Friday, April 08, 2011

Foto Friday: Adventures in Michigan


Hubs and I took last Friday off work to make the ~5 hour trip to Dearborn, MI. The trip was smooth, but would have been quite a bit shorter if we didn't have to make so many pit stops. Hydrating the day before a marathon can easily complicate a road trip! We stopped in a quaint little town along the way for lunch at Subway - which will become a new day-before-the-race tradition, although not necessarily in the middle of nowhere Strathroy, Ontario.

I had some fun runnerd'ing it out along the way. Hubs made fun of me at first, but pretty soon he was pointing them out too!






We munched on some carby car snacks...



We arrived at our very modest hotel in the early afternoon and unloaded. Marathoners need a lot of stuff when travelling!





I started getting things organized while hubs went for a run in the 'hood (the morning run was good enough for me - yes, he ran a double the day before the marathon).




Hmm, can you tell we had a race in the morning? Yes, I even brought our toaster!


Pretty soon it was time for an early dinner at Olive Garden (unlimited bread? yes please) before heading over to the expo. There were blow-up martians everywhere!




We picked up our packets and promptly spotted the Redhead, all crutched out but cheerful as always. I finally got to meet the infamous Spike as well and both were formally introduced to hubs (he had met Red briefly around mile 25 of the Disney Marathon last year).


[photo shamelessly stolen borrowed from Red]


Red (with the help of some lovely sponsors) spoiled us with awesome goodie bags - she even had one for hubs! I think that made up for me dragging him around to meet my "internet friends."



I got to meet some other awesome bloggers as well (including Jessie!) before shopping around a bit and eventually heading back to our hotel.

We got ourselves ready for the next morning and called it a night early. I had a decent sleep, surprisingly.


You already know what happens next...

After getting a bunch of hugs and chatting for a bit with Runner Nic after the race, we boogied back to the hotel to shower up and change so we wouldn't be too late for the big bloggy brunch. I later learned that we should have stuck around because prizes were awarded for the top 5 in each age group (I was 4th)! Fortunately the awesome people at Running Fit are going to send me my prize.

Brunch was awesome! There were tons of people there already, but Red had lots of tables reserved for us. She also squealed and hobbled over to give me a big congratulatory hug when we got there, making me feel like a total rock star. It was so nice to catch up with everyone after the race and of course enjoy some delicious food.



[these photos also shamelessly stolen borrowed from Red]

After saying goodbye to everyone, hubs and I did a little shopping and a lot of wandering around in the afternoon. We eventually settled into the hotel with some grub and our laptops to fill everybody in at home. I loved seeing all of the tweets, facebook/blog comments and emails rolling in!

We went for a short recovery run in the morning before feasting on another big breakfast and making the trek home.


Farewell Dearborn...


Until next year!

42 comments:

Running Ricig said...

This post is so fun. It's like we get to travel with you! It cracks me up that you brought a toaster!

Gotta Run..... said...

first - I was so surprised that Scott left a comment on the contest entry. He sure loves me! Maybe it is all of my training pain that drives him to comfort me...:)

LOVE trips like this. The hotel is not so great but the rest of it is perfect. I am a freak about hotels.

Robin said...

Looks like a fun weekend!

J said...

You are bringing back Photo Friday! I love it! Looks like an awesome trip!

Allison said...

I love that you travel with your toaster! :)

Jen Feeny said...

I just feel bad that the race was in Dearborn and not even the pretty part! I swear Michigan can be prettier!!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

so much fun! looks like u had a great time!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

Sounds like a blast! J and I are always searching for running related things on our road trips. And everything I see is always a "sign" ...

Runners Fuel said...

Sounds like a great trip!

Johann said...

Great post showing lots of fun! I'm a huge alien life form geek and would love to do this race.

Teamarcia said...

Oh so fun! I love that you met so many bloggy peeps!
I have a soft spot for MI too!

Anonymous said...

What a fun weeekend... race, blogger meetup!! Loved the pictures and especially all the 262 ones!

Nitmos said...

Glad to see that Michigan looks just as gray in photos as it does live in person. Plus, did I see some bonus midwest rust in the last photo?! You've captured our essence.

fancy nancy said...

Looks like you had a blast!!! I love the road signs...you two are adorable!

Kerrie said...

OMG. Look at all those bags! Where were your hubby's bags? ;)

RunToTheFinish said...

aww love the red head, she is such a sweetie...trying to convince her to do the philly half!!!

you brought the toaster, i can't stop laughing

Amy said...

Love all the pics! I love that you brought your toaster. I booked a room with a kitchenette for Vancouver, but will be calling in advance to make sure there's one for my pre-race bagel!

Lindsay said...

hahahahaha. you packed the toaster. omg. haha.

and yes, you are majour dourk for photoguraphing all the 26/262 numbeurs.

Marky Mark said...

The toaster is a classic-I guess if you're gonna do it out of town you have to make it like home!

T-Bone said...

Hey! I've read your site for awile but never commented. But I had to say something when I read that you brought your own toaster to the hotel room - love it!

Aron said...

I have brought my toaster to EVERY race and I don't know what to do about Boston :( I dont think I have room in my luggage lol... I might just have to make some! ;)

Unknown said...

Love all the pics! What a fun post. And, you're a rockstar for bringing your toaster!

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey

ajh said...

Fun post. I love that you bring your toaster. A non running friend made fun of me for bringing my coffee pot but getting everything moving in the morning is pretty important.

Run Jess Run said...

Ironically...I had relatives that lived on 26 Mile Rd....

Richelle said...

I love all the pictures! I'm glad you had such a good time!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like such an awesome time! Love hearing about meet ups!

Char said...

You guys are so organised when you travel to races. Seriously, a toaster?!! I would never think of that. And congrats on 4th place - let us know what you win.

Jason said...

Love the layout of the grub. I do the same thing. It's amazing what we will bring with us to a race isn't it.

And meeting friends is awesome. One of the best parts of writing a blog is getting the opportunity to meet other people in the world that share our passion.

Abby said...

I've brought a lot of thing for race travel before, but never a toaster :)

Runner Leana said...

I love that you hauled your toaster with you! Congratulations again on an amazing race. You really knocked it out of the park!! And on a training run to!

Nicole said...

:) your such a cutie! miss you! <3

Lisa said...

oh my gosh! This all sounds like so much fun! I'm heading back to Detroit for tha half in October but maybe next year I'll set my sights on this race. Glad it all went so well and you and your hubs had such a great time!

Lisa said...

oops. And thanks for the idea of taking the toaster to the hotel. I've been wondering about how to deal with pre-race fueling when I run in Philly next month. great idea!

Laura said...

Great recap of the non race part of the trip. I'm in for taking a toaster on out of town races...toasted bread is way better.

Cory Reese said...

Loved the pictures! (We always bring a toaster too.)

Courtney @ I CAN DO THIS said...

LOL - when I first read the 26 Mile Rd sign, I thought it said Marlene City under it. Now THAT would be cool! :)

Denise said...

i love that you packed a toaster! i just paced a bowl and spoon to make my oatmeal in boston!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Aw glad you guys had so much fun and all got to meet :) I also love that you brought your toaster for home, I would totally do that.

Mark said...

Looks like fun! Glad you had a good trip.

ihaverun said...

I think you need a RUNNERD sticker for the shout out! Send your address to ihaverun@hotmail.com and I'll get you one.

So jealous you got to meet the Redhead. Sounds like an awesme trip and great race!!

EndorphinBuzz said...

I think it's awesome that you brought a toaster. I though of doing that before but never quite got around to actually doing it :)

Stacie said...

I love your "Impossible Is Nothing" shirt :)