Running in Nashville - aka Nashvegas!

Welcome to honky-tonk land! Last week I had the pleasure of going to Nashville for my cousin Paul's wedding! What a treat! I got to see family, go to an ultra-rad wedding and experience a really fun city! Oh and how could I forget - I was able to complete a 15 mile run around see many of the beautiful sights by foot!

First - I need to make a few comments about this city - I absolutely loved it! Live music, 24-7, come on, it cannot get better than that! It's also small and easy to navigate, very clean, and people are not only friendly but they are HAPPY! What a change - coming from NYC where people don't hold doors and are rude on a daily basis (including myself, blush, blush, shame on me). Seriously though, NY hardens you and you get sucked into this way of life and forget that there are other great places out there! So many NYers are jaded and think their city is the best, but I would have to argue that one. So visiting Nasvhille was a breath of fresh air and made me realize, once again, that NY sucks! Ha ha, not really, I have a love/hate relationship with NY, but I will talk about that another time.

Ok back to Nashville - I was only there 3 days but I'd say that is all you need to see and do everything. Friday was filled with some sight-seeing downtown and then off to Opryland! That night we ate at a very popular steakhouse, called The Stockyard, which was very yummy! PS - I love having red meat before a long run, it gives me tons of energy! I layed off the alcohol that night and we were off to bed at a decent hour, well, that's if you consider 12am decent.

Saturday morning I was up at 6am to start my run. I decided to do 7 miles by myself and then stop back at the hotel to pick up the rest of my running clan. Yes "Operation Jenna trains for the marathon" was in full effect and Dana, Maria and John ready for this adventure! So I did about 2 laps around Vanderbilt University and found some nice shady streets to run on. At about 7:20, I was back to the hotel and met up with my sisters and brother in-law. We headed downtown, over a footbridge and then east along the Cumberland River. Oh the footbridge, oh how I loathe thee. Let's just say it was pretty steep and pretty hard. Ok so according to mapmywalk.com, once we crossed the footbridge this route was supposed to be scenic and offer river views. Hmm not so much. Instead we encountered an industrial looking area and thank god I had my crew with me because it looked a bit seedy and I would have around if I were alone.

After a mile or so of the industrial area, we entered a path along a golf course and almost made it to Shelby Park but decided it was time to turn around. We took a few breaks to stretch and once we got back to the dreaded footbridge we decided we needed another break. We were officially overheated and sweating to death. - yikes! After a quick break, we took some pictures and made our way to the only place open at 8:30am - the visitor center. Thank god I always carry $10-20 dollars on me when I run because we desperately needed water! After this break we headed back to the hotel for a large breakfast! Overall it was a completion of about 15 miles for me, 8 for Maria and Dana and 7 for John! Go us! It took me 2.5 hours to complete this run (close to 3 hrs total with the breaks). Thank you again running buddies for giving up your Friday night of partying and boozing and your Saturday morning snoozing to run with your sister! Love you all so much!

After the run I took my first ever ice bath! The ice machine was literally 2 steps from my hotel room so I filled up a couple bags of ice, threw them in the tub and filled it with cold water to about my waist. My sisters (both athletes) said they used to love ice baths during soccer pre-season and that it always made their legs feel better. I decided I had a long day ahead of me that included a wedding and dancing and that it was in my best interest to try it out. I actually liked it! It takes about 2-3 minutes to go numb and at first you feel like you might hurl but after the initial shock, it feels GREAT! I blasted my ipod and stayed in there for 15 minutes. I will definitely do this again!

Ok so the wedding was great! Paul and Liz looked amazing and so happy! I did whip out the Canon and will post some pictures another time (I only got a few decent shots. I struggled with the low lighting and my non-effective built in flash - ugh it was a real nightmare for a beginner like me!) Overall I didn't go crazy with photography, I decided to relax and not worry about it. I ended up using the good old point-and-shoot during my tourist activities!

After the wedding, we headed downtown to The Stage for some drinks and dancing. I was actually too tired to dance and was suffering from a stomach ache but it was great to see everyone let loose. All the smiling and care-free attitudes were contagious. I totally fell in love with the vibe here and how everyone seems happy all the time. The band was great and played a variety of different music, not just country, which I was happy about! Again I really loved this city and am already plotting to come back. Hmmm Country Music Marathon in April 2009??? I might just give it whirl!


Maria, John, Dana and I (Me 7 miles into my run)



Going over the footbridge - Dana and John looking good!



Maria has great running form!



Dana takes a quick break



View of downtown and the Cumberland River



Maria and John - cutest couple



Sisters



Sweaty girls (me 12.5 miles in, them 5.5 miles in)