Uptown Expo Double

Time: ~51:30
Distance: ~7 miles

I was in Greenville, SC most of the day visiting accounts and picking up a pair of shoes that I had re-surfaced. While I was at Run In, the guys told me about a co-worker who claims that running a marathon is no big deal and that any relatively fit person could do it. This guy has been doing Marine style workouts and running a little, but mostly strength inspired fitness stuff. The rest of the guys (three of whom just completed an Ironman) called his bluff and signed him up for Thunder Road. Look for Anthony (I forget his last name, but it's Italian in origin) to be hurting around mile 16. I'll try to remember and follow up after the race on this guy.

My other big stop came at Pedal Chic which is a new women's fashion bike boutique where the "roadways are the new runways." The store was having a ribbon cutting ceremony and serving drinks and snacks the rest of the evening. I couldn't pass up checking out the new shop located just off main street. It's a cool store worth visiting even if you're not a cyclist because it finds a niche in a market that is so often black bike shorts and a yellow top.

I raced home to Charlotte where I made it in time for the last hour of the Thunder Road Marathon expo. The Charlotte Running Club guys were just packing up as I arrived, but we chatted briefly. I hung out with Mike Moran of New Balance who hadn't gone on a run yet that day. When the entire operation closed for the night, we laced up the boots and headed out for some miles. I rocked a new pair of NB905 that I won at the Dowd 5k. We had a good conversation about all things running as we weaved through Dilworth and other side streets back into Uptown. Running through Uptown tonight reminded me that I need to visit center city more often especially now that all of the festive lights are out. We ran a little longer than I had planned, but it was a good run to end the day.