22/50 - St. Jude Memphis Marathon

This race will go down as a capstone to a successful running year: nearly 2,600 miles (a first for me), no debilitating injuries, and getting to know, taking inspiration in, and running with so many incredible new friends and runners after moving to the north suburbs of Chicago last year where I knew absolutely no one.

Coming off of the NH & ME double marathon weekend in October, I had 8 weeks to train for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, my 6th and final marathon of 2014. I decided to increase my weekly mileage, averaging 65 miles per week and peaking at 90 miles per week (another first for me), keep running two long runs on the weekend, and incorporate more 6-12 mile runs at goal pace or faster, mostly because there was no speed workout option. In addition to running, I finally did a little cross training in the form of a Crossfit Endurance Class 2 times per week for the last 4 weeks leading up to the race.

I believe the change in form led to a new PR of 2:47:23 (9th/2,656 finishers overall) on a bleak course with rolling hills, overcast sky, and a windy and cool 50 degree temperature. I went out faster than I had planned to but was able to maintain an even pace throughout. This race is 4 minutes better than the PR I set less than 3 months ago at the Presque Isle Marathon in PA. http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/646291340

So there are the running highlights. Now let's talk all things Memphis. 

My sister tagged along for what would become another delightful trip to Memphis. I've never not had a good time in this city. Unlike Nashville, it's got a gritty feel, even on Beale St. - the touristy, publicly-intoxicated, foot-trafficked strip of live music bars, BBQ joints, and glorious people-watching. Whereas Nashville generally plays host to the rank and file band covering Billboard Top 40 country music, Memphis digs into the honky tonk, soul, blues, rockabilly, and of course, all things Elvis Presley. And I love Elvis!

We hit the road at 8am on Friday for the 8-hour drive, a time that would have been about an hour less had I not stopped every two hours to eat. This, after I burned through all the car snacks! After a stop at the expo and picking up the wife at the airport, we ventured over to AM Italian Kitchen (http://andrewmichaelitaliankitchen.com) for an 8:45pm reservation. The accolades for this southern-style Italian restaurant and acclaimed chef are numerous and not off their mark. As fate would have it, we stumbled upon Gibson's Donuts en route to dinner after missing a turn. By now you know that I can't pass up a local donut shop and a maple bacon donut before a race is never a bad idea. NEVER. 

I was rather nonchalant about this race. I usually develop some psychosomatic injury. At worst, I thought I had a fever the night before the race; maybe that was the wine. I woke up on race morning feeling just fine. Of course, I don't often wake up down at the end of lonely street in the Heartbreak Hotel (http://www.graceland.com/visit/heartbreakhotel.aspx) to the sweet sounds of Elvis Presley alleviating what had me All Shook Up in the first place. 

This Saturday morning race is largely a half marathon race. The marathon gets lonely after the split. The finish chute corrals runners into the baseball stadium for what can only be described as cattle-herding through the ballpark to collect post-race food then spitting you out the exit. Afterward, we grabbed lunch at Memphis BBQ Co. (http://memphisbbqco.com) which contrary to its name, does not have a location in Memphis or Tennessee!

The rest of the afternoon was reserved for all things Elvis. Graceland at Christmas incorporates two of my favorite things: Elvis and Christmas decorations! Graceland is a place that you can't help but be captivated by the juggernaut that was Elvis Presley. The amount of gift shops along Elvis Presley Boulevard is a testament to his greatness...and Priscilla Presley's aptitude to exploit every marketable aspect of his legacy, posthumously. This of course resulted in a lot of unnecessary purchases, awesomely Elvis puns, and a weekend soundtrack that's bleeding into my weekly jams as I type this.

Vowing not to lie down for a much desired nap, we ventured to the only place in Memphis to go if you're looking for a beer, The Flying Saucer (http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/memphis/). To our amusement, it happened to be hosting the largest Santa Claus bar crawl we've ever seen! Next, we grabbed some chicken and waffles on Beale St. before settling into my favorite place in Memphis to catch a band, Blues City Cafe (http://www.bluescitycafe.com). Hillbilly Casino, a high-energy, tattooed, honky-tonk band were playing the tunes of Little Richard, Stray Cats, Buddy Holly and the like. 

