On Sunday I ran my second trail race, the "Forks of the River Trail Race". All I can say is, well I finished. Yesterday was one of those really rough runs. My muscles ached from mile 2 (of 6.8) and I was worn out! Not sure what went wrong, but I think it's because I tried to keep up with my friend, Diana, in the beginning. Her slow pace is way faster than my race pace. She even had time after she finished to go to her car and get her phone to take this picture of me.
still waiting for the boost I thought those shorts would give me!
Despite the frustration of a bad run, the trails were really pretty. The plus side to moving really slow is that I got to take in all the sights! We ran on greenway, gravel, through a hay field, on trails, and everything else! I'm not going to lie, that finish line was probably the most beautiful sight of the day.
my Sweat Pink laces ready to race
Another upside is that I got to use my new toy! That Garmin business is pretty cool! Very excited to be able to track my mileage on the trails!
The title was actually all that was originally written in this post. I laughed when I read it again so I kept it as the title. Clearly this is a random post to catch up on tid-bits...
I GOT A GARMIN! My sweet boyfriend surprised me with my very first Garmin! I am SO excited!
my new toy
I have only used it once and only for 1.5 miles. My run got stormed out the other day. But I'm going to play with it again tonight! And on my trail race on Sunday! So excited to play with the features and Garmin Connect!
In other news, the boytoy and I made flatbread pizzas! We've started doing a workout and then cooking on our weekly date night. This week we did core and upper body - man am I sore! Then we made these delicious pizzas! We went straight vege - yellow and orange peppers, mushrooms, onion, and tomato with basil pesto and fresh mozzarella on wheat flatbread! It was super easy and so tasty!!
delish pizza
Also, there is this plate-o-jewelry. I am making the jewelry for two weddings in May and these are the bridesmaids necklaces and earrings. I'm really happy with the way they turned out!
plate-o-jewelry
Lastly, I'm thinking about training for a full marathon! Never done one but I'm interested in trying the Rock and Roll Marathon in Savannah in November! Now I need to find a training buddy (other than my dog)!
This past weekend, two of my very best friends came to visit me! Cales, from South Cakalaki, and Lindsey, livin in Nashville, came in town for my b-day/Dave Barnes/Amos Lee! The Rhythm and Blooms music festival and Dave Barnes just happened to be here the weekend of my birthday! It was fate! The ladies came in Friday night for b-day dinner with my momma and Saturday was Dave Barnes.
those are some good lookin ladies!
I'm not going to lie...Dave was hilarious!!! He is quite the chatty cathy when it comes to performing...that plus with his dreamy voice are the reasons I heart Dave Barnes (he made shirts that said this when he was new on the scene..still have mine)! When he talks, it's basically opening the flood gates to his brain and anything and everything he thinks comes out. Someone in the audience shouted what sounded like "chubby dancer". Who knows what he actually said but Dave RAN with it!
This was the second of the two chubby dancer giggle fits that happened on stage! You can't really hear it, but the bass player and the drummer gave him a little beat to dance to. Best Dave show to date!
Sunday was another fun-filled day! We started out with a delicious brunch at Tomato Head (totally should have taken pictures), then checked out all the chalk drawings in Market Square. Part of the Rhythm and Blooms festival is a chalk drawing contest. Artists of all ages were given a square to work their magic in. There was some really impressive stuff out there! The shops on the square managed to draw us in too.
Then we took a chance to swing by Yee-Haw and check out the letter-press prints. They aren't typically open on Sundays, but sadly they are closing for good so we figured the might be open. Kevin, the owner, was standing outside when we got there and opened the doors for us. Thanks again, Kevin! Their stuff is so unique and interesting. They make the Farmers' Market posters every year and are pretty iconic for Knoxville.
this year's Farmers' Market poster
Lindsey is supa-dupa artsy and had lots to talk about with Kevin. He ended up taking us on a tour of the shop. I didn't know a whole lot about the process going in, but wow does it take some work! I really enjoyed snooping through everything and seeing all wooden letter blocks.
instagram wooden letter blocks
After that serious shopping spree, we needed a nap! Then it was off to see Amos Lee at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum. Pretty cool venue but it was chilllllly. I don't know what is going on with this crazy weather, but for some reason it decided to drop to 40 something degrees that night! Whew...luckily we were prepared with blankets! The Petro's helped, too!
