Category: Races

Races

Little Rock Marathon Recap & Guide

April 30, 2018

So the Little Rock Marathon is known as a “A race for every pace.” It is also dubbed as one of Runner’s World “Bucket List: 10 Great Marathons for First-Timers.” This race and city is nothing short of southern hospitality, epic blinging finishers medals and tons of cheering fans along the scenic streets of Arkansas’ capital city. No matter if you are a walker or serious elite marathoner, Little Rock Marathon is a race that runners keep coming back for a reason. Check out my race guide of the Little Rock Marathon. Little Rock Marathon Race Guide Where to Stay There are three main hotels I would recommend staying in Little Rock. The Capital Hotel is where everyone goes and is also very historic. Their service is exceptional, and most governmental, celebrities and VIP folks stay here. Little Rock Marriott is the host hotel of the Little Rock Marathon. It’s connected to the convention center and right outside from the starting line. The hotel puts out fruit and water for the racers and closes to all the major restaurants and tourist attractions. Doubletree Hotel Little Rock is where I stayed both times I went to visit Little Rock. I enjoyed my stay and didn’t have any issues. They accommodated for races very well and had a mix of non-races in the hotel. This was a great perk, as I was able to roll out of bed for my races without having to wait for the elevator. My view was the best as I got to see the Riverfront and bridge. They have a shuttle so you can take that to and from the airport if you want. What to Eat – Dining Places Runners have to eat so here are a list of places you gotta eat at in Little Rock. Arkansas Burger Company: Can’t go wrong with burgers and fries on any day. Get it the Arkansas way. Kilwins Company : Ice cream Friday! Local natural ice cream is it! Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken: See why I loved them in my Cowtown Race Recap. Iriana’s Pizza: This is the most talked about pizza place, and it’s conveniently located across from most of the hotels I discussed. Great pizza before a race. One Eleven at the Capital: No matter if you are staying at the Capital or not, you should stop at 111 where it’s chefs are internally known for their ability to combined French influences with local flair. Additionally the Capital is known for it’s Sunday brunch! You know I love a good brunch. Kemuri Restaurant: A Japanese restaurant that always has 5 stars for a reason. Great place for great food and service and seafood! Vino’s: Your real hole in the wall pizza restaurant that has fantastic pizza, calzones, and beer without all the frills. Things to See & Do Anything you want to do in Little Rock is just within a few blocks and also needs to be done by 10 pm. The city is pretty much closed and silent after 10pm. Here are few highlights of stops you should see if you are headed for the Little Rock Marathon. Presidential Library: I surprised myself by spending almost 90 minutes in the library reading the work both Bill and Hillary have done over decades. No matter what your political sides are, these two have impacted the entire world, and we have benefited from their policies. Little Rock Central High School: This is the famous historical high school whereas the Little Rock Central Nine went to school Arkansas Governor Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to block the black students’ entry into the high school. Later that month, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the Little Rock Nine into the school. You can learn more about this historic moment that took place from Brown vs. Board of Education here. This is a great stop to visit the center and learn and admire this national park. Pinnacle Mountain State Park: Little Rock has a lot of lands and luscious grass. This park is excellent for a nice hike with the pets or stay and enjoy a night or two in the wild. Little Rock River Market District: This was just a few blocks from my hotel, and I loved going there for fresh fruits and vegetables. There are tons handmade crafts and local concerts. Stop in for juice or State Capitol Visits: There are several museums and governmental buildings open for visitation and viewing. From the Old State House to actual State Capital building, schedule a tour and stop by to learn more about the city. Little Rock Marathon Recap & Tips Little Rock Marathon is one of the top Marathons in the country. It’s a great race that people go back to each year. It has a race for everyone and very friendly to newbie runners. There is a 5k, 10k, half-marathon and full-marathon. Little Rock is known for it’s large and unique medals. The marathon medal is a huge “dinner plate” size medal. How about that for bling?! Their medals are always gorgeous and vibrant each year. So here is a brief recap of the race and some tips if you are going to run it. Crowd Support: Crowd support and sights are nice in the race as you go through the entire city pretty much. The only downfall was not being able to Central High on the half course. However, the full marathon runs through this. There is No shortage of support throughout the course. I had grilled pineapples during the course and boy was that a pickup! I honestly have no issue with this race and would come back repeatedly. Course: It is a hilly course so be prepared but a lot of people end up with a PR at this race so don’t shy away from the hills. Weather: It can be anything. I got a little bit of everything on race day but it was nice and cool. Expect

