Spring Racing has begun!

Last weekend was a huge race weekend in the southeast with nearly 70,000 runners participating in three different races. Two of the largest 10ks in the United States were run. The weather was perfect for racing, and the fans turned out by the thousands to cheer on the runners.

In Charleston, Ryan and Ursula both ran the Cooper River Bridge Run. Even though they never saw each other the entire race, they finished within 45 seconds of each other. After taking 13 minutes just to reach the starting line, Ryan quickly realized this was not the time to see how fast he could run a 10k. He instead enjoyed time with old friends, and dodged the hordes of walkers clogging up the bridge. His finishing time was 57:54

Not even a minute behind Ryan came Ursula. Her chip time was 1:03:06. Considering this race covered more miles than she had run in the past two weeks, she was thrilled with her performance. Looks like all of the spinning, cycling, and cross training is paying off. If her legs recover well from the race, hopefully we will see her back on the roads very soon.

Tracy H and her family headed back to Richmond for the Monument Avenue 10k. Much like the Copper River Bridge Run, this race is full of runners of all ages and ability levels. Despite the crowds, Tracy ran her way to a new PR, crossing the line in 56:58. Her 5k split was almost exactly half of her overall time showing she ran a smart a even paced race.

Her PR was not even the highlight of the day. Tracy said " I cried like a baby when I saw my two boys run the mile and finish with big smiles on their faces." It was truly a family affair for Tracy. Her husband Bob (59:13) and her sister Mandy (1:18:18) ran their first 10ks. I am sure Tracy had just a little smile on her face knowing she was the fast one in the car on the ride home. Congrats to everyone!