• Race medal in pink with a palm treat that reads “Destination Donna 2023”

    The DONNA Race Recap

    What a great weekend in Jacksonville Beach with Destination Marathons (DM) for the DONNA Half Marathon. I think Jill is going to write about the trip as a whole next week so today you are stuck with my race recap.  Pre-Race Dinner and Auction After our pre-race pasta dinner on Saturday evening at the Four Points Sheraton with DM, filled with laughter and great conversation, Jill and I snuck out with a perfectly executed Irish Exit. With our hotel, The Element by Marriott, being only a one minute drive away, I was able to achieve my first race goal of being in bed by 8 pm and asleep by 9…

  • Black suitcase with a luggage tag that reads “Destination Marathons”

    Diplomatic Immunity

    I’m so excited to be traveling down to Jacksonville Beach this weekend to take part in the DONNA Race Weekend as an Ambassador for Destination Marathons. Although diplomatic immunity isn’t one of the perks, it’s exciting to be a part of something that combines two of my favorite things to do, travel and run.  The Mission Destination Marathons provides a VIP experience for runners and spectators. They manage all the logistics so guests can focus on the race, build friendships, and create memories. And I will get to witness this in action for the first time! As one who generally does all the planning that goes into a “racecation”, it’s…

  • Man standing with 6 Disney themed racing medals

    The Dopey Challenge

    Since 2023 is slated to be my last big year of marathon running, I wanted to challenge myself as much as possible. In late November I was able to snag a charity bib for the Dopey Challenge down at Disney in Orlando. This challenge consists of four races over four days: I figured this “Dopey Challenge” was a great way to kick off this crazy year of running and racing. Having never done this race before, I was fortunate to have many experienced, crazy friends who could show me the ropes. Before We Were Dopey Race week kicked off on Wednesday with a quick trip to “ESPN Wide World of…

  • Multi-colored sky at sunset. In silhouette are mountains, palm trees and cacti.

    The Great Arizona Escape

    Ahhh November…the forecast dipping into near freezing temperatures and snow on the horizon. I decided it was time to look for an opportunity to escape from it all. A few of my friends were doing the Ironman Arizona the coming weekend. I thought it would be fun to show up and support them while they accomplished amazing by things. After some further social media scanning I discovered that I had a completely different group of friends headed do Scottsdale for a Women’s only half marathon. The decision was made, flights were booked and before I knew it I was on my way to sunny and warm Arizona for four days.…

  • Neon sign that reads "Don't Grow Up It's a Trap"

    The Best of 2022

    As a couple of people who value experiences, we’ve learned fun ways to remember everything we’ve done over the year. One of our favorites is our corkboard. We tack up things there like theater tickets, paper wrist bands, and bar coasters. On New Years Eve, we take down these mementos to place them in an envelope and write about where we’ve been. We also, of course, take lots of pictures to share with you all. So as we wind down the year, let us share with you the best of 2022! The Dinner of the Year Adventura Not only was their restaurant beautiful inside and out, they had olives. They…

  • Man in race clothes standing next to a man dressed as Boba Fett

    The Fantastic Florida Holiday Escape

    It all began in the fall of 2021. I had a dream that I could get myself to run 13.1 miles again. At the time I had this dream, I couldn’t really run at all. The most I could do was 4 minutes running before needing to catch my breath. What this dream ended up being was far more than I could have imagined! Our quick trip for a race stretched into Thanksgiving with our friends, watching a rocket launch on the beach, riding the Hogwarts Express and seeing masterpieces by Salvador Dali. Stay with us as we unpack part 1 of our Fantastic Florida holiday escape. The Escape As…

  • The NYC Marathon Medal in the center of the Vessel. The Vessel is concentric rings with squared edges made of copper with rings of glass between

    The NYC Marathon – More than a Walk in the Park

    Our third day in NYC, we were finally doing the thing for which we travelled!. Nope, it wasn’t Hamilton on Broadway (though that WAS really fun.) It was the NYC Marathon – which is far more than a walk in the Park! Join us for a fun day in the boroughs with the 2022 NYC Race Report. This is the race where you take a ferry, to take a bus, to run 26.2 miles! The Wakeup Wake up time on race day was 5 am. I actually slept pretty well the night before. Even though we were out late the night before to see Hamilton, I still managed 6 hours…

  • Image of a hand holding a play bill that reads "Hamilton". Behind is the stage.

    The Saturday Tour of the Revolution

    Have you ever started out a day with a loose plan and ended up with something far cooler, far more “thematic” than you ever would have thought? That’s the story of our second day in NYC. It ended up being The Saturday Tour of the Revolution! We started the day at Hamilton’s grave and ended up watching his show on Broadway. Oh and we sort of hit a hidden restaurant right smack in the middle of it all and visited a fake grave. The Morning Stroll at Trinity Church After a quick breakfast at George’s, we made our way over to Trinity Church. Although it is the place the Nick…

  • Screen showing a map of Pennsylvania and New York with the flight path highlighted in blue. In the middle is a circle.

    Our Unexpected Trip to Harrisburg

    When it comes to traveling, the best advice we’ve received is probably to be flexible and expect the unexpected. That certainly came into play on our journey to the NYC Marathon this past weekend. Let us tell you how it all started with our unexpected trip to Harrisburg. A Solid Start We like to fly early to minimize delays. So we were up at 3:30 am and out the door to the airport by 4:15. Even though we were able to pack in carryon bags we checked them. That way we didn’t have to lug them around the airport or worry about fighting for overhead bin space on the plane.…

  • The secret bar in the busiest place - The Campbell in Grand Central Terminal

    The Secret Bar in The Busiest Place

    If you’re anything like me, it’s hard to pass up a good mystery. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about Jimmy Hoffa going missing in Detroit or crop circles on the Salisbury plain in the UK. And I love sharing the knowledge about these mysteries with ANYONE who will listen. So let me share with YOU the secret bar in the busiest place – The Campbell at Grand Central Terminal. The Knowing You may wonder how we came to know about this awesomely wonderful super-secret bar. Well, not only are we avid travelers, we like to read about travel. And we like to talk about travel. Also I would…