DreamBig 2012 - #10 New York

STATE #10 - Hamptons, New York
Hamptons Half Marathon
Finishers: 1,332

September 28, 2012
I figured if I was in New York for a year, it probably was in my favor to take advantage of that and run...New York. I found a race out in the Hamptons and invited a bunch of friends to tag along and I would take care of all the accommodations. Well, once race weekend rolled around, it turned out to be just me on the Montauk train in route to Amagansett... alone. The weather was fairly cloudy but oh well. 

So I made my way out to the Hamptons and called a cab to take me from the train station over to The Hermitage where I had gotten like a 3 bedroom condo on the beach. I'm really popular. Because it was rainy and gross I spent most of the morning just chilling and watching movies.

I didn't need to go to any type of packet pickup because I had already gotten my stuff at a pickup in the city after work one day. Let me just say, this may not have been one of my favorite races BUT they for sure had the best stuff. We got really nice canvas beach bags, nice flip flops, nice towels, and then the t-shirts were pretty basic but everything else was awesome!

As it started getting late, I decided to call in a dinner order to Cyril's Fish House across the street and then make the dangerous trek over there in the dark along a dark road. So basically just walking through the ditches trying to dodge Jaguars and Audis. I enjoyed my fish pasta at the condo and then went to bed -- got to try them all out first to figure out which one Goldilocks liked the best.

September 28, 2012
Race morning! I had scheduled a service with the race for a raceday pick up. So I was up super early waiting outside of the main office with a few other runners waiting on the same service. We picked up a couple other runner along the way to the race before they dropped us off at a small school where we all waited int he gym. 

I was excited to kick off race #10 because being in double digits just made the goal seem real. Validity that I was actually going to commit to these races and progress was being made. I had an expectation that this race was going to be a running tour of a bunch of super nice homes but I was mistaken.

We started off running on the side of a tree shaded wooded road with not much around, aside from the aggravated passing traffic. We stayed on this road for quiet some time and then turned down another quiet, tree lined shaded long stretch of road. The variety of things to look at was really lacking. Every now and then we would pass a driveway but you weren't able to see much past the trees. Probably the point of it.

At one point we were running through what looked like farms and those had some really nice homes and orchards or something that looked rich. We turned back onto another sort of gravel type path where the marathon and half marathon split and ran on that for a few miles that took us back towards the road we started on. At this point, I think a lot of my pain was coming from the fact I was bored and had nothing to look at to entertain me. Other than that I was just ready to be done.

The last few miles sort of came and went out of nowhere because I just eventually turned my brain off. I made the last little sprint to the finish and then found a little kid sitting on the hood of a truck playing a Nintendo or something and asked if he would take my photo.

OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 10 states down, 40 more to go! #DREAMBIG

Post race I took the shuttle back to my condo and just chilled for the rest of the day since the weather was a little gross and I didn't exactly have much way of getting around. No one can dislike a chill day.

September 30, 2012
I woke up early dressed like a homeless person in all black sweats and got a cab to the train station where I hopped a train back to New York. I made it back in time to drop my things at the hotel and then meet Felicity from brunch and a walk on the HighLine to round out another race weekend!

Purse Umbrella - smooth Felic.

10 states down, 40 more to go! 
#DREAMBIG

DreamBig 2012 - #9 Rhode Island

STATE #9 - Providence, Rhode Island
Rock N' Roll Providence
Finishers: 3,607

August 18, 2012
I had been feeling a little under the weather and fighting a sore throat but nothing super horrible -- until I woke up Saturday morning. I am very used to having sore throats and strep and just issues because of my abnormal large tonsils (RIP 12/20/12). 

So when I woke up in NYC, I realized I had zero voice. None at all! Sounds like the perfect health condition to run a race. So I packed up my things at the hotel and head over to Penn Station to catch my train up to Providence. I had never taken the train out of Penn Station and I had no clue how it all worked with waiting to see which track is yours etc. I got there a little late and got very stressed and ended up canceling my ticket and booking a later trip because I had no voice to ask anyone for help. 

As always, I had a few people come up to ask me questions at the train station. To whom, I had to make a motion of "can't talk" which probably looked like I was choking. Once I finally got settled on the later trainI again had a friend fellow sitting next to me who despite my notions to explain I had no voice, still continued to ask me detailed questions that required more than just a nod. So I pretended to fall asleep with my headphones on. 

