I nailed it after 6x, BOOM!  Well, my first East coast race was in the books…next race ….Providence , Rhode island,  tomorrow!!!!!!

DOGS, HORSES and BOURBON, OH MY!

I found this race on my Runningintheusa.com  website a few months ago. It became obvious to me that I had to do it. The race was called Bark in the Park and it was a fundraiser for their Animal Adoption Society. I reached out to Mindy, their Director, a month ago to ask a few questions about the race. I also decided to see if they needed any items to donate and got a list from her too. So I collected a few items and set off for my Kentucky adventure.

I left early Friday morning and headed south down I75 and hung a right on I71 just inside Kentucky. About a 5 1/2 hour drive which isn’t too bad. I arrived at the Animal shelter around 2pm and was ready to meet Mindy and hopefully a few furry friends. Mindy gave me a nice tour , I made some new friends, donated some goodies for the pups and grabbed my race packet .

I headed out to my hotel to check in and chillax for a bit before DINNER of course. I wanted to do something special for this race because it  involved dogs so I grabbed a separate piece of cardstock that I would pin on the front of my shirt. I wanted to honor all of my dogs and my friend’s dogs and cats that had passed away that made a big impact on their lives. So I grabbed my sharpie and started to write. I loved how it turned out and it made me feel warm and fuzzy that I had 24 Fur-balls as angels that day.

Once completed I started to dream about dinner. As you know, the food the night before is always important and so is the liquid libations. Well, when in Kentucky you must have Bourbon and a big piece of meat, right? I did some research on my phone and found a restaurant close called Steak and Bourbon! BOOM, sold! I called my Uber for this one because Chardonnay girl over here has never tasted the Devil’s juice so I needed to be smart. I arrived at the restaurant and headed right to the bar for the full experience. The bartender knew immediately that I wasn’t from Louisville or anywhere within 400 miles away because I butchered the word LOUISVILLE as soon as I opened my mouth. So I got a quick tutorial on how to say it from her and a few locals because they made me recite it 15 times in a row. Now, Y’all, I got that word down pat! Time for some Bourbon she said. I told her I had to run in the morning so let’s not get too crazy. She gave me one sample and it was Old Forester. Holy Burning sensation Batman! My Chardonnay doesn’t burn on the way down so this was a new sensation. It was definitely a new taste for me. I am glad I tried it but I will stick to my white grapes in a glass. I ordered a big ass NY Strip and bunkered in for my pre race meal. Ate every  last piece and headed back to the hotel to chill and get ready for the morning!

 

RACE DAY

Woke up at 6 am, went down to the lobby for some protein (sausage) and a nice hot cup of Robust coffee. Robust is King for any morning before I race, gets me going….in more ways then one , LOL. Headed up to get dressed and on to the race. I knew I was in the right spot because I thought I had entered a huge dog park or the filming of the next 101 Dalmations. Dogs of all sizes and breeds and their owners were all over. Lots of stretching, sniffing and peeing on trees and that was just the owners…LOL, just kidding. Headed to starting line and waited for the start. The race was very pleasant, a bit hilly but overall not too bad.  I came in at a 10:30 pace so all good. Grabbed a water and headed back to my hotel to shower and head to my next adventure….CHURCHILL DOWNS!

I arrived there and immediately had chills knowing how crazy it must be here in May. I grabbed a few photos before my tour started and then got to experience it all. Loved it! I tried on a few fun Derby hats, saw an amazing short movie on its history but the highlight was walking on to the track. Instant goosebumps! The tour ended at the gift shop and then the option of a Mint Julep or a Blackberry Bourbon Iced Tea! I went with the iced tea and it was delish!!  Well, my time in Kentucky was over. Headed to my car to make the long trek home. Upon arrival at home, as always, I grabbed my push pin and pushed it into Louisville, Kentucky. State #13 is in the books. Thanks Kentucky for a wonderful 48 hours. 37 more states to go! Next up…. Massachusetts AND Rhode Island in the same weekend! FOR THE LOVE, here I come East Coast!

 

 

 

HUNKA HUNKA  HUMIDITY !!!

