My Fitness Foe, Part Deux

I have a love/hate relationship with counting calories & using MyFitnessPal.  Read more here.  Alas, the saga continues.

*Disclaimer:  I am not a medical professional, nor am I in a position to give medical advice.  This post is based solely on my experiences.  Please consult with a doctor before embarking on a training or meal plan.

I've been using MyFitnessPal again regularly in an effort to lose about 15 lbs.  It worked great initially & I was losing about a pound a week, but then a month in, I stopped losing weight.  Also, because I work-out so much, my daily calorie goal changes dramatically from day to day, which leaves me starving on some days & full past capacity on other days.  I was kind of on a hunger roller coaster.  It didn't feel natural.  And it clearly wasn't working.

I started asking around & found out some of the people I work-out with are trying a new way to track calories/work-outs.  They went online, filled out this questionnaire & got a calorie goal that stays the same every day, regardless of how many calories you burn working out.  So no more hunger roller coaster.

Prior to doing this, to lose 1 lb a week, MyFitnessPal was giving me 1,440 calories a day.  Now, with this questionnaire, I put in that I do 5-6 hours a week of strenuous exercise & want to lose fat at a 20% calorie reduction.  It says I have 2,182 calories a day with the same goal to lose 1 lb a week.  Really?  I mean, I'm all for eating more, but 1,440 to 2,182 is a big jump.  Although, if this is right, it definitely explains why I'm *hangry all the time.

*My friend Jenn uses this word for when she's so hungry she's angry -- hangry.

Ya'll, why is this so hard!  I work-out like a frigging Olympian & eat like a normal woman with years of diet & weight loss experience.  Am I juicing, or, god forbid, cutting out gluten - no.  But I'm eating 1,440 calories a day, so I'm doing alright.  I definitely try to stick to the 80/20 rule - good 80% of the time, good-ish the other 20% of the time.  I typically save up my 20% for Saturday night - Sunday night, which is also when I burn an insane amount of calories because of my long runs.

In a normal week, I burn 3,993 calories & consume 13,458.  If you take the calories I burn a week (3,993) & divide that by 7, you get 570.  Then if you add 570 + 1,440 (my current daily calorie goal), you get 2,010, which should be the number of calories I need a day.  I think...

So, regardless of which one is the correct calorie goal for the day (2,182 or 2,010) I'm not eating enough.  I'm going to set MyFitnessPal to 2,000 calories a day for this week & see what happens.

To be continued....

P.S. If you want to be my friend on MyFitnessPal, my user name is theblondemule, but tell me who you are in the friend request.

Weekend Wrap Up: 11.2 PW Edition

Friday was not my best day.  To make me feel better, John took me to dinner & then to Parnassus & bought me a book.  Having recently finished The Casual Vacancy, I wanted something short & light, so I got Swamplandia!.  I've heard great things about it.   We'll see...

I got up early on Saturday & went to the flea market with my parents.  I found this ottoman in the first 5 seconds of being there & bought it.  It was just $15!  This is it's true color, no Instagram filter.  It's an orange-red.  I'm not sure if it's leather or vinyl.  Probably vinyl.  Oh, & the lid comes off & you can store things in it.  It smells like basement & Linda won't leave it alone, but I love it!

I found a stack of these huge "@" & almost bought one.  They weren't priced, but letters of similar size were around $60.  They had a smaller size for $35, but I think I like the bigger one.  In my mind, I would paint it black & hang it somewhere in our house.  But I couldn't decide, so I didn't buy it.

After the flea market, I ate lunch with my parents, then went to Green Hills to pick up my new Equipment top!!!  I'm going to love that shirt so hard.

On Saturday night, John & I went to the Belcourt to see the new Peter Jackson documentary, West Of Memphis.  Since I read Life After Death, I've been a little obsessed with the West Memphis 3.  I watched the 3-part HBO documentary, Paradise Lost.  West Of Memphis is a nice, kind of, final installment.  It shows a lot of new info not included in Paradise Lost, particularly about the stepfather that a lot of people suspect actually committed the murders.  The movie is at the Belcourt through Thursday.  I highly recommend it.