The ride was about 3 hours where you travel all through Connecticut before reaching Rhode Island. Providence was the last stop before Boston so the train was still fairly full. My hotel was in walking distance from the train station so off I trotted down the street with my huge suitcase. When I checked into the hotel, I got upgraded to an awesome corner room suite with a bathroom fit for a dance party and 2 walls of windows. Too bad I wasn't going to be there longer.

The convention center was also walking distance from the hotel so once I got settled, I made my way down the street to pick up my shirt and bib and wander the booths a little. Downtown Providence is actually really cool. I wandered up to the giant mall in the afternoon and got take out from one of the chain Italian restaurants and then went and chilled in my awesome room for the rest of the night. I knew I needed to get better which meant rest. 

One thing I did get to see which is fairly rare is the WaterFire along the Providence River which goes right through downtown Providence. It is a bunch of gas braziers in the water they only turn on for special occasions. They turned them on the night before the race which I was able to see from my window.

August 19, 2012
For August, it was a surprisingly cool morning. I had not run at all because of being sick so I did a few striders just to make sure I could breathe and decided I would survive - maybe. Once the race kicked off, I decided I would be just fine. 

The first few miles headed out of town into the historic and pleasant East Side where we passed Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. You could tell all of the houses were super old and I could only imagine what type of history I was running through. Once we went up and down a few old school blocks we zipped down along the Providence harbor passing scenic Seekonk River heading north past Blackstone Park and including Blackstone Boulevard.

The race wound along the north side of the Swan Point area before returning to the downtown and more architectural and historic gems. It was a gorgeous course with a perfect mix of nature and history. Once we got back into the downtown area, it felt like we were on a running freeway because we did a bunch of crossing back and forth with different sections of the race. I never mind crossing paths with the faster/slower runners because it give something to look at and cheer for.

Towards this part of the race, I was still feeling good and started to entertain myself with all of the cameras along the course. Once we finally started heading back towards the capitol, we ran along the Providence River once more before, as always, heading uphill towards the finish. Always an uphill.

I finished strong and then used all of my audible words to ask a stranger to take a race pic for me. I then literally ran back to the hotel to change and get a flight back to Atlanta for a Deloitte event. Another wonderfully executed Rock N Roll race!

OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 9 states down, 41 to go! #DREAMBIG

9 states down, 41 more to go!
#DREAMBIG

DreamBig 2012 - #8 Wisconsin

STATE #8 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Summerfest Rock N Sole Half Marathon
Finishers: 3,223

Friday, June 22, 2012
Let me tell you a little story about a friend named Kali. Kali and I met around Feb. 22, 2012 while working in New York City on a ginormous Deloitte project. We often did seat rearranging as they needed more space and the most recent seat change put Kali and I across the aisle from each other. We didn't talk much at first until I went on a juice cleanse and was craving food nonstop. On several occasions during these 3 days, I would awkwardly ask Kali if I could smell her lunch just to pretend I was eating. And sure enough, we became best friends after that. Kali is from Omaha and I have spent many weekends there where I have slowly gotten to know her family and all of her friends. 

So back to the story - Kali obviously knew about my goal and had planned on running a race with her sister, Shari, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since I didn't have a set plan of races yet, she invited me along so I could check Wisconsin off my list. Gotta start somewhere. It was fun because Kali and I would train together for this race in Central Park and around the streets of New York - a very unique experience.

When the weekend came around, Kali had actually just recently transitioned off our New York project in early June so I was excited to reunite with her. I flew into MKE and rented a car and spent some of the day cruising around Milwaukee, picking up my race packet at the Veteran's Center and then driving some of the course. I also went to an outdoor mall and for no reason bought new wedges and new turquoise jeans. I am a pro impulse buyer. 

Kali's parents dropped her off later that afternoon once they rolled into town and she stayed with me at the Aloft. When it was time for dinner, Kali and I walked down to the Hyatt to meet up with her family and I met the first of many aunts and other family members of Kali's. Since Shari lived in town, we decided to do something easy for dinner and met up with her and a few friends at Olive Garden for dinner and then hung out at Shari's apartment before heading back to the Aloft to relax the rest of the night. 

