Half Marathon #4 is officially complete. This past weekend,
I ran the 2015 Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, TN.
I signed up for this race way back in December (not going to
lie, they published what the medal looked like and it totally sold me). My love
of country music had always made going to Nashville a bucket list destination
and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I got into town early on Friday morning. Plenty of time to
head downtown, pick up my race packet and do some sightseeing. The expo hall
was right off of Broadway---so there was a lot to do and see right around. There
were a few Country music mecca places that I needed to go to before leaving
town, places I’d only heard about on TV.
I started out at the Ryman…some would call it “the Mother
Church of Country Music” and it really is just that: a church.
I then went on a tour of RCA Studio B which is a studio that
was designed for Elvis just as he was making it big. He apparently used it for
years to record quite a few records. We got to listen to a lot of tunes that
had been made right in that building. A lot of Country singers have recorded there,
though it isn’t used too much anymore.
I got to plunk a few notes out on the same piano that Elvis
used whenever he was in the studio recording.
I took a quick stop to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which
features so much history of the Genre and the singers who have made it such a
traditional sound and community. It was a great museum, I wish I hadn’t been so
tired-----probably would have enjoyed it more.
That evening I took in the Grand Ole Opry. Talk about a
Country Music tradition. I’ve never really listed to the show on the radio, but
I was well versed in the Opry history. It was so neat to see in person. I
didn’t realize how fast the acts come on, sing and then get off the stage. That
night, quite a few acts were performing:
I was right in the second row, so I could see just about
everything. It’s crazy how many people were there and even after so many years,
how popular the show is. It was pretty neat because new artist:
Was making his Opry debut. It seems like such a special
thing to have happen and I can only imagine what all those childhood dreams of
getting on that stage must feel like.
Once I got the tourist out of my system, I began to get
ready for the race. All week long, the weather in Nashville on the day of the
race was looking pretty grim. There was chatter of torrential rain,
thunderstorms, tornadoes.
Yikes.
I had spent the week prior trying to waterproof my clothes,
hunting down ponchos and praying for the weather to change. Up until Friday,
the race organizers were still trying to decide whether or not it would even
happen. I went to bed freaked out about what I may wake up to and praying that
the weather wouldn’t be too bad.
Well, all 30,000 of us runners had nothing to worry about
because when I got into downtown this is what I saw:
Cloudy skies….but no rain. None.
Thank you Lord. It ended up being the perfect day for
running. Slight overcast and just enough breeze to keep us all cool.
The race itself could have gone better. I was doing
fantastic for 10 miles and as soon as I hit that 20K, I felt something snap in
my foot and moving any faster than a quick walk was incredibly painful. I
decided (for once) to listen to my body, forgo any sort of goal time and just
enjoy the rest of the run. I’ve heard that the CMM is the most challenging
course that the RnR races have. There was a ton of “rolling” hills. The.
Entire.Course. At first glimpse, it didn’t seem that bad, but they never ended.
Lesson learned: hills are legit. I loved the course though. It started off in
Downtown Nashville…right on Broadway Street (where all the Honkey Tonks are)
and went all over the city: Music Row, Vanderbilt, Random Neighborhoods. The
best thing about this race was all of the people along the route. There were so
many watching the race and cheering everyone on. Kids were giving high fives
left and right, college students were out with bells and cowbells, older
couples were sitting in lawn chairs taking it all in. It was really neat!
I don’t even know what my official time was, but all I was
really worried about was finishing and not going into any sort of cardiac
arrest.
Which I didn’t.
There’s something about running---that as you go through
it----it’s not the most enjoyable thing. It can be hard and painful and longer
runs can feel like they’ll never end. And once it’s done, there is this big
sigh of relief, “I made it…..I’m never doing that again.”
But then you wake up the next day, and all you can think of,
even though you’re still in pain is, “When’s the next one?”
The race was over, but one of the best parts of the day had
yet to begin (no, not talking about the long shower I took…or the well-deserved
nap). All of the RnR races have some sort of concert before or after the event.
Usually they announce really early to get people interested in the race. For
months, there was no announcement. I figured one of two things would be the
case: 1. The headliner would suck and they waited to announce so it wouldn’t
deter anyone or 2. It was going to be an amazing, well-known act that was
taking longer to sort out than usual. About two weeks before the race, they
finally announced the headliner:
MARTINA MCBRIDE?!!?! I don’t think I could contain my
excitement when I saw that. For years,
Martina has been one of my favorite (if not favorite) Country singers. I have
most of her albums and even had the pleasure of meeting her backstage a few
years ago.
#happydance
The concert was in the evening, plenty of time to rest up
and get ready. It was all general admission, so I got there about 45 min early
to stand in line and it totally worked out in my favor. I was in the FRONT ROW.
By the time the concert started, I was starting to feel some sore muscles and
still couldn’t put a lot of weight on my foot, but I was still going to dance
and sing along.
Which I did.
All night.
The concert did not disappoint. Martina is a fantastic,
energetic and warm performer. She sang so many of her hits, new songs and a few
covers. From Lady Anatabellum came on stage to sing a duet with her. That was
pretty cool.
That night, I tweeted out this photo of the show. And Martina tweeted back:
After the concert, I stopped off at Hattie B’s for some
famous Nashville Hot Chicken. It was filled with other runners, but the line
went pretty quick. Apparently Nashville is known for incredibly spicy fried
Chicken. I decided to try out the medium spice----and it did not disappoint. I
don’t know if I could have handled anything more spicy!
On Sunday, I got up much earlier than I had wanted to, but
decided to use the time to head back to downtown and check out the Johnny Cash
Museum and do a little shopping. I really liked the museum. It was filled with
a lot of memorabilia, music, but not too massive that it felt overwhelming.
Ever since “Walk the Line” came out, I’ve liked his music----so it was neat to
see a bit more of his life.
I have a friend who recommended I try out the Loveless Café
that was just outside of Nashville. I got there and there were so many people!
It was almost a two hour wait. Thankfully they aldo did takeaway, so I ended up
getting some biscuits and gravy and hashbrown casserole. Inside the restaurant
(which is like a tiny house) is filled with photos of Country Stars. Of course,
I snapped one of Martina. I will admit, the biscuits, which have been named
“America’s best biscuit” were definitely delicious and totally worth the stop.
I have family members in TN, so I wanted to spend a couple
of days with them before heading back home, so I made my way to west Tennessee.
Here’s what I love about random car trips. You never know what you’re doing to
find. And I found Loretta Lynn’s house. It was only a few miles out of the way,
and I figured, no time like the present, so I took a little detour. It was
pretty. She has a replica of the cabin her family grew up in nearby and it was
amazing to see where she came from to what she has now. I guess dreams do come
true!
Afterwards, I head
back on track to see my family. I haven’t been to my Auntie’s house (though
I’ve seen them plenty) in over 20 years!
My family and I came here on vacation way back when and I still remember a lot
of my time there. It was great getting to see them and I am so glad that it all
worked out. I was still a little sore, so we had a great time just hanging out,
talking and watching tv. I even taught them how to take a picture with a selfie
stick….which they both found hilarious (and ridiculous).
All in all, Nashville was a fantastic trip. I’d like to go
again and have a little more time to catch some of the music. Love me some
good, ole Southern tunes.
