Vineyard 5k Race

For the first time, I set a goal for my race.  I was determined to run the 3.1 miles in under 26 minutes.  My last 5k race I completed in 29 minutes, so I was hoping to shave off 3 minutes.  A pretty big goal. 

Well, even though the start was a little intimidating and there were 2 HUGE hills, I made my goal!!!  I crossed the finish line in an amazing 24 minutes and 25 seconds!!!  Woohoo!  I was SO excited.  And amazed.  Apparently, free wine tasting is a great incentive for me to run real fast ;-) 

Here are the results:  Time of 24:25, which is 7:52 pace.  I came in #119 out of 1,218 people.  #5 in my age group.  Very happy with my results today.  It was a fun race.  I ran with Becky again for a majority of the race.  Started with Lesley, but got lost at the starting line.  Since it was an out and back course,  I was able to see her and cheer for her on the course.  And I saw 2 other friends out today as well, Maurea and Heather!  So fun to see so many friends out running!  I love it!!!

And of course, there are pictures...

Pre-race photo with the grape vines in the background.  It was a chilly morning.

 

 The start...holy moly there were a lot of people!!!

You can kind of see me crossing the finish line...

And then after the race, having a little wine...we earned it!

Andy & Becky had invited us over to their house after the race for some amazing smoked pork!  What a great lunch.  So, we bought a bottle of Sweet Texas Red from Delaney Vineyards to have with lunch.  It was like a red dessert wine.  Yummy!  Lunch was great, wine was good (so was the beer), and company was amazing!

Becky & I even took a quick dip in their pool.  I mean, who could resist this...

What a fun day!  And thanks to my 3 favorite boys who came to cheer me on!  Love you lots!  I am a little sad that I don't have another race next weekend.  Today was the fourth weekend of races in a row.  I think I am officially addicted ;-)

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Tour des Fleurs 10K Race

I completed my first 10k race today!  The first mile and the last 1.2 miles were the longest ever!  It had a few small hills, but wasn't too bad.  But it was really humid!  Yuck.  I am so ready for 70 degree weather.  No more 90 degrees, I am ready for true fall weather!  I ran with a new friend Becky, which I had never ran with before.  First, let me tell you what Becky's comment was after the race: "I can't believe you can talk the entire race!"  LOL.  Yes, this is true & I do.  It is a great distraction! 

I finished the 6.2 miles in 54:47.  That is amazingly fast for me.  But I felt pretty good, so I kept at that pace, which is an average of 8:50 per mile.  Here are my stats: I came in #10 in my age group (ages 25-29) out of 135 people, #54 out of 795 females, and overall I came in #163 out of 1181 people.  Not too shabby for my first 10k race!

Okay, of course I am such a nerd and took some pictures ;-)

So, since it was such a big race, there was little parking at the Arboretum, so we parked off-site and rode a school bus to the race.  Connor was thrilled to ride the school bus.  There were a few of these signs posted around the bus.  It just made me laugh. 

Pre-race photo...we are happy, smiling, and excited to run ;-)

And after the race...sweaty & gross.  But still smiling ;-)  Just look at the view.  Love it!

And Happy Jenn...Blue Moon post race is awesome ;-)  The shade is awesome too!

And look at our wonderful boys cheering for us...

Check out this view...

And the boys enjoyed the after race treats.  There was bagels, ice cream, pizza, amazing cookies, and  donuts!  The ice cream was an instant hit...

The race  was great, it was put on so incredibly well with awesome vendors after the race.  It was extremely organized!  And the Dallas Arboretum is just amazingly beautiful!  Perfect!

Then we rushed home to get ready for the WSU vs. SMU football game here in Dallas!  There will be a post about that soon ;-)

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We finished the 5K...

Make Tracks for the Zoo-24th Annual 5k Walk/Run

The fire trucks holding up the big flag-it looked so awesome.

All the people at the starting line...get ready, get set, GO!

Dylan & Connor hanging in the jogger before the race!

Connor enjoyed playing on the stairs in Forest Park before the race began.

Connor got to sit in the fire truck after the race -he was loving it!

My goal was to finish the race in 45 minutes!!! Yikes, I thought that would be no problem, until we got the splits, then we decided to run for most of the last mile to make my goal. We made it! We crossed the finish line in 42 minutes! Yah! Connor put his arms up as we crossed the finish line-it was cute. There were lots of people cheering & everyone was saying how cute the boys were. We were tired, but it was a lot of fun. Then we went and walked around the zoo and looked at some animals.

We went to the awards ceremony afterwards & Connor won an attendance prize: a gift certificate to some Frozen Custard place in Illinois. We were hoping for the Cardinals tickets!

We also treated ourselves to Il Vicino (a very yummy brick oven pizza place). It was delicious.

What a great Sunday!

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