#43 Sharing Alabama Christmas vibes in May

I'm finally catching up on writing the post for my last marathon. Remembering the cooler temperatures is helping as I suffer through the 100+ heat index right now in SWFL. Last December, I checked off Alabama with the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville. I was pleasantly surprised by Hunstville, and enjoyed my time there a lot more than I thought I would. Some great breweries, great artists and of course...rockets! 

I started my day when I arrived by grabbing my race packet and then headed to their version of a Christkindl German market. This one was significantly smaller in scale to the one I'm used to in Chicago, and was disappointed there were no commerative boot-shaped mugs. There were a lot of artists booths set up which I spent some time browsing, and I found some holiday gifts at one booth, Davida Holiday Designs, where the owner takes old decorative tins and turns them into fun jewelry. Definitely check out her shop on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/shop/DavidaHolidayDesigns

After the market, I headed towards downtown Huntsville, where I had bought tickets for a luminary walking tour of some historic homes. I went to Green Bus Brewing to carb load with a beer and kill some time until it got dark.
I didn't find this out until I was nearby, but the event had moved from Saturday to Friday night because some rought weather was anticipated for Saturday. In all fairness, there was a tornado watch in effect that night. However, the weather seemed fine to me so I started out to do my own walking tour. Although the luminaries weren't present, the homes were still shining their lights. 

None of them were over the top Griswold style, but they were very tastefully and beautifully decorated. 

After walking around looking at historic homes, I headed to dinner at Oshi Poke Bowl and Sushi downtown. This place definitely gets points for presentation. 

After dinner, sticking with the holiday vibe, I strolled back to my hotel via Huntsvilles' Tinsel Trail, which is a park full of hundreds of decorated trees. 

Business and individuals from the area sponsor and decorate each tree differently. Here are some of my favorites. 

Now onto race day. The forecast called for rain, and it was raining when I woke up that morning. This did not bode well. Miraculously, the rain stopped about 10 minutes before the race did. Hallelujah! The temperature was also perfect. The course had some rolling hills here and there, but overall was a pretty nice course to run. And we did run through NASA's Space and Rocket Center.  This is also where Space Camp is. Anyone remember that '80s movie? 

This race allows runners to run the front half marathon, the back half marathon or the full marathon. So if you run the full, you get a medal for finishing the front half, the back half, and the full. Maybe some people would appreciate this, but after running a full marathon, the last thing I want is a lot of heavy metal hanging on my body. But if you like a lot of bling, this race is for you! 

In typically fashion, I followed my race with post-race oysters at a place called the Corner Pour. This was a cute beer and wine bar in downtown Huntsvillt that also happened to have some live acoustic music to add to my Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, my search on Yelp shows this place is no longer open. But thanks for the friendly bar chatter while you were open Corner Pour! 

After oysters and other snacks, I went to try out another brewery, Innerspace Brewing. I had a sampler there and second dinner as well, since they also made wood-fired pizza. Who can be around the smell of pizza and not partake? I took that to go so I could eat shamelessly in private in my hotel room. :) 

I took another loop aroud the Tinsel Trail after dinner, and grabbed my final meal in Hunstville the next morning. If you're looking for a decent coffee and a good breakfast, try the Cozy Cow. Overall, Hunstville was a great host, and I was pleasantly surprised by my first visit to Alabama. Next in the queue, another A state, Alaska next month! I'll be sure to share some great pics with you all probably next December when I finally sit down to write it! 

#42: Island Time in Martha's Vineyard

I decided to start of my first race of 2023 in Massachusetts. Or of the coast of MA, on Martha's Vineyard. You might be thinking, wait, you're not going to run Boston as your MA race? While that would be amazing (and was my secret hope to save Boston for last since it's always right around my birthday, so how cool what that be to run that as I turn 50?), I've got to be honest, I'll never qualify for Boston. I'm getting slower and slower with each year, and my fastest marathon would have qualified me if I was 50 (I ran that time in my 30s). So Martha's Vineyard seemed like a good compromise. Plus, as an avid Jaws fan, I was looking forward to some kitschy shark-themed things. 

It is a bit of a pain to get there from anywhere other than the New England area, since you have to take a plane, car and a ferry. But I did have a crew of friends with me this trip, which made it more bearable. My twin sis, Krystal, frequent race-cation friend, Bethany and my boss/friend Pete. We took the ferry over the morning before the race, and this picture makes it look like it was a lot warmer than it was. Personally, coming from SWFL where it is constantly hot and humid, the temps felt amazing and bode well for race day. 

We stayed in Oaks Bluff and after hitting the expo, we hit up a local brewery, Offshore Ale Company. The AirBnB we stayed at had an empty growler that we took to fill up, which was so smart and the best deal of anything on the island. Everything was a bit pricey because it all has to come over on the ferry. Which actually doesn't explain why the seafood was also expensive, because there are tons of fishing docks there.... I digress. If you like beer and wood fired pizza, check this place out. Also a solid lobster roll.  We followed up lunch by a little shopping around the island. Also, this island is way bigger than I expected it to be. 

