Monthly Archives: November 2018

Magnolia Marathon

Published November 17, 2018

Biggest concern eight weeks ago was summer heat, now my training miles regularly see snow. Fall foliage, FAMILY & a lotta East Coast push-pin additions. HUGE life adventure. Anne of Green Gables, Washington Crossing, the Grand Ole Opry, night-toured our nation’s Capitol. Always more than just running.

Rooted deep in America’s Old South, took most of Friday as travel. Nothing direct to Mississippi. Denver to Chicago, Chicago to Birmingham, rental car 2 ½ hours west to Meridian. Welcome Y’all greeted at bib pickup. Heavy Scarlett O’ Hara lilt. Only 20 miles inside the M-I-S-S border, but distinctly Mississippi. Reminiscent of my own childhood home, old industrial town fighting itself relevant in the 21^st century.

Quick trip, under 24 hours. Flight return check-in before my head hit the pillow.

7am Saturday Start. Gathered around City Hall, hat offs, EVERYONE stopped. Anthem voiced LIVE, hand-over-heart/eyes-on-the-flag. Patriotic, well sung. Common thread – Colorado, Maine or Mississippi – same Stars-n-Strips LOVE. RED or BLUE, Americans always come together when it matters.

Combined FULL/Half Start, double loop course, 13-mile trek done twice. Sunshine & 40. Digged the cool morning start, not a Mississippi norm. MUCH appreciated by the visiting Team.

Hilly course. Rolling hills played to strengths. Day’s mantra: Get ‘er done.

Maintained a steady 9 min/pace first loop. Tunes blaring, back-n-forth’d with 4 marathon tees. Cheyenne (Wyoming) grey, husband-wife in Milwaukee tangerine & an orange Lost Dutchman Finisher. Sub-2 Half.

Followed Arizona into Lap 2. Plugged in, head forward, eyes focused, alert to increased motor traffic. No stopping ‘til a planned med break at 17 – lactic lead in my quads but kept pushing. PUSH, PUSH, PUSH – 20. Brief walk marker 21. Steady, consistent 10 min/pace to 24. New PLAN: hotel shower before my room boot @ high NOON. AWESOME motivator 😊

Sunshine & finish line support. Locals draped in blankets, BIG smile/running shorts in my camp. STRONG finish – 3^rd place Masters. 50 State countdown now 7. Hot hotel shower/fresh clothes before highway’ng back to Alabama. Got ‘er done.

Friendly folk in Meridian. Thanks y’all. Good push-pin memory added to my map back home.

2018 Magnolia Marathon

Place Name Hometown Type Bib # Time Pace Speed

17 K R HAGA LOUISVILLE, CO RUNNER 30 04:15:05.85 09:43 6.2mph

Split 1 01:56:35.709 08:53 6.7mph 01:56:35.709

Split 2 02:18:30.145 10:33 5.7mph 04:15:05.854

: Welcome Y’all

: City Hall Start

: plugged in & focused

: STRONG finish

: 3rd place Masters

: signed by the Artist

: icy return HOME ❄️

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, South | Leave a comment

Grand Ole Opry

Published November 11, 2018

Shower, fresh clothes – and cameras. Post-marathon. Traded running shoes for boots Saturday afternoon & quick-toured Music City with Sis & family. Common theme: UP ⬆️ Whether the State Capitol or food apps on Broadway, no less than 3 flights of stairs. Good stretch after 26.2 miles of morning asphalt.

first post-LUNCH climb: Tennessee’s State Capitol Building. Located downtown, high hill kitty-corner from the weekend’s rented digs. 3 US Presidents from the Volunteer State. $20 Jackson, James Knox Polk & Lincoln’s VP Andrew Johnson. All prominently memorialized on Tennessee’s state grounds. Capitol Building: lotta Old World charm/columnar architecture, flag-topped dome. Window-peek downstairs showcased a 19^thcentury courtroom re-purposed for present day press talks. Building poised high, surrounded by glass skyscrapers & multiple sports stadiums (football/hockey/baseball). Pretty view of Nashville. HUGE growth in Music City.

