Run Like A Diva 1/2 Marathon Race Report

I am aware that Deb, Nikki, and I did this race back in September but I figure the report is better late then never, right??

Friday
Nikki and I took to the car to drive to Leesburg, Virginia while Deb grabbed a flight to DC and then rented a car to drive to meet us at our hotel.  Upon arriving at our hotel and freshening up, we headed to the race expo to grab our packets which even came with a pink tutu.  This was clearly a very "girly" race.  Once we took care of this stop we headed  out to find some dinner.  We stumbled upon the Wine Kitchen and of course there was a very long wait so we decided we would go across the street to Chimole and have a drink.  We quickly learned there wasn't a wait for a reason.  We had a drink and a small plate and were totally underwhelmed by everything at this restaurant.  We definitely wouldn't go back.  Eventually it was our turn to be seated at the Wine Kitchen and the food was so worth the wait.  Everything we had (including the wine tasting trays) was delicious!  The lobster risotto was absolutely define as well as their macaroni and cheese!  After eating way too much food as well as dessert we headed back to our hotel to get some sleep before the race on Saturday morning.

Saturday
We were up quite early to get to the race as we had reserved VIP parking so we wouldn't have to take the shuttle buses.  Definitely the right decision!  It was so easy to get there, park, and have plenty of time to use the restrooms before the race started.  After we used the facilities we took the required pre-race photo.

Virginia check

They played great music while we waited for the race to start and then it was time to get ready to run.  We wished each other luck and headed to the start line.  The race was incredibly crowded as we headed out a narrow roadway but eventually it thinned out and there was room to run.  Little did I know that Virginia was going to be hill after hill after hill.  It was rough but I just kept plugging along.  It was fun because you got to see other runners since some portions of the course were out and back.  I was able to see both Deb and Nikki which was great.  I was trying with everything in my power to finish under two hours but the hills were taking their toll on me.  At the 13 mile mark we were handed a feather boa and tiara for our finish line photos.  I crossed the line in "diva form" in 2:05:44.  I got my medal and my "champagne" toast and headed back to the course to wait for Deb and Nikki to finish.  Once everyone was finished we got some awesome photos with the fine gentlemen that placed our medals around our necks.

Deb

Nikki

Jodi

We took a few more photos after our "champagne" toast and then headed back to our hotel to freshen up and find some food as we were all starving!

"Champagne" toast

"Run Like A Diva"

 We ended up settling on Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers for our post race meal.  The food was exceptional and the burgers were very large and filling!!

Once we couldn't eat another bite we decided to head to the outlet malls and do some shopping.  We all ended up getting some great deals and proceeded to head back to our hotel to relax a bit!  Later that evening we went to Bar Louie for a small bite to eat before getting ready to head back home the next morning.  It was another great girls trip with awesome friends!  Looking forward to the next state!!

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 16 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!