You want a great southern breakfast while in Memphis? Brother Junipers (http://brotherjunipers.com) is a must! The place is packed but worth the wait. Grab a coffee and a copy of Guns & Gardens (yep, this magazine exists and is awesome!) at their coffee bar. 

Before leaving town, we had to introduce my sister to the famed Peabody Hotel to see the march of the ducks, a tradition for nearly 83 years. Every day at 11am a duck master leads 5 ducks from their penthouse (I know, right?!) on the 11th floor of the hotel down the elevator and into the fountain in the lobby. There they bask until being marched back up at 5pm.

Sometimes they catch me when I'm not all smiles...but look at that slit up the leg, yowza! 

21/50 - Maine Marathon

That lobster roll in New Hampshire was the beginning of what was going to be an epic gustation of lobsters! Maine is one of my favorite states for this and myriad other reasons. Its coastal beauty, idyllic New England charm (and chowder!), its preponderance of Volvos and oysters, and simple lifestyles make it a state that I yearn to retire in. I will jump at any chance that I can to revisit it.

It was a 2.5 hour drive from Bristol, NH. We arrived in Portland, went to the expo, then checked into our hotel; the one The Wife booked in the 11th hour because I happen to be a procrastinator when it comes to booking all the travel associated with these marathons. I prefer to be spontaneous and free but unfortunately in this situation, it would have resulted in sleeping in the car because all the hotels were booked. Lucky for me, this hotel was about a mile from the start line but more importantly, really close to a great bar we stumbled upon called The Great Lost Bear (the website alone is worth a visit for its awesomeness - www.greatlostbear.com). I may be biased given my affinity for bears, but this place was the bee's knees. Chicken wings and beer - that was my pre-marathon dinner for the second of a double marathon.

The race started at 7:45am. The east coast likes to sleep in and I appreciated that today. I woke up feeling great considering yesterday's race. My back was still in pain but this time I just toughed it out; I had an unexpected tinge of pain resurface for the first 4 miles of this race. Back in July of 2013, I tore a calf muscle prior to the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon in Washington. I was beginning to feel that same uncomfortable sensation until the adrenaline kicked in. I managed a pretty decent run after that until the fatigue set in at mile 23.

I finished the Maine Marathon in 3:03:24 (7:00/mile pace), tied for 24th out of 1,027 finishers. I'm the analytical type so I was curious what my deterioration rate was from race #1 to race #2. The first time I did this with KY & OH, it was 5.5% (a 10-minute difference). This time, it was 4.0% (a 6-minute difference). My average race time for this weekend was 3:00:02. All races were Boston qualifying times for my age group. Details within: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/606053611

Now for the good part... We found an all-you-can-eat lobster brunch! With 6 whole lobsters between the two of us, we walked away in the black. Down the street was the most clean and sterile brewery I've ever been to - Maine Beer Company (www.mainebeercompany.com). They had a maple syrup stout only served at the brewery called 2014. We went back the next day after visiting Allagash (www.allagash.com) and L.L. Bean for more of it while doing NPR crossword puzzles at their picnic table on a beautiful fall afternoon.

After relocating to www.theregency.com near the wharf in downtown Portland for a few nights, we continued our quest for oysters and lobsters. Being the donut connoisseur that I am, I staked out The Holy Donut (www.theholydonut.com) on Facebook months ago and it just happened to be a block from the hotel (coincidence?). This is the stuff of my donut dreams... After a walk to the west end neighborhood of Portland for the best breakfast corned beef hash (www.hotsuppa.com) the following morning, we began our journey home with a stop at www.smuttynose.com of course!

