Twenty Hours in New Orleans...Laissez les bons temps rouler!!

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!!!

Oh, how I love New Orleans....

Last time, I wrote about my Five Favorite Rock 'n' Roll Races

About a month ago, I got to run my second favorite, Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans.

Normally when I go to New Orleans I make it a three day trip.  I work there a few times a year so I have had the luxury of taking my time to enjoy the city without being on a fast pace to get everything on my checklist done.  After all, it's The Big Easy, so why rush?

Not this time.  I'm in between work events so I just had enough time to squeeze in one day in New Orleans to eat and run--literally.

Hall of Fame, Class of 2018

I had also been battling bronchitis all month.  I was cleared to fly, but definitely not encouraged to run as pollen season is in full swing in The South and I'm a heavy sufferer of tree pollen to the point that it causes asthma.

But....when have I ever let a little asthma stop me?  I threw my inhaler into my backpack and off I went...

I arrived in New Orleans around noon and went straight to the Expo.  The Hall of Fame banner was up and I hadn't seen it yet.  This was my third year earning the award by running at least 15 Rock 'n' Roll races of a half marathon distance or more.

One day I'll do Madrid!

Of course I run in a green sequin
fedora.  Doesn't everyone?

I was also eager to see the Europe "light box," a billboard of sorts that advertises the European races.  I was flattered to see my picture for the Rock 'n' Roll Dublin race.  My face in lights!!!


After the expo, it's time to EAT!

Chargrilled.  Best on the planet

First stop, my favorite oyster place, Felix's Oyster Bar.  The oysters there are as fresh as they come, and if you can snag a spot at the counter, you get treated to a sort of, "Dinner and a Show," as the shuckers are always trash-talking each other and are happy to have customers participate.  Their chargrilled--NOT-charbroiled--oysters are the best out of anywhere I've ever eaten.

Hmmm....check into my place for the night or keep going?  Keep going.

I make it a point to avoid Bourbon Street as much as possible, but since it was early and I was headed that way, why not?  It was the usual concoction of booze, beads, and belligerence.  Not really my scene, but once a year I do stroll down it to people-watch.

I walked down to Frenchman Street and wanted to pop in at Dat Dog for some tater tots and a Purple Haze Abita--another local favorite.  Alas, the line was a bit too long and I didn't feel like waiting so I continued on to another favorite off the street place.

Aren't you a little short
for a Storm Trooper?

It seemed that there was something going on, as there were stanchions going up everywhere.  Oh, that's right!  Mardi Gras is beginning!  The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus was going to have their parade tonight.  As a definite lover of all things Science Fiction, you bet I'm interested in staying!  I parked myself at my local taco place and caught up on emails while I ate and waited for the
shenanigans to begin.

The parade was brilliant!  Every Science Fiction character you can imagine was represented here, including a section of 40 Princess Leais dancing down the street and tossing beads.  After an hour or so, my body was telling me that it was time to head to bed...oh, right, I have to run in the morning.

Walking up Decatur, I thought about stopping at Coop's Place for their amazing green beans and sampler platter, but seems word is out about how fantastic they are and it was an hour wait.  Hrumph.  Next time.

When in New Orleans, you must eat beignets.  Must.  Most of my go-to places were closed by now (Cafe Beignet), so I walked--er, slightly stumbled--to the most popular, Cafe Du Monde.  Mmmmmm.....

I had enough sugar to fuel me home and since it was around 11 PM, I figured I might want to check in.  Oops.  LOL.

I have stayed at The Auberge Hostel each time I've run the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans and also stay here for work sometimes.  It's in the Garden District, so off the party path of most people and pretty quiet most nights, as long as it isn't Mardi Gras or another big festival.  Most people aren't comfortable in a hostel, but if all I'm going to do is sleep for a few hours, shower, and head back out, you can't beat $30 compared to most hotel rooms in New Orleans.

Ear plugs, eye mask, set my alarm.  Zzzzzz.

I never sleep well the night before a race, so I'm up at 0400 before my alarm.  As I don't want to wake anyone else in the dorm, I grab my backpack, coat, etc. and leave the room for the kitchen to prepare for the race.  Lipstick and lashes on, out the door I went.

I'm glad I chose to take advantage of The VIP Experience this year.  Each VIP is different, and, in my opinion, this is one of the best.  It was colder than the races in the past, and I'm glad it was indoors pre-race.

Coffee.  Bagel.  Peanut butter.  Banana.  Orange juice.  And the most important:

Indoor toilets.

I ate, drank, and...well...that...and headed to the start line.

The race went well.  I hadn't run since the Rock 'n' Roll Savannah in November and didn't want to push myself as I was still coughing a lot from leftover bronchitis.  And the tree pollen was out there, too, and the last thing I needed was to have an asthma attack as I had to fly immediately after the race and be in Nashville that night for work early the next morning.

My friend, Christina, was running at about my pace, so we decided to stick together and settled into a 2/1 run/walk interval.  I told her that I was really nervous about doing this race as I kept coughing and feared my asthma would kick in hard, to which she said, "Girl, I'm a Respiratory Therapist.  Anything happens to you, I got you."

That was enough for me to get going and finish strong!

Just another race hanging out in VIP
with Kathrine Switzer last year

I headed into VIP for a fantastic post-race buffet and to say hello to everyone I had met there last year.  I had a rather, "unique" outfit then and many people remembered me, lol.

I wanted to stay longer with my friends, but I had a plane to catch, so I grabbed my gear and headed to the airport.




Yes, I was still in my running clothes--tutu, hat, bib, medal and everything.  I walked up to the United ticket counter and tried to see if there was an earlier flight I could catch as there was bad weather in Houston and I had a tight connection.  The counter agent was laughing at my costume, but listed me standby on the next flight out and off through TSA I went.

The looks I received from people at the gate!  They thought I was going the wrong way since Mardi Gras was just starting and here I was decked out in Mardi Gras colors and beads.  The gate agent wasn't really sure how to take me when I asked what the load was, but once she saw I was 1K status, she said she believed I would make the flight and would ticket me the minute she knew.  Ahhhh....the perks of being loyal to your airline.

I landed in Houston with plenty of time to go to the United Club and change, eat, and have a celebratory glass of bubbles.  Thank goodness for Baby Wipes, lololol.  I landed in Nashville by 9 PM and headed to my hotel to get some well-deserved rest, as work began at 6 AM the next morning.

All in all, I think I took complete advantage of my 20 or so hours in New Orleans.  At least that's what the scale is saying...

See you all next time on the course!

Life is Good.
Life is Better when you can squeeze in time to visit a place you love, even if it's only for 20 hours.


Need a discount for a 2019 race?  Use these codes below!

Rock 'n' Squad Discounts!!

Hello Everyone!

Stopping by quickly to offer some discount codes for 2019 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series US and Montreal  races!

Distances of a Half or Full Marathon can get $16 off.
Distances of 5K, fun run, or otherwise can get $6 off.

Register now as prices increase closer to the race dates.

See you on the course!  Which ones are YOU running??

Life is Good.
Life is Better when you can save money doing what you love!