Beating the Street

I ran the Beat the Street for Little Feet again this year, but this year without my friend Erin, who was out of town.
It was a lovely morning in Oakhurst, where the race is held. Sunny and not too warm just yet.
I'd forgotten what a hilly course it is, though!
Despite that, my big feet did manage to cross the finish line.

Pre-race silliness

I haven't been running as much the past month. My foot has really been bothering me. I'm trying to walk more at work now that the weather is nicer, and several of us are doing the "staircase challenge" and taking the stairs -- all nine flights -- at least once a day at work. I'm usually winded by floor five, but I get get there!
Just like Saturday, I accept the hilly challenges, and I get there!

Singling out the Singleton 5K

Once again I made a bonehead move when it comes to a race.
No, I didn't end up in the wrong race today. But I swore I had signed up for the Singleton 10K back in March. I checked registration yesterday when it dawned on me that I hadn't been getting reminder emails about the race. Turns out, I must not have hit submit because I wasn't registered!
Thankfully, this was an Atlanta Track Club race and I could sign up this morning before the race with no penalty. And I dropped down to the 5K, which I'm glad I did. This was an odd double loop and I was ready to be done after the first loop!
I ran the race with my friend Kellie. We hadn't run anything in a while together, so it was great to catch up.

Me and Kellie

We're going to find another race to run soon. And I'll be sure to make sure I really do sign up for it!

Running the Bluegrass

Last weekend I got to Run the Bluegrass, a half marathon in Lexington, Kentucky, and upon completion, I picked up my 23rd state in which I've run a race.
I ran the race with my friend Peggy.
It was a challenging race in more than one aspect.
First, I had been struggling with bad allergies in the week before the race. I was taking allergy medicine that made me really dehydrated and my energy level was really down, since my body was trying to fight off the allergens.
As such, I didn't sleep well at all the two days leading up to the race. I would start coughing in the middle of the night and get up and move to the couch so I wouldn't wake up Peggy, but the couch was not an entirely comfortable place to sleep, so I really didn't. Thank goodness we had a suite or it would have been worse as I would not have had anywhere else to go!
Despite not feeling well, we did get out and about to see some of Lexington.
We picked up our race packets at Keeneland, where thoroughbreds are auctioned and raced. The grounds are really beautiful.

Outside the expo

After we got our race numbers and picked up a few things we needed for the race, we had lunch in downtown Lexington and then found a small bourbon distillery where we got a tour and had a tasting.
Bourbon Barrel Distillery is really a small shop, but the guy who gave us the tour was very knowledgeable and I feel like I learned a lot!

Peggy having a taste

 So the day of the race I awoke ill-rested and not feeling great. But, there's a race to run!
The morning was cool but clear. However, it was a bit breezy and the wind was supposed to really pick up around noon, just when I should be finishing up the race. Peggy and our new friend Brian, whom I met Thursday night at the hotel's happy hour and needed a ride to the start, arrived in plenty of time.

Me, Brian and Peggy

At the start

The start was really cool. It was also at Keeneland, and we heard the National Anthem, then My Old Kentucky Home, and then the bugler's call to start horse racing.

Riders, er Runners, up!

The 13.1-mile course was completely around horse farms, and the course was one of the prettiest I've ever run.

Along the route

A hay bale Minion!

Lonely tracks

A selfie with the thoroughbreds!

Well, hello there!

We joked afterward that the thoroughbreds came to watch us run by, rather than the other way around.

Coming into the finish

You can almost tell from this race photo how windy it had become by the time I was finishing. I came down the "final furlong" to a pretty strong headwind.

Finished!

New race bling

I was very happy to be finished! The finisher's medal symbolizes War Admiral, Seabiscuit and Man O' War, three legendary race horses.
But the best part of the day was yet to come! My cousin Chad and his wife Cathy drove down from Cincinnati and met us for dinner Saturday evening. We almost forgot to take a photo together, and we did it outside the hotel's parking lot. By now you can see how windy it was!

Cousins!

