July 4th Music City 10K/5K

How on earth is it already July?!?!  I feel like this year is absolutely flying by!  But here we are again, for the July 4th 10K.  We ran this race last year.  You can read about that here.  It was a soggy mess.  As all of 2013 was.

Not this year!  This year was absolutely beautiful.  We left the house around 6:30 and headed downtown.  It was around 65 degrees outside and no humidity.  Yes, you read that correctly!  July in Nashville and there was no humidity.  To the point I contemplated for a minute running back inside and grabbing a long sleeved shirt to wear.  It was chilly believe it or not!

I've been working with a personal trainer for about a month and have tried to get my running back on pace.  I've probably been pushing a little too hard too soon after the great ankle injury of Warrior Dash - Ohio.  So a combination of running too hard too soon, running too soon with an ankle injury and getting used to actually working my muscles again I've developed some knee pain.  This race is 2 loops.  You stop the first time for the 5K, or repeat it and complete the 10K.  Usually I hate that, but this year it was awesome.  I figured I'd test the old knee/ankle and see how it was going, if it was going well I'd complete the 10K that I signed up for, if not, I'd stop at the 5K.

Before the race - Jason and Ben

Jenn and Betsy

Ben, Hopper, and Jenn

We got downtown and got our packets in record time.  Of course we got there right after 7:00.  Then we found some friends and hung out until it was time to go.

We got in the shoot and stretched a little, the National Anthem was sung, and we're off.  I took roughly 50 steps and realized it'd be the 5K for me.  It was a beautiful morning for a run.  Across the bridge, by the stadium, and back down town and we're done.  Or at least I was, everyone else ran the 10K and had to see everything for a second time.

Ben approaching the finish line

I stood at the finish line and took pictures of everyone as they finished - everyone except Jason who passed me with half a mile left....yes...he finished a 10K before I finished a 5K. Then we rallied up and headed to Puckett's for brunch.

And he's done!

Unfortunately, Puckett's had a 45 minute wait.  Fortunately though, Frothy Monkey is right down the block.  I decided it was WAY passed time for us to try Frothy Monkey.  Some friends of mine from high school own it and I've said we need to try it for forever, but locations in comparison to Murfreesboro are difficult to get to. We have been missing out.  BIG TIME.  We had a couple beers and I had the Royale sandwich, and Ben had an omelet with anything his heart desired.

Happy Independence Day!

What did you do for the 4th?  Did you run in any Independence Day Races?

Music City July 4th 10K

In July we ran the Fourth of July 10K.  It rained.  It rained all summer in Nashville I don't know why we thought Independence Day would be any different.

Me and the sister in our DIY shirts!

The night before me and Stephanie (sister) decorated shirts with good old spray paint.  I thought they turned our really well!  Ben went with the "Who has 2 thumbs and loves America?" shirt. 

We got down there, somehow met up with Stephanie even though neither of us had our phones due to the rain and got ready to run.

I'm proud to say that even as slow as I am I didn't come in last...sure the announcer was gone and the music had stopped but I wasn't last and they hadn't reopened the roads!

I guess we didn't get a picture of the group but there were several of us who met up.

After the race it was time to hydrate, with beer.  Turns out 3 beers is just over my limit to consume after 6 miles.  

Also, we decided Nashville isn't a tourist town just yet considering on the 4th of July we couldn't get a beer before 10:00.  Some of us need to get our boozing on Nashville!

I went to Tootsie's for the first time.  Despite what ABC's Nashville says, locals don't frequent Tootsie's often.  Well we did that day, and heard some live music while being the only people in the bar at 10:00.