In preparation for the Oak Barrel Half in 2 weeks, we ran the 11.2 in Percy Warner yesterday.  I've run the 5.8 many times, but never the 11.2.  I was more nervous about this training run, than I've ever been about a race.  Everyone said if I could run the 5.8, I could run the 11.2, but I had my doubts.  Plus, as you can see in this pic, it wasn't exactly ideal weather.

Well, I did it.  I ran the 11.2.  I didn't start my Garmin in time, so it's off by a half mile or so, but I assure you, I ran it.  Thank you to everyone who lied to me about how many hills are in this route.  I was already freaked out & had I known that I would basically be running uphill (in the rain) for oh, NINE MILES, I totally wouldn't have done it.

This is the hardest route I've ever run & I'm super proud of myself.  And I ran the whole thing!  I would stop & walk for the few steps it took me to shove some energy chews into my mouth, but I ran up every single one of those insane hills.

I listened to music yesterday, which I never do, & that helped.  I ran with water & my Stinger energy chews, but it wasn't enough.  It kept me alive, but I didn't have as much energy as I usually do.  For the last 2 miles, I couldn't even talk, which, for those of you who have ever run with me, you know how rare that is.  But I did it!  Afterwards, we (me, Lana, Heidi, Jaime & Melanie) treated ourselves to brunch at Le Peep.

I burned about 1,700 calories (seriously) running yesterday, so I told John we could have hot chicken for dinner.  We've been wanting to make it again now that we have the secret ingredient, Slap Ya Mama.

We were calling it Hot Chicken 2.0:  Fry Harder.  It was definitely hotter.  It was on the cusp of being too hot for me to eat.  I always get the mild at Prince's & John gets the hot.  He said what we made last night was probably the medium.  Lawd.  It didn't feel medium.  But it was delicious!

An Open Letter To The 22-Year Old Nurse Practitioner In My Doctor's Office This Morning

Dear 22-Year Old Nurse Practitioner In My Doctor's Office This Morning:

First of all, thank you for saving me a two hour wait while the doctor rushed across the street to deliver a baby.  While I love my doctor & regret not being able to talk to her, I appreciate not having to lay on an exam table in an open-back, paper gown for two hours.

I'll make this quick since you're probably reading this in line at Pinkberry.  When I wrote, "PMS, sports bra rash, no kids, weight" on the agenda, I anticipated discussing these items with my beloved doctor, who knows me, my weight issues & my position on not reproducing.

I am 36.  So no, I did not mean "pre-menopausal" when I wrote down that I wanted to discuss PMS.  But thank you for that.  I turn 37 in May & will assuredly replay this conversation over & over in my head for the next 8 weeks.

Also, when the person asking to discuss her weight with you outweighs you by 40 lbs, DO NOT ask her if she's exercising & watching what she eats.  Because you know what?  I'm 36.  I've been exercising & "watching what I eat" for longer than you've been alive.

I realize that at 22, you can maintain your weight by simply eating a salad every now & then & working out 30 minutes a day three times a week.  But one day, you too, will turn 30 & in the blink of an eye, you'll gain 15 pounds & a patch of grey hair not even $200 highlights can cover.  And later in your thirties, oh, let's say 36, you will go for your yearly wellness exam & get talked down to by someone half your age, half your size & with half of her forearm in your cervix.

Best of luck.

Chinese Noodles with Baked Sriracha Ribs

I was cruising Serious Eats via Flipboard last Friday night & came across a recipe for sriracha ribs.  A) John & I love sriracha.  B) We've never made ribs.  This is one of Serious Eats' Sunday Supper recipes (because the ribs take 3+ hours to cook).  I showed it to John & we decided to try it on Sunday.

We decided 2 racks of ribs is insane for two people, so John was only supposed to buy 1 rack of ribs, but the 1 rack of ribs was like 3 feet long, so who knows what we bought.  We went ahead & made the whole recipe.

These ribs are kind of best thing we've ever made.  Aside from the weird tin foil rib hat you have to make in Step Three, this is a pretty easy recipe.  It just takes about 4 hours to make.  Even if you just makes the ribs portion of this recipe, I highly recommend it.  We'll be making this again.