20/50 - New Hampshire Marathon

There is a common thought had by most people after running their first marathon. That thought of course is, "I will never do this again!". I had that same thought after my first marathon, Chicago in 2001, and then after the first time I ran two marathons in the same weekend with the Kentucky Derby Marathon and the Flying Pig Marathon in 2011. Never. Again. Or so I said...

Here we are, three weeks after running the Presque Isle Marathon. Given all the travel required to run 50 marathons in 50 states, it is occasionally advantageous to run a few back-to-back. There are several marathons that make this ideal and often you'll be among like company with Marathon Maniacs and 50 State Club members - perplexingly, I'm not a member of either. I've always held a philosophy that running with friends should not cost you a membership fee. That being said, these are still wonderful clubs with incredible people.

Being the road trip enthusiast that I am, and knowing all the breweries we were planning to visit, we drove the car. If you've ever driven through New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine, you know that the shortest route between point A and point B is about 7 different 2-lane highways and an additional 150 miles! If you can accept that, there are some beautiful, quintessential New England towns inhabiting a landscape of rolling hills dotted with balsam fir, white and black spruce, and various species of pine, maple, oak and birch trees, in various metachromatic stages. Each charming town contains a steepled, white church and a general store and not much else.

We spent an entire day driving all over Vermont in pursuit of beer in what was considered prime fall foliage. Vermont has a reputation for some of the best IPAs produced partly for their excellence in craft and partly from scarcity due to small-scale production. The day started out very much like a scavenger hunt - following beer delivery times (www.lawsonsfinest.com and www.alchemistbeer.com only get delivered in small amounts to a few general stores in the area weekly), adhering to limited tasting room hours (www.hillfarmstead.com is an anomaly in of itself. I could write an entire post about the inconceivable hype for this beer and its inability to live up to it), and mapping the best routes. We also managed to stumble upon Ben & Jerry's headquarters for a tour and tasting. I highly recommend this quirky stop if ever you're in the area. In the end, we drove away with a car full of beer and one contradictory conclusion: we are so over this game of acquiring rare beer that is akin to collecting baseball cards when I was a kid. That being said, I was going out with a bang on this trip; a last hurrah if you will.

We had the day to lounge on our wrap-around porch at a historic bed & breakfast (www.thewhipplehouse.com) near the start line of the marathon. The mayberry-esque view was an ideal setting to enjoy some of these beers and a lobster roll on the afternoon before the race. Joining us at the Inn were two other couples also doing the double marathon. In fact, I met a lot of runners in New Hampshire and very few were not running the double marathon!

Small town races have their charm. There are usually 200 - 400 runners. The townspeople and participants are most gracious and friendly, and the passion for the sport is not as lost in translation as compared to that of huge production races. Don't get me wrong, I love them both. However, there is something special about the local freemasons at the New Hampshire Marathon volunteering to serve runners a pasta dinner at their masonic temple complete with a dozen of their different homemade pasta sauces along with other goodies that you won't find at the New York City Marathon. It makes the personal and economic impact you are making on the host city palpable.

Now let's talk marathon. I divulged the training I did for this double marathon in the Presque Isle Marathon post 3 weeks ago: double long run weekends, speed and hill workouts, and 46-mile weeks on average. I really wasn't thinking too much about the races this weekend. I was hoping to get as close to breaking 3 hours at both of them as I could but mostly looking to enjoy myself; these were fairly hilly and scenic courses. When I ran the double marathons at KY & OH, I finished in 2:59 and 3:09, respectively.

I woke up the morning of the race and threw my back out; I was just thinking I hadn't done this in years! There is always something, psychosomatic or otherwise, to fret over before a race. Luckily I found some Aleve and after a few miles, I hardly noticed any pain. This marathon started at 9:00am with a 10K on a cool, grey and dreary day yielding rain at times. I started with a couple of 7-minute miles but noticed I was in 6th place after the 10K runners turned off. Knowing that there was prize money for finishing in the top 3, I started picking up the pace. There is a massive hill at mile 10 that I used to my advantage (all those hill workouts paid off!) and was soon jockeying with someone for 2nd & 3rd place. He and I worked together until mile 19 when I started picking up the pace for the final 10K (my new technique). Details within: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/605367696

I finished in 2nd out of 281 finishers in 2:56:39 (6:45/mile pace) with $150 in prize money! I always said that I would quit running marathons if I could win one. Truth be told, I really don't want to quit! I had a great masseuse after the race work on my back then we were off to Portland, ME to do it again tomorrow.

