After a four month hiatus, our expectation was that we would be rested, trained and ready to go for our first 2016 states race.   Alas, those four months did not go as planned.    Injuries and serious illness kept us from consistent training, but we decided not to sweat the small stuff and give it the best we had.   Besides, it was an opportunity to spend 4 days with the 5 sisters and nasty respiratory viruses and arthritic joints were not going to get in the way.

Flying in from Phoenix, Seattle, and Oakland, the five of us met at the Atlanta airport.    The Hartsford-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been the world’s busiest airport since 1998, averaging 250,000 passengers daily and 2,500 flights.   The airport feels more like a small city than an airport and getting from point A to point B is challenging.   We managed to figure out our way through the elaborate train system, and met at the Alamo rental counter to pick up our rental car.  Colleen was elected chauffeur for the weekend and off we headed in our trusty Dodge Journey.

The race we selected for Georgia was located in Callaway Gardens Resort in Pine Mountain, approximately 72 miles southwest from the Atlanta airport.    Pine Mountain boasts a population of 1,344 and just a handful of small town restaurants, stores, and gas stations.   However, it is billed as the friendliest city in the South, which we found to be the case.   It was dark by the time we pulled into Mountain Inn, the check-in site for Callaway Gardens, so we decided to eat at the restaurant on site and leave exploring for the next day.

Each race has its own unique experiences, but the Callaway Gardens race will forever be remembered as the race where we wandered.   The locals seemed to think that getting around was straightforward and intuitive, so directions were sadly inadequate, creating a steep learning curve in finding our way around.    That first night, we took the long way home, wandering around in the dark for over 30 minutes before finally arriving at #2119/2120.

Our Southern Pine Cottage was old, but clean and comfortable.   Our biggest challenge that first night was a furnace that would only blow cold air.   Since the current temperature was below freezing, we found this unacceptable.   A call to customer service yielded a lot of sympathy, an offer to move us to a different cottage, promises for a repairman and a load of blankets, none of which materialized.   Fortunately, we are an enterprising crew and made use of the wood fireplace and figured out that if we turned off the auto fan, the furnace would eventually heat the place up.

After 18 of these races, we have developed a bit of a routine.   The most important thing on the agenda pre-race day, is finding a good place to eat.    The Callaway Gardens Resort listed a number of fine restaurants, but because we were there in the off-season, many of them were closed.   We selected the Country Gardens Kitchen, which boasted a true Southern Breakfast Buffet, as the place to eat breakfast.   The map we were provided resembled a kindergarten child’s drawing, with no road names or NSWE directions, just a lot of little squiggly shapes and some roads.    Nothing pulled up on our iPhones except the Ida Memorial Garden, but we decided that would get us close enough, so we plugged it in and off we went.   After wandering around for almost an hour, we arrived at the cemetery only to realize that the little squiggly building on the map that we thought was the restaurant, was not it at all.    We may be map-challenged, but we are a good-natured crew, even though all of us were starving.   We regrouped, figured out where we went wrong, and eventually wound up at the right place, long after the breakfast buffet was closed.

Breakfast turned into lunch.   Wanting to experience the local cooking, I ordered a chicken sandwich, southern style, complete with fried green tomatoes.   Suffice it to say, I tried it, but have no need to try it again.  I was, however, charmed by water served in pint jars.

Kathy, enjoying some down-home, Southern vegetable soup.   Her menu selection was much wiser than mine.   But then, no one would dispute her wisdom on most any topic.

We stepped outside the restaurant to snap a couple of shots of the resort.   It was picturesque, even in the dead of winter without the flowers.

After lunch, we headed over to Robin Lake to pick up our packets and enjoy the lake.    It was truly beautiful, and by this time, the temperature was close to perfect.   We walked around the lake for some pre-race exercise, thoroughly enjoying the Georgia sunshine.

For dinner that night, we googled the best restaurant in Pine Mountain and came up with a little hole-in-the-wall pizza place.    Locals claimed we’d get the best food for our buck in all of Pine Mountain.  With some trepidation, we drove up to a very unprepossessing spot called Fox’s Pizza and ordered pizza.    It was absolutely delicious and probably the best meal we had all weekend.    We were a little embarrassed when we realized how much we had eaten, but decided it was acceptable “carb loading”.

After a little sleuthing through the trees, we found the hot tub on the property that night and indulged in a much appreciated soak.    We all went to bed early in anticipation of an early morning wake-up call, but for whatever reason, none of us slept very well.    All of us were up a full two hours early, and sat around and ate breakfast and visited before leaving for the race.   Now, that’s a first, but it made for a very relaxed race morning.

Our biggest apprehension pre-race start was the temperature, 33 degrees at 7:30!   We sat in the car for a bit, then braved the cold for the inevitable standing around and photo taking before the race.   This was a very small race – only about 200 people, but the lines were still in all the usual places.

And we were off.   Melodie caught a couple of great shots during the race.    It was a storybook morning.   Crystal clear, just cold enough to be energizing, and absolutely perfect for running.

The course was a bit hillier than we expected, but everyone did well, despite the challenges of illness and injury.    And in keeping with our race routines, we took copious photos, only some of which I will subject you with here.

The 5K crew celebrating their finish.    It’s not hard to figure out where Tony gets his goofiness.   I’m so proud of these gals.   At an age where many people choose to park in their rocking chairs, they are out conquering hills.

Yours truly.

And my little sis.   She is amazing.   She had been sidelined with a nasty bug for three weeks prior to this race and had not been able to train at all.   In addition, her heart was heavy with worry over her little granddaughter, Fiona, who was very, very ill.  Despite all this, she had one of her best races, and came in with a smile.   She’s made of tough stuff, this girl.

In it for the long run, here’s the halfers.   This is the 22nd time Melodie and I have run a half marathon together.   God willing, we will be able to do many more.

The crew.   Best friends forever, showcasing a penchant for pink.

After dinner that night, we decided to drive to a small country store and pick up some cookies to top off a great day.    While Melodie, Linda and I waited in the car, Kathy and Colleen went into the store to see what they could find.   Not finding what she wanted, Kathy approached the clerk, a young man of about 18 or 19.   “Do you have gingersnaps?”, she asked.   The young man, looking very puzzled, remarked, “Ma’am, we don’t sell ammunition here.”   Kathy and Colleen were still convulsed with laughter when they came back to the car.    Gotta love the local flavor.

And so another race weekend wound to a close.     It was so good to spend time together, stretch our legs a little, and just enjoy each other.   We find we don’t need quite as much entertainment these days.   We seem to entertain each other just by being ourselves.    We are truly blessed.

Goodbye, Georgia.

Next up, Lake Ozark, Missouri.