CHINESE NOODLES WITH BAKED SRIRACHA RIBS

Adapted from Serious Eats

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the Ribs:
2 racks of baby back ribs
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp ground chili
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 cup apple juice
1 (12-ounce) bottle of light-flavored beer

For the Glaze:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sriracha
2 1/2 tbsp Asian chili sauce, divided

For the Noodles:
1tbsp chili oil
1/4 cup sliced mixed mushrooms
1 small fresh red chili, thinly sliced
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces fresh (8 ounces dried) Chinese egg noodles
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position & preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Combine ginger, black pepper, onion powder, chili powder, salt, & 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small bowl.  Mix thoroughly with fingertips.

2.  Place ribs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet & coat with rub on all surfaces.  Place in the oven to roast until fat is beginning to render & ribs are softened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Meanwhile, lay two 12- by 24-inch sheets of heavy duty aluminium foil out on the countertop & fold their edges tightly together to form one large sheet.

3.  Remove ribs from oven & set them on top of the foil.  Return them to the rimmed baking sheet with the foil.  Pour apple juice & beer on top of the ribs, then fold up foil & seal tightly to create an enclosed package.  Return to oven & continue cooking until ribs are completely tender, about 1 hour longer.

4.  While the ribs are cooking, prepare the glaze by mixing honey, Sriracha, 1 1/2 tbsp chili sauce & remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small bowl.  Remove ribs from oven & raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Discard liquid, return ribs to baking sheet & generously brush with glaze.  Return to oven until glaze is burnished & sticky, 15 to 20 minutes longer.  Remove from oven & set aside, loosely tented with foil.

5.  Heat chili oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add mushrooms & cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add sliced fresh chili & garlic & cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.  Transfer to a bowl & set aside.

6.  Bring chicken broth to a boil over high heat.  Add egg noodles & cook according to package directions (fresh noodles will be ready in 2 to 3 minutes).  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add mushroom mixture to noodles, along with remaining 1 tbsp chili sauce.  Toss to combine.

7.  Divide noodles among four deep-sided bowls.  Slice ribs & place a few in each bowl of noodles.  Garnish with scallions & cilantro & serve immediately.

Weekend Wrap Up: Whiskey Hill Edition

On Friday night, John & I stayed in.  John made steaks & I watched Magic Mike.  I can't remember which one of you recommended this movie to me, but whoever you are, you are dead to me.  Y'all, that movie is TERRIBLE!

On Saturday, I got up & went to Shakti Yoga.  Alas, my 30 days for $30 package expired, so for now, I'm just going once a week.  I'd love to keep up twice a week, but I'd have to cut out Tattlys & lattes from my budget, & you know how much I love Tattlys & lattes.

On Saturday night, we met Jenn & Rogers for sushi dinner at PM.  It was a good time - we sat outside, drank wine, I accidentally ate the mound of wasabi...

On Sunday, me, Heidi, Lana & Melanie piled into my car & drove to Lynchburg for a Whiskey Hill Preview Run.  The Oak Barrel Half we're all doing on April 6th includes a hill that starts between 3.5 - 4 miles into the run & continues for 1 mile up to the top of a ridge line.  Mach 10, who puts on the race, arranged these preview runs to get runners acquainted with the course, specifically Whiskey Hill.

The preview run yesterday was 7.5 miles, the first 4 of which were uphill.  I was dehydrated from my wine/sushi/wasabi bonanza Saturday night & had a hard time.  My calves were locking up & those hills are no joke.  Whiskey Hill sucked, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Three mile hill on the 5.8 PW trail is a lot harder.

I'm glad we did the preview run.  I like knowing what to expect on race day.  Afterwards, we treated ourselves to the Iron Kettle.  Poor Lana - it was hard times for a vegetarian at a meat-and-three.  While we all chowed down on chicken & dressing, she got a side salad & an order of tater tots.

Last night John & I made RIBS!!!  We've never made ribs before & I think I can safely say, we nailed it. Recipe coming later in the week.

Birchbox Review: February

I think this is my favorite Birchbox yet.  Of the four products I received, I've already bought one & plan to buy two more as soon as possible.  Here's what I got!

Color Club | Nail Polish in Mamba
Nothing says red carpet like an ultraglossy crimson mani.  We love this juicy cherry hue.  Full-size, $8.

My Review:  I haven't used this yet.  I already own a couple different shades of red nail polish.  I like the hues of Color Club, but the polish doesn't stay on as long as other brands.

Jouer | Matte Moisture Tint
This SPF 15 oil-free tinted moisturizer blends in beautifully to even out skin & control shine.  Full-size, $38.

