Glorious weather greeted me Saturday morning, Apr. 30, 2011, for the Miles for Hope 5K, race #8 for the year. The run was an out and back route that started and ended with about 2/3 of a mile on a trail. My time was 26:24, 35th overall and 4th in my age group - which had some very speedy women! I put in a solid effort and was pretty happy, plus this was the 1st race that my husband and step-son attended - he ran the kids race and came 1st!!! I was so excited for him.

The next day on May 1, 2011, was race #9, my first trail race of the year. Yikes - this was one challenging course - beautiful, but tough. The majority of it had to be run single-file and I learned a valuable lesson: start closer to the front for trail runs so you don't get stuck behind slower runners. My time was 37:05, slow for me on trails - BUT I placed 1st in my age group! Unlike the race the day before, this time the men were super speedy!

I had a blast being in 2 5Ks over the weekend. I took a break the next weekend, instead, I attended a triathlon clinic for beginners on transitions - so helpful!