I did it! My spur of the moment race turned out to be great!

I felt strong the entire time and I finished with a bang! I was especially pleased to have Brynna running with me. Between her and Ashley, I have great running partners that keep me motivated during races.

The race took place at North Park which is a park north (obviously) of Pittsburgh. It’s about 25 minutes from my house. I met Brynna there and we walked to the starting line together. There’s a lake, er “swamp” there and a 5 mile running loop around it, so we ran it 3 times. You actually had the option to run 10, 15 or 20 miles at this race. 15 mile finishers received gloves. 20 mile finishers received gloves AND a hat. Since I was feeling so strong, there was a moment when I considered going 20 to get the hat. But it was a very fleeting moment.

Let’s start at the beginning, that means last night.

The-Night-Before fuel:

(Anyone else start singing The Beatles’ song, too?? ahhhh, the night before!)

-A veggie burger, sweet potato fries and pickles. With a liter of water.

-After I ate, Dave ordered some pizza for his friends who were over watching the Pens game (I don’t want to talk about it) and I also had a piece of cheese pizza!

Pre-race fuel:

-Lemon water first thing when I wake up. It takes the place of coffee concerning my digestive system before races.

-A PB and J sandwich approximately one hour before the race. (no picture, I was driving while I ate it.)

-A little bit of Gatorade and water right before.

That routine works amazing wonders for me.

Race fuel:

During the race I had a Clif Shot with water every 5 miles. On the last lap I think I had a few more sips of water, but I really didn’t need any more than that.

Post-race fuel:

-Coconut water. I’ve heard amazing things about the way coconut water aids in recovery and after today, I am a believer. After arriving home, I showered, cleaned the bedroom and did laundry. I have never done more than shower after a long run in the past.

-Pizza and oranges! The race directors offered pizza, soup, oranges and banana to runners. I picked a cheese pizza slice the size of my face and ate it as we walked back to the car.

I really feel freaking amazing.

But I did sustain a slight injury to my ego:

As I was getting closer to the finish line, I noticed an older gentleman right in front of me, and I thought: there is NO way I am having pictures of me crossing the finish line with grandpa right in front of me.

So I picked up the pace and passed a whole bunch of people in the home stretch. After I finished, I turned around to see Brynna finish and I saw the old man cross…and continue on for ANOTHER lap around the lake.

So, yea, I passed the old guy…who was actually running 20 miles.

Grandpa: 1; Abby: 0

Also, I don’t recommend wearing a shirt afterwards that will show off the chaffing from your sports bra. Oops.

Sports bra: 1; Abby 0

I’m going to go eat my weight in cookies—and my parents are pulling up to the house now as I type this!

Have a great Saturday!

ohhhh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.