Tomorrow I will be “running through town” in more ways than one! I’m heading up to Jacksonville, FL today because Best Damn Race is this weekend. I’ll be participating in the 10k which will be the start of 5 straight weeks of racing for me. It will be my first race after breaking my toe right before Christmas and I’m hoping that it goes well.
Unfortunately I have to work today so I won’t be leaving for Jacksonville until after work. Because of this I will arrive in town with enough time to pick up my race packet, check into the hotel, grab some dinner, and get to sleep. After the race Saturday morning I’ll be helping out at the BDR booth and then heading home. Because of this I will probably be in town for all of 18 hours. In order to make the most of my trip I did some research on where to eat – because eating is the most important part of a race weekend right? Or maybe its the race. I always get confused on that one 😉
We are staying at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. We got a great rate through Best Damn Race and its just 1 mile from the race start. Talk about convenient! And look at that view. I definitely won’t mind the early wake up call when I’ll get to see the sun rise over the river.
For dinner on Friday night I’ve narrowed it down to two choices (thanks to some recommendations from some friends in Jacksonville). Once I get to town on Friday I’ll make a decision based on what everyone else wants to do. I’m a go with the flow kinda girl, but I like to have a little bit of a plan in case it turns into a “I don’t know, where do YOU wanna go” situation.
The first option is Pele’s Wood Fire. Pele’s is a” modern Italian-American restaurant in historic Riverside.” Featuring double wood-fire ovens burning a blend of oak, hickory, and cherry wood, their open kitchen is the perfect spot to watch their master pizzaiolos create your meal – be it one of their award-winning pizzas, signature Tuscan fries or house-made pasta dish with locally sourced ingredients. Sounds tasty huh?
The second options is Carmine’s Pie House (do we see a theme here?). At Carmine’s they believe in serving only the highest quality Pizza, Appetizers, Classic Italian Dishes and Micro Brews. Sounds like a good plan right? Pizza and beer the night before a race seems to be becoming a tradition for me, so this place definitely landed at the top of my list.
For breakfast/lunch after the race on Saturday I will be heading to Maple Street Biscuit Company. My best friend and her husband stop here any time they are in town and told me that I HAD to go. After seeing their pictures of the food I was more than willing to plan a trip there for breakfast.
Its a good thing I’m running a race while I’m in town since it seems the only other thing I’ll be doing is eating. But then again, that is the main reason I run – I run because I like to eat 🙂
good luck! and yes eating is one of the best parts! see you next weekend!