Too Hot To Handle

Well - yesterday the three of us ran in the Too Hot To Handle race around White Rock Lake. It was fantastic!
First - the weather more was perfect - a cold front came through late this week and made the high a "chilly" 93 degrees! It was MUCH better than we had expected, as just two days earlier we hit highs of 100+.
I decided it would be easiest to park at the in-laws, as they live merely a block away from White Rock. However, it ended up being over a mile to the start line. i was runnig late (as usual) and had to run almost a mile to get to the start in time!! But - I guess that was a good warm up :-) I finally got to the start line and luckily found our group only 2 minutes before the race!! That was a close call!!!
We started the race at a pretty decent pace - just around 12 minutes per mile. I was excited about this because I was very curious to see how it felt to run at our "race pace" as opposed to our training "easy" pace. And frankly - it felt good! we stayed at this pace for the first 5 miles or so, and then ended up increasing to close to an 11 minute mile. Jennifer and I averaged at 11:30/mile!! I am so proud of us. Around mile 5 we sped up to follow the coach of the 12-minute group, Ken. He was cracking us up - singing and shouting the whole race! It made for some great entertainment!!
So, the last mile was pretty tough. I am doing really well breathing throughout the runs (which used to be my biggest problem), but my legs get very heavy towards the end. I guess that will build up as we build mileage...
Right before the finish, I saw my dad and my husband. They are so supportive of my running - it is wonderful to have my family cheering me on! Jennifer's husband and son were also there to watch her finish. Seth was so cute - he tried to run out onto the track when he saw his mommy crossing the finish line.
After the race I was pretty tired - but I felt great! We accomplished a lot yesterday, and I am so proud of Shannon, Jennifer and myself!! Great job ladies!!!!

~L