Richmond wasn't all Marathon...

Despite having a poor race at the Richmond Marathon, our little family unit had a blast while visiting this city. DJ Research and I spent our babymoon in Richmond before Nugget was born, so it holds a special place in our hearts.  

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Richmond I-64 West End.  We tend to stay at Holiday Inns when we travel because I like their facilities and they have reasonable rates.  This Holiday Inn, however, was my least favorite.  The entrance for the hotel restaurant was more visible than the entrance for the hotel itself (meaning we were driving in circles trying to find the lobby), the rooms weren't as nice (in fact, the ceiling in the shower had a HUGE leak that rained water from the bathroom above!!), and the hotel overall was a tad run-down.  No biggie, but I've seen better.  Service was stellar, though.

Decent room.

We were given these awesome door hangers (Nice touch, Richmond Marathon!):

If only life were always this simple.

In our room, Nugget did some speedwork on the bed and assessed overall bounciness:

Both beds passed the test.  

We managed lights out at 9:00.  9:00!!  While thats late for Nugget, DJ Research and I are NEVER in bed that early.  Surprisingly, I zonked out immediately.

I woke the next morning, got ready, had some breakfast (banana, coffee, peanut butter on bread), and caught the shuttle to the race start.  Actually, I missed the shuttle because I got to the lobby and realized I had forgotten my handheld upstairs, and by the time I got back down to the lobby, the shuttle was full.  No biggie, they had a back-up shuttle, but it was definitely an indication of how things would go that day.

Whats that random kid doing?
And by random kid, I mean my kid.

Anywho, ran the race, didn't do so well, hobbled back to the hotel, and drowned my sorrow (melodramatic?  moi?) in pizza, lasagna, and Disney movies starring Anne Hathaway.  Yes, I watched BOTH Princess Diaries movies (enjoyed the first one, the second one was pretty lame) while Nugget bounced around the hotel room in just his diaper.  I'm pretty sure he thinks this was the BEST family vacation.

Mark my words, hipsters of the future
will be wearing this outfit.

And honestly, I REALLY enjoyed just hanging out with my family for an entire day.  I felt no pressure to do anything; in fact, I felt that I deserved to sit on my butt for the rest of the day considering I just ran 26.2 miles.  I kinda wish we had better movies options, though.

The next morning we grabbed breakfast at Urban Farmhouse.  Love, love, LOVE this place.  So does Bart Yasso.  And DJ Research loves Bart Yasso, so he just had to say hi.  Sort of:

Stalker tweet.  Mr. Yasso is in the red shirt.

DJ Research sent the tweet to Mr. Yasso WHILE WE WERE STILL THERE.  I almost died.  I thought he was taking the picture for fun, NOT to profess his love.  Mr. Yasso tweeted back after we left:

The nicest man in running responding to the biggest dorks in running.

But before we high-tailed it outta there, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, and Nugget shared his pain au chocolate with Flat Stanley.

To burn some energy before we hit the road, Nugget tried to open every door on the city block, per his tradition when we travel.

Nugget and his nightclub.

And we came across a small parking lot with a smile pile of leaves that kept Nugget entertained for a good half-hour (hallelujah!)

This worked out perfectly:

The car ride home.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip.  We'll be back Richmond.  If not for your marathon, at the very least for your wonderful charm.

Do you travel for races?  Whats the farthest you've traveled to a race?

Do you have any family traditions when you travel?