Official race recap

Hey guys!

Whew, sorry about that. This weekend was complete insanity, thank goodness I at least set up those two blogs to post on Saturday so I didn’t leave you completely hanging!

Anyway, I am absolutely proud to say I have turned in my last paper and this semester has officially ended! We can now (eventually) return to your regularly scheduled blogging for a LONG time now 🙂

Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Festival mini-marathon was amazing!

This was the first time I have ever walked an entire mini-marathon and probably the longest distance I’ve ever really walked at one time.

Here are my stats:

Time: 3:30:51

Distance: 13.1 miles

Calories burned (est.): 1,179

The race was challenging for sure. I was also feeling strange as I crossed the start line walking…I have never done that before! The first three miles are pretty flat and include one water stop along the way. The next three miles go through Iroquois Park, which, for us big city Kentuckians, are some big hills! Once you leave the park, its flat (with the exception of one slightly incline road) until you reach Churchill Downs in mile 8-9, that has you going up and down a couple of ramps pretending you are a horse 😉

Yes, I live in the home of the Kentucky Derby. No, I’m not really excited.

I don’t hate the Derby, I just don’t get the hype. But I’ve lived here since I was 5, so that might be why. The hassles that come along with it, like crowds and traffic, constant news coverage, etc. are annoying, but the concerts are usually pretty good. We’re going to one Friday night 🙂

Did I mention my birthday falls around this time and has fallen on Derby many times in the past. There’s another one. Hehe. Ok, back to the real race!

I was dreading the park but really it was not the most challenging part of the race for me. The most challenging for me were those last 3.1 miles. Just mentally knowing that I hadn’t gone further than 10 since this time last year was really ingrained in my head. But I made it and we even sprinted the last 0.1 which felt so amazing! I’m not nearly as sore as I was last year when I ran the whole thing and I just felt so much more at ease and relaxed. This was the best (fitness) decision I ever made 🙂

Have you guys ever ran and walked a long distance? What was different for you?

I am so glad I chose to walk, for many reasons. First, I was not alone. I walked the entire way with my aunt and a good friend who is a trainer at the gym I go to. Second, it was beyond warm, I even got some sun, so I know if I had been running it could’ve caused me some problems. And last, when you are walking, you definitely have more time to take in the sites and snap some great pictures. Here are just a couple:

BIG HILL!

The Running Elvises

So true...

We did it!

Another one to add to the collection 🙂

I am so proud of my aunt for finishing her first half-marathon!

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d want to do this again, but now that I have done it, I hope to do it every year. I had so much fun! So there you have it folks…I am a 5k-10k runner and a 10-mile to half-marathon walker! 🙂

My next 5k is May 23rd, so today I am starting a 5k training program, yay!

Hope you all are doing great, I’m catching up on your blogs little by little. Thanks for sticking around!