I'm baaaaaack!
I took a one day vacation from the blog scene to spend some good quality time with my family for Easter. My mom and step-dad came to see/meet Weston and cook some AMAZING food. My step-dad is a phenomenal cook and he worked that kitchen like no ones business this past weekend.
Typical "How are we going to take the turkey out?" debate
Since Saturday (after the race), I've been soooooo excited to tell you about the race and the final results. Again, thank you so much for the encouragement and advice. I needed it!
The night before the race, Matt and I talked about the course and how excited I was to get those running jitters out. I'm sure I also said "Thank you" a million times for letting me race, since we couldn't run with Weston on the trails and Matt loves racing as much as I do. (HUGE deal because we ALWAYS race together) We also made sure we had all of our clothes lined up.
NOTE: That is a pet peeve of mine. On race day, I like to have everything laid out to make sure I'm not missing anything. I can sleep a little better and a little longer in the morning. :-)
That morning, when it was still dark, Matt headed out the door and took off to the race site. I finished getting ready while making mental notes of when I needed to eat, when Weston needed to eat, and making sure the necessary things Matt, Weston and I needed pre/post race were packed in the car. This packing and getting ready for a race with baby W is new territory for me. It's my first race as a Mom... a nursing mom. Like everything else, prep time takes a little longer than it used to.
I got to the race site about 45 min prior to the start and met Matt. I was already getting that nervous feeling in my stomach.
Do you ever scan and seek potential competitors before the race starts? I ALWAYS do.
We warmed up together and Matt gave me my final pep talk. "Be safe, have fun, and run strong"
BAM! The race clock went off. The course was congested and I made the mistake of getting stuck behind some folks in the very beginning. I started of wayyy slower than I intended. It was good though. It prevented me from getting overly excited and running faster than I planned.
After I broke away from some of the runners, I wanted to cry. I felt so much emotion while running. Some people just have that itch...the itch to run. The itch to be with other competitors. The itch to be outside and take advantage of life. I have that itch and it felt sooo good to scratch it and see others doing it too.
I don't think I can describe to you how fresh the morning air felt or how the sun just barely peeked through the trees. It was beautiful and it was just me running and running hard.
The trail zigged and zagged. I ran over rocks, puddles and up some steep portions. Everything was pretty reasonable. The switch backs allowed me to see who was in front of me "my cheese" and behind me. I kept saying in my head, "Go get your cheese and NEVER get passed!"
Finish line looked so good
At mile 5, I really wanted to see how hard I could push myself. I wanted to get to my limit and see if I could push a little bit harder. My legs and lungs were burning - YES! The last mile was a steady uphill climb... my favorite. With 800 m left, the terrain leveled out and I could see the finish line. I kept telling myself to push harder and I DID!
I crossed the finish line running an average pace of 8:30. It wasn't too terribly fast (I thought I was running sub 7), but I ran my last 3 miles at a 7:15 pace AND... wait for it...I took first female overall. "This Momma can run!"
The rest of the weekend was fantastic. Weston was cozy with his Omi and Opa and I was cozy with all the delicious food my parents cooked. We had turkey, stuffing, collards, gravy, and cranberry sauce. Yes, it was our Easter meal NOT to be confused with Thanksgiving.
Easter Sunday - we match!
Happy April 1st. A new month to succeed and do more than the last.
Do you like Turkey or Ham for Easter?
Any new goals for this month?
