After having a good run on Thursday, I decided to take myself back to my old cross country days and entered the Kris Kringle 5K, giving myself a goal of 27:00. Woke up this morning just as the snow was starting to fall, and i thought to myself, 'This is going to be awesome!' I'd never ran a cross country race in the snow before so i was pretty excited as roommate Catherine and I drove to Swope Park to brave the frigid temperatures and fluffy white stuff. The field of about 60 runners got off to a fast start and i got to thinking that most people would think we were all crazy to be running three miles in the snow. I, on the other hand, thought it was the absolute best thing to be doing on a winter morning, that is until I realized that there was a really long hill ahead of me. The course was not the easiest, with several steep uphills, two small creeks to run through and the frozen solid terrain that refused to provide much cushioning. But as i ran along, i thought back to my days in high school, running over golf courses and fields with my friends, not always enjoying the difficult runs, but always enjoying the comraderie and feeling of accomplishment when done. I knew I was well ahead of my goal pace and took the time to enjoy what i was doing, and having Catherine there to cheer me on only helped me savor the thrill of it all. Finishing time was 25:25, much better than i had anticipated, and i finished 2nd female overall and 1st in the 18-24 age group, earning me a really pretty blue ribbon. I was giddier than a school kid winning the three-legged race.
Total distance this past week: 11 miles (+6 elliptical).....168 days until San Diego!