The Chocolate Race

Today was the Chocolate Race.  We have all been looking forward to this for awhile.  We had friends from Detroit come up to run, Mike and James ran the 5k and I ran the 10k.  It was a great time!!!!!!  I was happy with my time of 1:10.05.  My goal was under 1:15 so mission accomplished!


We spent the night a hotel in Niagara Falls.  Mike and James had to follow me up later than expected.  James had baseball Saturday morning and broke his finger.  Mike had to take him to the ER to get it xrayed and splintted.  Once they got up there the fun started!  We enjoyed a great dinner with our friends and then Mike and James went for a swim in the pool.

This morning we got up early for the race.  James and I made everyone t-shirts.  So we all had bright shirts to wear for the race.  It was a great day.  It was a bit chilly before the race and being on Lake Ontario there was a bit of a breeze.  Here are a few pictures taken before the race.

I started my 10k 15 minutes before Vicky, James, and Mike started their 5k.  It was a good start for me.  I got in a good groove and felt really really relaxed.  The first 5k felt great.  At about 5.5k I did grab some water and walk for about 1:30 to drink it.  I got right back into the run and felt good.  I did have to get more water at the 7.5k mark.  That was another minute or so walk.  I really started feeling strong at that point.  My legs were feeling really good and I was able to pick it up just a bit.  The last 2k felt amazing!  I just let myself go and ran it gradually getting faster. 

Here we are at the finish with our medals.

After the race we got lots of chocolate!  We had chocolate milk, chocolate croissants, chocolate brownies, chocolate truffles and chocolate martinis.  James was so cute.  He asked the bartender for a chocolate martini without alcohol.  The bartender gave him chocolate milk in a martini glass.

After we got done indulging in the chocolate we went back to Niagara Falls and did a few things that we hadn't done before.  We went on an Aero Car out over the Whirlpool.  That was pretty cool!  Being out above the water like that and seeing the whirlpool.  James enjoyed it.

Afterwards we went to the Butterfly Conservatory.  We saw a lot of butterflies!  Some even landed on us.  It was pretty cool!

It was a fun weekend.  We are already talking about when we do this race next year!

Hanukkah Hustle 5K

Today I got to run a race with my mom and grandma watching.  It was fun!  I have been hit and miss with my training since I haven't been feeling 100% so I was a bit worried about what this race would look like.  It was pretty good.  I ran a personal best of 34:55.  It felt good.  As I started running a noticed that we were running down the hills when we came to them.  In my head I was starting to frustrated myself by noting that meant I had to run up the hills on the way back.  I was not looking forward to that.  I did it though.

I felt so good at the end when I saw my time.  It has me motivated again to run more consistently and stick to my schedule.  I am already planning my week so that I can get my running in.  It will require me to be organized and just suck it up and forget the fact that I'm still not 100%.  I feel good after I run.  I feel like I've accomplished something. 

My next race is January 1st and it's a 5k.  Later in January I have an 8k so I'm trying to get ready for that.  I know I can do it because I want to do it.  I'm inching closer and closer to my 30 minute goal.  I know I can get that goal sooner than I think.  I have discovered that I do enjoy running in the colder weather.   Of course it hasnt been super cold and we haven't had snow yet, so we'll see.  I may change my tune come February.

I sat down and planned my race calendar for the next few months and I'm really excited about all the races coming up.  I am running a 10K in April and I want my first one to be pretty good.  I can't wait to run it!

After the race we went to Niagara Falls.  Mom had never seen it.  It was fun. We had a good time walking around and looking at the Falls.  We didn't go far or stay long, but it was still a lot of fun.

Here are a few pictures from the day.

At the starting line.

After crossing the finish line.

Grandma and I at the Falls.

A rainbow.

Here we are with our mounties.

Tomorrow they head back home and it's back to my routine.  I had a great time this weekend and can't wait for them to come up again!



Slainte St. Patrick's Day 5K

This was a good race for me.  My time was 34:14.01.  I felt pretty good for most of the race.  Before the race started it was snowing which made me a bit nervous.  I don't want to slip on some ice and hurt my ankle.  I stopped and "warmed" up by race time.  This race is fun because the last 2K are downhill and you get free beer at the end of it.  It sucked a bit for me because I was sick the first part of the week and halfway down the hill my legs started cramping up big time from still being dehydrated.  I was  NOT going to stop though. 

I had changed my running playlist and as I got to the bottom of the hill I still had 3 blocks to go.  My calves and my thighs were giant knots, but Don't Stop Believing came on.  I didn't dare walk during that song because there is something just not right about that.  LOL.  I finished and felt really good.  Some kid saw that I was in some pain and came over and offered me the rest of his water bottle.  It was really nice of him and just what I needed.

We went in the pub for a bit and enjoyed some music and a pint.  I am still cramping a bit, but I am drinking water and will get out this week for a few runs. 

Next race is April 9th!


After crossing the finish line.

Enjoying my post race beer.