Arkansas, a.k.a. North Carolina

So it's been a while since I posted here. And as usual this post is well after I've run the race I'm writing about. ;)  In my last post, I was 4 days into a move to Naples, FL and 2 days into a new job. It's been almost 8 months there, and I'm started to feel a bit settled in, although I miss Chicago, my friends there, and my old life there everyday. Fortunately, many of my northern friends made the transition much easier by making the trek down to escape the winter months and enjoy the beaches of Naples!

A glimpse of Shanghai

This new job has given me a some work/life balance, so I actually committed to doing some legitimate training. Intervals, speed work, strength training, all that fun stuff. Last time I posted, I was registered for the Little Rock Marathon in March with a ginormous medal in my future.  Sadly, that future did not materialize. The week before the race I had to travel to China for work (another reason to like this new job!). 

I was scheduled to arrive back in Florida Friday night, to catch a Saturday morning flight to Little Rock. I was mentally preparing for running this thing jet lagged and tired. Unfortunately, we were delayed leaving Shanghai, so I missed my connection in Montreal because somehow they decided to close US customs just as we were all rushing up to catch our flights that had not yet left. Anyway, I spend the night in Montreal and the entire day Saturday in the Montreal airport, so needless to say, I did not make it to Little Rock. But I couldn't let that training go to waste!  Fortunately, I found a marathon the very next weekend in Wilmington Beach, NC, a state I'd not yet checked off the list. So I signed myself up, booked a flight and hotel, and I was set.

Of course, I had some flight delays and was worried that again, I might miss another race. Fortunately it worked out and I made it on time to get to the expo and pick up my race packet. The weather race day was a perfect temperature, although a little bit of drizzle was there to start us off. But I didn't care too much about that.

The course was nice and flat, although not a ton of support from spectators. But great volunteers! All in all, if anyone is looking to check off a race in NC, this one isn't too bad. Plus, the finish line had some good beer from Dogfish Head did hit the spot. And, in usual tradition, I did find a spot for some post-race oysters in town. Hieronymus Seafood and Oyster Bar is a low key, unpretentious spot for some great oysters and seafood.


The day after the race, I checked out historic downtown Wilmington. Oh, and I forgot to mention I did have a great companion traveling with me, Flat Stanley (one of my best friend's daughter had a school project, so I took him along to experience some highlights of NC).  We saw old battleships, cotton exchanges, and horse drawn carriages. There was also a cool shop called Black Cat that has a gift for anyone on your gift list!


So North Carolina held the spot of my 33rd marathon.  As I'm writing this, I just finished running a marathon #34 in CO, but that deserves it's own post!