Welcome gift at the ALoft - aka the key to my heart...cheese.

David Ahner - emergency contact who was out of the country

Saturday, June 23, 2012
We hadn't planned out race morning all that well but Kali had purchased me a new Nike shirt to wear so that we matched - she's the coolest.

We ate a little in the room and then the parents picked us up and dropped us off at the start. We had a bit of commotion in the car as it pertains to directions but I just tried to stay calm and let them all figure it out. Eventually, we just jumped out of the car and made our way to the start line. Kali decided to run with Shari and told me to go ahead up front since I had been training (this is always a constant theme over the next 4 years lol). After snapping a few photos, we said our farewells and decided we would see each other at the finish.

Ash - Shari - Kali all ready to Rock N Sole

The course took off and went about 2.5 miles out along I-794 which is basically the highway that runs along the Milwaukee Bay. Taking into account that it's pretty much a bridge over the water, we had some nice strong winds blowing and your normal inclines and declines that you would get from any bridge. Once far enough out, we hit the turn around point and basically just ran back the way we came to start the second part of the race.

The majority of the next part of the race was also along the water but had some MAJOR hills through the coastline parks and up into the neighborhoods. Climbing like it was my job. Along Lincoln Memorial Drive and through the Marina before turning back towards the start again around Mile 9 in Lake Park. 

It had gotten awfully toasty at this point and after starting out pretty strong, I started having leg pains and my body was just dragging. Just keeping going young grasshopper. We made our way back past the Marina along the coast and then down a lot of what seemed like either bike paths or sewer systems, either way - they were not your normal sidewalks.

I saw Kali's parents and younger sister, Bridget, around Mile 11 and gave them a goofy face and thumbs down to show how much fun I was having. We finally spit out on the other side of the fairgrounds under the highway and ran through the deserted, hot backroads before rejoining civilization and winding our ways to the finish.

I didn't have my phone so I found Kali's family in our meeting spot and waited with them until the girls had finished and we all regrouped for several photo opps.

OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 8 states down, 42 more to go! #DREAMBIG

We hung around the fairgrounds for a while and listened to music before going to clean up.

Race #8 for Ash - Race #3 for Kali

Kali.... my poor child

All of the runners in our extended group

Meh...not my best...but I'll take the state!

Later that night we met Kali's family for drinks and dinner and then met up with Cooper who now lived in Milwaukee and his friends for a night out on the town which ended by shutting down the bars while singing Whitney Houston and grabbing some late night dinner around 2am at an all night diner.

8 states down, 42 more to go!
#DREAMBIG

DreamBig 2012 - #7 Oregon

STATE #7 - Portland, Oregon
Rock N Roll Portland
Finishers: 11,036

May 19, 2012
One of the biggest adventures about the beginning of this race was picking places in the country I had never been before, picking a weekend and a race that worked, and just going. I never had much of a reason to go to Portland, Oregon but I had always heard great things about it. I knew they were very green - literally and environmentally. I knew they loved beer and had a lot of breweries. I knew people liked to ride bikes and you actually get taxed or something for driving your car to work. So I knew I was in for a treat.

I flew into Portland from NYC and the fly in was unbelievable. I had flown over mountains before, but flying into Portland was what I can only imagine it would feel like to fly into Narnia. I don't even really know what that is a reference from but it sounds very green and magical. 

I hadn't booked a car or anything (because I'm so green) so I hopped on the light rail and took it the one or two stops down to where my hotel was at the Portland Airport ALoft. I had already plotted out the rest of my trip and I knew I could around every where I needed to go on the lightrail so I booked my hotel based on value.

Once I had gotten settled in my room and put my bags up, I got back on the train and head in to the city towards to expo. Since I was by myself, I sadly didn't do much exploring and this was one of my first solo trips so I wasn't used to being solo adventurous. I went to the expo and picked up my packet and then honestly, did not walk around, and got back on the train up to my hotel.

I regret this and need to go back to Portland.

My hotel was nearby a pizza/pasta place so once it got late enough (so like 4:30pm) I ordered some food and walked to pick it up and then spent the rest of the evening watching movies in bed and resting the legs.

