Yay! I have pictures today...courtesy of Joey! This weekend was the Country Music 1/2 Marathon in Nashville! It was a speedy trip but lots of fun nevertheless. Friday afternoon Jenna and I headed up to Ringgold, GA to meet Theresa and Joey to head up to Nashville from there. We gained an hour because of the time change which was good for the much needed sleep once we finally went to bed around 11:00pm. We had to get up at 4am so I made sure we set 2 alarms (I wasn't taking any chances). Theresa and Joey aren't exactly morning people. So we (or I should say "I") got up at 4am after waking up on the hour all night and got ready to go. I think I was nervous about not waking up on time and there were thunderstorms all night which were pretty loud too. We managed to get out of the hotel around 5:15am in the rain. We proceeded to sit in gridlock traffic for about 20minutes before deciding to rely on the God sent GPS system. We were able to program in a different route, head to the start line and make it to the race in time for it to start at 7am. The pic you see above is of Theresa and I before the race. The race started in Centennial Park (I felt like I was at home again in Atlanta).S0 by the time the race started thankfully it had stopped raining and it was perfect weather for running, nice and cool. The first 6 miles or so were a little hilly but after that it was all pretty flat/downhill until about the last mile which hit a few more hills (but I didn't think the hills were that bad for it being in Tennessee). Anyway I felt pretty good about the race I ran my personal best time so I was happy. Unfortunately I didn't see Jenna and her sister along the route. I was looking around the side of the road she said they would be on, but in a race like that it is overwhelming for both the fans and runners due to the amount of people.
Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the day that Joey shot for me. Here is a glimpse at just part of the crowd at the beginning of the race....it was a sea of people.
Here is a pic of a little boy that came in ahead of me (but...for my self confidence notice he is not wearing a number- I promise I can fun faster than a 5 year old!) Too cute :).
Here is a man that was probaby mid 70's I'm guessing.I want to be able to be still running marathons when I'm over 70 too! This man was a powerhouse.
And here I am finishing!! Always a great feeling :). But, I promise I don't always make weird faces when I'm running.
This pic was taken of a couple holding their two kids across the finish line...how precious. If you look really closely you can see a purple banner in the background. It was for Team in Training. There were Team in Training people all along the course and so I got lots of cheers just for wearing my Team in Training shirt...awesome group to be a part of.
And here I am at the finish line with my sis. My favorite quote of the day from my sister: "My feet are so sore." Hahaha...but there was an explanation, she was wearing my shoes that were too small for her. But stil, I loved giving her a hard time for the irony of the comment.
And a couple other pics from the post race festivities
My picture with the blackberry...yes Joey made me take this one.
And I found this shirt very funny for some reason. If you can't read it, it says, "I'd give my right arm to be ambedextrous." I don't know why I just couldn't stop laughing.
And here's my amazing friend Jenna who roadtripped with me this weekend.
And some of my other favorite quotes from the weekend...
Erin: "We can but belly paint on you Jenna. It can say Go "D"! or wait...it can just say GOD!"
From the guy at the free beer station: "Don't listen to what the water guy says...drink up, beer gets rid of the cramps!"
Joey: "Get fired up, get fired up, get...firrred up!" (sorry inside joke)
Just for you jenna: "How big is a 9 inch pizza box?" (yes, that was me)
Theresa: "This is stressing me out watching this race" (oh Theresa...I love you)
One of the bands along the course: "Hey runners we wrote this song just for you"....'Running...keep on running...hope you're not burnt out....keep on running' (what kind of motivation is that?)
Cheerleaders along the course: "L-E-T-S - G-O...Come on let's go!" (The cheer I could not get out of my head for about the last two miles)
That afternoon we headed back to Atlanta in the rain after going to a good mex restaurant for lunch. But I was just so thankful the weather held out for the race. And today we had a surprise retirement party for our Catholic Center priest, Fr. Mario, who is leaving for FL after 38 years at GA Tech! It was sad to say goodbye but the party turned out really well given we had less than a month to throw it all together. So as I type now I have just woken from a nap...I think I might be finally catching up on sleep. But I really have to go study now for finals coming this Tuesday.
But, before I go, I know this is a long post but I just wanted to update you on Erin. She is currently at home right now (thank God for that) recovering from the most recent round of chemo. I know she is just ready for this all to be over with but the prayers of you all and her family and friends are helping her through. From running the race this past weekend and seeing so many Team in Training people from all over, it is very evident how Leukemia & Lymphoma has affected so many. But, it is also encouraging to see how much support and hope there for people like my Erin who are the real athletes in this marathon.
I will be moving back to Dacula this week so if you're in the area...please stop by and say hi, would love the company! Have a terrific week!!
Love,
Denise
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