Next up: wild Honky Tonkin’ Broadway. Soooo many people & competing noises (not my scene) – but today an improved attitude, flanked with FAMILY. Thanks Stephen, Sis & Paul. Friday: ‘I can’t eat here, it’s too loud.’ Today: smiled, nodded (still couldn’t hear) & ate my apps. Pack eater I guess. LOL> Frown upside down 😊

TRIP HIGHLIGHT: the GRAND OLE OPRY. No Nashville trip complete without THIS experience. Sis pre-purchased tickets at the Ryman, first shows of winter. Performances return every November after summering in nearby Opryland. Original building, same wood floor, same church pews – circa 1892. Rustic seating bit rough on the rump/big memory flood of childhood revivals past. 1950’s ’60s ’80s and American Idol, Scotty McCreery – Opry had it all tonite. Hillbilly talk, square dancers & Opry laughter. Nashville HIGHLIGHT ❤️

2 long hugs & the weekend done, magic over. Goodnite Music City. Bye, Sis.

: post-marathon stair climb

: $20 Jackson

: US President #11

: Lincoln’s VP successor

: Nashville ‘MUST’ experience

: Ryman Auditorium, 1892

: MUSIC City

: Idol headliner

: Colorado Welcome ❄️

Welcome to the Opry

Opry Pt 2: Scotty McCreery

Posted in South | Tagged capitol-domes, concert, us-presidents | Leave a comment

Nashville Marathon

Published November 10, 2018

FAMILY that marathons together, finishes together – AND we’re crazy fit too! Add that to your 2019 resolutions 😊

7am marathon start, two blocks from my Airbnb sleeps. Sis & husband showed half-past 6, winter-layered & ready to run. Sis: full ‘Fatima’ gear (headwrap, blanket, scarf – only the eyes showing). BIG day! Stephen’s first Half, 13 miles of Nashville asphalt awaits. Welcome to the madness we call MARATHON ❤️

Woke today feeling GREAT, everything clicking. Sunshine & 29 degrees. Running with Sis headphone-free. We’re blood. Head crazies totally acceptable. Unleash the Kraken! Crazy breeds crazy. Half/FULL combined Start. Sported a sexy $4 jacket purchased from neighborhood consignment. Meant as an early run throwaway, wore PROUD all 26. Tennessee is cold folks – at least in November. LOL>

No gun, no speeches – bunched together, we moved as the mass moved. Timing mat Start 2 minutes ahead; Stephen dropped us 10 minutes later. We’d catch him at mile 8, then see him again mile-half from the Finish (as Sis & I looped marker 14/2nd lap). Tough watching 70% of the field end early. What town doesn’t have 26 miles of city street & trail? ARGH. Rant complete. Y’all know [I’m] notta fan of 13 mile repeats.

Galloway Run-Walk-Run. Sis lives & breathes by it. I’m still a naysayer walking mile One. HOWEVER with a chronic/consistent mile 20 fade, completely OPEN mind today. Sis runs, I run. Sis walks, I walk. No need to overthink things, she’s already done that. We share DNA – crazy breeds crazy.

Stopped/selfied at Nashville’s NFL stadium, home of the Titans (marker 4). We’d tap this oval EIGHT times, two 360-degree loops. What was I doing taking pictures? Eight ticks ’round leaves a mental imprint. HA!

Industrial Park smells next 2 miles (glue I think), looped back 2 miles – and repeat. UP over the bridge, high FIVES to Stephen & Paul – then, introduced Sis to one of the ripest Porta-Potty experiences EVER. Ick.

(AWESOME mile 16 SURPRISE) 3-mile stretch of marathon-only GREENWAY. Trees on the left, trees on the right. 3 miles out, 3 miles back. Late Fall colour, very nice. Well done race folks. FAVE part of day’s run. 17, 18, 19. Kept ticking ‘em off. Stopped, popped meds. 20, 21, 22. Still smiling, still chatting it up. Who AM I today? Marathon solution DISCOVERED: Sis in a suitcase.

Once more round the Stadium (’cause 7 times just ain’t enough) then bridg’d UP to 25. First twinge of pain for Sis. Ran all day with a muscle TEAR. No griping, no excuses – crazy STRONG. I could definitely take a note.

Downhill stretch, convoluted network of lefts/rights, an abandoned street – then, FINISH SUCCESS. SIX marathon shares with Sis. Hawaii & Dublin, most exotic thus far. So stay tuned. There’s a yodel & an Alp coming Fall 2019. Feelin’ a new European PR!