This:

Had to fit into this:

Also, I'm going to start adding the race photo, as ridiculous as some may be, to each post from now on. I'll see how far back I can do this for previous posts. 

19/50 - Erie Marathon at Presque Isle, PA

I have to admit, I didn't see this PR coming...

After a dismal showing at the Wisconsin Marathon in May (which I did not blog about), I didn't really think much about attempting to top my previous PR of 2:53:09 set in 2010 at the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, MI. My plate was full with structuring workouts and creating events for the Libertyville Running Club, becoming a co-race director for a local 5k (www.twilightshuffle.com) held on Labor Day weekend, and being a stay-at-home dad with my 17-month old son and 2-month old daughter. However, the runs with the Club were slowly making me a better runner without me realizing it. This was the first time that I consistently did speed workouts, hill workouts and tempo runs over the course of a training period. I built a 16-week plan that I mostly adhered to that had me peak with a couple of mid-70-mile weeks. My average weekly miles, year-to-date were at 46 miles per week, one-and-a-half times what I had averaged in years past. 

Of course, I didn't do ANY cross-training. Sure, I preached it. I just lacked the motivation to do it myself. Also, I've never been one to follow a nutrition plan. I've built running clubs around food and drink - pizza, donuts, beer...this is why we run after all, right? I was really having too much fun with the growth of this new club and the opportunity to run with so many new people this summer to bother taking my training too seriously. Then again, I never have and I probably never will. 

Our trip to Erie, PA was a long weekend away from the kids. It was to be a motorcycle trip but a cold front moved in just in time to lessen the appeal of that venture. True to form however, it was still a gastronomical adventure. On the drive out, we hit up our favorite burger/beer bar, www.lassenstap.com (Libertyville - I love you but with your overpriced beer and lack of a stellar burger, you can learn a thing or two from this gem) and then settled in at www.thebrewkettle.com for a night in Cleveland, OH. Saturday, it was on to Erie, PA to check-in to the race and get a to-go order from www.miscuzirestaurant.com before the carb-loading masses' decent upon these unsuspecting purveyors of quality italian cuisine. 

I like to say I never get nervous before a race, but the truth is, 32 marathons later and I still fret over some minutia. With a goal of running as many of these 50 state marathons in under 3 hours that I can, I always get a bit nervous that I will fall short. For this race, I brought 3 pairs of shoes with and tested them in the motel parking lot at 4am to make my final shoe decision. On any other morning, this would seem odd to other motel guests; this morning I had an audience sympathetic of my plight.  After a coffee, banana, and some granola, we were off to the start line with a tinge of apprehension from choosing to stray from my go-to marathon shoe, the Brooks Pure Connect, and selecting the Saucony Kinvara 5. 

The race is two flat loops around the idyllic lakefront setting within the Presque Isle State Park (www.presqueisle.org). The field was 1,250 marathoners and 1,250 half marathoners that started 30 minutes after the marathoners. The weather was a beautiful and sunny 50-degree morning on a course that was mostly shaded. The nerves are really getting to me now because I'm left with no excuse for anything short of a strong performance. I, like so many others, have a habit of going out too fast. This is how I blew up in the aforementioned Wisconsin Marathon. This time, I had a plan to take the first 2-5 miles slow and maybe pick up the pace to finish in 2:55. I managed to not get caught up in the excitement and held 7-minute miles for the first 2 miles here. I'm convinced that made all the difference for me. I clocked the half marathon in 1:27 feeling conservative. From there, I continued to work with one other runner for the next 7 miles. Around mile 20, I realized I was on pace for a PR so I pulled ahead to finish the last 10k solo, albeit dodging half marathoners, finishing with a 3-minute negative split. I took 9th place overall (2nd in my age group) with a new PR of 2:51:22. With this, I'm batting .500 for sub-3 hour marathons, 16 out of 32. Here are the details if you're the analytical type: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/590323169.

