Hello there! I'm back with an overdue Half Marathon weekend recap. Last week I headed to Philadelphia for a test, then went to Baltimore to see my family and run the half, then back to Philly to see my bro. Busy weekend to say the least.
Thursday the hubs and I arrived in Philly around dinnertime and settled in to our hotel. We stayed in University City and I was very impressed and excited by all of the fun stores and restaurants around the campus. Was not expecting that--at all. We hit the sack early because the test started early Friday. Friday I took the test without any problems and then the hubs and I decided to get something to eat. He'd picked the less than stellar dinner on Thursday night so I convinced him to let me choose.
My choice was Fuel, a restaurant where a. everything was under 500 calories, local, veggie friendly, and organic. There also happened to be a Groupon Now for the restaurant as well (wish Pittsburgh would jump on board with these- they're like flash Groupons that pop up each hour). Can you say hallelujah??
They had an extensive juice and smoothie menu, after staring at the menu drooling for 10+ minutes I finally picked "The Zen" which was cucumber, mango, and pineapple. Delish and fresh!
I had the tomato basil soup first, in this awesome bowl w/ a spoon holder that I wanted so badly to rinse and sneak out in my purse..
The soup tasted a bit like tomato sauce at first bite but over a few bites it became quite spicy and tasty.
My entree was the salad special: mixed greens with sliced apples, dried cranberries, and other veggies which I added tofu w/balsamic dressing.
It was absolutely fresh and delicious. Overall I loved Fuel and wish there was one in Pittsburgh because I could get used to the affordable, yummy eats.
After Fuel I couldn't help but continue the carbo load with some much-deserved fro-yo at SweetEnding.
After froyo, we headed to Baltimore. I didn't get to go to the race expo because I wasn't in town, but my dad had picked up my gear for me- an orange dri-fit half mary shirt and underarmour bracelet were the highlights. I also got an "iGiftbag" which I haven't had the chance to check out yet.
We hit the sack early Friday and woke up around 6:30 am on race day. My mom, dad, and hubs all came with me to the race. I started the day with 1/2 a banana, some almonds, and a shot of espresso.
I wore my long sleeve pittsburgh half dri-fit underneath a $12 lime green target dri-fit, a gray tank and my favorite under armour tights (and yellow skinny BIC Band!)
Around 9:20 I headed to the starting line to warm up and stretch. I was in the first wave of runners so I was incredibly close to the starting line. See?
Gotta tie those shoes tight!
We took off at exactly 9:45 am, this is the view from above as the hubs looked on.
To Be Continued... .