Cowtown Marathon Recap

March 1, 2018

This past Sunday, I had the awesome experience of running the Cowtown Half marathon! The Cowtown is one of the largest multi-event races in the state of Texas and was voted favorite marathon by Competitor Magazine readers in 2015. It’s held in Ft. Worth, Texas, which is about 30-40 minutes outside of Dallas. Not only did I get to complete my 7th half marathon, I ran it with a group of my running friends who are more like family. Check out my Cowtown Marathon recap and experience how I hang with my running crew. The Cowtown Marathon Recap Travel Information to the Cowtown Marathon I live in Dallas so I didn’t travel per say to the race. I wanted to offer tips since I do live in the city and in case folks want to travel here. The closet airport to Ft. Worth is DFW airport. Love field airport is at least a 30-40 minute ride away. That can be a pretty expensive uber for you so I highly suggest renting a car for the weekend. The city doesn’t have the best public transportation for most travelers so this is my cheaper and best option for most. I stay in Dallas and wished I would have gotten a hotel just to stay in Ft.Worth. I had my friends in town for the weekend so I was basically an uber. Tim is a dear friend and like a running brother of mine that is on the board of the St. Louis Marathon and is a Running Influencer there. Yal know I got manners and southern hospital so I picked him up from Love Field airport and showed him around Dallas. The City – Funky Town Ft. Worth is unique and folks that live there love, Love, LOVE the city. There is a lot to see and do in Ft. Worth but it’s very different than Dallas. You can expect cowboy boots, trailers and western stores every few miles in Ft. Worth. They are the true Western Texan over there. There is a lot to see in Ft. Worth so take advantage of walking around the various sections of the city such as Magnolia, Fairmont and Sundance. Places to Eat in Ft. Worth In Dallas/ Ft. Worth, we love to eat on a good patio. Patio’ing is a thing around here so you have a million options with great Southern food, craft and local beer, strong cocktails, good service and more in the warm weather. Here are a few of my favorites in Ft. Worth. Heim BBQ: If you can, get there early or be prepared to stand for a bit. This BBQ joint always has a line but it’s worth the wait. Nothing like some good old fashion Texas BBQ. Istanbul Bar & Grill: I am a big fan of Mediterranean food. Their baba ghanoush, and gyros are perfect anytime of the day. This location has a bar so you can grab a tasty beverage if you desire as well. Mash’d: If you can go for brunch, go!! They have a 14inch pancake called the “Manhole cover pancake,” which is stuffed with blueberries butterscotch chips. Yeah! It’s that serious there. Oh should I also mention the mixology bar and they serve moonshine??!! Gus’s Fried Chicken: It’s a Memphis-based spicy fried chicken joint that has juicy fried chicken and the best sweet tea ever! Nammi at the Farmers Market: Head over the Farmers Market and roam around. When you do, stop at my favorite food truck Nammi, which serves Vietnamese food. My favorite dish is always their veggie tofu tacos and basil lemonade. Tom Thumb off 7th Street: Sounds really crazy to put this on here but this Tom Thumb is like a restaurant. You can grab a drink at the bar and watch a game, order pho, pickup toilet paper and so much more in one store. This location is also right by a lot of other restaurants as well. Weekend Socials With My Running Family Friday Night Since Tim was in town, we ended up having a happy hour for him and my local running groups We Run Things and Pint Striders. Founder’s beer came out and gave some swag while chatting about a few local things with me. After that, we enjoyed beer, laughter and good times through the night. Beer is rather normal for us runners to drink as it’s technically just a bunch of carbs and we need it run. Saturday Night Saturday I opted to ditch the 5k and go for a walk with Tim and my other running friend Alex. We ended up wakling to the the Alamo Draft House, which isn’t to far from house, to go see Black Panther. I probably have seen this movie at least 5 times now and can’t stop still! Also this is my favorite movie theater and they had a great Black Panther food and beverage menu too! After that we showered and ran to the Black Marathoners Pre-race dinner. It was great time to just meet folks from all over the country before we lace up for the following day. I had a great time meeting al to of fellow runners who live in Atlanta and I will be seeing again in October at the Baltimore Running Festival. The Cowtown Marathon Race day started bright and early at 4:45AM and it was greatness. I made it there at 6am and was able to get a close free parking space and wait inside in the warm building. I didn’t start until about 7:30 because I switched to a later corral but let me say, all 9,100 of us truly enjoyed the morning jams and tunes while waiting. I always have a mantra song of each race, so for this race, Anita Ward’s Ring my Bell was it! The race was everything! This has been one of my favorite races and I truly mean it. It was really cool to start the race with my

