Run With Nature

On Saturday I accompanied Vera on her first 10k run.  The first time I did this run (five years ago) I came in at 1:11:42.  This year I was determined to beat that time into the ground. =)

 Vera invited a friend from her ward who has competed in a number of runs, including Ragnar.  We were all comparable runners.

 Funny story: we waited at what we thought was the starting line for over half an hour, only to discover 8 minutes before the race that we were in the wrong place.  Good thing we stopped gabbing long enough to look down at our watches and put two and two together.

First stretch of the race- 2 solid miles uphill.

 Showing off our muscles post-run in our hard-earned tee shirts.  This was a great run; it was hilly and quite hot, and there were several spots where I thought for sure Vera would have to stop and walk but she never did!  She was quite a trooper and I am very proud of her for doing so well on her first run.  The first two miles of the run were uphill in the heat, up Natoma Street.  We then crossed Folsom Lake, passed the prison, and wound around on the Folsom bike trail.  There were some uphill switchbacks at the end that were quite the killer.

I came in with a time of 1:01:53, nearly ten minutes better than my first 10k time!  Killed it. =)  I was waiting at the finish line for Vera and she surprised me by coming in early, so I missed the photo op.  Good thing Tommy was there to capture her crossing.  This was a great run and I was so happy to be there with Vera for her first time.  Can't wait for the next one. =)