My Review:  I love this!  As soon as my Laura Mercier runs out, I'm switching to this.  It goes on better & provides more coverage than I'm used to.  I received the Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint in a previous box & didn't like it.  But this matte one, I love!  I'm buying this one.

Kerastase | Masque Chroma Riche
Designed to hydrate color-treated or dry strands, this nourishing mask has a built-in UV filer to keep highlights from fading.  Full-size, $61.

My Review:  I'm starting to wonder how I lived 36 years without hair masks.  Birchbox has changed my hair life.  You all know I love the amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask & have been using it for months, but this Kerastase mask, aka "hair crack", is my new favorite mask.  It's the price of a car payment, but it's so worth it.  I'm buying this, too.

Vasanti | Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
This exfoliating cleanser uses professional-grade (read:  effective) microderm crystals & papaya enzymes to brighten skin.  Full-size, $34.

My Review:  I actually just ran out of face scrub & was thinking about buying the Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish I received a few boxes ago.  But then I received this Brighten Up! sample & fell in love with it, so I bought it instead!  I've probably used every face scrub that exists, drug store & dept store brands, & this is my favorite one.  I have sensitive skin & tend to over-scrub, leaving my face red & probably minus a layer of epidermis.  But not with this one.  It has both scrubbers & healers, so it doesn't leave your face red.  Science.  I don't understand.  But it works!  And I love it!  Highly recommend this one.

Yay, Birchbox!

How I Trained For My 2nd Half Marathon

I recently ran my second half marathon.  I ran the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2 weeks ago.  When I ran my first half marathon last year, I shared how I trained.  I thought I'd share how I trained again since I trained with an injury this year.

Similar to last year, we started training early.  We used the Boulevard Bolt as our starting point.

 Week 1 - 11/22 - 5 miles

This is the Boulevard Bolt.  It's a local, 5 mile race that takes place on Thanksgiving morning.  A perfect race to kick off training season.

Week 2 - 11/25 - 5 miles

We got back together the Sunday after Thanksgiving to keep our momentum going.  We ran the East Nasty Walking Bridge 4.41 mile route, so not quite 5 miles.

Week 3 - 12/2 - 5 miles

Making sure we're comfortable with 5 miles before we add on, we met & ran Belle Meade Blvd.

Week 4 - 12/9 - 6 miles

We met at Bongo Java on Belmont & ran a hilly 6 miles around Music Row, Vandy & Belmont.

Week 5 - 12/16 - 6 miles

We met at Shelby Bottoms & ran a flat, 6 miles on the greenway.

Week 6 -12/22 - 6.5 miles

This was the 26.4.26 race that we all did.  We ran 6.5 flat miles.

Week 7 - 12/30 - 7 miles

We met at Jaime's in Sylvan Park & ran 7, hilly miles in/around Harding/Belle Meade.

Week 8 - 1/6 - 8 miles

We met at Fido & ran downtown to 1st Ave & back up Demonbreun to Hillsboro Village.  Mucho hilly.

Week 9 - 1/19 - 9 miles

We met at the Maryland Farms Y & ran 9, long, scenic miles around Brentwood/Maryland Farms.

Week 10 - 1/27 - 10 miles

This is the run where I got injured.  We ran Bongo to Bongo.  My knee gave out at the half way point. Because I was 5 miles from where I started, I had to keep going.  So I basically limp-ran from Bongo East to Bongo West.  Not fun.

I went into physical therapy.  I had 2 appointments a week, plus 15 minutes, twice a day of glute strengthening exercises at home.  Also, Brittany, my physical therapist taped my knee & told me to take the week off from everything - running & Hell Class.  *tear

Week 11 - 2/3 - 11 miles

At this point, I'm in physical therapy & restricted to flat runs, which is fine because the race we're training for is flat.  We met at Shelby Bottoms & basically ran the Tom King route.  My knee was taped, but I ran it pain-free.

Still going to physical therapy twice a week, plus all the glute exercises.  My knee is still taped.  Brittany lets me go back to Hell Class, but no lunges or jumping, which is half the class, so, yeah.  I also start taking yoga again.

Week 12 - 2/10 - 75 minute run

Still in physical therapy, still taped, we ran another flat route on the greenway at Shelby Bottoms.

