Sunday, February 5, 2012

Super Bowl Shuffle 2012

Today brought me to another one of those full-circle moments - the opportunity to participate in a race for the second year in a row. The town of Geneva puts on a 5K the morning of the Super Bowl (this is the second year) and it's a great small-town race. Last year, Linda and I did it, and this year our friends Megan and Kristen joined us.
Meg, me, Linda and Kristen.

This was the perfect day for a run. Sunny, chilly (low 30s) and clear. (Last year? Yeah. Torrential snow.) So I was ready to run. A little nervous after yesterday's eight torturous miles, but ready.

My run was good. Not the PR I wanted (I feel like I may forever be chasing the elusive 13-minute mile) but one of my best runs to date. I finished 700th out of 796, in 40:57 or a 13:13 minute mile. (Last year, by comparison - and to be fair, the ground was covered in ice and snow - I finished in 47:37, running a 15:22 minute mile, 335 out of 361. It really is about progress.)

The day didn't end with the race, though. My girlfriends and I went out to lunch (stumbling upon a breakfast place that served amazing bloody marys after we learned the taco place was closed), the local running store and then to the Chocolate Cafe. Seriously, can you imagine a better day for a group of women? I didn't think so.

It was a pretty perfect day, and now I'm left to relax and prepare for the week ... and try to come to grips with the fact that, three weeks from now, I will have run my first half marathon. I'm nervous and excited, and I feel like I'm ready. But for the next couple days, I'm going to take it easy on my legs. They are tired.

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