I know I've had a great race when I feel like I can still run 2 more miles. With little fatigue, we ventured over to www.bertrandsbistro.com to destroy an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet in the quaint heart of Erie. The following morning, we meandered up to Ann Arbor, MI after lunch at one of Cleveland's fine breweries, www.fatheadscleveland.com to stay with friends and pay a visit to our favorite brewery, www.jollypumpkin.com - a fine artisan of sour ales. Looking back, we first discovered Jolly Pumpkin after the Traverse City, MI marathon and celebrated my previous PR there. Our visit after this new PR was apropos and resulted in, much like last time, a car full of beer for the cellar. 

Of course there's always room for one more beer stop on your way out of Michigan. A layover at www.bellsbeer.com/eccentric-cafe/ satiated a desire to visit here after a previous failed attempt. I suppose I should begin my taper for the New Hampshire & Maine double marathon weekend in three weeks...oh, and book our hotels!

A post-race dip in Lake Erie:

Erie - The Wife's Perspective

Soooo you’re telling me that I haven’t made an appearance on this blog in over two years? TWO YEARS? Well, I guess I have been pretty busy, mostly in the way that carrying, birthing and taking care of two babies (15 months apart), a cross-city move, and also continuing to work full-time and enthusiastically supporting my husband’s running habits (club, miles, and, for a while there, part-time employment, which ended when he realized his job really wasn’t so much “fun”) will keep a person busy. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t take any credit for keeping the little people alive day-to-day. That’s all Mike. But I still spend most of my non-working time with one or both of them and just that is enough to fully deplete my tank.

Anyway, at the present moment both of those crazy kids are dead asleep and I can get back to the matter at hand. The Erie Marathon.

As Mike mentioned, we fully intended to make this one a motorcycle trip, given that we almost never get to ride anymore. And I was totally on board, even when Mike said a rainy cool front was on its way in. Until the day before we left when I walked outside in the full sunshine in the middle of the day and was still chilly. Weather like that, on a bike going 75 mph, is just not pleasant and requires so many layers that I’m getting exhausted thinking about putting them on (which we can’t have or else this entry will end right here!). Add to that the fact that there’s really no scenic way to get to Erie from here that doesn’t require going super far out of the way and it wasn’t too long before I threw in the towel.

Usually car rides are great for me because Mike insists on driving (he gets so antsy in the passenger seat that he once complained after I had been driving for all of 40 minutes that we needed to stop so he could stretch his legs) and so I get to read to my heart’s content (another thing I don’t do enough of these days). But this time he insisted that I drive. The entire way there. And that’s when I knew that he was indeed nervous.

As Mike mentioned, we stopped the first night outside of Cleveland to stay with my cousin’s family and to have dinner at The Brew Kettle with them and my aunt and uncle. These guys are always a good time and I regret only that the timing was not good for an all-night bluegrass jam session (complete with moonshine, of course). Breaking the drive into two allowed us to leave the next day bright and early in the late afternoon and still get to Erie with plenty of time to hit packet pick-up and get the lay of the land.

Well, I could have gotten the lay of the land, anyway. Instead, after checking out the expo (which was really pretty decently sized for such a small race), we headed out to get settled in and figure out the dinner plan. Now, in our first few races we always had dinner reservations in place at least a month in advance. In this case neither of us had even pulled up Trip Advisor, which we did immediately after we found out that the race-sponsored pasta dinner was sold out. Lo and behold! Erie’s 2^nd highest rated restaurant is an Italian place, Mi Scuzi. But of course they couldn’t seat us until 9 (at which point not only would we hopefully be asleep, but I’m pretty sure they would have also been out of food). However, they did takeout and so that’s what we did. Along with at least a couple dozen other people from the looks of the bags lined up and waiting to be picked up when we showed up there at 5:20. I’m not sure there was even any food left for the 6 pm diners! The food was really great and we both stuffed ourselves silly (hey, spectating burns like dozens of extra calories!!).

