A Monster 5K

Another chance to get out and exercise in this beautiful fall weather. Today was the inaugural Monster Gym 5K in Grass Valley. Pat was still at work so I decided to cart the kids around the very hilly paved loop run in the double jogger. I weighed both kids and the stroller before I started and it was a little daunting when the total came up to 95 pounds! This is the same loop my "mom's group" used to walk after having our first babies and we were trying to get back into shape and enjoy some social time with other adults. It's a 0.7 mi loop where half is uphill and half is downhill. The front wheel on my stroller rubs on the brake so I disconnected it and just before the race was questioning my decision. 95 lbs is hard enough pushing uphill, it's also tough to hold it back on the downhill.

At the start

"Here, eat this, this might take awhile"

A nice turn-out of about 30 people started the run at the top of the hill where we ran around a cul-de-sac before starting the first of 3 loops. I didn't have much of a warm-up because Caitlyn wouldn't get into the stroller until race time. She wanted to run with her mom. I knew this race wasn't going to be about time, just enjoying the adventure with my kids. Felt good on the downhill but then it wasn't long before people started passing me on the uphill. Brutal! I was the only double jogger runner and I think people thought I was nuts. I certainly did. Got lots of cheers each time we went through the finish area with teenagers handing out water to runners. The finish didn't come soon enough and I was shocked when I looked at my watch: 22:50, a PR! Wait, that can't be right. Michelle, the RD, confirmed it. She shorted us a lap so we only ran 2.4 mi instead of 3.1. (Everyone got shorted, a little miscalculation). That's ok, I was thrilled to stop when I did. I still averaged 9:53/mi which I'm happy with considering everything.

Getting the BBQ's going after the race

After the race, runners were treated to a wonderful BBQ with tons of food and goodies and awards. I must have been the only female 30-39 because I won first place! They also had a competition for best halloween costume and that honor (and $10 gift cert to Blockbuster) went to Caitlyn and Sara, the kitty cat and cow. What a thrill for them. All in all, a fun way to spend a Saturday morning in beautiful Nevada County.

Sara and Caitlyn enjoying the bounce house