Baltimore Running Festival Guide

December 7, 2017

In October, I spent several days in Baltimore, Maryland. The city is known for its harbor and famous crab cakes. I spoke about my quest to run two marathons within two weeks, and it didn’t go as planned. I ended up demoting myself from the full marathon to what’s called a bal-ta-mor-athon, which consist of running a 5k and the half marathon. However, I truly enjoyed myself and the city. If you are running the race or just coming to hang for the weekend, here is a travel guide of the city of Baltimore and the Baltimore Running Festival. So I wanted to share a race recap, travel tips and obviously things to see and do in Baltimore. Travel to Baltimore I travel by way of Southwest airlines straight into Baltimore main airport – BWI, but you can also travel into Washington D.C., which is about an hour away. Additionally, you can fly into Regan or Dulles and take either a train or rent a car to travel the hour distance to Baltimore. So in short, there are a few different ways go getting to B-more. I like BWI because it’s nice, clean and connects directly to the light train. I took the light train from the airport straight into the downtown harbor area for only $1.80!! It was a great way to see the city and relax my feet for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, on the way back due to leaving at the crack of daw, I had to take Uber to the airport, which cost me a little over $20 but it was a short 10-15 minute trip from my hotel. Getting around the city is very easy. I walked most places because they were within walking distance and when not Lyft, which has a more significant prescience in Baltimore during this time, was available within a few minutes. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to take the bus, but the bus is free and very easy to navigate throughout the city. Hotels to Stay At In Baltimore While there, I visited several different hotels for an upcoming event I am planning with the Black Marathoners Association. My favorite hotels thus far are the Baltimore Renaissance Hotel by the Harbor and Hilton Baltimore. Baltimore Renaissance Hotel From amazing views of the harbor every time you wake up to their endless healthy breakfast buffet, this hotel is perfect for families and those who want to be within a few feet from most tourist attractions and less than a mile from Wholefoods.(Gotta be close to a store for last minute item!) Additionally, the hotel is connected to the mall, which may be great for some or not so great for others. I was tempted to do some massive shopping, but I didn’t! HA! I liked that the Marriott allowed guest to make reservations for dining at any time because there is nothing like wasting time for waiting around for a table. Additionally, their breakfast and bar for a night cocktail are great. I was able to make my own juice as I overlooked the harbor before race morning. The hotel is half a mile from the train and pretty easy to access for anything. Hilton Baltimore I stayed at the Hilton Baltimore, which is my top pick of hotels to stay at. It is currently undergoing some updates, but they have already started and should be completed by March 2018. I got a chance to see the newer rooms, which are amazing! The view is breathtaking because you get to look at the beautiful baseball stadium and some of the city skyline. Hilton’s customer service is unlike any hotel I had. Additionally, I liked the Hilton because I was close to several local bars (not tourist stuff), directly off the light train and could easily walk with 10 minutes to the harbor to meet up for drinks. Oh yeah, the food there is the BOMB! I had crab dip, salmon BLT, and beet salad; which everything I ate was so fresh and delicious. Dining Places in Baltimore Harbor Speaking of food, Where can I start! There are so many places to eat in Baltimore, and most of them are within walking distance of either hotel or a short 5-minute ride. I want to focus on most of the restaurants and dinning within the harbor area because I didn’t get a chance to eat at all the places but here are a few highlights of places to go. The Land of Kush – the Best Black vegetarian restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Make sure you grab it and then some for the next day! It’s that good. Phillips Seafoods: Be careful, you can eat everything at this restaurant and want to continue to eat more. There are so many options, but I had the salmon salad; however, I will be back for their famous seafood mac and cheese. Hard Rock Cafe – Because I know some of you gotta grab the magnet and pins of each location. The Grub Factory – Great spot for vegans. Can’t make it? Then hit the grub hub for delivery to you. Pappas Restaurant – Known for the best crab cakes for decades. Additionally, Oprah listed them as one of her favorite things, so ya know if O’ says it then. Hilton Hotel: For a hotel, this food is the bomb.com. Get into the beet salad, which these pecans were like heaven or their crab dip. If you are staying there, they have tons of specials and goodies before and during the baseball games, which are across the street. Rita’s Frozen Custard – If you haven’t had Rita’s you are missing out. Nothing like stopping midday for some frozen homemade custard, Italian ice or any one of the countless sweets. There is one right in the harbor with fast service and loads of options. Other Vegan & Vegetarian Spots Close –Here is a list of other vegan and vegetarian spots close by. I