So, the race. After an early morning wake-up (for real, waking up at 4 am for a 7 am race is always the hardest part about the whole thing for me) I finally decided to take a look at the course map. I used to plan my spectating before we even left home! Lucky for me it really couldn’t be any easier to spectate a race. The race is two full loops, so that the Start/Finish is also the halfway point. That’s three times to see your runner right there. Add to that the fact that the “far side” of the loop is about a 5 minute leisurely stroll away and you get to also catch your runner at miles 6 and 19. For Mike that’s a chance to see him about every 40 minutes, which including point-to-point time still gives me plenty of reading time while I’m waiting (this time around my book of choice was a guide on how to make the terrible twos “terrific.” I already have it all figured out, though – just leave them at home with Grandma while you take long weekend trips!). Since everyone’s traveling to and from the same rough spots, I also got to make a couple of cheer friends, which was nice because it gave Mike extra people screaming his name and also gave me more of an excuse to watch the race. Sometimes I forget what a special thing it is to see that many people so deeply involved in such a crazy endeavor.

Everything really was perfect for the race. I was bundled up because I was more or less stationary and also in the shade, but I could tell the runners were all doing really well. So when Mike shouted “I’m going to break 2:53” when he passed me at Mile 19, I certainly got excited. He’s been hoping to PR for years. And when I spotted him in the distance coming down the final stretch at just after 2:50, I absolutely lost my mind. To those of us who don’t run it would seem like shaving off almost 2 minutes over a 3 hour period wouldn’t be a big deal. But it is. It’s a huge deal. I was so proud.

And I have to say, as much as I have tried pleading, betting, bribing and just plain old begging to get him to shave that ridiculous beard, it sure does make him easy to spot on the field of runners.

After the snafu with dinner I decided it was best to go ahead and make a post-marathon brunch reservation at Erie’s top-rated restaurant, a French place called Bertrand’s Bistro. This turned out to be a fantastic place to celebrate Mike’s PR. Not because of the mimosas or other drinks – of which there were plenty – but because the brunch included all-you-can-eat made-to-order crepes. We took so many of them down that at the end the chef started to send out half-portions. We were so stuffed we were actually glad.

And even gladder later when we realized that nothing is open in Erie on a Sunday night. I mean, nothing. We ended up with a pretty decent pizza from a local hole-in-the wall recommendation, but there was absolutely nowhere interesting for us to go had we insisted on a sit-down meal. Good thing all we wanted to do was sit around in our motel room and eat pizza and watch cable anyway. Ahhh the joys of being kid-free.

Mike went through the trip home (I made him drive all the way back!) so I won’t go through that again, but I will say that our visit to Ann Arbor was also a highlight. We got to have dinner and stay with friends who we just don’t see often enough. 

Two back-to-back marathons coming up in a few weeks... you just might hear from me again soon!

18/50 - Mercedes-Benz Marathon

Inspired by a friend's accomplishment of running 2,013 miles in 2013, I decided I would start 2014 off with a similar goal. Given that I usually fall within the 1,600 mile range, this seems attainable. Of course, this hasn't been the best winter in Chicagoland to start with - brutal cold, record snowfall and black ice for as far as the eye can (not) see. Also, this was my first winter without the luxury of a gym membership - my favored retreat for winter speed work.

