Our calendars had been marked for this race for a long time.   RunTheBlueGrass Half Marathon and 7 Miler was not only billed as one of the prettiest half marathons in the United States, but the area is a mecca for horse lovers.    However, as race day drew near, we watched the weather forecast with growing horror.   Rather than the formerly predicted lows in the 40’s, highs in the 60’s,  the weatherman was talking about lows in the teens, and highs in the 20’s!!!   We packed every piece of warm race clothing we owned, and boarded the plane for Louisville, KY with fear and trepidation.

Because of the storied area we were visiting, we scheduled a couple of pre-race activities to immerse ourselves in the history of the area.  Early Friday morning, we braved the cold to drive to Keeneland, the location chosen for our race, to participate in a tour of the facility.   Keeneland includes the Keeneland Race Course, a state of the art Thoroughbred training facility, and the largest Thoroughbred horse auction house in the world.    It is located right in the middle of Bluegrass Country, a 68 mile area which claims to house 55% of the world’s Thoroughbred horses.

Last year during their annual yearling sale, Keeneland ran 2,500 horses through their 3-day auction, amassing a total of $280 million in sales.  A volunteer took us through the auction house and talked to us about the incredible amount of detail and organization that goes into pulling off an event of this size, involving buyers from all over the world.

After touring the barn, we went outside to tour more of the huge facility.   However, despite our guide’s best attempts to keep everyone interested, he just couldn’t compete with cold bracing winds and a temp of 20.    After a few more quick pictures, we all fled to the Keeneland Track Kitchen in search of breakfast and a hot cup of coffee.

Next stop was the Race Expo, also located on Keeneland’s facility.    We picked up our packets and posed for the customary race pic (with a little twist) before heading back outdoors again.

Hoping to see some of the horses doing their morning workouts, we wandered around the race track for a bit.   Even the horses looked cold.

After this, it was back to the hotel for a quick nap;  the 3 hour time difference was taking its toll.   That evening we attended a pre-race dinner at Ballantrae Farms, which included an inspirational guest speaker – Harvey Lewis, the winner of last year’s Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley.   In keeping with the theme of the day, however, the barn chosen to host the festivities was freezing!!   Half of the electrical outlets weren’t working, the only heat source was 3 portable heaters located on one side of the huge barn.  Part of the evening’s entertainment involved sampling some of Kentucky’s best bourbon, another one of its’ trademark industries.  Colleen wanted nothing to do with it and fled to the other side of the barn in search of heat, but the rest of us gave it a try.  It was not a repeatable experience.   The meal, however, was delicious, but we were so cold by then all we wanted was for it to be over.

One of the highlights of the evening was a quick visit to the barn housing the new foals.    These little gangly creatures are worth hundreds of thousands in just a few short months.

Saturday morning finally arrived.    At the crack of dawn, we put on our fourteen layers of clothes, and headed out to the race course.    Race time temperature was 19, with the caveat, “feels like 14”.   It was the coldest we have ever been prior to a race.   Our hands and feet were solid blocks of ice.  The biggest worry was how many layers to keep on.

But in the end, once we started moving, our focus moved to other things, like running hills.   13.1 miles, or 7 miles, depending on your pleasure, of beautiful, rolling hills, not a flat spot to be had.    Most of us ended up carrying some of our layers as we toiled up the unending hills.  We did try to stop and smell a few roses on the way, however, as even with a winter coat, Lexington, KY is beautiful.

And as Melodie likes to remind us, it does end.    And at the end, it is suddenly very easy to reflect on how blessed we are.     Even though we have all long passed the blush of youth, we are still learning, loving, running together, and experiencing the joy of achieving a challenging goal.

Next stop, Lake Minnetonka, MN.