Twentysomething

My birthday was yesterday and it was pretty perfect.

I started the day with a McDonald's Diet Coke. $1.09 well spent. McDonald's has the best Diet Coke.

Lunch was spent with a few of my co-workers at the Pancake Pantry where I ordered my favorite, raspberry delight pancakes.

The day flew by and before I knew it, it was time to go run with East Nasty.

My friend Lanie picked me up (so I didn't have to drive!).

The run was the shortest route we run which was perfect timing. I only needed to run 3 miles.

After the run, I headed to 3 Crow Bar with friends for a few pre-dinner beers where we laughed and talked about Chicago Marathon stuff.

For dinner, we went to the new 5 Points Pizza. I loved it. My only complaint was that it is not the best for groups. Granted we were a huge group that would be hard to accommodate at most restaurants, but I would say no more than 8 in a group tops. So we were split between 4 tables.

My marathon training buddy Bernadette. PBR Tallboys go great with pizza.



What do 3 people in training for a marathon and 1 person training for a 50K (that's not a typo) trail run order? Garlic knots, 2 large pizzas and 2 slices. (Garlic knots and 2 slices not shown)



After pizza it was back to 3 Crow to meet up with a few other friends where even more laughs were had.

Birthday lemon drops.


A birthday bushwacker or 2...


I don't even know. But I love the purple on both my shirts.



The 4 Musketeers


Here's to a great year!

Race Recap: Nashville Women's Half Marathon 9.24.11

Since signing up this half marathon I have been thinking of it as a supported training run and not an actual race. So I didn't have any pre-race jitters when I went to pick up my packet or Friday night. It was kind of a nice feeling. I met a few friends for happy hour Friday after work and didn't drink at all. By the time I left I realized I still needed to get dinner. My options were either take out or a quick trip to the grocery store. I went with the grocery store and opted for a frozen BBQ chicken pizza. I came home heated it up and proceeded to eat the whole thing. And since I still wasn't satisfied I topped it off with a pint of Greater's Chocolate Chocolate Chip. You know, a nice healthy pre-race meal. Riiiiiiiight.

I ended staying up later than I would have liked and wasn't in bed until after 11.  5 AM came pretty early and I was out the door pretty quickly to pick up my friend Christy who I have been training with for Chicago. She originally wasn't going to run this race, but she found a discounted bib and she was in! We met up with more friends downtown and before we knew it, the race was about to start. The weather was pretty close to perfect. It was chilly, but not too chilly.

Christy and I decided we were going to use this race to help us prepare for Chicago. We both got new running belts at the expo and we wanted to test them out. Also, during our long runs we usually stop a few times depending on the length of the run and I don't plan on doing this in Chicago, well at least not to the degree that we do on the long training runs. Christy and I have a very similar pace so we decided to attempt to start our slow and get  faster. For the most part it worked, we will probably need to start slower in Chicago though.

The course was hilly. But there were a fair amount of spectators out there so despite the hills it was nice to see people out, including a bunch of friends.

On Belmont Blvd, which is uphill both ways, or at least it feels like that, my friends Chelsea and her fiance Isaac were cheering and taking pictures. (photo by Chelsea)

So excited to see Chelsea and Isaac!


The course wasn't my favorite but the weather was great! Christy even PR'd and I am so proud of her!

A few of my East Nasties after the race



My official finishing time



My splits



My Garmin, as well as lots of other people's, measured the course longer than 13.1. I understand that courses are measured from the shortest possible route on the course, but I didn't do a whole lot of weaving, so .15 longer seems a bit off to me. Overall it was still a great race and I love my new Lululemon East Nasty shirt.

Show: Brandi Carlile & Ray Lamontagne at the Grand Ole Opy House 9/21/11

I can't believe I almost didn't go to this show. But a friend had a last minute ticket for me and I already had friends going, so it worked out perfectly. I may have skipped my evening run but, it was worth it.

I don't know what it is, but I am not the biggest fan of female singers. I have seen Brandi Carlile a few few times before and enjoy a few of her songs, but that's about it. I sat with a few friends in the third row on the side for her set. Brandi Carlile got her start in Seattle, so it was fun to here her talk about all the Seattle places she played on her way up.

She closed her set with a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.

I first saw Ray Lamontagne back in 2006 at the Ryman Auditorium when he was on tour with Guster. He had a bit of a meltdown and ended up saying a few choice words and then walking off stage. I was unlucky enough to be sitting second row for his verbal attack and it definitely left it's mark. When his show comes around, it's always one I want to see but hesitate because of the lasting affect of the first show I saw. First impressions count people! However, I keep going back. I saw him a year or so later at the War Memorial and then I missed a few and went to this show on Wednesday.

Ray back in the day at the Ryman

Despite the previous meltdown (I am going to chalk that one up to stage fright although I am sure there was a lot more going on...), I love him. He has a great voice. Trouble is one of my favorite albums and I love the song as well. His CD's are great, but there is just something about his live performance. I ended up having to leave my friends and go back to my seat. Greeting me were two of my friends who were relocated right next to me because they had a few obnoxious people behind them. What luck!

Every time he says the word saved, I got chills. LOVR!

Has an artist ever left you with a bad taste in your mouth after seeing them live? Please tell me I'm not the only one this has happened to!

Pear Jam Twenty

Last night I went to the Belcourt Theater to see Pearl Jam Twenty with a couple of friends. It's hard for me to believe that PJ, along with Nirvana and DMB have been around for 20 years. The music of the early 90's and 90's in general are my JAM. I can't believe it is essentially considered oldies music as in many cities it now has it's own dedicated station. My favorite part of my drive from Nashville to Charleston, WV is the part just before Elizabethtown and Lexington along the Bluegrass parkway where I can tune in the Generation X station. There is just something about music from the 90's that is so deeply attached to memories of growing up. I love the memories that a song can bring like driving around in my car listening to One Headlight by the Wallflowers or going to my first concert (Dave Matthews Band).

For a band that has been around so long I really didn't know a whole lot about their entire history. This documentary did a great job of touching on their early career and how they changed because of the fame. I am sure the diehard or just more knowledgeable fans will be more aware of things that were left out. The scenes of Seattle and the Northwest definitely made me miss Seattle. I also know that if your favorite band ever plays in Europe you should go. Seeing scenes of their shows in Veronoa, Italy definitely brought back memories of seeing Dave Matthews Band in Lucca. Also, I have a new desire to listen to the entire Pearl Jam catalog. I wouldn't be surprised if some Pearl Jam ends up on my marathon play list.

I love having the Belcourt Theater in Nashville. Besides showing movies the Belcourt also has concerts. This year I saw the Hood to Coast movie and Conan O'brien's Can't Stop. I really need to see more documentaries. Do you have an independent movie theater in your city?