His show was up-beat and entertaining...as was the people watching!! The weekend was all-around full of amazing music! Thanks ladies for coming in to celebrate with me!!
The trip to Charleston from Savannah started with the detour in Hilton Head. We had heard great things and decided to check it out. Turns out, not really our scene. But since we were there, we took a walk on the beach. A walk that was meant to be a 30 min walk and turned into more of an hour or so. Hello sunburn! Also, Joel dropped his phone in the ocean.
Ang's rice trick worked! Joel left his phone in pieces in rice for 3 days and it came back to life!
When we finally arrived in Charleston, we were hungry! After a quick clean up we went to Cru Cafe to find out it was closed for the day :( As we were searching for an alternative for dinner, we walked past a cute, little Italian restaurant called Bocci's. Menu looked good so we went in. Happy Birthday dinner (#1) to me!
hellloooo scallops!
ravioli with a bite
Day 2 in Charleston started off with a run around the historic district and down through the Battery. I struggled through this one but enjoyed the scenery! Made it back just in time for breakfast and then it was time to hit Folly Beach! We got some advice from Neil, the concierge/front desk/retired tour guide, to head down to the lighthouse. He told us some of the history and that it was not over run with tourists. He was right! We had the place to ourselves! It was great! Pictures of the beach to come...
After some beautiful beach time and amazing lunch at Rita's, we headed back to Charleston for some relaxation and tending to the radiating sunburn. Birthday dinner #2 was Thai. Place had a funky smell but the food was pretty good. The real highlight was the wine bar we stopped at on the way back. Bin 52 was just around the corner from our home for the trip. The place had a very romantic atmosphere with low lighting and several tables for 2. We tried some delicious wine and chatted until it was allllmost my birthday. Grandma couldn't quite make it until midnight.
Bin 52 birthday drinks
Day 3 in Charleston was my actual birthday! We had our usual breakfast at the bnb (The Elliot House Inn) out in the courtyard and checked out.
b-day breakfast in the courtyard
view from the courtyard
Neil gave us more ideas on what to see around town for the day. Went back to Cru Cafe again to find a really long wait. We opted to try Five Loaves Cafe instead. And we were not disappointed! Mimosas and really tasty food! After a long walk around town and through the College of Charleston (and more sunburn), we hit the road back to TN. Couldn't have asked for a better birthday!
We made it back from the big road trip! Last week, Joel and I packed the CRV with bikes and snacks and drove down to Savannah, GA, for an old friend's wedding! We hit the road bright and early so we would have time to check out the city befor wedding stuff started. LOVED this city!
We stayed at the Savannah Bed and Breakfast Inn which we quickly noticed was a bit of an older crowd, but that is our kinda style. It's right on Chatham Square in the Historic District.
our suite was on Taylor Street
The really cool thing about this bnb is that they have the option of a "Manager's Choice". You pay a lower rate but don't get to choose your room. The idea is that you could end up in a standard room or get bumped into a nicer room if the standard gets booked. Works well if you are just traveling with two people! Well we lucked out! We ended up in a suite with a king size bed, a living room, and back patio on the floor level! Had our own front door with a hallway for the bikes!
The breakfast was good too! They offered a healthy option every day with homemade granola and yogurt! Yum! I clearly have only good things to say about this place!
