During the 2015 Super Bowl, Laura and I both got an email from the Rock & Roll marathon series stating that if we registered for the New Orleans Marathon a YEAR in advance, the race would only be $50 (compared to a normal $100+). Sure, Grace was only about 6 weeks old but we had a YEAR to prepare and why not?!?
Laura and I registered for the full, 26.2 and Laci agreed to be a supporter and finder of "fun things to do" in New Orleans. Along the way we also talked Jackie into joining and doing the 13.1.
After 13 hours in Laura's car, we finally made it to the Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and met up with Ed & Kathy as well as Dustin & Rhiannon.
sunrise view from our hotel window
The funny thing is that we got a terrific night's rest and I felt as though I had truly slept in (you know... until sunrise, as you can see above).
Thanks to Ben, Shanny/David, and Julie, this marked one of the FIRST trips I've ever taken alone-- in the past 6.5 years. Nobody crawling into bed with me in the night. Nobody waking me in the dark and asking for breakfast. Nobody crying in the middle of the night.
I slept ALL NIGHT in my OWN bed and it was incredible.
New Orleans...
Laura Seals: The happiest person I know.
Even in her sleep.
Dinner at the Italian Barrel in the French Quarter.
LOVE Laci Scott!
Laci's friend, Katie (left) joined us from Houston.
SO GLAD to have gotten to know her in the 2 days we spent together.
quite possibly THE BEST Italian dish I've ever experienced.
Fresh pasta, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.
Ed & Kathy
Flat runners.... making a game plan the night before.
yes, and this happened...
REAL BOSS
getting our game faces on
statue of St. Charles
Laura and Jackie ready to go... with the king of ceremonies in the background.
We seriously ran into this man 3x during the weekend-- donning a crown, cape and staff each time.
The start line
quick photo of St. Francis Cathedral as I was jogging by around mile 10.
Here's the deal. For some reason, I get tears when I run really far. It's not that I'm hurt or broken; it's somewhat hard to explain. It's more like a feeling of being completely overwhelmed and crying because I can't believe it's over(?) and I survived.
Around mile 25.75 I recognized that I hadn't cried or gotten weird during the run...
Within about 30 seconds, I rounded one of the last turns and looked up to see Jackie waving and cheering with Ed and Kathy... THAT was the moment the ugly cry ensued.
So close...
It was so neat to have them there at the finish.
Laura... STILL looking happy at mile 26.10 as we cheered her to the end.
Kristin & Jackie
Kathy, Ed and Kristin
showing off our new jackets at the finish
New Orleans cemetery
stats that were sent via email
Yes, that's 1827 miles covered in 4 days.
TOTALLY worth it.
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