Valentine's 14K

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day when you're single than to go for a run? At least, that's what Tristan and I thought when we signed up for the Virginia is for Lovers 14K. This was my first race of 2012, but it won't be my last (God willing!). My race schedule looks like this:

February 11: Virginia is for Lovers. 14K (8.7 miles). Virginia Beach, VA.
April 1: Cherry Blossom Run. 10 miles. Washington, DC.
April 22: Muddy Buddy run. 3-4 miles with 8-10 obstacles. Richmond, VA.
May 12: Kinetic Half Ironman relay. 13.1 miles. Lake Anna State Park, VA.
July 22: Old Port Half Marathon. 13.1 miles. Portland, ME.

Yeah, you could say I've caught the running bug! I was a little nervous for this race because I slacked off in training. I didn't do a whole lot of running over Christmas break and since I've been back in Richmond, the longest run I've done was 8 miles- and I only did that once. Still, I was really excited to run this race!

Tristan and I decided beforehand that we were going to stay together and take it easy for this race. We didn't worry about our times, we just wanted to have fun and run the whole course.

The race was a blast! It was mostly flat, so that was nice. We ran through an outdoor amphitheater and by Lover's Lane, where an actual wedding was taking place on the race course. There was a section with cheesy jokes and another section with funny pick-up lines written on picket signs. We ran the whole way, but miles 6 and 7 were a little rough. We finished inside the field house- I had no idea the finish line was inside- it was cool! At the end we got a carnation, a glass, Moe's catered food, and of course a medal.

Sprinting in the home stretch

Done!

We finished in 1:20:10, about a 9:14 min/mile pace. It was a great race and it got me excited for all my other races coming up this year! I can't wait to run a half marathon again!