3 DOWN 47 TO GO
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
MARCH 4, 2012
13.1 Miles
DAYS BEFORE THE RACE
My trip to New Orleans was for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon which was my first half marathon of the year and my 3rd state in my Quest for running 50 states. Besides going for the race I had to experience the culture and all the delicious food they had to offer.
I arrive in New Orleans Thursday March 1st and my race was on Sunday so I had a few days to indulge on the foods of New Orleans and the city. I arrived Thursday evening and went straight to Bourbon Street to have dinner. I tried traditional Creole cuisine Alligator Bites, Bodin Balls, and Jambalaya and for dessert I went to Café Du Monde for their famous Beignets.
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| Alligator Bites |
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| PO-BOY |
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| Sample of New Orleans |
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| Beignets from Cafe Du Monde On Friday I went to the Garden District by Trolley to Audubon Park for a nice pre race 4 mile run and take in the scenery. Then went to the race expo and picked up the race packet afterwards I ventured to Treme area and went to Willie Mae’s Scotch house which is known for their famous fried chicken which I must say was quite good and their red beans delicious. I also tried the famous Hurricane which was a big slushy drink with alcohol. Later on that evening I went to a Hornets game, although I’m a Knicks fan it was cool to go to another Arena and the game was pretty good.     One Day before Race Day Saturday morning went on a Cemetery tour which was pretty cool, apparently their famous over in New Orleans for this, the weather was cold and dreary which was perfect for the tour ha ha, yes I said cold the temps dropped a lot the last two days I was in New Orleans low to mid 50s. After our tour we decided to venture and try the famous Po-Boys which is a French bread sandwich with shrimp, it was really good. For dinner I had spicy pasta and then called it a night early since the race was at 7am on Sunday. RACE DAY Woke up at 6 am had peanut butter crackers and a cliff bar before the race and walked to the start line which was about 15min walk, it was a bit cold at first in the morning low 50s. The 13.1 mile race was a nice flat course and temperature was perfect. The last 2 miles were a bit rough the streets were really damaged and felt as if I was running on a trail so definitely had to be careful not to trip or hurt myself. As I looked at my watch when I reached the 13 mile marker I thought I would finally break the 2 hour mark so I sped up a bit more but was cautious at the same time because I didn’t want to hurt myself, I finished strong and fast and my official race time was 2hours and 5 secs. Although I didn’t hit the sub 2hr mark I am happy and I know I trained hard and worked hard for this race and considering all the food I ate with the days leading up to it I am Happy.    To celebrate I had a Frozen Margarita, I know not typical New Orleans drink but it was good along with crawfish which was a lot of work for such little meat and a Muffeletta which is a huge sandwich they make over there. Next Stop DC Rock and Roll Half Marathon March 17, 2012, Stay Tuned…. |
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