I’m very excited that I got to complete this state, and at the most iconic race nonetheless – the 51st New York City Marathon.

I found out in late March that I was accepted. So exciting! I had tried to get in for 3 years so I was thrilled. Training began in July and went well.

Making it to the start line is never guaranteed but I wanted to be as prepared as possible. However, sometimes things just happen. The Wednesday before the race I picked my son up for a hug and felt a sharp pain in my chest. I panicked. Went to the doctor the next day to find out that I had a small tear in my muscle. (It’s fine, everything is fine…) Then Friday morning around 1am my cat climbed over my face, slipped, and clawed up my cheek and lip. I was trying to get some much-needed sleep before the early plane ride and instead was up trying to stop bleeding all over my pillow…(it’s fine, everything is fine.)

I planned to arrive two days before the race, on Friday. I was excited that American Airlines added a nonstop flight from Tulsa to LGA and I was on the inaugural one. There was a big celebration at the airport, the news station was there, snacks were out, and it was a big to-do.

As it goes with life, the direct flight didn’t go as planned. There was a ground stop in LGA due to fog and we got diverted to Pittsburgh. We ended up stuck there for hours before finally reboarding and making it to NYC about 6 hours after planned. Finally, it was time to head to the expo.

I love race expos. The energy, the excitement, the swag! This expo was the largest I’ve ever seen. It was absolutely incredible. I picked up my bib, which made the whole thing very real. I had the best time walking around, bought some clothes, then headed to the hotel.

Dinner that night was at The River Cafe. It’s a beautiful Michelin restaurant in Brooklyn. The food was incredible and the view was even better.

Saturday morning I went to DryBar with my sister to get my hair braided for the race. Then I headed back to the expo so I could finish checking out all the booths and find my name on the wall. That was so cool to see.

It was a very wonderful morning. I enjoyed every single minute. Next up was a broadway show: Moulin Rouge. I loved how they intermixed all the well-known songs into the performance. I love broadway.

The evening ended with a trip to Trattoria Trecolori for dinner to carb load and relax.

Sunday morning it was game time. Getting to the start village was an adventure in and of itself. In total it took about 3 hours to get from my hotel to the staging area, which included a trip on the ferry and a very crowded bus situation. People were literally shoving forward to try and get on. It was a little wild for me but having never done this before I didn’t know what to expect. After I arrived at the start village I used the restroom, got water, then sat down. It was fun observing all of the people performing their race preparations but also nerve-wracking because the wait to start was so long. My start time was 10:55am. I’ve never started a race that late so it was tough to figure out hydration and nutrition, and the addition of Daylight Savings Time made it an extra challenge.

Finally, it was time. My headphones had died so that sucked. My carefully curated playlist was for naught. But I had heard the crowds would carry me through. We started at Staten Island running on the Verrazano Bridge. It’s a 2-mile bridge. I felt good and went out at a good pace, finishing my 5k in just under 30 mins. I was surprised at how hot I felt though. I realized the hot temps and the high humidity were already affecting me.

For the next 10k (6.2 miles) I slowed down a bit. I was dealing with some nausea and chafing. I stopped at a medical tent to grab Vaseline and kept going.

Queensboro Bridge is before mile 16, and I knew I just needed to get there because Andrea and Rich were waiting for me. It was long, uphill, and quiet, which is weird as the rest of the marathon was so loud. Finally, I made it over and saw them. It gave me a much-needed boost. There is nothing quite like seeing your people when you’re pushing yourself to your physical limit- it convinces you to keep moving forward.

I fed off of that energy for a while with 10 miles to go. Damnit. That’s far. Energy started to wane. At this point, I was really hurting. It was hot, my skin was chafing, I was very dehydrated, and kept slipping on water cups through each water station, and I was feeling very discouraged.

I had been training well and thought I would be going faster at this point and my goal time was slipping away. I would get boosts here and there when the crowds yelled my name, or I saw a fun sign (there was one that said Alicia is a Star!) or the energy of the event got to me. It helped keep me afloat as I ran through my fatigue and doubt. Heading into the Bronx there was a lot of energy, singing, and dancing, and police officers were heckling us on the bridge. I remember thinking it was funny at the time but for the life of me can’t remember what was said.

