New Trails, New Milestones, and a TON of Southern Food

Sometimes the need to try something new  trumps the need to hit the trails at ungodly hours, especially when you're spending time down South in the personable, historic confines of Hillsborough, North Carolina. Nothing screams "lower your marathon time exponentially" like chicken and biscuits at Bojangles, chicken and biscuits at Biscuitville, and Southern Microbrews. But this was all completely called for during my trip to North Carolina. 

I've never had the pleasure of indulging in such Southern delicacies, but after my trip to Hillsborough, North Carolina earlier this month to visit , I got to experience what all the hype was about. The buttery biscuits, juicy chicken and extra tall fruit punch were just what I needed to ensure optimum training performance while preparing for this marathon!

Needless to say, I deviated from my training a bit on the week of September 9. Historic walks in Hillsborough, checking out local bars and restaurants, indulging in local coffee shops and Southern fast food. It was all too good to be true! Well, I did get in a 6 mile run through the historic streets of Hillsborough on a particularly warm and sunny Tuesday morning. A fantastic trip, a memorably reunion, and a little bit of slacking, but I picked up right where I left off!

Upon returning, I discovered the Chester Valley Trail. A winding, scenic, occasional construction laden trail through the Exton/Malvern border areas. The constant change of scenery and direction makes it ideal for long runs, so long as the playlists are on par. This time around, I've been hitting my stride during catchy country tunes, synth-infused indie, and of course, a healthy dose of live Bruce Springsteen. This song accompanied today as I hit my stride on a particularly leisurely 7 mile run throughout Chester Valley.

When I first started my training, I was told that "it will almost start to feel like another job." In terms of time commitment, I honestly feel this. Even if I have an entire late morning off the court, I know I should be training and logging in my miles. It's become so prevalent that it now comes up in my elevator pitch when people ask me "what I'm doing with myself these days." I always like to throw in "well, I'm training for a marathon." Sure beats "Well, I'm the Manager of a tennis company, Deputy Director of a local tennis nonprofit, girls high school tennis coach, freelance TEFL telemarketer, and freelance tennis instructor." This next week will be the longest run I've ever done in my life. Time to rev up the itunes, craft some playlists, drink some water, and lay off the pumpkin spice lattes and beers!