Tufts 2011

I promise the next post will not be about running; this blog is getting too full of running photos and race stories, which are only interesting to a limited crowd. But I can't help myself...

...it was Tufts! THE Tufts 10K, which serves as the USATF National 10K Championship. It's one of the most competitive races I run every year, and it's good to get my booty solidly kicked every once in awhile.

I took a few days off from running last week because my calf was still really sore from the previous weekend's half-marathon. I pulled on a calf support sleeve and toed the starting line on Monday, hoping I wouldn't completely rip my calf in half (been there, done that, frosh year of college!). I didn't run spectacularly fast, but ran well enough to score for my team and I didn't injure myself in the process.

I went out quick, felt like junk around Mile 4, but still held it together for a 39:03. I was 53rd place (booty solidly kicked - check). Not a great race and nowhere near my best, but good considering the week I had.

After the race, I took the train home and took the fastest shower ever. We hopped in the car and headed for Crane Beach. We stopped at an apple farm and picked up cider donuts, then went to the beach. We met up with Scott's mission companion/BYU roommate, Nathan, and his family. The weather was perfect, the beach wasn't too crowded, and the kids were overjoyed to run free. Phoebe ran at least 10K on the beach: she chased horses and dogs, she found hermit crabs and snails and would carry them for a few hundred meters before chucking them into the ocean, and she stopped to play with just about every kid on the beach. We stayed until the sun went down, then stopped to eat on the way home. After that, the kids fell asleep in the car and we had to carry their sand-covered rag-doll bodies to their beds.

It feels good to be exhausted and happy all at once.