May 20, 2012
It was a little drizzley when I woke up but not cold or anything. I didn't know too much about the timing of the LightRail this early in the morning so I just went ahead and got dressed and made my way outside early so I wouldn't be cutting it too close. I ran into a lot of other runners and as we made our way to each stop, more and more runner boarded the train.

This part is always fun to me because you get to do a lot of eavesdropping about where people are from and what their goals are, etc. I'm sure I dropped the 50 states interesting fact but when you are at #7 no one really takes you seriously.

Once we made our way to the downtown stop, it was sort of a cattle herd to find the start line. We all were just weaving up and down streets looking for any type of direction with the blind leading the blind. I think I finally got a map pulled up on my phone and just verred off to find my way on my own.

At this point I realized I was super early, but at least there. 

As intriguing as it can be to read about all of my accounts of putting one foot in front of the other for 13.1 miles, I will spare you the details mainly because I for real don't remember much of this race or the scenery until the last 2-3 miles.

I know at that point it was still raining pretty hard and we had to cross the Steel Bridge and it was really slippery before we started getting towards the finish. This was around Mile 12 so I successfully have forgotten the entire race. I do remember that once we crossed over the bridge, it was a long downhill and then an uphill towards the finish and I was done. Easy peezy!

I got my medal and had a passerby take my photo before heading back to the lightrail to get cleaned up at the hotel.

OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 7 down, 43 more to go! #DREAMBIG

I didn't have anything better to do so - no joke - I went and sat at the airport for like 10 hours. 

I vow to go back to Portland, Oregon.

7 States Down, 43 more to go!
#DREAMBIG 

DreamBig 2012 - #6 Texas

State #6 - Dallas, Texas
Rock N' Roll Dallas
Finishers: 11,366

March 24, 2012
I flew into Dallas late Friday night and took a cab to the ALoft Dallas downtown. Saturday morning I didn't have a ton to do and Bryan Pope, who lived in Dallas, was not around to hang out so I just sort of wandered the streets alone. I had been in Dallas a few years back for a wedding so I took a trip down memory lane and made my way to the Adolphus Hotel where I sat and ate lunch alone at the Rodeo Bar and Grill downstairs. 

I made my way up to the convention center to grab my packet and then made a stop by the Pioneer Plaza to check out the bronze sculpture of the cattle drivers. I didn't know much of what to do and didn't want to be on my feet all day so I spent a good chunk of the afternoon hanging out in the room and watching movies -- and eating popcorn.

March 25, 2012
The best part about this Dallas race was that it started right outside the front door of my hotel. Even though I was anxious to start, I hung out and ate some breakfast before going downstairs to start the race. For March, it was a very warm morning but I had my adrenaline going so I wasn't paying much attention to the heat. 

We lined up and I had a stranger take my photo and then we were off. I don't remember a ton about the course, other than there was not much to look at, but I do remember slowly falling apart around Mile 4. I had been so used to training in the bitter cold of New York all winter that my body just totally forgot how to act in warmer weather. 

I had cut back to a very slow jog by Mile 5 and was contemplating if I would finish at this rate. By Mile 7 I remember calling my dad while running and telling him I wasn't going to make it. He said, "so you're halfway done and you either stop and walk the 7 miles back or keep going and just finish the last 6 mile". Touche. 

So through a mix of running and very slow running (and maybe some walking) I made it to the end of the race -- which was no where near the start of the race. Did not think about this. I decided to follow the crowds and saw everyone was hitching a ride on the train back to the start -- even though none of us paid. I had attempted to call my friend Amy to pick me up but she was in the middle of church. Dangnabbit. 

The train however got us close enough to the start that I was able to walk the last bit to the hotel. I had to check out so I took a quick shower and then tried to meet up with Bryan again but plans just didn't match up. It was a hot, uneventful race for the start of 2012 but at least I knew what I was up against for the remaining summer race.

OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 6 states down, 44 more to go! #DREAMBIG

6 states down, 44 more to go!
#DREAMBIG

DreamBig 2011 - #5 Georgia

State #5 - Atlanta, Georgia
13.1 Marathon Atlanta
Finishers: 2,488

September 30, 2011
Between April 2011 and October 2011, a lot changed.