I'm discharged from physical therapy!  Hooray!  My knee is healed & I'm cleared to resume normal activity, though I'm advised to still take it easy on the lunges.  Brittany offers to tape me for the race if it'll give me peace of mind, though she says I don't need it.  Also, I'm in yoga twice a week.

Week 13 - 2/17 - 60 minute run

We run one last flat, boring run on the Shelby greenway.  Still doing Hell Class twice a week & yoga twice a week.  Feeling good.  Feeling strong.  Still no knee problems.

Week 14 - 2/24 - Race Day

I ultimately decided to run the race without getting my knee taped.  I didn't need it.  In hindsight, I did a couple of things wrong in New Orleans.  We walked wayyyyyy too much the day before & we ate like idiots the night before the race.  DUMB.  But c'est la vie.

The course was super flat, which was good for my knee.  We started a little slower than we probably had to & stayed slow for the first 5 miles.  Around that time, we hit the one hour mark & I popped some energy chews.  Once those kicked in, I sped up & tried to keep us at a faster pace, but I'm not a great pacer.  Every time I ate more energy chews, I would speed up to what felt natural, but then I'd inevitable slow back down.

It's funny, I ran my first half marathon last year 10 minutes faster than this year, but the race last year was really hard.  Last year, I struggled from Mile 10 to the finish.  But this year, I felt great the entire race.  I had a lot of energy, my legs were good, my knee was good.  My feet hurt from the heinous roads, but nothing too bad.

Because I ran with 40 other East Nasties, most of which PR-ed, I was a little embarrassed about my time, until I talked to Cheyenne.  Cheyenne asked me how my race was & I said, "I didn't PR".  He said that he didn't ask me if I PR-ed, he asked me how my race was.  Did I feel strong, etc.  I told him that this was my best race & that I felt really strong, especially in comparison to last year.  Cheyenne emphatically nodded & then I got it.  A good race isn't always dictated by time.  Thank you, Cheyenne.

I'm running another half marathon in a few weeks.  I'm running the Oak Barrel Half in Lynchburg.  We're just running this for fun.  No one PRs at this race as it's entirely uphill.  You'd think I'd be done after that.  You'd be wrong.  After Oak Barrel, I switch gears & start training for my second triathlon, which is on May 18th.  Then I'm done.  I think....

Weekend Wrap Up: Tom King Edition

I went into Parnassus Books recently (You've all been to Parnassus, right?  If not, go there immediately.) & realized there's a million books I want to read, but alas I need to finish The Casual Vacancy first.  So on Friday night, I sat down with that book, determined to finish it.  And I did!

Aside from Ann Patchett, no one seems to like this book.  But I liked it.  In full disclosure, I wanted to like it.  I tend to like the books Ann Patchett recommends; I also love J.K. Rowling.  I think Rowling is a great storyteller & develops characters like no other author I've read.  I wouldn't go so far as to say I loved it, or that it made me cry, but I liked it & I'm glad I read it.  It's a long, winding story with a town full of characters, none of them the protagonist & not a lot happens until the last few pages.  It's a beautiful, well written book that I will probably never read again.

{Photo credit:  Christina Young}

Nashville's Tom King Half Marathon was on Saturday.  As you may recall, this race was my first half marathon.  When I ran it last year, I was really struggling at the end & the East Nasty water stop at Mile 12 reignited me & got me through that last mile.  So this year, I spent the first 3 hours of my Saturday returning the favor.

Also, my long distance training partners Jessica & Melanie were running it & I wanted to cheer them on.  Obviously, they went totally HAM & killed it.  Obviously.

After Tom King, I headed to Green Hills to do a little shopping.  I'm obsessed with Equipment shirts & wanted to try some on.  I've had a hard time deciding on a color.  I expected to go with something in the green family, but went in a totally different direction & got Neon Orange.  Who am I?!

I needed another lululemon tank, so I popped in to grab another one.  I'm always a Size 12 in their tops & don't even try them on anymore, but I took a couple into the dressing room to see which color I liked best.  Turns out, I'm a size smaller!  Hello, Size 10!  Thanks, Hell Class!

I think I failed to mention this earlier, but we had dinner Friday night at Korea House with our pals, Keith & Nicole (not Urban).  On Saturday, I took a late yoga class, so John & I just grabbed a pizza at Desano Pizza.  This was John's first Desano experience & he loved it as much as I do.  It's so good!

