Mayor's 5k Challenge in Nashville

On Sunday, November 13, I participated in the Mayor's 5k challenge in Nashville. It was a great experience. Mayor Karl Dean urged Nashvilians to get out and get healthy by running with him. I also took this as an opportunity to get one more 5k in before my next event on Thanksgiving, which is a 4-miler. It's less than a week away and I walked/ran the course today. This is my second year doing Borodash so I was familiar with the course. It's mostly flat - which I like and this morning was fine weather-wise.

Finish line at the top of the hill!

I hope you enjoy my pictures. Nashville is a great place to run! But there are lots of hills. I'm hoping to end 2012 strong on my last race next week.

Welcome weekend!

I'm glad it's the weekend. A few days rest then back to work again. There are no races planned this weekend but I signed up for a last minute 5k for next weekend. (Am I addicted to this running thing?) The mayor in Nashville has challenged the city of Nashville to walk/run a 5k with him. It's a free event and takes place in downtown Nashville. I'm looking forward to the challenge! I think it's great Mayor Dean is taking steps to make Nashville a healthier place to live. The south has a reputation of obesity and this is a great way to change that. Here's more information about the challenge:
Mayor's 5k Challenge

Nashville Centennial Park

Here is a map of the course: http://maps.nashville.gov/Mayors5K_Challenge/

But this weekend I will rest and enjoy time with my family. Tonight we are playing Rock Band in our living room and having a blast! I hope to spend some time with my one week old grand-daughter too!

Phoenix

Nashville Women's Half Marathon & 5k

I was so thrilled to do this 5k over the weekend. The weather was just simply perfect for a race - it was in the high 50's. Running through the streets of downtown Nashville was so much fun. I usually feel very awkward running but I felt more at ease during this race. I was able to do intervals of walking and running throughout the race but I kept the walking for the hills! There were several sections of hills that I didn't train for. That was the hardest part for me. The race bibs had our first name printed on them which seems brilliant to me. People cheering along the streets would actually call out your name and cheer your on! Also, hearing my name announced as I passed the finish line was just awesome. I was greeted at the finish by service men awarding me with my 5k medal. I loved it! My husband was also waiting for me to cheer me on as I crossed the finish. I hope he knows just how much that meant to me. I'm so glad I decided to do this one. My official time was :49:34 which is under my most recent 5k time. Since there were hills involved, I felt that this is a great pace for me. I'm still slow, but I'm not stopping! The next 5k is on October 29th, where I will run in Komen Race for the Cure - one of my favorite races! I hope to finish that one closer to :45.

Below are a few pictures from the race.

Race tshirt

Picking up my race packet

race packet and bib

Good morning Nashville!

Women's Half Marathon & 5k race start

We're ready to run!

Along the course

I love the people cheering for us and their signs!

Bands playing along the race course!

I love my medal!

 I love the feeling of running across the finish line. There's nothing quite like it. Am I obsessed with running? Maybe a little. Now I'm treating myself to day of relaxation to recover from my busy weekend.

Celebrating 5 years of marriage

On this day, five years ago my sweetheart and I drove to Gatlinburg, TN and exchanged wedding vows in a small chapel. It was a wonderful day that I'll never forget. I remember we did have a few issues before the ceremony. We were almost late to the chapel due to rain and traffic on the way through Knoxville. There was a UT football game that day and the traffic was crazy. Also after driving for almost 2 hours, we realized we left one of our suitcases at home. Inside this bag was my husband's dress shoes, belt and clothes for the rest of the weekend. So, we got married with him wearing tennis shoes and no belt. It's a fun memory to recall but at the time it was no laughing matter.

Our wedding day, September 23, 2006

It's been a wonderful 5 years and I'm looking forward to many more years of happiness with my special guy. Here are a few more photo's of us enjoying life together.

We will be going to Nashville for the evening to celebrate. I wonder what we should do first?

Almost time for another 5k

I'm gearing up for my next 5k in a few days. It's the Women's Half Marathon and 5k in Nashville. I'm very excited about this one.

