Aftermath of Georgia Publix Race

I don't have the biggest blog, I don't get a lot of free swag to review and giveaway, and I don't have all these earth shattering tips to share with you all on a weekly basis--- there are some bloggers out there that the above reasons are why they blog, which is great because we all have our own reasons on why we do it. I started blogging for accountability and a way to document my races and learn (potentially) from my mistakes. The reasons why I continue to blog is because of the friendships I've made along the way and turn some of my 'imaginary friends' into 'in real life friends', IRL for short.

I love, love, love meeting up with bloggers for races, comparing their 'blog personality' to their real personality, and just getting to know them on a personal level. What's even better is when you can make a gals race weekend like we did for this past weekend in Georgia. recap HERE.

It's no secret that Kim and I travel a lot together, so anytime spent with her is literally catching up with a friend and just updating eachother on what's new, although we do a decent job via facebook, texts and email. Jess I met back in September at the Air Force 1/2 and her and her hubby came over for a bbq we had at our house and we ate, drank, and laughed the whole night. Elizabeth and I had never met. We've both been following eachother's blogs for over 2 years, and although we only live 3.5 hours away, our schedules never aligned, so this weekend  was a special treat.

I didn't arrive to Elizabeth's in Atlanta til 10:30 at night, and the second I got out of my car she greeted me with a giant hug- southern hospitality at its finest. We spent the next 2 hours learning all about eachother- boy talk, girl talk, blog talk etc, and to an outsider looking in, you'd never know that this was our first 'in person' conversation.... I love that .

Eventually we got Kim from the airport just shy of 1am and proceeded to all catch up for another hour or so before bed time. Kim did a good job of recapping the weekend outside of racing, so you can read that here and I'll fill in the gaps.

Saturday we made our way to the expo, and after a road rager's worst nightmare of driving and parking, we did manage to make it in one piece. The expo was put on by Publix which meant a LOT of free samples. Even though the expo was large, it never felt congested as some of the traditionally large expos do.

For the life of me I can't flip the picture the right way, but what you see are two bags of baked chips (one blue tortilla, one sweet potato), 2 cutting boards, 2 jars of Bischoff spread--- seriously, amazing, 2 bottles of stove top cleaner, granola, 2 larabars, sample of my favorite coconut oil, our bag, and shirt. I know Kim doesn't like the shirt, but aside from the see through factor I actually love the fit and how "Bring your Best!" is on the side vs. having the logo on my chest.

Pretty much what every photo looks like that Kim and I are in... height is beauty :) 

Once Jess arrived from our double header we immediately went for a walk down the road to the Atlanta Cupcake Factory and King of Pops (gourmet popsicles)- sugar doesn't count if you're going to burn it off the next day right?? Now I'll admit, I generally don't like fancy cupcakes because I find that the cake part is generally dry and the icing is sub par... give me a cheap cupcake from grocery store or homemade any time. 

Cheap Kroger cupcakes for SuperBowl Party

To put it lightly... the cupcakes from Atlanta Cupcake Factory were the BEST CUPCAKES I'VE EVER HAD...seriously. Not only were they moist, but the icing was thick with a cream cheese like texture (not taste though). I bought 3- 2 grasshoppers (mint chocolate) and a guiness baileys one + a whoppi pie. Originally I was saving the whoppi pie and one of my grasshoppers for P back home, BUUUUUUUUT I caved and only left the whoppi pie, oopsie.  

I cannot believe I didn't take a photo of the glorious cupcakes I devoured, so instead, you get a photo of the patient Jess waiting until AFTER THE RACE before finishing hers off... 

Once we got home we did a taste test of  the newest 3 flavors of Nuun- watermelon, cherry limeade, and lemonade- -personally I liked watermelon the best, tastes like a jolly rancher-

 For those who haven't seen Elizabeth's Nuun video application last year, she made a Grape Nuun outfit... I HAD to fashion it for a bit, naturally. 

Does my sexy pose make you want some Nuun? Yes, I am wearing clothes underneath!

After some re-hydration, it was time for some dehydration- I forgot my math and didn't realize that a 22oz was this big--- I'm embarrassed to say I had difficulty finishing this with dinner. 

Elizabeth took us to Osteria, an italian restaurant that did not disappoint. While everyone else got pizza, I went for pasta and chicken--- it hit the spot- good food, company, and gorgeous weather. 

Before heading to bed after dinner we added these super awesome dollar tree shamrocks and stickers to our skirts to get a little festive... happy to report, they all stayed intact, not to mention we looked super cute! 

The race itself was okay- I generally run solo and don't talk much to others while running. The conditions were perfect weather wise, the terrain was a beast, but it was tackled. It's races like these that I don't go for the running itself, I go for the camaraderie of before and after the race with whoever I'm with. I love that through the simple art of blogging, people can come together for a weekend to share their love of running- it's hands down my favorite part of traveling for races.  

My next race is double header with B, but THEN a mini gals weekend in May with Kim and B and potentially L (slim chance but it may happen)- after that my races are with my family and I won't have another girls weekend till Labor Day weekend--- geesh that needs to be corrected soon!