My Quest to 50 +1
15 Down 35 More to Go
Charleston, West Virgin
April 7, 2018
Earlier this month I completed my
27th Half Marathon and my 15th state toward my Quest to
50. I haven’t ran a state in a couple of years and my last half was April 2017. The
last 2 years I was focusing on triathlon training, the sport can be very
expensive and the training is a lot more than just running.
Day before the Race
Drove down to West Virginia with
2 friends that also have a goal of running 50 states, it was a long 8 plus hour
drive. When we finally arrived to Charleston we went straight to the University
that was hosting the race to pick up our race packet, the weather was really
nice and after we went to get some dinner. We ended up at a place called
Burrito and Brews, not my first choice to have Mexican food a day before the
race but there weren’t a lot of options. I wasn’t a fan of my dish but everyone
else liked their dish, guess I’m just very picky when it comes to food lol.
After our meal we went to check in to our hotel to only find out we were booted
to another hotel across the street. After we had settled in, we prepared our
gear for race morning and relaxed.
Race Day
Race morning we woke up and it
was 30 degrees and flurries out, when you sign up for a race down south you
would think the weather would be somewhat warm. We arrived at the start line
with about 10 minutes to spare. At the start of the race I ran with my 2
friends for about a mile, after feeling good I decided let me push the pace and
run ahead and try and make good time. After half way through the race I thought
to myself I should have stood with the girls, the course was very residential,
I ran by myself for a while and it was very boring, running through the same
area about 3 times. Although mostly flat I could have pushed
for PR but kind of gave up once I knew I wouldn’t beat my time so took it easy
after that instead of giving it all I have, which I definitely had more to
give. I think if I would have pushed more I could have come in 3rd
place in my age group which was kind of a bummer also after realizing that so
came in 7th. Lately I have
been struggling mentally in my races which I am working on, it’s been about 3
years since my best half marathon. I know concentrating on my triathlons I have
focused more on that then although I do feel like I have gotten faster. Overall
I think it’s more of a mental struggle then physical and I need to get over
that hump.
I watched the girls cross the
finish line and then we went to enjoy the post-race festivities which included
a live music and yummy food after, we even tried maple syrup cotton candy which
was interesting.
We then went back to the hotel
showered and wanted to head out to check out the town. We went and found a
market which was actually an old train station to walk around and then went to
the Capitol building where they had a museum but we got there 15 minutes before
closing.
Day after Race
We are now heading back home but
not before we have a good hearty breakfast before the long drive back. I found
this place called First Watch which was delicious, was hoping to try local WV
food but found out this is actually a chain restaurant. I had a bowl with
potatoes, eggs, chicken, chorizo and chimichurri sauce yum, this was the best
thing I ate the whole weekend oh and let’s not forget a side of biscuits with
gravy.
I completed my 15th state and hoping to do a few more this year if finances work out. My next state is Seattle, WA but may have to cancel due to finances but we shall see.
Until next time Happy Swim, Bike,
Run, Box, Hike!!
