Fourteen Hilly Miles in C’Ville!

Today, part of Team Richmond joined our Charlottesville teammates in their home city, home of the University of Virginia, for training. Here is a photo I took of our combined teams:

My mileage allotment was 14 miles, although according to my pedometer, I went closer to 15 – so call it 14.5. In any event, it was a good workout on a fairly cold and windy day. It felt great to do more than half-marathon distance again for the first time since the Arizona Marathon. The hills were fantastic workouts for Nashville, which has a very hilly course. I started out running and actually ran the first three miles, then switched to my more recent walk / run mode. However, after about 10 miles or so, my legs were increasingly tired and my walk intervals became longer and longer, and my run intervals gradually faded to nothing for the last mile and a half. There was one hill that I walked up where I was out of breath at the crest just from walking.

The C’Ville Team was very gracious and helpful, and Coach Andy stuck with the slowest of us, including yours truly, even though he clearly could have finished long before we did. They had great people doing the water stops, and clearly marked the course with chalk and pink tape. Despite this, several of us missed turns and got a bit lost. But in the end, we all got back to the starting point, then had lunch together at Panera Bread.

I also got to see my Arizona Teammate and fellow lymphoma survivor Briana, who is a coach for the Charlottesville Team. It was good to see her again and see that she is doing well and is still so involved with TNT.

Getting home, I decided to do the always pleasurable ice water lower body bath, watching the clock like a hawk to make sure I stayed in there not a nanosecond beyond 15 minutes. Hopefully, the soreness I feel right now will lesson by tomorrow.

Some of the team running near the University of Virginia.

We ran through the Downtown Mall about five miles into the run. In warmer weather, it is a wonderful pedestrian friendly shopping and eating area. We have been there many times with my step-sister and her family, who live nearby.

Some of the crew at a water stop. They had these little bottles of chocolate filled with whiskey or other spirit. You drink the contents and eat the bottle - that's what I'm talking about!

Nicole, Kristin, and Andy running through a park. Several miles of the training went through two nice little parks - almost like taking a hike!

The Rivanna River ran right along the trail for a mile or so - pretty but cold and windy down that way.

Nicole and Kristin carefully traverse an ice covered section of the path. One spot was so steep and icy we simply slid down on our butts - it was the safest way down.

Mr. Jefferson's University. The Rotunda is the most famous building on the UVA campus and was designed by Thomas Jefferson. If I remember correctly, on TJ's tombstone on the grounds of Monticello, the inscription he wanted said that he was founder of the University of Virginia, but doesn't even mention that he was the third President of the United States!