Bucket list part three

its ‘s time for the final installation of my favorite bucket list of runs. Again, the list is in no particular order, but i think you can tell living in Louisiana and Tennessee, this is where some of my favorite races have been.

so now we finish the list with a little lagniappe (see last post for the explanation)

5. The Great Smoky Mountain half marathon is without a doubt one of the most scenic races we have ever run. It was on the radar of the girlfriend so we registered not knowing what it would be like. Of course you say Smoky Mountains and you think MOUNTAINS!

The race takes place in the small city of Townsend, Tennessee about 20 miles south of Sevierville. We had been there once before to take part in the Santa Hustle half marathon so it was a great place to be based out of.

Townsend is located at the base of the Smokies so you don’t actually run through the park, as the roads are narrow and traffic just wouldn’t allow it. But i will tell you that the scenery you view along the route is some of the most beautiful you will ever see while sharing a run.

being that the race is in September and in the foothills, we didn’t know what to expect as far as temperatures. but we were pleasantly surprised. it rained a little but quickly let up by the time the bus dropped us off at the start. That’s right…another bus ride. so you ride 13 miles out, and run back. oh, and it warmed up to the 60’s!

starting out, we wound our way through some country roads while seeing the mountains all around us. creeks, trees, shear rock faces all around us! as far as the hills, well take a look at the course and you will see that it is basically all up hill.

She thought it was gonna be tough but actually it is gradual so you really don’t notice. this was the inaugural race and part of a destination series throughout some of the national parks across the county. it was well run and staffed as fair as volunteers. I will tell you that we found out the hard way (well the girlfriend did) that you need to pick up your feet when transitioning from the road to the trail as there is a slight rise between the two.she hit the lip and when down hard…really hard…so hard that she had a goose egg the size of a golfball on her head. the paramedics and police recommended that she stop but we were at the 10-mile point so she decided to keep going. I felt proud, scared and apprehensive all at the same time. She finished because nothing was going to stop her from getting the medal!

and what a medal it was! did i tell you she races for medals? more on that later. check it out!

two things that will always stick out to me about this race…well maybe three. The beauty of the park, how tough she is, and how through running we have met a lot of people! We met Carol (a.k.a. Shadowfeet31 on Instagram) and Judy Mick, (or The Streaking Runner on Facebook) people that we would have never met otherwise!

and finally when you do this race, PLEASE take the opportunity to hike the park! you will not be disappointed!

Grade: A

Medal: A++

Afterparty: don’t know because we (she) spent the first 20 minutes in the ambulance getting checked out.

and now for the Lagniappe race. Drum roll please….

the Gasparilla Michelob Ultra Challenge is a race we have been looking forward to for almost a year! while all the Princesses were over at Disney in their coordinated outfits running through the park, we were 60 miles to the west in Tampa running the Challenge!

Now by now you know she runs for the medals. she lives for the medal. she wants the medals. and if you complete the Challenge, you get the medals…a whole bounty of medals!

but you have to complete the challenge.

What is the Challenge you ask? how about 2 days, 4 races, 30.4 miles!

Day one and we get to the start line at 6 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. start for the first race which is a 15K. the course is beautiful and takes you out along Bayshore and back to downtown and finishes at the convention center. the weather was perfect for the start and me and the girlfriend, along with 6,000 other runners, took over the street of Tampa. We had to hold back knowing that we had a second race…that’s right…a second race.

so after running a tad over 9 miles, we got a water, a GU and got back in the corrals to run a 5K with…14,000 other runners. the coolest part of waiting was we got to meet MEB! if you ever meet him, Meb is the most humble, quiet man you’ll ever meet. But i digress.

running with 14,000 other runners was not easy. we jockeyed for position and at one point, the girlfriend almost got knocked over! but we finished with two medals! granted, running with that many people took us out of our comfort zone but that what the challenge is about! adapt and overcome!

after a great afterparty that included a ton of food and a trip to the beer tent, we spent the rest of the day resting for day 2…the big day. the big kahuna. the RACE.

