Kentuck Derby Half-Marathon ... April 30, 2011
Heather and I decided a few months ago to train for the Mini-Marathon that is held each year in Louisville during Derby season. Heather could probably run a mini at any point, but I had to actually work a little bit to get ready. I was targeting just to finish and Heather was kind enough to agree to just run with me and we would enjoy the run together. It was, admittedly, an amazing experience and between having all the runners around, the crowds, the music, and fantastic weather, I felt good the entire race. While the original goal was to finish, as each mile passed and I continued to feel well, we began to run a little faster than the 10 minute mile pace we began with. We ran through Churchill Downs, which was great. Ultimately, I realized that if we kept up our pace we could finish below two hours, which is what we did. I finished in 1 hour 59 minutes. Heather could have done it faster but, as I mentioned, was kind enough to stay with me throughout the race. It was really fun to run it together, even though right at the last 200 meters she took off in order to beat me by a few seconds. I guess she deserved that. And I think it was my lucky headband that really pushed me through the race!
New York (Grandpa Larsen) ... April 9, 2011
It was really nice to spend a few days with Grandpa Larsen. He was extremely hospitable and we all enjoyed playing games and hanging out with Grandpa.
New York (The Statue of Liberty) ... April 8, 2011
After experiencing minor traffic issues on the way out of the city and missing an exit or two, we finally arrived to the Jersey launch point of the Ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We thought we missed the last ferry of the day, so Don headed back up to Rock Tavern. We went ahead and asked the parking guard if we still had time and he told us there was plenty of it left before the last ferry departure. He wasn't kidding. We parked and ran to the ticket booth, went through security, and arrived at the waiting room, only to find that we still had 15 minutes to wait. And then once we boarded the ferry, another 30 minutes before we actually departed. So it was disappointing that Don could have still joined us.
The weather was starting to get cold as we arrived at the statue. Because this was such a last minute trip we had not prepared in advance to get the good tickets to either the base or the crown. So we had to settle for the grounds and experience the statue up close, but not as up close as other tourists. We took a few pictures and were returning to the ferry for the return trip when it stated drizzling a little bit for the first time (our skills continue) on our trip. We got on the ferry, made our way back to our car, and headed back to Rock Tavern. It was a quick two days but were able to see a lot of the basic tourist sites. I have to admit that prior to this my loathe for New York was at an all time high. But that is mostly driven by the fact that my experiences are JFK and the drive from JFK to Don's house. Which is never fun. But this time, it was great.
The weather was starting to get cold as we arrived at the statue. Because this was such a last minute trip we had not prepared in advance to get the good tickets to either the base or the crown. So we had to settle for the grounds and experience the statue up close, but not as up close as other tourists. We took a few pictures and were returning to the ferry for the return trip when it stated drizzling a little bit for the first time (our skills continue) on our trip. We got on the ferry, made our way back to our car, and headed back to Rock Tavern. It was a quick two days but were able to see a lot of the basic tourist sites. I have to admit that prior to this my loathe for New York was at an all time high. But that is mostly driven by the fact that my experiences are JFK and the drive from JFK to Don's house. Which is never fun. But this time, it was great.
New York (Empire State Building) ... April 8, 2011
From Rockefeller Center, we walked the many blocks to the Empire State Building. We have been really smart/lucky in our travels this past 12 months. We spent a week at Disneyworld last September and didn't have any issues at all with the crowds, while enjoying, of course, great weather. We experienced the same here in New York. Great weather (just slightly cool) and not a lot of crowds. Normally trying to get to the top of the Empire State Building would be hours of pain and suffering. For us, we probably were up to the top within 30-40 minutes. We experienced a great view of the city and also ran into Michael J. Fox, although a sightseeing telescope blocked the view in all of the pictures I took.
After returning to street level, the girls and Don took a cab back to the hotel and I pushed Ryan and Sophie (who had both fallen asleep) through the streets of New York City, passed Grand Central Station, and ultimately back to our hotel. I actually arrived not much later than everyone else, since I guess it took them a bit to find an empty cab.
We checked out of the hotel and headed over to New Jersey to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty (less crowds and better parking than the launch point at Battery Park).
After returning to street level, the girls and Don took a cab back to the hotel and I pushed Ryan and Sophie (who had both fallen asleep) through the streets of New York City, passed Grand Central Station, and ultimately back to our hotel. I actually arrived not much later than everyone else, since I guess it took them a bit to find an empty cab.
We checked out of the hotel and headed over to New Jersey to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty (less crowds and better parking than the launch point at Battery Park).
New York (Rockefeller Center) ... April 8, 2011
We arrived at Rockefeller Center surprised to see that the ice rink was still up and running. I noticed not a lot of people skating, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to experience this. I took Katie and Ashley down and we changed into skates and we went skating. For the girls' first time skating, they did great. We didn't skate too long, but enjoyed the surroundings for as long as we could manage.
Just as we were finishing skating, Heather's dad arrived. He had driven in to join us after working part of the day.
Just as we were finishing skating, Heather's dad arrived. He had driven in to join us after working part of the day.
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