Weekending in Richmond

Over the weekend I got to tick another state off the old 'to visit list'. I'd been to West Virginia in 2009 but never Virginia, and a runcation was the perfect excuse to see a new place and catch up with Alyssa, Tracy & Lisa. It was a busy weekend, so I figured a weekending post with Biana was fitting.

I might be all organised with packing for longer trips, but I am not with weekend trips. I always pack last minute and just throw a bunch of things in a bag, especially if it's a road trip because there is no limit. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring Millie.

I made the 9 hour drive to Richmond on Friday and it was thankfully pretty uneventful. I have never done that long a drive on my own, so it's nice to know I can, though I wouldn't be sad if I never did it again, ha. I listened to music when it was dark and a book when the sun came out. Crunchy snacks and chewing gum also kept me from feeling tired, so thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

We hit up the expo to pick up our packets and whatnot, and then went for dinner.

^ the one on the left just makes me laugh so I had to share it.

Saturday was the race so we were up bright and early. From what I could tell, it was a pretty big race and I thought it was really well organised.

Like I mentioned in my last race recap, I'm not really one for details when talking about my races - I ran, sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad, I was happy when it was over because of the food. I stayed with the girls for about 3 miles before slowing down, my goal for this one was just to run the whole thing (I ran 10 miles for Urban Bourbon and ran/walked the rest) which I did. Time wise, I just wanted to beat Urban Bourbon, if only by a second.

^ this is the first race I have ever gotten a blanket for - isn't it awesome? You can see how much we all loved them.

As for how I went, I beat my Urban Bourbon time by a few minutes, which I am stoked about. It was a good race, I felt pretty good and the course was pretty and entertaining. What more could you ask for?

After the race we headed back to the hotel to clean up before heading out to lunch. Everyone else left after lunch and I stayed an extra night because of the long drive. I meant to go to sleep early but Wreck It Ralph and then Pretty Woman captured my attention and I did not get enough sleep at all.

The drive down/sideways/whichever direction I went was easy as pie and I didn't feel tired at all, but the first few hours of the drive back were awful. I was so tired, my eyes were so heavy and I could feel my head nodding. I stopped at a gas station as soon as I felt like that, splashed some water on my face and bought everything that looked like it would help me stay awake.

I am not a coffee drinker, but I figured I could stomach one if it kept me awake, and thankfully it did and I didn't have to resort to the other things - the guy selling it all to me was like 'um, miss, you probably shouldn't take all this at once'. I was just trying to be prepared! But like I said, the coffee drink more than did the trick and I got a second one a few hours later. I still thought it tasted gross and it did not miraculously turn me into a coffee drinker, which is a good thing apparently because several people advised me that my drink choice wasn't really coffee. It sure tasted like coffee to me, and it did the trick which is all that matters. I enjoyed the chocolate milk I had afterwards even more.

I fibbed to KC about what time I left so he was expecting me around dinner but I surprised him before lunch. Then I did absolutely nothing for the rest of the day, and it was great.

And because I like to see all my times together:

2011: 2:37:15
2012: 2:04:48
2014: 2:39:15
2014: 2:33:21
2015: 2:50:36
2016: 2:32:12

2016: 2:23:55

2016: 2:19:38

I am done with races for 2016 - bring on 2017!

Oh and of course, it wouldn't be a race for me if I didn't do this:

Happy Monday to you, hope you have a fabulous week!

ps. Happy Birthday Sara! Love you!