I usually don't run much in November and December and 2013 was no exception. An ill-prepared attempt to run the Memphis Marathon on December 7, 2013 was thwarted by bad weather. We recently moved from the south suburbs to the north suburbs of Chicago. I found motivation to train by starting another running club (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibertyvilleRunningClub/) that coincided with a seven-week training plan for the Mercedes-Benz Marathon in Birmingham, AL. If I learned anything from founding a club in the past, it's that beginnings are humble, the groundwork is considerable and few run in the winter. Luckily, I found a great group of runners undeterred by the elements of a polar vortex.

Running in these conditions was more about survival than adhering to any specific training program. The pace per mile was slow, the long runs felt like really long runs and the beardcicles were prodigious. I averaged 41 miles per week for those seven weeks running three to four days per week. I gave up beer, wine and refined sugar for one month leading up to this race just because I like a challenge. A bet with my wife fueled this test for which she will suffer its outcome for the remainder of 2014 - a ginger beard of imposing magnitude.

We left Mars with his grandparents and arrived in Birmingham Friday morning, thinking this would be a nice getaway before child #2 arrives. Birmingham, Alabama's largest city, has a storied history engulfed by the civil rights movement and as such, offers a glimpse into the most significant domestic drama of the 20th century. What it does not offer, is much else! Though we struggled to find food within a 2-mile radius of our hotel in downtown Birmingham, we eventually stumbled upon Full Moon BBQ (www.fullmoonbbq.com) and Hop City (www.hopcitybeer.com), a bar and bottle shop that rivals anything I've seen. Its selection of great local, national and international beers is a testament to how far Alabama has come in the craft beer scene. Outside of those establishments, the Todd English P.U.B. (www.toddenglishpub.com) in the Westin we stayed at was a frequented spot.

The race had a field of 1,000 marathon finishers and 3,300 half marathon finishers. The two-loop course makes for a lonely second loop for marathon runners. In all, it is a very well organized race on a fast course with enough rolling hills to keep it interesting. The post race party was catered by Jim 'N Nick's BBQ (www.jimnnicks.com), another fantastic BBQ joint. As I usually do in this type of race, I got caught up with the half marathon runners and started faster than I should have. At the half marathon split, I averaged 6:38 per mile. I tempered my pace and teamed with the only runner around for the second loop. At mile 18, I left my partner to finish the race in solitude. My average pace for the second half of the race was 6:52 per mile. I finished in 2:56:56 (my 6th best marathon time) in 22nd place overall, 17th male. Below, I present to you my reward. It was heavenly.

Birmingham - The Wife's Perspective

This post is definitely waaaaaay after-the-fact, but I’ll keep it brief. I feel like I’m on a role after the last post. Not enough of a role to go back very far in time, but I can go back this far.

Alabama. Birmingham. We got grandma and grandpa to watch the little person for a long weekend and flew in. The trip was also a “babymoon” given that our second little person was due to join us not two months later. We stayed at the Westin, and the staff there might have been the friendliest we have ever encountered. Which is a good thing, because we spent a lot of time with them. A lot.

The Mercedes Benz Marathon is one of the more condensed, easy viewing, and smoother running events of a large size that we’ve participated in, and for that alone I want to recommend making the trip, but Birmingham. Oh Birmingham, how you disappointed me.

The problem? There was absolutely nowhere to go, at least without a car (which we didn’t have, thinking that by staying in the downtown of a big city we’d be within walking distance to most everything anyway. Wrong). We even went to the expo TWICE just to kill more time. We ended up venturing out a couple of times, but both times involved walks of approximately 2 miles through desolate neighborhoods. And keep in mind that I was also quite hugely pregnant.  It wasn’t too bad when we went out the first time during the day, but when we headed back out for dinner one night I let Mike know in no uncertain terms that we’d have to take a cab back. Which might have been fine, except a storm hit and the cab that we were told would take 10 minutes took over an hour and five phone calls to get to us. So after that we mostly ate at the hotel. Luckily for us Todd English’s PUB is a great restaurant. They were also in the process of building all kinds of new restaurants and other venues right in the Westin corridor so maybe for future races it will be much more of a destination, but if you go I’d definitely recommend you make sure to have a car.