As much as I'd like to have my Sundays back, I am still in training because I apparently thought it was a good idea to run 2 half marathons back to back.  My next one, Oak Barrel, is 3 weeks away.  Yesterday my NOLA (nay, Oak Barrel) training group met to run 8 hilly miles.  We met at 11th & Holly to run the infamous, 6 mile, so hard you want to die Nasty route, plus an extra 2 miles.  Lawd.

Afterwards, Lana invited us over for brunch.  She really outdid herself.  She made baked cheese grits, fruit salad, coffee cake, coffee cake muffins & apricot, almond scones.  It was soooo good!

We were celebrating birthdays & completed races, but really, we just like brunch.  We even had a special guest, a special little guest.  Jessica brought her son, Ben, who was pretty into a room full of ladies he could climb up on & poke in the face.  Thanks for hosting, Lana!

Race Recap: NOLA Half Marathon

Last weekend I ran my 2nd half marathon.  I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans.  This was my first destination race & I really liked it!  Jaime & I traveled together & shared a condo in the French Quarter that we found on VRBO.  But we weren't alone.  About 40 East Nasties were also there to run the race.

We got there on Friday & treated ourselves to a drink at The Carousel Bar & a fancy dinner at Herbsaint.  The food was good, but we were a little underwhelmed.

Saturday was a full day.  We started with brunch at the highly recommended The Camellia Grill.  It was so good!  Y'all, that's butter, not OJ!

After brunch, we headed over to the race expo to get our race packets & hear Olympians speak.  Olympians, you say?  Yes, a whole mess of Olympic runners ran the half as a training run.  No pressure!

We spent the rest of Saturday afternoon walking around, shopping & riding the St. Charles Streetcar.

Another New Orleans restaurant that came highly recommend is Mother's.  We ate our pre-race dinner there on Saturday night.  I mean, everyone eats fried chicken & bread pudding the night before running 13.1 miles, right?

Sunday - race day!  We woke up early & made our way to Corral 17.  I thought we would have to wait a lot longer than we did.  We were off & running in about 20 minutes.  The weather was great.  The first 7 miles of the race was an out & back along St. Charles Avenue, which was nice.  I love looking at all those huge old houses.  There were a lot of spectators & live bands set up every mile.  It was a good start.

Around Mile 10, I saw this huge inflated rocker dude that we had to run under.  Obviously, I stopped & snapped a pic.  OBVIOUSLY.  The last miles from Mile 10 to the finish were on horrible roads.  You basically had to run with your head down because of all the potholes & broken pavement.  It was also hell on our feet.  And there were no spectators along this part.  I felt fine, in fact, I felt a lot stronger than I did at the end of my last half marathon.  It was just boring & got a little tedious with the roads.  I kept chanting to Jaime & Lana, "Channel the HAM!"

We finished in City Park, which is a gorgeous park.  I ran the entire race with Jaime & Lana.  Heidi started with us, but left us soon after as she's a little bit faster than we are.  Even though my NOLA finish time is 9 minutes slower than my 1st half marathon, I felt stronger during this run.  Last year, I really struggled to finish, but this year I felt great the entire time.  I'm a slow runner, but I'm a strong runner.  I'll take it!

East Nasty had a designated meeting spot in City Park, so we met up with everyone to celebrate.  In true New Orleans fashion, you get free beer & jambalaya after the race.  It was delicious.

After a nap & a shower, we all met back up at Pat O'Briens to continue the celebration.  One of my best friends from college was also in town for the race & we met up for the first time in 14 years!  We had an obligatory hurricane, then moved along.  It stormed that night in New Orleans & we were without umbrellas, so these ponchos happened.  Ballers!

We eventually ate dinner, then called it a night.  Before our flight the next day, we grabbed brunch at Stanley, which turned out to be my favorite meal of the trip.  I ordered the Eggs Benedict Poor Boy & it was delicious!  And our server was from Nashville!

After one of the worst flights of my life, which you can read about here, we were back home.  But there's no rest for the wicked, as we're registered to run the Oak Barrel Half in Lynchburg on April 6, a mere 4 weeks away.  Stay tuned!

For more details on the race, read my post over on the East Nasty blog.

Full NOLA photostream here.