Friendliest race award goes to...Hatfield & McCoy Half Marathon!

This past weekend was the Hatfield & McCoy Half Marathon/Marathon...I of course did the half.  This half is located in the mountains of West Virginia/Kentucky.

On Friday Becky, Megan and I took off towards the mountains of West Virginia.  We were off on our running adventure.  Eight hours later we would drive into Belfry High School for the pasta dinner.  It was my first ever pasta dinner.  I usually do not eat pasta the night before a race, but since it was included in my race ticket and it looked like it was fun...pasta dinner it was!  We made sure to stop at a very nice diner to have a burger so I could get my protein in before race morning.

Becky and Megan enjoying some lunch before we head back to the car.

We rolled into South Williamson, KY sometime after 5 PM and decided that we should drive the course to see what it looked like.  I also like to be able to picture where I am on the course and hoped that this would help.  We were going to run up Blackberry Mountain and I really wanted to see how much I would be swearing the next day.

Megan was excited to finish the full in Kentucky!

This was the first interaction with the very friendly people of Goody, Ky.  Everyone was super friendly.  When we got our pasta plate one of the high school kids asked if she could carry our dessert and drink to our table.  How friendly and nice!  We even got our picture with Hatfield and McCoy!  Becky and I were running as part of the McCoy family and Megan was a Hatfield..but don't worry...no feudin' just runnin'!

Oh how I love people in costumes!

After we shoved down our pasta we headed to the auditorium.  We didn't want to miss the door prizes and the play explaining the feud!  Really how many times do you get a skit included in the price of your race entry??

I felt certain that this was a winning ticket!

I was loving life right now!  Skits and door prizes...I couldn't wait to take it all in!

David Hatfield talked about the race and how it was growing every year.  This year the race was pushing 1000 runners along with the first ever wheelchair event.  Those hand cyclist were fast!  I believe they finished the full before I finished my half.  Over 40 states were represented along with a few runners from Canada.  I could see why..great friendly race atmosphere!  David also told us that tomorrow their was a kids fun 100 yd dash that any kid could run.  If they ran the 100 yd dash they would get a free shirt and a trophy at no cost to the kids.  They are trying to encourage healthy active kids.  I thought that was great!  

Next is the door prizes.  Our area seemed to be getting hit a lot.  People in back and in front of us were popping up as winners.  David was just calling number after number.  Surely one of the three of us will win something.  Towards the end it  happens..I hear my number.  I jump up and run up front.  I was running like I just hit the lottery!  I love winning door prizes!

 If you ever win a door prize you must get super excited like you have just won a million dollars.  That is what makes it so much fun.

Hmm..wonder what is in the bag.  I could have taken a lovely camo hat..but I decided to go with the mystery bag.  

And the bag paid off!  I won a great Hatfield & McCoy mug and a used car!!  I've never won a used car!  Don't worry I knew that the car was not included with the bag.  I'm sure one of the nice ladies handing out the bags dropped their keys.  I headed out to return the car keys.  It was nice thinking I won a car though.  :)  Later we met Sue who was very grateful that we returned her car keys.  She looked in some of the bags but didn't find her keys.  

Well after the raffle, we decided to head out to find our hotel.  We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express in the next town, about 30 minutes away.  When we got to the hotel the girl at the front desk asked if we were runners.  Why yes we are.  She gave us each a goody bag to welcome us to the race.  They also had some snacks in our room and will have breakfast starting at 4 am.  How nice!  Thank you!

Our goody bag had oatmeal, oatmeal creme pie (yumm), chips, postcards, pb and some literature about the area.  How nice!  We all settled into our room and prepared for an early wake up for the race the next day.  

Next up:  Race Day

I heart winning!

So I am reading some blogs today and lo and behold I won a garmin!  I am so excited!  A big thanks to Mike at 26.2 is my cooldown :)  And just in time for my half marathon training. :) 

I think I am starting to come out of my running funk..finally :)  I have ran a few times this week and felt pretty good even though it is hot as H. E. double hockey sticks out.  Yesterday was run club.  We were in code orange and a heat advisory, so I wasn't really pumped to go to run club, but once I got there it was fine. It wasn't that bad of a run.  We did change the course a bit and stayed in the wooded area to run so I am sure that helped out.  Turns out when I came back from my run (one of the last ones, we are a bit slower than most) I just missed Byron Leftwich, the backup Steelers quarterback!  Man if only I ran faster! 

Turns out he is originally from the DC area.  So now I am hoping, since there is no NFL right now, that maybe he will be back next week.  Who knows maybe he thought the run club looked like fun and will want to run with us next week.  One can only hope right? :)  

Boston and a winner!

So I love reading all the blogs about the Boston Marathon.  I think I have the bug. :)  I may never get to Boston to run but I can live through every ones experiences this week.  It is amazing to think of the journey most of the runners had just trying to get to Boston.  Wow!   I hope everyone meets their  goals and rocks Boston today!

My first Winner for the Bic Band Giveaway is Kiley!!  Yeah!  Send me your address and I will mail out your Bic Band this week.  pamlansberry @ gmail.com 

working out 2x in one day?? Say it isn't so!!

Snow day on Tuesday!  Yeah my 3 day weekend got extended to a 4 day weekend!  I love snow days!  Especially when there is really no snow outside :)  We had some ice so they called the day!  Yeah!!  So what to do..well I could do what I did on Monday..lay on the couch and take naps all day long, I just fear if I keep doing that I will start to look like my couch.  I decided to go to the gym and run and bike and then head to running club later that night to run some more!  I know crazy!  Two workouts in one day!  Really who have I turned into???  Well I might have been trying to make up for the fact that I didn't move the day before and I really just wanted to lay around and sleep :)  All in all it was very good (other than the two annoying young wives talking on the bikes about how they can't cry in front of their husbands).  If I had a pencil I think I would have gouged my eyes out!  But luckily not many sharp objects are found near the bikes.  My legs are hurting a bit today so I guess a good workout was had yesterday.

I also woke up and found out I am a bic band winner!  Nothing beats winning things.  I won a bic band from Bobbie at Journey to Running.  If you haven't checked out Journey to Running I highly recommend. :) 

Well I am off to work..grrr... Have a great day! 

Winner, winner 2 chicken dinners!

So I think I should buy a Lottery ticket quick!  In the last twenty four hours I have won, not one, but two blog giveaways!  I am never that lucky!  I came home from a great run and happy hour with the running club.  My friend Megan joined us (she is not a runner but said she would come), well looks like we might have hooked her into the running club.  She had lots of fun and said she is coming back for more. :)  Then I come home all tired and turn the computer on and I see that Bobbie's blog 2010 Journey in Running had a winner for her Yurbuds giveaway.  Well I guess I will check it out..wait is that my comment?  Yep I won!  So exciting!  And turns out it is the second time I have won something from Bobbie :)  If you haven't checked out Bobbie's blog yet you really should.

So I am feeling all happy today about my great win and I come home all tired from work and once again I see a winner announced on Mindy's blog 13.1 Miles to Go for the Bondiband giveaway.  And bingo, I won the bondiband too!  If you haven't checked out Mindy's you need to go there now!  I can't beleive it 2 giveaway wins in the last 24 hours.  Both great giveaways that I have always wanted to try. 

Thanks again and I am off to buy that Lottery ticket!