Things got really bad at mile 24. I was so dehydrated that I couldn’t swallow and my gums were sticking to my teeth. I was drinking water regularly but it was alkaline water and for some reason, it never seemed to really quench my thirst. I walked up to 3 girls to ask for gum and they came through for me. That simple act of kindness got me going again.

Finally, I made it. My finish time was 5:21:42. I wish I was proud of that time but I’m not. I am proud that I finished though along with 47,744 others. It was a tough day on the course with record high temps of 75 F and 75% humidity. A couple of elite men DNF’d. I saw dozens of people in medical tents, collapsed, vomiting….it was a test of the human spirit. Over 2000 runners that began, didn’t get to the finish line. It’s definitely the hardest marathon I’ve ever run to date. It’s also the longest distance I’ve ever run. My Garmin clocked 27.23 miles, so somehow I ran an extra mile by not taking the tangents well.

After you finish you have to continue through the park to get back out. I think it’s just over a mile but it felt like 3. I got my sack of food, poncho, and water. Oh and my medal! It’s beautiful.

We finally made it back to the hotel so I could get a much-needed shower and then we went to dinner at Serendipity 3 to enjoy frozen hot chocolate. We followed that up with a trip to a piano bar…we were at the first one for 10 minutes before a bar fight broke out, so we left. The next stop was much better and we had a blast.

The night ended with a trip to Mcdonald’s in Times Square…at 1:43am. In total, I put in over 65k steps and 35 miles for the day. It was time for bed.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. I felt all the love in the city, the support was incredible, and I was pushed to my limit. When I finished I thought never again would I want to run a marathon. Almost a week later…well, never say never….

“The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other…but to be with each other.” Christopher McDougall

Whelp. I should be telling you about my 30th state, somewhat of a milestone number. But instead I’m going to tell you about the adventure I had trying to get Wisconsin.

My sister and I picked out the Rockin Brews Half Marathon in Monona, Wisconsin. The fall is a tough time for me to get races as I try not to miss any of my son’s football games. Labor Day weekend provided the perfect opportunity to get a race since no games are played. We found this one and I was really excited. It was my first time to Wisconsin and I had big plans to hit up some Kringle bakeries after the run. (Trader Joe’s introduced me to this decadent pastry years ago and changed my life).

The morning of the race looked good. Decent temp, sunny, and a chance of rain later in the morning. We got started at 8am and things were going well until mile 3. There was a volunteer on the course who said the race was paused. To be quite honest I didn’t understand why, or how to handle that as it was a first for me. A lot of people kept running so I just kept going. Then at mile 6 we got stopped and told to go stand under a terrace.

The rain was coming in harder and there was lightning. I hung out for a bit and chatted with other runners and waited for my sister to get there. We checked social media and they said the race was postponed. A couple minutes later they said it was canceled. Then a few minutes later they said it was paused. I was confused and getting distraught. Finally, one of the race staff came over and told us it was in fact canceled due to lightning and we needed to figure out a way back to the finish line. I was pretty upset for a number of reasons. One- I thought the communication was confusing and unhelpful. Two- if it’s too dangerous to run, why weren’t they helping us get back to the finish line safely? Three- this is a big goal of mine and a lot of time and money goes into these races. Unfortunately for the club I’m in, if you don’t get an official finishing time, it doesn’t count.

My sister and I didn’t really have a way to get back, so we decided to just run back. Plus I had called my son and he told me “You can’t win if you quit.” He’s right. This goal is bigger than this individual situation and it’s not something I’m going to quit working towards.

It continued to rain but the lightning was intermittent. There were a half dozen other runners who decided to head back around the same time so we had a small pack. There were 7 miles to go at that point and it was tough to get my mind right. Luckily they had left up the water tables so I was still able to get hydration and there were a few random people cheering us on that really helped.

