Rachel and I ran the Run Wild 10K at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, WI yesterday!
What a fun weekend! I got to Rachel’s in the afternoon on Saturday and we spent some time relaxing on the dock on her lake, got Mexican for dinner, went on a walk, and hung out some more. I always love our time together.
The 10K started at 8:00 am Sunday, and we drove to Rachel’s work to drop off our post race clothes and pick up her coworker Alex, then drove closer to the race and walked to the start.
The weather was perfect – low 60s, low dew point, some clouds, some sun, and a sprinkle of rain every now and then. It felt great!
The run started near the zoo and we almost immediately went up a nasty hill – really, the worst hill of the race! I was huffing and puffing! But the rest of the hills after that didn’t bother me. I suppose it’s good we got that one out of the way early.
We ran out of the zoo, on a sidewalk through some neighborhoods, then along a path and into the arboretum.
We walked after one hill, and walked through the two (oddly spaced at 3 and 6 miles) water stops, otherwise, we ran the whole time!
We were thinking we’d average below 12:00 but our official pace was 11:01 (the course was a bit short). I felt good the whole time, and just loved having over an hour (1:08:49 to be exact) to chat.
After the race we saw Alex then got in the dumb line for water (they had plastic cups and one water dispenser… kind of an odd choice) checked out the food situation, hung out for just a bit, then bounced because we had to go to the main event of the day! Breakfast at Sookie’s!
First, we went back to Rachel’s office and showered, which was SO nice to be able to do. My running clothes, despite being purchased this year, smell disgusting, and it felt much better to sit in a restaurant in dry clothes.
We all got the savory breakfast sandwich at Sookie’s and it was amazing. I ate it so slow and really savored it. Delish!
I can’t wait to go back to Sookie’s with Rachel and take our husbands!
We drove back after breakfast then I packed up and hit the road. I’m really glad we got to do a race together this year. I’ve missed running with Rachel. And we’re both just so happy to be out there running and feeling good – we give zero sh*ts about pace, so it’s nice to be aligned there too!
Oh! I almost forgot! How cute is the race shirt and socks? I will actually wear these!
So many things stand out to me about this race. First of all YESSSSS when the race swag is cute and wearable. You didn’t have a time goal and yet you were so much faster than you thought you’d be. YES YES YES to running races with friends, yes to going out afterwards and all the yesses to being able to take a shower because sitting around in runner’s funk isn’t a nice experience. And finally if the course has to have a Hill O’ Death, yes to getting it out of the way upfront.
Congrats on a great race!
Aww thank you! And thanks for all the enthusiasm! This was an all around “Yes!” morning!
I am legit looking for any tips from anyone on how not to have my workout clothes smell disgusting after wearing them 5x. Is it just me? ICK!
My best friend is obsessed with rhinos and she would be so jealous of your swag. I am a little jealous, too! They’re so great.
Aww, you’re so sweet! And how fun she is obsessed with rhinos! You don’t hear that very often!
Great pics, congrats on the finish and I love the shark costumed runner. Those breakfast sandwiches look fantastic. I wonder what they use for the scrambled egg?
Thank you! I wonder too. It didn’t taste like a Just Egg!
That is some sweet swag! I love that shirt! Congrats on running a strong race AND having fun!
Thank you! I am excited to wear it! I wore the socks yesterday 🙂
Nice race and I love the rhino shirt and socks 🙂
Oh, you were in my neck of the woods! And of course you find a vegan restaurant that I have not heard of. Adding Sookie’s to the list.
What FUN swag! I love the shirt and the socks. 🙂
Oh yeah, definitely go to Sookie’s! It was delish!