In all, it was a great trip. I wish I had felt a little better, but I'm glad I got to Run the Bluegrass.

Sisters are doing it for themselves

I ran the Atlanta Women's 5K March 29 with a newly minted sister, my friend Angela!
We ran the race, one of Atlanta Track Club's offerings, around Chastain Park and this year we signed up as a sisters team, "Too Cool for McSchool," a play on both of our last names.
It was a good morning for running, but my legs weren't exactly feeling it. Probably because spring has sprung in Atlanta and my allergies were just starting to kick in. I took an allergy pill that morning and although I could breathe, it made me so thirsty.
Here we are before the start.

Me and Angela, looking too cool

Finished!

 For the first year, we received a nice finisher's medal for the 5K. In year's past, we've received a nice piece of Smart Glass Jewelry, and although I'm a bit disappointed we didn't receive that this year, the finisher's medal is lovely, and it has a charm in the center you can remove and use to make your own jewelry. I think I'll leave it where it is.

Charming finisher's medal

This is a great race, even if our sister's team didn't win or place, we sure had fun!

It pays to hear the announcements....

I did something at today's Tour deCatur 5K that I have never done before. I started in the wrong race!
I heard the announcer call for everyone to get lined up at the start, so I did. I noticed other folks with 5K race bibs on, but there were also tons of little kids. You guessed it. I lined up for the one mile fun run!
I realized my mistake as we came back toward the finish. But I also saw the other 5K folks lining up for that start, so I scooted out of the one mile fun run race and queued up for the race I intended to run!
I got a four-miler in today!

Early luck of the Irish

I ran the Shamrock N Roll 10K just a week after the half marathon.
It was a crisp, clear morning. A really beautiful morning for a race.
At first, I wasn't sure how I would do because I'd been so tired after the half marathon that I hadn't run at all.
This is that two loop course around Atlantic Station. The course isn't that great. And there is that hill up Northside Drive. And as a 10K participant, I get to do that hill twice!
As it turns out, I did pretty well on this course. I ran it in one of my better 10K times.
There were photographers along the course and this year the race photos were free. But then, sometimes you don't want the free ones. I mean really, you can't get me when I'm smiling? Because I did smile at you Mr. Photographer. And I waved! Where is THAT photo?

I must be thinking how much I dislike this course!

Oh well, what are you going to do? I had the luck of the Irish on the course, but not with the photographer.

A running party in New Orleans

I've completed a race in my 22nd state, and not only ran a race, but did so in the party city of New Orleans.
We had great weather, great food, and great drinks!
I ran the race with my long-time running buddy Jessica, and a new running buddy, Nicole.
We got in a couple of days before the race and got our race materials, then wandered the French Quarter. We ate a muffuletta at Central Grocery and even had some pre-race hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's. Even so, we made it to race start!

Me, Nicole and Jessica at the start

We're jazzed to be here!

Here we go!

This race was part of the Rock N Roll running series, so there are bands all along the course. We started near the French Quarter and then headed down toward the Garden District.

A jazz band along the course

 The course seemed to go a long way down the Garden District and we traveled along the trolley car tracks, then turned around and came right back.

Mardi Gras beads in the trees

 The race was about two weeks after Mardi Gras, but evidence of the celebrations were all around! There were beads up in the trees. There were broken beads along the road, too.

Bagpipers along the course

Running near Jackson Square

We eventually ran through the French Quarter, right by Jackson Square, before turning up the Esplanade and then to City Park, where we finished.

As you can see, we had glorious weather. 

Finished!

How every half marathon should end

 We finished the race and made it back over to Pat O'Brien's, where I had a hurricane, fried oysters and chicken gumbo. The gumbo was only so-so. I should have had another dozen of those oysters. The breading was made with some of Pat O'Brien's bloody Mary mix and they were so good!

The new bling

Yummy post-race lunch

And so I've checked another state off the list. Louisiana makes No. 22. It was good to be back in New Orleans. I was there about 20 years ago and I loved being back.
I hope it's not another 20 years before I'm back again.