New York City Marathon

November 12, 2017

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. – Lou Last year, I made a goal to run the NYC Marathon and less than a year later, thousands of steps the journey and goal has been completed. My NYC weekend isn’t the typical weekend because I can never do anything basic. I am always extra with everything. Additionally, I am always representing the Black Marathoners or doing something for the organization so it’s never a dull moment in my life. Brace yourself, it’s a bit lengthy but I couldn’t leave out anything because it was packed weekend and it’s a dream come true! It’s a good read I think. So with that, here is my VIP NYC Marathon recap. Friday – New York City I Am Here I arrived in NYC Friday and basically had mapped out my day with going to hang out and tour the Women’s Health Magazine / Rodale office and then hit the expo and I did just that. The NYC Marathon is not a typical race as most because it’s an entire weekend event of stuff. You really have to be organized or you might just miss out on running the actual race. HA! Anywho, I had a packed weekend so here goes… If you don’t want to read then feel free to enjoy the video epic documentary with scores, scripts and more extraness on my youtube channel. Women’s Health Magazine / Rodale So Rodale owns some major magazines you probably read, one being women’s health but also runners world, men’s health, and Prevention. As a 2x Women’s Health Action Hero of the year, I wanted to finally meet the folks I had been working with for now a few years. It was a cool office and experience. It was even cooler as I got a chance to see the wall of magazine covers! NYC Expo So my goal was to do everything I could at the expo and avoid it on Saturday. I did just that. The expo is basically split into three big sections. Section one is the intro to the NYC where you get everything for the race, (bibs, VIP, etc.) Next section is the NYC Merch and New Balance – the sponsors. The third is full of the other vendors. There was a lot of NYC merchandise and it was very busy. Honestly, it was crazy. The expo can be overwhelming at times. I took breaks because I was so scattered brained and wanted everything but the way my pockets were lined up…. Yeah, Nah son. The lines weren’t too long for me, as I didn’t have a wait at all. After debating on jackets for an hour, I ended up getting a windbreaker NYC jacket because I knew it would look cool with my brooks NYC shoes and red is my favorite color. The next part of the expo is basically the other sponsored stuff and picture time. This also includes the section where you do the thank you wall. I loved this because it was really cool to see all the different nationalities and ethnicities that were represented. It felt like the Olympics and we were the athletes on opening day. I couldn’t just write just one thing but I wrote multiple ones because I am extra… After that, I hit the United section and obviously more and more picture taking. Also, they had a cool section to learn about “visualization” for running from Olympic athlete Meb Keflezighi. You can check out the video in my NYC Race recap, which was really helpful during the race. Once I learned a few tips about visualization when running then I hit up the general expo section for goodies for the race. (Really look at my video recap for details on this.) I met so many people and companies at the expo that it was kinda of a blur. The best thing I did at the expo was NormaTech system. They look like large boots that basically help with dynamic compression devices designed for recovery and rehab. Basically, you put the boots on and they are supposed to help you recover faster between workouts by reducing muscle soreness and improving circulation. I did this before and afterward my race and let me tell you it works! My feet were super sore from just walking, traveling and such. After 10 minutes sitting with it – the swelling was gone. The boots provided circulation to flow better and offered more oxygen. If you get a chance to try this at an expo please do! Anywho, I got a chance to do a lot at the expo, needless to say, I was there basically for hours. From getting VIP badges in the Blue room to picking up a complimentary custom pillow, I had a great time at the NYC Expo it was lit! After the expo, I watched the NYC parade. My phone was basically about to die so I don’t have any footage of it nor do I care. This race/weekend made me just live in the moment and just take it all in. It’s like that sometimes. … SATURDAY – Social Day In the video, I show you a better glimpse of the hotel I stayed it but I stayed in the DoubleTree in the Financial District in New York. It was right off the Ferry stop and very convent to all the trains in New York. I picked this location because I wanted to roll out of the bed the day of the race. Most of my friends had over an hour or so commute just to get to the Ferry stop due to the subways being packed. I had a 3 minute walk! I was able to enjoy some sleeping in a bit. Instead of going for a quick shake out run the day before like most folks, I just took a quick 2-mile tour of the financial district and grab a few

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Category: Races

Races

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