I was excited to see this race listed during my already planned girls birthday weekend with 3 other friends! This was my first time visiting Nashville, and I really had a blast! My friend Wendy also ran the half marathon with me, Trisha and Paula had fun supporting and being there at the finish line.

We all went to the Expo first thing Friday morning to have the rest of the day to go to Goo Goo Chocolate, Johnny Cash museum, the Grand Ole Opry and more. Our hotel was only a mile from Expo/Start and half a mile from finish line. The Clarion had a free shuttle service from 8am-9pm each day, so we took the free shuttle over and used Uber for other locations. Friday night we went to the Jake Owen Concert at Ascend Amphitheater, and it was so cool sitting outside and enjoying the views of Nashville and listening to 3 bands.

Saturday we got up at 5 am, and the hotel had a full breakfast ready for all of us runners, we then walked about a mile to the start and it was already 76 degrees! It was a great decision for the race to move the start up a half hour earlier due to temps reaching 90 degrees. It was very crowded at the start, and throughout the course, with over 30,000 runners. The start line had corrals for people to enter, and the church was open for runners to use bathrooms and was air conditioned, but we wanted to stay outside to acclimate to the warmth. The course was very well stocked with water, gatorade, sponges, oranges, and some water stops had ice. They had plenty of port o johns throughout the course, and amazing and enthusiastic volunteers. I was running with my friend Wendy who has been going through therapy, so we were going just for fun, and due to the heat it made us stay at a slower pace. I loved my Buff, as I would get ice and cold water and keep around my neck throughout the run.

Finish line was a beautiful sight, as my stomach was funky due to the heat. I did grab the Chocolate milk and pretzels, but gave to my friend as the heat made me loose appetite. It was sweet to just walk 10 minutes or so to our hotel. I didn't wear a watch or GPS as I knew we would be walk/jog/running the course. My friend Wendy was emotional and excited to cross the finish without pain, and I was so happy to be by her side. We met our other 2 friends for post race photos and celebration,

We went back to our hotel showered, and went to the Nashville Zoo, and an amazing Cuban restaurant and had a great Quinoa/avocado/salad :) We really fit a lot into the 3 night stay. I was surprised how much there was to see and do there, we all plan on a return trip to the area and I highly suggest the race for a fun racecation.