We managed to get a run around the city in during our stay and rode our bikes around too! Savannah is so bike friendly! Our old school bikes fit right in!
thanks instagram
Saturday night was Melissa's wedding. It was beautiful!! She got married (to Erik) under a tree on Green Square that was off the beaten path. Very intimate and personalized ceremony with reception to follow and Cha Bella! The reception was a block from the ceremony on their outdoor patio (so cute). The food was delicious!! We managed to get this photo at the reception.
we were being cheesy on the swing but it actually turned out rather cute
After the reception, we hit the town with our new friends, Megan and Shane. (We didn't actually manage to get any pictures of all of us but I think the professional photographer did. Hopefully I can post a few of those later on.) On the walk back from River Street, a cat managed to follow us. And by follow, I mean Joel coaxed him the whole walk back. The cat would look both ways and cross the street with us...clearly an urban cat. He had a collar on so we called the owner when we got back to the bnb. The voicemail starts of with "if you are calling about the cat". Turns out, he is an outdoor cat and roams the historic district. Cool little guy. Wish I would have taken a picture of Joel with his new buddy.
Sunday we checked out early and met the newlyweds and the other guests in Forsythe Park for a farewell picnic after a nap in the sunshine. We wished the happy couple a nice honeymoon and headed off to the second part of our road trip...Charleston, SC! More on that tomorrow :)
1) I ran around my neighborhood yesterday. I only ran 2 miles due to a time crunch - that's the shortest distance I've run since I started training for the 1/2 way back in December! My body got into the rhythm and was very confused when I stopped! I do have to admit that sometimes it's nice to get an easy peasy run in, though.
When I got home, I had a package waiting on me...It was my "Sweat Pink" package! The lovely ladies over at www.fitapproach.com sent me a "Sweat Pink" shirt, lots of pink shoes laces, and a sweet hand written note! Can't wait to throw those pink laces on the trail runners.
Fit Approach is an initiative to spread the importance of being a healthy and active woman! I am officially an ambassador and ready to spread some pink around TN!
2) I'm hitting the road on a trip with the bf!! It will involve relaxing, bike riding, beach runs, and a wedding! Oh, and my birthday!
The 1/2 marathon official pictures are protected and for order only. So no "save as" and upload. They did get a few pics of me crossing the finish line and actually posted the video too! You can hear them call my name as I run through the 50 yard line at Neyland Stadium! Here is the link:
Now, for today's post. This weekend was absolutely perfect weather for getting outside! I went on a greenway bike ride with my friend Steph on Saturday. We just strolled for a while and decided to grab lunch at Tomato Head while we were out! Soo delish! I should have taken a picture of my food..but I did at least manage to get one of the bikes!
love my pretty blue bike
On Sunday, I ran the ICKing of Trails race for Easter. This was my first trail race and it was a blast! The course was at IC King and was somewhere between 7 and 8 miles. Shew was it hilly! Almost all of IC King is single track so that made passing (read getting passed) a bit of a challenge sometimes. The race organizers did a great job making sure the course was clearly marked and had volunteers out to help if needed. They also put a water stop 1/2 way through..thank goodness! I didn't bother bringing any with me and probably could have used it.
The race had a staggered start since it was a single track course. The older women started the race off, then older men, and we were towards the back. The times were "handicapped" so the the clock started with the first woman and whoever crossed the finish line first was the winner. I started my watch when I crossed the start line and my run time was 1:18:50. The table below shows my clock time with the handicaps.
speedy results thanks to Knoxville Track Club
Managed to get 7th for the open females! I'll take it! As I told a friend of mine after the race, I didn't fall and I wasn't the last to cross the finish line. That's a win in my books!
Speaking of races, the boytoy is currently ranked 1st in the southeast in his mountain biking category and got 2nd at his last race!! Get it babeh!! He's gonna kill it this summer!
My buddy Lauren and I finished the Covenant Health Half Marathon on Sunday! It's one of the hilliest around and we rocked it!! It was Lauren's first and she beat her goal time by 6 minutes!! Yeah girl!
We took some pre-race pics with Lauren's phone..
photo bommbbbb
a bit better
It was an early 7:30am start and the weather was a tad chilly..perfect for a race! The humidity, however, was a bit much for my taste. We were both drenched by the end (pictures of that to come). Thank goodness for wicking t's!
Here are my race results...obviously a screen shot from my iPhone. My goal was sub 2:00 but 2:01 will do I guess. I did reach my other goals of beating the walkers :) and getting a better time than in 2009. That was my first 1/2 marathon with a time of 2:18 so this is definitely still a PR!