We didn't make plans for dinner the night before the race, which in hindsight was poor planning, but we did partake in some pre-race oysters. When in the northeast, seems silly not to, right? (We did also have some the night before in Boston.) 

The race day forecast called for rain, but starting off it was nicely overcast, cool and dry. Krystal and Bethany decided to team up for a half-marathon relay, while over-achiever Pete joined me in the full marathon. The course had a few out and back parts to it, but the first half ran through a scenic state park on the island. The organization could have been better, since we were promised energy gels, but none were left when we got to that aid station. We also heard along the way that one of the shuttle buses to the start was 20 minutes late. We heard this from a 20-something kid who was on that late bus, starting 20 mins after us, but then ran past us (humility check). 

Relay finishers

Jaws is back there somewhere

The last part of the course, it did start to rain and there was a strong wind...fortunately it was behind us. If we had been running into it, I would have probably just walked it in. We stopped for a selfie as we ran over the "Jaws bridge."  I honestly don't remember this part of the movie, but my sister looked it up to confirm. 

Medal that didn't have a shark

Coastline course

I was struggling at the end quite a bit. I had been sick with what I thought was a cold the week before, and then found out after the race, from my husband who caught this from me, that he had COVID. Which likely means, I also had COVID. So all things considered, my time wasn't too bad.  Bethany actually rented a bike to come find us on the course and even braved the rain to cheer us on for 10 seconds. Her smiling face appeared in the last few miles, and it's funny how much seeing a friendly face and hearing some words of encouragement can make a difference and get you to the finish.           

It was pretty rainy the rest of the day so we lounged around our rental house eating popcorn, left over pizza and drinking beer from our growler. Also over the course of the weekend, we watched the entire Godfather trilogy. The second one is the best, third is the worst. Discuss amongst yourselves. 

Dinner was in Edgartown (yep, where the Kennedy's stay) at a place called Detente. Great little wine and spirits shop right next to that place as well which had the best selection of any other place we checked out on the island.  

The remnants

Fish market vibes

We didn't have oysters race-day, which I know is out of the norm. We saved up for them at the Menemsha fish market, where we had a seafood extravaganza of oysters, lobster bisque, lobster roll, and clam chowder. All amazing. 

We spent the day after the race driving around the island. The weather was beautiful: sunny and cool. We visited the Aquinnah Cliffs and the Gay Head Lighthouse which have a pretty cool story of folklore attached to them. Apparently a giant named Moshup would grab whales from the ocean and slap them against the side of the cliff to kill them, and the whales' blood is what gives the cliffs their red color. Or it's the clay. 

Aquinnah Cliffs

Gay Head Lighthouse

We found another cool brewery back near Edgardtown, called Bad Martha's. This place is nestled right inside of a nursery (plants, not babies). Great to sit outside, have some great beer and an ridiculously large cheese plate. We had a few beers, a lot of cheese and played some cornhole or bags, depending on where you're from.

Overall, it was a fun weekend, and sometimes it is actually fun to have someone to suffer through a marathon with. I run so many alone, so I forget this. I'm glad this race gave me the opportunity to visit a place I probably would never go to, which really is one of the coolest things about taking on this challenge of running a marathon in every state. I'd be surprised if I return to Martha's Vineyard. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but so hard to get to if you don't live in that part of the country. We took every form of transportation except a train to get there and back. But if you live up there, go for it! Another state checked off, and only 8 states left and 4 years to get all 50 by 50! Too far along to stop now. 

2022 Marathon Blog Bundle

So I did not get around to writing a blog for ANY of the marathons I ran in 2022 before 2022 actually ended. I guess I have a goal for 2023 now. Stay even slightly more on top of writing these things. Here are some brief highlights for marathons 39, 40 and 41. 

#39: May 2022 in Eugene, Oregon

Bigfoot Homer

This was such a cool marathon as Eugene, OR is known as "TrackTown USA." But for some, that particular area in Oregon is also cool because Springfield, OR, is said to be the "Springfield" of the Simpsons. The race course takes you through Springfield's main street and past some fun murals that are all over the town. My sister, who joined me to do her first half-marathon (woot woot!) is also a big Simpsons fan so we did walk around the town the next day to see all of them, or those we could find at least. And these are just the tip of the mural iceberg.  

Stupid sexy Flanders

If you want a flat course, this one is pretty level. The temperature happened to be great, and the sun stayed behind the clouds until the end, which was nice so it didn't get too hot. The best part of the entire race is finishing on the track of Hayward Field, which has hosted U.S. Olympic trials and the World Athletic Championships.

