Fit Friday #4: Get Pumped for Pets 10k

This past weekend, I ran the Get Pumped for Pets event for the second time. For the first time, I ran the 10k distance.

I ran the race with my running buddy Melissa! She promises that she’s smiling in this photo. It was SUPER COLD, like 25 degrees cold, and the lovely race directors put fire pits and heaters near the start/finish so we could keep warm.

All bundled, we approached the start line with the other runners. There were 5k walkers and runners, 10k runners, and 15k runners. The course was the out-and-back type, with a different turn for the 5k runners and an extra loop for the 15k runners.

I actually like out-and-back races. It helps me get my bearings, and on the way back, I can visualize how close I am to the finish line. It’s fun to run in large loops because of scenery changes, but this course was a fun scenic course on the Cross Island Trail, so I didn’t mind going out-and-back one bit.

I run on a pretty regular basis, so my legs were totally fine, but I don’t like running/breathing in the cold. I end up taking very shallow breaths and feeling like I cannot breathe at all. I nursed a side stitch for the last two miles of the race (but somehow kept running) and was SO GLAD when it was done.

Melissa was an excellent race buddy – she kept with me the whole time, even through my uneven pacing. She earned the unofficial title of  “Ms. Congeniality” as she took it upon herself to compliment every.single.person we passed on our way back to the finish line (Keep going! You got this! Nice pants! LOOK AT YOUR TUTU!).

We finished in under an hour! My final time clocked at 58:47.

The one major thing that kept me going through the race? PANCAKES. Melissa promised me breakfast after the race, and all I could think about was a stack of buttermilk pancakes. And eggs and turkey sausage, because run hunger is real.

This race was a fundraiser for Animal Resource Foundation, which I love! There were adorable puppies at the finish line.

I enjoy running races that serve a cause, or races with a fun environment. I used to run A TON of races, and now I’m more picky about the ones that I do. I’m really looking forward to my FAVORITE RACE OF ALL TIME, the ZOOMA Annapolis race. There’s a 5k, 10k, and half marathon. I’m running the half marathon, which will be half marathon #6 for me but also my first half since 2013. Gulp.

Come run with me!!! ZOOMA Annapolis is the most scenic course. There is also wine and recovery yoga and massages and GREAT race swag. There’s a 17% discount happening NOW. Enter code SHAMROCK by March 19. Register here.

If you register after March 19, I can still save you some $$! Enter code AUNDRA2017 for a 10% discount. Let’s run the world together!!!