March, 2012. NOLA. 13.1 miles. This was a fun one. 2nd year in a row for me and my sis to run this race. This year however our Ma joined us too. The weather was perfect – right at 50 degrees for the start. The course was flat and scenic. We ran through the Garden District, French Quarter, then up to the old City Park for the finish and party.
My Sis, Me, Mom. They can never take a serious picture.
It’s no secret that I love love love New Orleans. And I will write my travel guide blog post on it soon – so stay tuned! So now I won’t get into all the sites to see and foods to eat, I’ll just talk about the race. And can I just say this – It’s crazy how my vacations now center around races. I can’t believe I schedule my trips like that now, but say la vie. Ok, “La vie.”
I had a decent run and a good time considering all the normal pitfall traps in that city – booze, lots of walking, booze, no last call, booze. I even think I survived a ghost attack in our couple hundred year old BnB the night before the race. Seriously. I swore I woke up and couldn’t move or speak. Petrified in the bed. It was crazy. Or did I dream it? Either way, I got up and ran sub 1:50 despite all the distractions and the bumpy roads. In facty, my friend who was also running broke her foot on one of the bumps in the road, but still finished the race!
Hey Mister! I like your “throw”.
And yes, the medals were cool. I have Always been a sucker for the fleur de lis. And I like how the band was actually mardi gras colored beads! Another cool thing about the New Orleans RnR is that unlike Dallas, the post race party is indeed a party. You are in the old park, far from the city center. There’s no hopping in your car and driving off – you gotta walk a ways to get to the shuttle buses, so you stay there a while to enjoy the lively headliner concert and party it up. People bring liquor, king cake, mimosas, you name it. The laws are pretty loose down there, so pretty much anything goes. Which my likey.
So to sum up: Great city, Great race, Great medal, Great party, and Great times! And one spectator’s sign pretty much captured the vibe of this anything goes town….
Is that just for the runners, or for everyone?
Peace homeys!
Piratebobcat 