St Patty's Day Dash 5K

Got up this morning to run the St Patty's Day Dash 5K. First race of 2014. I've been running this for four years now and love it. It was weird though not having hubby with me as this is the only one he'll run. He's still in Arizona until Wednesday. I did get the kiddos up and they came along. We had snow overnight but once the race started it was pretty much all melted which was nice.

Posing before the race starts.. My boys wanted to be with me as well even though they weren't running...

My son took a short video of the start. You'll see me shoot across the foreground and wave..

This year the course was different. Since they had a sponsor this year, Browser Brewery, we started at the University of Great Falls campus, looped it twice and ended at the brewery a couple blocks up. I passed by the kids 4 times before they drove up to the brewery to meet me at the finish line.

Wasn't my best time but since I haven't ran a race in a year, I'll take it.. 38:40 which puts it at a 12:28 pace. This was a tougher course than years passed. At the very beginning we are climbing up a hill then looping around to another hill. We then came back the same route which was nice because it was downhill but then looped the parking lot we started at and then BACK up the same initial hill to turn to go downhill to the brewery.. The hills did me in this time around so that slowed me down. 

You know what this means? More hill training is in my future.. Fun times....

I do have my sites on the April's Ice Breaker event. I said I was going to do that last year but didn't run another race in 2013. I do have plans to run it this year since I REALLY want to run my half marathon before I turn 40 which will be in August.. I just want to run it, finish and not worry about what my time is.. Just want to accomplish this distance! 

I have my eyes on the May Buffalo Jump Run for my half. I did this race two years ago for my first ever 10K so I thought it fitting to do the half marathon portion of the race from the same race as my 10K. They're two courses. One for the 10K and another for the half. We start out together and when the road T's, 10K's go to the left and Half's go to the right.. We'll see where I am at the end of April in my running distances and then I'll decide if I'm ready..

Until then, I'm going to smile that I've finished my first race for 2014 today!