Since Friday is our wedding anniversary, my hubby and I decided to go to Nashville on Friday and stay in a hotel downtown. First of all, we are doing this to celebrate our anniversary and second, to be close to the race location. That will be very convenient and I won't have to get up quite as early. We usually stay in more cost effective hotels but this time we are staying at a fancy one, The Renaissance Hotel. I found out they give a discount to runners in the race so we did get a better deal than the regular price. This should be fun. I'm taking Friday off work so we can get to Nashville, check in our hotel and pick up my race packet. I get so excited about this part of doing races. I'm hoping to get this medal after the finish....

the 5k medal!

We will spend the evening downtown and who knows what we will do! As long as I get enough rest for the race, I am open to whatever we decide. Nashville is an exciting place with so much to do. I love the atmosphere of the downtown area.

Nashville!

Wish me luck!!! I'll be posting pictures after the race.

Adventures in Nashville - Day 2

The Parthenon at Centennial Park

Day 2. I woke up early and had the free breakfast at the hotel. I was able to choose a few healthier options. They had fruit, low fat yogurt, coffee, juice and a few healthy cereals to choose from. I passed on the eggs, sausage and biscuits.

After breakfast, I decided to head out to Centennial Park to do some walking/jogging. It was a lovely morning. I walked around the pond a few times and around The Parthenon. If you ever visit Nashville, this is one stop you should make. Click on the links above for information about this park and the Parthenon.

After my easy workout, I got back in my car and drove a few miles downtown to the Nashville Women's Half Marathon 5k course I will be doing in less than a month I wanted to drive the course and see what to expect. It looks like it will be a good course. There are a few hills but nothing too daunting.

It was a nice weekend to explore in Nashville. It wasn't as hot and humid as it usually is. I really should do this more often, especially since I only live about half an hour away from Music City! There's so much to do, even if you aren't a fan of country music.

Here are some photos on day 2 of my adventures in Nashville:

Nashville skyline

The ducks in the pond at Centennial Park

My semi-healthy breakfast at my hotel

Looking a little tired after my walk/run this morning

Adventures in Nashville

I decided to spend the day in Music City....a.k.a. Nashville. My kids are almost grown and have their own plans. I could write an entire post about those feelings....but I'll save that for another time.
Its been a fun day. I stopped at a local shoe store and got fitted for a new pair of running shoes. They felt so good I wore them out of the store. I'm looking forward to trying them out in the morning at Centennial Park. I also want to scope out the 5k course for the Women's Half Marathon here in Nashville.
I arrived in Nashville around 3 p.m. and had lunch at Qdoba Mexican Grill. My chicken queso burrito was yummy. But I'm not looking forward to logging those calories today. I'll have to do some walking to burn those calories.
I'm staying in a hotel near downtown. After relaxing a bit, I decided to get out and explore. I parked several blocks away from the action and did some walking. There is alot going on here today. There is a BBQ championship at Riverfront Park and the Tennessee Titans have a football game. I walked around for an hour or so, then headed back to the hotel to relax.
I'll give more details on my adventure tomorrow. Goodnight.

new running shoes!!!

downtown Nashville

Exploring Nashville - that's LP Field in the background, where the TN Titans play

Lunch from Qdoba

BBQ championship in Nashville

Walk 100 Miles with the Mayor of Nashville

Centennial Park - photo compliments of Nashville.gov website

The mayor in Nashville has started a walking program called Walk 100 miles with the mayor . The next walk is scheduled for tomorrow at Centennial Park in Nashville. This is a nice park located close to downtown Nashville. I'm thinking about participating in this. It's a great program to encourage Nashville residents to take steps to living healthier. According to the local newspaper, Tennessee is the 2nd fattest state with over 30% of residents being obese. I'm glad the mayor is taking steps to get Tennesseans to live healthier. See the link below for more information about this article.
Tennessee obesity article

Since I am feeling better after having bronchitis, I'm looking for something active to do this weekend. But I don't want to overdo it. Walking sounds like a great way to ease back into working out. It's time to get my water bottle and my pedometer ready. I wonder if I'll see anyone I know at the park?