Sunday morning came bright and early and we were in the chutes at 5:30 am for a 6 am start. today’s Challenge started with a half marathon…13.1 miles…again through the same streets as the day before. only this time we got to head out to Davis island first before heading out along Bayshore…again…then back into downtown.

It was dark and a little spooky but we made it by the 7:30 cutoff so they could open it back up to traffic. let me say at this point the volunteers were amazing. water, gatorade…they were ready…and we took every sip we could get cause that’s the last thing we wanted…dehydration! so drink all you can!

anyway, we finished the marathon, had a banana and water and waited in the chutes one more time for the second race of the day. can i tell you we were tired? her feet started to swell and legs tighten up while waiting…i think had we just started running right away we would have been ok.

but after a 45 minute wait, off with 6,000 more of our friends for the 8K!

now to say it was a run is an understatement. we were tired. so we walked a little, ran a little until we covered the 5 miles. we were never so happy to be DONE!

but we finished. and it is a beautiful course, with a total of 32,000 runners this year! we were pleasantly surprised and i think we will be back for the … 2 days…4 races…30.4 miles and … most importantly for her…5 medals!

so the verdict? a definite A+

the medals? well you decide

this proved to use that we have what it takes to run an ultra…in fact she asked me this morning…”Wanna run an Ultra?” we’ll see…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bucket list of runs part 2

There are so many races I run that have been memorable that it is hard to narrow it down to the top five. It’s kinda like picking the top five things you can’t live without. (Sounds like another blog!)

Started out with the Double Bridge 15k in Pensacola and the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge. We continue with a few more of the top five.

3.  The Country Music Rock-n-Roll Nashville is another must run if you ever get to the Music City.

WARNING: if you don’t like crowds, this may not be the race for you. This marathon and half marathon regularly draws a crowd of at least 30,000 runners!

Having lived in Nashville (well outside in Hendersonville but no one knows where that is) I figured I would be ready for the hills. Wrong! Train on hills before attempting this Nashville favorite.

Race day has runners lining the streets of Broadway. Of course you have to estimate your time for the corrals and the last time we ran it we were in number 22 so with a 7 am start, we finally started shuffling around 30 minutes later!

This is another beautiful course through downtown Nashville, around Belmont College and the west side of the city. Again hilly and crowded the first few miles because of the narrow roads through the neighborhoods. But be patient. Once the herd thins out you’ll enjoy the sights the city has the offer.

If your doing the half, you get to finish at Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) but if doing the full you run into Shelby Bottoms park where it is finally flat enough to keep a good pace.

Make a loop through the park and head back to the stadium. Of course being a Rock-n-Roll race, you know there are gonna be bands along the way! Don’t bother wearing headphones or you’ll miss some of the best bands Nashville has to offer.

The after party is done right. You finish and pick up your food, meet your family or loved ones, and head over to the beer tent right along the Cumberland and a view of downtown Nashville.

The medal always has a country music theme and won’t disappoint if you are into the bling like the fiancée. Here is last year’s!

Grade: A

4.  If you are looking for an off-the-wall type race in the middle of nowhere, the Moon Pie 10-miler could be just what you are looking for. Held in June in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, this race celebrates the birth of the Moon Pie (even though officially its birth place is in chattanooga) with 10 miles of rolling hills. and celebrates the perfect combination of marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker. everywhere you look, Moon Pies will greet you…in every flavor imaginable…but back to the race.

The population of Bell Buckle swells with all the runners from all over Middle Tennessee and beyond. It is a festival with a race! If you look at the disclaimer for the race it says rolling hills. WRONG! how about a lot of hills! in fact at one point you can see the hill you have to climb from 2 miles away. and the best part? at the bottom outlined in chalk is the word “hill.” DUH! while many people try to run it, most walk cause it is a beast. but after you roll through the countryside and back to the small town.

