Carlsbad 5000 Race

Another week down! This past weekend we were on our own for our long run. I wasn't sure I'd be able to complete it without my great running buddies to keep me moving who I have come to adore (they drag me up some seriously torturous hills), but I did! I completed a 12 mile run on Saturday along the Del Mar Coast and through Torrey Pines State Park. It was tough, but such a beautiful run! It was almost the same run we did the previous weekend as a team for 14 miles. I had just come back from vacation from the Australian outback, and wasn't sure I could do it. But, my dear ol' running pals, Lisa & Jen, got me through it (they rock!).

Our organized TNT practice this past weekend was for "race experience." Our team competed in the Carlsbad 5000...it is marketed as "the fastest 5K race in the world"! (Ok, I am not fast, but the elite folks were amazing even if no records were broken this year). It was so neat to watch the final elite race and be a part of an event that some of the fastest athletes in the world were partipating in! I had a fun race, and ran with a girl on my team, Trish, that I've never run with before. She kept me going, and as it turns out, we live practically right next to each other!! My other running pal, Lisa, took off like a cheetah and did so great! She even had a good enough time to medal (and came in 5 min. ahead of me). Jen was out of a business trip, so she had to miss it. I was tired and sore from the day before, but it was fun to get some experience with participating in a race. Hopefully, this means I'll be more used to the experience of the adrenaline, crowds, etc. come the marathon (doubt it, but I'll try).

Also, today we hit the $7,000 mark for my fundraising efforts. Folks, we are ~$3,000 away from my goal of raising $10,000. We have three weeks to do it (by April 30th), and I know we can!!! Please forward on the link to this blog, email, etc. to your friends, family, church members...anyone (!!!)...to spread the news about this great charity.

"What is the use of living if it not be to strive for noble causes and make this muddled world a better place for those who'll live in it after we are gone?"
-Winston Churchill