Hello all! Welp- I just had about a third of this post written and then it disappeared. *Stay calm, stay calm*.

Anyway! After the awesome Baustin weekend, I packed up and got ready to head to Fort Worth for my pediatric rotation. It was such a blessing I was able to stay with my mom and Pete, even though it was tough being away from DJ for those months. We tried to see each other every couple of weeks. We were apart for about a quarter of the year- not fun, but I am so thankful he has been so stinkin’ supportive.

The last meal I had in Austin before heading out was takeout Lucky Robot sushi. I had a hankerin’ for their Tiger eye roll. Yum!!

In the morning I had avocado toast with beets and an egg before hitting the road. Sounds like an odd combo, I suppose it is, but I think it’s pretty tasty!

My mom and Pete have been working hard on making home renovations this year, and I just adore this ostrich art in the guest bathroom. I’m borderline obsessed. If it ever goes missing they’ll know where to find it, lol.

While I was there I was so spoiled by my mom’s cooking!

In the evenings after clinical, I would unwind by going for a walk or run in the nearby neighborhoods and trails. It was so relaxing.

More delicious eats!

And I must have been feeling some type of way because these memes were in my camera roll, ha!

Around this time I discovered one of my mackncheeeesy posts had been featured on Cosmopolitan’s website! (The pic is missing from the post since my IG is now deactivated, but at least I have a screen shot for memory sake, lol!). 

So now onto the actual Boston race!

Also real quick- how cute are these Boston themed nail decals and necklace from my mom in law <3! I used the stickers but am saving the nail wraps for hopefully the in-person race later this year. 

 For the virtual race, we were given a window of time we could choose to complete the race. We had to download an app to track our run, and they also had all kinds of fun things in there like your bib and such.

I ran the race on September 13th, so the night before I was ready to get my carb load on. We looked for Italian restaurants in the area with outdoor seating and my mom suggested Ristorante Mulino. We could not have chose a better pre-race meal! This focaccia definitely gave me my carby fix!

The calamari was great too!

For my main pasta dish I had their truffle mushroom ravioli. It was heavenly.

Every single dish was exquisite!

When the mosquitoes started biting we wrapped up the meal and ordered some tiramisu to go. It was really really good tiramisu!

Although I always have the intention of getting a good night’s sleep the night before the race, I always have a tough time with all the adrenaline! We woke up around 5:30. I had oatmeal and coffee, and felt ready to go!

I saved my water from the “expo” to have before the race too 🙂

My mom mapped out the Trinity Trail in Fort Worth for me on her bike a week prior. It was a GREAT trail! Since I had no idea where I was going she biked the entire race with me. It was really special. My mom has been to every marathon I’ve run, and it was extra special we could do *the* one together. I think this was the highlight of the race going virtual- we would not have been able to do this together if the race had gone on per usual. 

They provided a start and finish line in the toolkit, so that is where we got these print outs!

It was a gorgeous morning!

I ran in the Nike Vaporfly Next% for the marathon! They were a surprise gift from my in laws <3 I could not believe it because they were nearly impossible to find! They were SO fast. It is like running on a cloud. It really does almost feel like they are practically running for you!

Every couple of miles my mom would zoom ahead of me and write a message in chalk on the sidewalk for me to see as I ran by. It really felt like I had the whole family there cheering me on!! It was too thoughtful and too cool. These are just a couple of them out of many. <3

For my fellow office lovers…

This is what the tracker looked like inside the app! I thought it was so fun that it mapped it out as though you were running the actual Boston trail. My pace was way slower than my qualifying race, but I was just happy to finish it.

Halfway there!

I had an awesome group cheering me on! Two of our family friends came out with signs too!

They would all surprise me at multiple different parts of the trail 🙂

I felt really good until about mile 20, which is usually how it goes. The last 6 miles were rough. Now, here comes the worst part. My app shut down at 25 miles. Yup, totally shut off. I reopened it and it was back at zero. I was panicked beyond panicked and was trying so hard to not let the water works start. It was my worst nightmare. I forgot to bring my backup watch with me to Fort Worth too, so I thought I was out of luck unless they accepted my mileage from my general health app on my phone. Luckily, my mom had also been tracking on her phone, so I contacted Boston’s customer service and explained the situation. They responded really quickly and said it would be no problem, accepting my mom’s mileage as proof. I was so grateful to them for being understanding and grateful to my mom for also tracking the mileage! I actually talked to some other runners who also said they had issues with the app too, so that made me feel better that it was likely not something I did and rather a tech glitch.

Made it!!

Aren’t they all just the best?

This really felt like the pinnacle of my running career. It all started when I was about 9 years old running with my Aunt Terry along the upper peninsula in Michigan (I would also go on to run my first half marathon with my Aunt in 8th grade <3). 

When that love for running began, my dad would take me to the local high school tracks and I would just run around the track for as long as I was allowed. Then came cross country and track. A couple of days before the Virtual Boston race, I found this picture with my Dad…

This was taken when I was in 7th grade after a cross-country meet. He was always so supportive of my running. I felt like stumbling upon this photo so close to this race, THE race, held so much meaning. With a few miles left in the race my mom said how proud he would have been. That meant the world. 

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to DJ, my friends and family that have been so supportive over these years. I thank God for them all. I also never thought I would actually qualify for Boston, so I am extremely grateful for this opportunity- even if it all looked differently than I ever thought it would. I cannot imagine a better alternative to the actual Boston race 🙂 

After, we grabbed a quick lunch at Doc B’s on their patio in downtown Fort Worth. Everything was SO good- but you must try the crispy jalapeno potatoes if you ever go!

And that is a wrap on the Boston festivities 🙂 We will see what it looks like later this year-right now it looks like there may be a chance for a race in the fall. Fingers crossed! 

Thanks for sharing in this special memory with me!!