When I got close to the finish line I heard a band and lots of noise. Coming out of the neighborhood I saw that the finish line was still up. I was very confused. I ran through it and someone handed me a medal. It was one of the people cheering me on during the run, she said they thought we deserved a medal for finishing anyways. The race director had left up the beer tents and a band was playing. Not sure why that was okay to continue but the race wasn’t….but alas. It is what it is.

I was in a weird space mentally afterwards. Part of me was really proud that I finished the course. Part of me was dejected about how it turned out. But, life happens and all you can do is move forward. And that’s what I did. Straight to a cheese castle. Well, a shower and then the cheese castle.

And after that we went to a Kringle bakery. Pastries make things better. I got many souvenirs, aka tasty treats to bring home.

The good news is I still had a great time with my sister. We got to explore some of Wisconsin and went through the shit together. But the ordeal wasn’t over…

My return flight had a layover in DFW before ending in Tulsa. I never made it to DFW. We were somewhere over Texas when the pilot came on the speaker and started a sentence with “Whelp.” (that’s never a good sign). He announced that both Dallas airports were closed and he didn’t know what we were going to do. Eventually he let us know that we were being diverted to OKC. I text my sister the update when we landed (she was in OKC) and she offered to come get me and take me to the Tulsa airport. It ended up saving me several hours as the flight was delayed 5 times. I got deplaned out on the tarmac and got to see the behind the scenes of an airport which was kind of neat.

When she pulled up to the airport in her minivan it was like seeing a knight coming to rescue me on a noble steed. The clouds parted and angels sung. My hero had arrived.

I didn’t get a new state. And this entire situation can be summed up in one sentence: “Well that didn’t fucking go as planned.” But I did have an adventure. I got to eat cheese curds. And now this means State #30 will be New York (NYC Marathon) and that will be amazing.

This goal is going to take much longer than I intended. But as Confucius says, “Roads were made for journeys not destinations.” (Seems particularly fitting and poignant since I’m literally running on roads to reach my destination).

Iowa was achieved in a roundabout way. My sister suggested the I-35 challenge. Two half marathons, in two days, in two neighboring states. You could also do two full marathons but I have not yet achieved that level of insanity. When she comes up with these suggestions, they always seem like a good idea at the time, and I usually say yes.

We started out at the Garmin Kansas City Marathon (technically in Missouri). I have already checked Missouri off my list but if I did this one as well as Iowa, I GOT THREE MEDALS! And really, extra bling is always appealing. So it got done. I actually really love visiting Kansas City. There is so much to do, and so much Spin Pizza to eat. If you’ve never eaten at Spin Pizza, I highly recommend that you do so ASAP.

The morning of the race we got up and waited for the race bus. Well, the bus that showed up was more like an extended conversion van that could only fit a dozen or so people at a time. It became evident that we weren’t going to get there via bus, so we promptly became friends with another runner who had a husband with a truck that was headed to the start line. We were a little flustered but we made it in time so no harm, no foul.

The course had rolling hills. Which basically means giant hills that are painful and challenging. We ran it together though and at the end, I was greeted by Ted Lasso with my medal. (Not the real Ted Lasso, but a fun surprise nonetheless).

We got back to the hotel, showered, packed, and headed to Des Moines. We got there, went to the expo to get our stuff, then did what any serious runner does before a big race…walked another several miles around the mall.

The next morning we headed down to the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon which luckily was within walking distance. I was asked by a man in the elevator if I was from Florida (I was wearing a hoody that said Pensacola). I replied that I wasn’t and we hopped off the elevator. My sister then informed me that I had in fact been talking to Jeff Galloway who is famous for his run-walk coaching method. I was too embarrassed to ask for a photo so instead I took a creepy picture of his backside.

