Have you ever gotten so busy that your hobbies have been pushed to the back burner? I know I have!!! As a teacher, my last month of school seems to be the most hectic. Getting final grades into the computer, filing papers, cleaning out and purging my closets and shelves...there is always so much to do! June 4th was my last day of school, and now I'm on break until August. I have a few workshops lined up for the summer (as teachers never stop learning either!!) that I am looking forward to, but I'll also be enjoying my time at the beach with a good book or two (reading is another hobby that often gets pushed aside during the school year.) I have so many great things to blog about and now that I'm off for the summer, this is the perfect time to catch you guys up on some races that we have done over the last 2 months. I'm going to start with the Crescent City Classic 10K. Stay tuned for a few triathlons (two for Ali, and one for Darby), and a 5K, 10K, and half marathon that I participated in last weekend. Let's take a look back to the CCC10K.
The CCC 10K fell on the last Sunday of my Spring Break back in April. Could you think of a better way to end a week spent lounging at the beach and pool?? I think not!! My best friend Larisa and I drove to New Orleans the night before the race. Our first stop was the race expo to pick up our race bibs.
We were able to meet up with our friend Mindy and her friend Paige at the expo. It's always so much fun running into people we know!
After the expo Larisa and I set off on a walk downtown. Check out this amazing shadow cast by this statue! It seems as if New Orleans takes on a new life after the sun goes down. Our walk ended with an delicious dinner at our favorite pre-race eating place...the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen. The roast chicken pizza with the black bean base is Ahhhh-mazing!!!
After dinner we hopped on a trolley to get back to our room. We laid out our running gear and got ready to call it a night. I am such a creature of habit! When I find a product I like, it is hard for me to try other products. I always run in my Nike capris (as I don't feel comfortable running in shorts), Saucony Kinvaras, and Swiftwick socks.
Lucky for us our hotel, The Blake, was within walking distance of the starting line. We got up early and made our way to the Superdome. It was a beautiful day for a 10K!! Check out those beautiful blue skies :)
It seems like every year this race gets bigger and bigger. We crammed ourselves into our starting corral and waited for our turn to start. If you ever plan on racing this 10K, you need to ensure that you are in the first corral. Where we were towards the middle made it hard to get started. The sheer number of people on the streets made it hard to stay on pace. This was ok for us though, as we planned on stopping for plenty of pictures.
Like this one at mile 1 :) I was having such a good time!! The people on course were so friendly, and many were dressed in hilarious costumes. People watching is a must during this race! You never know what you will see.
Just past mile one we came upon this Marine Corps band. Of course we had to stop for a minute to listen. This was just one of the groups providing music entertainment along the course.
Mile 3 and still feeling good!! By this point many people around us were walking, and we were doing a lot of weaving between groups. A few times we stopped trying to duck and dodge, and simply walked along with the masses. The atmosphere along the course was fun and encouraging the whole way! This would be a perfect first 10K for a beginner runner. It is very laid back and you will never feel alone on the course.
Before we knew it we were entering City Park. Time really does fly when you are having fun. We knew then that we were close to the finish. At this part, the course kind of snakes and winds through the park. You can see the people on the final stretch and we picked up our pace a little...after taking a few more pictures :)
And then we were done! I'm glad we were running for fun, and not trying to set a PR. The crowded streets made for a great party atmosphere, but it also made it hard to maintain a steady race pace. I had a blast on course, but my body was letting me know it was time to eat! It was time to head to the VIP tent to meet up with some other bloggers and enjoy the after party.
Check out this amazing group of ladies!! It was great to hear about their blogging experiences and upcoming plans for races and other opportunities.
