Survived!

It's Monday morning, which means I survived my seven-mile training run on Saturday! Woo woo! It was challenging to put it mildly, but definitely worth it.

We ran through Golden Gate Park and in front of the ocean near Beach Chalet. The first 4.5 miles through Golden Gate Park was a loop we'd already done a few weeks back. We ran there during my second week of training, and I remember how much that hurt! But this week, I was still feeling pretty good at the end of 4.5 miles. I was so psyched to realize how much I have progressed in just a few short weeks!

But--then came the last 2.5 mile loop. Dun Dun Dun Dunnnnnn. That is when my muscles started feeling tired. The idea of starting another loop after already finishing 4.5 miles seemed tortorous. Fortunately, I had my running-buddies Carnley and Will to lean on. Carnley and I were keeping about the same pace and just kept trucking along. We were constantly passing other Team Challenge members so we received and gave a lot of encouragement along the way.

The worst thing about the last loop, aside from a bit of wind, were the rolling baby-hills. I hate hills--all I have to say--but considering the race is from Napa to Sonoma I guess its good practice because there are a bunch of rolling hills on the course.

When we finally hit the last water station, with a little over a mile to go, I got my second wind. Just knowing that I soon could stop was motivation enough to hurry my ass up! We came in for a strong finish, at about 1:13 minutes! Not bad if I do say so myself!

Here are the keys to my success this weekend:

1) Running buddies --> check!
2) Trashy pop music and latin beats --> check!
3) Teammates dressed in crazy wigs at water stations to keep you motivated --> check!
4) Knowing the butt-kicking is good for you and helping a great cause --> check!

After the run, when we were all sweaty and smelly, a group of 6 of us had lunch at Beach Chalet. Oh, I totally earned that burger!

This weeks bit of advice: don't run 7 miles in cotton socks. Splurge on the synthetic ones. Can you say BLISTERS??? All. over. my. feet!

No pictures this week. You'll have to stay tuned for next!