Chattanooga Marathon Race# 22

Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Time: 4:47:05
Overall Place: 345/529

 Sunday, March 6, 2016

That was a long drive in from Columbia and it didn't leave us much time to do anything except go for a swim and order in some pizza. 

This was a great hotel room.  I had a king size bed all to myself and Stephanie had a bed all to herself in the main part of the suite.  It's amazing how someone can fall asleep with the TV running.  I don't know how she does it.  I know I can't do it. Well, each to their own.

Sunday morning started off the same as the day before.  I got up right at 6:00, and Stephanie hits the snooze button a few more times.  We needed to catch a shuttle to the start line which was only about five minutes away at the finish line.  We were only a short walk to the finish line so this was very convenient.  We arrived at the start line which was very busy with the hustle and bustle of nervous runners.

Stephanie and I decided that we would just go on our own since the split was only about two miles into the race.  This race was much larger so it was nice to know I wasn't going to be running alone.  The Columbia Marathon had 185 finishers and this one was supposed to be about 1500, or so I was told.  I’m not sure where they pulled that number from but they weren’t even close.

The gun went off and away we went.  I felt the way I kind of expected to, tired but not sore.  The first 9 miles were hilly but nothing too severe so I felt pretty good.  We made our way to the Tennessee River and crossed over.  The next seven miles were very hard, but very beautiful as we traversed the hills.  This is where the wealthy lived. 

 

There were a lot of really long hard climbs during this portion of the race. At around mile 16 we crossed back over the river through much of the downtown area including the very beautiful campus of the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.  At this part of the race I was just exhausted and the hills never really let up but they were nowhere as severe as the middle section.  I took it one mile at a time always moving forward.  As hard as it was and I will be quite honest with you the thought of quitting actually did cross my mind, but like they say, suck it up buttercup. 

 

 

What a relief to see the finish line and Stephanie there waiting for me.  All in all I was more than happy with my time of 4:46.  Not bad for just having completed a marathon the day before.  Best part of the morning though was Stephanie coming in just over 2:01 and missing her PR by about 6 seconds. It was a beautiful sunny day and the temperatures were perfect for running.  This race was playing mind games with me.  The mileage on my watch was different than the course markings.  At the rate we were going we would have been short by about a third of a mile which would have meant I couldn’t get credit for the race.  Funny how that last mile was almost a mile and a third. We got our free meal, and visited with some of the other runners.

Always and honor to run in support of Siloam Mission.

 

We ran together in the Columbia Marathon and then met again after the Chattanooga.

 

We decided to take in some of the sights of Chattanooga.  The first place we went was the Chattanooga National Cemetery.  We had passed this on our run and we both decided it was a must see.  This cemetery is the second largest in the US and is used for the armed forces for the last 150 years or so.  The second place we went was where the marathoners ran across the river and amongst the big mansions of Chattanooga.  The third place we went to was Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls.  Ruby Falls is a natural phenomenon with a natural falls inside the mountain.  We went down an elevator about 176 feet and then we walked about a half mile through these underground caves to the falls.  This was well worth the time.  Lookout Mountain also gives a great vantage point to see the surrounding area including Chattanooga.  

 

Chattanooga National Cemetary

 

Ruby Falls in Lookout Mountain

 

After our excursions we grabbed a quick supper at KFC and then took the long drive to Atlanta where we needed to catch our flights for home the next day. 

A very tiring but rewarding day.

Monday, March 7, 2016

I woke up at about 6:15 in the morning to catch the 9:05 flight. First to Washington D.C., then to Minneapolis and finally home. 

 

I left Stephanie still sleeping and headed to the airport where I needed to return the car and get checked in.  Why did I leave without Stephanie?  Her flight wasn’t till about 5:00 and she wanted to go into the downtown again and do some sightseeing.  I caught my flight which was on time and flew to Washington and had lunch while I waited for the next flight to Minneapolis.  There I had some time to kill and had some supper.  The flight home was right on time and it was nice to be home again.  By the way these were all Delta flights and boy do they run on time.  They do have a funny way of loading their planes though.  First it’s those needing assistance.  Then it is the parents with children.  Then its families with young children.  Then Executive members, you know the people you sneer at as you walk past the business class.  Then next to enter are the SKY members, and then Zone one.  Lastly with about ten people left to get on are zones two and three.  That is where I get on.  I really have to check into getting a Delta preferred membership.

What a special trip this was.  What made it really special was having Stephanie with me.  She was great to travel with and I have said it before, anytime I can travel and do this kind of thing with my family it makes it all the more special.  I think there will be more trips like this in the future.