Headed out to Memphis early August 9th, day before the race. Kicked off the morning with my usual healthy breakfast at the airport consisting of a coney dog and chili fries. Nice easy and quick flight. Oh and by the way, my daughter, Kendall, tagged along on this race too. She decided last minute to run so I was thrilled to have her with me. Plus, she is officially 21 now so Beale Street was LOTS of fun. We landed and grabbed our rental car and headed to the Doubletree Hotel in Memphis to grab our race packets. Now I have to say, from the time we walked in to the lobby till the morning we flew home, the Southern hospitality was amazing. They are not kidding when they use this term. The ladies at the desk were so helpful, so excited that we came all the way from Detroit to run and couldn’t wait to see us in our costumes the next day.  We grabbed our packets and headed to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Homewood Suites  as usual. Love that chain, always kind, clean and have a great FREE supply of bacon at breakfast. Priorities, right?   Time to get fancy and head down to explore the infamous Beale Street.

BEALE STREET , BLUES  AND BBQ !

 

 

 

 

 

The drive to Beale Street was interesting  when we realized that we missed the exit and ended up in Mississippi for a split second but figured it out. Parked quickly and got out and started to explore. We hit up a ton of souvenir shops, grabbed a nice frozen Fireball Lemonade slushie , and started our mission for the ultimate BBQ rib dinner. Well, we found it at Blues City Cafe. We both ordered a half a rack with beans, cole slaw, fries and about 20 napkins too. As the picture above shows, it was phenomenal. There was alot of moaning and grunting going on as we polished off every last piece of meat. Once we got all the BBQ sauce off our bodies we headed out to find some blues music to listen too.  As we were walking down the street I could hear a blues version of “Tennessee Whiskey” coming out of their doors and knew this was the place. Parked ourselves at the bar and listened to her band play a few songs . Her last song was “Rollin” by Tina Turner and of course, Kendall and I couldn’t sit still! We were singing along at the top of our lungs bouncing around on our barstools. What a fun night hanging out . Headed back to hotel to lay out costume and hit the sack.

RACE DAY

Race outfit was my favorite so far. I figured everyone would be in the Elvis white jumpsuit so I wanted to be a bit more original. So my theme was Blue Hawaii Elvis. I bought a Blue Hawaii tshirt, grabbed a grass skirt and accented it with leis! Very festive I thought and was excited too because this race did have a costume contest!! Oh, did i mention the race takes part in front of Graceland on Elvis Presley Blvd. The route was a bit hilly but still amazing to run around this course. The temp was around 90 with 100% humidity! I was completely drenched at the finish line of course . My playlist was all Elvis music! The King of Rock and Roll was with me that day.  Once we both finished we headed to the festivities to get our medal and post race food. Ok, the food was heavenly, we got chips and salsa, a Krispy Kreme donut and a beer… seriously?

Well now it was time for the costume contest…..drumroll please…… I came in 2nd place in the female category! BAM!  I was geeked but better than that the winner ended up being a DOG! What a great race to experience!

We headed to our car, quickly changed and headed to Graceland . We toured the mansion and museum for the afternoon . Magical day so far. Once done we asked some locals the best place for fried chicken and they said to go to Uncle Lou’s Chicken down the street.  Another huge hit! The chicken was soooooo good and againg grunting and moaning was happening at our table again.

Headed back to the hotel to shower and chill before our last evening there.

Grabbed a late dinner , some last minute shopping and back to get ready to head home in the morning. Hit up a Waffle House on the way to the airport for some breakfast and lst minute Southern Hospitality! Thank you Memphis for making my 12th state my favorite so far.  Next stop…….. KENTUCKY!

 

IS IT A COUGAR 5K ?

I found this race a few months back when I realized I would be at a business convention there in June.  The race was perfect and has a sentimental meaning to it. Let me explain… The race was called HOT 2 TROT. Now this could be really interesting if its a bunch of 50 year old women chasing around 42 year old men in spandex running shorts but it wasn’t. Sorry to disappoint you all ( cue growl sound).

Basically, Cottage Grove is a small town in the Midwest of our great country. It is 10 miles from Madison. The theme of the race is to support the Cottage Grove Fire Dept.! OMG, once I read that I was in of course. Two very important men in my life are retired firemen…my Dad and my Brother! So I was signing up immediately.

After an amazing week in Madison at my conference and eating every cheese curd in sight, I was ready to knock out state #11.  Now I needed an awesome running outfit , right?  Well to stick with the theme I called my brother and he shipped me one of his Midland , Michigan FD uniform shirts. I wore it with blue camoflauge running pants and was ready to run!