Finishers!

Lots of energy from the crowd as you come in and your name comes up on the big jumbo-tron as well. Another great things about the finish was free (good) beer, and freshly made pancakes. It sounds weird, but IPA and pancakes isn't a bad combo.

To celebrate finishing marathons and half-marathons, we decided to enjoy some of the local wineries the day after the race. Our first stop was White Rose Estates. The employees were personable and knowledgeable, the wine was tasty, and the tasting room was really cool. Worth a stop if you're in the area.

White Rose Estates

Stop #2 was Domain Drouhin. This place felt very French and the wine was delicious. Probably the best of the wineries we visited. 

Domaine Drouhin

Third and final stop was Argyle, known for its bubbly, so of course I had to try a flight of the sparkling ones. The tasting room was really cool, and modern, and they also had some cheese plates for purchase which was nice since we were starving, but probably #3 in the ranking of wine tastiness. 

Argyle Winery bubbly flight

You may be wondering at this point, why I have not mentioned having oysters. Well, oddly enough, I could not find an oyster joint open on a Sunday afternoon/evening in Eugene so I had to wait until we got to Portland for me to have oysters. My sis was a good sport since she's a vegetarian and tagged along with me.  We went to a place that seemed like it had been around for a really long time, so it had to be good, right? The oysters were fresh and did not disappoint. I do love a good West Coast oyster.  

Dan and Louis Oyster Bar

And that was it for Oregon. 

#40: August 2022 in Rachel, Nevada

This is a race I was supposed to run in August 2021, but got hit with COVID-19 the week before the race. The race organizers were kind enough to give me a partial credit towards the 2022 registration. So, the Extraterrestrial Full Moon Midnight Marathon allowed me to check off Nevada. This race can be summed up fairly easily. Horrible. Ok, maybe that is harsh, since there is a little bit of coolness factor on running a marathon in the middle of the night. But geez, it is challenging to work with when to sleep and when to eat with the odd timing. 

Despite winning my age group (out of maybe 5 of us, but I'll take the win) this race was not fun at all. You catch a bus at around 8 pm from Las Vegas that takes you to the start line at the Little Ale'Inn. It starts at midnight and you run 26.2 miles one way (7 miles uphill) and back and then another way and back along the Extraterrestrial Highway. It's called this I guess because this road has the most UFO sightings. Runners are also warned to look out for cows. My first thought was, cows in the desert? Do the UFOs pick them up from Iowa and beam them down there? I didn't see any UFOs or cows for that matter, which was disappointing on both fronts. 

Because we were running in the middle of the night and literally in the middle of the highway in the desert, you are required to wear lots of reflective things and a light. Which means you basically become a beacon to every biting insect in the desert. I didn't realize they had any biting insects in the desert but they do. I also now know what a windshield at night now feels like. 

Glimpse of the full moon.

I did not partake of oysters after this one, as I spent most of the day sleeping since it was about 12 hours later when I got back to my hotel room at 8:00 am. Probably the only time I've been in Vegas and didn't go to the pool, catch a show or go to a club. So I'm officially old. And with that....Nevada, check. 

#41: December 2022 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Kiawah Island is near Charleston, which is one of my favorite cities. As it was the holiday season, I tried to partake of some of the local holiday events, which included the Aquarium Aglow at the South Carolina Aquarium. Saw some lights and some sharks so can't complain too much, although it was a bit smaller than I was expecting. But I did learn some valuable information, which now that I know this, I'm surprised this doesn't happen to me more often than it does (I'm talking about getting pooped on). 

I had an amazing carb-loaded dinner at Cru Cafe. I had a pork schnitzel dish, which was hearty and delicious. The staff was really great, even the kitchen team since I had a bar side seat to watch all the magic happening back there. Super cute place with phenomenal food. It was also good the next day post-race as well. 

The course took place on Kiawah Island, which is home to a massive golf resort. The logistics were pretty annoying, since it was hard to find accommodations on the island, and even if you did, a shuttle to the start is still required. So you had to get to the parking area pretty early, but at least they had a warm building to wait inside since we were all there at least an hour before the start. And race-day packet pick up was another nice perk.

There were several "Alligator crossing" and "Beware of alligators" signs, which I suppose now living in Florida should feel more normal, but typically where I run, it's not so close to murky waters edges, like this course was. The morning started out a but drizzly, but that stopped early on, so the weather was pretty perfect for marathon running, with temperatures in the 50s. But I had a hard time warming up after this one. I tried to warm up from the inside out by having one of the free beers on hand.  This race also has a pretty cool medal, if anyone is in it for the bling. Good colors, moving parts. What more can you ask for? 

