Mainely Running
Join me as I train in Maine and race all over the world in pursuit of my goal to run a marathon on all 7 continents

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

A Long Weekend in Nashville

I got to spend the long weekend in Nashville with my Mom, my aunt, and my cousin Lindsay. Lindsay has been down in Nashville for a few months doing a college internship at a natural dye and fabrics studio. We all love music and talked all summer and fall about going down together to visit, but never quite pulled it together until now.

I loved Nashville. It was easy to navigate, the people were so friendly, and there was BBQ and live music EVERYWHERE. The whole weekend was great, but here are the highlights for me.

-The Grand Old Oprey: This is an institution in Nashville and so many amazing musicians have gotten their start here. It was just the best atmosphere. We had popcorn and margaritas in our seats and we clapped and stomped our feet. They absolutely pack the 2 hour show with musicians. It totally inspired me as a musician. It is currently being held at the Ryman Auditorium Downtown, but we also went and walked around Opreyland. The hotel there is amazing!



-Seeing the extended family. We have a cousin who lives in Ohio that I haven't seen in 10 years. In that time she's had 2 adorable kids that I was dying to meet. We convinced her to drive down to see us. We had so much fun catching up and getting to know the kids. And it was an excuse to do all the fun kid stuff in town, like the Adventure Science Center. Lottie and I even got to walk on the moon!


-BBQ: I may be a loyal Mainer, but I love me some BBQ. Put me in the south and my inner carnivore comes out. I packed myself full of BBQ shrimp and grits and pulled pork smothered in sauce. These indulgences were balanced out by also trying quite a few of Nashville's vegan places since my cousin is a vegan. 

-The Music City Bikeway: I love exploring new cities on my runs, but I especially love finding trails when I travel. This was a good one. It went through the woods and along a golf course. It was well maintained, well marked, and I felt totally safe running by myself. I even saw a huge buck deer. Unfortunately, I only got to run on it once, and I probably shouldn't have done that. When I went to get into my running stuff on Saturday morning, I realized I'd forgotten my sneakers. So that morning, I hit up the elliptical in my sandals. That afternoon I found an AWESOME local running store, Team Running Store, and grabbed a new pair of sneaks. Unfortunately, I didn't have my custom insoles that my physical therapist has designed for my current foot issues. My foot has been so much better lately that I figured it could handle 6 miles without them. Wrong. I made it even worse by coming back and racing the kids around on the cement path in my sandals. Every since my ankle/foot is back to crunching at the ankle joint and rolling outward on every step. 

Foot issues aside, it was such a fun weekend. I loved Nashville, but mostly it was so nice to have so much time with my family!

How was your weekend? Do you find that you eat differently when you travel?

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