Weekend highlights:
Friday we headed out early to my mom’s house for some quality time with the fam. We packed all of the running shoes (even for the little guy) in preparation for the Gate River Run 15K that we were signed up for the following day.
Everett loves to explore everything at Gransie’s house and enjoyed the absolutely perfect weather. He ran, laughed and read outside all.day.long. He definitely got his fill of vitamin D!
Check out the playhouse I found at Goodwill! It also came with a tunnel play set all for $8…score!
Our day ended with a beautiful sunset and a carbo-loading dinner of baked ziti, salad and garlic bread. Our friends Lynn and Tuller also made their way up to the river since they were running the race with us.
Saturday was RACE DAY! We were up early and headed out before the sun was up to drive to Jacksonville (only about 45 minutes from my mom’s house) to pick up our race packets and get to the start line before our 8:36 am wave time. We made it with minutes to spare!
The Gate River run is one of my all time favorite races. I grew up watching my dad run in it and am so happy that Mike and I tried it a few years ago. The course is great, the mileage is a challenge, and the atmosphere is so.much.fun. Every neighborhood totally embraces the race and offers everything from Band-Aids to a Bloody Mary to beer and brats to freeze pops and sprinkler stations as you run by. The race finishes on the Hart Bridge (mile 8) and descents into EverBank Field (where the Jacksonville Jaguars play) to the finish line. I highly recommend this long standing race for anybody who wants to run and have fun. You get to do both!
A little more info I found on their website:
The GATE River Run is the largest 15K race in the United States and will once again serve as the USA 15K Championship with America's top Olympic athletes competing for $85,000 in prize money. Last year over 24,000 runners and walkers participated in one of our featured events including the 15K, The Florida Times-Union 5K for Charity, the Junior River Run, and the Brooks Rehabilitation Challenge Mile.
The GATE River Run Features:
- The USA 15K Championship Run/Walk
- The Florida Times-Union 5k for Charity
- Brooks Rehabilitation Challenge Mile
- Junior River Run
- Diaper Dash
- 3 Day Runner's Expo
- Technical Shirts for 15K Entrants
- Wave Starts for the 15K
- 12 Live Bands on the Course
- Accurate MyLaps Chip Timing
- Scrolling Results on Jumbotron at Finish Line
- Top 10% Men's & Women's Finisher Hats in 15K
- 15K Finisher Medals
- Publix Post Race Celebration
- 120 Kegs of Miller Beer
- $85,000 in Prize Money
We started race day in the 50s with a beautiful sunrise at EverBank Field (the start and finish were there) and the day just kept getting better.
We celebrated after the race with beer, bananas, blueberry muffins and burgers – all well deserved after 9.3 miles!
After hanging out at the post-race party, we headed to Poe’s Tavern for some real food. One of the locals suggested this restaurant for some great burgers and it definitely didn’t disappoint!
After picking the little guy up at my mom’s we headed home because we were expecting company! Mike’s buddy Nick came in for a few nights and we were so happy to host him.
Sunday morning started off with a family breakfast and swinging, followed by a sushi lunch and a basketball BBQ at Lynn and Tuller’s house to cheer on the Gators in the SEC championship. It was a close one, but they pulled it out – I can’t wait for March Madness!
This week we are excited to have a picnic dinner with our friends Kam and Ferg (in town from Charlotte) and their families. I.can’t.wait.to.catch.up! It’s going to be so much fun watching our little ones all run around together. We will be chowing on 4Rivers BBQ at Lake Eola and I can’t think of anything better. We are also excited to see my dad and his wife this weekend for a visit. Fun times!
M: Chicken Noodle Soup
T: Chopped Salad
W: Pesto Ricotta Calzones
Th: Picnic Dinner with Kam, Ferg and families!
F: Pasta e Fagiole
Sa: Brinner – Frittata w/ Vegie Hash
Su: Steak and Potatoes w/ Broccoli
Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day and belated 4th birthday to E’s buddy, Tyson – we will see you soon!
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