Rockin' the Davis Stampede

And that we did! I must be honest and say I was a little hesitant about signing up for this race...actually more indecisive about which distance to run. Since I had run a marathon December 6th and with this particular race being held on February 7th (Superbowl Sunday...go Saints!), I was concerned about putting too much physical stress on my body and worried that I wouldn't have enough time to recover and train well in time for the race. But with the help of our encouraging friends and well planned training runs (thanks Sara and Brian!), John and I signed up for the half and I'm so glad we did... especially with this race being John's first half marathon and being able to train together.  I was so proud of John...he faithfully stuck to his training schedule and out ran me on those hills.  Early in our training, we even managed a couples run with Sara & Brian and Jessica & Dave...and a trip to Starbucks...where talk of training for the 10k turned into training for a half (it was probably set up as an intervention...haha).

So back to the Davis Stampede.  Turned out a few more of my running friends signed up for the race and luckily we were all able to see each other before the start...in line waiting for the bathroom...no doubt--and where Sara and I spent a lot of time watching the "elites" warm up...now that is some funny entertainment! We weren't lined up when the gun went off but it didn't matter, that's what chips are for.  John, Brian and I started together and pretty much stayed together until we got to the latter miles where those two sped up.  The course wasn't really scenic, mostly residential and some industrial but the weather was absolutely perfect!  I did feel some tightness in my right calf...an issue I've been having for some time so I am going to try to make an effort to nurse it wth stretching and icing.  I somehow caught up to John and we ran the last half mile to the finish together.  That was a great run...and I beat my best half time by 9 minutes!

In other and more exciting news...Kaelani and Katie ran their first kids' run that morning..1 mile! It was so cute to watch them run and cross the finish line together. Here are some pictures.

{Pre-race photo at the Start Line}

{Studying the course map...notice how focused they look..haha..love it!}

{Here they come!}

{Aww...we are so proud!}

After the race, we headed to Habit Burger to reward ourselves and spent the rest of the day relaxing and resting our tired legs watching the game at Sara and Brian's.  I guess I can say we had a alot to celebrate that day...a first half for John, a kids' run for Kaelani and Katie, a PR for me and to top it off...a victory for the Saints! 

In the meantime, I've been running a few times a week...cutting down my weekly mileage to 12-15 miles...getting back to the gym for yoga and centergy (time permitting) and searching for the next race...so stay tuned.