I did partake of oysters after this race, and went to Pearlz Oyster Bar. I had some oysters that I'd never heard of before, Low Tiders, which I think were from North Carolina, and Rocky Rhodes from Rhode Island, I'm guessing? Wherever they were from, they were all pretty darn good. I chatted with a plastic surgeon sitting next to me at the bar, which is always one of the fun parts of traveling to do these races, and when you go by yourself, (someone has to stay home with the dogs), it forces you to be open to chatting with random strangers either on the course, or at the bar. 

And that brings 2022 running to a close. I started the year with West Coast oysters, and ended with East Coast oysters, with some French ones in between! I think I've only done a handful of short runs since that last race in early December. The motivation has been a little lacking for me lately, so hoping with the new year, I have some renewed motivation to get out there, try and bring my speed back up (because I've gotten soooooo slow), and keep plugging away at these last 9 states. I'm not sure what's up next, but I can be sure that I'll write about it several months after it happens. 

The end of the year leaves me very grateful for surviving my first year of marriage as of yesterday (it was actually really easy as my husband is great), and also surviving my first hurricane in Florida, Hurricane Ian, which was massively devastating to so many in the area where I live. I am so grateful to be physically capable enough to join my colleagues and the community in volunteering to do the hard work of helping those less fortunate clear out their damaged homes. It was a very humbling and heartbreaking experience. I hope 2023 brings the rebuilding and healing to those who have been impacted by this storm and all the other craziness going on in the world today. Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2023! 

 

Montana Mountains and Connecticut Cursing

I went into 2021 planning on running a midnight marathon in Nevada, but COVID had other plans. A week before that race, I tested positive. Fortunately my symptoms were fairly mild and I was only off the road for about a week. Since I was already trained to run a race, I tried to find another state with one coming up. Bozeman Montana was the winner. So a month after having COVID, (and a few negative tests) I was off to Bozeman to run a hilly, mountainous marathon. 

I was pleasantly surprised by Bozeman. A very hipster-y sort of town. The first day I arrived I explored the Big Sky area, which was about 45 mins from Bozeman, in the Gallatin Valley. There were a lot of hiking options, but since I was alone and running a marathon the next day, I tried to play it safe by picking a family-friendly, well populated trail, the Ousel Falls trail. I realized why they call Montana the Big Sky state. I finished off the day carb-loading at a local brewery, Beehive Basin, in downtown Big Sky. There was no shortage of good beer in Montana. 

Race day morning, we were loaded onto school buses and dropped off in the middle of a dark field in the middle of nowhere. If I watched a lot a true crime, I'm sure my imagination would have been going through a lot of unpleasant scenarios. I think it was too cold through for any murderous ill-doers to be out there. It was maybe about 36 degrees, and I was not dressed for these temperatures. By the time the race started, I had no feeling left in my toes and couldn't stop shivering.  

The sun quickly came up though and while it was a challenging, hilly course, the views were amazing. I didn't finish with a great time, but I did finish, which I was pretty proud of having only had COVID a month earlier. 

Very Montana medal

I did visit a few breweries after the race, and ordered an IPA at Nordic Brewery simply because it was named Princess Unicorn. I typically avoid IPAs, but how could I pass up that name. And much to my dismay, they are starting to grow on me. I also visited the local hot springs just outside of downtown Bozeman.  They were a bit commercialized and not a pool of hot water in the wilderness, but still pretty amazing. Plus, you get the benefit of going from the hot pools into the icy cold baths and then repeating. They say it's good for circulation. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have the traditional oysters after this race. I did replenish my carbs with some delicious pasta at a restaurant with very unique artwork. 

About a month and a half later, I snuck in another marathon before the end of 2021 to try and keep on track with at least 2 races a year. I headed off to West Haven, Connecticut for the Savin Rock marathon. 

A bit of a different landscape from Montana. West Haven greeted me with gray skies and rainy beaches. One thing that both race courses had in common where the hills. I spent most of this race cold, wet and cursing the weather the entire way. I really did not want to be out there and it was really hard to keep going. At least I got a medal with a shark on it out of the whole ordeal.

The presumed Savin Rock

Right down the road from my hotel, in the famed town of Orange, CT was the PEZ factory. Since it was still raining, and I couldn't think of anything else to do, I took a visit. Some interesting facts, PEZ was invented in Austria in 1927 as a breath mint to cover smoke breath, and derived from the German word for peppermint, "pfeffrerminz."  I'm not sure how it became the company of character dispensers, but they had display after display of old dispensers throughout the years. I captured photos of some real gems, even one that I'm not sure ever made it to market, which is probably a good thing. I'm not sure the Colonel would have been flattered by his likeness.

 I did finish the visit off with my traditional post-race oysters at a place in New Haven that made amazing cocktails as well. 

So that wrapped up 2021 for races 37 and 38.  And I rang in 2022 by getting married! Upcoming blog on my first race of 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, and perhaps a second chance at that Nevada midnight marathon!