Run and Done

The Groundhog Run has come and gone and it felt good!  As I've mentioned before, this was our first timed race and I was unsure of how an underground run would feel, but I have to say we really got into it.  The run felt good start to finish, and that feeling doesn't always come easy.  I don't know our time yet, but either way, a very fulfilling experience to be sure.

We drove to the Ameristar Casino parking lot to park and then boarded a school bus to head to SubTropolis.  I was saying to Keith that this is the first time we'd ridden in a Big Yellow School Bus together before, and he reminded me that we had shared a school bus before when we went whitewater rafting in Tennessee.  Why, yes we did, I'd forgotten that.  Once arrived into the limestone caves, I had forgotten how vast they were.  When we ran, it honestly never felt claustrophobic; if anything, it got surprisingly warm as we ran through.  Keith and I noticed an interesting dynamic between us on these runs.  When we are training, my mindset tends to resist the whole thing....I come up with myriad excuses leading into it and when we run, I tend to trail him.  My brain is unraveling from work and I'm typically not pushing myself hard enough and there is a lot of internal "get your rear in gear" dialogue going on.  I always DO it: I just have to fight a battle with my cynical brain sometimes and I find myself running to catch up with Keith quite a bit.  But the races themselves?  I absolutely love them.  The attack of nerves at the beginning, the lively people-watching, the organic camaraderie that develops to cheer these perfect strangers, your fellow runners, on to the finish line...I love very bit of it.  In the races themselves, I tend to lead because I'm just so caught up in all of the excitement.

We really enjoyed every bit of this morning's experience and even had to sacrifice the Taco Republic truck because the line was so long and we had another event to get home and get ready for.  I did get the post-race treat of chocolate milk, though!

We have booked the next 5k and are working towards a 10k and the eventual half-marathon.  Right now, the very idea of that is a bit unimaginable to me, but keep working toward it we will...