Five for Friday

Highlights of this week

1. Poolside, drinks, and a good read 

was how I spent sat, sun, mon, & tuesday. Relaxation at its finest :) The below pouches are a combo of Smirnoff OR Parrot Bay premade slushies with the alcohol included. Just freeze, remove, tear off top, pour into cup, enjoy. PERFECT poolside drink

2. Going out of Comfort Zone

Last week I applied for a different job within my company. I had my first interview this week, and it  went really well and have my 2nd round next week. If I make it past  the account director then I have to actually go to the HQ of the client and meet them... 

its in Charlotte, NC ... and if getting the job, I'd have to move and be there by August 1. Regardless of outcome, its a catch 22. Get the job, huge pay raise, great career path BUT I have to move and leave all my friends and networks behind. If I don't get the job there is the rejection, BUT I get to stay here and not uproot my life. 

3. Started my "marathon training"

Sometime during this week  I decided it would be a good idea to calculate how many weeks out my first marathon in September is- turns out its 16 weeks, crap. So I randomly decided midweek that this was going to be week 1 of my training- oops. In the meantime I'm trying to find a good plan as a guideline. All of Hal Higdon's are 18 weeks, so if you know of any shorter plans (12-16 weeks) Send away!

4. Amazing concert last night

Last night I finally got to see a concert in the infamous Ryman Auditorium. Myself, Jack, Ashley, & Kristi decided to make a grand time of it and meet downtown for drinks at the Beer Sellar. J & I got there around 4:30 and we all drank till a little after 7 before walking over to the concert hall. 7 beers + 1 shot on an empty stomach + one of my favorite bands = AMAZING time (and hangover this morning)

Kristi, Ashley, me, Jack

The Band: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Doesn't ring a bell? I'm sure you've heard their famous hit, "Home"--- you can't listen to this song and not feel happy afterward.

Photos from my seat

5. Might have found a solution to my solo long runs while training for marathon problem. 

Today at work one of my mentor's Jeff had me go with him to a little get together for networking purposes. Although the networking was for work, I made huge strides with running connections. First I received a verbal commitment from one of the guys to join our potential ultra relay for Ragnar TN, so already it was a success. More importantly one of the guys I just met from bootcamp had mentioned that he is part of a running group that meets in my area every saturday at 6am. He emailed me the info and looks like I'll be joining them tomorrow for my first of hopefully man long runs. Added bonus is 3 of the guys are actually doing the Air force marathon as well, so I may be picking their brain for training schedules. 

Anything exciting in your week?

Thunder Road Charlotte, NC Day 1

A few reasons why this race was an easy choice. B's boyfriend's family lives there, so he was willing to drive us the 7 hours (score), and we stayed at his folks place so one more expense out of the way. (double score) We decided to make a weekend of it and left Friday morning at 6:30am. Had the entire back seat to myself so I was able to stretch out and even fit in a nap along the way.

Drive through the Smokey mountains was absolutely gorgeous, and it didn't seem too long before we hit North Carolina. We had to make a pit stop for gas, bathroom, and snacks (I was massively craving chocolate milk). Despite the fact that I live in Nashville, I guess you're not considered the 'real south' until you have this in your gas station

Get your boiled peanuts!!

I was informed by the lady in black that they are actually not very good... good to know. Within the hour we arrive at Mike's folk's place- 'Ds house'. After some chit chat and unpacking we go and pick up Mike's bro so they can show us how to get downtown and head to the expo. 

Downtown is a surprisingly short drive- we find a parking garage and they direct us where to go and leave the car with us for the evening. Thunder road expo is held in Charlotte's convention center- which is both spacious and nice. Theme of the whole race is 'race cars' since Charlotte is home to the Nascar Hall of Fame. 

Entrance to the expo.

Of course we have to capture the moment and get our photo in front of expo sign... probably the 100th people to get it done.

Race packet pick up was actually a breeze and the rest of the time was spent looking at different vendors. B and I got these great running headbands by EmbRACE bands that were guaranteed to stay in place (something that all other brands I tried up until this point failed to do) Bands were either $10 a piece or 3 for $25. I got 3 and opted for all sequined ones- white sequined for race day, then pink and blue for future races / training runs. I will say that after one race staying in put, I am now hooked on these :) 

This bad boy actually stayed in place as promised :) 

Only other good buy I got was a trigger point wheel by the people that make 'the stick' - same concept as the stick, only its for small pressure points- esp joints. Still figuring out how to use it the best way, but great on face and neck. 

Packs a lot of torque for a little guy

After looking around at some of the race specific merchandise I came across two of the race shirts that got me a little nervous. I knew this was a hilly course, but seeing it in frnt of me, obviously re-enforced
this fact into me.

Elevation profile?!? looks more like an EKG 

I was already planning on trying to go out slower this race for 3 reasons- learn my pace better, colder weather, and lots of hills- looks like more reason to stick to the game plan. Finally finish up at expo and had to get our photo with the token race car before heading out. 

Showing off car sans bikini

Decide to 'explore' downtown Charlotte,  but there wasn't a lot to do. There were a surprising amount of amazing statues and sculptures that were unique, and of course a gigantic over-sized Christmas tree!

I look tiny in comparison!

We stop into a bar for a quick drink, something I NEVER do a day before a race, and end up staying for our dinner. B and I aways carb load 2 days before, so as long as I make sure something I eat is a carb pre meal, I don't really scrutinize too much about what I eat. We get our food and find out the guy we're sitting next to is doing the full marathon tomorrow. He (Bob) is also on a similar quest as us- to run in each state, however he is doing marathons and we're doing 1/2s. So far has 17 under his belt, and his goal is to just finish each state by the time he's 50... didn't think to ask how old he was currently. We swap stories about races and realize we'll be seeing him again in March for the Little Rock full and half- small world. I absolutely love running into people who have passion for some goal they set for themselves- especially when it comes to athletics! 

Leave the bar a little after 7pm and make our way back to Ds house. Watch some tv with mama and papa D then head up to lay everything out for race day in the morning!