Run, Shani, Run!

This past weekend I ran in the annual Cherry Blossom 10-mile Race. It was a beautiful course through Washington, DC along streets lined with cherry trees in full bloom. There were about 10,000 runners and a ton of spectators who came out for the event.

I had my own little cheering section - Anne and Stu got up at 5:30 to metro into DC with me and watch me run. The race started at around 8 AM and I finished around 9:40 AM. My official time was 1 hour 37 mins giving me a pace of 9 mins 44 seconds. Not bad for my first race!

The weather that morning was about fifty degrees with light rain. I thought it would be hard for me to run in the temperature (I trained mostly on a treadmill indoors) but the weather didn't slow me down. The hardest part about the race was finding a little space to run. Because there were so many runners, there was a lot of moving around to find the right position and not bump into anyone. Miles 5 and 6 were probably my hardest, but I didn't stop (wahoo!) and Anne and Stu were at the end to snap a few pictures.

To celebrate the day, Anne and Brian and Stu took me to get pancakes. They were awesome! The perfect indulgence after running so far.

I think I will run again - perhaps a half marathon. But I'm not going to think about that for a few weeks. My knees need a break!