I ended my first year of grad school and dad got me a cool intern gig in Houston, TX working for Silver Eagle Distributors which is the nations largest Anhueser Busch distributor. I was doing logistics work and loved the company. While I was there I did my best to run as much as possible but most days I could barely make it down the block before dying from the Texas heat.

Once I got back to Auburn, I decided not to go back to my job at the bank and to focus more on life after graduation and the direction I wanted my career to go. With all of the free time, I was very committed to my running and training schedule. This last semester of school I was also living by myself so the temptations of constant baked goods and TV temptation were not around to keep me from my training.

My next race was set to be the 13.1 Atlanta race that took place in Brookhaven. The Friday before the race we had an MBA golf outing and then I packed up my car and headed up I-85 from Auburn. I stayed at Michael Layton that weekend and we went out and got dinner at Gordon Biersch and talked about the real world.

MBA Golf Outing with Adam Jones

October 1, 2011
Saturday I picked up my packet at one of the local running stores and then Michael had our friends over to watch the Auburn game. I think the highlight of that day was Michael not owning a can opener and prying a can of chicken open with a hammer all so that I could make everyone buffalo chicken dip -- very resourceful.

Boys....and what they would do for buffalo dip

October 2, 2011

The morning of the race I had to tip toe around the apartment in the dark because I didn't want to wake Michael up in the other room. I sort of just grabbed my stuff and some Cheerios and drove up to the race start....way too early. I'm pretty sure I took a nap in my car for a good hour before people even started to show up.

It was a cold morning and it was my first race I didn't have anyone there cheering me on but I felt very prepared.  (Sidebar -- I think I am still bitter that Michael didn't wake up to watch me run). The race started and I remember not having a clue where I was because it was also still dark. After winding through some very hilly neighborhoods in Brookhaven I started to get into a groove. The hills were kicking everyones butt but thankfully I had been doing a lot of training on my own butt and lower body and it was just the sort of preparation I needed for this unnaturally hilly course.

At the time at Auburn, Michael Dyer was one of our popular running backs and I had always admired how talented he was at high knees and putting in that little bit of extra effort in order to break an extra tackle or gain an extra yard. Whenever I got to a hill on the course, I just made sure to think of Dyer, lift my knees, pump my arms, and power up the hill. Leave it to me to find a way to enjoy hills that most people had reverted to crawling.

The course was up in Brookhaven and all those hoods

The neighborhoods were windy to the point you felt like you were running in figure 8's through the middle of no where. Once we were back on the main road (Peachtree Industrial Blvd.) heading for part two of neighborhoods, I started paying a little more attention to the mile clocks. (I don't wear a watch of my own because my main goal is just to finish. I have bad enough anxiety before races as it is to be worrying about a specific time.) So, as I was looking at the mile clocks I realized I was coming in a well under a 10 minute pace which is my typical speed. As I started to do the math (which is extremely difficult while running for me), I calculated that if I kept my pace and continued to pick it up on the hills, I might just make it in at under 2 hours (the only time goal I had ever set).

With the 2 hour mark in my head I continued to just stay calm and enjoy the cool day and the pretty houses and just run. The second neighborhood portion ended and I was back on the main road headed back to where the race started. Mile 11 passed and I will still feeling comfortable but not confident about the 2 hour goal. Mile 12 came and I started feeling like it wouldn't happen. The hard part about the clocks is that they are never your real time. My time starts when I cross the start line which depending on the race may be 5-10 minutes after the first person starts which is when the clock begins. A tenth of a mile into Mile 12 I was still feeling good. I knew I had that last kick but I couldn't figure out how to get it out. I passed the 20K mark (12.4 miles) and on my iPod all of a sudden came Lady Gaga "Edge of Glory". At the time she had a really cool commercial of her dancing/running on the Brooklyn Bridge and I LOVED the song. So once it came on, I literally took off. I wish someone had a clock on me from that point because I was really cruising. I could hear that someone was on my tail but I was too in the zone to turn and look back so I just let them tail me.

The song was coming to an end and I could see the last little turn that led to the finish line. It was an awkward slight downhill finish but I kicked in like my high school cross days and crossed the finish line with the race clock a couple minutes over 2 hours. I was exhausted but excited that I had done so well. A few minutes after crossing the line a man in yellow came up and told me he was trying to pace with me the last mile or so but at one point I just took off and he couldn't stick with my pace (#likeaboss). He asked what happened and I just said "Lady GaGa".