Along they way there are water stops but the best was one of the residents out with a garden hose. doesn’t get any more homey than that!

the best part of the race is the finish festival. you won’t be disappointed. who wouldn’t love an RC Cola and a Moon Pie after slugging through the swealtering middle tennessee heat in june! oh, and they have biscuits and gravy, fruit, popsicles and beverages…just what the body craves.

no medal with this race, but is is sure worth checking out, especially if you want a small out of the way adventure…and Moon Pies!

Grade: A

next up in part 3, the Great Smoky half marathon which gets it own post, plus maybe a bonus race, something we like to call lagniappe in louisiana!

 

 

 

Sharing the run…

by now you know i run…a lot. i have been running since high school (i graduated in 1978 so you figure it out) when i had to wear the “husky” jeans. My step mom was from the south and every night was like going to a southern “three meats and a veggie.” of course you had to eat it! so i put on some pounds.

I got tired of the way i looked and felt even as a teenager, I saw a copy of Jim Fixx’s Complete Book of Running and decided to hit the streets…alone.

I was a solitary runner. I loved the idea of running down the road with nothing but my thoughts. As i evolved as a runner, the runs got longer and my time on the road alone increased. It was my time to think, or not to think. I could map out my future or think about what to have for dinner or what’s on tv. i could think about my next run or laugh at people stuck in traffic as i ran past. it was my time.

and i raced. a lot. i loved the thrill and excitement of seeing how i could push myself and not so much judge myself against other runners but myself and seeing if i improved or not. but after 30 years it got stale like anything else. its like eating the same thing every day…after awhile you will get burnt out on it.

and that is what happened to me. somewhere i lost my passion for running and was just going through the motions. it wasn’t fun anymore.

but there was light at the end of the tunnel. i met her. she made running fun again.

oh don’t get me wrong it was a struggle at first! at races she wanted to stop to take selfies! “who does that?” i thought. certainly not me. She WALKED through the water stops. HUH? grab the cup and go!

and she wanted to stop to take pictures…of everything! cows, signs, Elvis, runners RUNNING!

but as i ran with her, it brought back the reason we run…to share, to be social and enjoy ourselves. SHE is all about the social aspect of running and has often told me, “if it ain’t fun, i won’t run.”

she has me hooked. in the past two years we have run everything from 5ks to marathons and have put a lot of miles on the road. and it has been fun. i have rediscovered my passion again…all thanks to her.

i know i won’t ever win a race time wise but she has made me a winner. every time we lace up i consider myself a winner because I’m with her…and it’s fun.

i think you never fully know a person until you spend five hours together on the road running a marathon. i also think all couples considering nuptials should have to run a marathon together. if you can get through that and finish with smiles, everything else is cake.

thank you Jodi for bringing my love for running back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking through the fog

Fog.

Morning mist.

Call it what you want but this morning I had the opportunity and pleasure to get up very early and run through a fog bank that had rolled in and weighed heavily along the ground. It also brought in with it cooler temperatures. So I laced up the shoes and headed out into a thousand droplets of water.

At 6:30 in the morning, the sun is just starting to come up and it is amazing how the smallest amount of light can reflect off the fog and reflect a full spectrum of colors. As the sun made its way over the horizon, the gray was replaced by blue, purple, some green and finally some hues of red and orange.

But the fog remained and and the air was very still and heavy. Usually I run and listen to my tunes and today was no different…but my headphones stopped working. So I did what anyone else would do and I took them off and threw them down the storm drain! And I am so glad I did. Today was the first time in a long time that I heard what I’ve been missing….I heard my own breathing…and how I eased into a pace and relaxed breath rate. I heard a symphony of frogs joining in with birds who really did get up early to catch a worm….and I also heard silence….which was both creepy and comforting.

Today I was reminded of why I enjoy running….it is about connecting with your environment… about being out there when no one else is….it is about following your passion.

Now if relationships were as easy to run through!