My penultimate state. Crazy to believe this journey is almost finished.

I will say logistically this was one of the hardest states to plan. There aren’t very many races in West Virginia and there are no major airports, so when I stumbled upon the Marshall University race, and saw I would get to carry a football across the field to the finish line, I thought, this is an “add to cart” situation! So I signed up.

I left my house Saturday morning at 5:30am (the day after Halloween) which was ROUGH! As I’m driving to the airport I get the dreaded delay notification. And they kept coming…

After 3 delays American so kindly rebooked me…to the next day. Um, thats’s not going to help me make my race on time. Then, my original flight got bumped back up a bit so I had to go talk to a gate agent to get back on it as the app wouldn’t let me change back. I finally got back on it, and then it was delayed even longer because the flight crew was still at their hotel. However, a highlight was I got to see my best friend’s mom at the airport! We ended up going out on the same flight.

After a stop in Charlotte, NC I hopped on my connecting flight to Charleston, WV to get my rental car to head to Huntington, WV. It was only about an hour drive and I got my race packet and then got to my hotel around 5pm…only to find that my room was also delayed. So I chilled in the lobby for a bit.

After I finally got into my room I decided to head to a local restaurant to sit at a bar, and enjoy some dinner while watching Game 7 of the World Series.

My bad luck for the day continued as I was seated next to a couple on a first date. They were drinking heavily and she told him that when she dies she wants her skin to be used in an art project. He then ordered a filet well done with A1 steak sauce. That honestly threw me more than the skin as art comment. But why, sir?! I don’t understand spending that kind of money to cook a perfectly good piece of meat to a dried out state and then smother it in sauce, but alas, we are all entitled to our own choices. Their food arrives, and she asks “Daddy” to feed her. I’m trying to keep my eyes on the tv, but she keeps talking to me. Then, “Daddy” gets the hiccups and she tells him to hold his breath for ten seconds, and then swallow his own air, and that it will change his life and destroy his hiccups. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work and instead he vomits everywhere. The worst part is that they both just sat there. The owner finally comes up and asks them to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. I decide I’m quite done eating and ask for my check. By the time I pay out, they still haven’t returned, so I’ll never know if they make it to date number two.

Back at my hotel, things were much more peaceful and I watched the game until the 9th inning but then fell asleep. I ended up having to look up the results the next day. Congrats Dodgers!

Thankfully it was the end of Daylight Saving Time so I got an extra hour of sleep. I got myself ready and went to the start line, excited for the good running weather. There was zero percent chance of rain and temps were in the 40s. Fun fact- it rained for the first 11 miles.

Anyways, I set out with the goal to run 2:15, and to pace myself evenly for a change (usually I run faster in the beginning and then slow down in the back half). It actually worked out perfectly! I ran 2:15:06. I didn’t take any course photos, because, goals.

My favorite part was getting handed the football as I entered the stadium. I think it was a real collegiate football as it was much bigger than I expected. I wanted to try for a cool finish line photo, and so as I crossed, I jumped in the air, and promptly fell into some guy. Apparently my legs weren’t aligned with my grand plan and I think they literally told my brain that I was stupid for thinking I had that kind of energy left and I tripped and stumbled into another human. Sorry bro.

After that I got a quick foam roll, and they also gave out hamburgers and chocolate milk (pay attention OKC Memorial Marathon) so a pretty solid after race experience. Chocolate milk is the ultimate post run beverage.

I went back to my hotel for a shower and to pack before heading to the smallest airport I’ve ever been to.

We then had to walk out onto the tarmac to climb some stairs to the miniature airplane to head back to Charlotte.

When I arrived in Charlotte the delays started again, and I ended up with a 5 hour layover. I spent the time wisely, looking for inflatable running costumes for my sister to wear in one of our upcoming races (🤫…she doesn’t know yet), and trying in vain to improve my high score in block blast, in between watching my sons baseball games on GameChanger.

Running has made me a fairly adaptable person though, because you can plan things down to the last detail, but running will remind you that you only have so much control, and you simply have to be able to adjust on the fly. So a 5 hour delay is par for the course.

Next up, the grand finale – the Honolulu Marathon in December. I’m excited and terrified. Lots of miles still to log before then to make sure I’m as ready as possible.