I enjoyed this race quite a bit. The course was very flat and the weather was beautiful. There was also great crowd support. It was so wonderful to be back in a big race environment again. I was able to run it faster than the one the day before so I was happy with my performance. I was honestly proud of my body in general. I had been in London just before leaving for these races so was jet-lagged and undertrained, but still able to get the job done. The human body is an instrument, not an ornament, and capable of some pretty amazing things. The after-party was fun, with lots of great food and drinks. We were able to refuel and relax a bit before heading back. Overall it was a wonderful weekend with the seester and I got another state checked off the to-do list. Now to plan the next…

I’ve been trying to reach this milestone since May 2020. The original plan was to hit 25 states at that time, at a race in Kansas right around my birthday. As we all know, by then covid was a force that couldn’t be stopped and the ability to race was nonexistent. All of my planned spring/summer/fall races were canceled, and I couldn’t plan on anything with certainty.

So, I’ve adjusted. I will say running helps you do that. I often have a Plan A (some type of goal), a Plan B (a lesser goal), and a Plan C (just finish). Sometimes shit just doesn’t go your way. You could get injured, the weather outlook isn’t ideal, your nutrition isn’t on point, you didn’t train enough, etc and so on. 2020 was basically a never ending race. Looking back I view it as running a marathon and perpetually hitting the mile 22 marker and not progressing. You’re tired, hurting, and you just want the pain to end. But it didn’t and hasn’t.

Plan A was to finish all 50 states before I turned 40. I was fully on track. However with covid I’ve moved to Plan B. Finish all 50 states. Period. I’m now unable to put a timeline on it. It’s okay. The dream isn’t dead, just different.

I’ve had my eye on the Hall of Fame Marathon since 2020 when they announced a super bowl ring medal. That went virtual so they decided to do it again in 2021. I was chatting with my sister on the phone one day and we decided to go for it. The covid plan looked solid and we felt like it had a higher than average chance of not being canceled.

I was almost afraid to hope, or put in the training, when there was always the chance of it going virtual. But alas, race weekend came so we showed up, overconfident and undertrained.

This race meant a great deal to me. I wanted to enjoy the accomplishment while also pushing myself. For me, the marathon distance is always hard. There is a steep physical, mental and emotional price to pay.

This was a different race than I imagine it would be under normal circumstances. They had water tables every 2 miles, with capped 8oz bottles. That was it. No Gatorade, no food, no nutrition, just water. This ended up being especially tough in the second half of the race. The temp climbed up to 78 degrees so salt loss became a big deal. I drank 8 Oz every two miles and that still wasn’t enough. My throat was dry, my lips were chapped and my skin was getting burned (I did put on sunscreen Megan but it sweated off 😂). My stomach kept cramping and the last few miles were really hard. I was talking myself forward one orange marker cone at a time. Ohio is also much hillier than I anticipated.

When I finally crossed the finish line tears pricked at my eyes. I felt physically destroyed, mentally stripped down, but emotionally buoyed. I felt PROUD. For some reason the halfway point seems significant. I’ve worked really hard to get here. I’ve gone from being out of shape, overweight, and unable to run a mile, to this major milestone.

It was even better being able to share this experience with my sister. We talked afterwards about why we do this. And we both talked about the mental chats we have with ourselves during the race. “Why the hell did I sign up for this?” “I’m never doing this again!” “This sucks so much”. Etc and so forth.

But it’s about feeling alive. Our bodies are made to handle hard things. And I think the older you get the more you want to push all of those boundaries. You want to FEEL. You want to see what your limits are again and again. And then you want to push them further.

So what’s next? Who knows at this point. But I’ll keep going until I’m done. Because I’m fucking resilient.

Well…it’s been a while since I’ve been able to add a state. As a few of you may have heard, there’s a pandemic. This has caused pretty much everything to change, including running. My last big race was on March 1st and I ran the Little Rock Marathon. Things changed quickly after that and all of my planned races were canceled, postponed, or went virtual.

For a while I made personal challenges to stay motivated that consisted of mileage or time goals. I even did a treadmill marathon due to a race going virtual (wasn’t fun). I did find that for me, it’s harder to train if I don’t have a race on the calendar. I still enjoy running but wasn’t pushing it as far as speed or mileage.

