This post is about a month over due, as is always my fashion, but we’ve got a wet, slushy snowstorm in CO, and I have time to work on my blog. Here it goes anyway..

Back in March, it’s been a month now, I finally had a Saturday off from working. Almost every weekend I was either working one of 3W’s events or going to promote 3W at someone else’s event.

I decided to sign up to actually run the Erin Go Braugh 7.77k in Westminster, instead of sleeping in. This would be my first race of the year! It is one of our signature holiday races at 3W Races and I have run it for the past three years, this being the fourth.

The first time on this course was in 2013 with a couple of friends of mine, before I was a 3W Ambassador. We dressed up in lots of green, someone even wore a cape, and we took to the Westminster trail.

In 2014, I was an ambassador and raced with my fellow 3W Friends.

Last year, I remember feeling really sick that day, but raced anyway since this is my favorite 3W event (tied with Turkey Trek in November).

This year, I was super stoked  to race but hadn’t really set any goals, unsure of how I would do. I kinda wanted to PR (at this 7.77k distance), I kinda wanted to win my age group… but I wasn’t sure how fast I could actually run. My training has been on and off for a lot of reasons.

So I showed up to the race, tied my shoes and set off to run how I felt.

Turns out I felt pretty strong! I came in at 39:24, my second fastest time on this course (although this year’s course was tiny bit different). In 2013, I ran the 7.77k in 38:35, super fast, although I don’t want that to take away from this year’s accomplishment.

I started off steady, focussing on my breathing and found a nice comfortable pace. I found people up ahead to stick with and focussed on my form. As I got further and further into the race, I picked up my pace, dropping a lady I was running with for a majority of the race. Then, I found a girl ahead, “Purple Shorts,” I nicked named her.  In my head I told myself to catch up to her. We kept going back and forth with being in the lead. With about a quarter mile left, finish line in site, I kicked it!

I felt STRONG and flew like the wind (at least in my mind’s eye), and reached the finish line with a smile on my face! I found Purple Shorts to tell her good job and she says, “Geez, you have a good kick! I tried to keep up with you!”

While waiting for the results, hoping I had done well, I joined my friends and the boyfriend for a Lucky Charm feast!

Finally, results were in. I took first in my age group! Extremely happy with the race, Ben and I left, I took a nap and we finished the day with some rock climbing.