RACE DAY

Up early for this 7:30am race. Not sure if the birds were even up yet. Grabbed some H2O and a handful of granola and called my Uber. Mark was my driver and better than that an avid runner. He dropped me off at the top of the park and wished me success in my journey . 5 stars Mark!

I grabbed my packet, pinned my number on and made my way to the starting line. Grabbed a great photo with a young firemen and got ready to race. Race itself was very low key. We ran through the park and a few residential streets. Very pretty. I try very hard now to be present in the moment during every race because that is what this journey is all about. Seeing the people cheering the runners along the course always gives me goosebumps. A few actually yelled out, “Thank you for your service”! And of course I yelled back, “Thank You”! (Hey, its my brother’s shirt, give me a break)  Ended up with a 10:38 pace thanks to 4 hills. Hills and I have a very tumultuous relationship, trust me.

Headed back to my hotel and was excited that the free breakfast was still in full swing. Ran in, grabbed 4 pieces of protein aka BACON , a cup of robust coffee and headed to my room to unwind and pack to fly home.

Super excited to walk into my house and put that pin into Madison on my map! 11 down, 39 to go. Next up… Elvis Presley 5K in Memphis ,Tennessee in August. Hope its not hot !!!! UGH.

ZOOM THROUGH THE RAIN!

State #10 is in the books, I am officially 20% done with this crazy journey! I found this race as a last minute option knowing I was already going to see family in North Carolina that weekend. Greenville, SC is only an hour and a half from Charlotte so why not knock out another state. The race itself took place in their local zoo so it sounded fun already. I flew into Charlotte 2 days prior to the race to hang out with my sister in law and have some girl time together. This basically means SHOPPING and FOOD! My daughter chose to run this one with me which made me happy. She was with me for my first 5K when I started the goal so it meany alot that she would do another with me because she HATES running and she will tell you that .  She isn’t sold on my crazy outfit choices so I promised I would tone it down this time which means…NO TUTU! Because it was in a zoo, of course an animal theme has to happen. Well, I have some awesome running pants with my favorite animal on it so I knew what I was wearing. Disney Dogs Gone Wild!!!

RACE DAY

Headed out to SC early to get our packets .  Realized we needed to eat something before the race so I went with my usual healthy breakfast (see photo below of my pre-race choice)!

Once I ate my chunk of protein and drank my aspartame laced beverage, it was on to the starting line. Upon arrival I ran into a LION! Not a real Lion but the kind we boooooooo for back in Detroit. This runner had a Stafford jersey on so of course I saw a great photo opportunity. We chatted for a bit and waited for the gun to go off to kick off the race. Weather at race time you ask? Complete CRAP! It started to rain and continued  the whole 3.1 miles. Rain tends to be a big motivator for me because at that point you just want to be done. I looked like a sweaty, wet rat crossing that finish line and there will be zero photos of that, I promise.  Pace was at 10:33 per mile which isn’t too bad . Overall, fun event and  I felt a great sense of accompliment knowing I only have 40 left to run. Next up….Wisconsin ! Home of the CHEESE CURD!

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.

 

A DOUBLE LOSS

Well this is the blog entry that has taken the longest to write. My reasons are that I just have not been in the right mindset to even do it because it makes my heart hurt.  I wrote about this fear after the Cleveland Ohio 5K that the reality of not everyone in my life being present when I cross that final finish line at the 50^th state. Unfortunately now it has happened and twice in 6 months.

I recently lost 2 of my biggest cheerleaders , my father in law and my mother in law. I don’t even have the words sometimes to explain what they meant to me, but I will try.

I met them as a 17 year old friend to their daughter in 1983. Popped in and out of their home over the next few years but it all changed when I married their son. My relationship status now became “Daughter in Law” and not squirrelly, tall, softball player friend of their daughter’s.

Over the next 30 years they became 2 of my biggest influences and role models in my life, not only for myself but for my 2 children.

I have learned strength, kindness, commitment, respect and most of all LOVE from them.

My memories through these years are forever tucked away in my heart.

I will continue to unlock them and pull from them over the rest of my life.

As I sit here in Wisconsin, on the eve of my 11^th 5K, I reflect on their impact in my life and how I will honor their legacy throughout mine.

Love and Miss You Both !