I wandered back to my car to check my phone and got an email:

Ashley Ahner at the Finish point in 1:59:39.
Pace: 9:08 min/Mile

I was sooooooo excited to make it under 2 hours by the skin of my teeth. I made a video right after I found which I will track down and add to this post at a later date.

That marked race #5 AND the beginning of the "counting on my fingers" -

OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 5 states down, 45 more to go! #DREAMBIG

Race #5 Complete! I'm sure I asked some stranger to take this picture

 Pretty cool medal - the 13.1 part of it spins!

Crossing the finish line - yes, this picture is sort of stolen from offline. But you can see the clock was over 2 hours and the man in yellow who was trying to keep up with me!

5 states down, 45 more to go!

#DREAMBIG

DreamBig 2011 - #4 Tennessee

State #4 - Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville Country Music Marathon
Finishers: 22,015

April 28, 2011
After each race, I am exhausted, worn out yet still excited for whats next. Soon after my New Orleans race, I signed up for the big event that everyone in the south always talks about: The Music City Half Marathon. Anyone who is anyone has run this race in the running community and I wanted to be part of the hype. I signed up for what is officially known as Rock N' Roll Nashville and continued my training in Auburn through the Spring semester. Was it fun coming home from work, school, work again, changing into running clothes, waving to my roomie Erin and heading out the door every evening? Not really. But I knew it was worth it.

The plan for Nashville was to meet my dad halfway. The weekend of the race was the weekend before finals so I decided to go home to St. Louis to do some studying. On Friday evening, I packed up the car and headed to Nashville. I got to the hotel just in time for dad to offer up some free appetizers and drinks, as always.

April 29, 2011
We woke up Saturday morning and went downtown to pick up my race gear. Dad was blown away by the number of people at the Expo. The line to get it was wrapped up and down hallways and staircases. Seeing as there were 22,000+ people who ran the half marathon, it all made sense. After getting my bag and race gear, we wandered around a little and then decided to map out the course and our plan of dropping me off in the morning. If you are not aware of this, I am THE ultimate planner. I don't like surprises especially when it involves my running.

That night we went to a very fancy establishment called Cock of the Walk where we had fried pickles, mushrooms and everything else I probably should not have eaten before a race. But at least I was drinking water. When we got back to the hotel my nerves were already playing games with me and between them and dads snoring, it was not a good nights sleep.

April 30, 2011
I got up far earlier (if I even slept) then necessary to start getting all of my gear on. Jacob Watkins had given me a new Auburn hat and I decided to wear one of my long sleeve Auburn National Championship shirts since we were in a different SEC town.

Our pre-race approach went to plan and I shivered at the start line with all of the other racers until the gun went off. Thankfully I had already run a RnR race before so I knew what they were like with the wave starts. The first couple miles were rolling hills and dad was supposed to be standing at the turn around mile 2.

When I got there I didn't see him and later found out he was inside enjoying a nice hot coffee and bagel. Rude. Around that same point I ran into Jack Robertson from Auburn and said a quick out of breathe hello before he took off. From that point on, the hills NEVER stopped. We ran around Belmont and Vandy and I feel like it was a roller coaster of pain.

So close to the finish! Acting like I'm totally okay

Really everything was a hill - especially the finish. At about mile 13 of 13.1 I finally saw dad in his Auburn gear as well and I knew I was close as I could see the stadium finish as well. I crossed the finish line at 2:12:45 which was my slowest race yet but it still counts. You know what's gross? I am about 90% sure that after my race we grabbed a quick bite to eat at like McDonalds or Panera and then we immediately drove back the 5 hours to Saint Louis. Meaning my poor father sat in the car with my stinky self for 5 hours. What a trooper.

 Tennessee - you can keep your hills. 4 down, 46 more to go!

Closest thing I have to an OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 4 states down, 46 more to go! #DREAMBIG

Calling mom - who still doesn't understand what I do

Me and Pops after the Race in our AU Swag

The Country Music 1/2 Marathon Medal --- pretty sparkles -- 2:12:45