One word: AWESOME!
Today I not only got to do a 10K run on a beautiful day in a picturesque park, I got to meet two of my online buddies AND participate in a new runner's first ever 6.2 mile run! Simply awesome day!
(I am sure there is a collection somewhere to buy me a thesaurus. I use the word 'awesome' entirely too much)
Shelley and I had decided to do a 10K together a couple of months ago and then we talked our other friend Andrea N into flying in from Boston (they don't call her Travel Girl for nothing!) to do it with us. Andrea is new to running and recently completed her first ever race, which was a
5 miler on April 6th. This was her first 10K and the first time she has ever run more than 5 miles! Shelley has been running for years and me, well, you know how I feel about running! Pictures: RBR bag and run schwag. Banner at the front of Sacramento Zoo. This run was a benefit for the zoo.
We met for the first time at the Zoo and screamed like little girls! It was a little surreal to just meet, but to feel like we already knew each other. We decided to run together, since, really, that is why we had all come to Sacramento. I wanted to get to spend some time chatting (chatty runner, remember?) and getting to know each other better. I am pleased to report that Shelley and Andrea are every bit as wonderful and gorgeous as you would imagine. Andrea flew in on Friday and Shelley played tour guide and hostess with the most-est until our race on Sunday. Commitments with Blackie the Wonder Dog kept me from joining them, but it sounds like they had a fantastic time. I was fortunate enough to be able to join them for the race and it was a real pleasure to spend the day with them. Picture: Obligatory pre-race ham shot.The day was bright, sunny, and gorgeous. The course was two 5K loops of a tree-lined street through the park. The trees offered shade, so you got a nice cool running environment. The road looped around a man made duck pond that made a pretty backdrop for our run. Pictures: Shelley on the run! Andrea and Stacey hamming it up!
Before we knew it we were done! To be honest I was a little sad to see it was over. I was having a great time! But, it was worth that sadness to see this: Picture: Andrea finishes her first 10K!She was a total rock star running all 6.2 miles. She walked a tiny bit during water breaks, but that was it. It was her farthest continuous run
EVER! We took a quick post-race picture then Shelley was kind enough to treat us to a SCREAMIN' breakfast a Marie Callendar's! My breakfast was definitely NOT Jenny Craig approved, but such is my pattern lately. Picture: Post race ham shot. A little hot, a little tired but very happy with ourselves!
Thank you ladies for a great run and a fun Sunday. Until next time..
12 comments:
I'm so glad you had a great run with fellow blogging buddies! I hope one day we'll get a chance to run! I was actually thinking of driving up for that race and surprising everyone-but working until 3am on saturday morning really put an end to that idea!
Great pictures! And looked like loads of fun!!!
That's so wonderful that you got to meet blogging buddies and run a race together!
What an awesome race report!! I am so honored that you ran with me - at my snail's pace - I can't put into words what it meant to me. (Also needing a thesaurus). Both you and Shelley deserve a million thanks. I am so glad I decided to wing it all across the USA to meet you both and run - because by golly - I ran!!
Stacey! Thank you so much for choosing the Zoo Zoom as our first run together!! And I'm so glad Andrea was able to come out, too! That was such a blast!!!!! Perfect weather, perfect course, perfect companionship! Woo Hoo! Lets do another race together soon!!
Great race report! Fantastic pictures. How is it that none of you have red faces after the run? It's hard to tell the before from the after - you gorgeous things, you! Celebrating the first 10K with new friends sounds like a great idea - and it made me realize I've never run a 10K myself! I ran a 5 mile race and forever and a day later did a half marathon (so of course somewhere in there I ran 6.2 miles) but I forgot to do a 10K race. Weird. Anyway - thanks for sharing the fun with us. Y'all rock.
I love those pictures. I really, truly am jealous that you guys got to do this. I'm happy for you, don't get me wrong! What a wonderful thing!
-Angela
Hope you're not still tapping your foot! LOL Did yard work all weekend. Will hammer out bleeping race report tonight if I can still remember any of it :o)
So jealous that you all ran together! Sounds like a lot of fun and a good run also. Is every blogger in the WORLD from California???? What's up with this?
You must be tired after the 1/2 and a 10K!! Way to go.
Cool stuff! It looked like it was fun!
Wonderful pictures! Great race and race report. How fun to run with friends and also in the zoo!!
I'm back. :D Half or full for San Francisco you asked - and I have NO IDEA. I haven't ever run a whole marathon and I've only run one half marathon (two years ago!) So - having established that I am USELESS as an advisor - I'm going to throw some ideas out anyway. How much do marathons take out of you? What are your "A" list races - and where would the SF Marathon fit in terms of being able to peak for those? If a half doesn't seem like a big enough challenge - you could set some time goals and once you smash those - you could come back down the course and run the last part over again with me and Donna. :D Also - I don't know how it works for other races (and I didn't look to see if the marathon sells out or just the half sells out) but at the CM 1/2 you could "upgrade" your 1/2 to a whole the day before the race! Just a few suggestions to help you think about it!
Going for the Guiness Book of World Records for how many comments can be left on one post - that's me! I "tagged" you - rules on my blog. Come play! Peace, my friend.
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