Enter in the Bill Snyder Highway Half in Manhattan, KS on Labor Day. Surprisingly I didn’t have Kansas yet (I was supposed to get it back in May, but, covid). I signed up a few days before the race and made the plans.

It’s only about a 4 hour drive from my house. The drive was fairly uneventful other than a gas station stop. I needed to use the restroom and upon entering there was a sign that said the women’s restroom was closed for cleaning for an indeterminate amount of time. My bladder wasn’t cool with that. I decided to use the men’s. I walked in the empty bathroom and used it as quickly as I could. However, it wasn’t quick enough. When I opened the stall there was a man standing at the urinal. He looked at me in shock and asked me if he was in the wrong place (while using a urinal, lol). I told him no, the women’s restroom was closed and I identify as someone who needed to pee. 😂

Once I got to Manhattan I picked up my race packet and then headed to grab dinner. I went to a restaurant called Coco Bolos at the recommendation of some friends. It wasn’t as healthy as I would normally eat before a race, but, sangria was calling and I had been told it was the best. Plus, I have no idea when I will be back in the area. I used to visit Manhattan often when I worked for McAlister’s Deli but my last trip was back in 2012.

Continue reading State # 24 – Kansas →

Back in June of 2019 I had this great idea. I decided that if I signed up for a full marathon in January of 2020, it would help break me of my Nov/Dec habit of going into running hibernation due to the cold and general overall enjoyment of the holiday season. You see, I don’t like being cold so getting out to run in it proves to be a challenge, especially when I can stay inside and eat Christmas cookies and watch the Hallmark channel.

Turns out this great idea didn’t work out as planned. Luckily I ran a half marathon in mid December so I got one longish run in but typically you are supposed to do a 20 mile training run in preparation for a full marathon. I did have the option to drop down to the half marathon which probably would have been the safer choice but I decided this would be a test not only of my physical ability, but of my emotional bravery. Running is physical but I feel like it’s also very much about what’s between your ears.

I got to Baton Rouge the afternoon before the race. I headed over to the expo to pick up my packet. The city was very walkable and the weather was nice. After grabbing my packet I strolled along the riverfront. The water was beautiful and people were literally sitting on the steps eating crawfish.

I then headed back and met up with some friends in the 50 States Marathon Club. We went to this local restaurant called Bistro Byronz. Dinner was an exercise in patience as it lasted almost 3 hours, however my food was delicious. I had carrot soufflé which is something I had never heard of before and it was fantastic. I forgot to take a picture until I was already partially done with it. I wish I could eat it again.

After dinner I was ready to relax and get ready for the morning. I was very nervous and had a hard time falling asleep. The marathon offered a 26.2 minute mass at St. Joseph Cathedral prior to the race and I decided to attend so I got up early and headed there.

I’ve never been to a race that offered something like that before and I really enjoyed going. I figured some extra praying and a blessing was a good idea at this point.

After the service, I headed to the start line. I have no idea how many people ran the race but it seemed like a good-sized crowd. We got started pretty quickly and I began taking in the sights. I ran past Louisiana State University and Tiger Stadium.

The crowd support was pretty great. It especially helped when I got to that point where you can turn back to the finish line if you are a half marathoner or keep going for the full marathon. I always find that moment to be poignant. It’s a mental battle to know that you could choose to cut your distance in half, or you can continue on with the original plan. I kept on but started to feel the pain around mile 14. This guy kept passing me when I took walk breaks. He was doing a run/walk method where he ran for 2 minutes and then walked for 30 seconds. I made a comment to him about he looked to have so much energy so he told me about his plan, also known as the Jeff Galloway method. He suggested that I should try it and I figured why not. I had all kinds of time on my hands and 12 or so miles to go. I ended up running this way for the entire rest of the race. It took the thinking out of the process. As an added bonus I ended up finishing with my second fastest marathon time to date. So thank you to John, the guy who helped me out for the back half of the race and let me tag along with him until the end.

The finish line festival was pretty impressive. There were so many food and drink options. I was most excited about the Jimmy John’s sandwiches. Even though they had much more decadent options, I prefer something more mild after running. I quickly grabbed food, walked back to the hotel and showered, and then headed to the airport. All in all I was there for around 24 hours. A quick, but really great trip.

