This trip was supposed to be a trip where both the Lillywhite's and the Griffith's all drove up to Baltimore for a fun weekend. Then we found out the Meck's Max Life Fall Retreat was the same weekend. So Chris and I drove up there by ourselves.
Friday, October 14, 2016:
Chris picked me up and we started our trip North. About 2 hours into the trip I realized I had forgotten my wallet! That is the first time in my life I think I've left my house without it. I can't believe I did that. Chris had my back, though, he paid for everything and I paid him back when we got home.
We got hungry about the time we were driving by my mom's old stompin' grounds. So we decided to eat at Chipotle. I snapped the following two pictures so I could show my mom where we were.
We arrived in Baltimore, our hotel was about a half-mile from everything. So we parked the car and never drove it again until it was time to leave. That was nice.
We walked to the expo and picked up our bibs and shirts. The expo was pretty small so we didn't spend much time there.
I thought our hotel room's toilet was pretty funny looking.
After packet pickup, we walked to the Port of Baltimore. It was a gorgeous day and the harbor was really pretty.
USS Constellation
We got our carb-loading in at Noodles & Company.
Saturday, October 15, 2016:
The race didn't start until 8:00 AM, so I didn't have to get up until 5:45 AM. I only got up that early so I could eat two hours before, which is a strict pre-marathon rule I have.
We walked to Camden Yards, where the Orioles play, and where the start line was.
The race started, and the first 3 miles was a slow, gradual, uphill. We were fresh, though, so it went smoothly. At mile 4, we went through the Maryland Zoo where we were cheered on by real live penguins.
My left ankle had been giving me problems during training. I turned it in a basketball game, ironically on the first day of my training cycle for this marathon. Right away I could tell it was going to be a problem. Plus, Chris was having major issues with his calf, but we powered through.
The on-course support for this race, was phenomenal. My favorites were the Dunkin' Donuts mile and the multiple locations that offered full bags of chips (SALT!) for us to consume.
This race was pretty hilly. Chris and I had stuck to our long runs on the weekends, but that's about it, so we were seriously under-trained. We went into the race hoping to be under six hours, and knowing we'd be thrilled with a 5:15.
We kept knocking down the miles at about an 11:30 pace. At about mile 20, I realized we might be able to break 5:15. We kept powering through and with a couple of miles to go, we thought 5:10 might be achievable. It hurt really bad, but we both pushed each other and finished in 5:05:29.
Crossing the finish line, we did it!
Baltimore Ravens play in the stadium behind us.
After the race, we went to Bubba Gump's for lunch/dinner. We ate enough to cover both meals. It was delicious.
Sunday, October 16, 2016:
We got up, ate breakfast, and headed home. I watched football while Chris drove (I couldn't help out, as I didn't have my license). The Panthers played the Saints. It was a really exciting game that they unfortunately lost with a last-second field goal by New Orleans.
At each gas station we stopped at, I used Chris' umbrella as a cane because I couldn't put any weight on my left ankle. I am going to use this as motivation to really get physically fit, lose the weight, and properly train for my next marathon, which will be the Revel Rockies Mt. Charleston Marathon in April 2017, which finishes in Las Vegas, Nevada.
