Another Day, Another Race: When You Hit a PR

Before I get started, I wanted to apologize to all my thousands of fans (er... three people that read this on the regular?) for being so sparse with posts. The month of April was dubbed "moving month" because my husband and I had to pack up all of our belongings, sell the stuff we didn't want on Craigslist, and continuously clean right up until the person came to check us out of our 1 bedroom apartment that we've come to know and love for the last 13 months. It was a sad day to give up our freedom and to move back in with the in-laws, but with the fall undecided for us, and the rent too pricey to pull a month-to-month situation, it was the right choice. 

Because we knew we had all month to move, we took it. We slowly packed the items we for sure didn't need and brought them to the in-law's storage space. My husband and I haven't quite decided if using the whole month to pack and clean was a good idea, or just stretched out the agony of moving. I will say, no matter how you move, moving sucks. I still hate it. It makes me think of the book Green Eggs and Ham. I do not like to move my stuff, I do not like to move it here or there, I do not like to move to anywhere. Or something along those lines — give me a break, I'm on the fly! 

But here we are, all moved in to the basement on a house on a lake, making for a boat-ful summer and long commutes. They should balance out... right? 

My Love for Gloucester 

So, over the final weekend of moving and cleaning, I thought it would be a good idea to run a 10K. I signed up through work months ago, and it's hard for me to resist a race that my company will pay for. I essentially get to run four races a year, for free. It's a pretty sweet deal. (Just in case you don't run races, races are hella pricey, but they usually give you a shirt or a beer or yogurt on a spoon. You can have my $50+ for all those kinds of goodies). 

This was actually the second 10K I've run in my life as a runner. The first, which was also probably my most favorite race, was the Lone Gull 10K in Gloucester, Mass. It's a beautiful race that has you running on a road directly next to a rocky coast and the ocean on one side, and giant, beautiful homes on the other. It's refreshing and you get to see some stunning architecture, followed by a walk on the beach when you are finished. It was truly a delight. 

I was nervous, but I was running with two of my friends from the seminary, and our husbands were cheering us on. It was hilly (if you don't know by now, any sort of incline makes me regret everything) but I ended up hitting the time I wanted: Anything less that 1 hour. I ended up running 59:44 so I win! They served us sausages and pancakes and all the happy breakfast things you would want. 

With a race that left such an imprint, I knew I wanted to sign up for another one. 

Get in Gear 

Fast forward a few years, and I'm about to run the Get in Gear 10K in Minnehaha Falls in Minnesota. Definitely doesn't compare to Gloucester. The weather is less ideal then I'd like, but I had my husband and his mom (and her friends) cheering me on, so that was nice. Probably my favorite part of the race was the fact that 90% felt like it was either flat, or downhill. That attributed to my success. Success in what you ask? I made a personal record (PR) that I was thrilled to make. 

The thing about this race was that there was no time to prepare. With the "moving month" in full force, there was no time to train. Luckily I've run 10 milers and half marathons, so a 10K didn't feel like it needed much training. I managed to squeeze in 3 mile runs and maybe a few 5 mile runs, but that was it. Apparently that was all I needed to achieve my PR. My finish time ended up to be 56:42, almost 3 minutes faster than the Lone Gull race! To top it off, they gave us medals and travel MyPillows! I hit the jackpot on this one. 

Me, pre-run. Clearly I knew I was bound for greatness 

I think what helped attribute to my success, besides the decline of the route, was the amazing playlist I put together. It kept me incredibly motivated and every time I felt like slowing down or walking, I was given a boost with a song that I knew I couldn't slack off to. If you need some music ideas, check out this blog I wrote about my top songs for a running playlist. 

We celebrated my personal victory by hitting up a delightful bakery called Honey and Rye Bakehouse. I munched on a chocolate croissant, paired with a vanilla latte — my personal favorite. Get ready to be jealous: 

It was just as delightful as it looks

My Next Race

I'm not sure actually what I will run next. Last year was my first half marathon — the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon. It was beautiful and weaved you around the lake. And even though I told myself I'll never run a half again, I found myself desiring to see if I could make another PR now that I knew the course. But that's this upcoming weekend and I have plans that I need to not blow off. So who knows! The race world is my oyster... which one should I choose? Anyone have any suggestions they'd like to throw my way? I'm all ears! 

Always, 

A