Do I recommend running a marathon without doing the long runs? No. But I did it anyways and I’m proud of my effort. Running a marathon is hard regardless of your preparation but I’m hoping to be better conditioned in the future. Overall I enjoyed this race quite a bit, both for the experience I had and the experience it provided.

Next up…I don’t currently have another new state planned until May (although that could change at any point…all it takes is a really cool medal or a flight sale). I’m doing another full marathon in March but it’s a place I’ve been before and the goal of that one is to support my sister in her first marathon ever. I’m so excited for her to experience what it’s like to cross that finish line.

I had never been to Mississippi before this race. I didn’t have any preconceived notions about it other than remembering that in grade school I always thought it was the most fun state to spell.

I signed up for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Biloxi. It’s the biggest race in the state (or so I was told) and my sister wanted to do it so that was that. Also, December isn’t the easiest time to find races where you aren’t in danger of not being able to feel your toes due to the cold and the average temp there is in the 60s so I was a fan based on that alone.

We arrived on Saturday around lunchtime and grabbed an Uber to the hotel. We stayed at the host hotel (Beau Rivage) which was right on the beach and across the street from packet pickup and the finish line which I found very convenient. The race expo was really just a tent with bib pickup and some race swag for sale. Although fairly small it was charming and the T-shirt’s were soft which is key to a good race shirt.

After packet pickup I went to dinner with some people from the 50 States running club I’m in. It’s always nice to meet other people who enjoy talking about running as much as I do. It’s also a great way to get recommendations on other races. Everyone was really kind and welcoming.

Sunday morning they bused us to the start line. The course was almost entirely flat (which was nice) and along the beach (which was pretty). One thing I really liked about the race was a water stop every 1.5 miles. Honestly though, I got bored with the lack of change. I did notice that there was a Waffle House every mile and at one point we saw what looked like a connected Walmart and IHOP which I thought was kind of odd.

There was one little hill when we had to go up an overpass on the highway but that was it as far as elevation. That was a welcome change since I ran on several mountains this year.

The after race party was pretty legit. They gave us 6 tickets for food and drink and had options like gumbo, BBQ sandwiches, chocolate milk, and all kinds of beer. My favorite thing to drink after a race is chocolate milk so thumbs up on that aspect.

The most important part of the trip happened a couple hours later. We went to a place called The Yard. Anyone remember the song Milkshake by Kelis? Well this place sells these expensive, over the top, indulgent milkshakes. It was amazing. I ordered one called Santa’s Cookies, or something like that, that consisted of cookie dough ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles, a vanilla coated waffle cone, and marshmallow cream. I inhaled that thing. If I ever go back to Biloxi, MS, I’ll make sure to stop by there again.

The rest of my time there consisted of trying local food, enjoying the buffet, gambling, and watching Hallmark movies in the comfort of my hotel room. And…hunting Pokemon. Don’t hate. That game is fun.

Fun Fact. Brett Favre ran this Half Marathon. He beat me though. Damn it.

Next for me is the Louisiana Marathon. I picked that because I need Louisiana and the races are connected so by doing it I’ll get an extra medal. It’s three weeks from now and it’s going to be rough. I thought that if I signed up for a January marathon my training would be better during the winter than it usually is. Turns out, even if I have the imminent pain of 26.2 miles looming, I still hate getting out in the cold and running. I’m in for a world of hurt in a few weeks. But, at least I’ll get three medals for doing two races!

One weekend, two states. Is it because I’m a bad-ass? Nope. Is it because I’m thrifty AF? Absolutely. Getting to the east coast isn’t cheap from the Midwest.

I’ve never been to Maryland and picked this race because I really like eating crab legs and they are known for crab, and the race itself had a crab medal. I decided I needed that. I flew in on Friday and went straight to the expo. Business was quickly handled there and then I got to the important stuff. I went straight to Phillip’s to get some crab cakes. I had been up since 2:30 am and was tired and fairly hangry. They were good. To be fair though, almost anything would have been good at that point. After dinner I went back to the hotel and crashed early.

