TriVeggies

Second half-marathon of the season: Done!

This was my first time visiting Nashville, and I must say I loved it. The city was vibrant and lively, the food was delicious, the sights were new and novel, the music was world-class – and the race course itself was a masterpiece! I didn’t even mind the temperature, which rose high into the 80s every day.

LeeLee and I got in on Thursday and, after dropping our things off at the hotel, went straight to the Capitol building for a tour. We’re both political junkies, and sort of “collect” Capitol buildings, so this was a delight for us both. We even got to see Rep. Justin Jones – one of my favorites! – several times throughout the day doing this-and-that, and were able to take in some debates from our perch in the House gallery.

Our friends Denise and Matt arrived on Friday, and we trundled over to the expo, which thankfully was at the Music City Center, right across from our hotel. The expo experience was so streamlined and the volunteers and staff so friendly and knowledgeable! I was a satisfied customer. And per tradition, Denise and Matt made their way over to the Solutions table in order to change their half-marathon bibs out for the 10K variety. To be perfectly honest, Matt didn’t even know he’d been registered for the race at all! So he ended up walking the 10K in his traveling shoes and khaki shorts.

While at the expo, we also picked up our wristbands for the Old Town Trolley shuttle service back from the finish line – the best $15 I could’ve spent, to be honest. Should you ever run this race, keep the Old Town Trolley in mind!

We did a bit of walking around on Broadway for the rest of the afternoon, but tried to limit it as much as we could – as well as drink as much water as we reasonably could to stay hydrated. Then it was time for an early bedtime, before an early race day!

The 10K started at 6:30, but the half started at 7:20, so I took my sweet time getting down to the start line. By the time I rolled up around 6:45, the last groups of 10K racers were on their way out. I looked for Denise and Matt, but didn’t find them in the throngs, and then I went a couple of blocks further to my own start line.

Before I got there, however, there was the matter of breakfast to attend to. At home, I have my customary prerace smoothie, but given our travel limitations I had to fall back on an old standby: Rice Krispies with almond milk and a banana. I ate two little single-serve bowls of Rice Krispies, complete with banana, and then had another banana at the start line for good measure. It seemed to work well!

Before too long it was time to queue up in the corrals for the half. I made fast friends with a woman called Sherry from Houston (originally from Oregon) and we chatted the minutes away while we waited for the national anthem and then the corrals to shuffle on across the start line. Once the race got under way, we bade each other farewell and took off!

The race started heading down Broadway, which was great fun to see from the middle of the road, and then headed back up the other direction, where I got my first taste of the Tennessee hills. One thing is patently clear: I need more hillwork in my life! From Music Row to Vanderbilt to Belmont to the Gulch to the Capitol and across the bridge to the finish line, Nissan Stadium, the rolling hills were relentless. I ran most of them but walked some of the steepest ones to try to keep my heart rate low. I think it paid off pretty well, all told.

But despite the hills, the course was gorgeous and engaging. I was shocked at how many neighbors came out to cheer on the runners pounding through each neighborhood, from college spots to more suburban areas of town. One street even opened all the mailboxes and put candies out on the open mailbox doors! Having such community support really meant a lot to me – and I know to all the other racers too.

Before I knew it, I was approaching the bridge that would carry us across the river to the stadium, where I knew the finish line was waiting. After redlining it for too long at the DC race in March, I held back this time around so I could finish strong, and finish I did, in 3:00:02. Yes, this was definitely off my TriDot RaceX prediction of 2:38:18, but honestly I don’t really care all that much. I had a great time and wasn’t even too sore afterward! (That soreness waited two days to really come on – mainly in my poor glutes, which were clearly not trained for the hills – but has already abated.)

The postrace chute was incredibly well organized, too, with a nice array of snacks and water and extremely clear signage pointing to all manner of attractions. My top destination was the shuttle stop, which I found with ease, and then boarded a trolley not too long after I arrived. In mere minutes, I was back downtown, just a block from my hotel. What a win!

Have you run Nashville? Let me know in the comments!