Better late than never I always say. It’s been an incredibly busy month and I wanted to get this post up sooner so here it is! On the 8th of February, Coach Kozak and I headed north to Dallas so I could participate in the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K, a Ram Racing series. We left on an incredibly cold Friday even for San Antonio standards and made the 4 hour drive to Dallas.

We stopped along the way for a lunch break at one of our favorite Austin spots, Blue Dahlia Bistro. A small restaurant that brings local and organic ingredients to your table with a European countryside feel. It’s SO good. My date was obviously excited….

I enjoyed my usual Goat Cheese salad with pine nuts and added their chicken salad. Their bread is made fresh daily and I indulged. Why not? I was running 9 miles the next day anyway. I really wanted to buy one of their freshly made baguettes but I refrained. 🙁

After that, we jumped back on the road and headed straight to the expo so I could pick up mine and my dad’s packet.

The expo was great because not only were the fleece jackets we got super nice but I got a free coffee mug and they passed out free hot coco and chocolate dipped marshmallows….what?!? The expo was well organized and offered the patrons a chance to purchase cute merchandise and even sign up for another Ram Racing event, the Cinco de Miler being held in May.

As you see, even Coach Kozak enjoyed the free coco shot!

As did I!

Now I’m not big on cold weather and cold to me is 65 degrees. The temperature on Friday never got out of the low 30’s and I was nervous about the race because I knew it was going to be a cold one. So the next day, my dad and I layered up and fueled up on some apple banana bread I baked (that recipe is coming soon!) and jetted out the door at 6AM. What in the world am I smiling about so early?

My dad’s race started 45 minutes before mine and this was our hurried photo op as we ran to make it in time for his race to start. It was FREEEEEZING.

I ducked into the merchandise tent to stay warm while I waited as all of the heaters placed around the grounds were taken by the other frozen runners. I was trying to focus on the run as opposed to the fact that I wanted to cry and run  to the car and go back to my warm bed. I waited until the very last minute to make it out to my corral. This is the one and only pic I got before the run. You can see how depressing of a morning it was, haha.

The course was great aside from the fact that there were way more hills and bridges than I ever expected. Despite the unexpected hilly course, I felt fantastic! Other than a little discomfort I felt because of normal wear on my Mizuno’s, I was able to maintain my pace and PR’d! Here are a few pics of me running towards the finish line and a post run pose….as usual. Please pardon my appearance.

Smiling for the camera before I could fix my hair. 🙂

My dad walk/jogged his 5K and finished in 44 minutes, YAY DAD! Here are my results….

Previous to my integrating in strength and agility training, my pace stayed within the 9:45 – 10:00 minute mile range. Working out to Coach’s videos have definitely improved my running and speed.

After my run, I headed straight to get my finisher’s mug which consisted of chocolatey goodness. Hot coco, chocolate dipping sauce, a banana, rice krispy treat, pretzels, marshmallow, and something else I can’t remember because I didn’t eat it. 🙂

It was a fun way to celebrate the runner’s success! And I was even nice enough to share it with Coach Kozak.

Overall, I really enjoyed the race. I wasn’t too keen on the location at the Fair Park/Cotton Bowl in Dallas because of the charge to park when simply picking up our packets ($10) which we found to be a bit steep for a 20 minute stop. Also, the parking was literally a mile from the location of the race. When you’re cold, sore, and just ready to be warm, it’s not that fun.

A 15K is a really good distance for someone looking for more of a challenge than a 10K but not quite ready to hit a half marathon. I don’t find too may races offering this distance either. For me, it was a great way to test my foot out after my torn plantar fascia injury. After my recent rehabbing (foam rolling, calf raises, etc) I think I may be ready to hit another half this year. We’ll see, I’ll keep you posted. 🙂

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