The next morning I woke up after 10 plus hours of blissful sleep (the most I can remember in a row since college) and got ready for the race. It didn’t start until 9am so we had a bit of a wait. Typically races start earlier than that. We had the perfect location from our hotel as we were able to walk right outside to the start line. The weather was almost perfect for running, 50 degrees and sunny.

Overall, I enjoyed the race. It had great crowd support and good food. At mile 6 someone was giving out chips. I don’t like to eat a lot while I run but figured they may be delicious later, and they had crab seasoning which is something I hadn’t had before. So, since I am dedicated to delicious salty snacks, I took that bag of chips and ran with it for the next 7 miles. Yup. I’m that person. At mile 12 we went past a church water stop that was offering out holy water. I thought that was a unique touch. I also passed a guy that was running while pushing a dolly. Another guy was juggling. I admire both their dedication and especially their coordination.

After the race I got the sweet crab medal. Inside it says “Took a crack at the Baltimore Half Marathon.” I adore the pun. Turns out they also had those same chips offered to runners post race. So basically I could have NOT run with them for 7 miles and still gotten to enjoy them. SMH.

Unfortunately due to the late start of the race, my hotel kicked me out and I had to drive straight to Pennsylvania sans shower. The drive wasn’t bad, about 90 minutes and really quite beautiful with the fall foliage. (Foliage is such a fancy word. I feel quite sophisticated using it). I also really liked the PA state sign. It said “Welcome to Pennsylvania, pursue your happiness.” Great motto. We went straight to the next race expo, for the Hershey Half Marathon in Hershey, PA. I picked this one because, well, chocolate. It really was a pretty sweet deal. (See what I did there?) Along with your race admission you got two tickets to the Hershey Park.

We went to the hotel, showered finally, then went to dinner and on to Hershey Park. We rode a couple of rides and browsed the shops. There was candy everywhere so I was very happy.

The next morning dawned much less beautifully than the previous day. There really wasn’t a dawn because the sun didn’t come up. It was cold and rainy. Not my favorite running weather. This race was much smaller than the Baltimore one, but still sizable. Also, very hilly. I’m really quite terrible at looking at the course before booking a race. You would think I’d learn my lesson after several of these, but apparently I need more teaching. I did enjoy it though, for several reasons. The biggest one was the number of children out there cheering us on. One thing I knew nothing about before this weekend was the Milton Hershey School. Hershey and his wife founded the school initially to help orphaned boys and to this day, it operates as a school to help income-eligible families receive top notch educations for their children. There were hundreds of kids out there cheering us on, despite the weather. How could you not be inspired to tackle the hills with that kind of support? Also, at mile 12 they gave us chocolate. One particularly judgmental fellow remarked that he couldn’t believe that I took 5 candy bars (they were mini). I guess he didn’t realize that candy is one of the main reasons that I run and if its offered freely on a race course I’m for damn sure going to load up. I also loved the kisses on top of the light posts. A cute touch for the city.

The race finished and I got a Hershey Kiss medal. They also had heat sheets which I really appreciated and a bag of goodies, which was great because it made it easier to carry everything.

The only bad thing about this race was trying to leave. We were trapped in the parking lot for almost an hour.

Luckily since this race had started early I was able to head back to the hotel and shower before heading to my next stop. We went to the Hershey museum and got to learn more about Milton Hershey (he was a pretty incredible man) AND make chocolate. Then we grabbed lunch at a crepe place before heading back to Baltimore to catch the flight home.

I believe I would do back to back half marathons in the future. I was definitely tired and hungry for a few days afterwards but it still wasn’t as bad as recovering from a full marathon. Next up? I believe I’m only getting one more state in this year and it’s Mississippi in December.

I ran another marathon. It hurt a lot. The end.

Kidding…..There’s more to it than that.

I finished my 19th state. It was my 5th full marathon and the one I’ve struggled with the most.

I chose this race based on the recommendation of my sister. She brought it up at the finish of another race (Little Rock Marathon) which for some reason is the absolute best time to plan another race. You’re sitting around with some running buddies, fresh off of that runner’s high of accomplishing something pretty great, and you’re already jonesing for the next fix.

The race sounded perfect. It’s advertised as a fast downhill race in the picturesque Sandia Mountains. (Fun fact, sandia means watermelon in spanish. I love watermelon). I digress. So me and a friend signed up for the full marathon.

I arrived the afternoon before the race and went to the packet pickup. They had great swag bags which included a unique tank top and a trucker hat. It’s nice getting race gear that you will actually wear. I was really nervous about the race but seeing the beautiful area was a bit calming. It starts at around 10,000 feet and drops to around 5,000 feet by the time you’re done.

The next morning it was cool but not too cold. It was a small crowd of less than 300 full marathon runners. They had included gloves and a foil blanket in the swag bag which came in handy at the beginning. All of a sudden the race started. My buddy and I were the last to start as there wasn’t a countdown, the race just kind of began.

The first 4 miles were great, I was moving fast, enjoying the downhill and the beautiful scenery. Mile 5 was uphill so I took that at a slower pace. Around mile 7.5 I felt it. Blisters. Crap. I stopped and put on some bandaids to try to prevent the demise of my foot. I knew I needed help but they had advertised the first medical tent at mile 10 so I busted it to get to mile 10, figuring I could get patched up before they got too bad and keep on keeping on. I pulled up at the mile 10 table and asked for medical help and they informed me that they didn’t have any medical help now until mile 17. Tears literally pricked my eyes. I think the poor guy at the water stop could see the struggle on my face and he offered to run to a house and get bandaids but I just shook my head and sat down to look at my right foot. It was getting worse. I got back up and started running but that was the start of my demise. I don’t think I have ever felt sorrier for myself while running than I did between miles 10 and 11. At mile 11 a friend gave me some tape t wrap my toes and that helped some but it wasn’t padded enough for blisters. I slowed down a lot and started walking more than running. I finally made it to mile 17 and went to the medical tent but the damage had been done. They taped me up really well to prevent any further blisters but my big toe and my pinky toe were bloody and done at that point.

Alas, I don’t have a lot of quit in me so I kept going. It’s weird how in a marathon 9 miles can alternate from not sounding like that far to feeling like an unmanageable distance. To give you an idea of how much I faltered, it took me 1.5 hours to run the first 10 miles. It took me 4 hours to “run” the last 16.2. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Also, this downhill race had a surprising amount of uphills. It is probably the most hilly race that I can remember running.

There were some positives though. I got an otter pop at mile 22. You know those tube pops they give to kids in the summer? I swear it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. They also had water with crushed ice at the last few stops. Crushed ice is a gift at all times (shout out to QuikTrip, Sonic, and CFA!) but especially in the heat during a marathon.

I finally finished. I got to enjoy some chocolate milk and a Chick-fil-A sandwich and candy. I love candy. I also love chocolate milk and Chick-fil-A so I was very satisfied with my post race meal.

I got back to the hotel and assessed the damage. Lots of blisters on my right foot (9 total), chaffing all over my back and rib cage and a sunburn just for fun. The sunburn was my fault. I didn’t wear sunscreen because I didn’t think it would get that hot (it went from the 40s at start to the 80s at the finish). My legs, especially my hamstring, were pretty sore too. They stayed sore for almost a week.

The rest of the trip was nice though. I ate a lot of good food in Albuquerque. Lots of things with green chilies. I had some 26.2 brew beer (because why not) and we also took the tram up to a peak for some sightseeing.

Special shout out to our race support, Jordyn. She was amazing and supportive and I appreciate her so much more than I can express. She’s the one who hooked me up with toe wrap at mile 11 and clapped for us all along the way.

Next up? I’m doing two back to back half marathons in a couple of weeks in Maryland (Saturday) and Pennsylvania (Sunday). Really hoping the blisters stay away.